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

Another post-capitalist transition and next system is possible (Was: Re: [NetworkedLabour] An Open Letter to the Fabian Society (was: Re: New models of leadership))
by Orsan 08 Aug '16

08 Aug '16

Now that I have stupidly missed my flight to Montreal and I will not be able to confront with our friends and comrades on a friendly open spaces we could have been building together in corporeal, I like to share and remind this alternative vision for transition to a new economy; I tried to draft, as a summary of what I learned and deduce from the collective and truly open discussions that took place on the lists like p2p-f, and networked labour, since more then 2 years. Here is the presentation mode: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_kM4x3RhnHdSWRGeXY3TGk1aTA/edit?usp=docsli… Will be hoping to translate into broader text, in article form, but still hoping that it would make any contribution to any event taking place on commons, and transition, or exodus from capitalist mode of free fall. Best, Orsan > On 4 aug. 2016, at 08:50, Pat Conaty <pat.commonfutures(a)phonecoop.coop> wrote: > > This is an interesting, frank and robust discussion. Thanks Peter for your comments on dialectics. > > Bob I like your reference to the Non-partisan League in North Dakota that built on the agrarian socialist activism over decades and reaching back to the Greenback Labor > efforts to practically tackle the root and branch land and money questions. I refer to all this and other forgotten bits of co-operative economics history in the three part paper I sent to Orsan at the outset of this exchange. > > The work of Jessica Gordon Nembhard in her book Collective Courage and her recent paper on building co-operative commonwealth is on the same page with what Michel and I are advocating. She has recently set this out in a Next System paper for the Democracy Collaborative in the USA along with other recent papers by David Bollier and my colleague Mike Lewis in Canada. Mike’s paper is on co-operative economic democracy in action. To get a flavour of Jessica’s argument see her interview on the rich but completely repressed history of co-operative economics and the civil rights movement. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TVIghQMkBg > > All the best > > Pat > > >> On 4 Aug 2016, at 01:05, Frederic Janssens <fjanss(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> For the general question of the 250 year old battle between revoluton and reformism, and possiblity or not to escape this dualist perspective; I have discovered and am now reading Dave Elder-Vass. >> >> http://www.eldervass.com/publications.htm >> >> I have not not read enough to know if I agree with everything, but he seems to have a philosophically/sociologically argued set of concepts that enable to escape dualism in reasonning about those matters. >> Quite compatible with what Michel and Pat try to do. >> >> I am now reading his last book : >> >> Elder-Vass, D. (2016). Profit and Gift in the Digital Economy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. >> >> >> Dave Elder-Vass's The Causal Power of Social Structures (2010) >> >> is available online : >> http://profs.basu.ac.ir/spakseresht/free_space/the%20causal%20power%20of%20… >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>> On 3 August 2016 at 22:49, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> Yup. >>> >>> On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 3:48 PM, Anna Harris <anna(a)shsh.co.uk> wrote: >>> > It often seems to me that the need to justify ones own position as opposed >>> > to, rather than in addition to, or including others, comes from the >>> > structural imperative to earn a living, which necessitates offering >>> > something different and therefore of value in >>> > >>> > the market place. This is the inevitable concomitant of a capitalist economy >>> > which requires people to have something of value which they can sell to earn >>> > a living - labour, intellect, care, etc. >>> > >>> > >>> > Anna >>> > >>> > >>> > On 3 Aug 2016, at 21:31, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> > >>> > One of your comments resonated with me. We have pretty much abandoned >>> > seeking funding and have also stopped responding to request from other >>> > people to help them with funding. That leaves holes. But I think we >>> > gotta figure out how to support our own activities as much as >>> > possible. I know, not always possible. >>> > >>> > We could try dues...that's what the old Nonpartisan League did and >>> > they took over North Dakota and created the state bank, among other >>> > things. >>> > >>> > On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 3:25 PM, Orsan <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> > >>> > >>> > Well I was expecting you and Peter would make this warning. And this >>> > argument is about the methodology of analysis, or as Madron put it, and >>> > Fabians would totally agree 'operational complexity management'. I think at >>> > the current point of time complexity managers has more advanced tools and >>> > infrastructures to manage the complexity that opposition forces added on >>> > the complexity created by the intra-elite struggle. On the one hand there >>> > emerges an alliance of 'delayists' (around next system project, new economy >>> > alliance, de-growth so on) and on the radical left 'acclerationists' are >>> > forming a constellation (around Negri and so on). Some from left like >>> > Michael Aalbert, and parecon, David Harvey and rabel cities, negrists or >>> > cognitive captalists 'platform cooperatvism', Eric Olin Wright and real >>> > Utopias.. are counted in the next system alliance. On the driving seat, as >>> > John Restakis prompted sometimes ago, there are networks which are funded by >>> > OAK foundation of UK Royal-state, Rockefe >>> > >>> > llar, Ford, Soros foundation so on. These formed a founder alliance called >>> > Edge Funders, whom Michel thinks are radicals. They fund all sort of spaces, >>> > from WSF, to Left Forum, from the events Michel and Pat mentioned, to Ripess >>> > -Synergia people (social solidarity economy discourse), from TNI to all sort >>> > of movement building hubs. Yes There are contradictions every where, there >>> > is a chaos too, but also there are some orders and regularities that are >>> > telling us something, and most worrisome is no one is talking about with the >>> > fear of not getting any funding and suffer economically. That state of >>> > 'being determines the consciousness'. The more no one is willing to talk >>> > about these openly the more things go worse. That is all I wanted to say.. >>> > >>> > >>> > Orsan >>> > >>> > >>> > On 3 aug. 2016, at 22:03, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> > >>> > >>> > I snipped the previous contents, they were overloading my email >>> > >>> > viewer. And deleted the WSF from the distro list so they stop >>> > >>> > complaining at me. >>> > >>> > >>> > Dear Orsan, I agree that alliances with aspects of the powers-that-be >>> > >>> > pose dangers. And co-optation happens. Fortunately, they don't want to >>> > >>> > ally with me anyway, otherwise I would need to thread some of those >>> > >>> > needles. >>> > >>> > >>> > I would, however, repost what I understood from Peter's message. If we >>> > >>> > are dialectical materialists, we gotta do a dialectical analysis of >>> > >>> > all these forces and their contradictions and also and maybe >>> > >>> > especially their internal contradictions. >>> > >>> > >>> > And even after the revolution or transformation or whatever, there >>> > >>> > will still be contradictions. That's life. >>> > >>> > _______________________________________________ >>> > NetworkedLabour mailing list >>> > NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org >>> > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NetworkedLabour mailing list >>> NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org >>> http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Frederic > > _______________________________________________ > NetworkedLabour mailing list > NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour

