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

Re: [P2P-F] 12 things you need to know about protests in Wisconsin, USA + Unions and P2P alternatives
by Samuel Rose 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 11:00 AM, Richard Schulte <richard(a)flywheelcollective.com> wrote: > Thanks Sam for bringing this up! > > Flywheel had the pleasure of meeting with the Ohio Employee Ownership > Center several days ago. We brought up this specific concept to Roy > Messing, their Cooperative Development Program director, and he brought > up a few possible constraints, but definitely an interest in the > possibilities. > > Apparently it varies widely state by state, but laws around the use of > pension funds, 401(k) programs, health funds, and other major benefit > funds which are often held in common by workers can be somewhat > restrictive towards investment. However, he expressed that he would be > further exploring the possibilities and spreading the idea. The > additional option is that some of the companies who employ these workers > may also be interested in contributing towards these investments, and > the imagination widens when other community investment groups are > involved. > > After reflecting on that option, it seems that peer-based manufacturing > could present a very interesting opportunity for many of the extant > manufacturers to be able to assist in the 'fill-in' of their supply > chains by lending towards the creation of extensive networks of small, > agile, and lean micromanufacturing shops employing p2p methods. > Richard, thanks! Is there something that we as P2PF can do to help with this effort/initiative? Need help with research/structuring knowledge (this is all stuff P2PF does) that can help make the case. I don't speak for everyone here of course, and P2PF is an international group. But, I know many of us are interested in this, and we're already actively gathering info and synthesizing it into knowledge around some of these topics. Plus, we (P2PF and Future Forward Institute/Forward Foundation) are actively working to create and support capacity for FLOS hardware and distributed manufacturing. Maybe if you have time next week, we can talk about how we can work together on this via voice? -- -- Sam Rose Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation Tel:+1(517) 639-1552 Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451 skype: samuelrose email: samuel.rose(a)gmail.com http://forwardfound.org http://futureforwardinstitute.org http://hollymeadcapital.com http://p2pfoundation.net http://socialmediaclassroom.com "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan

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Re: [P2P-F] 12 things you need to know about protests in Wisconsin, USA + Unions and P2P alternatives
by Michel Bauwens 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

