Vitamin T

March 27, 2020 by

Vitamin T (Healthy Touch) and deepening connections with self and community – from Mr and Ms T

During these challenging times, it’s essential to maintain the TLC normally found in touch contact. Here are some suggestions for increasing energetic and physical TOUCH in your life.

Touch with Self – showering and massaging yourself with soap, shampoo or wash cloth; more time brushing your hair or massaging your scalp; body-tapping and shaking; dancing in your living room

Touch with Nature – forest bathing, re-wilding, lying on the earth; sun bathing, rain bathing

Touch with Spirit – meditation, gratitude practice, Qi Gong, T’ai Chi; eye-gazing with someone physically distant but present or on FaceTime or Zoom

Touch with Voice – talking with friends and loved ones (with soothing, calming tone); singing alone, online (Albert, Alex) or with others

Touch with Beauty – Spring flowers, trees, artwork, sunsets

Touch with Scents – flowers, cooking aromas, soaps, candles

Touch with Taste – really slowing down and taking in tastes, textures; meditative food prep with tasting; using chopsticks to help slow down pace of eating

Breathing Baths – staying in touch with your breath; keeping lungs healthy and strong with deep, focused inhales and exhales; breathing into other internal organs

Vitamin T

Get the Book!

Vitamin T – A Guide to Healthy Touch by Bob Czimbal and Maggie Zadikov

2501 SE Madison St., Portland, OR 97214    503.232.3522

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zoom

March 20, 2020 by

Reach Albert on Zoom, here.

TIPS ON USING ZOOM – from the Songwriter Soiree Website

GENERAL ZOOM TIPS

Using Zoom for the First Time? Here is a good INTRODUCTION VIDEO on how to join a meeting!

  1. MAKE SURE YOU ARE MUTED (you will be muted upon entry).

  2. Top right of the screen: speaker view or gallery view – try those out.

  3. You can click on a person’s square and pin them – then you’ll see them big. (3 dots on the top right of their image)

  4. At the bottom is a chat function – you can use that to chat with others individually or everyone at once.

  5. Zoom usually works better using a laptop or desktop instead of a phone – and on a computer, it likes the Chrome browser best. With a phone, you don’t get all the bells and whistles you would get with the other devices. 

  6. Please keep your camera steady. Don’t put your fingers near the camera.  Try to avoid jerky moments – think of what you’re used to from broadcasters on the nightly news. 

  7. Confidentiality is important – Please – no screenshots, no recording. (unless there is consent by the whole group).

  8. If you come in late or don’t quite get the instructions, try your best to listen and follow along 🙂

  9. Scroll around on the screen and see what you see and teach yourself how to use Zoom. Like many programs – it works differently on different platforms. Don’t get hung up on the tech – notice who’s speaking and focus on that.

AUDIO TIPS – IMPORTANT FOR PERFORMERS!

  1. Use just one mic for both guitar and voice. Using more than one input causes phase cancellation of common frequencies.

  2. Before joining, make the following adjustments to your ZOOM audio:

  3. Go to your ZOOM preferences>settings>Audio. Uncheck “Automatically adjust microphone settings.” (test this out).

  4. Go to Preferences>Settings>Audio>Advanced>Audio Processing: Under “Suppress Persistent Background Noise” AND Suppress Intermittent Background Noise” Select “DISABLE.”

  5. Also, check the “Show in meeting option to “Enable Original Sound” from the microphone. You will then have an option on your Zoom chats on the top left of the screen. Press “Enable Original Sound” during the meeting to use your sound setup the way you intended. Try it out first and have someone hear the difference. It’s a big one.

    Now you will see a button in the upper-left corner during the meeting, which lets you turn Original Sound on or off. We recommend you turn it on when you are playing an instrument. You may need to turn it off when you are speaking or singing without playing an instrument.

  6.  Start your own meeting in the App and record yourself.   When you end the meeting, the software will compile a video that you can watch and listen to.  You will only sound as good online as that recording. Make audio input adjustments to reduce distortion and test again.

  7. Please consider doing a test beforehand with another friend using Zoom to test your sound.

  8. Play around with volume and or position from the mic to get the best sound.

  9. What has worked well for many: Using a Mac audio interface for audio input with a good quality microphone with compression and EQ being applied through interface software. But use what you have! The built-in mic can be just fine.

