December 2011 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

mafiaafire routs around filesharing censorshop
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

hi franco, can you cover this in blog? important, see http://falkvinge.net/2011/12/01/mafiaafire-just-killed-all-current-and-futu… In the hypothetical extreme case that some United States goon agency would seize the domain *thepiratebay.org* entirely, most ISPs also lying about its previous DNS records and giving you a “page censored” sign, and even having blocked it at the IP level (a technique never used), you would still just type “thepiratebay.org” in the address bar as usual (given that you also have the first MafiaaFire plugin). The story on TorrentFreak goes into detail on how this is accomplished using a list of thousands and thousands of proxies, circumventing censorship. Essentially, what the released plugin does is to turn your computer into a node in a mesh network that finds the shortest unblocked route to the target you request. *This kills the copyright industry’s strategy that the ISPs are “critical gatekeepers” right dead in the water.* -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fund for Complementary Currencies - RSF Social Finance
by Dante-Gabryell Monson 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/investing/social/ Since 1984, RSF has maintained a 100% repayment rate – plus interest – to our community of investors, and has made over $230 million in loans to social enterprises through this program. Historical rates of return are similar to those of a bank http://rsfsocialfinance.org/impact/field/fund-for-complementary-currencies/ Fund for Complementary Currencies The Fund for Complementary Currencies is a special charitable fund launched in 2004 to support the development of new and sustainable approaches to economic exchange that complement the existing financial system. It has funded the research and development of BerkShares<http://www.berkshares.org/> , TimeBanks <http://www.timebanks.org/>, and GETS<httphttp://www.getsglobal.com/>(Global Exchange Trade System), as well as other innovative research projects. To learn more about the Fund for Complementary Currencies and how you can participate, click here<http://rsfsocialfinance.org/impact/field/fund-for-complementary-currencies/> . http://rsfsocialfinance.org/impact/reimagining-money/ * *Shared Gifting Groups Practiced first as part of RSF’s Mid-States Shared Gifting Program<http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/giving/focus/mid-states-shared-gifting…>, and now included as an integral part of our Focus Area Funds<http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/giving/focus>, shared gifting brings together peer groups of donors and grantees to share proposed needs and then collectively decide on the distribution of available funds. The donors’ role is simply to determine the total amount available for granting. This eliminates the typical grantor-grantee power dynamic, and replaces it with an inherently mutual process and outcome.

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Fwd: British ( + US ? ) Military : prepare emergency plans for the demise of the euro and the possible civil disorder that could follow.
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 2:15 AM Subject: British ( + US ? ) Military : prepare emergency plans for the demise of the euro and the possible civil disorder that could follow. To: econowmix(a)googlegroups.com *What ?!? ...* http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8957513/Eurozone-crisis-pose… Eurozone crisis poses military risk, warns defence chief General Sir David Richards 14 Dec 2011 The military planning work has come to light after The Daily Telegraph disclosed last month that British embassies in the eurozone have been told to prepare emergency plans for the demise of the euro and the possible civil disorder that could follow. /// this message follows another anglo saxon commander's message http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16122887 10 December 2011 The top US military commander, Gen Martin Dempsey, says he is concerned about "the potential for civil unrest" as Europe's financial crisis unfolds. -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: [gang8] a BoP crisis
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 9:55 PM Subject: Fwd: [gang8] a BoP crisis To: econowmix(a)googlegroups.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency_crisis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_payments excerpted from message below : *" BoP problems are at the core of the Eurozone implosion "* ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: D.J.Bezemer <d.j.bezemer(a)rug.nl> Date: Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 12:14 PM Subject: [gang8] a BoP crisis To: Thomas Palley <mail(a)thomaspalley.com> Cc: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com Hi Tom, Thanks for your reply and I look forward to your paper. The analogy with Virginia is not appropriate, since the nature of transfers differs between the US and EU. Deficit regions by definition need transfers. They come in three forms: fiscal (=gifts), investments (=in return for ownership) and loans (= in return for future payments flows). Within-country transfers are gifts via the fiscal mechanism that do not lead to loss of ownership or future liabilties, hence they are financially and structurally sustainable. They are feasible because of within-country solidarity, in turn based on sound governance. Europeans have no cross-country fiscal solidariy (for good reasons: no sound governance) and they refuse to set up an investment facility for the periphery. So that leaves loans as the only form of transfers. Deficit regions so accumulate liabilties and the thing is financially unsustainable. In sum, BoP problems are at the core of the Eurozone implosion. best wishes, Dirk On 13-12-11, *Thomas Palley *<mail(a)thomaspalley.com> wrote: Hi Dirk,**** ** ** Thanks for your comments.**** ** ** The intra-euro area trade imbalances are indeed a problem, but I think they are credited with too big a role in creating the crisis. When West Virginia runs a large trade deficit with California it does not cause a crisis, though it does signal the prospect of long term relative decline for West Virginia.**** ** ** I am currently working on a paper about the euro zone which examines these issues. I hope I can finish it in the next month and I look forward to sharing it with you.**** ** ** Best,**** ** ** Tom **** ** ** Thomas Palley**** Associate, Economic Growth Program**** New America Foundation**** Tel: (202)-667-5518**** e-mail: mail(a)thomaspalley.com**** www.thomaspalley.com**** ** ** *From:* D.J.Bezemer [mailto:[email protected]] *Sent:* Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:46 PM *To:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com *Cc:* mail(a)thomaspalley.com *Subject:* surely it is ALSO (but not exclusively) a BoP crisis**** ** ** Dear Tom,**** ** ** Hi, it's Dirk.**** ** ** This is a good thread.**** ** ** I take that it that your problem is with chracterizing the crisi as ONLY a BoP crisis, not fundamentally the crisis of the ECB refusing to act as true government bank.**** ** ** For surely it is ALSO (but, repeat, not exclusively) a BoP crisis, even with stable exchange rates and low inflation - along the following lines (and I am curious what you and others think of this).