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

Fwd: Commission sur la revitalisation des assemblées
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

hi amaia, any english version of this? ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/6/6 Subject: Commission sur la revitalisation des assemblées To: 2011/6/5 > voici la traduction : > > Guide pratique élaboré par la Commission sur la revitalisation des > assemblées des Capamento Sol. > > Le point le plus important du mouvement est la pensée collective comme une > pensée totalement opposée au système actuel, qui est régi par > l'individualisme. L'objectif de la pensée collective est de construire, la > pensée collective naît lorsque nous comprenons que toutes les opinions, les > nôtres et celles des autres, toutes, sont nécessaires pour générer l'idée > d'un consensus. > > Qu’est-ce qu’une assemblée populaire ? Est un organe de prise de décision > participative qui cherche un consensus. Son développement doit être > pacifique, en respectant toutes les opinions. Une réunion ne devrait pas se > concentrer sur un discours idéologique, mais dans les questions pratiques: > De quoi avons-nous besoin ? Comment le faire ? > > À ce jour, le campement de Sol a développé différents types d'assemblées : > > - Assemblée de groupe de travail ; > > - Assemblée des comités > > - Assemblée de quartier > > - Assemblée générale de base du « acampa da Sol » > > - Assemblée générale : est la dernière instance délibérative, à partir de > laquelle on adopte le consensus final. > > Nous pouvons englober les assemblées en trois groupes selon leur finalité : > > 1) Information : les participants présentent des informations d'intérêt > commun. Il y a un débat. > > 2) Réflexion: il s’agit de réfléchir ensemble sur un sujet, une situation, > une problématique. Il est nécessaire de donner des informations, mais pas de > prise de position ou de décision à ce moment. > > 3) Décision : implique que le groupe doit parvenir à un consensus. > > Qu’est-ce qu’un consensus ? C’est la forme de décision finale des > assemblées qui aboutit dans chaque proposition spécifique qui est partagée. > Les propositions peuvent être présentées à partir d'une Commission, à partir > d'un groupe de travail ou à partir d'une personne à titre individuel. Le > consensus est atteint lorsqu'il n'y a aucune opposition ferme contre la > proposition présentée. Toute proposition doit répondre à cette formule: > > > > - Qu’est-ce qui est proposé ? > - A quelles fins ? > Comment développer la proposition si le consensus est atteint ? > > En bref : QUOI ? POURQUOI ? COMMENT ? > > 1) Consensus direct : Consensus atteint sans opposition, directement. > > 2) Consensus indirect (le plus fréquent) : un consensus obtenu après avoir > discuté des positions différentes avec une proposition qui n'a pas obtenu de > consensus direct. Étapes à suivre pour parvenir à un consensus indirect : > > a) Soit : QUOI ? POURQUOI ? COMMENT ? > > b) Quand quelqu'un est contre la proposition, on passe à la discussion en > ouvrant le débat. Ouverture d'un premier tour du débat, il faut disposer de > trois arguments en faveur et trois contre. Après cela, on retourne à > l’Assemblée pour demander à nouveau son avis. Si aucun consensus n'est > atteint, on laisse l’Assemblée dialoguer 3 à 5 minutes. On ouvre alors un > deuxième tour d’interventions et de propositions de consensus, jusqu’à ce > qu’on parvienne à un consensus. > > - Que la proposition émane d'une commission ou groupe de travail, il sera > repassé à l’assemblée pour sa reformulation. > > - Si la proposition émane d'une personne en particulier, elle devra être > transférée à un comité ou groupe de travail responsable. > > Ainsi parvenir à un consensus réel ! > > Qu’est-ce qu’un ordre du jour ? C’est un résumé (un sommaire) des thèmes > qui seront traités en assemblée. L'équipe de dynamisation le rédige et > l’organise, une réunion préparatoire est faite avec des représentants de > chaque commission pour parvenir à un consensus. > > En général, le campement del Sol met en évidence les concepts suivants: > > - La fonction de l'assemblée est de rappeler la valeur de la pensée > collective, l'importance de l'écoute active et le sens du consensus ! > > - Utiliser un langage positif, en évitant les déclarations négatives et un > langage inclusif qui ne fait pas de différences entre les sexes. > > - Organisation à l’horizontale (manière de voir une égalité et une > organisation sociale de toutes les personnes participantes. Il n’existe pas > de hiérarchie. > > > > ------------------------------ > From: > Subject: > Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 > > Bonjour à tous! > serait-il possible de traduire ce mail qui semble important? Je ne sais pas > assez bien parler espagnol pour le faire! > > Merci! > > ------------------------------ > Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2011 > > Holas xikos y xikas de Internacionalizacion, > > Os envio este email para pasaros un resumen de una Guia que encontre por el > campamento de Sol: Guia Practica para la Dinamizacion de Asambleas > Populares. Guia practica elaborada por la Comision de Dinamizacion de las > Asambleas del Capamento Sol. > > El punto mas importante del movimiento es el pensamiento colectivo, como un > pensamiento totalmente opuesto al sistema actUal, que se rige por el > pensamiento individualista. El objetivo del pensamiento colectivo es > construir. El pensamiento colectivo nace cuando entendemos que todas las > opiniones, las nuestras y las diferentes, todas, son necesarias para generar > la idea de consenso. > > Que es una Asamblea Popular? Es un organo de toma de decisiones > participativa que busca el consenso. Su desarrollo debe ser pacifico, > respetando todas las opiniones. Una asamblea no debe centrarse en un > discurso ideologico, sino en cuestiones practicas: ¿que necesitAmos?, ¿como > lo conseguimos? > Hasta la fecha en Sol se han desarrollado diferentes tipos de asambleas: > - Asambleas de Grupos de Trabajo > - Asambleas de Comisiones > -Asambleas de Barrio > -Asamblea generales base de acampadasol > - Asambleas generales: esta como ultima instancia deliberativa, a partir de > la cual se adoptan los consensos