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My Great Ideas That Have Gone Nowhere

February 8, 2020 by

My Great Ideas

I have a lot of ideas. Here are a couple of great ones that I’d love to see in action. If you find value in any of them please take them and run with them.  Here we go.

  1. 2.1.24 – The first couple of businesses or radio stations that play all Taylor Swift music and announce that to the world will gain a lot of attention and visits! 
  2. 2.21.23 – Philadelphia puts up a red strip of reflective red on their stop sign poles – let’s copy that!
  3. 2.9.23 – A way to turn social security off when you want to pause the flow.
  4. Weight Loss idea: Wear in 1lb weights the # of pounds by which you’re overweight for that many minutes per day.  Lessen weight as you lose weight. Keep going till you’re done.
  5. Berm Portland
  6. Retree the planet with this cool device (1.14.2020 – something like this has now been developed)
  7. Defragging everyone’s commutes.  For every job that can be done anywhere in a city – 3rd-grade teacher; plumber; <most service jobs here>: create a database of all of the workers, swap people by their home location or where they want to land. Thus, bringing people closer to home = less commuting. Thank you to Mr. Money Mustache for the inspiration on that one.
  8. Where Does the dirt go: Database of all earth being moved in an urban area. If I am about to remove 2 tons of earth, let the grid know and someone nearby who needs the earth can have it vs. trucking it to the ex-urbs and back. See the chip drop program in Portland.
  9. Moving everyone who shares a similar job role closer to home via a database that local employers participate in. This could also be used by tradespeople so that they are working close to home, perhaps using Nextdoor to guide their work sites.
  10. All popsicle sticks should come with a tree seed in them so one could plant a tree after eating the popsicle. Idea progress: I have submitted this idea to Larry Kaplowitz, one of the founders of Coconut Bliss. He said “great idea”. – Feel free to take this idea and run with it.  Dannon? Good Humor?
  11. License plates should have QR codes or some way that a person can text a person who owns a car to let them know: a) you’re blocking my driveway b) you left your lights on c) your puppy/child/ice is overheating….. A way for this to work could also be that the person types in the State and License # and then is able to text msg. to the owner without knowing their phone # or other contact info.
  12. How to be a better neighbor – an email series. Our lives could be enhanced so much by people doing some little things better. Better outdoor lighting. Not using the fob to lock and unlock your car and set off the horn of your car. Saying hello. I’ve been wanting to create an email series that teaches some of this and I’m stuck at #2 right now – someone, give me a nudge 🙂
  13. Turn the OHSU lawn at 42nd and Division SE in Portland, Oregon into a giant sunflower patch. 
  14. Trying to get the Air National Guard base in Portland, Oregon near the PDX airport to stop flying F-15s over residential parts of the City. Ideally, I’d love to see the base either shuttered or moved to Eastern Oregon.  I’m not alone on this one.
  15. Street signs: They could be metal and wrap around telephone poles – so easy to display and possibly simple to manufacture.  The street on 2 sides, cross street on the other two – written vertically.
  16. Portland, Oregon Road Scholar program. (ed: 10.22.2020 I reached out to them again with the idea, perhaps it could at least happen virtually).
  17. 9 years ago in 2011, I had the idea to turn the SW corner of the Lone Fir Cemetery into a community garden as local organizations continue to fundraise to turn it into a memorial. I gave up pushing after running into organizational disinterest. Meanwhile, the spot remains a huge vacant lot – a perfect spot to grow food. Sign this petition, perhaps we can reignite interest in the idea 🙂  https://www.change.org/lone-fir-community-garden
  18. More of these ideas I once posted on a site called WhyNot?
  19. 1.6.2020 – T-shirts with “massage here” printed on the top back (shoulders) – perhaps more info on pressure and directions on how to massage on the back of the shirt. 
  20. Social media support pages – See for yourself. 

Great ideas that have gone somewhere

  1. Farm My Yard – https://farmmyyard.org and on Facebook over here. And Twitter… The idea is a way to connect urban farmers with homeowners who’d like their yards farmed.  I think it’s also a possible business for teens or young adults to support themselves – by providing produce to the community and local restaurants. Check out the website. I feel the idea could really take off if one neighborhood decided it wanted to be a pilot project. Or, if I decided to invest in 1000 yard signs and found people to put them in their yards 🙂
  2. After the Phone Book: I was part of a nationwide effort to get rid of phone books to some effect. Here’s the FB page and here’s a page on my site that explains the problem and some of the moves I and others used to stop the cutting of trees for no good reason.
  3. Putting music at the end of newsletters and blog posts – see below 2.2.24

join my mailing list

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Podcasts

January 1, 2020 by

Artwork by Zen Achilles

Folk Singing, Podcasts, Interviews, and TV Appearances featuring Albert Kaufman

I’m often updating my Youtube channel. Please visit and subscribe when you’re there! – New Content Each Week!

