http://goincase.com/pictureperfect/jamesmollison/

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This video was produced on a shoestring budget and it is requested that it be freely distributed throughout the internet to raise awareness and to address the tragedy that is homelessness. By award winning director Lucy Tcherniak. For more information visit thetruthaboutstanley.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Forces of nature on hand at Earth Day 2012 celebration

Local residents honor the planet by climbing, pedaling, raising money and learning about sustainability.

By Beth Quimby bquimby@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND — The Ohm Dome was the happening place at the city's Urban Earth Day celebration Sunday.

click image to enlarge

Julie Carey, a direct support professional with Creative Trails, encourages Ray Borg of Portland to pedal a bike rigged to power a blender for making “green” smoothies during the Urban Earth Day activities Sunday in Portland.

Photos by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

click image to enlarge

Jacob Tuttle, 2, of Portland, samples a smoothie.

The igloo-shaped structure, which was used as a spiritual meeting space at the Occupy Maine encampment at Lincoln Park last winter, provided one of the few dry and windless spots at the event on Monument Square, where rain fell and temperatures hovered in the lower 40s.

Despite the damp chill, a crowd showed up to inspect more than a dozen exhibits showcasing the city's environmental and nonprofit organizations, sustainable businesses and others.

"This is a sign that Mother Earth loves us," said Louisa Donelson, one of the organizers.

The celebration was organized by MENSK, a Portland group that promotes and supports creative and sustainable communities, and the city of Portland.

It was one of dozens of activities taking place across the state as part of a celebration that reaches worldwide.

— The Urban Runoff 5-kilometer road race and Earth Day celebration at Deering High School in Portland raised money Saturday to support clean-water education in Greater Portland and Saco schools.

— The West End Neighborhood Association in Portland held a Butt Bucket Brigade to pick up discarded cigarette butts.

— Loon Echo Land Trust members scaled Bald Pate Mountain in South Bridgton to mark the day.

The first Earth Day was observed in 1970 to raise awareness and appreciation of the natural environment. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 175 countries.

In Monument Square, Elizabeth Fraser of Portland and Maggie Knowles of Raymond made fresh kale, banana and berry smoothies. They are co-authors of "Kids Gone Raw," an upcoming cookbook of raw fruits, vegetables and seeds for children.

"We are trying to make really delicious food available for children," said Fraser.

Asanah Splude, 3, of Portland signaled her approval by quickly downing the brownish concoction.

"I guess she likes kale," said her mother, Kristy Splude.

The city of Portland handed out spruce tree seedlings, and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine offered free, secure valet bicycle parking.

"You don't need a lock, and it's free and secure," said John Brooking of Westbrook, a volunteer with the coalition.

Volunteers for Creative Trails, a community support group for adults with intellectual disabilities, took turns pedaling on a stationary bike that powers a blender to make smoothies. The bike will make a regular appearance at the Portland Farmers Market this summer, said Julie Carey, a Creative Trails staffer.

Back at the Ohm Dome, Nickie Sekera, manning the Occupy Maine booth, said it was cozy inside.

"It is really great in here," Sekera said.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

RanDome Emergency Geodesic Shelter - Chronological Slideshow from Dick Fischbeck on Vimeo.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Occupy Maine prepares for eviction by the City of Portland from Linciln Park, aka. Lincolnshire after 127 days of protest. Occupy Maine is perhaps the longest running cold weather encampments in the nation. Photo credit to Joel Page, AP News.

Photo of the Day Photos | Photo of the Day Pictures - Yahoo! News http://news.yahoo.com/photos/photo-of-the-day-slideshow-1309242001-slideshow/... via @YahooNews

Dick Fischbeck ties down his "RanDome" in preparation to move it Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, from Lincoln Park in Portland, Maine. The dome was set up in October to serve as a communal space and warming shelter for members of Occupy Maine. The city of Portland has given notice that the group must remove tents and structures by Monday morning. (AP Photo/Joel Page)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Photo Credit:  Kim Waite, Occupy Maine

For Direct link to Video on Yahoo Voices: http://voices.yahoo.com/video/how-build-randome-geodesic-shelter-10564227.html?cat=59

For Written Step-by-Step Instructions: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-build-randome-geodesic-emergency-shelter-0131206/

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Article in Portland's Sun Journal, November 20, 2011

Diverse Group of Protesters Seeking a Sense of Community

Housed on a bookshelf inside the RanDome - dubbed the "Ohm Dome" Spiritual Center at the Occupy Maine encampment - are books written by Martin Luther King, Jr. Mahatma Ghandi and the Dalai Llama.

