12:30 PM Monday
I just talked to Jay, who’s in Nantucket. He said they’re going to take it (model shown here) into the East Village tomorrow, He said hooking up with the Occupy folks turned out to be too complicated. “It’ll be a tiny house protest…” — against McMansions, heavy mortgages, high rents, overconsumption, energy and material wastage in housing as it’s been practiced in America in the last 20 years.
For New Yorkers: Jay will be speaking in Manhattan at 1-4 PM tomorrow. Details: https://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/see-a-tiny-house/tiny-house-in-manhattan/
About Lloyd Kahn
Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the
Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include
Shelter,
Shelter II (1978),
Home Work (2004),
Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008),
Tiny Homes (2012), and
Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:
12:30 PM Monday
I think Jay Shafer is more concerned with marketing his Tiny Homes and Books as opposed to the economic-structural problems in our country.
If he's paying attention to what the protesters are saying, they're advocating for pretty much a nationalization of everything to level the playing field. This includes his Tiny House business.
I think that if more people were aware of the alternatives to mainstream 'lifestyles', those people might find themselves less susceptible to the "economic-structural problems in our country". In that regard, I applaud Jay's attempt to bring more awareness to the masses.
And, I've not heard of this push by OWS for nationalization of everything. Citations, please, or it didn't happen.
OccupyEducated.org posted the press release about this last night on their FB page, saying "LIKE and SHARE if you think staying dry in a modest home is better than going underwater in a McMansion." Sounds good to me!
And I, like dragonfly haven't heard OWS talk about nationalization of everything – or anything, for that matter. Sounds like the party line of the corporate media whose mission is to discredit OWS by any means.
Occupy Wall Street's List of Grievances:
http://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/
The List chronicles government and corporate abuses against individuals who feel maligned by lopsided relationships through this arrangement. Although, the List doesn't actually state "nationalize everything", I've personally heard it chanted in two major cities: NYC and Boston.
"We are the 99%", so therefore the playing field should be leveled through fundamental changes to our policies. To victims of debt slavery, this means loan forgiveness and empowerment.
So what else could it possible mean if not nationalization of debt through collective default?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IdPyYRnOY0
Here is Dennis Kucinich introducing HR 2990.
I agree that the Fed Reserve is unconstitutional under Article 1, Sec. 8 and the minting of money should be under the authority of Congress but I've heard a different spin and interpretation on this in Boston. To the Occupiers, they literally mean a take-over of our Banking system–Sell Side Institutions and all–under the purview and control of the Federal Government.
On Wall Street, here is a protester directly advocating for "nationalization" of the Fed Reserve. At around 2:30, listen in closely.
This was not unusual but seemed to be the consensus in Boston and NY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOcsnuydxyo&feature=related
Well, having talked with some fairly serious people inside of OWS, I can say they are by and large cool with capitalism and dislike oligarchs.
They also sign things with their real names, by and large.
Jay's a guddun who has done a lot for the small house movement. As far as economic-structural problems… he's selling things and employing people.
Mike,
I post comments under "anonymous" or a nom de plume on the internet because of the nature and profile of my job. I won't elaborate.
The YouTube link above may be anecdotal but this was the common rallying cry I've heard repeatedly. Most protesters I spoke with resented Capitalism and surprising number didn't actually know the difference between authentic "free market capitalism" and "state-sanctioned capitalism". Instead, they offered up a laundry of list of everything wrong with our country without adequately addressing the 500lb hairy gorilla in the room–the U.S. Constitution and how its being shredded by elected and unelected officials.
As for Mr. Shafer, I think he's more motivated by potential revenue gain than he is about providing the economic or housing "cure-all" for our woes. I'd be impressed if he offered up free plans at the protest site but given his track record, it's not plausible.
Apparently, Jay had some issues in NY and wasn't able to drive his Tiny Home into Wall Street. He was vague about an "incident" preventing the event.
i just lost all respect for you people..isn't this about building small sustainable housing? Why does it have to always get political..just go vote for christs sake..
In answer to "Anonymous" ,You are right on one count about Jay ,he is in it for profit , his plans are way over priced , and he does not have the "drive" to "actually" build his own designs , he keeps the prices and specs so high on his buildings so he does not have to build them, reason being , he really does not know "how" to. So he markets his plans, sells the seminars and books, spins the "hype" and makes his money without a phone, a real office with an addresss, a woodshop or factory you get the picture. He is a wonderful ,passionate , quirky designer who has now become caught up in his own spin. Tumbleweed is 99 percent "hype" . They could "Rule the Market" but instead , they prefer to make their living "Two Dimensionally" and not stick their hand in the "Fire" Like Ford, GM, General Electric etc. Its a sign of our times , if you can make a "Living" hitting little keys then why "work" . I see it as "wasted talent and potential" . I know ,no one dare say this about the "Guru" but it is true.