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Re: [P2P-F] [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Squares] Street vendors' union members jailed
by Michel Bauwens 08 Aug '16

08 Aug '16

any light on this ? Michel On Mon, Aug 8, 2016 at 4:37 AM, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I thought Barcelona was the city with the "radical mayor". What happened? > > On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 4:29 PM, Orsan <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > Begin forwarded message: > > > > From: Mikifus <mikifus(a)gmail.com> > > Date: 5 augustus 2016 22:41:43 CEST > > To: squares <squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net> > > Subject: [Squares] Street vendors' union members jailed > > Reply-To: squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net > > > > Hi, > > > > You may have heard of the street vendors' union in Barcelona which fights > > for the rights of this collective. I am not completelly aware of the > context > > but basically the city's most classist powers have come together and are > > succesfully bullying street vendors with the complicity of the city hall. > > > > Now they went a step further and are jailing people without any real > > charges. More details on the article. > > > > Please help us share this information to get signatures from individuals > and > > organizations abroad. > > > > English article: > > https://traslamanta.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/break-the- > silence-surrounding-injustice-freedom-for-the-barcelona-street-vendors/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Note: n-1 has been taken down. The group there is now unavailable. > > > > Squares mailing list > > Squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net > > for unsubscribe/etc: > > https://lists.takethesquare.net/mailman/listinfo/squares or > > Squares-owner(a)lists.takethesquare.net > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NetworkedLabour mailing list > > NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org > > http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour > > > _______________________________________________ > 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] [NetworkedLabour] Fwd: [Squares] Street vendors' union members jailed
by Orsan 08 Aug '16

08 Aug '16

Yes she is / was / or never was... Ada Colau, promoted as 15m / PAH activist, a commoner. This smells like another proof for the Faustian bargain we have been discussing here. The love of and will for power, or its strong transformative effect on the weak human agency, who is more then ready to find all kinds of reasons to justify why he or she must hold the power, first and foremost to use it against the enemy and smash them, reminds me Tolkien's scene where Boromir and Bilbo Baggins - in the lord of the rings - both were attacking on Frodo Baggings (Jr.) while a silent scream inside of their head was calling 'preciousss'... 'mineee / ours' (generates multiple character disorder). Both wants to get back the ring, that rules them all. If we want to do any good to ourselves and our loved ones we need to get rid of the ring, sending it back where it comes from.. O. Sent from my iPad > On 7 aug. 2016, at 23:37, Bob Haugen <bob.haugen(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I thought Barcelona was the city with the "radical mayor". What happened? > >> On Sun, Aug 7, 2016 at 4:29 PM, Orsan <orsan1234(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> Begin forwarded message: >> >> From: Mikifus <mikifus(a)gmail.com> >> Date: 5 augustus 2016 22:41:43 CEST >> To: squares <squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net> >> Subject: [Squares] Street vendors' union members jailed >> Reply-To: squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net >> >> Hi, >> >> You may have heard of the street vendors' union in Barcelona which fights >> for the rights of this collective. I am not completelly aware of the context >> but basically the city's most classist powers have come together and are >> succesfully bullying street vendors with the complicity of the city hall. >> >> Now they went a step further and are jailing people without any real >> charges. More details on the article. >> >> Please help us share this information to get signatures from individuals and >> organizations abroad. >> >> English article: >> https://traslamanta.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/break-the-silence-surrounding-… >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Note: n-1 has been taken down. The group there is now unavailable. >> >> Squares mailing list >> Squares(a)lists.takethesquare.net >> for unsubscribe/etc: >> https://lists.takethesquare.net/mailman/listinfo/squares or >> Squares-owner(a)lists.takethesquare.net >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetworkedLabour mailing list >> NetworkedLabour(a)lists.contrast.org >> http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour >>

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gradualism vs reformism
by Michel Bauwens 07 Aug '16

07 Aug '16

very useful distinction indeed, the way I see it is, we need to gradually strenghten the new sphere within the old, before a fully qualitative system change can occur, i.e. political and social revolutions, which can be 'peaceful' as in the East European case, come at the end, not at the beginning, they are 'organic' events, and their level of violence does not depend on the mass of the people who want a more just system, but on the willingness of the old system to submit to the change (for example, the lack of fighting spirit in the soviet elites, who had seen the limits of their own system) Michel > On 7 aug. 2016, at 04:33, Kevin Carson <free.market.anticapitalist@ gmail.com> wrote: > > In my opinion "reformism" and gradualism are two entirely different > things -- the difference being that the later envisons a transition to > a system that is fundamentally different, but simply sees the > transition as a medium- or long-term process, whereas the former wants > to stabilize and ameliorate the existing system of power. -- 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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How Soviet Artists Imagined Communist Life in Space
by Orsan 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

