April 2015 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Fwd: Just Out: INC MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy (please fwd)
by Michel Bauwens 12 Apr '15

12 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Geert Lovink <geert(a)xs4all.nl> Date: Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 4:59 AM Subject: Just Out: INC MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy (please fwd) To: Geert Lovink <g.w.lovink(a)hva.nl> . The print, pdf and web edition of the MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy is now available! http://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/moneylab-reader-an-intervention… The E-Pub of the reader will follow shortly. Order your paper copy on our website: http://networkcultures.org/publications/#increaders MoneyLab is part of a global movement that demands the democratization of the design of our financial futures. Audacity is essential in times of crisis. And so we must engage constructively with hackers, entrepreneurs, and other creators who take up the call for economic alternatives. One first step is a map of the present: What works and what doesn’t? What is worth pursuing and what must be left aside? Which histories bear on the present moment? And what are the limits of our economic imagination? The MoneyLab Reader brings developments in crowdfunding, currency design, technologies of payment, and other economic experiments into dialogue. The authors of this volume discuss the implications of the current architecture of global finance, its impact on ever-growing income disparity, and question money and finance as such. It is not always clear, for instance, whether genuine alternatives are unfolding or if we are simply witnessing the creative extension of neoliberalism. Foreword: Saskia Sassen. Contributors: Irwan Abdalloh, Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi, Robert van Boeschoten, Finn Brunton, Paolo Cirio, Jim Costanzo, Primavera De Filippi, Eduard de Jong, Irina Enache, Andrea Fumagalli, David Golumbia, Max Haiven, Keith Hart, Samer Hassan, Ralph Heidenreich, Stefan Heidenreich, Geert Lovink, Bill Maurer, Rachel O’Dwyer, Pekka Piironen, Lena Rethel, Renée Ridgway, Andrew Ross, Stephanie Rothenberg, Douglas Rushkoff, Inge Ejbye Sørensen, Lana Swartz, Erin B. Taylor, Tiziana Terranova, Nathaniel Tkacz, Pablo Velasco González, Akseli Virtanen and Beat Weber. Copy-editing: Annie Goodner, Morgan Currie, Jess van Zyl, Matt Beros. Design: Katja van Stiphout. Cover Design: Content Context. Printer: Tuijtel, Hardinxveld-Giessendam. Publisher: Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam. Supported by: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool van Amsterdam), Amsterdam Creative Industries Publishing. Geert Lovink, Nathaniel Tkacz, and Patricia de Vries (eds), MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy, Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2015. ISBN: 978-90-822345-5-8. Yours, Geert Lovink Director, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam (NL) -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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CommonsFest in London
by Michel Bauwens 12 Apr '15

12 Apr '15

thanks for spreading the news about this: via Anna Betz who writes: commons fest in London in mid-July; preparation jam session on 26th April. https://www.facebook.com/events/1586645661622423/ -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Re: [P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Update from the Office of Jeremy Rifkin
by Anna Harris 11 Apr '15

11 Apr '15

For number 3 read http://www.eib.org/attachments/general/events/20150302_momentum_for_europe_… Anna On 11 Apr 2015, at 18:24, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: Thanks for continuing, Anna. I have a few followup questions and comments. 1. Do you have any evidence of Rifkin's actual influence in the ruling capitalist circles? It's one thing to hear an interesting speaker give them some food for thought. It's yet another to change their economic and political practices accordingly. (I'm not saying he has no actual influence, I'm just wondering if anybody knows anything of substance.) 2. Rifkin's Zero Margin Cost story has a lot of holes, as criticized here: http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/contra-rifkin-1-food-and-manufacturing-will-n… (I hate to quote Eric Raymond, with whom I fundamentally disagree on most things, but I do agree with a lot of that.) Several posters on this list have explained the exploited labor in the computer value systems (in mining, for example). I used to work in a plastics factory (now feedstock for 3D printing), where they had a lot of signs reminding me that I would get cancer for working there. And recycling is a toxic badly-paid job. 3. Do you know what Rifkin's actual political-economy proposals are like? Does he have any? What kind of economic system does he think we will be moving into? > On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 2:53 AM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: > These are really good questions Bob. Rifkin has said that his ideas are generally not welcomed in US where the military industrial complex has such a strong hold. As Roberto Verzola has pointed out in his comment on grid parity > > 'Since solar rooftos are a *distributed* form of generation, the whole > p2p concept applies! Of course, as on the Internet, the two major > trends, p2p and client-server, will continue to fight it out for > supremacy. and it is by no means certain which trend will become > dominant.' > > Rifkin writes about trends that are already happening, like Roberto Verzola, not hypotheses about what might happen, based on what has happened in the past. That I think is a reason why he appeals to those who make powerful decisions. And like Orsan says he sees how their business interests can best be served by aligning with what is already happening. > > However, capitalists are also human beings. They don't just think as their class dictates, although that may be a very large influence. To treat them as the enemy ignores the possibility that there might be a part of them that actually agrees with you. Rifkin explores that part. I see him as an undercover activist, and I applaud what he is doing. > > Orsan, your objections to green energy won't stand up to the practically free electricity being produced now in parts of Germany, and whatever harm is done by wind turbines cannot be compared to the co2 smog produced by coal fired power stations. Our biggest threat as Naomi Klein points out is climate warming, rarely mentioned on this list, and devastating in its suicidal implications. > > I agree with you Orsan, that historical analysis is useful to understand the past, but actually we face a totally new situation, with totally new tools which never existed before. We have to find our common humanity to overcome the threat of extinction. > > Anna > > > > > > >> On 8 Apr 2015, at 23:40, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 1:04 PM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: >> I don't think much good would be served by initiating a discussion on this list, > > I can understand from the first responders (including me) why you > might think so, but I was not being sarcastic when I thought it was a > great discussion topic. And were the discussion to continue, and you > to explain why you respect Rifkin's ideas, I promise to refrain from > further knee-jerk responses and cheap shots at his expense. > > But here's Rifkin apparently talking about "the beginning of the end > of the capitalist era" to a bunch of rulers of the capitalists. I am > aware that some of those people do see the end of fossil fuels, but I > have not seen any signs that they see the end of capitalism. So why > are they listening to him? What does it mean about the world today? > > Brian Holmes wrote something on this list awhile ago where he thought > the leaders of the Chinese CP were watching the failures of the US and > Europe and did not want to repeat them. Possibly part of the same > story?

