October 2016 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Fw: Fw: Info
by Natalie Golovin 10 Mar '26

10 Mar '26

Mark: You and your compatriots on P2P view the world from revisionism. Go ahead and keep looking through your microscope-provided by your "teachers." Or take the time and read some very old documented evidence available at a library near you= but you may need to stay there awhile on microfiche. -----Original Message----- From: Mark Janssen Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 4:39 PM To: P2P Foundation mailing list Subject: Re: [P2P-F] Fw: Info On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 10:32 AM, Natalie Golovin <10natalie(a)cox.net> wrote: > The European Tribes treated the Natives no worse than they treated each > other. Whoa. You should really stop talking. You have NO idea what you're talking about. How about forced acculturation, not allowing them to speak their own language (which hold the record of their own history), confined them under threat of violent force into reservations, among other things. But, really, that's probably not even the worst of it -- the worst of it is that for reasons they couldn't ever understand is why you were doing all of these cruel things when they were willing to share it it all with you. Why, when they handed out their hand to be friends, you chopped it off. Remember, they're the ones who gave us Thanksgiving which is still "celebrated" in this nation today. Read the reports made of making first contact with the Native peoples here. You really should read up before propagating the attitudes of conquest. Sorry.... marcos _______________________________________________ P2P Foundation - Mailing list http://www.p2pfoundation.net https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation

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Fwd: THE RISE OF ASIA - Paris and Le Havre, March 22-24, 2017
by Michel Bauwens 31 Oct '16

31 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Darwis Khudori <darwis.khudori(a)univ-lehavre.fr> Date: Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 4:36 AM Subject: THE RISE OF ASIA - Paris and Le Havre, March 22-24, 2017 [image: LA MONTEE DE L'ASIE] <http://www.bandungspirit.org/> Dear friends of School for Wellbeing, I am pleased to inform you that we are organising in Paris and Le Havre an international and multidisciplinary conference with topic "THE RISE OF ASIA: HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE. What impacts, what risks and what opportunities for the rest of the world?" The conference will take place on: March 22, 2017: Opening Conference at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France March 23, 2017: First day of conference at the University of Le Havre, France March 24, 2017: Second day of conference at the University of Le Havre, France I am also in contact with Leiden University, the Netherlands, for a possible conference in the following week, so that participants could take advantage of their international trip to visit France and the Netherlands. I hope you have a possibility to participate in this conference. If you wish to present a paper, please, follow the Call for Papers at http://www.bandungspirit.org/ I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your kind attention. Warm regards, Darwis KHUDORI Directeur Master Management International - Echanges avec l'Asie Université du Havre FRANCEhttps://fai.univ-lehavre.fr/[email protected] Le 13/07/2015 à 12:53, Darwis KHUDORI a écrit : Dear friends of School for Wellbeing, I would like to take advantage of our previous exchange below for informing you that we organise an international and multidisciplinary conference of commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1955 Bandung Asian-African Conference in Indonesia on October 27-31, 2015. The general theme of the conference is RETHINKING EMERGING FORCES 60 YEARS AFTER THE BANDUNG CONFERENCE. The conference will explore a transversal theme (HISTORY) and five sectoral themes (CULTURE, ECOLOGY, ECONOMY, POLITICS, SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION). You find the necessary information at http://www.bandungspirit.org/ I would like to invite you to participate in our conference. If you wish to present a paper, you may send your abstract until August 31, 2015. You may also join a working group in order to get informed of the preparation of the conference. The regularly updated working group members can be checked at http://www.bandungspirit.org/spip.php?article85 I would be grateful if you could also help disseminating this announcement to your networks. You may use the poster and the text of Call for papers available at http://www.bandungspirit.org/IMG/pdf/poster_text-call_for_ papers-1.pdf I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your kind attention and help. Best regards, Darwis KHUDORI darwis.khudori(a)univ-lehavre.fr ; emdeka(a)free.fr *De: *hans(a)schoolforwellbeing.org *À: *"Sudarshan" <sudarshan(a)undp.org> <sudarshan(a)undp.org>, "Sudarshan" <Ramaswamy.Sudarshan(a)undp.org> <Ramaswamy.Sudarshan(a)undp.org>, "Sombath Somphone" <ssombath(a)yahoo.com> <ssombath(a)yahoo.com>, "Nicanor Perlas" <npperlas(a)gmail.com> <npperlas(a)gmail.com>, "Michel Bauwens" <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com> <michelsub2004(a)gmail.com>, "Francois BAFOIL" <francois.bafoil(a)sciences-po.fr> <francois.bafoil(a)sciences-po.fr>, "Guo Peiyuan" <guopeiyuan(a)gmail.com> <guopeiyuan(a)gmail.com>, "Satish de Mel" <arthacharya(a)arthacharya.org> <arthacharya(a)arthacharya.org>, "Apichai Puntasen" <apichaipun(a)hotmail.com> <apichaipun(a)hotmail.com>, "Chea Vannath 2" <cheavannath(a)gmail.com> <cheavannath(a)gmail.com>, "Chea Vannath" <cheavannath(a)yahoo.com> <cheavannath(a)yahoo.com>, "Chalida Tajaroensuk" <Chalida.Empowerment(a)gmail.com> <Chalida.Empowerment(a)gmail.com>, "Darwis Khudhori" <emdeka(a)free.fr> <emdeka(a)free.fr>, "Takayoshi KUSAGO" <tkusago(a)gmail.com> <tkusago(a)gmail.com>, "Ong Kung Wai" <kungwai(a)tm.net.my> <kungwai(a)tm.net.my>, "Sharan Srinivas" <sharanster(a)gmail.com> <sharanster(a)gmail.com>, "Sotha Ros" <rossotha(a)yahoo.com> <rossotha(a)yahoo.com>, "Jarin Boonmathya" <jbthya(a)yahoo.com> <jbthya(a)yahoo.com>, "Istvan Rado" <irado(a)gmx.at> <irado(a)gmx.at>, "Silke Helfrich" <silke.helfrich(a)gmx.de> <silke.helfrich(a)gmx.de>, "Jost Pachaly" <director(a)th.boell.org> <director(a)th.boell.org>, "Wathana Onpanich" <wathana(a)jfbkk.or.th> <wathana(a)jfbkk.or.th>, dpongchai(a)hotmail.com, sopida(a)sti.or.th, "Leif Olsen" <leif_thomas_olsen(a)yahoo.com> <leif_thomas_olsen(a)yahoo.com>, "Rosana Tositrakul" <santiros05(a)gmail.com> <santiros05(a)gmail.com>, "Rosana Tositrakul" <santiros05(a)gmail.com> <santiros05(a)gmail.com>, "Prida Tiasuwan" <prida(a)pranda.co.th> <prida(a)pranda.co.th>, "Rebeca Leonard" <r.leonard(a)focusweb.org> <r.leonard(a)focusweb.org>, "Jacques-chai" <jacques-chai(a)focusweb.org> <jacques-chai(a)focusweb.org>, "Pun-Arj Chairatana" <pac(a)noviscape.com> <pac(a)noviscape.com>, "Supinya Klangnarong" <freebird3473(a)gmail.com> <freebird3473(a)gmail.com>, "Ajarn Sulak" <spd(a)semsikkha.org> <spd(a)semsikkha.org>, "Ajarn Surichai" <surichai1984(a)yahoo.com> <surichai1984(a)yahoo.com>, "Apichai Puntasen" <apichaipun(a)hotmail.com> <apichaipun(a)hotmail.com>, "Amara Pongsapich" <amara.p(a)chula.ac.th> <amara.p(a)chula.ac.th>, "teerana" <teerana(a)hotmail.com> <teerana(a)hotmail.com>, "Montawadee Krutmechai" <montawadee2009(a)gmail.com> <montawadee2009(a)gmail.com>, "David Crookall" <crookall.simulation@ googlemail.com> <crookall.simulation(a)googlemail.com>, "Dasho Karma Ura" <dasho.k.ura(a)gmail.com> <dasho.k.ura(a)gmail.com>, "Sangay Thinley" <sthinley(a)gmail.com> <sthinley(a)gmail.com>, "Buddhina Nuntavorakarn" <n_fatcat(a)yahoo.com> <n_fatcat(a)yahoo.com>, "Duangjai Rungrojcharoenkit" <jaiko17(a)yahoo.com> <jaiko17(a)yahoo.com>, "hans@schoolforwellbeing. org" <hans(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <hans(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <hans(a)schoolforwellbeing.org>, "Khun Chitpong" <guopai(a)gmail.com> <guopai(a)gmail.com>, "Patcharee Chonmanat" <patcharee(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <patcharee(a)schoolforwellbeing.org>, "Soraj Hongladarom" <s.hongladarom(a)gmail.com> <s.hongladarom(a)gmail.com>, "Supit Knoop" <supitknoop(a)gmail.com> <supitknoop(a)gmail.com>, "Surat Horachaikul" <surat247(a)hotmail.com> <surat247(a)hotmail.com>, "Thanapol Kheolamai" <thanapol(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <thanapol(a)schoolforwellbeing.org>, "Wallapa" <wallapa.van(a)gmail.com> <wallapa.van(a)gmail.com> *Cc: *"Patcharee Chonmanat" <patcharee(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <patcharee(a)schoolforwellbeing.org>, "Supit Knoop" <supitknoop(a)gmail.com> <supitknoop(a)gmail.com>, "Jost Wagner" <jw(a)change-initiative.com> <jw(a)change-initiative.com>, "Wallapa" <wallapa.van(a)gmail.com> <wallapa.van(a)gmail.com>, "Apple" <nm(a)change-initiative.com> <nm(a)change-initiative.com>, "Somboon Chungprampree" <c_somboon(a)hotmail.com> <c_somboon(a)hotmail.com>, "Fon" <ravipa.pco(a)gmail.com> <ravipa.pco(a)gmail.com>, "fonfah kanong" <fonfahkanong(a)gmail.com> <fonfahkanong(a)gmail.com>, "Thanapol Kheolamai" <thanapol(a)schoolforwellbeing.org> <thanapol(a)schoolforwellbeing.org>, "Thanutra Teerasuphaset" <thanutra.t(a)fccthai.com> <thanutra.t(a)fccthai.com>, "Woranut" <woranutc(a)yahoo.com> <woranutc(a)yahoo.com> *Envoyé: *Dimanche 28 Août 2011 15:31:51 *Objet: *School for Wellbeing Press Meeting FCCT Monday 29 August 19.30 Dear all resource persons and participants exchange platform Re-thinking Property, In the first place of course a very warm thank you to you all again for joining the exchange platform! It has been a moving experience. We made many new friends and renewed many of our friendships. And, it is not yet over.. Many of you will be back home or on your way, hopefully with good memories of our creative meeting. But if you are still in Bangkok, this is to remind you that we will meet to REACHING OUT: Monday 29 August at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT). The address is below and I am sure you all will be able to find it easily. The programme is as follows: · 18.30 Dinner (all are welcome) · 19.30 Introduction (conference video?) · 20.00-21.00 Panel discussion moderated by Surat Horachaikul o Panellists - Silke Helfrich – Commons Strategy Group - Takayoshi Kusago – Kansai University - Sharan Srinivas – Right Livelihood College - Hans van Willenswaard – School for Wellbeing (replacing Dasho Karma Ura) Attached is the written text of what is now ‘Action-Research Outline’ based on our discussion Friday evening 26 August at SASA (hopefully it will correctly contain all comments..). In case of emergency please call Wallapa 081-406 2260 and ask for Hans. Hope to see all of you (still) in Bangkok Monday 18.30, Hans and Wallapa Thanutra Teerasuphaset Manager Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) Penthouse, Maneeya Center Building 518/5, Ploenchit Road, Lumpini Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: 02 652-0580-1 Fax: 02-652-0582 Email: thanutra.t(a)fccthai.com Website: www.fccthai.com Suan Nguen Mee Ma social enterprise Garden of Fruition Publishing house * Green shop, books, handicrafts, coffee * Green Market Network 77,79 Fuang Nakorn Road Opposite Wat Rajabopit Bangkok 10200 Thailand www.suan-spirit.com www.thaigreenmarket.com Secretariat School for Wellbeing Studies and Research www.schoolforwellbeing.org Tel. +66-(0)2-622 0955 Fax. +66-(0)2-622 3228 -- Darwis Khudori Directeur, Master Echanges avec l'Asie Université du Havre, Francehttp://www.univ-lehavre.fr/enseign/fai/[email protected] -- 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: Weekend Roundup: How to Curb the Mobocratic Algorithm of Social Media
by Michel Bauwens 29 Oct '16