**** ** ** The 2002-2008 story: Germany lends to Greece, which returns the money in payment for imports. Germany then invests that money in its stock exchange and in financial markets abroad, by accumulating claims against foreigners (among them Greek banks!). Note that the new money (lending by German banks) that keeps it all going does NOT push up the prices of goods, hence inflation can stay low. In Germany the additional money received back from the Greeks flows into financial investments, so there is no reason why they could not continue to create new money, lend it to Greece, receive it back for in payment imports, invest it in the financial markets, and go on to the next round of lending, all without inflation.**** **** (There is a refinement of this basic story, which does not change its basic message. It assumes that German exports can expand instantaneously in response to the debt-fuelled export demand without increasing prices on the home market. It cannot, of course. But given a drain of money to the financial markets, that drain could account for stable home market prices even with increased demand from abroad. Due to money flowing out of the economy into asset markets, the Germans would have a lower growth in money on the goods markets (due to financialization) as well as lower growth in availability of goods (due to demand from aborad), at stable prices. Wage moderation also helps, of course.)**** **** To finish the story, both countries lead the high life for a couple of years, Greece consuming and Germany growing on exports (their idea of the high life!) Meanwhile Greece accumulates debt and Germany accumulates foreign assets and stock market gains. At some point (say, 2009) Greek debts are so high that ‘the markets’ (including German investors) start worrying and the debt-financed spree ends, prices of foreign assets and stock markets tumble, leaving both disgruntled and ready to blow up the Euro.**** **** The evidence for this below-the-surface BoP crisis? Between 2002 (start of the Euro) and 2008 (last-pre crisis year):**** - -Germany’s current account turned positive, Greece's negative**** - -Germany's financial account turned negative, to the same amount. Germany had been having an inflow of loans and investments, but from 2001 onward it had a large outflow. Very striking.**** - -the German DAX index quadrupled, literally!**** - Greek consumption loans increased almost exactly proportionally (sic!) with their inflows of loans and investments. I checked.**** - all the while, cpi inflation was low between 1% and 2.5 %. Of cuorse asset price inflation was skyrocketing.**** **** So in summary: Germany created money for Greece to borrow, got it back in payment for imports, and invested it in financial assets at home and abroad, plus perhaps a bit extra to push back domestic inflation due to the increased demand (if wage moderation didn't already do that).**** **** Right?**** ** ** cheers, **** Dirk **** On 13-12-11, *Michael Hudson *<michael.hudson(a)earthlink.net> wrote:**** *From: *Thomas Palley <mail(a)thomaspalley.com> Hi Michael, (1) Yes, he is. Martin Wolf has an unerring eye for hitting the stomach rather than the heart; taking a progressive issue and de-fanging it; and occupying progressive space in a way that blocks progressive outcomes. A few weeks ago Wolf was characterizing the euro crisis as due to lack of a lender of last resort. This week he is characterizing it as a balance of payments crisis within the monetary union. (2) Your comments raise two separate issues. 2.a) I agree there is an inevitable link between fiscal policy and financial policy. I like very much the Gardiner – Bezemer characterization of euro’s design stripping away liquidity of government bonds. I have approached the issue from the perspective of speculation and multiple equilibrium (good v. bad) and the need for a government banker. 2.b) Re taxation, I agree governments are untaxing wealth and rentier incomes, but this is a separate issue from 2.a). I have copied the Gang of 8 on this message. If it does not get to them, please share it with them. Best, Tom Thomas Palley Associate, Economic Growth Program New America Foundation Tel: (202)-667-5518 e-mail: mail(a)thomaspalley.com www.thomaspalley.com *From:* Michael Hudson [mailto:[email protected]]<michael.hudson(a)earthlink.net]> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 13, 2011 11:46 AM *To:* Thomas Palley; GANG8 *Subject:* FW: [gang8] FW: Euro lacks a government banker etc. Dear Tom, Is Martin really THAT narrow? Obviously the problem is much more serious. First, a central bank should finance government deficits directly — not merely bail out commercial banks when they make money-losing loans. Second, fiscal policy is a natural complement to financial policy. The banks have sought to un-tax real estate rent, monopoly rent and other “unearned income” as their marketing plan, shifting the tax burden onto labor and industry. The problem is not simply that governments run a deficit. It is that they run a deficit by untaxing wealth and *rentier * income. Right? I think we’re on the same track. Michael ------ Forwarded Message *From: *Gunnar Tomasson <gunnar.tomasson(a)verizon.net> *Reply-To: *<gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> *Date: *Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:25:00 -0500 *To: *<gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> *Subject: *[gang8] FW: Euro lacks a government banker etc. Dear Gang. Here is Tom Palley’s response. Gunnar *From:* Thomas Palley [mailto:[email protected]]<mail(a)thomaspalley.com]> *Sent:* Monday, December 12, 2011 10:44 AM *To:* 'Gunnar Tomasson' *Cc:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com *Subject:* RE: Euro lacks a government banker etc. Dear Gunnar, Thanks for your note. Yes, I see that we are thinking about similar issues, albeit from different starting points. I hope you and your group agree that characterizing the problem in terms of “lack of a lender of last resort”, as Martin Wolf and Paul De Grauwe have done, distorts the focus and blocks an understanding of the issue and the needed reform. Best, Tom Thomas Palley Associate, Economic Growth Program New America Foundation Tel: (202)-667-5518 e-mail: mail(a)thomaspalley.com www.thomaspalley.com <http://www.thomaspalley.com><http://www.thomaspalley.com/> *From:* Gunnar Tomasson [mailto:[email protected]]<gunnar.tomasson(a)verizon.net]> *Sent:* Monday, December 12, 2011 10:23 AM *To:* mail(a)thomaspalley.com *Cc:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com *Subject:* Euro lacks a government banker etc. Dear Mr. Palley. Your recent paper – FT Economists > <http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/#axzz1g31Gizzm><http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/#axzz1g31Gizzm>' Forum on December 9, > 2011 titled "Euro lacks a government banker, not lender of last resort > < http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/2011/12/the-euro-lacks-a-government-ban > ker-not-a-lender-of-last-resort/#axzz1g31Gizzm> ". – was circulated to the Gang8 group of economists, including Michael Hudson and myself. Two of our Gang8 colleagues, Geoffrey Gardiner and Dirk Bezemer, wrote a paper along similar lines one or two years ago – see: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1687750 Regards, Gunnar Tomasson *From:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:[email protected]]<gang8(a)yahoogroups.com]> *On Behalf Of *Dirk Bezemer *Sent:* Monday, December 12, 2011 10:05 AM *To:* gang8(a)yahoogroups.com *Subject:* [gang8] Gardiner and Bezemer on QE Dear Gunnar, Thanks for linking. The link is: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1687750 And here is a piece by Gavyn Davies (ex Goldman Sachs, ex BBC) on QE3: http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…<http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…> <http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…><http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…> <http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…><http://blogs.ft.com/gavyndavies/2011/12/11/central-banks-fire-the-second-ba…> Dirk