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Re: [P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Update from the Office of Jeremy Rifkin
by Michel Bauwens 11 Apr '15

11 Apr '15

dear Bob, rifkin worked with merkel but the germans decided the energiewende independently, the chinese case however is clearer, since the chinese leaders themselves said that reading the rifkin book was instrumental rifkin also played a role as consulant for the nord pas de calais energy transition, Michel On Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 12:24 AM, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks for continuing, Anna. > > I have a few followup questions and comments. > > 1. Do you have any evidence of Rifkin's actual influence in the ruling > capitalist circles? It's one thing to hear an interesting speaker give > them some food for thought. It's yet another to change their economic > and political practices accordingly. (I'm not saying he has no actual > influence, I'm just wondering if anybody knows anything of substance.) > > 2. Rifkin's Zero Margin Cost story has a lot of holes, as criticized here: > > http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/contra-rifkin-1-food-and-manufacturing-will-n… > (I hate to quote Eric Raymond, with whom I fundamentally disagree on > most things, but I do agree with a lot of that.) > > Several posters on this list have explained the exploited labor in the > computer value systems (in mining, for example). I used to work in a > plastics factory (now feedstock for 3D printing), where they had a lot > of signs reminding me that I would get cancer for working there. And > recycling is a toxic badly-paid job. > > 3. Do you know what Rifkin's actual political-economy proposals are > like? Does he have any? What kind of economic system does he think we > will be moving into? > > > On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 2:53 AM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: > > These are really good questions Bob. Rifkin has said that his ideas are > generally not welcomed in US where the military industrial complex has such > a strong hold. As Roberto Verzola has pointed out in his comment on grid > parity > > > > 'Since solar rooftos are a *distributed* form of generation, the whole > > p2p concept applies! Of course, as on the Internet, the two major > > trends, p2p and client-server, will continue to fight it out for > > supremacy. and it is by no means certain which trend will become > > dominant.' > > > > Rifkin writes about trends that are already happening, like Roberto > Verzola, not hypotheses about what might happen, based on what has happened > in the past. That I think is a reason why he appeals to those who make > powerful decisions. And like Orsan says he sees how their business > interests can best be served by aligning with what is already happening. > > > > However, capitalists are also human beings. They don't just think as > their class dictates, although that may be a very large influence. To treat > them as the enemy ignores the possibility that there might be a part of > them that actually agrees with you. Rifkin explores that part. I see him as > an undercover activist, and I applaud what he is doing. > > > > Orsan, your objections to green energy won't stand up to the practically > free electricity being produced now in parts of Germany, and whatever harm > is done by wind turbines cannot be compared to the co2 smog produced by > coal fired power stations. Our biggest threat as Naomi Klein points out is > climate warming, rarely mentioned on this list, and devastating in its > suicidal implications. > > > > I agree with you Orsan, that historical analysis is useful to understand > the past, but actually we face a totally new situation, with totally new > tools which never existed before. We have to find our common humanity to > overcome the threat of extinction. > > > > Anna > > > > > > > > > > > > > >> On 8 Apr 2015, at 23:40, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >> On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 1:04 PM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: > >> I don't think much good would be served by initiating a discussion on > this list, > > > > I can understand from the first responders (including me) why you > > might think so, but I was not being sarcastic when I thought it was a > > great discussion topic. And were the discussion to continue, and you > > to explain why you respect Rifkin's ideas, I promise to refrain from > > further knee-jerk responses and cheap shots at his expense. > > > > But here's Rifkin apparently talking about "the beginning of the end > > of the capitalist era" to a bunch of rulers of the capitalists. I am > > aware that some of those people do see the end of fossil fuels, but I > > have not seen any signs that they see the end of capitalism. So why > > are they listening to him? What does it mean about the world today? > > > > Brian Holmes wrote something on this list awhile ago where he thought > > the leaders of the Chinese CP were watching the failures of the US and > > Europe and did not want to repeat them. Possibly part of the same > > story? > _______________________________________________ > NetworkedLabour mailing list > NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour > -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [WSF-Discuss] Fw: Advancing Global Solidarity in Tunis and Beyond
by Michel Bauwens 11 Apr '15

11 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Orsan <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 8:11 PM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [WSF-Discuss] Fw: Advancing Global Solidarity in Tunis and Beyond To: "<networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" < networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> Begin forwarded message: *From:* jasper teunissen <jasperteunissen(a)hotmail.com> *Date:* 10 april 2015 14:09:54 CEST *To:* Discussion list about the WSF < WorldSocialForum-Discuss(a)openspaceforum.net> *Subject:* *[WSF-Discuss] Fw: Advancing Global Solidarity in Tunis and Beyond* *Reply-To:* Discussion list about the WSF < worldsocialforum-discuss(a)openspaceforum.net> http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/10/advancing-global-solidarity-in-tunis… Weekend Edition April 10-12, 2015 Scenes From the World Social Forum Advancing Global Solidarity in Tunis and Beyond by BENNY KURUVILLA and SUSANA BARRIA *The World Social Forum continues to be the pivotal global venue for left and progressive forces to advance struggles and create internationalist alliances to make another world possible. **Benny Kuruvilla and Susana Barria [1] <http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/10/advancing-global-solidarity-in-tunis…> report from the 2015 Tunis WSF on the challenges of the unfinished revolution in Tunisia, solidarity with Palestine and Greece and how the new innovative space of convergence assemblies provided concrete plans for activists to work together beyond the WSF.* *Tunis.