finales. > > Podemos englobar las asambleas en 3 grandes grupos, segun su fin: > 1) Informacion: las personas particIpantes exponen informaciones de interes > comun. No se hace debate. > 2) Reflexion: se trata de pensar conjutamente sobre un tema, una situacion, > una problematica. Se necesita dar informacion, pero no hay que llegar en una > decision en este momento. > 3) Decision: implica que el grupo tiene que llegar a un consenso. > > Que es un consenso? Es la forMa de decision final de las Asambleas en cada > propuesta concreta que se comparte. Las propuestas pueden ser presentandas > desde una Comision, desde un Grupo de trabajo o desde una persona a titulo > individual. El consenso se alcanza cuando en la asamblea NO hay ninguna > postura rotundamente en contra a la presentada. Toda propuesta deberia > atender a esta formula: > - ¿Que se propone? > - ¿Para que se propone? > - ¿Como se desarrolaria dicha propuesta si se llega al consenso? > Resumiendo: Que/ Para que/ Como > > 1) Consenso Directo: Consenso alcanzado sin opiniones en contra, de forma > directa. > 2) Consenso Indirecto (el mas comun): consenso alcnazado despues de debatir > posturas diferentes ante una propuesta que no ha alcanzado un consenso > directo. Pasos a seguir para alcanzar el consenso indirecto: > a) Que/ Para Que/ Como > b) Cuando hay alguien en contra a la propuesta se abre turno de > palabras. Se abre una primera ronda de debates: se disponen tres argumentos > a favor y otros tres en contra. Tras ello se vuelve a pedir a la Asamblea > que muestre de nuevo su parecer. Si tampoco se alcanza consenso, se habilita > entre 3 a 5 minutos para que la Asamblea dialogue. Se abre una segunda > ruenda de intervenciones de propuestas de consenso. Si concluidas las dos > rondas sigue sin consenso: > - si la propuesta proviene de una Comision o de un Grupo de Trabajo volvera > a trasladarse a la misma para su REFORMULACION. > - si la propuesta proviene de una persona en particular tendra que > trasladarla a una Comision o Grupo de TRabajo competente. > > ASI HASTA ALCANZAR UN CONSENSO REAL! > > Que es el Orden del Dia? Es el sumario de los temas que va a tratar la > Asamblea. Lo redacta y organiza el equipo de Dinamizacion, y en una reunion > preparatoria con los representantes de cada comision se llega a un consenso. > > > En general, la acampada sol hace hincapie en los seguientes conceptos: > - La funcion de la asamblea es recordar el valor del pensamiento colectivo, > la importancia de la escucha activa y el significado del consenso! > - Emplear un lenguaje postivo, evitando enunciados negativos, y un lenguaje > inclusivo, que no haga diferencias de genero. > - Organizacion horizontal (manera de organizacion social que implca la > igualdad de todas las personas participantes. No existe jerarquia. > > Espero que os sirva de ayuda, mas tarde os mando un ejemplo practico de un > orden del dia! > > -- 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] IMF (an excellent article)
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

thank you Mike! On Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 2:09 PM, mike stagman <artemesium(a)yahoo.co.uk>wrote: > Published on Friday, June 3, 2011 by the Independent/UK<http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-i…> > It's Not Just Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The IMF Itself Should Be On Trial > Imagine a prominent figure was charged, not with raping a hotel maid, but > with starving her, and her family, to death > by Johann Hari <http://www.commondreams.org/johann-hari> > > Sometimes, the most revealing aspect of the shrieking babble of the 24/7 > news agenda is the silence. Often the most important facts are hiding > beneath the noise, unmentioned and undiscussed. > > So the fact that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the > International Monetary Fund (IMF), is facing trial for allegedly raping a > maid in a New York hotel room is – rightly – big news. But imagine a > prominent figure was charged not with raping a maid, but starving her to > death, along with her children, her parents, and thousands of other people. > That is what the IMF has done to innocent people in the recent past. That is > what it will do again, unless we transform it beyond all recognition. But > that is left in the silence. > > > To understand this story, you have to reel back to the birth of the IMF. In > 1944, the countries that were poised to win the Second World War gathered > in a hotel in rural New Hampshire to divvy up the spoils. With a few > honorable exceptions, like the great British economist John Maynard Keynes, > the negotiators were determined to do one thing. They wanted to build a > global financial system that ensured the money and resources of the planet > were forever hoovered towards them. They set up a series of institutions > designed for that purpose – and so the IMF was delivered into the world. > > > The IMF’s official job sounds simple and attractive. It is supposedly there > to ensure poor countries don’t fall into debt, and if they do, to lift them > out with loans and economic expertise. It is presented as the poor world’s > best friend and guardian. But beyond the rhetoric, the IMF was designed to > be dominated by a handful of rich countries – and, more specifically, by > their bankers and financial speculators. The IMF works in their interests, > every step of the way. > > > Let’s look at how this plays out on the ground. In the 1990s, the small > country of Malawi in Southeastern Africa was facing severe economic problems > after enduring one of the worst HIV-AIDS epidemics in the world and > surviving a horrific dictatorship. They had to ask the IMF for help. If the > IMF has acted in its official role, it would have given loans and guided the > country to develop in the same way that Britain and the US and every other > successful country had developed – by protecting its infant industries, > subsidizing its farmers, and investing in the education and health of its > people. > > > That’s what an institution that was concerned with ordinary people – and > accountable to them – would look like. But the IMF did something very > different. They said they would only give assistance