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

Fwd: Urgent Action: Protect Freedom of Association in Ecuador
by Michel Bauwens 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

<codev(a)codev.org> *Subject: **Urgent Action: Protect Freedom of Association in Ecuador* *Date: *August 24, 2016 at 10:40:28 AM PDT *To: *Michael <Lewiscccr(a)shaw.ca> *Reply-To: *CoDevelopment Canada <codev(a)codev.org> Take action now to help protect Freedom of association in Ecuador. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser <http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id=7fbc8b8125…> . <http://codev.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id…> The Ecuadorian government has ordered the destruction of the country's national teachers' union Take Action Now <http://codev.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id…> *Ask President Correa to rescind the dissolution order* On July 20th, the Ecuadorian government accused the National Union of Educators (UNE) of failing to comply with strict new regulations issued for non-governmental organizations. Although it did not specify how the UNE had violated the regulations, the government gave the organization 15 days to comply or face dissolution. Despite protests from around the world, including the United Nation’s International Labour Organization, the government ordered on August 18 2016 the dissolution of the UNE. This is the latest in a serious of increasingly punitive measures that have been taken against the 72-year-old public school teachers’ federation. The Ecuadorian government attempts to project an progressive image abroad, yet its treatment of Ecuador’s historic teachers’ organization is reminiscent of the worst dictatorships in the region. *Please add your voice to those calling on President Correa urging him to rescind the dissolution order against UNE.* Take Action Now <http://codev.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id…> *Thank you for signing up to receive urgent action notifications. It is with the support of dedicated people like you that we are able to respond quickly when threats are issued against the Latin American communities with whom we work. This is solidarity in action and you are an integral part of it.* Friend on Facebook <http://codev.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&i…> Follow on Twitter <http://codev.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&i…> Forward to a Friend <http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id=7fb…> follow on Twitter <http://codev.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&i…> | friend on Facebook <http://codev.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&i…> | forward to a friend <http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id=7fb…> *Copyright © 2016 CoDevelopment Canada, All rights reserved.* Thank you for signing up for CoDevelopment's e-news and notifications! *Our mailing address is:* CoDevelopment Canada 260-2747 East Hastings Street Vancouver, British Columbia V5K 1Z8 Canada Add us to your address book <http://codev.us2.list-manage1.com/vcard?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id=e0f1…> [image: Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…> unsubscribe from this list <http://codev.us2.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id…> | update subscription preferences <http://codev.us2.list-manage.com/profile?u=f72c649b50c12edc3ff6a0881&id=e0f…> -- 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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Special Issue Call: Ferments in the Field: The Past, Present and Futures of Communication Studies (Journal of Communication)
by Christian Fuchs 25 Aug '16

25 Aug '16

Special Issue of the Journal of Communication: Ferments in the Field: The Past, Present and Futures of Communication Studies Editors: Christian Fuchs & Jack Qiu Call for submission of extended abstracts http://fuchs.uti.at/1699/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1460-2466/homepage/cal… In 1983, Journal of Communication (JoC) published the special issue “Ferment in the Field” (Volume 33, Issue 3, co-edited by George Gerbner and Marsha Siefert). The issue focused on “questions about the role of communications scholars and researchers, and of the discipline as a whole, in society” (Gerbner & Siefert, 1983, p. 4). The 35 contributions reflected “on the state of communications research today; the relationship of the researcher to science, society, and policy; the goals of research with respect to social issues and social structure; and the tactics and strategies for reaching their goals” (ibid). In 1993, two comparable JoC issues were dedicated to “The Disciplinary Status of Communication Research” (Volume 43, Issues 3-4, co-edited by Mark Levy and Michael Gurevitch). In 2008, a JoC special issue discussed “Epistemological and Disciplinary Intersections” (Volume 58, Issue 4, edited by Michael Pfau). More than three decades after the original Ferment issue, it is again time to reflect on disciplinary transformations in communication studies. By calling this new special issue Ferments in the Field, we see historical continuity in our efforts along JoC’s tradition of inviting communication scholarship to reflect upon itself. Meanwhile, we ask questions with a special eye on the increasing complexity and diversity of the field: * What does the field of communication research look like? * What have been the key tendencies and developments in communication(s) research and its subfields? * How has the field developed in the past decades? What have been long-term continuities and discontinuities since the 1980s? * What is the actual and desirable role for communication studies in contemporary academe and society? * What is the status of theory, methods, critique, ethics, and interdisciplinarity in our field? * What is the status of critical research and theories? * How should the field position itself vis-à-vis key contemporary processes and challenges? * What does the future of communication studies look like? Contributions to a new edition of “Ferments in the Field” should be provocative essays that offer bold ideas with broad implications for the field as a whole and areas of specializations. This special issue speaks of ferments in the plural in order to spur reflections beyond established academic boundaries and stimulate discussions that encourage scholars to think beyond comfort zones. From multiple theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary perspectives, it asks about the continuities and discontinuities in communication research in an attempt to initiate a new round of debates about the past, present and futures of the field. The special issue will be published in 2018. The editors are Professor Christian Fuchs (University of Westminster) and Professor Jack Qiu (Chinese University of Hong Kong). Authors are welcome to submit extended abstracts to the Editors by December 1, 2016. Extended abstracts should have a length of 400-1,000 words (excluding tables, figures, and references). Abstracts should be submitted to c.fuchs(a)westminster.ac.uk and jacklqiu(a)cuhk.edu.hk. For doing so, please complete use the submission form available here: http://fuchs.uti.at/wp-content/Ferments.docx Subsequently, authors who were asked to submit complete papers will need to submit their manuscripts by May 2, 2017. Each manuscript should not exceed 4,000 words (including tables, figures, and references).