* The world has changed since 2001, but many of the challenges that led to the founding of the World Social Forum (WSF) in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre remain. In the initial years of the 21st century, people’s movements were arguably on the offensive what with the massive global mobilisations against the war on Iraq; the defeat, by social movements in Latin America, of the US led Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA); the dramatic collapse of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Doha Round at the 2003 Cancun Ministerial and left resurgence in Latin America. In 2015, the world is a far more complex place with a still unravelling 2008 financial crisis in the North and South that has left millions jobless in its wake and a looming climate catastrophe that two decades of inter-governmental negotiations have failed to address. On the trade and investment front, mega regional treaties pushed by the USA such as the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have raised the stakes for the control of global trade, relegating the WTO to an afterthought. In the Maghreb, the euphoria and promise of the Arab Spring have tempered with the rise of extreme religious forces and return of status quo-ist elements to power in countries such as Egypt. Arguably on all these fronts, progressive forces are fighting defensive battles – in defending the right to decent work, defending the commons, defending democratic spaces and defending social services. *The UGTT and** Tunisia’s unfinished revolution* Tunisia, which provided the spark for the Arab Spring, hosted its second WSF from 24-28 March in its capital Tunis. 4 years after a young fruit seller Mohammed Bouazizi’s self immolation led to a popular overthrow of the Ben Ali regime, the Tunisian revolution remains unfinished. This is despite a relatively successful democratic transition, which initially saw the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party win elections in October 2011. The Ennahda regime, despite its call for civil liberties maintained the economic status quo that saw rising unemployment and skyrocketing food and fuel prices. It was out voted in October 2014 by the secular front Nidaa Tounes currently led by President Beji Caid Essebsi and Prime Minister Habib Essid. [image: wsf1] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf1.jpg> *The UGTT office on Rue de Grece. * ‘The outlook for the new ‘technocratic’ Government is also bleak as there is as yet no sign of a break with neo-liberal economic policies’ says Mounir a senior trade unionist with the teachers federation affiliated with the Tunisian General Labour Union (known by its French acronym UGTT). We meet Mounir at the busy UGTT office after traversing through the crowded bylanes off Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Tunis. Many UGTT functionaries are actively involved in the Tunis WSF. The UGTT has played a key role in Tunisia’s politics since its founding in 1946 and more so in the period before the revolution when it catalysed the coming together of groups opposed to the dictatorship and neo-liberal policies. As opposition parties were prohibited during the Ben Ali regime, the UGTT provided a platform to articulate the struggles of workers, the unemployed, professionals and the precariat. UGTT’s various offices across the country were actively involved in the revolt against Ben Ali and Mounir led many protests and suffered a broken arm after a brutal attack by the police during the upheaval in January 2011. The UGTT continues to be a refuge for struggles. After our meeting, Mounir took us to one of the halls in its sprawling office on Rue de Grece which was converted into a venue for an indefinite hunger strike since March 16. Twenty four young women and men were protesting against being denied jobs by the post revolution governments despite having the requisite academic credentials. They were earlier banned by the Ben Ali Government from holding government jobs due to their affiliation with the militant Tunisian General Union of Students (UGET in French). A pamphlet given to us by one of the UGTT lawyers fighting their case reads ‘the fight against social inequality is the great collective purpose that a nation should fulfil’. [image: wsf2] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf2.jpg> *Leader of the Popular Front Hamma Hammami at a seminar during the Tunis WSF.* The UGTT was nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize <http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-Who-Has-The-Best-Shot-At-Winning-The-No…>, narrowly losing out to the eventual winners. Rooted in this progressive trade union movement, a new coalition of left parties and independents formed the Popular Front, which emerged as the fourth largest political force in the 2014 elections. In a clear departure from other mainstream parties, the Popular Front led by the communist leader Hamma Hammami promises not only to deepen democracy but also a departure from neo-liberal economic policies. *The 2015 Tunis Forum* The Tunis Forum, hosted at the state run El Mannar University, began with a march in the rain to the Bardo museum (the site of a horrific attack a week prior to the WSF) under the slogan of ‘Peoples of the World United for Freedom, Equality, Social Justice and Peace: In Solidarity with Tunisian People and all Victims of Terrorism against all Forms of Oppressions’. This formulation was important in asserting WSF’s tradition to speak truth to power. Immediately after the Bardo attack, there was a proposal to hold the march under the slogan, ‘Peoples of the world united against terrorism’. However, groups responded by arguing that the discourses, policies and practices of the ‘war on terror’ have contributed to perpetuate capitalist and imperialist power. It was essential for the WSF to challenge dominant narratives and provide an alternative perspective that asserts solidarity, while challenging oppression and violence. [image: wsf3] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf3.jpg> *The opening WSF march reaches the Bardo Museum.* Tunisia has unfortunately seen an increment in terrorist attacks and, according to estimates <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/13/tunisia-breeding-ground-islami…>, is the largest source of recruits to the Islamic State (IS). Some 30,000 dinars were found in the house of one of the Bardo attackers. Mounir asserted the importance of creating decent jobs to curb the attraction of unemployed youth to radical religious forces, telling us that amount was more than fifty times a teacher’s salary in Tunis. Tunisia’s rate of unemployment is at its highest since the 2011 revolution with a huge percentage being educated youth. Skilled but jobless young Tunisians are fast becoming cannon fodder for radical forces that have the money to offer youth dreaming of a better life, if not for themselves, for their families, explained Mounir. But the Tunis Forum was not deterred by the Bardo attack. More than 1200 groups from 120 countries registered 1074 workshops with numbers of activists attending from countries such as France actually increasing after a call for solidarity following the 18 March incident. The most striking feature of this forum was its strong Arab and Mediterranean character with significant participation from not only Algeria, Morocco, Palestine and Egypt but also from Greece, France, Italy and Spain. For many, expectations were high as the 2013 Tunis Forum was reportedly the most vibrant and youthful WSF held in recent years. This was not surprising as the last edition was held barely two years after the revolution, and a few weeks after street protests pushed the Ennahda Government out of power accusing it of complicity in the February 2013 assassination of Chokri Belaïd of the Popular Front. *Space for regional solidarity and