if Malawi agreed to the > ‘structural adjustments’ the IMF demanded. They ordered Malawi to sell off > almost everything the state owned to private companies and speculators, and > to slash spending on the population. They demanded they stop subsidizing > fertilizer, even though it was the only thing that made it possible for > farmers – most of the population – to grow anything in the country’s feeble > and depleted soil. They told them to prioritize giving money to > international bankers over giving money to the Malawian people. > > > So when in 2001 the IMF found out the Malawian government had built up > large stockpiles of grain in case there was a crop failure, they ordered > them to sell it off to private companies at once. They told Malawi to get > their priorities straight by using the proceeds to pay off a loan from a > large bank the IMF had told them to take out in the first place, at a 56 per > cent annual rate of interest. The Malawian president protested and said > this was dangerous. But he had little choice. The grain was sold. The banks > were paid. > > > The next year, the crops failed. The Malawian government had almost nothing > to hand out. The starving population was reduced to eating the bark off the > trees, and any rats they could capture. The BBC described it as Malawi’s > “worst ever famine.” There had been a much worse crop failure in 1991-2, but > there was no famine because then the government had grain stocks to > distribute. So at least a thousand innocent people starved to death. > > > At the height of the starvation, the IMF suspended $47m in aid, because the > government had ‘slowed’ in implementing the marketeeing ‘reforms’ that had > led to the disaster. ActionAid, the leading provider of help on the ground, > conducted an autopsy into the famine. They concluded that the IMF “bears > responsibility for the disaster.” > > {By the way, ActionAid has written that 2/3 of PATENTS are never > marketed. Patents are a nice part of the whole problem of Slavery by > corporations and their bought-governments.-- M.S.} > > > Then, in the starved wreckage, Malawi did something poor countries are not > supposed to do. They told the IMF to get out. Suddenly free to answer to > their own people rather than foreign bankers, Malawi disregarded all the > IMF’s ‘advice’, and brought back subsidies for the fertilizer, along with a > range of other services to ordinary people. Within two years, the country > was transformed from being a beggar to being so abundant they were supplying > food aid to Uganda and Zimbabwe. > > > The Malawian famine should have been a distant warning cry for you and me.Subordinating the interests of ordinary people to bankers and speculators > caused starvation there. Within a few years, it had crashed the global > economy for us all. > > \ > > In the history of the IMF, this story isn’t an exception: it is the rule. > The organization takes over poor countries, promising it has medicine that > will cure them – and then pours poison down their throats. Whenever I travel > across the poor parts of the world I see the scars from IMF ‘structural > adjustments’ everywhere, from Peru to Ethiopia. Whole countries have > collapsed after being IMF-ed up – most famously Argentina and Thailand in > the 1990s. > > > Look at some of the organization’s greatest hits. In Kenya, the IMF > insisted the government introduce fees to see the doctor – so the number of > women seeking help or advice on STDs fell by 65 per cent, in one of the > countries worst affected by AIDS in the world. > > > In Ghana, the IMF insisted the government introduce fees for going to > school – and the number of rural families who could afford to send their > kids crashed by two-thirds. In Zambia, the IMF insisted they slash health > spending – and the number of babies who died doubled. Amazingly enough, it > turns out that shoveling your country’s money to foreign bankers, rather > than your own people, isn’t a great development strategy. > > > The Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz worked closely with the > IMF for over a decade, until he quit and became a whistle-blower. He told me > a few years ago: “When the IMF arrives in a country, they are interested in > only one thing. How do we make sure the banks and financial institutions > are paid?... It is the IMF that keeps the [financial] speculators in > business. They’re not interested in development, or what helps a country to > get out of poverty.” > > > Some people call the IMF “inconsistent”, because the institution supports > huge state-funded bank bailouts in the rich world, while demanding an end to > almost all state funding in the poor world. But that’s only an inconsistency > if you are thinking about the realm of intellectual ideas, rather than raw > economic interests. In every situation, the IMF does what will get more > money to bankers and speculators. If rich governments will hand banks money > for nothing in “bailouts”, great. If poor countries can be forced to hand > banks money in extortionate “repayments”, great. It’s absolutely consistent. > > > Some people claim that Strauss-Kahn was a “reformer” who changed the IMF > after he took over in 2009. Certainly, there was a shift in rhetoric – but > detailed study by Dr Daniela Gabor of the University of the West of England > has shown that the substance is business-as-usual. > > > Look, for example, at Hungary. After the 2008 crash, the IMF lauded them > for keeping to their original deficit target by slashing public services. > The horrified Hungarian people responded by kicking the government out, and > choosing a party that promised to make the banks pay for the crisis they had > created. They introduced a 0.7 per cent levy on the banks (four times higher > than anywhere else). The IMF went crazy. They said this was “highly > distortive” for banking activity – unlike the bailouts, of course – and > shrieked that it would cause the banks to flee from the country. The IMF > shut down their entire Hungary program to intimidate them. > > > But the collapse predicted by the IMF didn’t happen. Hungary kept on > pursuing sensible moderate measures, instead of punishing the population. > They imposed taxes on