29 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: The WorldPost <highlights(a)theworldpost.com> Date: Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 6:03 PM Subject: Weekend Roundup: How to Curb the Mobocratic Algorithm of Social Media To: michel(a)p2pfoundation.net Weekend Roundup: How to Curb the Mobocratic Algorithm of Social Media By: Nathan Gardels, Editor-in-chief Visit the WorldPost at http://www.theworldpost.com <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> / Dear Michel, Wael Ghonim is the internet activist who helped spawn <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> the Arab Spring in Egypt with his Facebook posts. During those heady days in Cairo, as he explains in an interview with *The WorldPost*, Ghonim <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> came to realize that, "the algorithmic structure of social media amplified and abetted the turn to mobocracy" because it is designed to bring together those with common passions and sympathies irrespective of whether the information they share is truth, rumor or lies. In our present moment, says Ghonim, "Donald Trump is the living example of the damage mobocratic algorithms can do to the democratic process." The challenge has thus shifted, he says. "While once social media was seen as a liberating means to speak truth to power," Ghonim argues, "now the issue is how to speak truth to social media." Since "people will be as shallow as platforms allow them to be," he explains, Ghonim proposes that the big social media companies focus on creating a "meritocratic algorithm" that rewards credible information and dialogue, not just the broadcast of "sensational content" to the like-minded. As Nick Robins-Early <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> reports, the Pirate Party in Iceland may soon have the chance, at least in coalition, to test social media in governance. If the anti-establishment party is elected in this weekend's vote, among the pledges they've made is to change the constitution <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> to a crowdsourced document. In a short essay <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> based on a recent speech in Beijing, I note the irony of how the U.S. election campaign has helped achieve some of China's cherished strategic aims. "By saying America might cast off the burden of allies," I write, "U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has already planted the long seeds of doubt among leaders in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia. Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine president, likely only says what many are thinking when he questions American staying power and recognizes the need to forge a closer relationship with China." I also note that opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP - by both Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Trump - has derailed President Barack Obama's "pivot" to Asia by challenging its central plank. Writing from Manila, Richard Javad Heydarian <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> reflects on Duterte's declaration during a state visit to Beijing earlier that he would "separate" <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> from his country's long reliance on the United States. "The Duterte administration is intent on transforming China from an embittered territorial rival into a partner for national development," Heydarian says. Our Hong Kong partner, the *South China Morning Post <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…>*, reports that an official paper in China, *The People's Tribune*, editorializes that "China needs a Mao-like strongman leader, and President Xi Jinping fits the bill." Indeed, this week the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee elevated <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> Xi to the status of a "core" leader. Dean Obeidallah <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> observes another irony of the American presidential campaign. The Trump attack on Khizr Khan - the father of an American Muslim soldier killed in battle - has turned Khan into a proud emblem of tolerance and diversity who now appears in a new video ad for Hillary Clinton. "As an American Muslim," Obeidallah writes, "I shed tears watching this video because for once my community isn't being equated with terrorism." Turning to the ongoing refugee crisis, this photo essay <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> documents what it was like as the French government closed down the famous "Jungle" refugee camp in Calais this week and began dispersing the residents throughout France. In the chaos of the closure, Willa Frej <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> reports, "children as young as 6 are being turned away to sleep in the street." She also reports <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> that one of the last open routes for refugees to Europe - the Mediterranean sea between Libya and Italy - is one of the most treacherous. The senator-mayor of Beauvais-sur-Matha, France, Corinne Imbert <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…>, writes: "The humanitarian situation had become a dire concern of the highest priority. In that sense, the dismantling of the 'Jungle' is a good thing. But one must wonder how in France, the land of human rights, such a place could have thrived for so long." Markus Berktold <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…>, the mayor of Seeg, a small village in Bavaria, writes about how his small community of 3,000 is helping refugees to integrate. From Lampedusa, Italy Angela Giuffrida <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> profiles Pietro Bartolo, a 60-year old doctor who, for most of the last two decades, has been the only physician treating refugees and migrants on the island. Giuffrida recounts some of the many harrowing tales of rescue and desperation from Bartolo's recent book, "Salt Tears." As American-led airstrikes pound <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…>targets nearby as part of the assault on Mosul to dislodge the self-proclaimed Islamic State, WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> talks with some of the Christian families who took refuge from ISIS at the ancient Mar Mattai Monastery in Iraq. "We are so tired," one middle-aged man tells her. "It's always war, war, war." Writing from Abuja, Nigeria, Mercy Corp's Ghilda Chrabieh <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> reports on "the unseen hunger crisis" now afflicting the same people who survived the terror of militant group Boko Haram. Tom Saater documents the "humanitarian catastrophe" emerging there with striking photos from the ground. Margaret Levi <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> looks back at the prescient thinking of Rosa Luxembourg, who, in her book "Accumulation of Capital," theorized at the turn of the 20th century about globalization and the downward pressure on wages from technological innovation. In a beautifully written essay, Calvin College's James K.A. Smith <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> recounts how his millennial students found their "'hitchhiker's guide' to a secular age" in the works of philosopher Charles Taylor, who was recently awarded <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…>the Berggruen Prize. In the essay Smith quotes novelist Julian Barnes <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> as saying, "I don't believe in God, but I miss Him." And he says that Taylor's meditations on secularism suggest to those pondering a leap of faith that it is, "better to pray in the ruins than settle for disenchantment." Nick Visser <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> reports that the long-sought transition to renewable energy is well underway. In 2015, he writes, "more than half of all of energy generation capacity added came from renewable sources." The Future of Life Institute's Ariel Conn <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> details a conference at New York University that explored, "the ethical questions behind artificial intelligence." "Though most people involved in the field of artificial intelligence are excited about its development," she writes, "many worry that without proper planning an advanced AI could destroy all of humanity." Finally, Singularity this week looks at the impact of digital technology in the workplace. "While many focus on a massively automated future," Raya Bidshahri <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> explains, "technology has been changing the nature of work for years. Widespread connectivity and computing are rapidly decentralizing the workforce." Introducing the WorldPost - Where the World Meets <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> *WHO WE ARE* EDITORS: *Nathan Gardels*, Co-Founder and Executive Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. *Kathleen Miles* is the Executive Editor of The WorldPost. *Farah Mohamed* is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. *Alex Gardels* and *Peter Mellgard* are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. *Suzanne Gaber* is the Editorial Assistant of The WorldPost. *Katie Nelson* is News Director at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's news coverage. *Nick Robins-Early* and *Jesselyn Cook* are World Reporters. *Rowaida Abdelaziz* is World Social Media Editor. CORRESPONDENTS: *Sophia Jones* in Istanbul. EDITORIAL BOARD: *Nicolas Berggruen*, *Nathan Gardels*, *Arianna Huffington* , *Eric Schmidt* (*Google Inc.*), *Pierre Omidyar *(*First Look Media*) *Juan Luis Cebrian *(*El Pais/PRISA*), *Walter Isaacson* (*Aspen Institute/TIME-CNN*), *John Elkann* (*Corriere della Sera, La Stampa*), *Wadah Khanfar* (*Al Jazeera)*, *Dileep Padgaonkar *(*Times of India*) and *Yoichi Funabashi *(*Asahi Shimbun*). VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: *Dawn Nakagawa*. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: *Moises Naim* (former editor of *Foreign Policy*), *Nayan Chanda* (*Yale/Global; Far Eastern Economic Review*) and *Katherine Keating* (*One-On-One)*. *Sergio Munoz Bata* and *Parag Khanna* are Contributing Editors-At-Large. *The Asia Society* and its *ChinaFile*, edited by *Orville Schell*, is our primary partner on Asia coverage. *Eric X. Li *and the Chunqiu Institute/Fudan University in Shanghai and Guancha.cn also provide first person voices from China. We also draw on the content of *China Digital Times*. *Seung-yoon Lee *is The WorldPost link in South Korea. *Jared Cohen* of Google Ideas provides regular commentary from young thinkers, leaders and activists around the globe. *Bruce Mau* provides regular columns from MassiveChangeNetwork.com <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> on the "whole mind" way of thinking. *Patrick Soon-Shiong* is Contributing Editor for Health and Medicine. ADVISORY COUNCIL: Members of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and Council for the Future of Europe serve as the *Advisory Council* -- as well as regular contributors -- to the site. 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Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets.* *We not only deliver breaking news from the best sources with original reportage on the ground and user-generated content; we bring the best minds and most authoritative as well as fresh and new voices together to make sense of events from a global perspective looking around, not a national perspective looking out.* Forward this email <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1110940033069&ea=michel%40p2pfo…> STAY CONNECTED [image: Like us on Facebook] <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> [image: Follow us on Twitter] <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001m3Z6Dc5ktBQ2pA_ue1d2xefyqgFujKlesoPHQnGJx1kk…> Berggruen Institute, 11150 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 1670, Santa Monica, CA 90025 SafeUnsubscribe™ michel(a)p2pfoundation.net <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001Fir_ZmuFJraz33jPTYaklA%3D%…> Forward this email <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=nbi4sukab&m=1110940033069&ea=…> | About our service provider <http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-prov…> Sent by highlights(a)theworldpost.com in collaboration with [image: Constant Contact] <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PT_MN> Try it free today <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PT_MN> -- 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: Peut-on apprivoiser l'argent aujourd'hui? (Parution des actes du colloque de Cerisy)
by Michel Bauwens 29 Oct '16