How Soviet Artists Imagined Communist Life in Space http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-soviet-artists-imagined-communist-life-in-space-… RETRO FUTURE 224.4K 152 23 Artists from the Soviet Union didn't just imagine a worker's Utopia on Earth. They also thought that the great communist experiment would eventually reach other worlds, too. Here are some incredible works of art and conceptual design that put the Soviet Union in space. Station Moon, a Soviet children's book by Pavel Klushantsev, 1965 and 1974 Sent from my iPad

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an important message of our brazilian friends on the background to the olympics
by Michel Bauwens 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

from Frederic Vandenberghe: Dear Friends, In the next weeks, Rio de Janeiro will get a lot of attention and you’ll be thinking about us. Because of the Olympic Games, of course. We had a coup over here in Brazil. Not everything is lost as yet, but the future looks grim. We produced a little leaflet for the tourists and I share it with you. So that when you watch TV, read the newspapers, you think about us, just for a moment. We need your attention and your support. Thanks, Frederic Dear tourist, Welcome to Brazil! We are happy you are here and hope you will enjoy the Olympic Games™©®. We wish we could have received you in better circumstances, though. As you probably know, we had a coup d’État over here. It’s not a classic military coup, like in the 60’s, but the result is the same. Democracy is under siege and during your stay you will see the military forces everywhere. To guarantee your security, but also to repress any legitimate opposition to the illegitimate government. You will quickly notice that Brazil is a racially diverse country. The majority of the population is black. Our government, however, is all-white, all-male, and all-corrupt. Seven ministers are tainted by corruption scandals. Two already had to resign. Even Michel Temer, the interim president, has been condemned by the Electoral Tribunal of São Paulo for financial irregularities. You know, he can no longer run for elections! The president elect, Dilma Roussef, has been ousted. Everything indicates that her impeachment had only one function: blocking justice and saving the legislators from prison. The current government is imposing a conservative-liberal policy of authority and austerity. Shamelessly, it is defending the interests of the banks, privatizing the economy, repressing minorities, exterminating indigenous populations and otherwise doing everything it can to turn back the clock and abolish the social rights of the majority of the population. And, finally, while you’re here, why not learn some Portuguese? Start with “Fora Temer!” (Temer out!), and join the non-violent protests all over the city. Enjoy your stay! Professor/pesquisador IESP-Uerj Rua da Matriz 82 Botafogo Rio de Janeiro (RJ) 22260-100 Brasil -- 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: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!!
by Michel Bauwens 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 5:03 PM Subject: Fwd: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!! To: "econowmix(a)googlegroups.com" <econowmix(a)googlegroups.com>, " op-n-m(a)googlegroups.com" <op-n-m(a)googlegroups.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: FairCoop <coop(a)fair.coop> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 3:42 AM Subject: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!! To: FairCoop <coop(a)fair.coop> Dear All, We are pleased to announce the launch of Freedom Coop <http://www.freedomcoop.eu/>‘s , the cooperative where any human being can be member. You can now register as a member and contribute inspiring projects so that we can make them all possible through open collaboration. As it is a early beta version. By becoming one of the first participants, you will be able to help to improve Freedom Coop. This will make the process easier for future members. Freedom Coop is a Faircoop <https://fair.coop/> project based around a European Cooperative Society(SCE) which creates toolkits for self-management, self-employment, economic autonomy and financial disobedience for all individuals and groups striving for fairer, more solidary and cooperative social and economic relationships. As a member of Freedom Coop, you will be able to develop self-employed activities through the SCE’s legal framework. You – as individuals, groups or small cooperatives – can minimize your interaction with nation states where employment and administrative issues are concerned. In this way, you can focus on the really important things – your profession and developing your projects. Freedom Coop offers the following to its members: - The use of a shared ID number for tax purposes, so you can write invoices and make purchases. The issued invoices are subject to VAT and do not constitute personal income tax because “a legal personality” issues the invoices and not an individual. - Freedom Coop handles accounting and liasion with fiscal authorities. - An easy, fast and simple procedure for starting and then carrying out your self-employed activity. - An alternative banking services toolkit for any individual or group regardless of their legal status or financial solvency. - A broad assortment of resources and tools for Freedom Coop members (such as FairCoop, FairMarket <https://market.fair.coop/> or FairCoin <https://fair.coop/faircoin/>) to connect those who wish to carry out their activities in Europe, regardless of their country of origin and support these activities. - Access to cheaper products through collective purchasing. - A coordination and legal support service for all participants, including legal entities. This takes place through the use of legal structures, via the strengthening of a solidary economy and with a monetary flow that does not leak out and allows it to stay within an internal ecosystem. The first step in joining Freedom Coop is to register on the Open Collaborative Platform (OCP), and follow the instructions there for paying the fee. This membership fee can be paid in FairCoin, and is of 600 for individual projects or 1200 for groups. If you don’t need a tax code for invoicing, you can still become a member, pay the fee, and simply use the OCP to manage your projects or participate in the ones that are active and open. Freedom Coop also intends to make a step forwards in creating an economic and financial alternative, by using FairCoin for the membership fee, for the quarterly fees, and for transactions between members. In this way, we expand the use of this currency and help the entire system to grow. You will also be able to use many other tools that FairCoop puts at your disposal: With FairMarket you can make your products and services available in this alternative economy. With each of these tools, this new system becomes stronger step by step. With the launch of this “early beta” we hope that the projects interested in joining will register and walk side by side with us, supporting the development of this tool, and of all it’s potential. [image: FreedomCoop_post1] <https://fair.coop/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FreedomCoop_post1.jpg> Fly with us!! The website is already available in English, Spanish, Greek and Catalan. More languages will come soon. http://www.freedomcoop.eu/ This is the link for the register form: https://ocp.freedomcoop.eu/mem bership Here you can see also this news in other languages: ES https://fair.coop/es/freedom-coop-una-herramienta-para-la-gente/ CA https://fair.coop/ca/freedom-coop-una-eina-per-a-la-gent/ GR https://fair.coop/el/launch-of-freedom-coop/ IT https://fair.coop/it/freedom-coop-uno-strumento-per-le-persone/ DE https://fair.coop/de/freedom-coop-ein-werkzeug-fuer-die-menschen/ Powered by Email Users <http://wordpress.org/plugins/email-users/>. -- 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: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!!