  1. I’ve uploaded a ton of my music to FB. Check it out.
  2. 8.9.25 – Musical performance at Bloomstead!
  3. December 2024 – Interview with SAGE about my activist work for the past 25+ years in the PNW
  4. August 2024 – Dating and the Interesting Man (podcast)
  5. May 2024 – Want to Hire me – here’s my Gigsalad profile. Or, just reach out!
  6. August 2023 – KenIsEmail’s Podcast appearance.
  7. May 11, 2023 – Birthday Folk Music Concert at The Oasis – LOTS MORE MUSIC DOWN BELOW
  8. April 22, 2023 (Earth Day!) – KBOO Community Radio Interview with Taj Baker about trees – My part starts when the number on the right is 39 minutes.
  9. March 2022 – E For All Presentation on Email Marketing.
  10. March 2021 – my brother Dan interviewed me for a project documenting the Habonim/Dror workshop experience. I spent the 1979-1980 year (after high school / before college) living in Israel on a kibbutz.
  11. 2.18.2021 – Annelise and I are featured toward the end of this episode of Dating While Gray.
  12. 12.16.2020 – I got a chance to speak to Gary Ware and Apryl Zarate Schlueter about How To Shape Your Social Sphere – it was an interesting conversation. Gary and Apryl run the Accountability Success Circle – which I have been participating in for a year. They use the Mighty Networks platform for people to connect with one another and it’s well-run and inspiring.
  13. Video interview with Larry D. James – 4.30.2020 – a talk about newsletters, email marketing, and life.
  14. A little music from the Prosperity Pie Shoppe – the music of Steve Goodman – a concert by Albert Kaufman
  15. Albert with Matt Burns from Beloved 2018 
  16. Interview with Matt Burns Video Summer 2019 (right after WDS) – Features me singing Ben Bochner Tune, post-WDS thoughts, etc.
  17. Guitar Lesson #1 – See below. 2019. Still very relevant.
  18. Roundpeg – Conversation with a Life-Long Networker – Albert Kaufman – 10.30.17
  19. The Urban Farm Podcast – Albert Kaufman from Farm My Yard – 5.19.16
  20. Then, there’s the musical side 🙂  Thanks, Cousin Dan for this one.
  21. 2009 TV panel discussion on Human Population Growth

Farm My Yard

If you’d like to have me on as a guest on digital marketing, urban farming, or other topics, I’d be happy to speak with you. Reach out @ albert@albertideation.com

Photos of me. Please ask before reusing.

———————————-

Music for You on 12.30.22 by Albert

Albert doing some Lullabies on 3.16.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156695200915855/

Albert Afternoon concert on 3.25.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156724647165855/

Albert’s sunset show on 3.26.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156728401770855/

 

A couple of songs for a Friday afternoon 3.27 2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156731521910855/

 

Saturday Night Party 3.29.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156735423585855/

 

Afternoon pre-hail show 3.31.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156744073680855/

 

Albert and Dan Kaufman sharing James Taylor songs 4.1.2020

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156747493495855/

 

Same show on Youtube. Albert and Dan Kaufman sharing James Taylor songs 4.1.2020

https://youtu.be/2gFqAxwrijM

 

Old songs on 4.3.2020 – sing along!

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156753497855855/

 

4.6.2020 – April 6th, Still no sight of land

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156761658440855/

 

4.7.2020 – Afternoon show

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156764734180855/

 

4.7.2020 – John Prine RIP Tribute

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156766225035855/

 

April 8th – The Beatles!

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156768541210855/

 

April 16th – Mid-day music time.

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156792846275855/

 

April 17th nighttime

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156798837345855/

 

April 25th – afternoon concert with crabapple blossoms & bees in the trees

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156826856945855/

 

May 1st – Happy Today

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156845619570855/

 

May 21st – Rainy Thursday in Portland

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156906337245855/

 

5.27.2020 – Musique in the morning

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156921911610855/

 

6.9.2020 – Ben Bochner belated birthday show.