29 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <info.cerisy(a)ccic-cerisy.asso.fr> Date: 2016-10-24 16:59 GMT+07:00 Subject: Peut-on apprivoiser l'argent aujourd'hui? (Parution des actes du colloque de Cerisy) To: [image: CCIC] <http://www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr> Centre Culturel International de Cerisy Association des Amis de Pontigny-Cerisy Chers amis, C'est avec plaisir que je vous annonce la prochaine parution, aux éditions Hermann, des actes du colloque 2013 Apprivoiser l'argent aujourd'hui? <http://www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr/argent13.html> auquel vous avez participé (ou deviez participer). Veuillez trouver, joint à ce courriel, un bon de commande vous permettant de vous procurer l'ouvrage à un tarif préférentiel. Je vous saurais gré de bien vouloir transférer ce document à toute personne de votre connaissance susceptible d'y porter intérêt. Avec mes pensées bien cordiales. Edith HEURGON Directrice du CCIC © 2016 Centre Culturel International de Cerisy Newsletter <http://www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr/lettreinfo.html> CCIC, Le Château 50210 Cerisy-La-Salle, France Téléphone : 33 (0)2 33 46 91 66 / Fax : 33 (0)2 33 46 11 39 info.cerisy(a)ccic-cerisy.asso.fr http://www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr -- 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: [witfor] Hope and ICTs for Development
by Michel Bauwens 29 Oct '16

29 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Course.Idpm-3(a)manchester.ac.uk [witfor] <witfor(a)yahoogroups.com> Date: Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 10:43 PM Subject: [witfor] Hope and ICTs for Development To: witfor(a)yahoogroups.com There is growing interest in the role of positive psychology within international development, including the concept of “hope”. But little conceptual or practical work has been undertaken on this topic. Our recently-published paper develops a new multi-dimensional model of hope, and demonstrates how it can be used to analyse ICT4D projects: http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/view/1616 >From this a future research agenda on hope and ICT4D can be identified. Richard Heeks Director, Centre for Development Informatics <http://www.cdi.manchester.ac.uk/> University of Manchester, UK __._,_.___ ------------------------------ Posted by: Course.Idpm-3(a)manchester.ac.uk ------------------------------ Reply via web post <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/witfor/conversations/messages/327;_ylc=…> • Reply to sender <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Hope%20and%20ICTs%20for%20Development> • Reply to group <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Hope%20and%20ICTs%20for%20Development> • Start a New Topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/witfor/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=X3oD…> • Messages in this topic <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/witfor/conversations/topics/327;_ylc=X3…> (1) ------------------------------ Have you tried the highest rated email app? <https://yho.com/1wwmgg> With 4.5 stars in iTunes, the Yahoo Mail app is the highest rated email app on the market. What are you waiting for? Now you can access all your inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, AOL and more) in one place. Never delete an email again with 1000GB of free cloud storage. ------------------------------ Visit Your Group <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/witfor/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaG1sODZ0BF9TAz…> [image: Yahoo! Groups] <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMW0zNWJtBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkA…> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> • Unsubscribe <witfor-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> . __,_._,___ -- 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: FYI - global Digital Director sought by 350.org - PCDN
by Michel Bauwens 29 Oct '16

29 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: N E <ne_atl(a)onebox.com> Date: Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 4:59 AM Subject: FYI - global Digital Director sought by 350.org - PCDN To: Hi & FYI in case you know someone interested or qualified. I don't have any personal contact at this employer. - Nurul ======= https://pcdnetwork.org/job/350-org-18-digital-director/ -- 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: The cooptation of the Internet, and how we can resist
by Michel Bauwens 28 Oct '16

28 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: peter waterman <peterwaterman1936(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, Oct 25, 2016 at 1:05 PM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: The cooptation of the Internet, and how we can resist To: "<networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" < networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: OR Books <info(a)orbooks.com> Date: Mon, Oct 24, 2016 at 11:19 PM Subject: The cooptation of the Internet, and how we can resist To: peterwaterman1936(a)gmail.com Towards Platform Cooperativism: a New Vision for the Future of Work and a Fairer Internet <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> The on-demand economy is reversing rights and protections workers fought for centuries to win. Ordinary Internet users retain little control over their personal data. Online platforms worsen social inequalities. Can we achieve an Internet free from monopoly, exploitation, and surveillance? The activists who put together* Ours to Hack and to Own <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…>* argue for a new kind of online economy: platform cooperativism, a new vision for the future of work and a fairer Internet. Featuring contributions from *Michel Bauwens*, *Yochai Benkler*, *Francesca Bria*, *Miriam Cherry*, *Ra Criscitiello*, *John Duda*, *Marina Gorbis*, *Karen Gregory*, *Seda Gürses*, *Steven Hill*, *Dmytri Kleiner*, *Vasilis Kostakis*, *Brendan Martin*, *Micky Metts*, *Kristy Milland*, *Mayo Fuster Morell*, *Jessica Gordon Nembhard*, *Rachel O’Dwyer*, *Janelle Orsi*, *Michael Peck*, *Carmen Rojas*, *Douglas Rushkoff*, *Saskia Sassen*, *Juliet Schor*, *Palak Shah*, *Tom Slee*, *Danny Spitzberg*, *Arun Sundararajan*, *Astra Taylor*, *Cameron Tonkinwise*, *McKenzie Wark*, and *Caroline Woolard*. <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> Ours to Hack and to Own <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…> Edited by Trebor Scholz and Nathan Schneider FIND OUT MORE <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> *www.orbooks.com* <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> forward to a friend <http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&id=89c…> unsubscribe from this list <http://orbooks.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&…> view email in browser <http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6180a1909cdc59a9df25c1a94&id=89c5f367d2…> -- *Click here for Peter's recent writings* <https://www.dropbox.com/s/o8s52g2y905rq6w/WatermanGmailSignaturePanel%20%20…> _______________________________________________ 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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Re: [P2P-F] Journey to Earthland (GTN Discussion)
by Michel Bauwens 28 Oct '16

