The Eleven: April 2015, The DC Edition

April 14, 2015 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

The Eleven, April 2015

Hello from the Nation’s Captitol

On a break from lobbying in the Botanical Gardens

My representative’s office – 1111

New lobbying friends, by the Capitol Building

Biggest CapHillDays Ever!

For years I’ve felt that population growth is the most important environmental issue we face. I traveled to Washington, DC to participate in Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days. This was probably my 8th trip for this purpose. It’s a combination of advocacy training and lobbying on Capitol Hill. Here’s a quick action you can take to both learn more about where we’re at with international family planning and to ask your representatives for help on the matter. And, if contacting President Obama is your cup of tea, here’s a request to him to lift the Helms amendment and loosen restrictions on abortion care overseas.

This year’s event was the largest ever and I was surrounded by a diverse group of college students from across the US who are passionate about womens’ reproductive health issues. It was inspiring to feel their passion and caring for the planet. We heard some great speakers who have direct experience on how access to contraception impacts peoples lives in less developed countries of the world.

I also got to wander DC some and I had an interesting time on day 1 in Georgetown, and Day 2 in some nooks and crannies near the Mall that I’d never seen before. I didn’t go to the main collection of cherry blossoms, but still saw my fair share – enjoy these photo collections!

Pic Set #1 Pic Set #2 Pic Set #3

yes, there’s mail order 🙂

While in the area I also got to visit with my parents, Rich and Hannah, and my brother, Dan, who is also known as BakerMan Dan!

We are so lucky in the West, and yet we face many of the same problems people in other parts of the world face due to our increasing human population – overcrowding; resource depletion (thinking of California’s drought); having to grow food for 7.42 billion; species loss – staggering number of species dying off to make way for more humans. I don’t know the exact answer to how to stave off climate change and our other environmental issues – but any conversation that does not include human population growth as part of the issue is leaving out a key element. So, I’ll keep trying to include it and keep advocating for the low-hanging fruit – easy and free access to contraception; reproductive healthcare for all; sex ed at all age levels and encouragement to those who have small families and no children at all. I’m encouraged by this recent story/book: Childless, Proud and Happy: An Honest Conversation about Forgoing Kids that was on NPR.

And, if you have kids – great. I look forward to being a great uncle to them and a friend and support to you, cause kids can use all the adult connection they can get and parents could certainly use a hand.

Here’s to us all figuring this out together. I wrote a note to myself while wandering Georgetown and it’s a theme I hope to develop more: “It’s not like people haven’t been lying in the past. It’s just that right now we really need our wits about us. Instead of having people educated and smart and making good decisions we’re arguing over lies and bullshit and wasting money and time that we don’t really have right now“. I think now, more than anytime in history, money has to come out of politics and those who are working to deceive us (climate change deniers, anyone who advocates against access to contraception – Republicans), need to stop so we can work to figure our way through. Otherwise, we’re done for as a species.

On that happy note, I’ll see you back on the West Coast! Can’t wait to get home!

Happy Spring

Albert, The Eleven, April 2015

22 Reproductive Rights Activists Explain In Their Own Words Why They’re Fighting

ABBY JOHNSTON

@AJOHNSTON12

2 WEEKS AGO NEWS – Bustle Article

On Friday, April 10, advocates from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. for Population Connection’s Capitol Hill Days, an annual advocacy event that focuses on training reproductive rights activists. An estimated 200 people gathered at the Fairfax Hotel for four days of interactive programming, which ended in a powerful lobbying trip to Capitol Hill on Monday.

Population Connection, a grassroots organization that focuses on population stabilization, brought family planning and reproductive health experts to educate attendees on legislative issues. And in this legislature, there are plenty of harmful bills that need activists’ attention: In one session, for example, representatives from NARAL Pro-Choice America and the National Women’s Law Center gave participants a crash course on the Hyde Amendment, a provision barring the use of federal funds to fund abortion that effectively derailed a bipartisan human-trafficking bill. The speakers also discussed the 20-week abortion ban that stalled early in the session, but remains in the GOP’s sights and the effect of last year’s Hobby Lobby decision on contraception access.