the hugely profitable sectors of retail, energy and > telecoms, and took funds from private pensions to pay the deficit. The IMF > shrieked at every step, and demanded cuts for ordinary Hungarians instead. > It was the same old agenda, with the same old threats. Strauss-Kahn did the > same in almost all the poor countries where the IMF operated, from El > Salvador to Pakistan to Ethiopia, where big cuts in subsidies for ordinary > people have been imposed. Plenty have been intimidated into harming their > own interests. The US-based think tank the Center for Economic and Policy > Research found 31 of 41 IMF agreements require ‘pro-cyclical’ macroeconomic > policies – pushing them further into recession. > > > It is not only Strauss-Kahn who should be on trial. It is the institution > he has been running. There’s an inane debate in the press about who should > be the next head of the IMF, as if we were discussing who should run the > local Milk Board. But if we took the idea of human equality seriously, and > remembered all the people who have been impoverished, starved and killed by > this institution, we would be discussing the establishment of a Truth and > Reconciliation Commission – and how to disband the IMF entirely and start > again. > > > If Strauss-Kahn is guilty, I suspect I know how it happened. He must have > mistaken the maid for a poor country in financial trouble. Heads of the IMF > have, after all, been allowed to rape them with impunity for years. > > > © 2011 Independent/UK > [image: Johann Hari] <http://www.commondreams.org/johann-hari> > Johann Hari is a columnist for the London Independent<http://www.independent.co.uk/>. > He has reported from Iraq, Israel/Palestine, the Congo, the Central African > Republic, Venezuela, Peru and the US, and his journalism has appeared in > publications all over the world. -- 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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The International FabLab Conference organized by MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms will be in Lima
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

International Conference in Lima<http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/t/fb575677ad73e1fa> "lira.lg" <lira.lg(a)pucp.edu.pe> Jun 05 11:38AM -0700 ^<?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#13064dce070b10d8_digest_top> Hi, The International FabLab Conference organized by MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms will be in Lima (Peru) this year (August 15-20). Our hackerspace "Yachachiq" want to organize an International HackerSpace Conference after the FabLab Conference (August 22 -26) in Lima and Cusco. Please fill the following form we need some information for planning and organize the conference. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGZINnpkZnI1MX… -- 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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community-based cloud computing
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

http://nauges.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/04/cloud-communautaire-la-troisi%C… dear sepp, if you come across english-language info on this, it could be worth covering, 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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Fwd: EU Commission, on a supranational basis, may legislate in criminal law
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 7:05 PM Subject: EU Commission, on a supranational basis, may legislate in criminal law To: econowmix(a)googlegroups.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of_freedom,_security_and_justice "That ruling set a precedent that *the Commission, on a supranational basis, may legislate in criminal law* – something never done before to outlined in treaties. So far though, the only other use has been the intellectual property rights directive<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_directive_on_criminal_measures_aimed_…> .[13]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of_freedom,_security_and_justice#cite_not…> Motions were tabled in the European Parliament against that legislation on the basis that criminal law should not be an EU competence, but was rejected at vote.[ 14]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of_freedom,_security_and_justice#cite_not…> However in October 2007 the Court of Justice ruled the Commission could not propose what the criminal sanctions could be, only that there must be some.[15]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_of_freedom,_security_and_justice#cite_not…> The European Commission has listed seven offences<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_offence> that become European crimes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_crime>. The seven crimes announced by the Commission arecounterfeiting<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfeiting> euro notes and coins; credit card and cheque fraud<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheque_fraud> ; money laundering <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_laundering>; people-trafficking <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People-trafficking>; computer hacking and virus attacks; corruption in the private sector; and marine pollution <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_pollution>. " -- 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] Spanish democracy movement, article of May 27
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