convergence* This edition might not have had the high numbers and energy of 2013, but it remained a highly stimulating space for solidarity, exchange and convergence of ideas and struggles. Palestine was one of the key motifs at Tunis and the closing march had thousands marching to the Palestinian Embassy, concluding with a resounding rendition of Fida’i. There were many workshops directly related to Palestine and it also figured in many thematic workshops, such as on social protection systems, health at work and corporate violation of human rights. The World Parliamentary Forum, comprised of progressive legislators from the South and North, met for a whole day on March 26 and issued a motion <http://alainet.org/en/articulo/168650> that focussed on issues ranging from debt, corporate impunity, migration and peace. Later Hamma Hammami, leader of the Popular Front hosted a meeting in downtown Tunis for members of political parties that were at the WSF. In attendance were parliamentarians and activists from left wing parties such as Tunisia’s Progressive Peoples Party, (that had recently left the Popular Front), Socialist Workers Party of Algeria, Green Party of Ivory Coast, Quebec Solidaire, the German Die Linke, the French Parti de Gauche, the Belgian Red-Green Alliance VEGA and the Communist Party Bruxelles. In his opening remarks, Hammami was quite blunt in laying out the tasks ahead – emphasising that the global left had lost the habit of working together even as its enemies were coordinating their attacks on the economic, social and cultural rights of the working classes. Activists recognised that while struggles are concrete and local, the challenge is to formulate common positions to create joint international struggles on issues such as migration, debt and austerity. A young activist at the meeting argued that ‘the Left needs to go back to basics – do politics that is concrete and grounded and take the line from the youth in Tunisia who have become increasingly politicised after the revolution’. [image: wsf4] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf4.jpg> *Members of the World Parliamentary Forum during the WSF March.* For some years, groups have realised that the WSF needs to adapt to the needs of social struggles in a rapidly changing global environment. In the 2013 Forum and previous editions, similar networks and groups ended up with a duplication of workshops and conferences, which created silos with networks mainly talking to themselves. The idea of promoting ‘convergence’ spaces between groups and thematic joint actions was quite successful at the 2015 Forum. For instance, this process allowed more than 20 organisations working in the area of health and social protection to club their events into 10 joint activities (6 Workshops, 2 Conferences, 1 Theatre Play and 1 Convergence Assembly). This collaboration helped several organisations and networks working on similar issues to understand each other’s positions, debate and share perspectives. Working together towards the joint activities also allowed them to initiate work links and trust which are fundamental for carrying initiatives beyond the Forum itself. Key issues that emerged included the need to counter policies aimed at creating new avenues for profit making in the health sector, such as Public-Private-Partnerships or private insurance based health system models promoted under the proposal of Universal Health Coverage. Social determinants of health also held centre stage, and it was noted by European labour activists that while this discussion is very advanced in the South, people in the North are only now coming to grasp its centrality in the new context created by the financial crisis and austerity measures. The joint declaration <http://www.phmovement.org/sites/www.phmovement.org/files/FSM-WSF%20Sant%C3%…> from this convergence reads ‘Our discussions show that the crisis in health and social protection is in fact the consequence of the global neoliberal politics. [...] Inspired by our experiences, we believe that the time is now for collective action!’ [image: wsf5] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf5.jpg>* Groups advertise one of the many Convergence Assemblies.* The Greece convergence assembly on 28 March, held just before the closing march expressed its solidarity with the Greek people fighting against austerity and for another Europe. The assembly resolved to scale up solidarity for Greece with a call to international delegations to participate in the May Day demonstrations in Athens. Further, a Peoples Summit will be held during the June 2015 European Union (EU) – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit which will be an important moment for exchanges between Latin America and European movements as well as from other regions. On the inaugural day of the Tunis Forum, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had written a letter of solidarity <http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Letter-to-WSF-from-Greek-Prime-Minist…> to the Tunis Forum. With the Syriza Government on a collision course with neo-liberal governments and European institutions, Tsipras knows it cannot be a national battle of the Greeks alone as a progressive future for the people of Europe is interlinked with the future of the Greek people. *What next for the World Social Forum?* During the Greece Solidarity convergence, there were several calls for the next WSF to be hosted by Athens. A common refrain was that ‘In Greece we are doing politics week by week, if not day by day. It is impossible us to take a commitment that will project us two years in the future’. Given the formidable logistics around hosting a WSF, the Greeks were also clear that a global event of this size would be more of a burden at a moment when there is tremendous political pressure and activists are ramping up to counter the European troika (European Central Bank, European Commission and the International Monetary Fund). The International Council (IC) of the WSF met after the Forum at the UGTT office to assess the Tunis event and decide on future plans. After the meeting it was announced that the next WSF will take place in Montreal, Quebec in August 2016. The announcement wasn’t without controversy since the IC had earlier agreed that the WSF would be a biennial event. Further, Canada has a rightwing Government which will impact local organisational capacity and the participation of activist groups from both the North and South given high costs and visa difficulties. Nevertheless, this will be the first ever WSF hosted by the global south of a northern country and that is exciting by itself. A collective of more than 140 groups representing labour, indigenous, feminist and environmental groups have worked tirelessly for the past two years to bring the forum to Quebec. The opportunity for the global south in the north to participate more actively in the WSF process is invaluable. In addition, the new ways of organising and activism emerging from the vibrant movements of the marginalised in North America could be a shot in the arm for re-vitalising and re-inventing the WSF. This is critical as the World Social Forum is the only act of its kind – a global platform for the left and progressive forces to share struggle notes, strategise and build another world that is not just possible, but more necessary than ever. [image: wsf6] <http://www.counterpunch.org/wp-content/dropzone/2015/04/wsf6.jpg> *Palestinian activists at the WSF closing march.