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10156959345100855/

 

8.14.2020 – The Sun is Shining Brighter every day

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157119550815855/

 

9.14.2020 Smoketown USA short show

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157185541555855/

 

10.18.2020 Vote! music for the Deadheads out there.

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157258518305855/?__tn__=-U

 

10.18.2020 Vote! Short show for friends and family

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157258433455855/

 

10.21.2020 Vote!  Neil Young show.

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157261066775855/

 

10.28.2020 – Vote!

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157277957610855/

 

11.1.2020 – Rabbit Rabbit – vote!

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157286861185855/

 

12.22.20 Some Ben Tunes.

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157388812665855

 

12.26.2020 – Thinking about Georgia

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157396057660855

 

2.26.2021 Some tunes I know by heart

https://www.facebook.com/albertkaufman11/videos/10157528395785855

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My Nextdoor.com posts about Leaf Blowers – Feel free to borrow and re-post

December 19, 2019 by

Nextdoor.com posts about leaf blowers by Albert Kaufman, Portland, Oregon

Please re-post these as is, credit or not. Thank you – let’s end the noise and air pollution of leaf blowers together.

  1. Pets and Leaf Blowers don’t mix: Note from a veterinarian

    “In support of local efforts to ban gas leaf blowers and improve the quality of life in Sonoma and drastically reduce unnecessary harmful particulate matter in the air we breathe, I wanted to contribute a few statements and my opinion from the vantage point of a working small animal Veterinarian in Sonoma.It is very well known that particulate matter such as dust, dirt, and debris from the environment can pose a tremendous health challenge for dog, cats, and virtually all other mammals. While the normal changes in seasons, weather, rainfall, and pollen counts can all affect animals, extra particulate matter such as the debris aerosolized by leaf blowers pose a sharply increased risk for a variety of health problems for our domestic species. Among those most notably seen by me directly are:

    1. Significant flare up of cough, wheezing, and “respiratory” issues that encompass both infectious and inflammatory types of diseases.

    2. Eye problems of unknown origin–either in one or both eyes: owners report a clear discharge from the eyes or a “pink eye” situation with no previous known injury.

    3. Nasal discomfort: rubbing and snorting, as if to remove a “foreign body” that is not there, but rather a minute irritant that was substantial enough to bother the mucous membranes and irritate the pet’s nasal passages.

    4. Skin issues, including itching and scratching. These clinical signs are usually blamed completely on atopy or “allergy.” There is well documented, long standing scientific evidence that the irritation in the skin is secondary to allergens that the pet has inhaled.

    In addition, because pets are so sound sensitive, the use of leaf blowers can startle animals and cause outdoor pets to dart away from yards and potentially scare them into more dangerous situations such as traffic or other precarious situations.

    The blasting “on and off” sounds made with leaf blowers has a definite impact on small animals “fight or flight” response, causing an immediate release of cortisol into the bloodstream. Especially with cats, this taxes the body and leads to a surge in blood glucose almost instantly. In my opinion, this is a good example of the loud noise made by leaf blowers having a negative impact on animals all around our town—it is not an obvious impact, but once you realize what is going on inside their bodies on a cellular level, you realize that maybe the impact is farther reaching than we previously realized.

    The information and examples I have stated above are only a small sample of the deleterious effects that leaf blowers have on the small animals of Sonoma. I hope that my words will help get some conversations started that emphasize the importance of considering the quality of life for our pets in Sonoma as people make an effort to decide the fate of leaf blowers in our community.

    I would be happy to answer any other questions regarding this topic as my time and schedule permit.

    Sincerely,

    Vallard Forsythe, DVM ~ Broadway Veterinary Hospital

    735 Broadway Sonoma, CA 95476

    (707) 938-4546

  2. More and more brave towns are putting a stop to the tyranny of leaf blowers – Thanks for considering!

    Lately I’ve noticed less and less gas-powered leaf blowers being used in our community. Thank you to anyone who has personally made the change or had their landscaping service adjust either to electric blowers or to rakes and brooms. Thank you thank you thank you – the Earth thanks you – your neighbors thank you – the insects thank you. Thank you! https://qz.com/1729584/more-brave-towns-are-putting-a-stop-to-the-tyranny-of-leaf-blowers/ PS – the quietcleanpdx.org group is working on something with the City. I hope to have news about this very soon.