Dear Richard, I would indeed love to publish this as a p2p blog post, thanks a lot! For the first week of March? Michel On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 11:00 PM, Richard Schulte < richard(a)flywheelcollective.com> wrote: > Thanks Sam for bringing this up! > > Flywheel had the pleasure of meeting with the Ohio Employee Ownership > Center several days ago. We brought up this specific concept to Roy > Messing, their Cooperative Development Program director, and he brought > up a few possible constraints, but definitely an interest in the > possibilities. > > Apparently it varies widely state by state, but laws around the use of > pension funds, 401(k) programs, health funds, and other major benefit > funds which are often held in common by workers can be somewhat > restrictive towards investment. However, he expressed that he would be > further exploring the possibilities and spreading the idea. The > additional option is that some of the companies who employ these workers > may also be interested in contributing towards these investments, and > the imagination widens when other community investment groups are > involved. > > After reflecting on that option, it seems that peer-based manufacturing > could present a very interesting opportunity for many of the extant > manufacturers to be able to assist in the 'fill-in' of their supply > chains by lending towards the creation of extensive networks of small, > agile, and lean micromanufacturing shops employing p2p methods. > > Investment bodies > ----- > > Collective Assets > > - Pension Funds - these are often restricted to only 8-15% out at any > given time, especially as older generations begin to collect retirement. > However, this could change with legislation that may or may not already > be out there. > - Health benefits plans > - 401(k) Plans - many unions found their pension funds tapped out by > shoddy investment practices and switched to these plans. The issue > being that they have less control as these are often managed by more > conglomerated entities. > - Collective investment stocks such as ESOP plans and worker equity > > Community Assets > > - Credit Unions - Federal CUs are restricted to about 25% of their > assets being allocated towards business loans, however legislation is > being considered that would bump this up to 50%. Of course its on the > backburner, but with greater pressure that could change. > - Building & Loan Funds - These are co-op institutions as well that can > invest in building projects, commercial building loans, and other types > of business loans. > - Community Banks - Smallscale community banks can also put a lot of > weight behind things, and are often not as restricted as credit unions. > - Distributed Community Lending - so say you are starting a local worker > co-op, and folks all over town are excited about it. Give them the > chance to invest directly in the business, or possibly a many-to-many > RLF in your community! > > FAQ > > > Question: Why focus on such small and localized entities? Don't they > have less capital? > > Answer: There is greater reliability, especially in distressed times, as > these types of institutions are less likely to have risky investment > portfolios. They have very significant levels of capital to work with > as adoption of their services grow because of greater consumer > confidence and local identity. > > A good example of collective benefits in action was during the Hugo Boss > debacle. Remember - Hugo Boss's shareholders were getting antsy and > trying to close down a Cleveland facility to move it to Turkey. Despite > lots of great on the ground organizing, the battle was almost lost until > a very unexpected development occurred - just before the shareholders > made the decision to liquidate the assets of the Cleveland operation, > the company in Columbus that managed the pension funds, retirement > plans, and collective benefits of the Hugo Boss workers, who happened to > own 20% of the shares of the company, threatened divestment if the > operation moved overseas. The tables were turned, and the collectively > held benefits of the workers actually wielded enough weight to stop a > major company in its tracks. > > > Question: Why not target larger, more conglomerated financial entities, > venture capital funds, etc.? > > Answer: Consider their priorities- most financial entities that have > stake in wallstreet and global commerce have competitive investments > elsewhere to the united states, especially in manufacturing. They > demand faster and higher returns, and often are less likely to foster > projects that do not fit their vision. Having these kinds of investors > often leads to uncertainty and poor management of projects, as > shareholders will often not share the interests of the workers. Also, > with experience from major venture capital programs in our area such as > NorTech and JumpStart (pres. Obama just spoke with these folks), we are > WELL aware of how antsy these folks get just around open source software > - and they are IP obsessed. Presenting them with Open Hardware Licenses > would probably drive them up the wall. > > > Strategic Considerations > - - - - > > What Unions often provide in the greatest is a huge base of members, and > often a very progressive vision (take the United Steel Workers, for > example). They are motivated to get their workers on the job > (especially in manufacturing), and know how to mobilize resources around > such things as training, certifications, and institutional support. > They can attract state and federal funding for recruitment and training > programs, and help with compliance. Unions can also give a lot of > credence and credibility to any kind of campaign or concept, across many > spheres of social and political influence. > > Gap Financing - Union benefit plans and worker equity could act as a gap > financing measure, or a vote of confidence, to attract additional > funding from community financial institutions. For example, they could > cover the down payment for a building and initial equipment costs of a > new operation. This would boost confidence from, say, some local credit > unions or social investors, and they would provide investment or loans > towards further building costs, initial feedstocks and payroll. > > Revolving Loan Funds - We already have a RLF in Ohio that acts as a gap > financing program for ESOPs, Worker Co-ops and the like. You can > receive a loan of up to $15,000 from them, however they have community > partners who will match these loans up to a total of $350,000. It's > called the Commonwealth Revolving Loan Fund, and it is actually > administered by Roy Messing (who I mention above). > > RLFs are a great strategic move because