by Michel Bauwens 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 5:03 PM Subject: Fwd: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!! To: "econowmix(a)googlegroups.com" <econowmix(a)googlegroups.com>, " op-n-m(a)googlegroups.com" <op-n-m(a)googlegroups.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: FairCoop <coop(a)fair.coop> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 3:42 AM Subject: FreedomCoop early beta is Launched! Fly with us!! To: FairCoop <coop(a)fair.coop> Dear All, We are pleased to announce the launch of Freedom Coop <http://www.freedomcoop.eu/>‘s , the cooperative where any human being can be member. You can now register as a member and contribute inspiring projects so that we can make them all possible through open collaboration. As it is a early beta version. By becoming one of the first participants, you will be able to help to improve Freedom Coop. This will make the process easier for future members. Freedom Coop is a Faircoop <https://fair.coop/> project based around a European Cooperative Society(SCE) which creates toolkits for self-management, self-employment, economic autonomy and financial disobedience for all individuals and groups striving for fairer, more solidary and cooperative social and economic relationships. As a member of Freedom Coop, you will be able to develop self-employed activities through the SCE’s legal framework. You – as individuals, groups or small cooperatives – can minimize your interaction with nation states where employment and administrative issues are concerned. In this way, you can focus on the really important things – your profession and developing your projects. Freedom Coop offers the following to its members: - The use of a shared ID number for tax purposes, so you can write invoices and make purchases. The issued invoices are subject to VAT and do not constitute personal income tax because “a legal personality” issues the invoices and not an individual. - Freedom Coop handles accounting and liasion with fiscal authorities. - An easy, fast and simple procedure for starting and then carrying out your self-employed activity. - An alternative banking services toolkit for any individual or group regardless of their legal status or financial solvency. - A broad assortment of resources and tools for Freedom Coop members (such as FairCoop, FairMarket <https://market.fair.coop/> or FairCoin <https://fair.coop/faircoin/>) to connect those who wish to carry out their activities in Europe, regardless of their country of origin and support these activities. - Access to cheaper products through collective purchasing. - A coordination and legal support service for all participants, including legal entities. This takes place through the use of legal structures, via the strengthening of a solidary economy and with a monetary flow that does not leak out and allows it to stay within an internal ecosystem. The first step in joining Freedom Coop is to register on the Open Collaborative Platform (OCP), and follow the instructions there for paying the fee. This membership fee can be paid in FairCoin, and is of 600 for individual projects or 1200 for groups. If you don’t need a tax code for invoicing, you can still become a member, pay the fee, and simply use the OCP to manage your projects or participate in the ones that are active and open. Freedom Coop also intends to make a step forwards in creating an economic and financial alternative, by using FairCoin for the membership fee, for the quarterly fees, and for transactions between members. In this way, we expand the use of this currency and help the entire system to grow. You will also be able to use many other tools that FairCoop puts at your disposal: With FairMarket you can make your products and services available in this alternative economy. With each of these tools, this new system becomes stronger step by step. With the launch of this “early beta” we hope that the projects interested in joining will register and walk side by side with us, supporting the development of this tool, and of all it’s potential. [image: FreedomCoop_post1] <https://fair.coop/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/FreedomCoop_post1.jpg> Fly with us!! The website is already available in English, Spanish, Greek and Catalan. More languages will come soon. http://www.freedomcoop.eu/ This is the link for the register form: https://ocp.freedomcoop.eu/mem bership Here you can see also this news in other languages: ES https://fair.coop/es/freedom-coop-una-herramienta-para-la-gente/ CA https://fair.coop/ca/freedom-coop-una-eina-per-a-la-gent/ GR https://fair.coop/el/launch-of-freedom-coop/ IT https://fair.coop/it/freedom-coop-uno-strumento-per-le-persone/ DE https://fair.coop/de/freedom-coop-ein-werkzeug-fuer-die-menschen/ Powered by Email Users <http://wordpress.org/plugins/email-users/>. -- 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: Against Ecocide (GTN Discussion)
by Michel Bauwens 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Great Transition Network <gtnetwork(a)greattransition.org> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 2:00 AM Subject: Against Ecocide (GTN Discussion) To: michelsub2004(a)gmail.com >From Femke Wijdekop <fwijdekop(a)hotmail.com> ------------------------------------------------------- Dear GTN members, Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts on ecocide law and for your insightful comments that have helped me to further develop my thinking. I want to begin by with some general thoughts and then respond to some of the specific points raised in the discussion. As many have pointed out, while an international prohibition of ecocide has a role to play in the transition to a more just and sustainable world (and I would argue that this role could be a significant one), it is insufficient on its own to restore humanity’s relationship with nature from one of exploitation and abuse to one of care and flourishing. I think our abusive relationship with nature comes from a deep misunderstanding of that relationship and of our place in the community of nature. The idea that humans are “separate” from nature, that nature is an “object,” and that we should dominate and exploit nature in other to fulfill