28 Oct '16

On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 1:28 AM, Great Transition Network < gtnetwork(a)greattransition.org> wrote: > > From Anantha Prasad <fab4ap(a)gmail.com> > > ------------------------------------------------------- > [Moderator's note: Please note that the discussion will end on MONDAY, > OCTOBER 31. We look forward to your contributions!] > > After reading the well-rounded, insightful responses to Paul Raskin's bold > and brilliant exploration of the trials and tribulations entailed in a > plausible planetary civilization, I have some thoughts/opinions and ponder > points that I'll lay out below - first to John Bellamy Foster and then to > Paul Raskin (which I had formed earlier). > > In response to John Bellamy Foster, I have the following thoughts: > > The existence of some form of class struggle, while a historical fact, was > not in the way Marx envisaged. The struggles are part of > eco-co-evolutionary interactions, where geographic/environmental > differences along with stochastic forces mediated prominently even in > complex human class based societies (Jared Diamond; Guns, Germs, and > Steel). Marx's vision of capitalist development was along the lines of the > polarizing Manchesterian model while the actual development took various > other dynamic forms that he did not anticipate. The Bernsteinian way became > a possibility, and eco-social democracy is now in the cards - because as > Marx brilliantly observed, > > "No social order ever disappears before all the productive forces for > which there is room in it have been developed; and new higher relations of > production never appear before the material conditions of their existence > have matured in the womb of the old society itself. Therefore, mankind > always sets itself only such tasks as it can solve; since looking at the > matter more closely, we will always find that the task itself arises only > when the material conditions necessary for its solution already exist, or > are at least in the process of formation." (Karl Marx, Contribution to the > critique of political economy, 1859) > > Marx's insights, while brilliant, are rooted in the 19th century idea of > scientific and societal progress. Similar to Darwin's natural selection and > its reliance on Malthusian struggle, Marx's is based on societal class > struggle leading to a class-less society. In spite of the brilliance of > some of his insights, his theories reflected the dominant mood of his time, > wanting his *linear* social theory to be "scientific" and hence > irrefutable. Therefore, while his foresight is admirable, his polemical > prescriptions unfortunately are very unlikely to lead to class-less > society. In fact, it can lock us up permanently in a conflict-ridden > society that we may not be able to transcend. > > “The development of each is the condition of the development of all,” > while laudable, is not rooted in the ecological realities of human > evolution. Whether we can transcend eco-evolutionary constraints depends a > lot on our future technological capability and ability to form social > institutions that will allow that. As Stephen Jay Gould remarked about > biological potentiality vs. biological determinism, "the flexibility of the > human brain permits us to be aggressive or peaceful, dominant or > submissive, spiteful or generous. Violence, sexism, and general nastiness > are biological since they represent one subset of a possible range of > behaviors. But peacefulness, equality, and kindness are just as > biological—and we *may see their influence increase* if we can create > social structures that permit them to flourish." [emphasis added] > > Will the future world be anti-capitalistic? No, I don't think so (for > accumulation of capital is definitely a one aspect of our nature we cannot > divorce ourselves from - and is quite important for our development as a > species). It will more likely, if we succeed in our eco-democratic project, > be one which is less nasty and enables more rational forms of development > that increases human well-being without the gross social inequities and > environmental degradation we see today. The social control of capital will > be never be easy and complete, but hopefully will be much more conceivable > than it is today. > > In my view, the limitation of 'rational-compassionate' elites (the class > to which most of us belong) is that they can only be reformist - although > the motives can be radical-idealist. > > Here are my earlier observations to Paul Raskin's book …… > > A historical foray into the past few centuries reveals that the advance of > modernity, spearheaded by capitalistic modes of production relations, led > to a quest for planetary civilization via liberal, enlightenment inspired > ideals in the late 19th century --resulting in bitter disillusionment after > the two world wars in this century. The hope of achieving these ideals via > socialist revolution turned sour after the geo-political and economic > realities of the Eastern bloc resulted in static, regimented, undemocratic > societies, struggling unsuccessfully to compete with the West, and far from > the global socialist vision. > > The neoliberal era developed not just from the emerging financial class, > but also from the fertilization of ideas (Hayek, Freidman, etc.) that lay > dormant in the Keynesian era that followed the Second World War. When the > time was right i.e., when Keynesian reforms seemed inadequate in the 1970s, > neoliberal ideas and the neoconservative allies formed a partnership that > has resulted in some spectacular progress towards economic globalization, > with all the attendant social and ecological crises. Today, we seem to have > achieved economic globalization (except in Africa) with all its attendant > glitter, glamor and stench. > > The seduction of capitalism via its quest for maximization of monetary > profits is mathematically convenient, and yields palpable results although > neglecting a whole array of important side-effects. Yet, this is a > simplistic and attractive way to achieve growth and wealth in traditional > societies still in the grips of older forms of production-relations. The > trickle-effect there is also substantial -- a lot of wealth is created, > generating a huge middle class geared towards higher consumption, and youth > eager to break away older forms and embrace modernity with all its glitter. > It creates another round of chaotic urbanization (as for example in China > and India). > > It should be remembered that constraining corrupt-feudal-bureaucratic > forces were rampant in the Keynesian/old-style socialist economies – > economic globalization and privatization were quick ways to deal with these > barriers to economic growth for the neoliberals of the West as well as the > local elites in these old-style economies impatient with the stultifying > status quo – however, this process also increased inequities (in already > unequal societies), and has given way too much power to financial > institutions and certain segments of the elites, and also engendered newer > forms of corruption. > > These forces have accelerated the ongoing clash between the traditional > and the modern, between more nationalistic, industrial forms of production > and the globalist (mobile-global-capital based) forms, those who have made > it in the globalist era and those who have fallen behind (Global capitalism > and the crisis of democracy - Jerry Harris) - which have led to > obscurantist political movements - like ultra-nationalistic, religious, > xenophobic and fascist forms in both developed and developing countries (as > we are seeing now). Progressive forces are also on the rise especially > among the enlightened youth. > > However, except for the most ideological of neoliberals, many enlightened > individuals in the neoliberal camp see the breakdown to a fortress world > and ecological degradation as undesirable and would pursue incremental, > piecemeal Keynesian and ecological reforms (for example via Clinton, > Obama). Emphasis will be on market reforms, with policies to ameliorate the > most glaring forms of social inequities. > > We are entering an accelerated phase of technological innovation – > biotech, energy, nano-tech, medical breakthroughs. Ecological modernization > will become a new force …the momentum of technological change and the > necessity of modern institutions adapting to them will demand a substantial > amount of human management skill. Smart internet based solutions will > become more widespread and penetrate all aspects of the global discourse. > While newer more decentralized forms of energy creation offer better ways > to organize from local up, more centralized forms will compete that will > keep the status quo in terms of centralized bureaucracies etc. (Third > Industrial Revolution by Jeremy Rifkin). > > The momentum and the consequences of a 81 trillion dollar economy > historically achieved mainly through capital accumulation via profit > maximization will be hard to constrain (towards equitable distribution of > income and ecologically sustainable development). There are bound to be > winners and losers, and inequality and polarization of wealth will wax and > wane and may struggle towards some socially acceptable level in the absence > of major catastrophes. The United Nations-inspired alternatives to GDP that > emphasizes better indices for measuring "human well-being" will try to > reform some nasty aspects of capitalism from within – factoring in the > transnational aspect of production and distribution and the growing > "precariat" class. > > Our most global of ecological problems, the possibility of rapid, human > induced climate change, also inevitably creates winners and losers (mostly > along traditional lines). A total ecological collapse, while possible, is > still unlikely, because it underestimates spatial and temporal > uncertainties, species adaptation and niche construction, and the amount of > technological and social management that humans are capable of - although > it is very likely that some fragile ecosystems will be permanently damaged > if the IPCC projections of the rate of change are accurate, and no serious > steps are undertaken to lower emissions. It should also be noted that some > of the worst effects attributed to climate change today are very much > confounded with human land-use change and other developmental, consumption > and population demographic pressures in the pursuit of rapid economic > growth geared towards global markets. Soil degradation and water scarcity > will probably top the list as the most palpable > of these impacts. Blaming it all on climate change will be > counterproductive on the long run since climate change, even towards a new > high, can be nonlinear and could yield surprises that will feed the > skeptics. > > In summary, there will be a lot of social, political, economic and > ecological forces at play – that will lead to various assorted political > movements - some sinister and parochial, others progressive but fairly > localized, others elitist and global, some bizarre and of no real > consequence...which together will comprise the global citizens movement > (GCM). What shape all these will eventually morph into is anybody's > guess...one can envision this as an ongoing dialectical political struggle > with no predictable winners or losers. In some respects all battles have to > be fought all over again as the late Tony Benn used to say - and it seems > clear that the dialectical struggle towards a planetary civilization > entails this hidden logic. The progress is never linear, although there are > periods when this may seem so. > > Grand global visions (still the domain of a small fraction of the > globalized elites) however are necessary to inspire, shape and constrain > these chaotic forces and Paul's contribution is therefore timely and > invaluable. Detailing an elaborate vision (with all the major themes) is a > worthwhile exercise – can we develop a mathematically feasible one (with > future computing capabilities) that can maximize non-monetary profit that > increases human well-being? How can food production/distribution, and other > essentials like education, healthcare, and basic income be mandated? What > kind of regulations and conflict-resolution by supra-national bodies will > work? Will the future society be a form of market-assisted eco-socialism? > How to combat inequalities, human population growth, specific ecological > degradation etc? How to inform early education based on planetary focus > with our commonality emphasized? How to enable this to become a global > curriculum that will be taught in all schools? etc. > etc. > > Similar to the emergence of capitalism from within the feudal society, the > elites can set the stage for a planetary phase with eco-social-economic > democracy as the goal....this is more likely to be an eco-co-evolutionary > process with some radical leaps and setbacks dotted spatially and > temporally. Solidarity and the shared global vision necessary to move > towards a planetary phase are enormous - especially those that are true to > our cosmic and biological/evolutionary behavioral constraints. Paul's > narrative, therefore, can act as a catalyst – and when the time is ripe, > can help the take off towards a shared planetary civilization, with all its > trials and tribulations. > > Anantha Prasad > > ************************************************ > > On Tue, Oct 25, 2016 at 4:02 PM, Great Transition Network wrote: > From John Bellamy Foster > > ----- > [Moderator's note: Please note that the discussion will end on MONDAY, > OCTOBER 31. We look forward to your contributions!] > > The Movement Toward an Ecological Society: > > Comments on Paul Raskin’s Journey to Earthland > > John Bellamy Foster > > In the nineteenth century, William Morris first introduced the notion of > the “movement toward socialism,” a perspective which is now widely employed > by socialists worldwide to refer to the long struggle in which we are > engaged. In line with this, I am entitling these brief comments “The > Movement Toward an Ecological Society”—a form of necessary resistance that, > in my view, must coincide with the Movement Toward Socialism. I very much > admired Paul Raskin’s 2002 essay The Great Transition—so much so that I > wrote an article at the time on its importance from the standpoint of a > socialist ecology. Now nearly a decade and a half later, Raskin in Journey > to Earthland seeks to go beyond The Great Transition in three respects > through: (1) its depiction of a historic juncture of emerging planetary > consciousness, which he refers to as “Earthland”; (2) its focus on a > “global citizens movement” or global civil society as the agent of change; > and (3) its vision of a > “world in potentia” on the other side of the Great Transition. > > Yet, as much as I can identify with much of Raskin’s Journey to Earthland, > the attempt to move beyond the original “global scenarios project” and to > provide something a bit more like a utopian manifesto is fraught with > difficulties. For me, Raskin’s 2002 The Great Transition remains a crucial > starting point, full of possibilities and characterized by realism. It > presents a genuine world of potentia in Aristotle’s sense. Journey to > Earthland, for all of its visionary qualities, closes off some of these > possibilities, and lacks, as I see it, both the realism and the utopianism > of the original essay, The Great Transition. Journey to Earthland takes us > further down one of the paths depicted in The Great Transition, namely the > New Paradigm, while leaving the other paths mostly behind, though Market > Forces and Policy Reform play a role in the struggle. But it lacks, for