they make the messiness of many > to many investment a more streamlined process. All of the financial > bodies mentioned above can invest in these funds, and with steady > returns this can lower their risk (something very important these days > for collective benefits). There is not a great amount of complexity > involved either - invest and get returns. The institutions and social > investors who are investing in these RLFs could also give guidance to > some of the folks who are seeking investment (which can be very > helpful), and possibly give additional financial support where RLFs are > acting as a gap financing measure. > > Business Incubators - The business incubator model is huge. It's what > gets politicians, unions, investors and whatnot all excited. There are > some pretty good models here - pooling costs for buildings, utility > costs, and shared financial, legal, and other helpful services. These > often receive a lot of government funding, which is often pretty > hands-off. A p2p manufacturing incubator, in a more forward thinking > area, would not be a difficult effort (should i say the Bay Area?). Then > again, it may not even be impossible in the midwest, if the right > factors come together. > > Also, combined with the concept of Business Incubators could be > EcoIndustrial Parks. Imagine the incubators above growing into > prototyping and fab shops. You would have offices where people design, > engineer, unit test, etc. They would send g-code and other designs down > to the shop floor where parts that could be printed would be printed, in > addition to those parts that could be torch cut, machined, pressed, > injection molded, etc. These prototypes could even be a side effort to > the actual production process, which could be happening in the same > shared facility! The EcoIndustrial aspect would be that the industrial > facilities would be combined - possibly through some off-grid > co-generation scheme, providing heat and electricity. The fabbed goods > would be produced using green practices, and possibly have the same > implications (OEM parts for electric vehicles, solar arrays, turbines, > biogas operatons; equipment for agroecological operations - anything > from soil blockers to remote climate sensing equipment.) Green P2P > would attract A LOT of attention, funding and subsidies. There are also > very real supply chains that such operations would easily nudge into, > even out here in the midwest. Especially when there are TONS of empty > industrial parks all throughout the rural midwest (and urban) that have > all the infrastructure in place, state and federal funding ready and > waiting to subdisize any use of them, and entire communities of folks > around them who would be glad to get to work! > > > Conclusion > ----- > > So, really, there are a lot of opportunities for unions to act as an > arbiter and confidence builder in p2p manufacturing. They have many of > the resources that are needed - and unlike venture capitalists - are not > going to consider manufacturing in "knowledge economy" nations to be > abhorrent or competitive with their investments. On the other side of > the coin, Unions are also beginning to show a lot of international > solidarity, so there would be less resistance than one might anticipate > to, say, international p2p supply chains if they were sustainable and > fostered the growth of manufacturing in NA and Europe. > > Most importantly, they offer the advantage of oversight and collective > bargaining in more tough situations. As the p2p manufacturing economy > unfolds, one must pay close attention to the treatment of workers, to > safety and to the fairness of pay and benefits. Definately the worker- > co-op model affords for some measure of workplace democracy, but when > there is no agency outside your own shop you can get stuck. This is why > our worker co-op is joining the IWW - not to mention the excitement of > being a part of an international movement of worker solidarity. > > P.S. - Michel - I can turn this into a p2p blog post here soon if you > like, with some polishing :) > > -- > Richard Schulte > > Flywheel Tech Collective > > > > > On Thu, 2011-02-24 at 15:28 +0700, Michel Bauwens wrote: > > Dear Sam, > > > > copying two more union-p2p friends on this dialogue, > > > > Michel > > > > On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 10:35 AM, Samuel Rose <samuel.rose(a)gmail.com> > > wrote: > > Thanks Mark, > > > > This a long-term perspective/investment. Based on an ideas > > first > > articulated to me by Richard Schulte of Flywheel Tech > > Collective, who > > is copied on this email, the idea is to work with Unions to > > start > > building worker-owned cooperatives of various types, > > especially based > > around production and design of open source > > technologies/software. > > Mark, I copied you because I know that you've been in dialogue > > with > > Unions right here in Michigan for years. I wondered if you > > might know > > of some Union folks here in Michigan that might be candidates > > for this > > type of thing? > > > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 10:26 PM, Mark Dilley > > <markwdilley(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Sam - thank you for sending this out what seems so many > > days ago - I have been following this pretty keenly and am > > curious about the title of your email "+ Unions and P2P > > alternatives" > > > > > > open ears from anyone here. > > > > > > Best, Mark > > > > > > > > > On 19Feb2011, at 5:19 PM, Samuel Rose wrote: > > > > > >> "What's happening in Wisconsin is not complicated. At the > > beginning of > > >> this year, the state was on course to end 2011 with a > > budget surplus > > >> of $120 million. As Ezra Klein explained, newly elected GOP > > Governor > > >> Scott Walker then " signed two business tax breaks and a > > conservative > > >> health-care policy experiment that lowers overall tax > > revenues (among > > >> other things). The new legislation was not offset, and it > > turned a > > >> surplus into a deficit." > > >> > > >> Walker then used the deficit he'd created as the > > justification for > > >> assaulting his state's public employees. He used a law > > cooked up by a > > >> right-wing advocacy group called the American Legislative > > Exchange > > >> Council (ALEC). ALEC likes to fly beneath the radar, but I > > described > > >> the organization in a 2005 article as "the connective > > tissue that > > >> links state legislators with right-wing think tanks, > > leading anti-tax > > >> activists and corporate money." Similar laws are on the > > table in Ohio > > >> and Indiana. > > >> > > >> Walker's bill would strip public employees of the right to > > bargain > > >> collectively for