thanks Mike! On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 12:45 PM, mike stagman <artemesium(a)yahoo.co.uk>wrote: > Published on Friday, May 27, 2011 by CommonDreams.org<http://www.commondreams.org/> > Cleaning up City Squares in Democratic Spain > by Pablo Ouziel <http://www.commondreams.org/author/pablo-ouziel> > > On Friday the 27th of May, five days after an overwhelming victory by > center-right political parties in the local and regional elections across > Spain, the country woke up to the bitter reality of how nonviolent > movements calling for economic democracy, political justice and peace are > going to be dealt with by the country’s police forces in this new era of > right-wing political dominance. > > Just twenty-four hours after Spain’s largest telecom company, Telefonica, > announced a new round of layoffs affecting 8500 people, 25% of the work > force, and as the G8 is meeting in Deauville, France, to discuss amongst > other things the discontent sweeping across Europe, the Catalan police > force – the Mossos d’Esquadra – following orders from the Town Hall’s new > Catalan Nationalist Party (CiU) government, surrounded the nonviolent > citizens camped at the Plaza Cataluña in Barcelona’s city center. Armed with > full riot gear, batons and machine-guns with rubber bullets, the police > kettled in the protestors, making it impossible for them to leave or others > to enter. > > > With the excuse of cleaning up the square for safety reasons, in > preparation for tomorrow’s Champions League soccer final between Barcelona > and Manchester United, the city government called for the dispersal of the > crowds in order to allow for clean up teams to enter. Although this was the > official stance, it soon became apparent that cleaning garbage from the > square was not the true intent, and that the real aim of the operation was > to seize computers, printers and documents from the movement’s steering > committees, and to put an end to this popular uprising which is posing a > threat to the country’s political and economic elites. > > > As soon as the police surrounded the crowds and the news aired on local > television stations and radios, citizens from across the city began to leave > their work places and made their way to the square in order to show their > solidarity with those being harassed by the police. The scene they > encountered resembled one of Gandhi’s legendary acts of civil disobedience– the demonstrators sitting on the floor, in silence, with their legs > crossed and hands up in the air; symbolizing their defiance to the > oppressive and brutal nature of this unannounced police action. > > > Unlike during pre-election campaigning time, eleven days ago, when the 15M > Movement began to congregate in city squares across the country with > shouts of indignation, this time the police did not hesitate, the orders > where clear. The police began to point their guns at those outside the > square that were shouting “This is our democracy”, and one by one they > began to pull those sitting down inside the square – beating them with > their batons. I have just heard that economics professor Arcadi Oliveras > (Spain’s Noam Chomsky), was amongst those on the receiving end of the > police’s indiscriminate use of batons. > > {Note from M.S. -- "This is our democracy.": only DIRECT democracy > such as the ancient Athenians possessed can be OUR democracy. > "Representative' democracy was designed from the start to be Oligarchy in > disguise, the Rich and Powerful buying the representatives.} > > > At the time of writing, thousands of citizens are making their way to the > square in Barcelona, and following two arrests and 99 injured, around 5000 > protestors have already reclaimed the city square. In Madrid Esperanza > Aguirre, who presides over the autonomous region and who also heads Madrid’s > Partido Popular, has asked the ministry of the Interior to evict the > protestors at the Puerta del Sol. On their part, the protestors at Madrid’s > plaza have sent messages of solidarity to those being attacked in Barcelona. > The police force in the city of Lerida has also evicted the crowds camped in > the city square using water canons, and two protesters have been arrested. > While in the city of Granada, the town hall is in negotiations with the > central government about how to empty the city’s square. > > > The ambiance in Barcelona’s plaza is now jovial, once the city showed its > support to the protestors, the police was forced to leave, and despite the > fact that they have confiscated many laptops and pamphlets, and have > destroyed tents and equipment, which the protestors have been using for > their popular assemblies, people intend to stay. A large banner in the > middle of the square reads in Spanish: “You have cleaned up our exhaustion > and now we are back” {Beautifully said!! -- M.S.} > > > Despite the fact that the political elites in Spain, in this new era of > right-wing dominance are showing their mass use of force, they have > encountered a well-organized nonviolent movement. If the movement holds to > its principles, and other European countries join in the struggle, it will > be the European Union which will be forced to restrain this police > brutality, and which will eventually have to make concessions to this > democratic citizens fighting non-violently for change. If the movement > spreads, as many signs already seem to indicate, European political and > economic elites will have to decide between reform and revolution. > > > [image: Pablo Ouziel] <http://www.commondreams.org/author/pablo-ouziel> > > Pablo Ouziel is an activist and a freelance writer based in Spain. His > articles and essays are available at pabloouziel.com > -- 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: Spanish democracy movement, article of June 3
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

thanks Mike! ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: mike stagman <artemesium(a)yahoo.co.uk> Date: Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 12:46 PM Subject: Spanish democracy movement, article of June 3 To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> Published on Friday, June 3, 2011 by CommonDreams.org<http://www.commondreams.org/> Camp Sol: Spain's "Indignant" Give Lessons in True Democracy by María Carrión<http://www.commondreams.org/author/mar%C3%AD-carri%C3%B3n> Pub on Friday, June 3, 2011 by CommonDreams.org CAMP SOL: Spain's "Indignant" Giove Lessons in True Democracy bgy Maria Carrion MADRID, Spain -- The crowd of three thousand sat patiently on the hard pavement of the plaza as the fourth hour of the popular assembly came and went. The issue was whether Camp Sol, a protest that had persevered for two weeks in Madrid's main square known as Puerta del Sol, would dismantle or stay on. Protesters were exhausted from living on the streets; there