Then came Thursday

You might want to read these posts in reverse order; if you weren't there, they'll make more sense.

The crowd started to pick up steam a bit on Thursday.  Certainly, part of that owes to the fact that we pitched a tent in some prime parking territory (I can only imagine the parking anxiety this induced! Oh, the humanity!).  If I had a dime for every craned neck that drove by, my student loan would nearly be paid.  But that's kind of the fun part too, doing something so unexpected that people's little worlds suddenly start misbehaving.  A little novelty is irresistable.

Lunchtime showcases started with a handful of people but Keith MacPherson and Kendra Gale started roping them in.  If you didn't catch this duo, you missed out.  Kendra is a multi-instrumentalist and fantastic singer, and Keith plays bass and sings along too.  They sound so great together, and when Kendra gets her foot tambourine going all is right with the world.  Loved that they made it here, and that they were willing to stick around for another go at the Queen Street Market on Saturday.  Not to be missed in the future, FYI.

Richard Wetmore played his food songs later in the afternoon, educating the crowd about corn, corn syrup, agribusiness, farming.  Richard's unique combination of Anglican singing, swearing and jokes really has a way of getting the point across, despite the fatigue we inevitably feel when someone starts telling us how truly messed up the world is.  Hats off to you, Richard, I'm happy to come along.

Evening entertainment was Marc Zsammer and Dianne Roxborough Brown at Connell House (classical music), Tracy Anderson solo debut at Fusion (jazz), Keith and Kendra at Dooly's, and a triple feature at the Mainstage - Lonesome Jim, the Beaters and Singing Bridge Orchestra.  Reports are that all went well - the classical musicians were impressed by the beautiful sound and setting at Connell House, the Fusion gig was wall-to-wall, and they were still dancing at Dooly's when I got there at 1am.  Tracy tucked away her butterflies long enough for her fingers to show us some of what she learned in Toronto this summer. And Lonesome Jim was his usual self- acerbic wit coupled with virtuosic strumming and inimitable harp playing, the Beaters got the party started, and the SBO managed to get all the way through our disco and funk set without anybody throwing things.  Life was good!

I need to pause here to re-iterate what a good job Dean Weeks did.  Our SBO is an eight-person band with everything from 5 vocalists to trumpets, trombones, cowbells and shakers.  Thursday night was the clearest we had ever heard ourselves, and we played with only a short, informal soundcheck.  It takes real talent for a soundman to deal with that and make it look natural.  And SOUND GOOD. So Dean, we salute you.  Thanks again :)

Thursday wrapped up with 152 through the gate at the mainstage.  By then people had caught on that they should walk from one place to another.  Don't ask me where they parked.  So once again people forgot that 10pm is 'bedtime' and walked from venue to venue, seeing what they were missing and marvelling that in a tiny town, people could have a choice of which event they wanted to take in. It was great - even the Mayor was there.  Again.  At every event.  Nice work, your Worship.

For the Faithful Who Have Answered

Well, we did it! I guess you can see how much time I had to blog.  Too bad.  But if I would've had time, here's what I might've said.....

Wednesday: We managed to get the mainstage site set-up without any major hitches.  Passed the building inspection and even had time to get a haircut.  Best not to look like a shaggy lion when so many people are coming to visit....Music and art at Connell House were well-received.  The crowd was smaller this year but also more thoughtful.  People who left early missed John Thompson playing the harp and the piano at the same time.  It was surreal!

The Transatlantic Zodiac Ensemble kicked things waaaay up at Fusion.  It's a miracle the band even fit in there - 9 players, including a regular drumset and percussionist, soprano sax, violin, accordian and more.  Wall-to-wall people ate up every morsel they played.  There are always moments as an organizer when you can't believe how little things can add up to something so exciting and that was definitely one of them

Over at Dooly's a few intrepid souls disregarded their Carleton County bedtime (ie. 10pm!) to stay up late and hear Atlantic Bridge.  I am now playing keys and singing with this group and thanks to the steller hosting and tech support of Peter McLaughlin, we managed to make some toes tap and even a few brave souls danced. 