our needs and create safety for ourselves, is a relatively young one in the history of mankind. Yet, as we know, our legal and economic systems and the institutions they created have all been built up around this notion—one that is erroneous, harmful, and scientifically outdated, as modern science proves to us that we do not live in a “clockwork universe,” but in a universe that is intelligent, intentional, creative, a network consisting of relationships instead of a machine consisting of components. (I have read “The Ecology of Law,” by Fritjof Capra and GTN contributor Ugot Mattei with great interest.) But law is a social construct and responds to new scientific insights and emerging harms (or should respond to them, if it is to keep its relevance and authority.) The proposal to prohibit ecocide came as a response to the emerging harm of biological and chemical warfare in the 1960s and 70s. The current growing movement of lawyers and concerned citizens who want to see the moral wrong of massive environmental destruction recognized as a legal wrong is responding to this state of ecological emergency in which we find ourselves today. The call to make ecocide an international crime, to create an Ombudsman for Future Generations at governmental levels, to give rights to nature, and to establish a duty of care towards future generations through climate litigation, are expressions of an emerging—or, perhaps, re-emerging—worldview that recognizes our interconnectedness with nature and with each other. These activists are informed by an understanding that the harm we do to the Earth is harm that will come back to haunt us. Ecocide law entails using criminal law as a tool to address and prevent environmental harm, just as the Dutch climate case used tort law to address failing climate policy. The Climate Case lawyer Roger Cox rooted his arguments that the Dutch government was failing in its duty of care towards Dutch citizens because of insufficient CO2 reductions extremely well in existing tort law, with all the technicalities and references to established jurisprudence that this entails. Yet, when asked to describe this case to which he had dedicated ten years of his life to, he called it “A Lawsuit of Love,” because it was love for this planet and for future generations that had motivated him to start it and that enabled him to persevere for so many years. The advocates of ecocide legislation that I know, including myself, are coming at their work from this place of love for the Earth and its inhabitants (humans or otherwise), and we choose to put our legal skills in service to a vision of a more compassionate and just world. And while law on its own (in a vacuum) is not able to create a culture of harmonious relating with nature or with each other, it does shape our norms and values and can make certain actions less appealing or even taboo. Law does not exist in a vacuum. The legislation that gave women the right to vote, itself an expression of a process of emancipation, set in motion a process that fundamentally changed society’s perception of women and their role in society. Citizens internalized the new norms to such a degree that it is now incredible to believe that married women in the Netherlands have only been allowed to work since 1956. If the universe is a network of relationships, so, too, is our society, and laws both catalyze and give expression to changes in consciousness, especially when the new norms are supportive of harmonious and sustainable relationships between humans and humans and nature. With this being my general commentary, I want to now address the following ten specific points (I wish to thank Koffi Dogbevi and Polly Higgins for their input): 1. The question of limiting the prohibition of ecocide to times of war, because the Rome Statute is geared towards criminal liability for state officials (instead of CEOs/companies) and because an improvement upon the wartime prohibition of ecocide might be the only politically feasible or realistic option. >From the perspective of Small Island Developing States that are facing a very realistic existential threat of loss of land and loss of lives, this is not a matter that can be addressed through wartime provisions. Indeed, to do so would be to abrogate our responsibilities for humanity as a whole. Do we go for a compromise that can never meet the requirements of those most at risk, or do we stand strong and call for what is required, namely (1) the criminalization of ecosystem destruction and (2) the advancement of climate justice? The compromise strategy leads to loss of lives; the latter strategy saves lives. Law is a tool for justice; international criminal law, like all law, is not static, but must reflect our growing understanding of the harm that we face. To remain complicit in ecocide on the basis that it does not fit an old model of law suggests that it is time to update our legal frameworks. 2. The related question of holding only state officials, as opposed to multinationals, liable for ecocide, and the question of how effective a prohibition of ecocide would really be given that the US is not a party to the ICC. To hold CEOs liable for ecocide is not too ambitious. Corporations and corporate executives could be held criminally liable under the Statute of Rome for aiding or abetting in the commission of, attempting to commit, or providing means for the commission of a crime (Art.25 al.3-c). And while the US has not ratified the Statute of Rome, it has been actively respecting and practicing it through the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). The ATS gives aliens a federal cause of action for violations of international law. See Kadic, 70 F.3d 232, 238 (2d Cir. 1995) "[The ATS] confers federal subject-matter jurisdiction when the following three conditions are satisfied: (1) an alien sues (2) for a tort (3) committed in violation of the law of nations (i.e., international law)." And in many cases, corporations have been held criminally liable under the US Alien Tort Statute with use of the Rome Statute provisions: *****In Aziz v. Alcolac, Inc., the court found that while the Rome Statute of the ICC was not customary international law, its treaty status favored the acceptance of the mens rea standard as authoritative for corporate criminal liability (Aziz v. Alcolac, Inc., 658 F.3d 388). *****In Bowoto v. Chevron Corp., the court concluded that defendants may be held liable under international law for aiding and abetting the Nigerian military in the commission of “crimes against humanity” (Bowoto v. Chevron Corp., N.D. Cal. Aug. 21, 2006). *****In Khulumani v. Barclay (Nat’l Bank Ltd., 504 F. 3d 254, 258, 2d Cir. N/Y. 2007), Plaintiff representatives of apartheid victims sued defendant corporations, alleging various violations of international law, as well as claims under, inter alia, the Alien Tort Claims Act. The court reasoned that the Rome Statute is particularly significant for the present inquiry because, unlike other sources of international legislation, it articulates the mens rea required for aiding and abetting liability. The Statute makes clear that, other than assistance rendered to the commission of a crime by a group of persons acting with a common purpose, a defendant is guilty of aiding and abetting the commission of a crime only if he does so "[f]or the purpose of facilitating the commission of such a crime." (Art. 25 (3)(c) of the Rome Statute). *****In Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp. (654F. 3d 11), the Court stated, “Although the text of Article 25(3)(c) of the [Rome Statute] appears to require proof of ‘purpose,’ the text of Article 25(3)(d) requires no more than ‘knowledge.’ Given that Exxon is alleged to have aided and abetted the Indonesian military forces, which in turn are alleged to have committed violations of the law of nations against appellants, were the Rome Statute to apply it appears that Article 25(3)(d) and its mens rea of ‘knowledge’ would apply. Cf. Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Case No. ICC/01/04-01/06, Pre-Trial Chamber Decision on the Confirmation of Charges (Jan. 29, 2007) (applying a ‘knowledge’ standard under Article 25(3)(a) to international law violations by co-perpetrator).” 3. The point that a nation enforcing ecocide law would make itself “uncompetitive” in the global marketplace and polluting companies would simply move elsewhere. An important motivation for including ecocide in the Rome Statute treaty of the ICC—as opposed to a regional treaty—is the global reach of the ICC and the jus cogens nature of its norms (fundamental, overriding principles of international law from which no derogation is permitted). Making ecocide a crime under the Rome Statute would create a level playing field since ecocide would be prohibited in all the state parties of the ICC. State parties would be obliged to prohibit ecocide in their national laws because the ICC works with the principle of complementarity—meaning that the first responsibility to prosecute the Rome Statute crimes lies with the states. If national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute, the ICC can step in. State parties would simply not be allowed to tolerate ecocide on their territories any more than they are currently allowed to tolerate genocide or war crimes, no matter what 'economic advantages' they might bring. Moreover, the universal jurisdiction of the ICC means that the ICC also has jurisdiction on the territory of a non-state party where that non-state party has entered into an agreement with the court providing for it to have such jurisdiction in a particular case. Though the United States is not party to the ICC and probably unlikely to enter into such agreements, Rome Statute provisions, as noted earlier, have been respected and used in US jurisprudence. 4. The lack of legitimacy and authority of the ICC. It is true that the ICC is not as strong as it could be—indeed, that could be said about many judicial systems in the world. But that does not mean we should abandon it—it has a role that, in this day of increased transboundary crime, is required now more than before. This leaves us with a choice: Do we abandon the court, or do we strengthen it? We could replace and create a new International Environmental Tribunal (a process that would take a lot of time and resources), or we could find ways of ensuring it is supported. 5. The point of only criminalizing ecocide when intent can be proven. Although the existing ICC structure is built around intentionality, the Rome Statute leaves the door open for potential future amendments that will provide otherwise [See Article 30: “UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVIDED, a person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court only if the material elements are committed with intent and knowledge” (emphasis added)]. While international criminal law is built around intentionality, this is not always the case when it comes to international environmental law. A person is said to have knowledge when that person should have known that her action could have caused the damage. The precautionary principle is clear and non-ambiguous on this point (“where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environment degradation,” as described in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration). Ecocide is being defined as serious and/or irreversible damages, the occurrence of the damage will require no proof of knowledge or intent if the author has not followed its duty of care or acted with precaution. Also, it is general knowledge that the use of dangerous products per se implies liability when damage arises without the need of proving knowledge and intent. 6. The point that the history of the ICC shows that there is a big time lag (often multiple decades) between the start of ICC investigations and the moment of the actual verdict. In the case of ecocide, by the time of the verdict, the culpable company will probably be dissolved, assets divided, bonuses paid out to executives who have disappeared Dissolving the company, dividing its assets, merging it with a novel entity, or changing its initial purpose does not permit a company to avoid criminal liability under the End Ecocide proposal. This proposal contains provisions that cover the very important consequences arising from the dissolution, division, or liquidation of companies’ assets. Article 25(1)(B) of the proposal reads: “For purposes of this Article 25(1), a person may also include: ‘iii. Successors-in-interest, but only if no adequate remedies are available under Article 77 against the original interest holder(s) and the successors are, or shall be, continuing the same or a substantially similar use or operation of the interest. The responsibility of successors may not be avoided by the terms of any contract if the said terms have the effect of eliminating the availability of any party answerable to the ICC Court for the offenses claimed under Article 5(e). Such contractual terms shall be considered null and void for the purposes of Article 25(1).’” In comparison, US Courts in many occasions have been able to trace the past company in the newly created entities. ****In the case United States v. Alcan Aluminum Corp. (See United States v. Alcan Aluminum Corp., 97 F. Supp. 2d 248, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5689, 50 ERC (BNA) 1772 (N.D.N.Y 2000)), where the judge held defendant Alcan Aluminum Corp. liable for cleanup costs at two hazardous waste sites, Alcan was able to trace this contamination back to the use of PCB hydraulic oils in the remelt operation in the late 1960s and 1970. As Monsanto was the sole domestic manufacturer of PCBs in the US, the Court ordered a joint liability with regard to the cleanup of contamination, despite the fact that Monsanto ceased production of PCB containing fluids, and that PCB fluids were not commercially available in the United States. ****In a similar case, Solutia, Inc. v. McWane (See Solutia, Inc. v. McWane, Inc., 726 F. Supp. 2d 1316, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 90853), the Court found Solutia liable for the cleanup of the area where hazardous substances were concerned, including PCBs associated with releases or discharges as a result of the operations, including waste disposal by Solutia. Like in United States v. Alcan Aluminum Corp., Monsanto and other predecessors have come to be located and must jointly undertake the cleanup effort. 