me, > the full sense of “How the Change Came About,” to quote the title of the > famous chapter in Morris’s > News from Nowhere. In fact, one of the strongest points in the original > Great Transition essay was its short historical retrospective on how the > change came about, which seemed to evoke the struggles of radical > ecological movements. > > Raskin’s present “global citizens movement,” although raising the > important question of agency, seems by comparison abstract and arid. There > is no real sense of struggle from below, i.e., from the population of the > global South, and working people everywhere, caught in an epochal crisis in > which their material conditions—both economic and ecological—are being > undermined. Inequality is addressed but in the mechanical terms of social > stratification and analysis. One loses the concreteness of the original > Great Transition essay in which each scenario was associated with a > particular thinker or thinkers. For me, the fact that Eco-communalism was > associated with William Morris was very important, because of the unity of > perspectives—ecological and social, art and labor—that Morris represented. > In Journey to Earthland, Eco-communalism follows the scenario outlined in > The Great Transition, where it seen as coming about only as a response to > the advent of Breakdown. Moreover, > it is treated as mere ecological localism. Morris is not mentioned this > time around. For someone with my own outlook, this threatens to be close > off the future, since Morris and Eco-communalism, stand for the > ecosocialist approach. (However, the region that the unknown historian from > 2084 describes as Ecodemia in Part III of Journey to Earthland can be seen > as representing a continuation of ecosocialist values, although arising > through another path.) > > The concept of a global civil society or a “global citizens movement’ is > one that raises all sorts of problems from a socialist perspective, > particularly when it is presented as the agency of historical change. It is > true that Gramsci raised the issue of the struggle for the hegemony of > civil society (by which he meant the main non-state, cultural institutions > of society on which the state and the ruling class depended for its rule) > as part of the philosophy of praxis. Some post-Marxists grabbed on to this > to promote the notion of civil society itself as agency and the basis of > change. Nevertheless, the origins of the concept of civil society and the > reality that it addressed make it practically indistinguishable (as the > examination of Hegel and many others will show) from bourgeois society. The > notion of civil society was central to the original concept of the > bourgeois revolution and represented the rising capitalist class and > related interests. To focus, then, on global civil > society or a “global citizens movement” tends to displace the workers, who > do not belong centrally to this conception—either in its original or in its > present-day usage. In U.S. history, self-proclaimed “citizens’ movements” > were almost invariably the enemy of labor and civil rights. Today in Latin > America, progressive governments are being opposed by rightwing so-called > “civil society” movements, mostly standing for the disenchanted middle and > upper classes. > > It is true that left figures, including Naomi Klein, have employed the > notion of global civil society, and that this has had considerable > resonance in the anti-globalization and ecology movements. But the attempts > to separate this conception from what Samir Amin has called “the liberal > virus” from which it emerged have been mostly unsuccessful. Global civil > society is usually associated today (and in Raskin’s own analysis) with > NGOs. But these are predominantly funded (with some notable exceptions) by > international capital and the state. Such organizations may be a human face > in the climate of neoliberalism, but they are overall part of the system > and its perpetuation. The notion of a global citizens movement cannot be > seriously addressed outside the context of imperialism. > > None of this, of course, is to decry the important struggles from below > that necessarily must operate in this sphere of civil society. To say that > civil society, as an agent, speaks for Earthland, as Raskin does in a very > well-meaning way, is likely to be viewed with some skepticism by those > struggling for ecological and social justices around the world: first > peoples; workers in the global South, ecosocialists, radical ecologists, > and environmental justice activists, etc.. A realistic view of the movement > toward a Great Transition, in my view, must be rooted in what David Harvey > has called “co-revolution,” in which the struggles of diverse movements > against oppression and for the earth come together. Moreover, this must be > anchored, as Richard Falk, has noted in this discussion, in struggles in > the global South in particular. > > There are also serious questions of praxis. I agree with Herman Daly in > this discussion that the concrete struggle, if it is to succeed, must focus > on the immediate problem, such as climate change, which means challenges to > the current system of capital formation. The struggle would have to evolve > in a practical way and with a clear strategic orientation, dealing first > with the most pressing needs. The likely form in which such a constellation > of movements could align with each other as part of an ecological project > (at least where the global North is concerned) would be a popular front > against the fossil fuel industry analogous to the popular front against > fascism in the 1930s. This would be an ecodemocratic phase of struggle and > would depend on the mobilization of the popular classes and the extent to > which such a mobilization is genuinely ecological and democratic (which of > course means anticapitalist) in orientation. Only then—though this would > surely take many decades and > probably reach into the next century, would we be able we move toward a > more genuine ecosocialist revolution in which earth is safeguarded. > Revolutionary humanity would be able to address the question of a society > where human labor is no longer governed by accumulation and the fetishism > of commodities, and where “the development of each is the condition of the > development of all.” > > From a critical-realist standpoint, I see no reason to emphasize the > concept of planetary consciousness while excluding (as Journey to Earthland > does) the scientific assessment of the Anthropocene, which is the basis of > our most unified understanding of the Earth System crisis. The imperatives > demonstrated by natural science must be integrated with our understanding > of social imperatives and human and ecological needs. A realistic approach > to a Great Transition would require the issuing of a Manifesto that burns > with a rage borne of a sense of social and ecological justice, and at and > the same time inspires united action by connecting the end of the > domination of the earth to the end of the domination of humanity. A whole > new peoples’ culture would have to emerge, something better conveyed in The > Great Transition. Both science and art, which Morris called the two > “inexhaustible” sources of human creativity must enter in here. As a > sociologist, I see as realist only those > analyses that tell me about class, race, gender, imperialism, and > struggles for the earth. Without these, and especially class, as real live > forces, it is a bit like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. > > Here we turn to the marvelous clues to the future provided by the unknown > historian in 2084. All we know about her or him is that the history was > written in Mandela City. This historical account from the future has > somehow, in some reversal of the arrow of time, fallen into Raskin’s hands. > The journey to the Commonwealth of Earthland, we are informed, had its > roots in 2021 in line with the formation of the global citizen movement > (GCM). This was followed by the collapse of the New Earth Order (NEO) > championed by the Conventional Worlds mobilization. The result was The > Reform Era (2028-2048) in which the UN introduced a New Global Deal (NGD)” > that promoted “resilience economies.” The GCM, however, was not to be put > off and demanded “Earthland Now!” It organized worldwide discontent by > creating an “Earthland Parliamentary Assembly (EPA)” that adopted a new > world constitution in 2048, thereby formally establishing the Commonwealth > of Earthland. End of story. > > This is in many ways an exciting tale. But it is hard to see the struggles > of the vast majority of the world population, and real flesh and blood > people, in this. The conflicts that characterize our world are mostly > leaped over. The reality of imperialism, which structures the present world > system, is rendered invisible. The UN is treated as a democratic entity. > There are no signs of its evil siblings the WTO, the World Bank, the IMF > and NATO. Can they have just hung up their gloves? Everything seems to be > the product of elites, or perhaps NGOs acting as surrogates for global > civil society, which in turn is a surrogate for the entire 99%. There is no > real hint of revolutionary struggle here. No real counterrevolutions or > wars that seek to disrupt the process. It is a fairly straight road to > civita humana. > > At the end we get the new ethical structure of the Commonwealth of > Earthland with its three great regions of Agoria (an ecological modernist > society), Ecodemia (an ecosocialist society), and Arcadia (a deep > ecological society). This is the most imaginative and exciting part of The > Journey to Earthland. I especially liked the descriptions of Ecodemia and > Arcadia, and I would like to live in either one of them. Agoria seems a lot > like present reality, and of course this is intentional. And how such a > Commonwealth could exist, without Agoria going to war on the other two, I > cannot quite fathom. Of course, the idea is that Agoria is more like > today’s Sweden than today’s United States, which gives it more > plausibility. All three worlds—Agoria, Ecodemia, and Arcadia—seem to be > constructed according to Western ideals (and those of the global North). > Journey to Earthland is quite clear, however, that the overall thrust (even > though one rightly has suspicions about Agoria) is > “post-capitalist, since profit and capital accumulation would no longer > have primacy.” > > Most of the values that dominate in the Commonwealth as a whole make it > seem like a dream world (in both the positive and negative sense). My > biggest objection would be to the conception of “time.” The main idea is > that there will be an enormous increase in leisure. It seems like few would > disparage such an eventuality, and certainly in a more ecological society > there would be decreased working time—and a slowing down of working time. > But the Marxian-Morrisian vision has always been one of the creation of > non-alienated, meaningful work, allowing for the full development of human > creative powers in all of their artistry. The notion of leisure as the > object can be seen as resembling the mechanical view presented in Edward > Bellamy’s enormously popular Looking Backward, where everyone retires from > work at an early age to a life of leisure. In contrast, Morris’s News from > Nowhere presents periods of work and repose in people’s lives and a slowing > down of work, along with the > total cessation of the production of useless things by useless labor. But > work itself, for Morris, remains the essence of the human being, as in > Marx. What is needed is a regulation of the metabolism between human beings > and nature—i.e., of labor and production—not a society without work. The > work/leisure dichotomy needs to be transcended in favor of a world of > meaningful, creative work, and the fullest development of the potentia of > each and every human being. > > Postscript. In defense of Paul Raskin, I can see one way in which Journey > to Earthland may have been distorted, without his even being aware of it. I > believe the unknown historian from 2084 who was his key informant, was an > inhabitant of Agoria, and thus presented Raskin with a rather biased and > truncated Agorian history of the formation of the Commonwealth of > Earthland, which then became Part III, and affected the entire essay. No > doubt this historical account was all the more convincing to Raskin since > Agorian society was so close in its set up to today’s dominant capitalist > society. This prevented him from seeing the implausibility of the Agorian > account. If I am right in this supposition, and Raskin’s informant was > actually from Agoria, then, perhaps a new Journey to Earthland will someday > have to be written—if it were to turn out that, say, an inhabitant of > Ecodemia were to appear with an Ecodemian reading of the same events. We > would then learn at last the true history > of the origins of the Commonwealth of Earthland; that it grew out of the > Movement Toward Socialism. > > ******************************************** > > September 27, 2016 > > From Herman Daly > > ----- > Thanks to Paul Raskin for a clear-headed and inspiring discussion. > Especially thanks for emphasizing that even in Earthland: > > "The most controversial question—What should be considered irreducibly > global?