The loudest show of the week was already underway at the Mainstage, sponsored by MES Music.  I didn't have a chance to get there but I heard people had a great time.  I can't say enough about Dean and Jennie Weeks and their support for this festival.  We would have fallen on our faces without Dean.  He had the gear, he was there all week with only a few breaks and made everyone sound fantastic.  So if you live around here, you'd better buy local, because we're screwed if something ever happens to MES Music!!

I'll write some more about the rest later.  Didn't realize there was this much to tell!  Stay tuned.....

How To Build A Dooryard

Step One: Get a bunch of rugged volunteers
Step Two: Disassemble 44 sections of steel 10 foot fencing
Step Three: Rent a mucho expensive tent ($$$$)
Step Four: Get a Building Permit
Step Five: Figure out how to secure said tent according to Building Code without going broke or crazy (cement blocks, thanks Town of Woodstock)
Step 6: Add caffeine and mix
Step 7: Rent a portable stage
Step 8: Add merch and bar tents
Step 9: Finish with PA Systems from busy local soundman
Step 10: Pray that the people come to enjoy it

See you in the Dooryard, I'll be blogging as much as I can for those who can't be here in person (or prefer the eerie glow of their computer monitor).

Like a Carleton County potluck, only for the arts . . .

The excitement surrounding this year's Dooryard Arts Festival is palpable.  Everyone is waiting to see how it's going to go, because this year it's waaay bigger than any one person or stereotype.  We've got rockers, we've got banjos, we've got violins, we've got paints, prints, kids, vendors, singers, songwriters, poets, body artists, knitters, potters, painters and writers. And more - really.

What excites me most about this festival is the variety - it's not just a rock fest for hipster teenagers.  It's not another gospel concert with the same old tunes, or another fancy fine arts show.  It's everything all mixed together, with everyone contributing in their own unique way.  Even the "steering committee" isn't really steering this bus - Dean Weeks booked the Indie Night, Valley Young Company chose their production, musicians built new bands, and the excitement just keeps growing. 

Don't get me wrong, we're readier than ever.  But if you're looking for a genre typecast for this festival, you'd best keep rolling down the river.  Because the only thing that really unifies this festival is our location - being here in (mostly) Carleton County, and having some form of individual or collective human expression. Expect the unexpected, expect to see, hear, taste, smell and even touch things you don't normally experience. 

This is the wonderful thing about the arts: it takes us beyond our puny and often self-absorbed personal identities (I put myself in this category too, don't worry) and takes us somewhere else.  Like trying that new dish at a potluck.  You don't have to eat a plateful, but just try it, already.  You might like it, and even if you don't, at least you will have experienced a little shred of personal growth.  This is the stuff that life is made of.

VYC: Never Swim Alone

VYC has changed its Dooryard Production to "Never Swim Alone" by Nova Scotia playwright Daniel McIvor.  If you've purchased an "Our Town" ticket, those will be honoured at the door and any difference in price refunded to you.  Full refunds will also be available should you choose not to attend "Never Swim Alone,"  but we encourage you to check out this great Maritime show.

Some info from Lee Kinney, Artistic Director of VYC:

Never Swim Alone by Nova Scotian playwright Daniel MacIvor. The play is a very contemporary piece with three actors - 2 men, 1 woman - with very minimal set, costume and lighting requirements. The piece is very engaging and exciting, and will introduce new staging and production styles for our company.


Russ Hunt, a STU professor, wrote a review of the a Hampton High production in 2003 that can be found here: http://www.stthomasu.ca/~hunt/reviews/swim.htm and is worth taking a look through for an idea of the play.

If you're not familiar with MacIvor, he is also well worth taking a look at. He is one of the most successful and prolific Canadian playwrights, specializing in meta-theatrical plays, and profound and hilarious one-man shows. He is originally from Sydney, NS, and has been working across Canada since the early 80s, continuing to write today (his latest play "His Greatness" about Tenessee Williams was published in 2008).

There's Something About Dooryard

Well, we've seen what's coming down the river, and it's a whole lot of festival fun. 