* *Benny Kuruvilla is the policy chief of the South Solidarity Initiative, based in New Delhi, India.* *Susana Barria works at the Global Secretariat of the Peoples Health Movement, based in New Delhi, India.* *Notes. * [1] <http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/10/advancing-global-solidarity-in-tunis…> Are researchers with the South Solidarity Initiative at ActionAid India and Peoples Health Movement (PHM), respectively. They can be contacted at benny.kuruvilla(a)actionaid.org and sus.barria(a)gmail.com. The views expressed here are the authors personal views, and do not necessarily represent the views of their organisations. _______________________________________________ ** WSFDiscuss is an open and unmoderated forum for the exchange of information and views on the experience, practise, and theory of the World Social Forum at any level (local, national, regional, and global) and on related social and political movements and issues. Join in !** _______________________________________________ WSFDiscuss mailing list POST to LIST : Send email to WorldSocialForum-Discuss(a)openspaceforum.net SUBSCRIBE: Send empty email to worldsocialforum-discuss-subscribe(a)openspaceforum.net UNSUBSCRIBE: Send empty email to worldsocialforum-discuss-unsubscribe(a)openspaceforum.net LIST ARCHIVES: http://openspaceforum.net/pipermail/worldsocialforum-discuss_openspaceforum… LIST INFORMATION: http://openspaceforum.net/mailman/listinfo/worldsocialforum-discuss_openspa… _______________________________________________ NetworkedLabour mailing list NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Squares] Fwd: MY, PREKARIAT (WE, the PRECARIAT) campaign in Poland, demo on May 23 in Warsaw
by Michel Bauwens 11 Apr '15

11 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Orsan <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Apr 11, 2015 at 8:44 PM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Squares] Fwd: MY, PREKARIAT (WE, the PRECARIAT) campaign in Poland, demo on May 23 in Warsaw To: "<networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" < networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> Begin forwarded message: *From:* Mikifus <mikifus(a)gmail.com> *Date:* 11 april 2015 14:08:39 CEST *To:* squares <squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net> *Subject:* *[Squares] Fwd: MY, PREKARIAT (WE, the PRECARIAT) campaign in Poland, demo on May 23 in Warsaw* *Reply-To:* squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Igor Stokfiszewski <igor.stokfiszewski(a)krytykapolityczna.pl> Date: 2015-04-11 12:57 GMT+02:00 Dear Friends, Addresses of this e-mail include people from Political Critique (Krytyka Polityczna, Poland), Workers' Initiative (Inicjatywa Pracownicza, Poland), 15-M Movement (Spain), Fundación de los Comunes (Spain), Barcelona en Comú (Spain), ESC (Italy), Visual Culture Research Center (Ukraine), and Winter Holiday Camp international artivists' collective composed of inter alia members of Occupy Wall Street, of 15-M and of international social movements assembly in Berlin, Germany. Workers' Initiative autonomous trade union in collaboration with other Polish emancipatory oriented socio-political milieus including Political Critique inaugurates MY, PREKARIAT (WE, the PRECARIAT) campaign in Poland and announces May 23, 2015 the PRECARIAT’s DAY calling for precarity issued days of action in May 2015 all over Poland, solidarity gestures from international social movements environment and for demonstration in Warsaw on May 23, 2015 against the precarious conditions of contemporary work and lives in Poland. Here you can find the website of the campaign: www.myprekariat.pl. Here is the announcement of the campaign in English: https://myprekariat.wordpress.com/en/. Here is the same announcement on international Political Critique website: http://politicalcritique.org/events/2015/social-campaign-precariate/. Please – spread information among you networks and translate it into your languages if possible. Please let us know about peracrity oriented actions in your countries in the forthcoming months so we could get internationally networked with our campaign. Please, ask the people in your collectives whether you could formulate a solidarity appeal with our campaign and Warsaw demonstration in order to provide us international support that is so much needed in our context. I send you all best regards, Yours, Igor -- igor stokfiszewski krytyka polityczna stowarzyszenie im. stanisława brzozowskiego ul. foksal 16, p. II 00-372 warszawa e-mail: igor.stokfiszewski(a)krytykapolityczna.pl http://www.krytykapolityczna.pl _______________________________________________ n-1 working group: https://n-1.cc/pg/groups/104127/take-the-square-international/ Squares mailing list Squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net for unsubscribe/etc: https://lists.takethesquare.net/mailman/listinfo/squares or Squares-owner(a)lists.takethesquare.net _______________________________________________ NetworkedLabour mailing list NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] CFP: The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born: States, Strategies, Socialisms Twelfth Annual Historical Materialism Conference , 5-8 November 2015
by Michel Bauwens 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Örsan Şenalp <orsan1234(a)hotmail.com> Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 10:55 PM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] CFP: The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born: States, Strategies, Socialisms Twelfth Annual Historical Materialism Conference , 5-8 November 2015 To: "<networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" < networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> Begin forwarded message: *From:* "Sebastian Budgen sebastien.budgen(a)wanadoo.fr [historicalmaterialism]" <historicalmaterialism-noreply(a)yahoogroups.com> *Date:* 9 april 2015 16:07:39 CEST *To:* historicalmaterialism(a)yahoogroups.com *Subject:* *[historicalmaterialism] CFP: The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born: States, Strategies, Socialisms Twelfth Annual Historical Materialism Conference , 5-8 November 2015* *Reply-To:* historicalmaterialism-owner(a)yahoogroups.com The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born: States, Strategies, Socialisms Twelfth Annual Historical Materialism Conference School of Oriental and African Studies, Central London, 5-8 November 2015 Deadline for abstracts: 1 May 2015 Link for paper proposals will be live this weekend at www.historicalmaterialism.org As austerity tightens its grip around the throats of the peoples of Europe, but also rears its ugly head in Brazil and elsewhere, we are forced to recognize that it is not the mere byproduct of the « economic crisis » but a political project in its own right, one whose aim is to deepen and consolidate the most uncompromising forms of neoliberal capitalism. It cannot be said that this project has hitherto been met with passivity, even if social movements of resistance have been mostly far from strong enough to halt its advance. Yet something is perhaps beginning to change, namely the emergence of counter-austerity projects that have pitched themselves at a political - even electoral or governmental - level. With all their weaknesses, hesitations and contradictions, the chinks of light in Southern Europe, amongst others, should compel Marxists to pose a