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#1. The Freeschool Community, working with the PeaceCommunities Progressive Coalition, now shares a Twitter Account offering Up-To-The-Minute Announcements of Free Educational Event updates and Progressive Events periods..
You can find our Twitter account by clicking here. We will offer up-to-the minutes updates of free-of-charge classes and free-of-charge progressive, educational events.
Many people have suggested that we start this service due to the many things which include:
1. The manner in which free classes and progressive events change location, time and dates so frequently
2. The manner in which more freeschool facilitators offer mobile and moving classes outdoors (trail hikes for example) at different locations from day-to-day and week-to-week
The best way for you to add your classes to our Twitter- Announcement List is by adding it to our discussion forum titled "Free Classes and Free Workshops That You Would Like to Share" found by clicking here. We will then add it to our Twitter announcements list. That also enables you to provide photos, videos and other information.
Sorry, "Suggested offering/ donation" classes or events do not count as free. The details of your class must state that the class or event is free.
We will then add it to our Twitter announcements list.
Thanks.
Love, Peace and Joy,
-The Freeschool Community Collective
The Freeschool Community is a member of the PeaceCommunities Progressive Coalition.
www.PeaceCommunities.org #2. The Freeschool Is Looking for Partner Organizations to Share Space in Olympia.
We are Looking for Partner Organizations to Share Space in Olympia.
 Dear friends,
The Freeschool Received a Letter of Eviction, by email, from Judith Dahn, Our Landlord, 8 days before Christmas. On Wednesday, Dec 17, 2008 at 10:29 AM, Judith Dahn, the owner of the property at 617 Decatur Street (where the Freeschool had rented space since October 1st, 2008) decided to send an email to several members of the Freeschool. Here is an excerpt: [quote] "Make sure that all of your items are gone by January 1st. Whatever is left will be hauled away." [unquote]
The email letter of eviction came on Dec 17, 2008, with 8 days until Christmas, with less than 2 weeks notice until the January 1st, 2008 eviction date that Judith Dahn has set, during the Christmas holidays, with freezing temperatures and piles of ice and many, many inches of frozen snow on the ground and an Emergency snow storm advisory scheduled throughout the weekend and upcoming days. Here is the Storm advisory warning: Issued by The National Weather Service
Seattle/Tacoma, WA
4 pm PST, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008 ... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SATURDAY TO 4 PM PST SUNDAY... "THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM SATURDAY TO 4 PM PST SUNDAY." "HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR ON THE KITSAP PENINSULA... ALONG HOOD CANAL... AND FROM OLYMPIA AND CHEHALIS WEST TO THE CENTRAL COAST NEAR OCEAN SHORES. 10 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED CLOSE TO HOOD CANAL. OTHER LOCATIONS WITHIN THIS AREA SHOULD GET 5 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW." "A COMBINATION OF BLIZZARD CONDITIONS... HEAVY SNOW... STRONG WINDS AND ICE BUILDUPS ARE EXPECTED. ICE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF CAUSING POWER LINES AND LARGE TREE BRANCHES TO SNAP AND CAUSE MAJOR TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS. WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE." There are many Olympia residents who can remember when the last blizzard, snow and ice storm killed a few people, knocked out power for many days to weeks and sent southwest Washington into a nightmare that no one could forget. So Why did Judith evict the Freeschool 8 days before Christmas, despite emergency weather conditions that make travel impossible? On Friday, Dec 19th, 2008 (the same day of the above storm advisory), two days after her first email, she explained it in her second email: "I would like the School to vacate... so that I may rent the other room out." -Judith Dahn" ------------------------------- Email subject: Your stuff
10:29 AM
The next email that Judith Dahn sent contained more illegal activities. The below email from Judith is not an excerpt but it is the 100% complete and unchanged email from her: "Please come pick up your stuff. It is accruing $10.00 a day for storage.
If not claimed by the end of the month it will be forfeit.