Last year's Dooryard Arts Festival was the first edition.  And we all know what "firsts" can be like: thrilling, hectic, terrifying, confusing, and unforgettable.  We ended last year sunburnt to a crisp, not quite broke and fiercely proud of what we managed to accomplish - despite needing Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D to find a location, and figuring out how to close streets, recruit artists, pay musicians, power PA systems and countless other things.

This year we've made many improvements: cleaner porta potties (oh, YEAH!), a larger tent, food vendors, children's activities, art workshops for adults, more bands, more artists,  a great Saturday market lineup, new venues and much more.  I dare say this is the largest display of local talent anywhere in the province.  So, in keeping with last year's tradition, here are 10 things you do not want to miss at this year's Dooryard Arts Festival.

10.  Still-life drawing workshop for adults, Thursday, 7pm.  Yes, Virginia, adults can learn something new.

9.  Charlie Bomb: Hit and Run premiere, Wednesday night.  Charlie's worst nightmare and a few laughs too.

8. The opening cocktail party at Connell House.  Beautiful room, beautiful food, beautiful music. MMmm...

7. Writers! Jason Wilson on Thursday evening, Vagabond Trust on Friday afternoon, Beyond Words on Saturday afternoon.  Writers don't go out in public often, get a peek while you can.

6. The biggest little bands you can imagine stuffed into Fusion: Transatlantic Zodiac Ensemble (Wednesday ) and Oh No, Theodore! (Saturday).  No cover, but the Karma Cup will be in attendence.

5. New artworks from Jill Stephenson, Adam Atherton and Laurel Green. 

4. Tunes "from away:" Montreal's Abigail Lapell, NYC violinist Marc Zsammer and Nova Scotia's Mike Dalton.

3. The most rockin' evening Carleton County has seen since Woodstock. Oh wait....Mike Bochoff, Telfer, and Andrew Hunter & the Gatherers blow the roof off the mainstage Saturday night.

2. Juno Award Winner and banjo poet Old Man Luedecke makes you take back all those banjo jokes. Friday night on the mainstage.

1. Saturday. A full day of all-ages programming, including the return of the Queen Street Market.  Buskers, food, artist vendors, children's readings, drumming workshops, a magician, writers and songwriters.  This year, folks, the city comes to us. Say it with me: Saturday!

We've heard through the grapevine people are talking about the festival.  We hope so, it's for you!

Who Cares for the Body?

The random farmers near the roadside make me wonder.  They make my mouth water because I came from a family where you went outside to pick your supper, washed it and then put it on the table.  But these berry, egg and vegetable offerings next to commercial centres also make me uneasy - they shouldn't have to sit in deserted parking lots all day to get their produce to people. When farmers aren't in the grocery store, and aren't at the Farm Market, something is wrong.

I don't say this to upset any of the fine people on the Farm Market Board of Directors - they've worked hard to get a building and keep things going during times when food wasn't the blockbuster issue it seems to have become lately.  But we desperately need to have fresh local food at our Farm Market - not just for farmers, but for our bodies (not to mention the body politic).

But all this talk of food and the issues that surround it - corporate control of meat and grain production, obesity and diabetes, the death of cooking and the family meal, the separation that most people have from their food producers - really makes me think about the body and how uncared for it is nowadays.

For example: we're continually blasted with images and exhortations to buy food that is terrible for our bodies and for the planet.  And we're told it's a "treat."  No, it's not.  My mother's rasberry pie or string beans from the garden or real strawberries or a homemade cookie is a treat. 

We don't send kids outside to exercise and run around anymore, we don't go out dancing with our friends and spouses, we don't walk anywhere and we wonder why our ten year olds look sickly, our twenty year olds have back pain and everyone is depressed.  It's because we don't give proper consideration to our bodies anymore.  Using the phrase "my body" in most social situations will immediately make people suspect you are a wacko of some kind.  Too bad.