whole series of 'old' strategic and theoretical problems in new garbs and new configurations, but perhaps also to retire some of our dear fetishes and shibboleths, and to experiment with forms and strategies adequate to our present. Among the themes that have returned to the agenda are: the relationship of movements and parties of the radical Left to states and governments; the need for a political response to how class power is enmeshed with forms of domination that have gender, race, imperialism or sexuality as their axes; possible « socialist » futures and the « transitional » mediations implied by them; the guiding dichotomies of left thought: reform and revolution, revolution and revolt, state and movement, parties classes and masses; the link between the limits to capital and the limits of politics. At this year’s Historical Materialism Annual Conference in London, 5-8 November 2015, we would like to encourage papers on these and other topics, with a particular focus on Greece, Spain and Latin America as laboratories for these experiences and debates. Among the themes we would like to explore are:* Dual Power and Socialist Transition Communisation, Accelerationism and their limits Transitional Programme Redivivus? The European Union as a Class Project Greece and Spain as Laboratories of Change Latin America - What Follows the Pink Wave? Cultural and Aesthetic Representations of Crisis What Is Populism? The Reformist Hypothesis Right-wing Strategies in the Crisis Other themes we would like to see are: Nietzsche and Marxism (to celebrate the publication of Domenico Losurdo’s book on Nietzsche in the HM Book Series) History and Actuality of the first four congresses of the Communist International Social Reproduction Race and Capitalism Capitalism, Logistics and the Sea The Legacy of Nicos Poulantzas and Left Eurocommunism Capitalism and Global Inequality: Keynes or Marx? Marxist Thought in the Arab World China: Is the Miracle About to Crash? « Leninism » and its Discontents Strategies of Counter-Revolution Culture and State Building Rebuilding Communities and the Battles around Housing. Technologies and Culture *This is a non-exclusive list - other subjects are of course welcome too. Preconstituted panels are welcome but we reserve the right to disaggregate them and create new panels with some of the speakers proposed. N.B. Given the complexity of organising a conference of this size, we cannot guarantee that speakers will be able to speak on a certain day or at a certain time. Last minute changes to the conference programme may be necessary due to cancellations, and we ask for speakers' understanding should a paper or session need to be moved. Finally, please do not propose a paper unless there are realistic prospects that you will be able to attend - « no shows » cause endless knock-on problems of organisation and stress. Separate CFPs for streams during the conference, such as on Marxism and Feminism, will be circulated soon. __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: Sebastian Budgen <sebastien.budgen(a)wanadoo.fr> ------------------------------ Reply via web post <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/historicalmaterialism/conversations/mes…> • Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20CFP%3A%20The%20Old%20is%20Dying%20and%20the%20New%20Cannot%20Be%20Born%3A%20%20States%2C%20Strategies%2C%20Socialisms%20%20Twelfth%20Annual%20Historical%20Materialism%20Conference%20%2C%205-8%20November%202015> • Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20CFP%3A%20The%20Old%20is%20Dying%20and%20the%20New%20Cannot%20Be%20Born%3A%20%20States%2C%20Strategies%2C%20Socialisms%20%20Twelfth%20Annual%20Historical%20Materialism%20Conference%20%2C%205-8%20November%202015> • Start a New Topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/historicalmaterialism/conversations/new…> • Messages in this topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/historicalmaterialism/conversations/top…> (1) Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/historicalmaterialism/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJ…> - New Members <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/historicalmaterialism/members/all;_ylc=…> 3 [image: Yahoo! Groups] <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlOGZxNDMyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkA…> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • Unsubscribe <historicalmaterialism-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___ _______________________________________________ NetworkedLabour mailing list NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Other News - The Sharing Economy Needs a Public Option
by Michel Bauwens 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Orsan Senalp <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 3:21 AM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Other News - The Sharing Economy Needs a Public Option To: "<networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" < networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> Begin forwarded message: *From:* english(a)other-news.info *Date:* 8 Apr 2015 21:55:41 GMT+2 *To:* "english" <english(a)other-news.info> *Subject:* *Other News - The Sharing Economy Needs a Public Option* [image: []] *The Sharing Economy Needs a Public Option* *Dean Baker** So-called "sharing economy" companies such as Uber, Airbnb and Task Rabbit are posing policy headaches for governments around the world. Their argument that they should be exempt from existing regulations because their services are ordered over the web does not make much sense, but it provides an adequate fig leaf for politicians seeking campaign contributions from these highly capitalized newcomers. For those who have missed the hype, "sharing economy" refers to a wide variety of companies that use the web to connect consumers and providers. While there is not reliable data on its size, in part because it is not well-defined, Airbnb now boasts far more room listings than Hilton or Marriott, and Uber has quickly grown to be the largest taxi service in the world. Part of the response to the innovations associated with these sharing economy companies should be to modernize regulations. It is reasonable to regulate taxi services in ways that ensure that cars are safe and drivers are competent and responsible. It is also reasonable to regulate rented rooms to ensure they are not fire traps. Similarly, both should be regulated in ways that ensure access to the handicapped and prevents discrimination. In addition, employees in these companies should be covered by workers compensation and protected by minimum wage and overtime rules. These efforts will require a rewriting of existing regulations, many of which were put in place to protect the existing companies in the industry rather than serve a legitimate public purpose. This sort of modernization is clearly a doable task from a technical standpoint, although sharing economy companies will undoubtedly use their money to try to block the imposition of rules that put them on an equal footing with their old-fashioned competitors. In addition to a level-the-playing-field approach, we can also treat the sharing economy companies to some new competition: a public option. The idea is that governments can set up public sites that would provide the same services as the sharing economy companies. The difference would be that the public sites would cut out the middle man. They