anything but higher pay (and would cap the > > amount of > > >> wage hikes they might end up gaining in negotiations). His > > intentions > > >> are clear -- before assuming office, Walker threatened to > > decertify > > >> the state's employees' unions (until he discovered that the > > governor > > >> doesn't have that power)." > > >> > > >> > > > http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/479560/12_things_you_need_to_k… > > >> _______ > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> Aso worth reading: > > >> > > >> > > > http://prop-press.typepad.com/blog/2011/02/report-from-day-five-first-chanc… > > >> > > >> > > >> > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > >> > > >> > > >> I think the time is here to start talking with people about > > >> > > > http://p2pfoundation.net/The_Political_Principles_of_Peer-to-Peer_Advocacy > > >> here, in the Industrial Midwest (which includes WI) > > >> > > >> One simple way to route around party politics is to give > > people a > > >> direct p2p way to actively reflect existing poltics as we > > saw in > > >> iceland with http://skuggathing.is/portal based on > > >> https://github.com/rbjarnason/open-active-democracy > > >> > > >> Another parallel approach is to start applying collective > > decision > > >> making and pooling of resources directly to problems people > > are > > >> addressing. In addition, creating cooperatives, supporting > > alternative > > >> currencies when appropriate. > > >> > > >> Unions in all of these states have resources, including > > pension funds, > > >> that they could invest directly in worker-owned cooperative > > companies, > > >> as has been discussed by Richard Schulte of > > flywheeltechcollective in > > >> the past. Some of them have expressed interest in doing > > this. These > > >> kinds of changes for entities like unions are long term > > changes and > > >> investments, and will take time. However, I think every > > year that goes > > >> by makes more and more on the left receptive to p2p > > alternatives. > > >> > > >> If people are interested in working on P2P political > > advocacy and > > >> approaches in 2011-2012, let's talk here and continue to > > build towards > > >> thing people can really use in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, > > Michigan, > > >> Eastern Europe, South America, etc > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> -- > > >> -- > > >> Sam Rose > > >> Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation > > >> Tel:+1(517) 639-1552 > > >> Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451 > > >> skype: samuelrose > > >> email: samuel.rose(a)gmail.com > > >> http://forwardfound.org > > >> http://futureforwardinstitute.org > > >> http://hollymeadcapital.com > > >> http://p2pfoundation.net > > >> http://socialmediaclassroom.com > > >> > > >> "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with > > human > > >> ambition." - Carl Sagan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > -- > > Sam Rose > > Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation > > Tel:+1(517) 639-1552 > > Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451 > > skype: samuelrose > > email: samuel.rose(a)gmail.com > > http://forwardfound.org > > http://futureforwardinstitute.org > > http://hollymeadcapital.com > > http://p2pfoundation.net > > http://socialmediaclassroom.com > > > > "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with > > human > > ambition." - Carl Sagan > > > > _______________________________________________ > > P2P Foundation - Mailing list > > http://www.p2pfoundation.net > > > https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation > > > > > > > > > > -- > > 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > -- 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: <nettime> How a Library Saved My Life. (libraries as commons)
by Michel Bauwens 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 6:33 AM Subject: Fwd: <nettime> How a Library Saved My Life. To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> loss of commons... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: marc garrett <marc.garrett(a)furtherfield.org> Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 4:01 PM Subject: <nettime> How a Library Saved My Life. To: nettime-l(a)kein.org How a Library Saved My Life. By Marc Garrett. Originally posted on Furtherfield's community blog 06/02/2011. http://www.furtherfield.org/blog/marc-garrett/how-library-saved-my-life Recently I read Claire Bishop's excellent article 'Con-Demmed to the Bleakest of Futures: Report from the UK' (http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/209) Where she argues "that in the wake of the general election in May 2010, which resulted in a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition-the UK’s first coalition government since 1945—the ensuing cuts to culture cannot be seen as separate from an assault on welfare, education, and social equality. The rhetoric of an "age of austerity" is being used as a cloak for the privatization of all public services and a reinstatement of class privilege: a sad retreat from the most civilized Keynesian initiatives of the post-war period, in which education, healthcare, and culture were understood to be a democratic right freely available to all." After reading Claire's article I thought that I'd write a little bit of personal history regarding my own experiences with early education and how a library saved my life... In the dark ages. The mid to late seventies at the age of 13, my life was a troublesome affair. Our family was constantly under seige. Life felt like a fatalistic (un)merry-go-round as we tried to deal with various, chaotic situations that occurred and impacted our relationships on a day to day basis. Whilst trying to negotiate in our own particular dysfunctional way, the onslaught of violence in a home on a council estate in Southend-on-Sea, Essex; we also had to somehow contend with intrusions from over officious social workers. Every route we took led to a different form of dis-empowerment. The formal education available to me at this time was worthless and offered no way out of poverty. The general feeling between us all was that we were caught within a hostile system. On the council estate we unknowingly made matters worse as we stole each other's toys or formed gangs. At this time when the country was almost bankrupt. The Labour government was receiving international loans of $5000 million to try and prevent the economy from collapsing. If it was not for North Sea Oil, the UK would of fallen into a state of total collapse. In 1975 UK's inflation rate peaked at 26% and unemployment reached the highest levels since the Second World War reaching