Continued: As far as why Jay did not "Occupy Wall Street" its because they did not want him .Period. So he and his partner to "create" more spin chose to go to N.Y.C. at all alternate location on east 5th street, but they "employees" who produce all the "Media" spin days in advance failed to actually research the physical location adequately, so when the "truck driver" who was completely responsible for the building (thru his own research) that it was not viable because of trees and clutter and fencing etc., it was "blamed" on the driver. In actuality the driver saved him a potential tremendous "loss" . That is the "real" story. You can fill volumes of what "facts" are conveniently omitted for the sake of "media" and what sells.
Well, Mr. Anonymous (Jan 6, 2012 9:58 AM), you make quite a few "allegations" and back them up with absolutely "nothing". Have you met Jay ? Have you ever set foot in one of the houses he's built ?
Alas, your "rant" comes off sounding like little more than self-pitying "bitterness" at someone else's "success".
Dear Dragonfly
I apologize for the "rant" , and I suppose what you assume is that I have not met and know Jay or Steve , or have not spent time in one of "his" buildings, or sat through a seminar or openhouse, then you would be right it would seem as jealousy based. Lets assume I had no real truth or facts to "back up" these "allegations" .I will ask you to try a little experiment ,why dont you find and post 6 pictures of Jay actually building a Tiny House for any client, why dont you call TW and ask a technical question on Plumbing , electrical, structure, framing ,welding anything and get someone on the phone not a networked researched email response but a real person from TW that can have an educated response and if you are not "literate" in the trade lingo have a friend check the response, next test why is it that TW on FB or its own website "never" mentions any other builders names or shows a "Likes" link to same, but in the FB spirit all the other businesses show "Likes" of TW , and as far as the OWS fiasco you can easily go to the address on 5th st and see for yourself, unfortunately it is not the "rant" of someone that does not "know" .Dear dragonfly I applaud your "Loyalty" to our Guru I am just disappointed in really getting to know the man behind the curtain and the people from "Oz" but TW is 99 percent "hype" , they are not in the building business, they sell plans (way overpriced without question), they hold minimal "hands on" hard information seminars hosted by people who maybe built one maybe two buildings and those actual buildings were changed because Jays specifications are overpriced, (windows for example) and they sell books . A word about the books have you seen the new "how to" book why is the "complete" section on the "hands on " "how to" part done in "sketch" from an old readers digest book from 30 years ago? why not one photo of Jay and his "crew" building a TW, tiny home you know why because they dont exist , in the whole book I think he may have "authored" 8 pages maybe? No dragonfly the facts are the facts and no media spin or press release or interview will change the truth. My last question to you is do you "know" Jay or Steve? My guess is no for if you did you would not have written your response. Thanks just disappointed.
Dear Anonymous,
Out of respect for Lloyd, this will be my last comment on the subject. Again, your writing comes off as nothing more than a jealous, frustrated rant, backed up with no facts, though you do use the words "facts" and "truth". Not good enough.
Here is a video of Tumbleweed actually building one of their houses:
http://youtu.be/mADv0HeaSBc
Are you upset because Jay is not actually wielding a tool ? As far as I am aware, he has never claimed to be a carpenter or builder, rather a designer and advocate of tiny houses.
And you are basing part of your argument on how Tumbleweed conducts itself on Facebook ? Really ? Perhaps you need to get out more.
I have in fact met Jay, and spoken with him at length some years ago. Your characterization of him as deceptive and all "hype" falls very flat in my opinion. Certainly he has managed to carve out a nice niche in the burgeoning tiny house movement, but such success is just as much a matter of propitious timing and circumstance as it is skill and ambition. Do you begrudge him making a living ?
I'm not sure which book you have, but I do own "The Small House Book" from Tumbleweed, and there are many photos of house construction in progress. Are you upset that there are not enough photos of the carpenters themselves ? Or Jay, holding a hammer ? Maybe he's the one holding the camera.
Finally, I think you could have saved yourself a lot of typing and just responded with your last sentence, that you were disappointed. From what you did write though, it sounds like your disappointment stems from Tumbleweed not being what you expected it to be. From there you managed to summon quite a bit of baseless mud slinging and hot air.
Dear Dragonfly
I humbly "put down the sword" (shovel empty of mud) and give quarter, for I like a moth too close to the flame have been burned.
It was very immature of me to be so emotional.
My humblist appologies.
Anonymous