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Fwd: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Debate-List] The death of neoliberalism and the crisis in western politics
by Michel Bauwens 23 Aug '16

23 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: peter waterman <peterwaterman1936(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, Aug 21, 2016 at 11:25 PM Subject: [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Debate-List] The death of neoliberalism and the crisis in western politics To: "CRITICAL-LABOUR-STUDIES(a)jiscmail.ac.uk" < CRITICAL-LABOUR-STUDIES(a)jiscmail.ac.uk>, "< networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>" <networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org>, WSFDiscuss List <WorldSocialForum-Discuss(a)openspaceforum.net> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: nada01 <nada01(a)claranet.co.uk> Date: Sun, Aug 21, 2016 at 12:02 PM Subject: [Debate-List] The death of neoliberalism and the crisis in western politics To: debate-list(a)fahamu.org The death of neoliberalism and the crisis in western politics http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/21/death- of-neoliberalism-crisis-in-western-politics?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Email Dr. Neville Adams Sent from Samsung Mobile on O2 -- To view previous posts, create a Google account with your current email and log in using gmail to access the archives. https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups " debate-list(a)fahamu.org" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to debate-list+unsubscribe(a)fahamu.org. To post to this group, send email to debate-list(a)fahamu.org. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/a/fa hamu.org/group/debate-list/. -- *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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Fwd: We Stand with Love
by Michel Bauwens 23 Aug '16

23 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: David Kyuman Kim <dkkim(a)conncoll.edu> Date: Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 12:05 AM Subject: We Stand with Love To: lovedriven(a)googlegroups.com, Love Driven Politics Collective < love.driven.politics(a)gmail.com> Hi folks As some of you know, we have been partnering with a group of religious and lay organizations for a fall social media campaign called We Stand with Love. For more information about the campaign, please go to: http://westandwithlove.org The official launch of the campaign will be Sept 1st. Please share information about the campaign with your respective networks. I will send along more information about how you can participate in the coming weeks. Take good care, dkk ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ ☸ ☼ david kyuman kim Professor & Chair, Department of Religious Studies Core Faculty, Program in American Studies Connecticut College 860-439-5075; dkkim(a)conncoll.edu Twitter: @qmanpvd -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "lovedriven" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to lovedriven+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to lovedriven(a)googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/lovedriven. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/ msgid/lovedriven/13BA3E7D-097C-46FD-A75E-33989584A55C%40conncoll.edu <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lovedriven/13BA3E7D-097C-46FD-A75E-339895…> . For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- 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: Preparing for the War on Cash
by Michel Bauwens 22 Aug '16

22 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Brett Scott <brettscott(a)fastmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 6:49 PM Subject: Preparing for the War on Cash To: brettscott(a)fastmail.com Dear Collaborators, Co-conspirators, Hackers and Friends Apologies for the generic group email, but I wanted to flag up a big essay I just published on the War on Cash, the dark side of 'cashless society' and why we might want to keep an eye on the rising power of digital payment systems http://thelongandshort.org/society/war-on-cash It was published in NESTA's Long + Short Magazine with some great illustrations from Scott Garrett, and has been extremely popular. The piece has received so much traffic that the website has been crashing - it was trending on the front page of Hacker News for a long time, as well as some big Reddit pages - but hopefully it's available right now. Please do check it out if you get a chance, and share with any colleagues or friends who may be interested Cheers! Brett -- Brett Scott 🐦 @Suitpossum <https://twitter.com/Suitpossum> ♞ LinkedIn <http://uk.linkedin.com/in/brettreginaldscott> 🖳 Blog <http://suitpossum.blogspot.com/> ☏ 0044 79 8243 7769 ☯ Essays: FutureOfMoney <https://howwegettonext.com/the-future-of-money-depends-on-busting-the-fairy…> / DarkDigitalFinance <http://thelongandshort.org/machines/automation-and-the-future-of-personal-f…> / Talking to Bots <https://howwegettonext.com/if-you-talk-to-bots-youre-talking-to-their-bosse…> / UNRISD blockchain <http://www.unrisd.org/brett-scott> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> -- 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: How the GE Food Venture Has Been Chronically Dependent on Deception
by Michel Bauwens 21 Aug '16