On 12/12/2011 15:58, Gunnar Tomasson wrote: > Geoffrey. > > > > Palley, who is based in Washington D.C., contacted me a year ago - he had > read and liked something I had published. > > > > Please send me a link to the piece by Dirk and you - I would like to forward > it to him. > > > > Gunnar > > > > From: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com <mailto:gang8%40yahoogroups.com><gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> [ mailto:[email protected] <gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> <mailto:gang8%40yahoogroups.com> <gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of G W > Gardiner > Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 4:44 AM > To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com <mailto:gang8%40yahoogroups.com><gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> > Subject: Re: [gang8] central banking (dys)functions of the ECB > > > > > > Yes, Palley has got it right. Pity he does not point out that Bezemer and > Gardiner targeted this problem over a year ago. > > > > Geoff > > > > > > > > From: D.J.Bezemer<mailto:[email protected] <mailto:d.j.bezemer%40rug.nl><d.j.bezemer(a)rug.nl> <mailto:[email protected]%20%3cmailto:d.j.bezemer%40rug.nl><[email protected]%20%3Cmailto:[email protected]> > > > Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2011 9:03 AM > > To: gang8(a)yahoogroups.com <mailto:gang8%40yahoogroups.com><gang8(a)yahoogroups.com> > > Subject: [gang8] central banking (dys)functions of the ECB > > > > > > dear gang, > > > > Tom Palley wrote a good piece on ft.com about the lack of central banking > functions of the ECB, copied below. Scrolling down I noted one Chris Cook > responding! Advocating, unsurprisingly, public, government-issued credit > aginast tax revenues rather than deficit-based credit. > > > > Dirk > > > > On 11-12-11, Thomas Palley<mail(a)thomaspalley.com <mailto:mail%40thomaspalley.com> <mail(a)thomaspalley.com> > wrote: > > > Dear friends and colleagues, > > Please find below an op-ed published in the FT Economists > <http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/#axzz1g31Gizzm><http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/#axzz1g31Gizzm>' Forum on December 9, > 2011 titled "Euro lacks a government banker, not lender of last resort > < http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/2011/12/the-euro-lacks-a-government-ban > ker-not-a-lender-of-last-resort/#axzz1g31Gizzm> ". > > Please feel free to share it with others. > > Best, > > Tom Palley > > Thomas Palley > > Associate, Economic Growth Program > > New America Foundation > > Tel: (202)-667-5518 > > e-mail: mail(a)thomaspalley.com <mailto:mail%40thomaspalley.com><mail(a)thomaspalley.com> > > www.thomaspalley.com <http://www.thomaspalley.com><http://www.thomaspalley.com/> > > Euro lacks a government banker, not lender of last resort > > Copyright Thomas I. Palley > > In his novel, The Jungle, the American muckraking author Upton > Sinclair wrote about the horrendous work and sanitary conditions in the > Chicago meat packing industry of the early 20th century. It is sometimes > said Sinclair aimed for the heart but hit the stomach. That is because he > aimed for progressive social and economic change but instead prompted the > founding of the Food and Drug Administration. > > The same problem of aiming for the heart and hitting the stomach > confounds current discussions of the euro zone's problems. What the euro > lacks is a government banker, not a lender of last resort as is widely > claimed. > > The euro has a lender of last resort in the European Central > Bank (ECB) which has dutifully performed that function. Lenders of last > resort provide liquidity in financial panics, which is exactly what the ECB > did in the financial crisis of 2008-09 and has continued doing via its > Lombard lending facility. According to Bagehot's rule, lenders of last > resort should lend without limit, to solvent firms, against good collateral > - though Bagehot also recommended lending at high rates whereas today's > practice is (sensibly) to lend at low rates. > > The euro lacks a government banker, like the Federal Reserve or > Bank of England, which helps finance budget deficits and keeps rates low on > government debt. This explains why the U.S. and U.K. can borrow at low rates > and remain solvent, whereas Spain, which has a roughly similar deficit and > debt profile, is under speculative attack. > > The lack of a government banker reflects the euro's neoliberal > birthmark. Neoliberalism aims to diminish the role of the state and enhance > the power of the market, and this goal is reflected in neoliberal monetary > theory which guided the euro's design. The theory argues central banks > should control inflation, but there should be complete separation between > the central bank and government finances. > > By adopting this theory, the euro's architects intentionally > changed the monetary/fiscal balance. Whereas previous national monetary > systems ensured "fiscal dominance" as central banks served governments, the > euro instituted "central bank dominance" by stripping governments of access > to central bank help managing public finances. This was done by creating a > "detached" central bank that is prohibited from buying government debt. This > is fundamentally different from an "independent" central bank which > distances its decision making from government, but is allowed to purchase > government debt. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of England are both > independent but they are not detached. The ECB is detached by design. > > The consequences are enormous. Prior national banking systems > made governments masters of the bond market. The euro's architecture makes > bond markets master of national governments, and that is the problem. > > The solution is to create a European Public Finance Authority > (EPFA)<http://www.boeckler.de/pdf/p_imk_wp_2_2011.pdf><http://www.boeckler.de/pdf/p_imk_wp_2_2011.pdf>that issues > collectively guaranteed debt on behalf of euro zone governments which the > ECB is allowed to buy. That would enable the ECB to manage governments' > interest rate via open market operations, as does the Federal Reserve and > Bank of England. Proceeds from EPFA debt issues would be distributed to > countries on a per capita basis so that national governments would control > all spending decisions. Country liability for EPFA debt would also be on a > per capita basis, and EPFA decision-making would be governed by member > countries with voting rights again granted on a per capita basis. That would > render EPFA democratic. > > The critical feature is EPFA's power to issue debt would be used > immediately to finance the roll-over of existing debt at lower rates, and it > would also be used on a permanent basis to finance current and future budget > deficits. EPFA would therefore be a solution to both the current crisis and > the euro's design flaw regarding absence of a government banker. > > The great psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud claimed everything we say > has psychic sense. That holds for economics too. Characterizing the problem > as lack of a lender of last resort > <http://www.ceps.be/book/only-more-active-ecb-can-solve-euro-crisis><http://www.ceps.be/book/only-more-active-ecb-can-solve-euro-crisis> > obscures the euro's fundamental neoliberal design problem regarding lack of > a government banker and subservience of fiscal policy. That is a structural > flaw which creates financial fragility and permanent budgetary pressure that > shrinks social democratic policy space. Failure to frame the problem > accurately blocks identification of the proper resolution, so that policy > reform - the intended solution - misses the mark and hits the stomach > instead of the heart. > > This article was posted in the FT Economists' Forum on December 9, 2011 at > < http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/2011/12/the-euro-lacks-a-government-ban > ker-not-a-lender-of-last-resort/> > http://blogs.ft.com/economistsforum/2011/12/the-euro-lacks-a-government-bank > er-not-a-lender-of-last-resort/#. De _._,___ ------ End of Forwarded Message ------ End of Forwarded Message**** **** ** ** __._,_.