would be set up to benefit customers and service providers with the government only charging the fees necessary to cover costs. For example, a taxi service could allow for drivers to register in the same way as they do for Uber and Lyft. Customers could use an app to order their services just as they do with Uber and Lyft. The difference would be that the public service would likely take out a lower share of the fare than its for-profit competitors. If its design was effective, only drivers who felt like being ripped off would work for Uber and Lyft. In addition, a public service could directly apply standards to providers as a condition of participating. Cab drivers would have to meet licensing standards and their cars would have to pass inspection. And they would have to arrange insurance for both car and driver. A public version of Airbnb could require that potential renters had their rooms inspected for fire safety and also provide copies of leases or condo agreements to ensure that these were not being violated by renting out rooms or whole units. A non-profit in England (with the unfortunate name Beyond Jobs [ http://beyondjobs.com/] has established an open-source program for many of these purposes. This system may not be fully up to the job, but it should provide a basis from which to work. In addition to cutting out the middle man and ensuring that necessary standards are met, a public service could provide other important benefits. Most notably it could ensure that customer reviews are the property of the service provider. As it stands now, the reviews are typically the property of the company. This means if an Uber driver has established himself as a safe and reliable driver, he can't use his recommendations with another service. The same would be the case with someone renting out a room or apartment through Airbnb. This issue is perhaps most important with labor-service providers such as Task Rabbit. If a worker has established herself as a reliable electrician, plumber or child-care provider, she should be able to carry this record with her. While Task Rabbit and comparable services may not allow such transfers, a public system could assure workers of transferable recommendations. Another great feature to the public option route is that it can be implemented at the local level. There is no need to worry about an intransigent Congress or even hostile state legislators. Any city with a substantial progressive base should be able to take the initiative to set up its own public-sharing economy system. Such systems can also be linked between cities, which could be especially helpful in the case of competing with Airbnb. Naturally, there will be problems in setting up such systems, as is always the case in establishing something new. But there is no reason that a public system cannot be at least as efficient as the private networks now operating. After all, the administrative costs of the public Social Security system are less than one tenth as high as the costs of private retirement accounts. Rather than trying to squash sharing economy companies, which would almost certainly not be possible in any case, a far better strategy for progressives is to take advantage of the innovations they offer and restructure them in ways that ensure the public and service providers both benefit. This can be done, if we are prepared to try some new tactics. ** Dean Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC. He has a blog, "Beat the Press [* *http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/],"** where he discusses the media's coverage of economic issues. Source: * *http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/the-sharing-economy-needs-a-public-option**. (Publicado por Al Jazeera : * *http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/3/the-sharing-economy-needs-a...)** . América Latina en movimiento –ALAI* [image: []] _______________________________________________ <br/> English mailing list English(a)other-news.info <br/> <br/> To unsubscribe, send an email to: ENGLISH-leave(a)other-news.info _______________________________________________ NetworkedLabour mailing list NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: On the Lam with Bank Robber Enric Duran
by Michel Bauwens 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Bollier <david(a)bollier.org> Date: Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 9:44 AM Subject: Fwd: On the Lam with Bank Robber Enric Duran To: Heike Loeschmann <Loeschmann(a)boell.de>, Michel Bauwens < michel(a)p2pfoundation.net> Excellent profile of Enric Duran and CIC, in VICE magazine, by Nathan Schneider. David -------- Original Message -------- Subject: On the Lam with Bank Robber Enric Duran Date: Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:41:57 -0400 From: Nathan Schneider <nathan(a)therowboat.com> <nathan(a)therowboat.com> To: therowboat(a)lists.therowboat.com Be the Bank You Want to See in the World [image: [image: Enric Duran]] If you could make a new economy from the ground up, what would it look like? Enric Duran has tried—twice. In 2008 he became famous after borrowing half a million dollars from Spain's banks and refusing to give it back. He then masterminded the Catalan Integral Cooperative, a network of independent workers that may just represent the future of work altogether. Now, still in hiding because of his heist, Duran is orchestrating his next utopia, a cryptocurrency-infused global financial system. In this month's issue of *VICE* magazine <https://www.vice.com/read/be-the-bank-you-want-to-see-in-the-world-0000626-…>, I go face-to-face with Duran and on a tour of his remarkable undertakings. *Read the article VICE's website <https://www.vice.com/read/be-the-bank-you-want-to-see-in-the-world-0000626-…> or look through the print version <http://therowboat.com/articles/BeTheBank.pdf>. While you're at it, retweet this <https://twitter.com/nathanairplane/status/585500554505359360>.* In other news I had a great time speaking about *God in Proof* at St. Thomas University <http://theaquinian.net/occupy-journalist-gives-dollard-lecture-thursday/> in Fredericton, Canada. I talked about cooperativism on *Majority Report with Sam Seder* <http://majority.fm/2015/03/30/mm-monday-nathan-schneider-the-cooperative-ec…> and at Civic Hall <http://techpresident.com/news/25485/thinking-outside-boss-interest-rising-c…> with a panel of sagely organizers and thinkers. I upset some white people <http://americamagazine.org/issue/no-white-man-innocent> and prayed the Angelus <http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/angelus-work>. New look! If you've received this newsletter in the past, you might have noticed that it used to come from MailChimp, and now it doesn't. That's part of my ongoing experiments in #SlowComputing—for the most part, trying to use community-driven software <http://www.therowboat.com/open-journalism/> rather than profit-driven stuff. (Stay tuned for an article on the subject in *The New Republic*.) Since coding universally compatible emails is sort of a nightmare, there are sure to be glitches. Please let me know if there any problems with this email on your end. ------------------------------ [image: [The Row Boat]] <http://www.therowboat.com/> You've received this email because you're subscribed to my newsletter. Unsubscribe here <https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/options/therowboat>. Sent with GNU Mailman <https://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/index.html>, with help from other free-and-open software <http://www.therowboat.com/open-journalism/>. -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Re: [P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: Update from the Office of Jeremy Rifkin