hundreds and thousands. Many companies who had previously been based in the UK and investing in the economy, began moving their businesses and assets abroad where it was more profitable. Strikes spread across the land, rubbish was left outside piling up in the streets and the dead were left unburied. Very soon after this the age of Margaret Thatcher's (UK's first female Prime Minister) own brand of conservative politics and early forms of neoliberalism would begin to dominate the land. When I remember these times, my mind usually focuses on what happened to many of my peers after they had left school. A few survived the systemic challenges of bad education and social deprivation. Yet, if I use all the fingers on both hands I run out of digits to count how many of them had either committed suicide, died of drug overdoses, or gone to borstal and then to prison. Already at the age of thirteen though, I had a sense of the life that I was being set up for and growing determined not move in this direction. My heart, head and soul needed nourishment and I was not getting it. In order to change my course my behaviour needed to change. So what was I to do, what decisions should I take to change what seemed at the time a hopeless situation, especially when I was accustomed to feeling dis-empowered in the environment I was growing up in? Every morning I would leave home and pretend I was going to school. In reality, the day would begin with a long walk into the central area of Southend, where the Essex Library was and (thankfully still is to this day). For nearly a year I managed to pretend I was going to school, whilst hiding concerned letters from the headmaster sent to my parents about my regular absence. I would enter the library seeing all the different kinds of people, of all ages researching, reading the abundancy of books, accessible to anyone. It also had a small cafe then which was not much of a deal, but going there for breaks in between reading about art, technology, science, religion, sociology and politics etc, helped to create a certain sense self assuredness. Sitting in the cafe I would overhear adults discuss what they were reading. I learned a lot about the enquiring minds of other human beings and felt that I was a part of something that until then, was a hidden secret. I was so shocked that all the knowledge in this place was not being shared with me and my peers at school. It also felt as though my venture, discovering all of this information was not 'officially' allowed. Not for my kind, as in not for my class. To say that I was dragged out of the library kicking and screaming, once the local council's truant officer had heard about my (despicable) antics, would be an understatement. The library was my second home. However, the only choice given to me was to either go back to school or end up in a borstal. Knowing how bleak and violent these environments were from friends who had themselves been there, and noticing how they had changed for the worse, the choice was clear. I went back to school. Now the reason I'm sharing all of this personal history with you is because today many libraries are being closed down due to the recent cuts by the present government in power. And yes, much information can be accessed on-line. But this, in no way replaces the important experience of meeting others in a real, physical learning environment. And this also goes for education right across the board. If we are forced to rely on the Internet alone as a source for knowledge and sharing, future minds will be less informed. Market forces increasingly dominate the Internet, dictating the interfaces/portals and therefore creating bias that privileges corporate values above greater human needs. Libraries provide chance encounters in local community settings with unexpected sources of knowledge and experience. If we consider the real reasons why libraries are being closed it all begins to fit into place. The backdrop to all of these drastic cuts relate to neoliberal intentions dominating every aspect of our daily lives. Slogans such as "the big society" and "we are all in this together" are promoted by the coalition government; forcing us to conform and adapt to what has been termed as the ‘age of austerity'. This is proposed to us as a way to level out the effects of the financial crisis of 2007-09, while they themselves remain untouched due to their own privileged backgrounds and benefits gained from promoting corporate interests such as those of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch. It really does not demand too much insight or mental agility to realize we are being conned. We are being socially engineered to bear a burden of debts which are not of our own making. "The reduction of government expenditure is the most overt attack on public services, usually with the most destructive effects on the poorest. Cutbacks to public services such as the reduction or closure of public facilities, either directly through outsourcing or indirectly as providers of the next nearest alternative (the shopping centre rather than the park, the bookstore rather than the library), pushing social or non-work time and spaces into the hands of private ownership and their ‘facility charges', caps on housing subsidy, unemployment payments, disability benefits, and so on, all serve to put what were once public responsibilities and interests into the private sector whose ownership extends not just to the material facility, service or entitlement (the park, the building, the benefit) but also to the right to access it, the requirement to generate a profit." Screw (Down) the Debt: Neoliberalism and the Politics of Austerity. By Suhail Malik. Metamute. http://tinyurl.com/6z2kska Thinking back to the harsh times of my early years in contrast to where I am now, I owe much of my current state of being to that Library in Southend on Sea. What will become of those other young souls who will not have the choice themselves to experience alternative avenues out of the systemic limits of imposed poverty? The Internet is an extension to libraries not its replacement. Education and knowledge is a varied and wonderful thing. Once taken away, we are less empowered, more likely to conform to the whims of others who do not have our best interests in mind. p.s. I posted this contextual piece of writing to Nettime because of an earlier post by Goran Maric - thanks Goran :-) marc garrett www.furtherfield.org # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime(a)kein.org -- 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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12 things you need to know about protests in Wisconsin, USA + Unions and P2P alternatives
by Samuel Rose 24 Feb '11