And that was just one session.

Reproductive health advocates, unfortunately, will always have plenty to keep them busy at the federal and state level. But if the turnout at Capitol Hill Days was any indication, there are plenty of men and women ready to fight. We wanted to know what brought participants to D.C., so we asked them to tell us in their own words.

What brought you to Capitol Hill Days?

Erica Davis, 20

Wilson Mugabo, 22

I want to be part of the advocacy for human rights especially women and children.

Laura Sooy, 21 and Daniel Saldivar, 22

Jenn Chow, 23 (she’s moving to India this year!)

Andrew Huang, 23

Shelina Noorali, 21

Timothy Irvine, 25

Abel Befirdu, 20

Sean Wirks, 21

Bailey Wendelberger, 20

Rickey Leachman, 25

Stephanie Kuhn, 22

Kelly Martin, 21

Nancy Machera, 21

I am part of the world’s population. I want to contribute to the necessary implementations concerning the population.

Samantha Downing, 22

Alyson Gray, 22

Lydia Seraichick, 22

Niko Naleid, 22

Lena Khawatmi, 22

Mohammed Naiyer, 18

Annie Guare, 20

Images: Blake Maples (20)

Filed Under: Albert Kaufman, albertideation, Barack Obama, Caring Society, climate change, climate warming, Contraception, crisitunity, Democrats, Jeff Merkley, population growth, Reproductive Healthcare, The Eleven, thinking better, thriving in the future, World News Tagged With: #caphilldays15, capitol hill days 2015, contraception, population connection action fund, population growth, The Eleven, winning the house in 2016

Register to vote online in Oregon NOW!

October 9, 2014 by albertkaufman 1 Comment

Vote

Sensible Changes Coming to Oregon – Be a part of history!

Let’s legalize marijuana – I want to see us sending less people to jail for no good reason. Labeling GMOs also makes sense. Voter registration in Oregon ends on 10.14 – don’t miss this historic opportunity!

I’d love to legalize marijuana here in Oregon in a couple days. There are so many reasons this makes sense – not putting people in jail unecessarily (freeing funds for other actual problems) – creating all sorts of job – making it easier for people who need marijuana-related products for healing to receive them, legally – reducing peoples’ intake of alcohol (more on that another time, but I see a connection) – hemp may be the best answer to a lot of problems we face today – climate change, clear-cut logging of Oregon forests for paper products. Anyway, I think I could probably brainstorm about 100 reasons why this will be good for Oregon (tourism) – feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section below. The news media mainly focuses on tax revenue – but I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the positives!

We have 5 days left to register to vote here. And then, we get our ballots in 9 days, and then we vote.

We will also vote to Label GMOs (poison), which would delight me. As far as I can tell GMOs are poisons that are increasing the rates of cancer. By labeling any products that have them – I believe it will force food companies to reformulate their products (as they’ve done in other countries) so they can avoid having to include a GMO label. I learned about this and more in the film GMO OMG which has been showing around town. The film-makers are making screening rights free for anyone who wants to host a gathering on the topic – it’s quite brilliant and I highly recommend viewing it if you’re interested in learning more about the issue.

Some relevant links to share:

Vote yes on 91 – Legalize It! Vote Yes on 91 – Endorsers
Vote yes on 92 – Label GMO (poison) – YES!