had been a few cases of harassment and tensions between groups; the infrastructure of the camp was fragile; electricity was scarce. The camp's legal team had kept police at bay but there were no guarantees that it would remain that way (a similar camp in Barcelona had been attacked by police the day before). And even if those problems were resolved, how much longer did it make sense to occupy this enormous public space? Had the movement consolidated enough to dismantle its most visible and symbolic gathering? [image: Camp Sol, Madrid]Camp Sol, Madrid A slight, young woman addressed the crowd. Trembling from nerves but with fire in her voice, she said other camps were springing up like wildflowers all over the country. She had come from the western region of Extremadura, where protesters in different cities were sleeping under the night sky, prevented by authorities from pitching tents. "Our survival depends on Camp Sol," she begged. "If Sol disappears, the police will dissolve our camp and all the others in Spain." As the moderator was about to take another comment his telephone rang: after a few seconds, he told the gathering that thousands of students in Paris who had gathered at the Bastille in solidarity with the Madrid protest were being gassed by police. Many in the crowd vowed to head for the French embassy after the assembly (protesters in Barcelona remained at the French consulate all night blocking the entrance and it was forced to stay closed for most of the following day). As the towering clock over Puerta del Sol struck midnight and consensus remained elusive, the moderator reminded the crowd that organizers had agreed to wrap up the assembly so neighbors could get some rest. Racing against time, the issue was simplified -- the assembly would only decide on whether to remain for the short term or leave the next morning, postponing a final decision on how long Camp Sol should exist. A few dissenting voices were heard, and then at last, thousands of hands waved towards the night sky as the crowd agreed to keep Camp Sol going --at least for the time being. Thus ended one of the many assemblies that have become the life force behind Spain's blossoming popular uprising. The decision-making mechanism is far from new: older folks here nod their heads remembering the hours spent in their youth trying to reach consensus. But Spain's young people have managed to transfix society and confound an out-of-touch political élite with their level of organization and ability to rapidly spread to other neighborhoods, cities and even countries. They do not speak the language of politicians and reject vertical models of organization. They reach decisions through consensus. They listen. They are inclusive. And what they seek is a profound transformation, one that transcends political parties and traditional methods of government; they envision a system that brings grassroots democracy rooted in the communities. Their weapons are their words and the social media networks. Camp Sol, which began spontaneously on May 15th with a few pitched tents to protest against corruption and the lack of opportunities and to ask for democratic changes, is now a small city, a maze of plastic carps held together with chicken wire and makeshift poles, complete with its own radio station, daycare center, dining areas, first aid posts, legal aid clinics, libraries (including one for children) and information centers, which conduct meetings and workshops on issues ranging from the environment to immigration rights. At any one time, a walk through this "micropolis" might yield a live poetry reading, a political debate, a cello concert, a yoga class, a kids' theater performance, or a film screening on a king-sized bed-sheet. Sandwiches and drinks are handed out for free all day; in return, many people visit the camp with armloads of food, building materials and other donated supplies. Protesters keep the camp clean, recycle garbage and have created orderly corridors and a large perimeter for passersby. Tahrir Square is their model. The camp is in the heart of Madrid's commercial and tourist district, a cross between Times Square and Piccadilly Circus. Known as Kilometer Zero because of its central location, the area receives thousands of visitors and shoppers on a daily basis. On a recent afternoon, a group of French sightseers toured the camp as part of their itinerary. "I knew about Spain's art and food, but I am now discovering the enormous potential that its young people have," remarked Patrick Joseph, a middle-aged writer from Toulouse. And indeed, Camp Sol is also a massive shop window into Spain's social movements, a chance for thousands of social justice groups and activists to converge and to get their message across to a wider audience. But the camp is also under fierce pressure from the conservative local government, local business leaders and police to disband as quickly as possible. Some businesses complain that the occupation has diminished their sales (others, especially the cafés and grocery stores, are doing healthy business thanks to the protesters). The camp has so far avoided police intervention, despite Spain's main electoral governing body declaring the site illegal on May 21st, the eve of local elections, commonly referred to as the "day of reflection." Over 25.000 people turned out in the plaza to protest the prohibition. The final decision on whether to send in police to break up the camp rests with the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who so far has been reluctant to intervene. But pressure to disband the protesters continues to mount. The seeds sown by Camp Sol are the assemblies and open mike sessions that have spread to hundreds of neighborhoods, towns and villages across Spain. Although there is a prevalence of young people, the movement is increasingly attracting older folks ranging from families with children to middle-aged professionals and retirees -- all deeply affected by the deep economic crisis and the government's austerity measures. Young "Indignants" in other cities such as Paris, Athens, Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Brussels have supported the movement with protests of their own.Organizers hope these assemblies will take over once the main camp is dismantled. Unemployment, social injustice, lack of true democracy, declining social services, rising costs of education and corruption are just some of the topics they debate.