___ Reply to sender <d.j.bezemer(a)rug.nl?subject=Re%3A%20a%20BoP%20crisis> | Reply to group <gang8(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20a%20BoP%20crisis> | Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxZ24wczVvBF9TAzk3MzU5N…>| Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJldWZnaDg4BF9TAzk3MzU5N…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8/message/16375;_ylc=X3oDMTM2ZnE5YnRyBF9T…>( 1) Recent Activity: Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gang8;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcGZwb2MyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BG…> The gang8 list is devoted to Creditary Economics. To unsubscribe, email: gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com MARKETPLACE Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now.<http://global.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15osl23ph/M=493064.14543979.14562481.132984…> [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkOWpiaGI1BF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEyM…> Switch to: Text-Only<[email protected]?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>, Daily Digest <[email protected]?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>• Unsubscribe <gang8-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> . __,_._,___ -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Testing the Waters: Robert David Steele for President - Reform Party Candidate
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Robert Steele <robert.david.steele.vivas(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 11:57 PM Subject: Testing the Waters: Robert David Steele for President - Reform Party Candidate To: Robert.David.Steele.Vivas(a)gmail.com Dear Colleagues, First, if you get a duplicate or you are not a a personal friend, please forgive the unintended oversight. This message is intended for people who know me, know the depth of my integrity, and might be interested in the prospect of an honest candidate for the presidency. Second, I never--ever--imagined that this day might come. Sadly--and happily--being unemployed for four years thanks to malfeasance on the part of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals has had a good effect. I am actually on my way back toward having clearances, and if this earnest citizen effort does not take off, anticipate having a good job with an honest contractor in a few months. Third, Yoda is with us. I attach the campaign display. I personally despise bumper stickers, but this rendition of Yoda, created for my luncheon speech to the Army IO Conference, has always appealed to me. This campaign is not about me, it is about US, We the People, finally getting our shit back into one tightly packed bag and flipping the dishonest government and two-party tyranny back into honest representation. Our Congress stinks, and I specifically include the Senators and Representatives from Virginia, who have been a disgrace across the board. Fourth, feel free to share this message with anyone you wish. I have started to receive interview requests and will be more visible to the public in the next ten days. I am what I am. There will be warts here and there, but I can absolutely guarantee you there is no other candidate for President today--including the incumbent--that has as clear a grasp of what needs to be done, or the integrity needed to 'git 'r done." Below is the first posted announcement and the first posted YouTube. I have bought the URLs for BigBatUSA and am in the process of hiring a campaign manager and putting my accountant in as treasurer of the single campaign committee. Let's see what the holiday season brings us in the way of funding and inspiration. Semper Fidelis, Robert Robert David Steele for President 2012? Use Donate Button to Vote ($1 Suggested)<http://www.phibetaiota.net/2011/12/robert-david-steele-for-president-2012-u…> -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Re: [P2P-F] Article
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

Dear Bryan, thanks for sharing Tatsanee's article, which is below for sharing with the p2p-f mailing list and especially for our friend Sepp, who has a wholistic health blog. I understand this article is not for publication right now. Have you considered online publications such as the Asia Times? I have no doubt that deficiency of nutrients are a very important part of the mix of illth, though can it be really proven that it is the most important factor? In any case, restoring a nutrient dense soil is crucial .. I know use Nutrient Dense as the paradigmatic example of p2p-based cooperation in all my lectures and seminars, Michel On Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 6:46 PM, Bryan Hugill <bryan.hugill(a)gmail.com>wrote: > Dear Michel, > > I finally have the green light to send this to you. It's been written by a > friend of ours (cc:'ed on this email) who's doing some interesting > work/thinking about how to blend organic principles (including > permaculture, biointensive cultivation, etc. etc.), food nutritional > density and energy (i.e., the metaphysical aspect) into a more holistic way > of farming and thinking about farming. > > Perhaps it'll be of interest to the P2P Foundation members / mailing list > :) > > All the best, > Bryan > _________________ > *Bryan Hugill* > *Co-founder and Environmental Manager* > *RAITONG ORGANICS FARM* > Tel: +66 (0)85 915 0961 > E-mail: info(a)raitongorganics.com > Skype: bryan_hugill > www.raitongorganics.com > www.khaosrikram.com > www.facebook.com/pages/Raitong-Organics-Farm/189558454456760<http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=140808370801> > > *LET'S GO ORGANIC FOR A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT AND GOOD HEALTH!* > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Tat Set <tatset(a)gmail.com> > Date: 29 October 2011 14:13 > Subject: Article > *Real **Health Starts in Real Soil* By Tatsanee Setboonsarng - Board Member & Executive Director, NawaChiOne Foundation *Tatsanees(a)gmail.com**, **NawaChiOne(a)gmail.com** * *© October 2011* “*Let food be your medicine..**.”* -- Hippocrates Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said “Let food be your medicine…” But have you ever wondered why foods in the markets these days seem to be poisons rather than medicines? 1. Let’s try answering this question: What is the fundamental cause of disease? Pollution in the environment. 2. Too much fatty and sugary junk foods. 3. Toxic residues in canned food, plastic containers and food ingredients. 4. An unhealthy lifestyle and stressful work life. 5. GMO foods and toxic residues associated with agricultural chemicals in foods. 