Introductions and Ice Breakers

Folk, introduce yourselves.

Sea can you share some details about yourself?

Folks might also want to provide links & update profile pics..

Always good to match a name with a face.

Welcome aboard @aiman and @donnapiranha . Please introduce yourselves and thanks for stepping up!

I was with Occ Oaklnd from around the first Thanksgiving (shortly after the encampment ended), started facilitating GAs and wanted to get the decision-making process to be modified consensus (more like what OWS used) than what was really a supermajority wherein the majority rolled over the minority and the minority had no voice. After about 6 months, tired of those who most decrying the ways of the dominant paradigm themselves being the most dominant, I drifted away (in a slow silent divorce).
I am not an activist, and I'm less interested with what we do and more drawn to how go about doing it and how we are with each other. A former Mac software developer (before that, a record producer for my own small label in D.C.), I was trained to facilitate collaborative methods/processes and teach workshops. I'm a Jungian (coach, writer, teacher), very active with personal growth work and the "new paradigm for the masculine" and teach workshops on relationship and other topics of the psyche. To me, some aspects of Occupy (along with some other non-Occupy) represent some pieces of what could (with some modification IMO) be a new model for society.
I've been with InterOccupy (IO) since the end of 2011. I love IO and would probably trust my life with those folks. There's no one in IO whose intention I would ever question, even when I disagree with them.
I've been involved with all three NatGats, though as heavily with the first two, probably more so this time because I live 100 miles from Sacto.

Welcome Aboard Bradley Mastin -- here's his introduction "Hi from Bradley Mastin (I), Alhambra, Ca 1957. first of eastern family ®. Alta Loma High 1975, CSUS B.S. Outdoor Recreation 1975 -1983. Willing to help with water because I worked as white water tour guide in Sierras in 70s & 80s. Was involved in Stanislaus & protest to stop filling reservoir. Worked as student intern at Sacramento Capitol for Sharon Negri, Mark’s wife, at PCL in 80s. Now with BLM in Barstow Ca. My daughter just graduated from csus in december. I know and understand the water issues very well and would like to help here, also an accouting & budget expert (practical and cause & effect). For example, we are asked to save water, yet the vast majority of our water goes to grow food. We waste about 50% of our food. Maybe we should change our shopping and dining habits instead? I have lived, worked and studied all over the state and viscerally understand the different viewpoints.
Work projects i spearheaded include first management plan of south fork american river (as intern), El Mirage Cooperative Mangement Area plan; Amargosa Wild and Scenic River designation. I love life and people, i interact with people, i do not fear people, i engage people, i do not judge people. My heart & the right side of my brain guide me as an independent, risk taking, life loving, being.
brad"

Hi Brad, Hope you make it to NatGat. There's an inactive working group called "Workers Health and the Environment". Are you interested in that?

Also we received this message, from Ojai CA. Are you far from there?

Lucas Thayer
I have free veggies to be brought to Occupy National Gathering in Sacramento. The veggies are in Ojai CA. Can anyone help get these veggies to NatGat? Bring empty boxes. Bring the veggies to Sacramento for a kitchen prep team to turn the ingredients into prepared meals for people at the event.
Occupy National Gathering Occupy National Gathering Excellent! DM us with details. We'll call it #OperationNomNom

Here's a food distributor near Sacramento.
Fowler Bros Distributors
110 Gary Pl, San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 459-3406
They might be able to help with trucks and stuff. I know Fowler used to bring organic food to northern Calif from Ojai CA. They might know someone who can haul water too.
See the discussioin: "Food and Water for the Event".
Cheers!
Sea.

I put Ojai on the caravan map, hoping that someone could swing by.

Awesome!

Once we get closer, and I am more comfortable with how I am putting it together, I believe we can embed it in our Web site. Not sure about editing after that, though, so just passing around as is for now. I never used the site before, it is click2map.com (org?)

Hi Group! Tricia thanks for invite, and Sea yes about Ojai, it is west of me where everything from la north is on way to Sacto. Will go to discussions.