\ "I am here to say that if the police takes my son away I will take his place, and so will many other mothers," said Gloria Agulló, a 63 year-old woman at a recent open mike session. "He has graduated from university and obtained a Masters degree but has not been able to find work in two years. Where else should he be, but here in Sol reclaiming his future?" So what drove Spain's young people to create a parallel society in the heart of the capital? Or perhaps the question should be: what took them so long? After all, almost half of Spaniards under the age of 24 are unemployed, twice the European rate, and of those who have work, more than half are underemployed or earn close to minimum wage (614 Euros or $887 per month). The lack of affordable housing prevents most young people from leaving their parents' home and many young couples cannot afford to have children, resulting in a steep drop in Spain's birth rate. Spain's Socialist government has not been able to address these needs: panicked at the possibility of a Greece-style bailout, it has heeded the International Monetary Fund's instructions to cut social spending, slashing pensions, public payrolls and educational programs. At the same time as schoolteachers are being laid off, the government has bailed out Spanish banks to the tune of 50 billion Euros (about 14 percent of its GNP). In addition, many point to a bankrupt political system. On May 22, municipal and regional elections gave the conservative party, known as the PP (Partido Popular), an enormous victory over the Socialist Party, which suffered a stinging defeat. Many of those elected have been accused of political corruption and some, such as the reelected President of the Valencia autonomous region, Francisco Camps, are even facing trial for involvement in a widespread corruption scandal known as Gürtel uncovered by judge Baltasar Garzón. Refusing to endorse what they see as a corrupt system, most Camp Sol protesters decided to stay away from the polls. "They do not represent us" is one of the rallying cries in the plaza. "Just two months ago I had been asking young people why they had not taken to the streets like their peers in France or in Portugal," said Elena García Quevedo, a journalist working on a documentary about Spain's youth. "They told me it was a matter of time; they were sure that it would happen. As soon as the protests began, I called all my contacts and none of them picked up their cell phones. It turns out they were at the heart of the movement." On a global scale, today's young people were written off in early 2010 by former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Khann, who referred to them as the "lost generation". In Spain, the mainstream media refers to Spanish youth as the "Neither-Nor" or "Ni-Ni" generation: neither studying nor working. Massive youth gatherings, at least those covered by the media, have usually involved the consumption of large amounts of alcohol, a practice known as botellón (one of the largest signs hung by protesters in Sol says "Revolución no es botellón" or "Revolution is not boozing," and the camp rejects the sale or distribution of alcohol on its premises). Spanish society, suffocated by a structural economic crisis that has almost left five million unemployed, has practically given up on its young people. Many university graduates have been leaving Spain for German jobs or for emerging employment markets in Brazil and Mexico. These young people have re-named their generation: they are now "the Indignant." They are tired of a system that condemns them to unemployment and underemployment. They feel that asking for change is not sufficient; they need to force it. "Spain's democracy does not seem real to them," says García. "They are more prepared than the generation that preceded theirs: they are better educated, speak more languages, are more well-rounded. They have so much to offer, but their country has nothing to offer them. Meanwhile, the political parties are mired in corruption and infighting, and unions have negotiated rights away. They are not models for them." "The movement is still working on a blueprint, but so far we have been able to agree on four main demands," says Iván Martinoz, a young publicist who is one of the movement's spokespeople. "We want to change Spain´s electoral law, which favors a two-party system, so that we can move towards a representative democracy. We want a real separation between government and the judiciary, because in Spain judges are often tied to political parties and act accordingly. We want politicians accused of corruption to be banned from running for office. And we are asking for the creation of control mechanisms on government so that citizens have more access to information. This will allow greater transparency and political accountability." Where will this movement lead? Some young people who originally occupied Puerta del Sol under the name 15-M have already left the camp and are organizing through social networks; they believe that Camp Sol has served its purpose and that work must continue in neighborhood squares. Others who remain in the square and call themselves "Real Democracy Now" want to make sure that neighborhood assemblies, hundreds of which convened for the first time on May 28, take root before Sol is dismantled. All agree that Sol will continue to be a reference for the movement, and are looking for ways to leave a sign of permanence in the square. As the moderator said on the night when the assembly decided to remain in Sol, "no matter what happens to Camp Sol we now exist as a force to be reckoned with, and if Spanish society does not pay attention, we will be back." [image: María Carrión]<http://www.commondreams.org/author/mar%C3%AD-carri%C3%B3n> María Carrión is an independent journalist living in Madrid, Spain. She is also the former senior producer of Democracy Now! -- 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 "Crowdfunding: What are some great crowdfunding websites?"