21 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jonathan Latham <jrlatham(a)bioscienceresource.org> Date: Sun, Aug 21, 2016 at 8:16 AM Subject: How the GE Food Venture Has Been Chronically Dependent on Deception To: bsr-PROJECT-ELIST1(a)gn.apc.org Dear Friends and Colleagues Published today, Sunday August 21st 2016, by *Independent Science News* *How the GE Food Venture Has Been Chronically Dependent on Deception* by Steven Druker, J.D. https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/how-the-ge-food- venture-has-been-chronically-dependent-on-deception/ *Synopsis: *The first examples of GE products investigated by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) were a disaster. A GE tryptophan supplement unexpectedly contained a toxic byproduct that permanently maimed hundreds of people and killed others, while the Flavr Savr tomato produced stomach lesions and unexplained mortality in mice. In both cases, the responsible agency, FDA, covered up the evidence and officially proclaimed there was no evidence of harm due to genetic engineering. The safety of GMOs is not a certitude argues attorney Steven Druker, instead, problems have been covered up and the scientific consensus has been misrepresented. Largely ignored in this deception has been the role of public officials. The author: Steven M. Druker is a public interest attorney and the executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity. Please share this article and accept apologies for cross-posting. yours sincerely Jonathan Jonathan Latham, PhD Executive Director The Bioscience Resource Project Ithaca, NY 14850 USA www.independentsciencenews.org and www.bioscienceresource.org jrlatham(a)bioscienceresource.org Skype: jonathanlatham2 Tel: 1-607-319-0279 “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda _______________________________________________ BSR-project-elist1 mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/bsr-project- elist1 To unsubscribe, email bsr-project-elist1-unsubscribe(a)gn.apc.org -- 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: OURS TO HACK AND TO OWN is now available for pre-order
by Michel Bauwens 20 Aug '16

20 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Trebor Scholz <scholzt(a)newschool.edu> Date: Sat, Aug 20, 2016 at 4:28 AM Subject: OURS TO HACK AND TO OWN is now available for pre-order To: Trebor Scholz <scholzt(a)newschool.edu> Dear friends, colleagues, cooperators, allies, Our platform cooperativism manifesto's time has nearly come; you have all worked hard on your chapters and we are very pleased with the result. The book is not yet available yet, but now, nine months after the Platform Cooperativism event, readers can preorder it here <http://www.orbooks.com/catalog/ours-to-hack-and-to-own/>. Copies will be available by October—perhaps a bit before. As soon as we can, we'll be in touch about getting you your complimentary copies. At this point, we would like to ask all of you to post the link for the OR Books pre-order page to your social media accounts: http://www.orbooks. com/catalog/ours-to-hack-and-to-own/ And if you can think of possible reviewers whom we could send a review copy, please add their names on this document <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aTMxgkaP5Bx5eqVrlSdLFKe19rSk7yXH9myjinC…> so that we can follow up with them. We have discussed matters of rights and copyright with several of you. Our publisher, OR Books, will retain copyright over the book as a whole in support of their monopoly-challenging business model. However, all contributors retain the rights to republish their contributions under whatever license they like. We encourage you to do so, especially if you also provide a link to where interested readers can buy the book as a whole. Finally, Trebor will convene the next conference <http://platformcoop.net/2016>at The New School and Civic Hall, November 11th-13th and we hope to see you there. In solidarity, Trebor & Nathan *Platform Cooperativism:* *Building the Cooperative Internet* Nov 11-13, 2016 Almost unnoticed, in the gaps and hollows of the digital economy, a new economy is emerging that follows a different ethical and financial logic. Platform cooperativism, as it has come to be called, is an emerging movement for democratic governance and collective ownership on the Internet and a fairer future of work. It is a concrete, near future alternative to the on-demand economy; it reclaims humane principles like mutuality, sympathy, and solidarity by bringing together the rich heritage of cooperativism with 21st-century technologies. The pieces are coming into place. Freelancers are forming cooperatives to find clients and pool insurance through platforms of their own. Uber drivers are leaving the mothership, organizing in co-ops, and designing their own taxi apps. Photographers are offering their work for fair prices on a platform where they're in charge, and journalists are crowdfunding news portals co-owned with their audiences. New decentralized networks are enabling people to share their data with each other without relying on a corporate cloud. Contrary to the rules of the dominant algorithmic gatekeepers, platform cooperativism puts the online economic infrastructure into the hands of the people who depend on it most. The cooperative platform economy can become one of the counterforces to the defects of the on-demand economy. It is a strategy for reversing wealth inequality, gender inequity, environmental degradation, and systemic racial injustice. The experiments now already underway show that a global ecosystem of cooperatives can stand against the concentration of wealth and the insecurity of workers that yields Silicon Valley's winner-takes-all economy. They show that the Internet can be owned and governed differently. Since the “Platform Cooperativism: The Internet, Ownership, Democracy” event in November 2015 at The New School, conferences and community meetings about the cooperative platform economy have taken place in Berlin, New York City, Florence, Bologna, Weimar, Melbourne, London, Brussels, Boston, Budapest, and Philadelphia. A new book, Ours to Hack and to Own, gathers many of the rationales and experiments that are driving the movement forward. The Platform Cooperativism Consortium will launch at this event, creating a global network of institutions to support this eco system of businesses. The vision is spreading. A year later, we need to keep the momentum building and continue forging the critical connections necessary to make this vision even more a reality. On November 11-13, 2016, “Platform Cooperativism: Building The Cooperative Internet” will take place at The New School and Civic Hall in New York City. - On Day 1, we will bring together an international group of policymakers to discuss regulation and investment in alternative models. In the afternoon, we’ll think through the legal and design implications of the cooperative platform economy. - On Day 2, discussions will focus on global opportunities for convergence among worker resistance, unions, and cooperatives. How can online co-ops meet some of the platform economy's challenges that the labor movement has struggled with? - On Sunday, Day 3 an unconference co-sponsored and hosted by our partner Civic Hall will allow for an open stream of project proposals for the platform co-op space. Building the basis for a popular movement in support of a fairer cooperative digital economy requires countless people, projects, inventive organizations, publications, and events around the world. “Platform Cooperativism: Building The Cooperative Internet” will be part of this effort. Join us online and in person. -- 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: Fwd : Open Call Collective Intelligence for Democracy - Medialab-Prado - this Winter in Madrid
by Michel Bauwens 18 Aug '16