When I think back to my childhood, most of my good memories have something to do with my body: the smell of working men in my family coming in for supper (sawdust, hay and motor oil), the taste of food picked off the plant and eaten (carrots rinsed with the garden hose and devoured), long uphill bike rides and flying downhill on the other side, swims in the brook and lake, the homecooking of numerous aunts, mothers and grandmothers, mud pies, sandboxes, swing sets, sunsets, horses, long stories after supper. 

These are treats and not of the high-minded philosophical variety.  They are the things that form culture, keep us civilized and make us truly human.  I feel sad that we've lost the body.  I think the mind can be a terrible tyrant if it runs the show all the time.  A mind can be convinced of anything if you put the right message on 'repeat.'  The body is an ecosystem with its own internal balance.  When the environment of the body is off-kilter, it colours everything we see, hear, taste, touch, feel and think. 

Until we make peace with our bodies, we will never solve our overconsumption problems.  As goes the body, so goes the nation, perhaps....

Passivity

I'm nearly finished reading Richard Sennett's brilliant book "The Fall of Public Man."  I am on quest right now to understand why things are they way they are, both in general "society" and also in our little town.  It's pretty interesting, and beats watching the same commerical ten times in one evening.

I like Sennett because he doesn't just repeat the standard answers: ie. capitalism is bad, people are obsessed with material things, the political elite don't want an electoral system that actually reflects the priorities of working people. Spare me, please - it's not that simple.

Instead he looks at ideas of public and private and how our perception of what those mean has changed since the industrial revolution.  In the 17th and early 18th centuries people in public saw themselves as actors.  Showing your feelings was a well-practiced art, with specific ways of demonstrating each.  Talking to complete strangers in public was totally normal. Being social in a crowd was completely normal. Costumed public appearances were normal too.

Today people are absorped in the psychological dimensions of their families, living in neighbourhoods where people are just like them, and seeing crowds and strangers as something to be feared.  The most valued bonds are formed by sharing deep intimate thoughts. "Community" is made up of people forming these bonds. Narcissism is everywhere.

Our fundamental ideas about public and private have changed a lot, and where people used to be demonstrative in public, now they are passive, keeping their feelings on the inside and keeping their bodies still and silenced. We teach our children this all the time.

It was very common for people in the 18th century theatres to heckle, spit, boo, hiss, cry, laugh, and even sit on the stage.  They did this unabashedly.  Picture the House of Commons during Question Period - that's what it was like.

Now it's difficult to get people to respond or participate in ordinary situations.  I've seen it - audiences that won't laugh or can't decide if it's "okay" to clap, people who won't dance to music designed for dancing, people who won't introduce themselves to someone despite being in close proximity to a stranger, church congregations who won't sing above a whisper for fear of hearing their collective voice.  It's everywhere, pass the remote control. It has poltical implications - most people won't get organized enough to protest or to challenge systems which are actually doing harm to them or their compatriots.

Situations where people shun this passivity are seen as audacious and maybe slightly dangerous. Heaven forbid you might be seen enjoying yourself in public, or that you might experience something out of the ordinary in a crowd of strangers. You might actually change the system.

I think school has a large part in engraining passivity, as do television and advertising.  I think this passivity makes us insecure about ourselves and robs us of opportunities to express joy, sorrow and anger in a meaningful way in public.  We have a need to participate in something other than consumerism, whether it's collective joy, the political process, storytelling, or the social life of a town or city.

So get off the couch/internet/txt and go somewhere new today.  What you will see will change you.  And you'll be fine - slightly different, but more fully human.

How will I know what to "like" ?

I don't have time to fully explore this right now but it looks promising.  All you techno-punks (or people who value their private information) will likely find this interesting.

http://www.joindiaspora.com/project.html

More to come after I have a chance to digest...

That pesky Charter of Rights

A lot has been said and written about the G8/G20 events in Toronto.  Here's what I have to say about it.

A lot of the commentators seem to have really bizarre perceptions of people who protest.  There is generally no discussion about why normal people decide to skip the family BBQ, the trip to the movies, etc. to go and get their heads whacked by a bunch of agressive and.or frightened police officers. (I'm not convinced all police officers are inherently evil).

The assumptions tend to go one of two ways:
1. These "privileged kids" should stop whining and realize how good their lives are. 
2.  The protesters are trouble-makers who don't even know what they're protesting.