—has provoked a tug-of-war between contending camps advocating for > either a more tight-knit world state or a more decentralized federation. > The debate on the proper balance between One World and Many Places has not > abated, indeed, may never find resolution." > > That seems to me quite true and worthy of much further thought and > discussion. > > It is then suggested that, "Nevertheless, a wide consensus has been > established on a minimal set of legitimate, universal concerns that cannot > be effectively delegated to regions. Their irreducible “Spheres of Global > Responsibility” are summarized in the chart." > > *Rights*: Civil liberties; political participation; education, health, and > material well-being > > *Biosphere*: Shared resources; climate, ecosystems, and > biodiversity;refuges and parks > > *Security*: Disarmament; dispute resolution; emergency planning; disaster > relief; humanitarian intervention > > *Economy*: Trade and finance; communications and transport; development > aid; consumer protection > > *Culture*: Space exploration; heritage preservation; world university > system; intellectual property > > In my opinion this list does not represent a wide consensus, nor are all > the goals irreducibly global, nor is it a minimal list. Indeed, one has to > wonder what is not considered a "global responsibility"? However, the > question it raises is central: What would be the minimal set of global > responsibilities to which nations must be willing to sacrifice sovereignty > for global survival? I emphasize minimal because the ability to cooperate > globally is a scarce capacity and we have had only limited success at it so > far. It is important to put first things first, to prioritize and not > dissipate our effort on things that are of lesser concern, or not > irreducibly global in nature, and therefore within the capacity of > individual nations to solve for themselves. I will give my short list of > global priorities in the hope that others will do the same. That should > reveal whether or not there is wide consensus, and just where the consensus > may lie. > > In first place, I would put nuclear disarmament and national dispute > resolution. In second place, I would put avoiding ecological disaster, such > as climate change, provoked by uneconomic growth and careless technologies. > Accomplishing those two necessarily global goals is about as much as I am > currently willing to hope for from our limited capacity for global > cooperation among nations. If these two goals are not achieved, then the > others will probably be short-lived, even if achieved. After achieving the > big goals first, we can turn attention to those secondary goals with an > irreducible global dimension. Probably nations can manage their own health > care, education, parks, civil liberties, consumer protection, trade and > finance, university systems, and intellectual property laws. If we try to > globalize everything we will just create one holistic, unified, > integrated---and insoluble---problem. > > I think the strongest argument against what I have said is that the most > critical global goals are likely the most difficult to achieve, and that by > tackling the less important and easier ones first, we may learn how better > cooperate to solve the big ones. That raises the question of whether we > have time for that gradual and less urgently motivated learning. Another > question is whether some of the goals listed might be candidates for a > large measure of "de-globalization" or "re-nationalization"---e.g. trade > and finance. > > As Paul said, there is a tug-of-war between two alternative visions of > global community: as a tight-knit world state, or as a more decentralized > federation. I am pulling in the direction of a federation united by the > global goals of avoiding nuclear war, and of avoiding environmental > catastrophe. I look forward to hearing the thoughts and conclusions of > others on this important question that Paul has raised. > > ---Herman Daly > > ******************************************************* > > September 13, 2016 > > From Richard Falk > > ----- > Comment by Richard Falk on Paul Raskin’s “Journey to Earthland” > > Reading “Journey to Earthland” is an extraordinary experience. Paul Raskin > is not only a master navigator of the complexities of our world but someone > who conveys a vision of the future that manages to surmount the > unprecedented challenges facing humanity at several levels of social, > cultural, and ecological being. His vision of a humane future for the > peoples of the world is fully sensitive, as well, to the need for > transforming the modernist relationship with nature based on domination, > exploitation, and alienation that has resulted in an ecological backlash > that threatens our well-being, and even raises doubts about the survival of > the human species. And perhaps most remarkable of all, Raskin not only > depicts a future that is convincingly portrayed as necessary and desirable, > but also shows us that it is technically possible to achieve, although not > presently *politically* feasible. To make this desired and desirable future > a viable political project is the underlying mission > of “Journey to Earthland.” > > In an important sense, the book falls outside the typical genre of utopian > writing because it is preoccupied with how to close this gap between what > is possible and what is feasible, and in the process making the desirable > future attainable. It is here, with a certain exuberance of expectations, > that Raskin pins his hopes on the emergence of a robust global citizens > movement that will challenge the status quo by mobilizing people around the > world until a tipping point is reached, and a new political consciousness > takes over enough of the centers power to facilitate transition to the > humane future that he is proposing. There is no doubt in my mind that this > book is a culminating expression of Raskin’s own journey, as well as an > indispensable gift to the rest of us, providing the best available set of > conceptual tools to engage actively with human destiny and, especially, to > see beyond the darkness resulting from present trends. In what is > essentially an extended essay, Raskin sets > forth concisely, with flourishes of intellectual elegance, all we need to > know about what to do to achieve the desired future for an emergent > planetary civilization. > > JTE describes the contours of a desirable future, including the > adjustments that must take place at the level of values, involving a > turning away from consumerist and materialist conceptions of the good life > without giving up the gains of modern science and technology. What Raskin > envisions is a more spiritual sense of the meaning of life that is > expressed qualitatively through leisure and a satisfying lifestyle that is > without the tensions and anxieties of a capitalist outlook. The society > thus envisioned would no longer be driven by the quantitative criteria of > growth and wealth, which have led to gross disparities of life > circumstances—extremes of poverty for many and wealth for a few—that can > only be sustained through coercion. Raskin imaginatively shapes an > attractive future based on these core values and the need to gain political > traction from the action of people who are awakened to this challenge and > inspired by its potentialities. He is clear about the need for people > in civil society to be the main vehicles for realizing this vision, and is > skeptical about such a desirable future being delivered by existing > economic and political elites whose consciousness is captive of the > modernist embrace of neoliberal structures, militarism, and a materialist > worldview. In a fundamental respect, this call to action rests on an ethics > of responsibility. > > Since a desirable future is possible while present trends are pointing > toward a disastrous future, we who realize this double truth have a heavy > responsibility to act, to become activists promoting the journey to > Earthland. This burden of civic responsibility is the essential feature of > what it means to feel, think, and act as a global citizen, guiding the > pilgrimage from the here and now to the there and then. Because this is a > journey undertaken without a map that charts a safe course, I have > described the ideal global citizen as “a citizen pilgrim,” an image that > Raskin also affirms. > > Let me turn to raise a few questions that might prompt further reflection > and commentary. I have read JTE while on a lecture tour in Pakistan, and > have been struck by the relevance of social location. I spent several days > in Karachi, a security-obsessed, impoverished, yet vibrant city of at least > 22 million people, most of whom struggle with the ordeals of daily > existence while the privileged elites seal themselves off from the masses > in heavily guarded gated luxurious communities. True, there are many young > idealistic persons in Pakistan devoted to human rights and environmental > protection who are active in an array of local communities. However, the > dominant social priorities are often the immediate and the local: opposing > a forced eviction in the city to make way for a shopping mall or a > gentrified neighborhood, protesting the assassination of a social activist > that was perceived as a threat to religious zealots, and lending emergency > assistance to the victims of a natural > disaster—flood or earthquake—by providing urgently needed medical > supplies, food, and shelter. What I am asking myself and Paul Raskin is > whether Pakistanis can read JTE without dismissing it as the musing of a > Westerner not faced with the realities of the sort that pervade life in > Karachi, and much of the Global South and many inner cities in the North. > In effect, how relevant is social location? Would Raskin write the same > book if his consciousness had been shaped by a lifetime in Karachi? These > questions raise others. Is there more than one journey to Earthland? Are > there alternative Earthlands? Do we need a multi-civilizational expression > of desirable possible futures written by similarly ethically and > spiritually sensitive individuals who see the world around them and a > preferred future from within the imaginative spaces of their varied social > locations? > > Again, writing from my recent experience, I wonder about the degree to > which the political and economic systems as now constituted would act to > break the will of any global citizens movement. I happened to be in Tahrir > Square in Cairo weeks after the Egyptian people made history in 2011 by > rising unexpectedly to overthrow a corrupt and oppressive tyrant, Hosni > Mubarak. There was much popular excitement in the aftermath of this > historic occasion, the thrill of a successful populist empowerment giving > rise to confidence that the future would bring to Egypt a democratic > political order and a far more equitable economy. And yet, two years later, > the Egyptian people again exhibited their agency, but this time to support > a coup against the elected political leadership that has resulted in > producing a more repressive military governing process in Egypt than had > existed during the three decades of Mubarak’s rule. Such an improbable > outcome reflected the strength of counterrevolutionary > forces that will do whatever it takes to prolong the ascendancy of the old > order. Applying this understanding to the vision of Earthland, isn’t it > important to envision the future from a more dialectical standpoint as an > epic struggle between opposed worldviews and their civilizational > embodiments? > > This leads to another concern. In the aftermath of the Cold War, there was > a widespread sense that democratization was the wave of the future. After > the collapse of the Soviet Union (and its subsequent eagerness to be part > of the neoliberal world order) and the opportunistic participation of China > in the capitalist structures of trade and investment, it seemed that there > was only one kind of planetary future one that American political leaders > were promoting around the world. But something has happened to that firm > ground on which we seemed to be standing twenty years ago. We are now > living in an era of the popular, and not just the populist, autocrat. That > is, peoples all over the world are electing leaders by democratic means > that are dismissive of human rights and political freedom. > > In every corner of the world, right-wing ultra-nationalist, militarized > governments that bring order and security are being chosen by voters over > those that promise the rewards of democratic pluralism and responsible > attitudes toward climate change, nuclear weapons, and other challenges of > global scope. Whether it is Putin in Russia, Abe in Japan, Modi in India, > Duterte in the Philippines, or Sisi in Egypt, the pattern of > authoritarianism is evident even if explanations in the various national > settings are quite diverse. This pattern can also be seen in the resurgence > of proto-fascist parties in Europe in the wake of mass discontent with > existing economic and social policies, especially relating to immigration, > of the established order. The Brexit vote in Britain and the rise of Trump > in the United States are likewise illustrative.** In other words, in the > transition from the modern to the planetary that Raskin so clearly depicts, > including his recognition that bad things are bound > to happen along the way, is it not important to take greater account of > this emergent “democratic” passion for ultra-nationalism from below and > securitization from above? Or maybe it is necessary to begin asking > ourselves whether under the pressure of the times we, the peoples of the > world, can abide the uncertainties of substantive democracy? And should not > this dimension of the present be considered in evaluating and discussing > the role of the global citizens movement that is so central to Raskin’s > transformative hopes? > > I suppose, in the end, I am saying that there are some issues that need to > be more fully addressed before people outside the still liberal democratic > West can be expected to sign up for the journey to Earthland. In effect, in > places like Pakistan where the struggle to find out how to be a > constructive *national* citizen seems such a current preoccupation for > those who seek to be politically responsible, an essential challenge is how > to present Raskin’s message of the responsible *global* citizen in forms > sufficiently relevant that it seems existentially responsive to the fears, > hopes, and concerns of this part of the world. > > In conclusion, it may appear captious to expect more when JTE already > gives us so much. At the same time, when Raskin raises our hopes so high, > it is all the more important to begin the journey with eyes wide open. > Otherwise, the risks of early disillusionment are high. Remembering that > this is a planetary journey that already and inevitably has a multitude of > points of entry is an aspect of being a responsible global citizen. I am > led to wonder whether Paul Raskin might consider appending in a second > epilogue (perhaps encouraged by recalling that Tolstoy’s War and Peace had > two) in the form of “A Letter of Invitation to Non-Western Friends” (either > to join the journey or suggest a variant of their own). > > ** It seems evident that if Trump had not needlessly alienated so many > constituencies in the United States, his essential autocratic, militarist, > and isolationist message would have had a strong prospect of prevailing. > > Richard Falk > > ************************************************************** > > Thursday, September 1, 2016 > > From Paul Raskin > > ----- > Dear Friends: > > Our series of thematic discussions has been uncommonly rich and animated. > Still, from time to time we’d best step back to a whole-system panorama, > lest we lose sight of the forest for the trees. After all, it is the big > question of how to shape the global social-ecological future that brings us > together. > > In that holistic spirit, our next discussion will consider my new > essay—“Journey to Earthland: Making the Great Transition to Planetary > Civilization” (or “JTE,” for short). I wrote it as a sequel to “Great > Transition,” the 2002 treatise that launched GTI. The new volume has four > central aims. First, it updates and develops GTI’s overarching conceptual > framework. Second, it introduces the idea of “Earthland” for the latent > supranational community now stirring in the Planetary Phase. Third, it > describes the integrated planetary praxis and global movement needed to > carry the transformation forward. Fourth, it paints a granular picture of > the kind of flourishing civilization that might await us on the far side of > a Great Transition. > > To get your copy of JTE, go to www.greattransition.org/ > publication/journey-to-earthland. From there, you can either download a > free pdf or order a paperback through Amazon for $12. (If neither of these > options works for you, please request a complimentary copy by emailing > info(a)tellus.org with your mailing address.) > > In light of JTE’s sweeping scope, I suspect many of you will wish to > elaborate certain formulations and take issue with others. I welcome your > comments in the spirit of a collective exploration with ample room for > difference within a canopy of unity. > > NOTE: This discussion will go on for TWO full months—SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER. > > Looking forward, > Paul > > Paul Raskin > GTI Director > > ----- > Hit reply to post a message > Or see thread and reply online at > greattransition.org/forum/gti-discussions/178-journey-to-earthland/2145 > > Need help? Email jcohn(a)tellus.org > > ------------------------------------------------------- > Hit reply to post a message > Or see thread and reply online at > http://greattransition.org/forum/gti-discussions/178- > journey-to-earthland/2149 > > Need help? Email jcohn(a)tellus.org > > > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