18 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: N E <ne_atl(a)onebox.com> Date: Thu, Aug 18, 2016 at 3:03 AM Subject: Fwd : Open Call Collective Intelligence for Democracy - Medialab-Prado - this Winter in Madrid To: http://medialab-prado.es/article/herramientas-para-una-democracia-real-2016 "We call on hackers, activists, politicians, programmers, designers, participation experts and any other person with an interest in direct democracy and digital citizen participation. The aim is to create new digital prototypes that facilitate and open new paths to direct democratic participation via the internet. We don’t want these people to invent the wheel; we value initiatives based on reconstructing existing developments, hacking digital open-source platforms to give them new uses and even designing participation processes using existing tools. .." -- 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: the Chiang Mai digital neo-nomad scene
by Michel Bauwens 18 Aug '16

18 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Asser Christensen <asser(a)f5.dk> Date: Thu, Aug 18, 2016 at 2:24 PM Subject: Re: Chiang Mai *Working under the palm trees in Thailand* *These days, it’s a common complaint that we are all chained to a screen during all of our waking hours. For some, however, the screen has meant a completely new freedom.* There is an expectant buzz in the tiny health café in the neighborhood of Nimmanhaemin. The café is filled to overflowing with young Westerners. Some haven’t even managed to get a chair. Most look to be somewhere in their 20s. They are wearing traditional backpacker threads: shorts with cargo pockets and loose T-shirts. The crowd is not made up of backpackers on sabbatical, however. Instead, they are so-called digital nomads. A growing segment of young people, who are trading the 9-5 grind for the opportunity to work from exotic locations abroad where the cost of living is low. The man everyone has turned up to see gets up on the makeshift stage to great applause. Johnny F. D. is an American with roots in Taiwan. He is a celebrity of sorts among the growing number of digital nomads in Chiang Mai, and he has thousands of listeners to his podcast Travel like a Boss – Listeners that dream of living his life and trading their drab offices for palm trees and perpetual summer. Every Friday, a large group of the digital nomads meets at the café to network and share success stories. Today, Johnny F. D. is going to share why all other digital nomads should have a podcast. »When I started, I had no idea how to do this«, he says. »But today I estimate that the podcast contributes about 5000 dollars to my income every single month«, says Johnny, who by now have produced more than 90 episodes of his program, where he interviews others who – like himself – travel while they work. The digital nomads are soaking up the message. With a podcast, you attract more traffic to your personal blog and thereby even more potential customers for your webshop. Their nodding expressions seem to indicate that this makes sense. Reliable Wi-Fi is More Important than an Office It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the digital nomad movement began. In 2008, however, one cornerstone was laid when American author Tim Ferriss published his bestseller, The 4-Hour Workweek. The premise of the book is that we all have the option of leaving behind the rat race and the inhumanely long hours spent in the office. Instead, you can move abroad as an online entrepreneur. Make your money go further, work less. Hence the four hours in the title of the book. Whether any entrepreneurs really put a mere four hours a week into their businesses is something about which most people in the community have their doubts, however. While the book and the basic concept were received with quite a bit of skepticism around the time it was published, today it has gained renewed momentum, as online portals like Uber, TaskRabbit, Upwork, and Fiverr have gained ground. Ever so quietly, they are transforming the labor market into the so-called gig economy. A study by the American software company Intuit estimates that 40 percent of the American workforce will be employed on a freelance basis by 2020. The study concludes that companies increase their efficiency and flexibility with loosely associated employees, while, »on the other hand, the freelancers have more of a say in regard to when and how much they work, giving them a better work-life balance«. This development, combined with the fact that most jobs today can be done anywhere, as long as there is a reliable internet connection, has enabled the new lifestyle as digital nomad in Southeast Asia. Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is emphasized as the unofficial capital for the movement, and at this writing, the Facebook group for digital nomads in the town has more than 8000 members. It is obvious when you walk around Chiang Mai that something unusual is going on. Especially the neighborhood of Nimmanhaemin, where most nomads settle, is filled with cafés with latte art and shabby-chic decor. All over, you see Europeans and Americans sitting with their MacBooks, working on home pages or other projects. *Said goodbye to it all in three months* Aske Ertmann is one of the digital nomads. Six months ago, he said goodbye to a promising career as web developer at the MOC agency in Copenhagen. Here, he had been behind projects like homepages for the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark and the political party Venstre. Instead, he threw himself into this unknown, but strangely alluring, lifestyle. »I had worked at the same place for quite a few years, and I really didn’t feel like saying goodbye to all of that, but at the same time, I really wanted to try something else. And little by little, the possibility of combining travel and work became more and more relevant to me«, says Aske Ertmann, who went straight from secondary school to the labor market and didn’t have a chance to take a sabbatical like a lot of his peers. He had first read about the lifestyle on