I have been to a couple of large protests (tear-gas included) and here's who goes to protests: old ladies who are concerned about cuts to public health care and pensions, students who feel that corporations have too much economic power/political influence/not enough responsibilty, union members who are concerned about their job security, indigenous people who have been kicked off their land, people concerned about climate change and environmental degradation.

There seems to be a real disconnect between Canadians' assumptions that we have "free speech" and supporting fellow Canadians in the exercise of those rights.  In case you forgot, here's what ye olde Charter of Rights and Freedoms has to say on the issue:

                     SECTION 2: Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
Citizens have the right to challenge the legitimacy of corporate institutions like the G8 and the G20. Disagreeing with the government does not equal losing your democratic rights. 
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
Standing with a sign and a message does not make you a terrorist.
(d) freedom of association.


If this G20 mess had happened in China, lots of self-righteous commentators would have disapprovingly mentioned that the government spent over a billion dollars on militarzed police, and that shortly after the singing of the national anthem, those police charged into a peaceful crowd, swinging clubs at the heads of mothers, grandmothers, uncles and brothers. 

But it wasn't China, it was Canada.  And lots of people on the sidelines seem to have forgotten that the majority of people who protested are people just like them.  And what I find the most disturbing is that the same people who want to pretend that protesters are "trouble-makers" also complain that corporations have too much power and that governments won't stand up to them. Well, you can't have it both ways, folks. 

One last thing: if people hadn't protested in the past, women would not be legal "persons" in Canada, there would be no regulations against child labour, there would be no health care, minimum wage, collective bargaining or environmental laws.  So maybe it's time to abandon the simplistic assumptions and take a closer look at why regular people would put themselves in harm's way.

Meet the "Meeting House"

I've heard good things about this little beauty in Bath!

Parking first, women and children second

Check out these incredibly depressing photos of downtown Atlanta.  Lots of parking! No people anywhere....just what you needed on a grey day like this, right?

Daily Dead Birds

You can find the numbers dead, oiled and released here. The BP spill is still gushing.

Woodstock: The City That Wasn't?

I finally finished "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" this spring, on my way to the placemaking workshop in NYC.  Since then I have been thinking continually about places in general, Woodstock in particular, and how our culture becomes visible in the buildings we construct, the town we live in, and our attitude towards public gatherings.

I've also been reading a lot by Richard Sennett, an academic who has a very interesting perspective on history, the private vs. public realms, buildings, theatre and culture. Right now I'm working through "The Fall of Public Man," which deals with the ways people present themselves in public now vs. they way they did in the 1700, 1800 and 1900's.  Apparently back then it was completely normal to address strangers in public, to see oneself as a 'performer' in public, much like an actor, and to assemble in public places for celebrations.

I look at a town like Woodstock, with its small but preserved public square and I start thinking about who really built this town, how it has evolved from two small settlements (one at Upper Woodstock, one at the Meduxnekeag and St. John rivers).

If you look at the Census information for Woodstock, the population really hasn't changed much since its founding.  Add to that the fact that Woodstock is at an ideal geographic location - the meeting point of two rivers, at the junction of TCH #2 and Interstate 95, the fact that it is equi-distant between Portland, Maine, Halifax, and Montreal, and it would appear that Woodstock has all the geographic characteristics of a city.

But it hasn't grown.  Why?

I think there are several reasons.  First, because the people who settled here were Loyalists, people who were averse to taking risks, preferring instead to follow rules and leave the American Colonies to preserve their social status and avoid conflict. 

Also, I think this conservativeness (and I mean that in a general sense, leave the blue guys out of this) has implications for public gatherings, the encouragement of creativity and the status of young people.  Creative young people want to socialize, try new things, experiment and take risks.  All of which are seen primarily as negatives around here.  Challenge me on that if you can think of examples of risk-takers being lionized in the public realsm, but I can't think of any ready examples.