Photo by Daryn Slover, Sun Journal Buy a Print

Read the complete article:

http://www.sunjournal.com/news/state/2011/11/20/occupymaine-diverse-group-protesters-seeking-sense-community/1116555

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In the November 3 edition of the Portland Daily Sun reporter David Carkuff covers the local reaction to the RanDome donated to Lincoln Park´s Occupy Maine (#occupymaine) encampment. One of Dick's quotes from the article, "I'm the first one, according to the U.S. Patent Office, to build out of corners," Read the entire story: Dome Builder Sees Global Future for Unique Design.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Bucky' s daughter Allegra (Center) visits Lincoln Park after snowfall. Photo by: Kim Waite

With the Nor'easter snowstorm approaching, RanDome inventor Dick Fischbeck knew time was short.  The snowfall predicted for Saturday night would leave dozens of Lincoln Park's occupants "out in the cold".  Only weeks earlier Dick's polyethylene RanDome shelter had made it's debut at MOFGA's Common Ground Country Fair. Early Saturday morning Dick strapped the still rolled up RanDome onto his car and drove to Portland.  The dome was rapidly unrolled onto the grounds.  It is serving as a community center for Occupy Maine.  Two more RanDomes have now been requested for that location. For more on this read new article: Geodesic Emergency Shelter Makes it to Lincoln Park in the Nick of Time.

RanDome and Occupy Maine were honored by the visit of Allegra Fuller Snyder - Buckminster Fuller's daughter - on Sunday. Dick will be holding a RanDome workshop at the Third Biennial Design Science Symposium (November 11 - 13, 2011) in Providence, Rhode Island.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Despite the "comfort stations" which ease somewhat the initial shock of not having a roof over their heads, protesters occupying parks throughout the country are getting first hand experience of what life is truly like on the streets. In an unexpected twist the homeless are now serving as role models and are providing a whole new perspective on homelessness. Things people with a place to live take for granted - using the restroom, sitting down, sleeping, staying warm, having a snack - are a matter of life and death for the homeless who live in ways reminiscent of the prehistoric caveman, struggling daily to find food, stay safe and fulfill the most basic necessities to sustain life.  According to the Associated Press: "With the temperature dropping, they are stockpiling donated coats, blankets and scarves, trying to secure cots and military-grade tents, and getting survival tips from the homeless people who have joined their encampments."

Occupy Wall Street Brings Homelessness Into the Open

Surviving Zuccotti Park:  How the Protesters stay Warm, Fed and Cheery

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

"We have one place. Call it Spaceship Earth."

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

http://www.ted.com/talks/sasha_dichter.html

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

It was a hectic two weeks preparing for the Common Ground Country Fair and in a flash it is over.  Here are a few pictures.  More to come as we begin to go through all the videos and photos we took from the fair. The RanDome will be displayed next at The Third Biennial Design Science Symposium at RISD in November.

How to Build a Randome Geodesic Emergency Shelter

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

A fashion designer once earning 100,000 dollars a year  now lives in a tent. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8787722/Once-prosperous-New-Yorkers-forced-to-live-under-canvas-in-New-Jersey-woods.html

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

NewsDaily: World Bank boosts Horn of Africa aid to $1.88 billion
NewsDaily (2011-09-25) -- The World Bank said on Saturday it was more than tripling funding to $1.88 billion for a "worsening" drought in Horn of Africa countries affecting over 13 million people. ... > read full article

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This video clip, courtesy of videographer and graphic designer Victor Acevedo of Acevedomedia, is from inventor Dick Fischbeck's original presentation: "Introducing The RanDome" at the Synergetics Collaborative's first Symposium in 2003 -- "A Fuller Explanation: Building on Amy Edmonson's Explanation of The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller" -- at Design Science Toys (25 Jan 2003). An interesting discussion arose during the presentation as to the true "geodesity" of this new type of dome shelter. The random arrangements of vertices obeys Descartes' angular deficit formula (the sum of the angular deficits of the vertices of a closed convex body is equal to 720°) and is the basis of the RanDome building method. The RanDome was granted a patent in 2008 and is licensed under the Creative Commons meaning that anyone can build and distribute the structure for non-commercial purposes.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

What a great collection of photos from Taco Flats homeless camp in Fresno by Mathieu Young .. His other works are equally fantastic.

Tent City on the Behance Network

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The annual Common Ground Country Fair of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) begins on Friday, September 23, 2011 and continues through the weekend. RanDome will be there with a version of it's patented geodesic shelter in corrugated polyethylene plastic.  Stop by the booth to meet RanDome inventor Richard Fischbeck and learn hands on how to make a RanDome emergency shelter at our educational geodesic activities table. Polyethylene is a very lightweight yet resistant material used to make a well known type of fishing boat.   How resistant is polyethylene plastic you ask?  When RanDome conducted it's search for yet another lightweight resistant material to use instead of aluminum for the upcoming fair we stopped by Hamilton Marine in Unity, Maine to ask some questions.  The salesman told us of an incident where a small polyethylene boat was on display outside the store.  A man in a pick up truck drove in, grabbed the boat, threw it on his truck and sped away. The police were immediately contacted and a chase ensued.  During the pursuit the boat flew off the pick up truck, bounced off the front of an 18-wheeler truck and bounced along the road finally coming to rest on the shoulder.  Fortunately no one was injured and the was returned to the store it was in almost perfect condition. It was placed directly back on display for the next interested store visitor. A few minor scratches were later quickly repaired by applying heat. In 2010 the MOFGA fair drew nearly 60,000 visitors over the entire weekend.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment  »