Twitter. Slowly but surely, he started researching digital nomads on various blogs and fora, and once the decision was made, he was ready to leave Denmark three months later. »The hardest decision was probably to quit my job. Not because I was leaving my comfort zone, but because I didn’t feel like it. I had been at the same place for six years, had made partner, and I liked coming to work. Taking the step from that into the unknown, that was hard. However, at the same time, the point was also to find new challenges«, he explains. Aske Ertmann made an agreement with his former employer that they could use him one day a week, if they needed it, and after that, it was farewell. So far, the trip has brought the 25-year-old web developer to Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Well, and now, Chiang Mai in Thailand. Aside from traveling, he puts most of his efforts into an open-source IT project called Neos, which he has been part of developing from the bottom up. That is his passion. When the tide is a little low in his bank account, he shores it up with a few freelance jobs as web developer. »It’s a bit of a luxury, being able to do this almost full time«, he says. Aske’s plan, however, is slowly but surely to start accepting more paying jobs, as the trip progresses. In spite of having savings, he needs to make sure that the journey can continue as long as possible. >From Diving Bum to Nomad Chief I meet Johnny F. D. once again at the popular coworking space PunSpace in a green belt at the outskirts of Nimmanhaemin. By now, his name is becoming synonymous with the nomad lifestyle. American business media and the entire blogosphere have discovered this as well. The story about how Johnny F. D. went from diving bum on the brink of bankruptcy to online entrepreneur with a passive income of more than DKK 60,000 a month is practically a modern version of the American dream. Johnny, who had had enough of the rat race, went to Thailand to become a diving instructor, train muay thai and »live the good life on a rock«, as he himself puts it. The lifestyle only lasted a couple of years, however, before he was just a poor American without a career in a foreign country. He wound up writing an eBook about his experiences. The pseudonym F. D. came from his living as Fighter Divemaster – his legal last name is Tejen. That kicked off his life as an online entrepreneur, where he makes the majority of his income today on a type of e-trade called drop shipping, affiliate marketing, and online courses. »There was not much of a community for this sort of thing in Chiang Mai, when I got here. Nobody used the expression ’digital nomad’, and we, who were interested in working online, found each other randomly«, he says. »However, living as a digital nomad has become increasingly popular. Not only has finding a job become easier, but also all the peripheral things like housing and networking. Everyone who feels like taking a break from his or her job for six months to a year, can go somewhere like Chiang Mai to meet other likeminded individuals and potentially make enough money to be able to create a life there.« [image: johnny fd denmark] One thing that really made the lifestyle possible is the boom that has taken place as far as the prevalence of office communities. From being something practiced by creative types in Copenhagen, Berlin, and New York, it has now become a common site in a number of major cities in the nomad circuit in Southeast Asia. Along with his wife, Vichaya Sirisanthana founded Euam, Chiang Mais first coworking space, PunSpace, three years ago. In the beginning, they were unsure whether the customers would show up, but today there are four coworking spaces in town. »We are both programmers and would like a place for ourselves to work. There were no coworking spaces in Chiang Mai back then, so we thought we would make one. After a year, our first coworking space was so popular that we started a new branch«, says Vichaya Sirisanthana. He explains that the digital nomads are the main reason for PunSpace almost always having all their desk spaces filled. »The vast majority of our users are digital nomads. Many of them are freelancers in programming or graphic design, but quite a few do online marketing and e-trade«. A coworking space, he says, is a better place to socialize than cafés, where you don’t see the same people every day or know if they are digital nomads. With a coworking space, you are sure to get human contact and fast, reliable Wi-Fi. These are two of the main concerns of people who work online. Vichaya Sirisanthana estimates that several factors have been instrumental in attracting the digital nomads to Chiang Mai. Basically, however, it is just a very pleasant town to live in. It is neither too small nor too large, the prices are low, and the weather is nice year-round. »But things like Johnny’s blog have also contributed to spreading the news«, he explains. Chiang Mai and the rising population of competent western workers are also starting to show up on the radar of several American online giants. A short time ago, Amazon stopped in at PunSpace to talk about the company’s new e-trade program. The freelance portal Fiverr and the online payment service Payoneer have also had networking events in town recently. Vichaya Sirisanthana believes the future is bright for coworking spaces in Chiang Mai. He believes the trend is sure to increase in volume. »We meet many who just quit their jobs and have come to Chiang Mai to become digital nomads. Most have been employed in a company previously, but are choosing to try this lifestyle, because they want to travel and be free. As a digital nomad, you don’t need to work five days a week. Instead, you can follow your own program, and perhaps work hard for two weeks, and then take two weeks of vacation afterwards. At the same time, you can travel and experience a new culture. Many young people are attracted to that«, he says. <https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OM2LOoLiWjE/Vs1n7r1b6rI/AAAAAAAAimM/AujkCAw3IHQ/…> Vichaya Sirisanthana owner of