A culture that sees young people as a threat or a liability or a culture that is uncomfortable with sexuality outside of monogamy/heterosexuality is not going to meet the needs of many young people. And many profitable enterprises are started by risk-taking, creative people in their teens and twenties.  Look at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, etc.  This reticence has a big impact on the future of small towns.

An overemphasis on marriage and families causes people to withdraw from public life.  I think it would be fair to say that many people around here conside cities and families incompatible.  As in "you can't raise a good family in the city,"  or "I would never raise kids in the city." I guess cities are associated with crime, but there are break-ins (and even the occasional shooting) around here frequently and nobody labels Woodstock as a "dangerous" place to live.  So why do we feel that way about cities?

The other day my friend and I were listing all of the organizations that attempted to locate in Woodstock and were denied: King's Landing, McCain Foods, the Nackawic Pulp Mill.  Those are some pretty heavy hitters and if you took those and added them to Woodstock as it stands today, you would be well on your way to "city" status. 

I will likely write more on this topic, as it's something I think about a lot.  Add your two cents: why do you think Woodstock is not a city?

If people in Woodstock wanted to grow the town into a city, how could we go about doing that? 

Hmmm.

Can you say "escrow" ?

Looks like BP had better start saving for the billions they will have to pay out in damages and compensation.  Not that the ecosystem can put it in its RRSP, of course, but you know what I mean, right....??

More on NYC

Trying to balance my oily despair with something positive.  Here's more on what I learned in NYC.  This might appear soon in the Bugle-Observer.

What makes a good public place?
This is one of the questions I tried to answer during a short trip to New York City at the end of April. On April 29th and 30th, I was part of a group of businesspeople, city employees, sustainability advocates and students from around the world who came to learn "How to Turn a Place Around."

I went because I am concerned about Woodstock's downtown. When I look around downtown, I see two beautiful rivers, some remaining historical buildings, friendly people and high-quality small businesses.

But the downtown is also occupied by a large number of vacant lots, such as the one at the corner of Queen and Main streets. Many parking lots used during the day are vacant during evenings and weekends.

Thinking that workshops on "How to Turn a Place Around" could provide fresh ideas, strategies and insight, off I went to Manhattan, the only person from a small town in a room full of "city folk."

We looked at lots of photos of great public places, spaces where people go to relax, walk dogs, buy sandwiches, play with their kids or go on dates. These places were more than "parks" - they are intended to be the "backyards of people who live in the area." What a great notion!

Although Connell Park is the "backyard" of people living in the Creighton and Deacon neighbourhoods, downtown Woodstock doesn't really have a place where you can sit in the shade, take your shoes off and spend an afternoon or evening.

We also learned about "Placemaking" - that every successful public place needs four things: to be accessible and well-connected to other important places in the area, to be comfortable and project a good image, to host activities people can participate in, and to be a sociable place that people will gather over and
over again.

We learned about some very simple processes to engage local residents in improving public places. We also learned how to observe how people actually use a place - where they will and won't cross the street, how long they will stay, which age groups are or aren't present, etc. This information helps lead the improvement process.

One simple piece of advice we were given was "start with the petunias." If a place looks cared for, poeople are more likely to visit and also to respect the space.

During the sessions, we heard the fascinating story of Bryant Park, which is located just south of Times Square. Apparently it was a notorious haven for drug dealers and criminals in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Using the "placemaking" process, some of our workshop presenters helped revitalize Bryant Park. They eliminated the concealing hedges, made the entryway open, added furniture and a sandwich stand to encourage people to frequent the park.

I visited Bryant Park the evening before I left and it was truly the most beautiful, serene, and magical place I have ever seen in a city.

Sometime in the future I would like to share some more information about what I learned and see what the residents of Woodstock can do to create a shared "backyard" in our downtown. Let's start with the petunias!

BP Oil Could Reach Atlantic Coast This Summer

It's a global village, alright.

The madness continues

Follow up to yesterday's post: Greece announces plans to sell its railways and public water systems as per its agreement with the IMF.  Bye, bye public assets.

On the oil front, the latest attempt is looking like a failure.  Had a dream last night I was clinging to a fake leather couch covered in oil, trying to avoid falling into the oily water.  Wonder what those pelicans must feel like...