by Michel Bauwens 26 Jun '11

26 Jun '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Quora <noreply(a)quora.com> Date: Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 12:02 AM Subject: New answer to "Crowdfunding: What are some great crowdfunding websites?" To: michelsub2004(a)gmail.com [image: Quora] New answer to "Crowdfunding: What are some great crowdfunding websites?" *Ronald Kleverlaan*: Some Dutch examples: *crowdfunding - creative* - www.voordekunst.nl - Art - www.1procentclub.nl - Development Aid - www.pifworld.com - Development Aid - www.10pages.com - Books - Cinecrowd.nl - Movies - Nieuwspost.nl - Research journalism *crowdfunding - open business investment* - www.crowdaboutnow.com - www.symbid.nl *To see the question page with all answers, visit: http://www.quora.com/l/d9ff4wwP8e* 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/JtWuaRHYYU/_STOP_FOLLOWING To control which emails we send you, visit: http://www.quora.com/l/5swbB7BVfu 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/fHDdn5v4N5 -- 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: Parlementaire Europeen met en garde des dangers de perte de Soverainete du "pacte pour l'Euro"
by Michel Bauwens 25 Jun '11

25 Jun '11

in French ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/6/25 Subject: Parlementaire Europeen met en garde des dangers de perte de Soverainete du "pacte pour l'Euro" To: econowmix(a)googlegroups.com Patrick Le Hyaric, député au Parlement européen, appelle à la solidarité avec le peuple grec et à la mobilisation contre le "Pacte pour l'euro". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNHHEV7LbTg /// Pour en savoir plus : http://wp.me/pAgrH-1bS http://youtu.be/4TEnbbpQ9eo http://patricklehyaric.net/about/pacte-pour-leuro-plus-revelations-et-decry…...<http://patricklehyaric.net/about/pacte-pour-leuro-plus-revelations-et-decry…> -- 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: June Issue of OSBR Available
by Michel Bauwens 25 Jun '11

25 Jun '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Chris McPhee <chris.mcphee(a)osbr.ca> Date: Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 8:19 PM Subject: June Issue of OSBR Available To: Chris McPhee <chris.mcphee(a)osbr.ca> Dear Readers, The June 2011 issue of the OSBR is now available at osbr.ca. The editorial theme for this issue is Technology Entrepreneurship. In this issue, we have the following articles: Robert Poole, CEO of FreebirdConnect.com, describes the benefits of starting a business that leverages an existing platform. He outlines relevant business models and describes the steps that an entrepreneur can follow to start a business on the FreebirdConnect.com platform. Daniel Crenna shares the lessons he learned as the sole founder of Lunarbits. He argues that we have as much to learn by analyzing the causes of failure as we do from celebrating success stories. Frank Horsfall from Carleton University's Technology Innovation Management program describes a new rapid prototyping environment to help student entrepreneurs test and refine their prototypes. Ali Kousari, CTO of Systema Technologies in Geneva, reviews the challenges facing technology startups under traditional funding models. He describes new funding approaches and suggests ways of moving towards a new model of funding technology startups. For the upcoming July issue, we focus on Women Entrepreneurs and welcome submissions that shed light on the particular challenges of increasing the number of women in founding and leadership positions. Please contact me (chris.mcphee(a)osbr.ca) if you are interested in submitting an article for this theme; the deadline is June 15th. We also welcome general submissions on the topic of open source business or the growth of early-stage technology companies. Kind regards, Chris McPhee Editor, Open Source Business Resource http://www.osbr.ca If you no longer wish to receive email notifications from the OSBR, please send your request by email and I will unsubscribe you. ________________________________________________________________________ Open Source Business Resource http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr -- 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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