PunSpace, Coworking The best decision ever The lifestyle definitely appeals to Aske Ertmann. With no hesitation, he says that becoming a digital nomad may be the best decision he ever made. And he is planning to continue to travel around the world while he works for quite a while yet. Only one of those big life-altering events, like a relationship or a dream job, for instance, can put an end to the trip. »The awesome thing about it is being your own boss. That there are no clients or deadlines, and you can work whenever you feel like it. I work anyway, though, usually 30-35 hours a week. But now I work when it suits me. For instance, I can be off and do things in the daytime, while it’s light, and work in the evening instead«, he says. »It’s not the way it used to be, where you worked every day during the week and looked forward to the weekend, and it provides a lot of freedom. Yesterday, I rode my mountain bike all day, and then I worked in the evening instead. That kind of flexibility is awesome. That it isn’t just 9 to 5«, he says. Aske Ertmann does acknowledge, however, that it’s not a lifestyle completely devoid of stress. When you get to a new place, you have to start over and relearn all the practical things. »It takes energy and time to find out how things work, find a place to live, find a place to work. Get to know the new customs and rules. How to handle the basics like shopping and laundry. The payoff is great, though. You get a lot back by being in a new place. Everything is interesting. You’ve never done it before. And there is always something new. You get away from the habitual«. Precisely Chiang Mai does take a little less energy than many other places, Aske Ertmann explains. He succeeded in finding a so-called serviced apartment within half a day when he first arrived in town. It is a hybrid between a hotel room and a furnished apartment. »It makes it incredibly easy to move in for a short time, just as long as you’re here for a month. Typically, hotel rooms are more expensive, and you get an inferior place to stay«, he says. According to the Danish web developer, however, the main attraction of Chiang Mai is especially the other nomads. »It is very easy to meet people here. Most nomads live within a radius of a kilometer, so you are always running into people. A great many are open to meeting new people and forming new friendships. People here are not as closed as Danes are usually«. <https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_NdOa7D4-Y/Vs1oyNWNP3I/AAAAAAAAimY/0Q1r6L5wnpg/…> Copenhagen. Denmark A legal gray area There is no doubt that many Westerners love Thailand. This love is not always mutual, however. Just over a year ago, about 20 police officers in riot gear busted in and arrested most of the nomads at PunSpace. They were placed in paddy wagons and were brought to the immigration office. All nomads were released after a few hours and could return to the coworking space. Johnny F. D.’s variation of the story is that it was a big misunderstanding. The police thought that the digital nomads were working for PunSpace, which would be illegal. When the authorities found out that they were instead working on various online projects, there were no problems. This variation is naïve, however, according to several in the community. Westerners who live and work in Thailand are basically personas non grata to the country’s military junta. Since the junta seized power in a coup in 2014, it has drawn attention with several peculiar laws and regulations. Among other things, reading George Orwell’s book 1984 in public is illegal today. Although nomads might contribute to the economy, they are not part of an ‘authentic Thailand’. The blog Chiang Mai Buddy claims that the local authorities are currently gathering proof and building cases against the most high-profile digital nomads in Chiang Mai. Meaning people like Johnny. In principle, the authorities could start court proceedings and deport unwanted elements anytime. And that may be a bomb under the digital nomads in Chiang Mai. The vast majority of them are in Thailand on a tourist visa, which really prohibits all types of work. This also means that every three months, they have to do a so-called visa run. A quick trip to Laos or Malaysia, a visit to the Thai embassy, a new stamp in the passport, and then back for another three months. This type of thing has become increasingly difficult over the past few years. The visa regulations have been tightened. The latest example was doing away with the popular ‘multiple entry’ visa in favor of a visa, which on paper is a much more difficult to get for somewhat poor, young Westerners. The authorities do not understand digital nomads »Basically, the Thai authorities do not understand the community, and their laws are from a time when there was no such thing as digital nomads. They don’t quite know how to handle us, although we are basically tourists«, says Johnny F. D. »Even though it is not legal for us to work here, the authorities are not enforcing the law right now, because we bring a lot of resources to the local economy. None of us is taking jobs from the locals, so they have no reason to want us gone«, he says. One of the places benefitting from the digital nomads and their seemingly endless cafe latte budgets is the café Healthy B., where Johnny F. D. and the other nomads hold their weekly networking events. In addition, a subgroup with a particular interest in the new hot online marketing technique, search engine optimization, have begun to hang out at Healthy B. every single Thursday. »I opened the café three months ago, and I didn’t know much about the digital nomads«, says proprietor Poohwena Sri. »Today, however, they are the most important segment for our business. When new nomads come into town, they participate in the Friday meeting, and then they’ll be back later to work from the café for an entire day. Close to 100 percent of our new customers come from that community«, she elaborates. Johnny F. D. believes that the only sensible solution for Thailand is to create a visa specifically