  3. The Devil’s Workshop by Kim Stafford, Oregon Poet Laureate, 2018-2020

    The Devil’s Workshop by Kim Stafford, Oregon Poet Laureate, 2018-2020 To torture your neighbors, some devil said, I give you my multi-tool that hits so many irritants at once: it deafens workers so their ears ring, it kicks up killing dust to sicken children, it spews more poisons to taint the sky in a mere half hour than a truck driving from the Texas plains to Alaska, and all to hustle leaves from yard to bin. Have you seen one such contraption chase a single leaf to pirouette in the blue plume that’s killing us? Have you gritted your teeth and hated the neighbor you recently enjoyed? Have you missed your meditative hour with rake and rain, as you walked your way from summer into fall? My friend, the bar is low. We can do better. —– Learn more about this issue @ https://quietcleanpdx.org

  4. If you’re still not convinced about the danger of leaf-blowers, please watch this video

    https://youtu.be/sRsYRen6nVE  Join our effort to ban these in Portland @ https://quietcleanpdx.org

  6. The Case Against Leaf Blowers by Singer
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New and Good November 2019

November 21, 2019 by

What’s New and Good?Sunset in Newport Oregon

Hello from Lake Albert gone! I’m sitting in our sunny dining room on November 21st and it’s a fine morning. Coffee to my left, laptop to my front and a collection of house plants I’ve gathered over the years. I also like collecting glass orbs and have quite a few strewn around the living and dining room.

But that’s not why I’ve gathered you here. Mostly, it’s just to get in the habit of writing more. Less FB posts and one-off newsletters, and more writing writing 🙂  Yes, in preparation for January and February when I intend to do some longer pieces – namely my autobiography! Yes, it’s 11 chapters long and of course includes info about hitching across the country in 1981, a year living on a kibbutz in Israel and my involvement in Habonim which led up to that; 14 years of attending Burning Man into one chapter – we’ll see how that goes. Some of the chapters could probably be books of their own, but this will be an Albert taster. I’ve actually made a deal with myself that I will not attend Burning Man again until I can hand someone either a copy of the book or a thumbdrive of it or digital download code.  Or, the other thing that opens the gates to the playa would be me bringing a giant art piece I have in mind. But that’s a much bigger lift.  We’ll see which wins – but my current plan is to bring some form of the book forth next. I have the free time for this, and the stories – encouragement welcome!

Last night we hosted a Higher Thought Cannabis Game night here. Get your game today! It’s a really fun way to gather with people and share insights and thinking. All sorts of stuff gets discussed.  I’m constantly surprised at what comes up. You may remember my earlier mention of this game in my Cards blog post of last year. Since that time I’ve become part owner (15%) of Higher Thought and I’m also helping Aaron Trotter out with his empire of decks over at Illustrated Playing Cards. I really do think the decks in my post are possible ways for people to move themselves forward. I think it helps people when groups share knowledge. It almost reminds me of the days of yore when we’d sit around the campfire and tell stories. Perhaps it’s time to go back to that practice so that we can get our societies on better footing in preparation for dealing with climate change and other big challenges headed our way. That’s where my mind went to last night, at least.

So, I’m moving. At the end of the year I’m renting a friend’s house for 2 months (Jan and Feb. 2020!) and then I’m not sure what comes after that.  Very likely more Portland. I’ve had this thought lately of starting a “we’re staying” club. No matter how bad the traffic gets. No matter how many noobs from elsewhere come and move in – we’re staying!  We could have buttons and patches. I think there’s a value when we decide to stick it out and not do the typically American thing of moving when things get challenging. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve been here 18 years and there’s also something to be said for more sunshine 🙂  And warmth.  That’s partly what drew me to the PNW – warmth – so I wouldn’t have to brave the East Coast winters. But today’s very unusual sunshine is reminding me that more of that certainly would be nice.

To perturb my life I’m going to fly back East for Thanksgiving (that is the sweet part) and then drive back to Portland via points non-snow-covered in early December. That’s the perturbing part. I did this drive about 20 years ago and I’m excited to give it another whirl. I hope to visit friends in Chicago, Austin, Santa Fe and possibly California.  I definitely want to visit Summer Lake hot springs, too in Eastern Oregon. We’ll see what the weather and various visits have to say about all of this as I get underway around December 2nd.  If you living the middle of the country somewhere and would like a visit, please get in touch!

K, that feels good. Off she goes.  An Albert update!

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