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues. I feel like this is exactly what's wrong with the western society - never mind just the United States, although it's easy to point the finger at them and safeguard our own superiority. 

Oil companies have manipulated legislatures, pressured and bought politicians in order to relax regulations intended to safeguard the common good.  That's what's really at stake here, some sense that the Gulf is important enough to belong to everyone - the people who depend on it for fishing, tourism or making a living, the marine life it contains, the birds that stop there along their many thousands of migratory miles. 

All of a sudden, we have a legal/political system that says that drilling for oil (and making profits for oil companies) is more important than safeguarding a body of water that controls a large part of the climate in the North Atlantic.  We're drowning in our own arrogance, to think that these kinds of policies are in our "best interest." Everything is connected and we've blown a large hole right into one very important link.  And judging from the latest reports, it's unlikely that the gusher will be silenced before August - after several hurricanes have likely had the chance to stir the oily ocean and wash it half-way to kingdom come. You're right, I'm mad. 

I'm mad because we live in a society that refuses to restructure itself away from oil dependency because it will be "too slow" or "too hard" or "too painful."  I doubt our grandparents who lived through the Depression or the World Wars were this wimpy and selfish. And I'm also upset that each person who drives everywhere, buys food shipped from the other side of the world, and can never have enough "stuff" doesn't want to admit that their personal choices are part of what created the demand that put the Deepwater Oil Rig in the Gulf to begin with. We can continue this kind of denial but the people, birds, animals and marine life off the coast of Louisiana are now paying the price for our actions.

One final thing - and I'm sorry if you find this depressing but it's the reality we have created for ourselves - if this crisis had been a crisis of public finance, or healthcare, or transportation, corporations would be banging down the doors of government demanding we privatize those resources.  If you don't think that's true, look at the recent IMF bailout of Greece, or read Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine."

If people and environmentalists are smart, they will use the current ecological tragedy to implement stiff environmental laws.  If you have a rig like this blow up, you should lose your drilling license in the U.S. for at least five years.  That would be the kind of deterrent big oil understands - a threat to the bottom line.  But of course, society is too addicted to oil to restrict our own access.  Will we continue to act like junkies who let their dealer burn down their house and ruin their neighbourhood, or will we see what's really coming down the pipeline if we don't change our ways?

Turning a Place Around: let's go!

It's hard to know where to begin writing about my recent trip to NYC.  I haven't travelled alone in a while and life is so busy here at the moment that it's hard to focus my reeling mind on anything other than what I have to get done tomorrow.  Nevertheless, it was a fabulous trip, and the workshop I attended, called "How to Turn a Place Around" was excellent.  I went because I think Woodstock could use a little turning around. Our downtown looks like it's been hit by a bomb, and it's been that way for over a year.  Here's my first in a series of posts.

DAY 1 - Thursday, April 29th. 

We gathered in a room full of anticipation, strangers with no common frame of reference except some vague affinity for "great public places," whatever that means.  We came because we were interested in change, because we could envision a world beyond the one we knew right now.  We were sick of being told it "couldn't be done" and that "nothing would ever change around here." Wherever "here" was, we had all been told the same thing.

Then the presentations began, with no manifestoes about "the man" or "the machine" or invectives against cars or capitalism, no conspiracy theories, no MBA's, nothing except discussions of benches, moveable furniture, garbage cans, crosswalks, sightlines, trees and bicycles.  Really elemental stuff, objects with which everyone has had direct contact, spaces we can experience in the flesh and report back on, whether we are homeless people or corporate executives.  It felt very liberating not to have to "apply the formula" or "read the manual" in order to give valid feedback on something we'd experienced.

It was really nice to study how to create a place that would acknowledge human needs and meet them, instead of rigidly demanding that humans set their deep needs aside and bow to "rational management." It felt good to acknowledge that people want to be in the presence of other humans in a way that isn't rabidly commercial or psychotically self-interested. That fullfillment isn't in staying home and surfing the thousand channel universe.

The workshop threw ideologies out the window and let us be ourselves.  We were glad.