intended for digital nomads. This is because he believes they spend more money in the country than, for instance, backpackers or retirees. »We live in luxury apartments and spend money on food and locally produced merchandise, and we are not taking jobs from the Thai. We definitely contribute to the economy«, he says, pointing out that today, he is unable to hire local workers, and instead he must settle for a virtual assistant sitting in the Philippines in order to avoid problems with the authorities. »The beautiful thing is, however, that we’ll just move if it becomes more difficult to be here. I love the food and the culture in Thailand, but with one post on my blog, I can just say, ‘off we go to Bali or the Philippines instead, and thousands will follow me there«. <https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UoGzEEtYDVI/Vs1pSIL_w8I/AAAAAAAAimc/pCf71bIQvPA/…> On left Poohwena Sri owner of Healthy B. Cafe ’The new rich’ or a precariat? In The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss describes the members of the new movement as the new rich. Instead of just being rich on monetary resources, they also have plenty of leisure time. This, as opposed to many other wealthy people, they can actually take time off to enjoy their wealth. Since then, however, quite a bit of contention has developed around that view. Among others, professor and labor market economist Guy Standing believes that freelancers make up a new form of proletariat, underbidding each other on platforms like Uber, Upwork, and Fiverr. He has written about this in the book The Precariat. »The group belongs to the precariat, which is characterized by uncertain work conditions, variable income, and little chance of developing a career or professional security«, Guy Standing has previously told Information. And it’s not even like digital nomads with blogs or online shops are in a more secure position than their freelance colleagues. If they become ill or the earnings fail, they are left holding the bag. Not the welfare state or some compassionate union. And they have to set aside their own pension as well. Danish futures researcher, Peter Hesseldahl is another, who definitely does not see the future labor market as being rosy for the small entrepreneurs. »Those who used to have a fixed salary and vacation time will have to find new jobs as freelancers in the future. The large union middle class will be the ones to leave their full time positions to enter a status of so-called micro-entrepreneurs. Many of them may as well be called day laborers«, he has previously told F5 Magazine. Peter Hesseldahl believes that the development calls for rethinking the Danish model. »It is a classic job for the unions, but the problem is that the people they want to organize don’t want to submit themselves to the mass-industrial worldview of the unions and the view of working that comes with it. The unions will need to consider what the job concept covers today and in the future and create solutions that match what is being required in order to do a job today«. <https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H68-ky65JGU/Vs1qfYM6PwI/AAAAAAAAimo/M7m8ZKHB-f4/…> According to the Daily Mail tabloid magazine Drop your education and start an online business Skepticism from academics and bureaucrats certainly have no influence on the increasingly large blogosphere for digital nomads, however. Here, the analysis says that the trend will only become more prolific. One popular piece of advice you often see from American bloggers is that the young people at home should skip taking an expensive university education completely, and instead come to Asia and start an online business. It costs a fraction, and you gain tools you can actually use in business. Just in case, they really do want to do something other than being self-employed someday. »When I first started, the bias was that making money online was not possible, and that it was a waste of time. Now, people in the United States are more likely to think that it is definitely possible, but many have an excuse for why they can’t do it« Johnny F. D. says. He does believe, however, that the little by little, it will become even harder to stick to the bad excuses. »Over the next couple of years, we will see even more organized events and travel packages for digital nomads. Already now, there are companies bringing young people out into the world to various coworking spaces«. In Denmark, we see something similar, where, among other things, the company Refuga specializes in arranging so-called work vacations abroad for entrepreneurs. One of the company’s next trips go to the Thai island Koh Samui. <https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FaLbRXnkvmE/Vs1sFr81MdI/AAAAAAAAim8/mKFNETghp4I/…> Four Seasons Resort in Koh Samui Still just 1 percent of the world More and more visionary companies are allowing their employees to take their jobs abroad, says Johnny F. D. It makes perfect sense for both parties, but it requires an employer with quite a bit of trust. »Letting employees travel while they work is an obvious choice, as they can often be at least as productive as at home. If you allow Danish employees to go to Thailand in the winter, they can be both happier and healthier, and at the same time, the company can save money, since it’s much cheaper to live down here«. Actually, Johnny F. D.’s statement wasn’t pulled out of thin air altogether. A study from Stanford University shows that employees working from home are typically between 13 and 22 percent more effective than their colleagues at the office. Thus, it may sound like digital nomads are on their way to become a mainstream culture into which most people with a relatively digital job can throw themselves. Johnny F. D. still sees a natural limitation, however. »The lifestyle is becoming more mainstream. We are still just a fraction of the world’s population, however. Most normal people fear losing their career and are fearful of living abroad. No matter what, we will never be more than one percent of the population of the world«, he says.