6. Diminished nutrients in agricultural soils. Most likely not many readers would have picked the last choice as the correct answer. But it is actually the correct answer. The rest of the choices are valid, but mineral malnourishment is now a major health problem. Nutrient-related issues are certainly important and toxic residues associated with chemicals are also a secondary cause of health problems, to which we should pay more attention. However, the key issue begins with diminished nutrients and minerals in the soil. It is crucial to know, really know, that the existence of healthy and fertile agricultural soil is the essential factor of good health in human beings. *H**ealth crisis and nutritional decline * We are dying prematurely of chronic and/or degenerative diseases, such as cancer, coronary artery diseases, arthritis, diabetes, hormone disruption, and asthma. In Thailand, a recent study by Chiangmai Public Health Office1<#sdfootnote1sym>revealed that 89% of a consumer sample group had accumulated toxic chemical residues in their blood to “at risk” and “unsafe” levels that could result in chronic degenerative diseases. Interestingly, this number is 14% higher than the 75% found in the farmer group who had direct contact with toxic agricultural chemicals. Ironically, it’s becoming common knowledge among Thais that Thai farmers do not eat vegetables they grow for sale, but have a separate chemical-free garden for their own consumption. A formal senior officer of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) disclosed that the number of cancer patients in Thailand has increased 100-fold over the past 60 years.2 <#sdfootnote2sym> Cancer has been the #1 cause of death in Thailand throughout the last decade and is still so today. MoPH’s 2010 statistics indicate that an average of 6.4 people die of cancer every hour (56,058 people per year) and 274 more are diagnosed with cancer every day.3<#sdfootnote3sym>Similar statistics can be found in many countries around the world. Interestingly, food quality and diet are six (6) of the ten (10) leading causes of death in the past decade.4 <#sdfootnote4sym> It is said that good quality foods and good surrounding environmental conditions can reduce up to 40% of cancer, and 80% of coronary heart disease and diabetes. We are often reminded to eat more fruits and vegetables and to reduce our consumption of meat, sugar and fatty food for a better heath. However, the quality of fruits and vegetables we are consuming these days, and the environment in which they are grown, is changing. The level of quality and nutrients in the produce we consume depends on various factors, including the conditions of the soil, water, temperature, storage and time from harvest to shelves until they reach the hands of consumers. Studies show that the quality of nutrients in foods we consume around the world these days is declining by a level of 15-75% compared to 50 years ago.5 <#sdfootnote5sym> This does not include hydroponic products which have even fewer and limited mineral contents, especially those trace elements that are essential to proper functioning of all the cells in our body. Why? The answer is simple. It is all about business. Business bottom-line targets have moved crop production toward mass production, high-yield, and shortened growing time by increased use of high nitrogen compound fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides under many unnatural controlled conditions. An increased rate of growth for crops leaves lesser time for crops to naturally accumulate nutrients. Furthermore, pesticides and herbicides destroy crops' nutritional value and are harmful to the body. An increasing level of CO2 in the atmosphere also has a (small) effect on the faster growth of plants.6 <#sdfootnote6sym> Farmers today are increasingly dependent on agricultural chemicals and have turned their backs on traditional biological-based farming practices. Large amounts of refined synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides as well as hybrid and genetically modified (GM) seeds are widely used to increase yields and bottom-line profits. By using this method, soil is ruined and there is a lack of microbial activities. Soil becomes compacted and consequently good nutrients are stripped out. More importantly, synthetic fertilizers provide only certain nutrients and lack several essential ones such as copper, selenium, lithium and vanadium. Meanwhile, crops are unhealthy and prone to disease. The immediate solution is to use pesticides and herbicides introduced by the same company that sells chemical fertilizers. In some cases, bugs become resistant to pesticides and farmers then use heavier doses, sometimes far beyond safety levels, leaving harmful residues for consumers. Thanks to powerful chemical giant companies that go around the world to promote “modern farming methods,” during the past 50 years or so we have managed to reverse millions of years of soil formation. The majority of farmland around the world is degrading, lacks soil biological activities and is deficient in key minerals and nutrients. Compacted soil also lacks capacity to hold water and store carbon, which is another contributor to global warming. Today, runaway agriculture chemicals can be found everywhere on earth, even in the middle of the Antarctic! Organic farmers have long claimed that plants grown with organic methods can improve the nutrient conditions, and we believe the claim has certain validity. However, currently no standard exists to help consumers verify the density nutrients, or lack thereof, in fruits and vegetables. “Certified organic” is about the farming process, not the quality of produce. Moreover, organic certified products are being restricted from using any nutritional claim for marketing purpose. However, not all is lost. The good news is that there is now an easy method to monitor plant health and nutrient density--by measuring the sugar level in the plant sap or “*Brix* – a system developed by* *a German scientist, *Adolf Brix.*There is a growing new movement, particularly in North America, whereby future smart consumers will be able to find out the nutritional quality of a given item by carrying a small simple hand-held device into the super market and check out the sugar level of produce. *Nutritional Naivety** and Health * It is important to note that every living cell has “energy” or “life force” called “chi” in Chinese. It is energy that determines the degree of health or disease. In plants, if the soil is chemically drenched and lacks micro-organisms to digest and feed the plants, the plants will lack necessary nutrients. Plants, animals and people need over 100 different minerals or at least 60-80 nutrients for maximum efficiency, not the conventional 17 minerals believed to be required or the three minerals N-P-K usually advertises in chemical fertilizer blends. Traditional Chinese medicine doctors will tell that it is “chi” that determines your health. After we consume produce with no nutrients, plus toxic pesticide residuals, we get sick and are prone to many kinds of diseases. Many soil scientists and modern medical doctors would advocate that at the molecular level all mineral colloids, no matter if they are organic or synthesized, are simply chemicals. But food nutrition for human beings may not be the focus of agricultural scientists and the modern medical community. The simple fact is that plant-derived minerals have up to 98% bioavailability,7 <#sdfootnote7sym> whereas metallic minerals have a bioavailability ranging only from 8 to 12%. This high mineral bioavailability of soil-cultivated plants is the main secret to health and longevity, rather than pharmaceutical drugs, expensive vitamin minerals and nutritional supplements. This is why n*atural grown foods which *contain the mineral diversity found only in healthy soil* are the best medicine. W*e just simply cannot bypass the soil. “Growing the soil so the soil will grow the plants,” is an old saying among the older generation Thai farmers that has almost been forgotten. When we harvest crops off a field, we are basically “mining” minerals from the soil. If we do not replenish all of the minerals that have been removed, in some form, at least to a level where everything that we want in our bodies is in our crops, we are certainly destroying not only our own future, but the future of humankind as well as all lives on earth and eventually the planet Earth itself!!! *Soil**, Health, Food Quality to Food Security and Future of the Planet Earth!