24 Feb '11

"What's happening in Wisconsin is not complicated. At the beginning of this year, the state was on course to end 2011 with a budget surplus of $120 million. As Ezra Klein explained, newly elected GOP Governor Scott Walker then " signed two business tax breaks and a conservative health-care policy experiment that lowers overall tax revenues (among other things). The new legislation was not offset, and it turned a surplus into a deficit." Walker then used the deficit he'd created as the justification for assaulting his state's public employees. He used a law cooked up by a right-wing advocacy group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC likes to fly beneath the radar, but I described the organization in a 2005 article as "the connective tissue that links state legislators with right-wing think tanks, leading anti-tax activists and corporate money." Similar laws are on the table in Ohio and Indiana. Walker's bill would strip public employees of the right to bargain collectively for anything but higher pay (and would cap the amount of wage hikes they might end up gaining in negotiations). His intentions are clear -- before assuming office, Walker threatened to decertify the state's employees' unions (until he discovered that the governor doesn't have that power)." http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/479560/12_things_you_need_to_k… _______ Aso worth reading: http://prop-press.typepad.com/blog/2011/02/report-from-day-five-first-chanc… ________________________________________________________________________ I think the time is here to start talking with people about http://p2pfoundation.net/The_Political_Principles_of_Peer-to-Peer_Advocacy here, in the Industrial Midwest (which includes WI) One simple way to route around party politics is to give people a direct p2p way to actively reflect existing poltics as we saw in iceland with http://skuggathing.is/portal based on https://github.com/rbjarnason/open-active-democracy Another parallel approach is to start applying collective decision making and pooling of resources directly to problems people are addressing. In addition, creating cooperatives, supporting alternative currencies when appropriate. Unions in all of these states have resources, including pension funds, that they could invest directly in worker-owned cooperative companies, as has been discussed by Richard Schulte of flywheeltechcollective in the past. Some of them have expressed interest in doing this. These kinds of changes for entities like unions are long term changes and investments, and will take time. However, I think every year that goes by makes more and more on the left receptive to p2p alternatives. If people are interested in working on P2P political advocacy and approaches in 2011-2012, let's talk here and continue to build towards thing people can really use in places like Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Eastern Europe, South America, etc -- -- Sam Rose Future Forward Institute and Forward Foundation Tel:+1(517) 639-1552 Cel: +1-(517)-974-6451 skype: samuelrose email: samuel.rose(a)gmail.com http://forwardfound.org http://futureforwardinstitute.org http://hollymeadcapital.com http://p2pfoundation.net http://socialmediaclassroom.com "The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition." - Carl Sagan