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Fwd: Fab Academy 2017
by Michel Bauwens 28 Oct '16

28 Oct '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: The Fab Foundation <fabnews(a)fabfoundation.org> Date: Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 2:34 AM Subject: Fab Academy 2017 To: michelsub2004(a)gmail.com Everything you need to know about a unique digital fabrication training program <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-gcNVTGpdX2hrRc100kvCbL7g1lhMsP77vZdRgge56zm…> What is Fab Academy? Just as communications and computation went from analog to digital, resulting in PCs and the Internet, the digitization of fabrication is leading to personal fabricators that will allow anyone to make almost anything, anywhere. The development of digital fabrication is based on creating codes that don't just describe things, they are things, much as proteins are coded in molecular biology. This research roadmap is ultimately aiming at a Star Trek-style replicator, but prototype versions of these capabilities are already available in field fab labs. At the Fab Academy, you will learn how to envision, prototype and document your ideas through many hours of hands-on experience with digital fabrication tools. We take a variety of code formats and turn them into physical objects. The Fab Academy Diploma consists of a 5 month part-time student commitment, from January to June. The Fab Diploma is the result of the sum of Fab Academy Certificates. Progress towards the diploma is evaluated by a student's acquired skills rather than time or credits. The Fab Academy is a fast paced, hands-on learning experience where students plan and execute a new project each week. Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms lectures each week via video conferencing while the assignments are carried out at local participating Fab Labs. Each individual is responsible for documenting their progress for each project, resulting in a personal portfolio of technical accomplishments. A Fab Academy Student Experience My name is Eyal Amram and I did "fab academy 2015" course in Israel under Ohad's guidance. I'm working at Cisco (we were NDS till 2013) more than 10 years as QC technician. I want to share with you my story how the fab academy course impacted my work at Cisco. As a part of my life I was always interested at project management, electronics, 3D modeling, CNC and more. Once I heard from a friend about this course I went to Fablab at Holon and met Ohad. This meeting was very remarkable for me and I felt like this is going to be a start of a journey. Ohad very impressed me at that meeting and certainty positively influenced on my decision sign up to this course. At the course I finally "connected the dots" and while Ohad inspired me I realized that "I can make (almost) anything.." and the story below will show it. At xNDS we are doing white box testing for a component at the S.T.B that do verification for "ca authorization" (verifier) and we must run it with real smart card and not a simulation. For communicating with a smart card, we use readers that was developed at NDS over 20 years ago, and use a serial rs232 to connect PC. We had more than 6000 tests and we run them on 8 PC's that connected to those readers and card switchers. The time take running them at all the projects was 5 days. When I was at the course I started to think how can I take the skills I learned to overcome this bottle neck. So I decided to question our earlier assumptions on how to work: - Why use xNDS smart card readers, which were created for smart card production and contain expensive electronics to test voltage when something off-the-shelf and much cheaper would be good enough? o And I started to read about readers, how they work, Chips, Protocols and more.. - Why limit each computer to work only with the smart card and reader that it is physically attached to over its serial port? o And I started to read about devices that convert serial to IP - Why limit scalability by using physical machines for each instance of the Verifier and its associated testing environment? o And I started to learn about ESXi and VMs environment.. The freedom to disrupt my earlier thinking led me to implement the following solutions: - We bought $20 readers and integrated them into the Verifier test environment - We developed software to manage a pool of reader/smart card combinations that communicate over IP so that we can build a large pool of smart cards that can scale as needed and be dynamically assigned to a project. - We used "Cisco on Cisco" and set up a UCS rack to host tens of virtual machines that ran the Verifier and its test environment And now ? we run over 12000 test in 5 HOURS !!! why ? because I learnt that there is no limit and you can make almost anything .. J At this project I learnt how to build UCS racks, how to configure it. I learnt Linux, Switching, Storage and much more.. You can see the recommendations I got here : https://il.linkedin.com/in/ eyal-amram-aa584a17 I shared with a lot of people my story and how the fablab is an amazing place to start dreaming and do what you want. I took my programa to the fablab for tour and Ohad led it.. they came with a big smile to the work at the day after and more groups went to see the fablab too. What changed in my life since then? A lot - I gave two lectures in front of more than 400 employees, explaining what we did and how it's start from doingfabacademy course. - I record a VOD with my managers about it too (it was sent to more than 5000 employees all over the world) - I did Collaboration with Intel IoT and Cisco IoT and they running 3 project together (Smart cities, Spaces and robotics) - I started my first BA at Management and Computer Science - and Cisco is paying for that and for the time I'm learning J - And I do a lot more.. And all started... with Ohad and the fablab !! Many thanks, Eyal If you are at all interested in learning how to make (almost) anything, taking your own digital fabrication work to a new level, interacting with creative fabricators, including Neil Gershenfeld at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, and generally working really hard while having a lot of fun, then check out the Fab Academy website for more details. We look forward to seeing lots of new faces in the 2017 class! Fab Academy 2016 Graduation Check out Fab Academy Now! <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001-gcNVTGpdX2hrRc100kvCbL7g1lhMsP77vZdRgge56zm…> The Fab Foundation, 50 Milk Street, FL 16, Boston, MA 02109 SafeUnsubscribe™ michelsub2004(a)gmail.com <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=0016u_UD_GKQm15N3uAVlWoWA%3D%…> Forward this email <http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=e5xw7rrab&m=1118365769668&ea=…> | Update Profile <https://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&m=0016u_UD_GKQm15N3uAVlWoWA%3D%…> | About our service provider <http://www.constantcontact.com/legal/service-provider?cc=about-service-prov…> Sent by fabnews(a)fabfoundation.org in collaboration with [image: Constant Contact] <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PT1170> Try it free today <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=PT1170> -- 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] [CommonGood] interesting article on Basic income
by Michel Bauwens 27 Oct '16