7. The connection between violations of human rights and violations of nature’s rights, as illustrated by the increasing violence against environmental defenders. If the massive damage and destruction to the environment is criminalized, environmental defenders will have the law at their side in their work to protect the environment. It would be much harder to brand them as “terrorists” or enemies of progress if the protection of the environment is recognized as a matter of the highest international concern. Instead of using the law against them—limiting the operational space of environmental NGOs or the freedom of expression of individual environmental defenders in the name of “national security”— environmental defenders would recognized for performing a legitimate task of international concern—the protection of ecosystems—that in fact should be taken up by the government. This issue has my particular interest as I work on the project "Defending Environmental Defenders", a collaborative project of IUCN Netherlands, Friends of the Earth and Global Witness: www.iucn.nl/en/recent/dutch-postcode-lottery-helps-improve-safety-of- environmental-defenders 8. The limitations of “legal language” in a complex ecosystem. Rights language has its limitations, as shown by the contribution of Tim Weiskel. It is important to see ecocide legislation as addressing the *worst* violations of the governing “laws” of the Earth’s ecosystem, and, as such, being one step in harmonizing human laws with nature’s laws. This process should start with the most flagrant violations of nature’s laws and, being a systems approach, seek the expertise of many bodies of knowledge, with a special role for law and biology. For flagrant violations of nature’s law, ecocide is understood by Polly Higgins as referring to widespread, long-lasting, or severe environmental harm, with these term being defined under the 1977 United Nations Environmental Modification Convention as follows: 1. widespread: encompassing an area on the scale of several hundred square kilometers; 2. long-lasting: lasting for a period of months, or approximately a season; 3. severe: involving serious or significant disruption or harm to human life, natural and economic resources, or other assets As for the point that “rights” of one group of humans (or humans acting as guardians for non-humans) are competing with the rights of another group (the adversarial nature of our legal system), I recently learned that the original meaning of the word “lawyer” is actually “healer of the woes of the community,” pointing to a much more holistic understanding of doing justice. The adversarial character of our legal system is not set in stone. There is an emerging international movement called the Integrative Law Movement, which aims to create a legal system oriented towards values-based, creative, sustainable, and holistic solutions that build and strengthen relationships—instead of a legal victory of one party at the expense of another. Ecocide law can be seen as being a part of this Integrative Law Movement since it is meant to help build a sustainable relationship between humans and the natural world and is aimed at protecting the rights of all the inhabitants of an ecosystem, through prohibiting its destruction or loss to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished (definition of Polly Higgins). 9. The point that ecocide law is in danger of strengthening the “adversarial paradigm” and that instead of international criminal law, Restorative Justice (with its emphasis on connection, empathy, compassion, and understanding) is necessary to heal the environmental and societal harm caused by ecocidal activity. and 10. The responsibility all of us have, as consumers with high-carbon lifestyles, to realize our contribution to environmental damage and destruction. The point that we have to and address own our own part in the ecocide we see playing out in the world instead of focusing on bringing corporate perpetrators to justice. I empathize with these points, but I think we should not ignore the power structures that exist in this world. We individuals do not have the leverage to solve the problem of ecocide when faced with the Goliath of polluting companies. And these companies are mostly law-abiding, since it is our legal system that permits massive environmental damage and destruction as an “externality” of seeking profit. Also, we are not individually responsible for the total sum of environmental destruction, if we are born into (and subject to) a system which does not acknowledge the intrinsic value of nature. The environmental crisis does ask for individual ecological awakening, awareness, and low-carbon lifestyles, but change on the individual level is not enough. We can try to live as organically as possible, yet without system change, without changing the legal framework within which economic activities take place, this will not be sufficient. For the sake of protecting those who cannot assert themselves, those who do not have political leverage or even a human voice, but who suffer from the ecological damage and destruction caused by ecocide, perpetrators of ecocide should be held responsible for the effects of their actions. Justice serves to protect society at large. For those who are unwilling or unable to hold their remit of responsibility, namely the primary duty of care for humanity and the Earth, it becomes incumbent upon the legal system to ensure that whatever the abuse is, it is stopped. Restorative Justice only works for those who are willing to take responsibility. At this point, it is unlikely that all those who (intentionally or unintentionally) cause ecocide are willing to take responsibility for—or even understand—the harm they do to the natural world, especially when they are desensitized from feeling their connection to that natural world. Of course, addressing and healing that disconnect from the natural world is where the ultimate solution lies, yet in the meantime, society has to be protected from extremely harmful actions that can be a result of such disconnectedness from nature. Having said that, Restorative Justice is part of the amendments that both Polly Higgins and End Ecocide on Earth (see www.endecocide.org) advocate. Accountability is still very much at the forefront of both amendments; however, where responsibility is upheld, there is enormous scope for judicial application of restorative justice principles, as was explored during the Mock Ecocide Trial held in the UK Supreme Court in 2011 organized as by Polly Higgins. Femke Wijdekop ------------------------------------------------------- Hit reply to post a message Or see thread and reply online at http://www.greattransition.org/forum/gti-discussions/176- against-ecocide/1710 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: Kitsune #4 – The Ronin Institute Newsletter – August 2016
by Michel Bauwens 06 Aug '16