Thank you for your consideration, Judith" ------------------------------- A charge of $10.00 day for one month would mean that she raised the rent by over 50% within the period of one day! This is completely unethical, immoral and illegal! Landlords can only get away with this type of crime when there is no lease. ------------------------------- The cost of moving the Freeschool belongings to the freeschool was several hundreds dollars for the Uhaul truck and other expenses donated to the Freeschool by several wonderful members of our community. Judith told us specifically she only wanted us to move to her location if we made a long term commitment and we agreed that we only wanted to move there on a long term commitment. The Freeschool made a verbal commitment of over 6 months and the tenant who we brought with us told Judith that she could 'only be there 6 months' and that was given in front of a room full of witnesses and agreed upon. Under Washington State Law a verbal contract is legally binding if done so in front of witnesses. We do not have the donations to move our belongings again. In addition, Judth has harassed our volunteers with insults and slander to the point where many people are afraid to be around her. At least of one of our volunteers almost broke down in tears during a meeting with her and informed Judith that they no longer wanted to be contacted by Judith due to the escalating nature of Judith;s harassment and hurtful statements. The Freeschool barely has enough to afford the cost of a new space when we find one. But we have decided, due to the unprecedented amount of illegal behavior and harassement and illegal rent increases conducted by Judth Dahn that we will not move into another location until we are able to sign a lease. Only a lease will stop Landlords from these illegal activities and crimes and ensure that the Freeschool has rights and we are given advance notice as written within a lease. ========================================================= Since the Freeschool moved into that space on October 1st, 2008, the residents of the house have locked out Freeschool facilitators, vandalized Freeschool property, raised rent by over 50% within the period of one day, occupied the Freeschool office space with their Religious material (photos, worship rug, worship pole, worship mat and other religious material), taken down freeschool signs and cancelled Freeschool classes for 10 days straight without asking any Freeschool volunteers. Many, many progressive groups, zine libraries, infoshops, progressive and DIY businesses and activists throughout the country have faced this same type of oppression from Landlords who refuse to offer leases (the Freeschool was never given a lease), who break rental agreements and desire more money and more rental increases and then give eviction notices without even 30 days notice, even in the middle of ice and snow storms during the holidays after they have been paid rent on time. The Freeschool Community of Olympia, serving the Olympia, Washington area for over 7 years, has partnered with several progressive organizations to form the Peace Communities. Among the many progressive organizations that have joined the Peace Communities thus far are the Mutualist Project members of the Z Media Institute (ZMI) 2007 Alumni, the Olympia Ecovillage/We Invite You, The Beauty of Barter, Imagine Seven, the Organizers of the Fifth Annual A World Beyond Capitalism Conference, Cascadia Edible Landscapes, Garden dance Designs and organizers of the Do-It-Yourself Multimedia Creation Center. We also have had conversations with the Evergreen Infoshop about possibly sharing a space and we welcome more Campus and Student-run organizations. Peace Communities is looking for More Partner Organizations to work towards Sharing Space in Olympia. We would like to work with several other organizations or progressive businesses to share the cost of a house, or transform a downtown or West Side warehouse into a shared space (as was successfully accomplished by the Rhizome Collective http://www.rhizomecollective.org ).
The below quote is from the Rhizome Collective wikipedia page: "The Rhizome Collective is a consensus-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based on Austin, Texas, USA. The collective was founded in 2000 and operates an Educational Center for Urban Sustainability and a Center for Community Organizing."
"The Rhizome Collective operates out of three warehouses on Allen Street in East Austin. These warehouses and the 1/3 acre (1,300 m²) on which they sit make up the Rhizosphere. In addition to housing the collective, the Rhizosphere is used as a space for the development of urban sustainability practices."
"The Rhizosphere hosts space for organizations such as Austin Indymedia, the Austin Zine Library, the Inside Books Project, which ships reading material to prison inmates, Bikes Across Borders, and Food Not Bombs." In addition to rental space, Peace Communities will also offer the use of free-of-charge shared webhosting space, help designing a website for your group, free-of-charge announcement space in our newspaper, "Natural Learning" with a circulation of 5,000 issues, 24 hours access to a feminist library and a secure room with a women's empowerment audio/video studio equipment. To see a small list of some of the recording and audio equpment that the freeschool currently has please click here: PDF Flyer or Document Flyer.
The idea to create a housing and community space collective in Olympia, has been in the research, cost analysis and forming process for almost two years. It is our desire to now rent a space as early as Spring 2009. Our next public forum will be held at:
Traditions café.
Forum Title: Creating a Housing and Community Space Use Collective in Olympia.
Location: Traditions Café and World Folk Art, 300 5th Avenue SW, Olympia, WA 98501
Date: Friday, January 30, 2009
Time: 7pm-9pm
Cost: Free. Snacks will be served.
We welcome all individuals, organizations and progressive businesses to participate in these conversations. We are grateful for help that we receive from all individuals and organizations, however, on order to maintain our education independence we are not accepting applications from government groups, religious groups or multinational corporations.
"If you are interested please send us an email by visiting the Freeschool Community's website at www.Freeschoolunity.org and click on 'contact.' Thank you. You can also call us from 11am-11pm, 7 days a week at (360) 539-8008 and we would love to talk with you.