* Earth is the only planet in the solar system, if not the universe, that has a breathing skin: soil. But soil has become a forgotten resource. It seems that we have forgotten that soil is alive. There are over 6 billion micro-organisms in a teaspoon of soil (the entire human population is currently estimated at 6.9 billion). There certainly exist crucial interconnections of soil fertility, food quality, human health and health of the planet Earth. Humans have survived on only 15 cm. of fertile topsoil, the source of oxygen and food for all life on earth. But we have already lost one-third of that topsoil in the last 100 years (nature takes an average of 300 years to make 1 cm of topsoil!). Today, we are losing our topsoil even more rapidly as a result of water and wind erosion, an outcome of modern agricultural practices. Unfortunately, the current hasty depletion of valuable topsoil by conventional mechanized farming practices has forced farmers around the world to increase usage of chemical fertilizers and stronger toxic pesticides in order to maintain their yields. It is a vicious cycle indeed. Scientists have warned us that if we continue to grow our foods with conventional mechanized agricultural methods, we might only have enough topsoil left to grow food to feed the world for another 40 years or so.8<#sdfootnote8sym> Moreover, each day we are adding around 213,000 more people to the world population.9 <#sdfootnote9sym> As such, over the next two decades the world’s population is expected to grow by an average of more than 100 million people a year. This will surely add even more pressure to the already intensely utilized land and fresh water. The growth population may be less important than the extravagant consumption behaviour and life style of the increasing middle-class population on Earth. A long-term perspective is essential to meet these future challenges of depleting cultivated areas, depleted soil and freshwater, as well as an increasing population and consumption behavior. The conventional industrial agricultural models and ways of thinking of the twentieth century will not serve us well in addressing our twenty-first century challenges. Despite impressive economic growth rates, are we paying enough attention to the quality of the food being produced and that we eat? Is it time for us to take seriously the deficiency of essential nutrients in most of the remaining arable land? Should we accept and understand the indisputable fact that soil health is a major factor in human health, as well as the health of our planet? *Bio-Energetic Agriculture** – A New Green Revolution* On the supply side, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the fundamental natural resource base, we urgently need to rethink about the future of farming and the way we grow our foods. We need more effective and sustainable farming methods that can provide consumers with higher nutrition foods, and better tasting crops that are free of chemical toxins to keep us healthy. At the same time, such methods should also able to provide farmers with higher yields, lower production costs, and better quality of life, while nurturing the environment. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But there is just the technology that can meet these challenges—the all-in-one 21st century farming technology solution called *Bio-Energetic Agriculture*! *Bio-Energetic Agriculture* is a holistic and creative approach “*beyond organic” *and sustainable --economically, environmentally, and socially -- farming and gardening system synthesized by NawaChiOne Foundation, Thailand. It is a modern, scientifically proven, farming method that focuses vastly on minimizing the pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizing the health of soil, plants, animals, people and the environment. The key to this method emphasizes reinforcing nature’s biologically and physically dynamic energies in the farming process, creating optimum conditions to best support nature’s processes in healing and nurturing the soil. This method is enhanced by an emerging evolution in utilizing non-visible beneficial energies or “chi” in nature to promote the life force that energizes the health of soil and growth of plants. Under a comprehensive farm management system, Bio-Energetic Agriculture aims to provide an accommodating soil ecosystem to maintain a balanced, stable, and functional soil food-web; beneficial micro-organisms and communities of lives in the soil can therefore flourish to manage and maintain soil fertility to best feed the plants. It combines supporting effective natural energies -- such as the gravity force of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun; and the life energizing force of positive electromagnetic frequencies including colours (light), sound, high gauss magnet and vortex water -- to stimulate life force of soil organisms and plants. Healthy fertile soils not only have a higher water storage capacity, but also release fewer greenhouse gases and capture more carbon from the atmosphere, as well as provide healthier plants. Hence, the system can give us carbon-negative foods. This method is a giant step toward the foundation for a sustainable food system of the future. *Bio-Energetic Agriculture* is not totally new. It is an integration of several biologically-intensive traditional farming systems rooted in the history of humankind, traceable back to thousands of years ago in Ethiopia, China, Japan Korea, Greece, France, and the Amazon, enhanced by the rediscovery of scientific principles underlining each of these effective practices. It is also a combination of best practices of several Eastern and Western natural and organic farming methods, including permaculture, bio-intensive, bio-dynamic, regenerative organic farming, Japanese, Korean and French natural farming, Nutrient-Dense biological agriculture, and indigenous technologies -- such as the use of vermiculture, bio-char and wood vinegar -- and HM. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s “new theory” on agriculture system, as well as successful innovative farming systems and techniques by a handful of local Thai farmer-sages, i.e., wanakaset (agro-forestry), kaset-praneet (dexterous agriculture), and integrative farming. By synergizing the scientific proven healing and revitalizing non-visible energies in nature, this method can give intensified profound results. There are a number of scientific-based research studies proving the success and effectiveness of each individual method mentioned above. In 1978, Stanford University revealed a six-year research study using the bio-intensive method10 <#sdfootnote10sym> alone showed the feasibility of an economic mini-farm of a 126 square wah (1/8 acre) area, with one person working it, and able to earn between Bt150,000 to Bt600,000 or $5,000-$20,000 U.S. market price then. Without the aid of vermiculture and biochar, the method can already provide a complete vegetarian diet for one person for one year on as little as 80 square wah, or 1/6 – 1/13 of the area needed in chemical-based agriculture.11 <#sdfootnote11sym> Studies in Argentina and Africa also show that with this similar method under closed farming systems, an individual working only 35 hours a week on a 200 square wah area of land can meet 6080% of the needs of a vegetarian diet for a family of four, plus a reasonable income.12 <#sdfootnote12sym> These numbers have been confirmed by actual implementation in many countries around the world.13 <#sdfootnote13sym> There are also many studies and documentaries on the success of biological-based farming processes being practiced by hundreds of local farmer-sages and alternative agricultural