Dear Subscribers,
Since the last issue back in October (there
was no November issue), the Atlanta Section of the GA Chapter
has changed our meeting place. While the weather was still
warm we were meeting at the Lake
Claire Community Land Trust. But as this is an outdoor
venue, it just got too cold to keep going there throughout
the Winter. We do like to support groups like the Land Trust
though, so perhaps when the Spring arrives we may start
going back there again. We have had two meetings (November
and December) at the new location -
Manuel's Tavern. They have nice big tables and it's
warm inside. They have a colorful local history. Anarchist
groups used to meet at Manuel's years back. And various
other groups and movements have been known to sit, eat and
discuss. From their official website:
"[Manuel's Tavern]...is known as
the place where Jimmy Carter first announced his intentions
to run for governor in 1970. It is where Emory theologian
Tom Altizer first talked about his theory that God was "dead."
It is where L.A. Dodgers manager Tommy LaSorda, writer James
Dickey, Senator Sam Nunn, actor Brian Dennehy, singer David
Crosby, and Atlanta mayors Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson,
and Shirley Franklin, and many, many more have dropped in
through the years to meet patrons and discuss current affairs"
And while there is this historical past,
we are considering the possibility of looking into space
at a public library instead. Manuel's is ok, but honestly
it can get a little distracting sometimes with the noise
factor typical of a public tavern on a weekend. It makes
it difficult to hear everyone and stay focused. I noticed
this at the last meeting. We had a lot of dialog going on,
but it was sometimes hard to hear everyone, which in turn
tended to break the dialog off into separate smaller conversations
all going on at once. It was easier to hear the people sitting
right next to you and difficult to hear anyone across the
table. I was personally able to chat with everyone at one
point or another. I think everyone had great things to share.
Lots of new faces. And lots of wonderful energy. I was glad
to meet everyone.
I support the idea of finding a new, quieter
location like a library and perhaps one with a free wireless
hotspot so we can bring a laptop and incorporate Ventrilo
so other members can directly participate in the meetings
from afar. This seems something worth working towards. It
is currently on the agenda. Not sure if we will have it
worked out by January, but it might be worked out by February.
I want to send encouragement to all of our
members that don't live in the Metro-Atlanta area. Start
up a section in your local area. Atlanta is but one city.
While you are certainly welcome to participate in Atlanta's
meetings and events, if you want to do something in your
city, feel free to do so. We understand time constraints
and distance issues. And we will gladly dialog with you
and help you get started. We can add a section for you in
the GA
Forums as well. And you can send reports of your activities
to Spirit of Times for publication. And make posts
to TheVenusProjectGA
blog. That's one of the great benefits of being part of
a statewide chapter. We have a network through which we
can communicate and lend mutual aid to any local chapter
sections that emerge. To put it simply, the GA Chapter is
here for the whole state. Within the chapter we can have
city level sections - an Athens Section, a Columbus Section,
etc. And we can all help each other, share ideas and lend
support. And then this is complementary to maintaining communication
and support with the other state chapters and the international
chapters as well. I am on Gilbert's International Chapter
list and Jen's US Chapter list. So the channels are already
in place and this type of intercommunication between chapters
is already happening. And as city sections start to form,
you will be linked up with the entire movement in this way.
Current projects include:
- Getting plans together for Z Day 2010 (Saturday
March 13th).
- Forming a Study Group and beginning with
the Orientation Guide as a primary reference text.
- Developing a short film (two of our members
are film students, and something is in the works!).
- Planning online meetings so all chapter
members have an opportunity to participate regardless of
a lack of geographical proximity to one another.
I'd also like to reiterate that this is our
chapter. I'm not just saying this as a quaint platitude.
I really mean it. The GA Chapter is OUR chapter. There is
no central hierarchy. We work from the bottom up, organically,
as a group. Let's presence the ideas we envision as the
Venus Project. Let's work from the principles we understand
as the Zeitgeist Movement. And as we grow our chapter, we
will be better able to interact with other chapters in more
meaningful ways. And feed back into the movement as a whole.
And spread awareness to the public through various events,
lectures, art shows, music festivals, films, literature,
study groups, etc.