"If you are interested please send us an email by visiting the Freeschool Community's website < www.Freeschoolunity.org and click on 'contact.' Thank you. You can also call us from 11am-11pm, 7 days a week at (360) 539-8008 and we would love to talk with you. Do you want to talk about this event with others? Either way, you can talk about the event, learn more about it, or talk with others who attended it by joining the Freeschool Community's new Peace Communities Social Networking Website and Online Community with Member Profiles, Fully Customizable Themes for your page, Blogs, Discussion Forum, Event Listings, Photos & Slideshows, Custom Video Players, Real-time Activity Stream and much more! Its better than myspace and facebook combined, its free of charge and it has no multinational corporate advertisements. To join Peace Communities please go here: http://www.peacecommunities.ning.com Keep working for a better world everyone. Love, Solidarity, -Freeschool Members Announcement #3. The Freeschool Community Now Has Our Own Social Networking Website Better Than Myspace and Facebook Combined! And it has no multinational corporate ads like Myspace and Facebook! What is it called? Peace Communities, found here: www.peacecommunities.ning.com Cost to sign up: Free of Charge
Location: Simply click here: www.peacecommunities.ning.com
What are the benefits of the Peace Communities Social networking website?
Here are the Top Ten Reasons to Join the Peace Communities Social Networking Website...an Online Community that welcomes you, found here: www.peacecommunities.ning.com 1. Peace Communities is a place “where strangers can become friends and friends can network worldwide...” and start pooling our experiences. It is the start of the New and Improved Mutualist Social networking site project that was created at Z Media Institute in June 2007. It is a place for people who desire a better world of peace. Unlike Facebook or Myspace, there are no multinational corporate ads or military recruitment ads so you don't have to worry about such ads, that often support sweat shops, inhumane working conditions or the war, making a profit from you and your friends while being part of an online community. 2. Member Profiles Each member of Peace Communities has a fully customizable profile with their photo, basic information and everything they’ve contributed to the network. They are Free to talk about anything they desire. 3. Create Interest Groups and Regional Groups Create groups inside your social network around hobbies, interests, affinities, geographical locations and more. 4. Discussion Forum Get people talking. Start a discussion on any topic and watch your friends and new friends respond with posts, photos and attachments. The first discussion forum has already been created, it is called: The “Mutualist Project and the West Coast Meet Up” to discuss everyone meeting in Spring 2009 in San Francisco…or somewhere on the West Coast! Join us! 5. Event Listings Schedule events, invite network members, and keep track of who’s attending. Let people know around the world about great events. 6. Photos & Slideshows Post photos and organize them into albums. You and your members can show off your photos in galleries or slideshows. We have a slideshow of some pictures from that were uploaded by people from all over the world playing right now in Peace Communities. 7. Custom Video Players Upload original footage or share videos from popular video services like YouTube, Google Video and Vimeo. 8. Add Text & Widgets Insert widgets from other websites or create an area for your weekly column, special promotions or community announcements. 9. Real-time Activity Stream Keep up with your friends all over the world in Peace Communities. Find out what your members are saying, how they’re interacting and what they’re sharing. 10. Viral Widgets Peace Communities has a network badge that you can display with pride on your MySpace profile, blog or website. 11. Facebook Integration Members can share photos, videos and music from your social network on their Facebook profiles. You don’t have to give up your Facebook or Myspace page to join Peace Communities. You can have your cake and eat it too. So what are ya' waiting for? Solidarity! Join the Peace Communities here: www.peacecommunities.ning.com Solidarity! Thanks to those who already signed up to the West Coast Email list and signed up to the Peace Communities Social networking website. Each one of you ARE the heroes that you’ve been waiting for! Much like Betty Friedan said, its time to start "Pooling Our Experience!” We love you all! -Freeschool Community ===================================================== “The experts of psychology, sociology, economics, biology, even the new feminism experts, are still engaged in the old battles, of women versus men. The new questions that need to be asked - and with them, the new structures for the new struggle - can only come from pooling our experience…” -Betty Friedan, from ‘The Second Stage.’ Betty Friedan was also the author of ‘The Feminine Mystique’ and the founder and first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Announcement #4. - The Beauty of Barter is getting better every day!
Are you a woman or women's group in need of business cards? A website? A portfolio? Flyers? Low-Price research? Or other computer work, outreach counseling or a tutor? Want to exchange products or services rather than pay fees? Tired of help from impatient people? Join us! You’re invited to our Computer and Calligraphy Services Barter Fair. We’ve helped women-owned artists, not-for-profit women's projects and feminist activist groups, homeowners renting rooms and more! Also, private presentations available by appointment for local and out-of-state folks bartering for their services or products. Free, with snacks. Love, Warmth, Kindness…Towards Creating a Better world.
http://www.theBeautyofBarter.org The Beauty of Barter is a Member of the Graphic Alliance. 
The Beauty of Barter is also a member of the Washington State Holistic Chamber of Commerce. |