91: Video with Rick Steves

92: Lively Video about GMOs by my friend, Dana Lyons

Thanks for your efforts to get everyone you know registered to vote. Know someone who has moved in the last 2 years? Know someone who turned or turns 18 before election day? Send them this link, thanks!

https://secure.sos.state.or.us/orestar/vr/register.do?lang=eng

Both of these campaigns can also use our $-support and any time you can spare to Get out the Vote (GOTV) – Bring a posse with you for best results 🙂

Filed Under: BlueOregon, climate change, climate warming, Election 2014, Health, Industrial Hemp, long-range planning, Marijuana, Nutrition, Peaceful Revolution, Revolution, Solutions, thinking better, thriving in the future Tagged With: 91, 92, GMOs are poison, marijuana, online voter registration, Oregon, register to vote, register to vote online, tell your friends, time running out, vote, voter registration, voting, yes on 91, yes on 92

12.12.13 The Eleven

December 14, 2013 by albertkaufman Leave a Comment

12.12.13 – Happy Holiday edition!

Rounding out a great year!

Hello, and welcome to my monthly e-letter, The Eleven. If you’d like to unsubscribe at any time, there’s a convenient link below, and I hope you stay!It’s been such a fine month since I last wrote. We had a great time at Sabby’s benefit on 11.11 @ The Hollywood Vintage. Pics by all of our amazing photo-booth photographers, here! We were able to raise a good bundle of money, signed up people to support gay marriage in Oregon and had a great time together.

My Latest

Quik Learning

My gift to you – faster learning!

Every once in a while I stumble across something that really takes me for a ride. I’m always interested in becoming a better, faster learner, and I’ve been captivated by Quik Learning. Here is video 1: information on how to learn faster. Part 2 on remembering names. Speed-reading is video #3. And, finally, brain-map is video 4.

Try these out when you get a chance and let me know what you think. I’ve been walking around teaching some of these skills and having a blast increasing my reading speed and remembering peoples’ names!

2013 is coming to an end!

I’ve really had a great year @ Albertideation. I’ve been speaking publicly in the last couple months and have been working with a great bunch of clients. I am honored to be trusted with peoples’ businesses.

Speaking of teaching – my last two FREE classes this year will be 12.17 at the Microsoft Store in downtown Portland (free breakfast), and 12.19 on the East Side (free lunch!).

My website has undergone some changes recently, too. Please come visit and see what you think.

Wileyware for the Holidays

Here are some of the projects I’m working on right now – visit the links to learn more.
1. Jane Turville of Wagging Tale Productions is creating a new film, The People Factor. Please consider donating to the creation of this important work.

2. It’s always a great time for Wileyware. Marcia is doing incredible classes in her studio in Ballard, Washington – visit if you can.

3. Helping friends: I’ve transitioned from helping causes to spending time, money & effort to extend a hand to friends who have needed help. It’s not as sexy, but feels useful and important right now.

4. The Portland Fruit Tree Project – Steve Bennett and I played for their annual volunteer appreciation evening – and I’d like to do more for these folks. Look for a fruit-tree grafting demo-party in the 2nd week of April @ my new home in SE PDX.

5. Settling into my new home 🙂

Thanks for reading and for your support of me and my work in the world. I couldn’t do it without you.

Sincerely,

Albert

Filed Under: Albert Kaufman, albertideation, Constant Contact, email marketing, Facebook, Fan Pages, ideation, LinkedIn, marketing, Music, Portlandia, Social Media, social networking, The Eleven, thinking better, thriving in the future Tagged With: albert kaufman, albertideation, happy holidays, Portland, The Eleven, thinking better

Aging in Place: Improving our Chances

February 15, 2013 by albertkaufman 6 Comments

As you may know I’ve been living cellphone-free for the past 2.5 years. Just recently, I rejoined the cellphone world mostly to be better connected with my girlfriend who was tired of having a hard time reaching me. And just as I made this life change I received an invitation to review the Careline^TM Home Safety Telephone System from VTech via the BOOMbox Network, a group I’ve written for in the past. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Aging in Place, Getting rid of your cellphone or smartphone, long-range planning, Nutrition, Personal Wellness, thinking better, thriving in the future Tagged With: aging in place, boomboxnetwork, careline, connection, elderly, elders, health, heart, isolation, living well, parents