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ireland attempting 3 strikes
by Michel Bauwens 24 Feb '11

24 Feb '11

Hi Kevin, perhaps you can report on this for our blog? Michel -- 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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FCForum Declaration: Sustainable Models for Creativity
by Michel Bauwens 24 Feb '11

24 Feb '11

Dear friends, thanks for making a special effort to distribute the following links and info, see below, Michel ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Simona Levi <info(a)conservas.tk> Date: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 5:53 AM Subject: [fcforum] have a look before launching To: fcforum(a)list.fcforum.net Dear all real URL and definitive version. http://fcforum.net/sustainable-models-for-creativity Launching on wensday/thursday. It would be good to syncronoze a bit. here a press release option if you want to use it: http://fcforum.net/sustainable-models-for-creativity Please check if you are happy on how your endorsement is written. http://fcforum.net/sustainable-models-for-creativity/how-to-manual#endorsem… let me know besos s ----- + info http://list.fcforum.net/wws/info/fcforum ------- -- 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 answer to "What are the fundamental requirements and building blocks of a distributed internet?"
by Michel Bauwens 23 Feb '11

23 Feb '11

I find this an interesting remark, in all likelyhood, corporate platforms do reverse engineering, ie. they start from user needs and build backwards, the opposite strategy, building a pure internet but not looking at user needs, may suffer in comparison, Michel ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Quora <noreply(a)quora.com> Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 4:32 AM Subject: New answer to "What are the fundamental requirements and building blocks of a distributed internet?" To: michelsub2004(a)gmail.com [image: Quora]New answer to "What are the fundamental requirements and building blocks of a distributed internet?" *Leslie Michael Orchard*: Some other characteristics to note involve practical usability, eg. what happens after I plug in the magic black box I just bought: - *Discoverability* - how do I find friends and interesting things? - *Aggregation* - how can I follow friends and interesting things I find? - *Publishing* - how can I broadcast interesting things to my friends and followers? These are some of the things that centralized communication services are nailing, at the moment. No matter how the underlying fabric of a distributed net is made, if it doesn't serve some of these basic human-centric needs, it won't take off. *To see the question page with all answers, visit: http://www.quora.com/l/i9BzsP5d* Thanks, The Quora Team We sent you this email because you are following this question. To stop following it, click this link: http://www.quora.com/l/8DHhjNRn/_STOP_FOLLOWING To control which emails we send you, visit: http://www.quora.com/l/jsDhmsV8 This email was sent by Quora, a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. To disable all email from Quora, visit the following link: http://www.quora.com/l/K3HE3bvA -- 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: Future Artists Live events and Channel 4!
by Michel Bauwens 23 Feb '11