by Orsan 09 Apr '15

09 Apr '15

Dear Anna, As someone who was reading Rifkin's writings from 90s till today, I can say that about his visionary critics over the developments in technology, as genetical engineering, nano technology, and now the Internet of things, it is something impressive. I do appreciated his practice as a professional intellectual of managerialism era. As an 'organic intellectual' he strive to find a middle ground looking way, solution to the problem of intra class struggle, emerged in his time between the fractions of certain capitalist, ruling class elements. Why I would appreciate for this kind of effort since I think it would serve to delay a perishing, worse suffering and death, more then today, and for more amount of people, this could be billions if emerges a next global war plus fascism plus revolution like scenario. So if it would serve to stop or delay this apocalyptic option that is a good thing anyway. But first, I can not see more to expect from him, nor any effort for more, like delaying an ecological disasters, or less suffering for less people as objective are not perspective he stresses. Because we already started to see how geothermal plantations started to damage the environment, as wind tribunes, how some other green energy generates cancer, meanwhile geo-engineering kind of stuff threatens other balances. What Rifkin foresee a world Airbnb, TaskRabbit, kind of global collaborative commons capitalism, would compete its social democratic version. This is actually what he openly promotes to the emerging new rulers of the world, and those who are ready to build partnership with them from the sinking old boys network. Such a middle ground perspective, actually, when served to strengthen the hand of deadly enemy of say NeoCons, China and Germany, that approaches Russia, and align with Others from Brics, such a shifting transnationalist/globalist ruling elite constellation for instance, if it also. attract some radical looking left wing support, might be threaten the war mongers with fast approaching dispossession and, what Gramsci calls Passive Revolution from above. Since this threat drives these people to survival counter attacks, all systemic destabilization appears as suicidal to observers. The potential of Rifkin's vision to replace the failed global governance project -promoted by of the Soros-Clinton-Bono constellation, and later failed Green Keynesianism; can be replaced with such a perspective, since it offers a structural advantage to those in order to suppress and dispossess the U.S.vand Europe based conservative (nationalist, extractionist, industrial military complex) ruling class fraction. Of course these all hypothetical, things are not this simple and black and white at all. I just wished to re demonstrate what sort of thinking lies behind my critics of Rifkin. This however I think might be what Wallerstein were identifying as a good looking alternative both to a real emancipatory vision, as well as dying order, which might be more dangerous than today's capitalism. It might sound like worry driven and negative apocalyptic perspective yet it is historically what has been happening, right? After ever round of clashes between elite, war, Revolution, and later things worsen and get more complex. Are we moving into enlightenment or destruction today, or equally to both? I know the above might sound like an economic, or class reductionist analysis, but since I tried to to put ideas together so that it would not offend or attack yours or others, respect to those that are not class or political economy based, Marxist, so on, yet claiming to envisage emancipatory path. So would love to hear how would you react to the above arguments, Anna; since they tried to address another reality of growing and worsening sort of conscious(less)ness bear by those at the top and at the grass-root levels, like right wing, anti Islamist, and fundamentalist movements. this put the arguments for the evolution of humanity towards a higher level consciousness, for the good of planet, in a troublesome position. I think this point might be the point that would demonstrate the difference between Wilber's and Michel's positions on Integral Analysis? In my opinion, the role of class, capitalism, dialectic materialism are really essential to make sense, and analyze the world and universe but might be irrelevant to political choices and practices, since history showed again and again, since analyses do not give direct result nor guaranty to the good, oppressed people or classes, to win a battle. Personalities, communication, creativity, collaboration is much more important indeed for the struggle a battle. great method and analyses is a pre- but more than that commons humanity needs really open, sincere, assertive, brave, critical, radical, transformatory, emancipatory, and revolutionary exchanges, cooperations, networkings, organizing and actions; without fear of enclosure, exclusion, cooptation, so on. If we can not manage, I don't think Rifkin's practice would mean anything for billions, for more than several decades. yet if we could do our part, his efforts would be saving time for general win. This would be much more, even beyond what he is able to calculate. So I would not propose to dismiss his or any other effort at all; yet from his writings I find hard to see any convincing clue to believe that he even tries to effecting rulers by providing them an human option. He acts more like a Keynes, or Peter Drucker, providing a good business idea, win win option, for the next generation rulers, as well as himself. That option he knows should be looking more human and appealing to the new middle classes, consumers that should be providing the legitimacy of the next degenerative and destructive form of global informational capitalism (if we could still call it capitalism at all). And as in Keynes' case, very hard to avoid, and depends on his appeal to rulers and some radicals, it likely to catalyze a war like scenario. Orsan > On 9 apr. 2015, at 00:40, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 1:04 PM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: >> I don't think much good would be served by initiating a discussion on this list, > > I can understand from the first responders (including me) why you > might think so, but I was not being sarcastic when I thought it was a > great discussion topic. And were the discussion to continue, and you > to explain why you respect Rifkin's ideas, I promise to refrain from > further knee-jerk responses and cheap shots at his expense. > > But here's Rifkin apparently talking about "the beginning of the end > of the capitalist era" to a bunch of rulers of the capitalists. I am > aware that some of those people do see the end of fossil fuels, but I > have not seen any signs that they see the end of capitalism. So why > are they listening to him? What does it mean about the world today? > > Brian Holmes wrote something on this list awhile ago where he thought > the leaders of the Chinese CP were watching the failures of the US and > Europe and did not want to repeat them. Possibly part of the same > story?

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