research centers around Thailand, which can be easily found on the Internet and YouTube (but most are in Thai, though). There are also many recent scientific studies supporting the positive effects of natural energies in accelerating seed germination, fostering plant growth, and improving health of living organisms, if utilized appropriately and correctly.14<#sdfootnote14sym> When combining these proven best practices and enhanced by the methodical farm management system of Bio-Energetic Agriculture, this farming practice can produce mineral-rich nutritious food crops that are better tasting and toxin-free, in a closed system, and generate a sufficient level of income with low-input and high-yield, using a small area and less water, producing a great diversity of crops to ensure food security and biodiversity which enriches a natural pest control system and open pollination, suitable to small farmers and adaptable to all environmental conditions. With the fertile nutrient-rich soil and biological farming system, pests and weeds are greatly reduced without the use of any pesticides and herbicides. Because this farming process requires a more rigorous discipline than organic farming, and we can also easily verify the nutritional quality of the produce and track food from farm to market to assure quality, we can now go “beyond organic.” Mahatma Ghandi once said, *“To forget to dig the soil is to forget oneself** .*” The most promising aspect of Bio-Energetic Agriculture is that anyone can easily apply this farming principle to grow their own food in their own small backyard garden, even on the balcony or roof top of their city home!! In addition, we would also help reduce greenhouse gases and increase oxygen to the surrounding environment. *Smarter consumers* The growing middle-class population will account for 60% of the world's population in 2020. With more information and better understanding of nutrition and the value of good food, the demand for better quality foods will become more prominent. The supply chain system of higher quality food will be shorter. More consumers will be willing to pay more for better quality. Consumption behaviour will change such that consumers will become more conscientious and less wasteful. People will eat more conscientiously -- eating higher quality (nutrient-rich) food which is also grown sustainably – thus becoming healthy and green. *The Future **is in Our Hands* Sustainability is something we all have a stake in. We are part of a large interconnected system that is already experiencing the negative effects of our unsustainable behaviours in all sorts of ways. Our shared environment is something that can be dramatically improved when we work together towards sustainability. It is encouraging to see an increasing awareness among consumers and farmers that things are not as they should be. However, the majority of the population does not realize the link between human health, soil health, and environmental health. We need to advocate for these interconnections for the survival of all life on Planet Earth. Growers need to learn the biological methods and materials of 21st century agriculture, and understand the community of the soil food-web. Consumers need to be educated about the link between real food, real nutrition, and real health. Good, fresh food, grown locally by committed growers, is the very best to be found. “Organic certification” is generally only necessary when food is grown by strangers in faraway places, rather than by neighbours you know or even by yourself. Demand for quality high-nutrient food by consumers will help change growers’ farming practices from chemicals to a biological and ecological paradigm. Consumers need to be provided with more accurate and up-to-date information about their foods, and not only labelling. They are a part of this process. Let's eat wisely. Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin. We have been given the freedom to live on this amazing planet. But comes with it is the responsibility not to act mindlessly. Our human species is failing this responsibility. Now, as individuals, it is our duty to change our behaviour and that of our nation as best we can. *____________________________________* *References* Alex Jack Editor, *2011 Nutrient Guide, *Planetary Health/Amberwaves, MA, USA. Arden Andersen, D.O., Ph.D., *Let Food Be Your Medicine: Why Full Nutrition Is Better than Drugs - Interview, * ACRES USA. _______________, *The Root of Good Nutrition**: Restore Real Nutrition to Our Food*, Organic Connections, July-August 2008. Brian Halweil, *Still No Free Lunch: Nutrient levels in U.S. food supply eroded by pursuit of high yields, *The Organic Center, September 2007. Charles Benbrook, Xin Zhao, Jaime Yáñez, Neal Davies and Preston Andrews, *New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods*, The Organic Center, March 2008. David Yarrow, *Nutrient-Dense, Carbon-Negative: the future of eating is a secret of soil, *Part I and II, October 2009, Carbon-Negative Network Northeast, USA. Wikipedia, *Energy Medicine, **http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_medicine* . Grain, “Earth Matters: Tracking Climate Crisis from the Group Up,” *Seeding*, October 2009. John Jeavons, *How to Grow More Vegetables*, Ecology Action, USA., 2002. Maynard Murray, Ph.D., *Trace Elements in Nature’s Balance,* ACRES USA, Vol.33, No.1, January 2003. Nutrient-Dense Manifesto, Real Food Campaign, MA, USA. Tim J. LaSalle and Paul Hepperly, *Regenerative Organic Farming: A Solution to Global Warming*, Rodale Institute, 2008. United Nation, *Sustainable Development Innovation Brief*, May 2009. 1 <#sdfootnote1anc> A research done under Chiangmai Food Safety Plan, Chiangmai Public Health Office, 2008. 2 <#sdfootnote2anc> A public lecture by Prof. Dr. Somsak Vorakamin, formal Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Public Health. 3 <#sdfootnote3anc> Office of Policy and Strategy, Ministry of Public Health, 2011. 4 <#sdfootnote4anc> *Nutrient-Dense Manifesto*, Real Food Campaign, MA, USA. 5 <#sdfootnote5anc> *The** 2011 Nutrient Guide *by Planetary Health/Amberwaves provides a comprehensive list of nutritional composition of foods from around the world, based on data of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, the National Food Institute of Denmark, Food Composition Tables for Foods in the Middle East, and other national and international sources, including data from trade associations and producers. 6 <#sdfootnote6anc> Science and Development Network: * http://www.scidev.net/en/news/rising-carbon-dioxide-could-make-crops-less-n… *, March 2005. 7 <#sdfootnote7anc> Bioavailability is the extent to which<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/which> a nutrient or medication can be used by the body. 8 <#sdfootnote8anc> Grain, “Earth Matter: Tracking Climate Crisis from the Ground Up,” *Seeding*, October 2009. 9 <#sdfootnote9anc> UN-FAO, 2009. 10 <#sdfootnote10anc> Bio-intensive farming method is an integration of biodynamic and French natural farming principles. 11 <#sdfootnote11anc> John Jeavons, *How to Grow More Vegetables*, Ecology Action, USA., 2002. 12 <#sdfootnote12anc> Based on Ecology Action’s study in Africa and a confirmation testing by Biospere II in Arizona, USA. 13 <#sdfootnote13anc> Perspectives from Ecology Action, “Biointensive Agriculture: A Greener Revolution”, 2010. 14 <#sdfootnote14anc> Examples: *Life Energy Encyclopedia: Qi, Prana, Spirit, and Other Life Forces around the World* by Stefan Stenudd, *Chi: Discovering Your Life Energy *by Waysun Liao, and *Alchemy of Life: Working with the Primal Energies of Life* by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, and many books by Dr.Masaru Emoto including *Message from Water* and *The Miracle of Water*, etc.

