South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity is in great need of people to build gingerbread houses for our inaugural Gingerbread Holiday Cottages Competition.

On November 29th and 30th, we’ll join with the Olympia Downtown Association to kick off the holidays in grand fashion - and we hope you’ll be right there with us! Here is an opportunity to display your creative talent. This showplace is for all lovers of gingerbread, frosting and candy - especially when you channel that love into building a “one of a kind” masterpiece. Join with your family or friends (a child or grandchild, your neighbor, a church friend, or anyone who has a flair with gumdrops!) to take part in this very community oriented activity. And in the process you’ll be contributing to the materials for another Habitat home.

If you have ever wanted to try and build a gingerbread house here is your chance.Visit the SPS Habitat web page for more info. 

Questions? Call Peg at 791-7487 or Susan at 239-1386.

I watched a great film that I am excited about tonight. It's called The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. I recommend it highly to those of you who are interested in community solutions to the problem of depleting global energy resources, and sustainability.

You may have already seen the film, it was released in May 2006. It's about the transition Cuba was forced to make in 1990 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. You see, the U.S.S.R. provided a heaping amount of trade to Cuba, and when it collapsed, Cuba's GDP plummeted to 34% of its pre-collapse level. The Cuban people were faced with some very hard times - and some massive challenges. What changes did they make and how did they make them?

The film explains a lot of what happened. It's a sweet film. And it's a great window on what many important aspects of moving toward a truly sustainable society could look like.

Our wonderful City of Olympia has sustainability as one of its foremost resolutions and goals. This is something which I am sure the majority of us endorse. This film has much to offer: education, knowledge, wisdom, the experience of others: we can learn from the journey of Cuba and the Cuban people, for example - to conserve and to implement local solutions to global problem of finite and depleted energy reserves.

Find out more information, including a 2 minute trailer, at the Power of Community film-information-website: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil Documentary - Welcome!

Although the video is for sale, it can be found for free on Google. I also posted it to my other blog: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.

Spend an evening with Francis Ayley, founder of North London LETS and president of Fourth Corner Exchange to find out how rethinking currency and debt can change your life. This event offers solutions to the growing economic problems that our country faces. After a 50-minute video titled Money as Debt (which skillfully explains the flaws of our current economic system), Francis will introduce a community currency called Life Dollars as part of the solution. Systems like Life Dollars are already in place and functioning throughout America and the rest of the world.

You can trade your Sound HOURs into Life Dollars. Community Currency is back, and it is here to stay. www.fourthcornerexchange.com

Olympia Community Center, 222 Columbia St. NW at 7pm - Room 101

More info: Gail Di Marzo 360 352-2428

Community Acupuncture Studio, Olympia's very first community Acupuncture clinic, opens it's doors for patients today. People can now receive very affordable acupuncture treatments regardless of their insurance status. We offer community-style acupuncture treatments based on a sliding-scale, starting at $20. We will be open 1-8pm Tues-Sat. For more information, check out the web-site, www.cas-olympia.com or call (360)943-6730.

Please join us for the 2008 Gingerbread Holiday Cottages Competition sponsored by South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity. The event is being hosted to support and bring community awareness to our organization, to join the Olympia Downtown Association in celebrating the holidays, and to tap into the creative magic that is abundant in our community. The event will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29-30, 12-5PM at the Olympia Ballroom above the Urban Onion, 116 Legion Way SE, Olympia.

This is the first year of the Gingerbread Holiday Cottages competition, and we have high hopes for the event. We look forward to seeing the magic of creativity that I know the participants will bring to the event. There are three divisions of competition: “Professional,” “Sponsored,” and “Community/Family.” There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in all three categories and the entries will be judged at the opening of the competition by a delegate of the major sponsoring business. There will also be a “people’s choice” winner determined by the most number of tickets sold to the visiting public. That award will be named at the end of the competition. All judging will be based on overall appearance, originality, creativity, seasonal theme, craftsmanship, architecture, and adherence to the contest rules.

The Community Build-a-Bike Project lives! Rescued once again from the obscurity of the ages (I am inspired by dr's blog entries), B-A-B has found a new location at a private residence behind the Pit Stop Grocery - the corner of Boulevard Rd. & 18th Ave.

And, re-establishing a yearly event which has recently languished due to lack of participation, we will be holding a raffle to raise funds and awareness. The raffle will take place on Saturdays, 10-4, Oct. 25th(Ralph's Thriftway), Nov. 1st(Farmer's Mkt.), 8th(Eastside Co-op) & 15th(Bayview). Those wishing to contribute time, money, or bikes can contact me at: tezzer1@msn.com.

We especially need help in delivery and pick-up of raffle supplies, including bike, to and from sites.

The Aligning of the Souls gathering was great. Many stories, prayers - and jokes - were shared amongst the participants. The gathering kicked off last night (Wednesday night) with a potluck meal and the sharing of prayers and stories relating to the topic of healing and peace in the wake of the horrible events of September 11, 2001. Some people sang songs or read poems, some people told stories and shared wisdom, everyone listened.

This morning the gathering continued at dawn (Thursday morning, September 11, 2008) with the commencement of a day long continuous heart beat drum rhythm. We prayed for peace and healing as the cool and foggy air and mist of dawn gradually gave way to a brilliantly blue sunny and cloudless September Eleventh day. A ceremonial fire was lit in a very special outdoor fire place. The fire burned throughout the day, carefully observed, attended and listened to.

I will be at Oly Salvage finishing the construction of the cob bench. Come have fun in the, er, ahem SUN (I hope I hope I hope) and learn a simple building technique.

If it rains, all bets are off (i.e. no work party).

Ten years into this project and still going strong. In fact stronger than ever as several community members have stepped up to keep the project going. But, we need to find a new location.

For the past 3 years B-A-B has been run from half of 2-car garage in the NE neighborhood, thanks to the owner of the property. The house is now up for sale and the garage has been demolished, so B-A-B finds itself in desperate need of shelter before the NW monsoon season (which may have started today, as I write this).

Residential or commercial spaces are all open for consideration, as are common space ventures with other organizations.

Please contact Terry @ 943-6109 or tezzer1@msn.com with any suggestions.