27 Oct '16

thanks for sending this stimulating and well-researched article nevertheless, I see a underlying problem with this approach: so, we shouldn't fight for the basic income because it is compatible with capitalism, and that's a bad thing, but instead, we should fight for full employment and a living wage, which according to the same author, are actually incompatible with capitalism ... (or if it were compatible, suffers from the same problem) catch 22 and the answer is waiting for the revolution ... tomorrow, while demanding something that is as problematic as the basic income the interesting aspect of the progressive versions of the basic income is that it reduces the dependency on subordinate labor, and allows people to engage in transition activities, i.e. to actually work on constructing a post-capitalist system which neither full employment, under capitalist conditions, nor living wages (working for capital) can achieve, but, more fundamentally, I don't see a necessary contradiciton * we can fight for sustainable, meaningful, better paid 'employment' (in the broader sense than subordinate labor) * we can fight for a progressive basic income which does not replace but augment welfare achievements (that's really the only acceptable form of basic income for the majority of the population) * we can stimulate the creation of transition (christian arnsperger) and contributory (bernard stiegler) forms of income which directly fund the transition activies Michel Bauwens On Sun, Oct 23, 2016 at 9:04 PM, tina ebro <cgebro(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > michael roberts posted: "The idea of a basic income has gained much > popularity recently and not just among leftists but also with right-wing > pro-capital proponents. Basic income boils down to making a monthly > payment by a government to every citizen of an amount that meets 'basi" > Respond to this post by replying above this line > New post on *Michael Roberts Blog* > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/author/bobmckee/> Basic income – > too basic, not radical enough > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/basic-income-too-basic-no…> by > michael roberts <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/author/bobmckee/> > > The idea of a basic income has gained much popularity recently and not > just among leftists but also with right-wing pro-capital proponents. Basic > income boils down to making a monthly payment by a government to every > citizen of an amount that meets 'basic necessities' whether that person is > unemployed or not or whatever the circumstance. As Daniel Raventós, defines > it in his recent book > <https://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Income-Material-Conditions-Freedom/dp/074532…> > : *“Basic Income is an income paid by the state to each full member or > accredited resident of a society, regardless of whether or not he or she > wishes to engage in paid employment, or is rich or poor or, in other words, > independently of any other sources of income that person might have, and > irrespective of cohabitation arrangements in the domestic sphere”* (*Basic > Income: The Material Conditions of Freedom*). > > He lists various things in its favour: that it would abolish poverty, > enable us to better balance our lives between voluntary, domestic and paid > work, empower women, and *“offer workers a resistance fund to maintain > strikes that are presently difficult to sustain because of the salary cuts > they involve”*. > > And recent books such as Inventing the Future > <https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&u…> by > Nick Srnicek and Alex Williams and Postcapitalism > <http://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviewofbooks/reviews/2015/2008> by Paul > Mason > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/paul-mason-and-postcapita…> > have also brought this issue to prominence. These writers reckon that the > demand for a universal basic income by labour should be part of the > struggle in a move to 'post-capitalism' and should be a key demand to > protect workers from a capitalist world increasingly dominated by robots > and automation where human beings will become mostly unemployed. > > But 'basic income' is also popular among some right-wing economists and > politicians. Why? Because paying each person a 'basic' income rather than > wages and social benefits is seen as a way of 'saving money', reducing the > size of the state and public services – in other words lowering the value > of labour power and raising the rate of surplus value (in Marxist terms). > It would be a 'wage subsidy' to employers with those workers who get no > top-up in income from social benefits under pressure to accept wages no > higher than the 'basic income' which would be much lower than their average > salary. As Raventos has noted, (in the American *Journal of Economic > Issues* June 1996 with Catherine Kavanagh), “*by partially separating > income from work, the incentive of workers to fight against wage reductions > is considerably reduced, thus making labour markets more flexible. This > allows wages, and hence labor costs, to adjust more readily to changing > economic conditions”*. > > Indeed, the danger is that the demand for a basic income would replace the > demand for full employment or a job at a living wage. For example, it has > been worked out that, in the US, the current capitalist economy could > afford only a national basic income of about $10,000 a year per adult. And > that would replace everything else: the entire welfare state, including old > age pensions disappears into that one $10,000 per adult payment. > > The basic income demand is similar to the current idea among Keynesians > and other leftist economists for increased public spending financed by > 'helicopter money'. This policy means no fundamental reform of the > economy but a just a cash handout to raise incomes and boost the capitalist > economy. Indeed, this is why the leftist Greek economist Yanis > Varoufakis > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/yanis-varoufakis-more-err…>has > viewed favourably the basic income idea. A minimum equal income for > everyone, Varoufakis tells us, is the most effective way to confront the > deflationary trends that manifest capitalism’s inability to balance itself. > <http://basicincome.org/news/2016/04/basic-income-essential-approach-varoufa…> > Creating a minimum income that’s delinked from work, he argued, would > increase effective demand without substantially increasing savings. The > economy would grow again and would do so in a much more balanced way. The > amount of the minimum income could become a simple, stand alone lever for > the economic planners of the 21st century. > > Here the basic income demand provides an answer to crises under capitalism > without replacing the capitalist mode of production in the traditional > Keynesian or post-Keynesian way, by ending 'underconsumption'. But what if > underconsumption is not the cause of crises and there is a more fundamental > contradiction within capitalism that a 'basic income' for all, gradually > ratcheted up by government planners, cannot resolve? > > Raventos retorts to this argument > <http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/01/08/basic-income-basic-issues/> that *“Some > people complain that basic income won’t put an end to capitalism. Of course > it won’t. Capitalism with a basic income would still be capitalism but a > very different capitalism from the one we have now, just as the capitalism > that came hot on the heels of the Second World War was substantially > different from what came at the end of the seventies, the counter-reform we > call neoliberalism. Capitalism is not one capitalism, just as “the market” > is not just one market.” * > > This answer opens up a whole bag of tricks by suggesting that we can have > some form of non 'neoliberal', 'fairer' capitalism that would work for > labour, as we apparently did for a brief decade or so after the second > world war. But even if that were true, the 'basic income' demand stands > little prospect of being adopted by pro-capitalist governments now in the > middle of a Long Depression unless it actually reduced the value of > labour power, not increased it. And if a socialist worker government > were to come to power in any major capitalist economy would the policy then > be necessary when common ownership and planned production would be the > agenda? As one writer put it > <https://theconversation.com/basic-income-after-automation-thats-not-how-cap…>: > *“The call for basic income in order to soften the effects of automation > is hence not a call for greater economic justice. Our economy stays as it > is; we simply extend the circle of those who are entitled to receive public > benefits. If we want economic justice, then our starting point needs to be > more radical.”* > > In his book, *Why the Future is Workless* > <https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/why-the-future-is-workless/>, Tim > Dunlop says that *“the approach we should be taking is not to find ways > that we can compete with machines – that is a losing battle – but to find > ways in which wealth can be distributed other than through wages. This will > almost certainly involve something like a universal basic income > <http://basicincome.org/basic-income/>.”* But is that the approach that > we should take? Is it to find ways to 'redistribute' wealth* “other than > through wages”* or is it to control the production of that wealth so that > it can be allocated towards social need not profit? > > I have discussed in detail in previous posts what the impact of robots and > AI would be for labour under capitalism. > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2015/09/24/robots-and-ai-utopia-or-d…>And > from that, we can see an ambiguity in the basic income demand. It both aims > to provide a demand for labour to fight for under capitalism to improve > workers conditions as jobs disappear through automation and also wants > basic income as a way of paying people in a 'post-capitalist' world of > workless humans where all production is done by robots (but still with > private owners of robots?). > > And when we think of this ambiguity, we can see that the issue is really a > question of ownership of the technology, not the level of incomes for > workless humans. With common ownership, the fruits of robot production can > be democratically planned, including hours of work for all. Also, under a > planned economy with common ownership of the means of production (robots), > it would be possible to extend free goods and services (like a national > health service, education, transport and communications) to basic > necessities and beyond. So people would work fewer hours and get more free > goods and services, not just be compensated for the loss of work with a > 'basic income'. > > In a post-capitalist world (what I prefer to call 'socialism' rather than > mincing around with 'post-capitalism'), the aim would be to remove > (gradually or quickly) the law of value (prices and wages) and move to a > world of abundance (free goods and services and low hours of toil). > Indeed, that is what robots and automation now offer as a technical > possibility. > > The basic income demand is just too basic. As a reform for labour, it is > not as good as the demand for a job for all who need it at a living wage; > or reducing the working week while maintaining wages; or providing decent > pensions. And under socialism, it would be redundant. > > > *michael roberts <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/author/bobmckee/>* > | October 23, 2016 at 10:22 am | Categories: capitalism > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/?cat=21385>, economics > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/?cat=657>, marxism > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/?cat=47885> | URL: > http://wp.me/pLequ-3s6 > > Comment > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/basic-income-too-basic-no…> > See all comments > <https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/basic-income-too-basic-no…> > > Unsubscribe > <https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=2a7f024df3b7966e06fa7233b1a79c18&email…> > to no longer receive posts from Michael Roberts Blog. > Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions > <https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=2a7f024df3b7966e06fa7233b1a79c18&email…>. > > > *Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your browser: > https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/basic-inco > me-too-basic-not-radical-enough/ > Thanks for flying with WordPress.com <https://wordpress.com> > > > _______________________________________________ > CommonGood Mailingliste > JPBerlin - Politischer Provider > CommonGood(a)listi.jpberlin.de > https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/commongood > > -- 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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