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Re: [P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] The class structure of the "solidarity economy" or any alternative community
by Anna Harris 17 Aug '16

17 Aug '16

I find this discussion very interesting, though haven't had time yet to respond. > "I think your basic traits were formed early and evolved through all of > your experiences." The traits you are describing run deeper than class, though they do have something to do with how we judge some classes better than others. So eg working class is more honest, more down to earth, more on the same level, upper class more arrogant, more rigid, more bigoted. But we also know these are caricatures, and easily reversed in practice. I think what is here being described has to do with 'morality', something we rarely talk about because it borders on religion. Peer to peer attracts us because it is nearer to 'all of us being equal in the eyes of God'. This has nothing to do with a belief in God, but something to do with what Peter describes as "a dialectical and holistic disposition toward global social emancipation". This also connects with Orsan's concern that people who appear to be 'on our side' are being used/funded by people with different intentions. I've recently been reading neurobiologist Darcia Narvaez book 'Neurobiology and the Development of Morality'. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18378036-neurobiology-and-the-developme… What is clear from her research is that if a baby's needs are not met, eg if it is left to cry itself to sleep, which is a common practice in many western cultures, it is imprinted with the experience of a hostile world, which can affect its development and produce mental problems such as anxiety and depression later in life. The importance of the parent child bond in mitigating such experiences, and the resources that a baby brings with it, inherited and its own personality, all blend to produce a person's identity, which as you say, may be changed with difficulty. There is a growing movement which sees the necessity of welcoming the newborn with positive experiences, to counteract what appears to be the 'natural' tendency towards aggression and insecurity in our culture. Narvaez makes it clear that this needs to be a community effort, it cannot be done alone. See the 20 presenters at the upcoming conference at Findhorn, Healthy Birth, Healthy Earth. https://hbhe.co/presenters/ Anna > On 13 Aug 2016, at 10:44, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > On Sat, Aug 13, 2016 at 12:51 AM, peter waterman > <peterwaterman1936(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> Are these classes a cause of their behaviour or a result thereof? > > At least related, I think. > >> And, in >> any case, are these 'classes' or 'identities'? I mean in any conventional >> definition of classes. > > Yeah, it's more complicated. If you believe in intersectionality in > the bell hooks sense (and I do) and in relationships of domination vs > relationships of partnership as described recently in this list (and I > do), then in the capitalist system you got polarities of domination > and subordination around gender, wealth and relations of production, > and culture/race. > > People's individual personalities are formed in some interacting > combination of whichever positions in the two or three of those poles > they were enculturated in. > > And it gets even more complicated than that. > > I'm just trying to account for some phenomena in some way that is > discussable without writing a book. > >> Secondly, what DO you do? > > http://mikorizal.org > >> Maybe I would either belong to or become a member >> of the preferred class. > > I'm not pointing fingers. > > I think your basic traits were formed early and evolved through all of > your experiences. You can consciously change some of them through > struggle from and social practice with your comrades, but it ain't > easy. > >>> On Sat, Aug 13, 2016 at 12:44 AM, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> I'm trying to connect to what I think I perceive in some of Orsan's >>> posts. This is a different angle on what Orsan has been talking about, >>> but I think it is connected and I think the subject line might be >>> closer to the essence. >>> >>> We have recent experience with very different groups that we have >>> worked with in our "solidarity economy" software experiments. None of >>> which shall be named. Yet. >>> >>> Some people in some groups have this sense of entitlement, as if we >>> are their employees or they are our customer, rather than us all being >>> peers in an open source project. >>> >>> They complain a lot. Occasionally they offer helpful suggestions, but >>> mostly they like to complain. Sometimes when they do make suggestions, >>> they are way beyond anything that could be implemented, and if >>> implemented, they would not be able to use the results because the >>> results would be beyond their competence. >>> >>> They are arrogant. They assume they our intellectual superiors. They >>> claim to have abilities that in subsequent events they fail miserably >>> to demonstrate. >>> >>> We meet other groups where people claim to want to collaborate but >>> fail to do so. Often they are credentialed academics, and we are not. >>> (I don't even have a college degree. The horror!) They want to publish >>> papers in proprietary journals which will advance their careers. We >>> are not helpful in that pursuit. They also assume they are our >>> intellectual superiors. >>> >>> We work with other groups who do not feel so entitled. Who are eager >>> to collaborate. Who jump in and work on the software. Who not only >>> suggest improvements to the software, they jump in and make the >>> improvements themselves! What a concept! Like a real open source >>> project! >>> >>> It is so nice. Really. >>> >>> I think we have class differences at work here. What do you think? >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetworkedLabour mailing list >>> NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org >>> http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Click here for Peter's recent writings > _______________________________________________ > NetworkedLabour mailing list > NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour

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