23 Feb '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Phoebe Moore <pvm.doc(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 6:40 PM Subject: Fwd: Future Artists Live events and Channel 4! To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> Hi Michel There are some interesting events happening as part of the Future Artists initiative, see below. Hope all is well. Yours, Phoebe ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Future Artists <info(a)futureartists.co.uk> Date: 23 February 2011 11:19 Subject: Future Artists Live events and Channel 4! To: pvm.doc(a)gmail.com Bumper issue! Media storm! Future Artists<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> Without Deviation From the Norm Progress is not Possible - Frank Zappa Future Artists Newsletter - We are a Virtual Film Studio - IN Salford, Home of media city UK. To forward this email or unsubscribe please see the bottom of the news letter. ------------------------------ So much to pack into this newsletter! will keep it short and sweet! for all you smart phone users! *Future Artists Live Creative Co-op Events* 1) *EVENT*: Want to be part of a diverse creative community that turns up and make's change happen! then click here and come to our next meetup<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…> 2) *EVENT*: Genesis of the big society? our idea or theirs, how opensource (OS) co-operative communities and creativity is leading the way via a unique creative experiment, part film screening, part unconference and networking event- trailer + Info here.<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> *Future Artists Original essays* 1)'Lost Generation now in production'<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…>Director/Producer Mark Ashmore talks about his latest Film/Transmedia project. (please tweet/comment) 2)'Is his master's voice about to choke'<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…>in house writer Jane Mcconnel gives a unique perspective on the demise of HMV (please tweet/comment) *Want to speak with us on Twitter follow us in real time @futureartists<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…>and join the conversation via #falive * *Live in the Northwest of England, well get involved with this!* 1) Kino Film shorts screening is happening on March 9th - full info and how to get your film screened here<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…> 2) Not Part of (the Manchester International Festival) are hosting a big FREE gathering on March 23rd, full info here<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…> 3) Mad Lab : so much going off in this Hacker space in Manchester! from circuit bending to experimental soundscapes : website here<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…> *COMING SOON Future Artists Live Creative Co-OP next event with Channel 4/ 4talent + No1 (UK) Journalist on Twitter happening March 26th : tickets released FRIDAY via FACEBOOK<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…>and MEETUP<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> £5 members / £10 non members 100 tickets only.* Connect with us: *S* Subscribe<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…> [image: Follow us on Twitter!]Follow us on Twitter<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> [image: Follow us on Facebook!]Like us on Facebook<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> [image: Read the MailChimp blog]Read our blog <http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> www.futureartists.co.uk <http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03…> Do you like us? Forward this to a friend at the bottom of the page! Contact Us:[email protected] view email in browser<http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03e2542&id=2bb82749ca…>| unsubscribe<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c0…>| update your profile<http://futureartists.us1.list-manage.com/profile?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03e254…>| forward to a friend<http://us1.forward-to-friend2.com/forward?u=e7aca5a6ae24d77b4c03e2542&id=2b…> Copyright (C) 2010 Future Artists All rights reserved. -- Personal email pvm.doc(a)gmail.com & Manchesterfilmcooperative(a)gmail.com Work email p.moore(a)salford.ac.uk Employment profile http://www.espach.salford.ac.uk/page/Phoebe_Moore Manchester Film Cooperative http://www.manchesterfilm.coop/ -- 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: MIDEAST SHOE INDEX
by Michel Bauwens 23 Feb '11

23 Feb '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mark Petz <ravenwyn(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 12:51 AM Subject: MIDEAST SHOE INDEX To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12482313 It is disappointing that Palestine (where the cabinet resigned), Mauretania (an immolation) and Lebanon and Sudan - where stuff has happened too are not included. BUT it is some sort of list M -- 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] "astroturfing" p2p ?
by Michel Bauwens 23 Feb '11

23 Feb '11

Dear Dante, this link mentions the chinese 50 cents army and the tea party as possible candidates for astroturfed p2p movements, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Astroturfing On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 2:30 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson < dante.monson(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I m curious to find out about examples of corporations "astroturfing" p2p > movements... > > http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Astroturf > > *Astroturf* refers to apparently grassroots-based citizen groups or > coalitions that are primarily conceived, created and/or funded by > corporations, industry trade associations, political interests or public > relations firms<http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Public_relations_firms> > . > > *Campaigns & Elections* magazine defines astroturf as a "grassroots > program that involves the instant manufacturing of public support for a > point of view in which either uninformed activists are recruited or means of > deception are used to recruit them." Journalist William Greider has coined > his own term to describe corporate grassroots organizing. He calls it > "democracy for hire." > -- 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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