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Re: [P2P-F] sopa hearings
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

thanks Patrick! On Fri, Dec 16, 2011 at 4:18 AM, Patrick O'Connor <roadtosantiago(a)gmail.com>wrote: > http://keepthewebopen.com/sopa > > On Thu, Dec 15, 2011 at 12:28 PM, Patrick O'Connor < > roadtosantiago(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> I hate watching congress but this is worth posting on your sites. They >> need public pressure. >> >> Patrick >> > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Article - Germany : 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits'
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 7:24 PM Subject: Article - Germany : 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits' To: econowmix(a)googlegroups.com http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1482371/If-you-don… 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits' By Clare Chapman 12:01AM GMT 30 Jan 2005 A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year. Prostitution was legalised in Germany just over two years ago and brothel owners – who must pay tax and employee health insurance – were granted access to official databases of jobseekers. The waitress, an unemployed information technology professional, had said that she was willing to work in a bar at night and had worked in a cafe. She received a letter from the job centre telling her that an employer was interested in her "profile'' and that she should ring them. Only on doing so did the woman, who has not been identified for legal reasons, realise that she was calling a brothel. Under Germany's welfare reforms, any woman under 55 who has been out of work for more than a year can be forced to take an available job – including in the sex industry – or lose her unemployment benefit. Last month German unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month to 4.5 million, taking the number out of work to its highest since reunification in 1990. The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars. As a result, job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse. When the waitress looked into suing the job centre, she found out that it had not broken the law. Job centres that refuse to penalise people who turn down a job by cutting their benefits face legal action from the potential employer. "There is now nothing in the law to stop women from being sent into the sex industry," said Merchthild Garweg, a lawyer from Hamburg who specialises in such cases. "The new regulations say that working in the sex industry is not immoral any more, and so jobs cannot be turned down without a risk to benefits." Miss Garweg said that women who had worked in call centres had been offered jobs on telephone sex lines. At one job centre in the city of Gotha, a 23-year-old woman was told that she had to attend an interview as a "nude model", and should report back on the meeting. Employers in the sex industry can also advertise in job centres, a move that came into force this month. A job centre that refuses to accept the advertisement can be sued. Tatiana Ulyanova, who owns a brothel in central Berlin, has been searching the online database of her local job centre for recruits. "Why shouldn't I look for employees through the job centre when I pay my taxes just like anybody else?" said Miss Ulyanova. Ulrich Kueperkoch wanted to open a brothel in Goerlitz, in former East Germany, but his local job centre withdrew his advertisement for 12 prostitutes, saying it would be impossible to find them. Mr Kueperkoch said that he was confident of demand for a brothel in the area and planned to take a claim for compensation to the highest court. Prostitution was legalised in Germany in 2002 because the government believed that this would help to combat trafficking in women and cut links to organised crime. Miss Garweg believes that pressure on job centres to meet employment targets will soon result in them using their powers to cut the benefits of women who refuse jobs providing sexual services. "They are already prepared to push women into jobs related to sexual services, but which don't count as prostitution,'' she said. "Now that prostitution is no longer considered by the law to be immoral, there is really nothing but the goodwill of the job centres to stop them from pushing women into jobs they don't want to do." -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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french-language p2p lecture
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

Voici le lien vers la vidéo de votre intervention à La Cantine : http://lacantine.ubicast.eu/videos/webinar-16-12-2011-141701/ -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: New Unionism - Whatever it takes
by Michel Bauwens 26 Dec '11

26 Dec '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Peter Hall-Jones <phj(a)newunionism.net> Date: Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 2:07 AM Subject: New Unionism - Whatever it takes To: newunionism(a)gmail.com ** December 2011 * <http://www.newunionism.net>Work in Progress* This newsletter is produced by the *New Unionism Network* to promote organizing, workplace democracy, internationalism and creativity in the union movement. You can find out more about the Network and/or join us *here * <http://www.newunionism.net/join.htm>. *Democratizing the workplace *In Part One of this series, *Merrelyn Emery* argued that the democratic approach to work out-performs top-down systems across the board. It’s a conclusion she has tested over and over again in the course of her career. But *how* can workers create democratic workplaces, starting from the usual autocratic base? As organizers will tell you, democracy can’t be installed from above; it has to be built from the bottom up. Hal Draper put it this way: *“Only by fighting for democratic power do (workers) educate themselves up to the level of being able to wield that power.”* In this article, Emery describes a “participative design” process that sets out to change organizations from autocracies (or laissez faire systems) into sustainable democracies. (more…)<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/participative-design/#more-1483> *Perils of the Precariat *If you’ve been puzzled by the timing of this whole Occupy thing, *Guy Standing*’s latest book -- “The Precariat: The Dangerous New Class” -- is essential reading. If you’re a unionist or center-left politician who’s been wondering where the hell your membership base went (and how to win it back), ditto. At the heart of Standing’s book is the contention that a new class is developing. Just as the rise of the “proletariat” (or industrial working class) changed the face of the 20th century, so is the rise of the “precariat” affecting us today. The implications of this shift are no less radical. Unionists who ignore this change, or cling to hopes of a revival of the 20th century model, are already following in the footsteps of the Guilds. (more…)<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/guy_standing/#more-1694> *Ethics and union by-laws **Phil Lillies* has spent ten years applying his training in philosophy and organizational development to the study of internal workings of labour and community organizations. In this article he focuses on union bylaws — those rules and regulations that do so much to reflect and condition union culture at local level. He offers some reflections on how to write (or rewrite) bylaws in a way that will help create a democratic, inclusive organization… one that will inspire and empower its members to support good causes during times of quiet as well as times of struggle. (more…)<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/ethics-and-union-bylaws/#more-1…> *Occupy Together* The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has endorsed the Occupy movement (details<http://www.ituc-csi.org/ituc-supports-occupy-movement.html>). This follows endorsements and expressions of support from at least three of the major "global union federations": Education International (details<http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/1990>); UNI global union (details<http://www.uniglobalunion.org/__C1257537004AB759.nsf/0/7F0B36C86391BBEBC125…>); and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (details<http://www.itfglobal.org/files/extranet/-1/32376/ITF%20Statement%20on%20Occ…>). Unfortunately, the ITUC announcement came on the same day that the founding group was evicted from Zuccotti Park. Similar evictions have been taking place elsewhere. As many activists are saying, "*we are about to find out whether this is a moment or a movement*". Back in October the New Unionism Network voted overwhelmingly to support the movement (details <http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/occupy/>). Members have been playing a supportive role in #Occupy actions all over the world. Two new flyers are being distributed, outlining members' proposed alternatives to capitalism. These can be downloaded here<http://goo.gl/uwBxw>(Schweickart) and here <http://goo.gl/bs8wR> (Albert). If you can help us build on this series or add to the work in any other way, please contact communications(a)newunionism.net. Details of international sites and actions are here <http://occupywallst.org/action/november-17th/>. You'll find out more about the movement, from a union perspective, here<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/occupy/>. Another world is possible. Pass it on. *Beyond Robert's Rules* The next time you have a members’ meeting, why not try running it according to the principles of “participative democracy”? (details<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy>). This approach seeks to draw input from the largest possible number of people. It is not new — in fact it probably predates “representative democracy” — but it has received a lot of publicity recently because of its use (through sign language) in the “general assemblies” of the Occupy movement. (more…)<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/beyond-roberts-rules/> <http://www.newunionism.net/join.htm> <https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=accounts%40ne…> *Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License* **<http://newunionism.wordpress.com/2010/11/24/tax-havens-and-globalisation/> *Feedback *This newsletter comes out every coupla months-ish. Hey, we're volunteers! Anyway, we welcome your feedback, no matter how blunt the language. Contact feedback(a)newunionism.net. If you'd like to SUBSCRIBE, just forward this email to subs(a)newunionism.net with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. And of course, you can also send a message saying UNSUBSCRIBE. =============== Peter Hall-Jones Comms guy +64 4 2360209 +64 27 8191999 Skype peter.hall-jones -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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