06 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kitsune <kitsune(a)ronininstitute.org> Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 4:05 AM Subject: Kitsune #4 – The Ronin Institute Newsletter – August 2016 To: Michel Bauwens <michel(a)p2pfoundation.net> [image: The Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship] <http://ronininstitute.org> Issue #4 August 2016 Greetings! Here's the latest issue of *Kitsune*, delivered straight to your inbox for your reading pleasure! As always, you can find previous issues <http://ronininstitute.org/newsletter/> on the Ronin Institute website. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, just send us an e-mail at kitsune(a)ronininstitute.org <[email protected]?subject=Subscribe+Me!&body=Gotta+get+me+some+of+that+newsletter!>, and we'll add you. To the updates. Scientiam Consecemus! ------------------------------ In this Issue Ronin Institute Conference Scholarships <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_scholarships> | The Roninterview: Evelyn Ch'ien <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_interview> Ronin on Social Media <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_social_media> | Reading About Adjuncts <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_reading_list> | Publications <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_publications> | About <#m_-4791019856304094596_field_about> ------------------------------ *Ronin Institute Conference and Research Scholarships* This spring, the Ronin Institute Board authorized the first two rounds of scholarship funding to help support travel to academic conferences and to help cover other research travel expenses. We were very pleased to be able to provide financial support to nine Research Scholars. We offer a heartfelt congratulations to John Laurence Busch (History of Technology), Michael Clarage (Astrophysics), Michelle Coughlin (Early American History), Ruth Duerr (Data Management), Marios Kyriazis (Aging), Kristina Markman (Medieval History), Vicenta Salvador (Evolutionary Biology), Michael Walker (Archaeology), and Eleanor Wynn (Anthropology). Our scholarship program is aimed primarily at conference participation, because an academic conference is where you learn about the latest developments in your field -- often months or even years before those developments get published. It is where you can share your own latest work with a community of people who can both appreciate what you've done and provide you with valuable feedback. It is where you reconnect with old colleagues and where you discover future collaborations. In short, conference attendance is a critical activity for anyone engaged in scholarship, and a necessary component of any academic career. Conferences are doubly important for independent and non-traditional scholars, who are not embedded in a university department, and who don't have contact with other scholars in their field on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, conference attendance can be particularly challenging for the independent scholar, who is often faced with having to pay for registration fees and travel expenses out of their own pocket. This situation convinced us that supporting conference participation is one of the places where our dollars can have the greatest impact, and we are committed to continuing -- and even expanding -- this program going forward. To support the next round of scholarships, we are launching a campaign to raise another $3000. The board members have committed to contributing $1000 if we are able to reach the $3000 mark before the end of 2016. So please join us and make a contribution to the conference scholarship fund. You can donate online by visiting our website <http://ronininstitute.org/donate/>, or go straight to our JustGive page <https://npo.justgive.org/RoninInstitute>. Direct your donation by selecting the Conference Scholarships option under "Program". Or, you can give by check made out to the Ronin Institute and mailed to Ronin Institute, 127 Haddon Pl, Montclair, NJ 07043. Indicate "Conference Scholarships" on the memo line. ------------------------------ *The Roninterview: Evelyn Ch'ien* Welcome to the first installment of a new feature, where you'll have the opportunity to learn a bit more about some of the Research Scholars who are working to build a new model of academic scholarship. First up is Evelyn Ch'ien <http://ronininstitute.org/research-scholars/evelyn-chien/>. *Kitsune: You had a tenured position at the University of Minnesota, but you left that job to become an independent scholar. Why?* EC: My choice arose from a combination of needing to be in a different environment geographically and of wanting to drastically change the direction of my research with the kind of speed that would defy bureaucratic tolerance. Minnesota has an amazing department, and the resources and support are copious, so it wasn’t the particular environment, but the university network as a whole that I felt a need to detach myself from for a while. *Kitsune: How has being independent affected your research? What has become harder? Easier?* EC: It’s simply easier to think and do what I like in terms of reading and writing, while access to certain materials and some of the social capital in academic networks is less serendipitously obtained. *Kitsune: How has being independent affected the types of questions you ask in your research?* EC: I’m experiencing a whole new level of accountability. I feel more like an artist, less like a critic. I’m not just answering questions, but being answerable to my own standards of what’s worth researching. I approached academic pursuits with this attitude, but it was often interrupted by administrative responsibilities or questions about whether what I was doing was publishable. *Kitsune: What do you miss most about being at a university? What do you miss least?* EC: What I miss: Interesting people that just knocked on your door several times a day. What I don’t miss: Committees. *Kitsune: You successfully raised the funds for publication of a book of more than 600 poems by Liao Entao, a Chinese diplomat and prominent figure in both the 1911 revolution and the Republican government of Sun Yat Sen. Why did you take on that project?* EC: It’s original work, the insight of the poems is moving and historically important, and it has personal resonance for me as Liao Entao is my great-grandfather. I met a terrific co-editor, Puk Wing Kin, who had already done work on Liao. Liao Entao was a hilarious, zany writer as well as a unique case of longevity and cosmopolitan experience during the Republican period. His voice is valuable for history but also he’s also very entertaining. *Kitsune: In the course of putting that book together, were there any surprises? New perspectives on historical events?* EC: Liao Entao’s irreverence to government inauthenticity was quite illuminating. On the editing side, we lost an annotator who passed away during the project. *Kitsune: Did the fact that Liao Entao is a relative of yours affect the way that you approached the project?* EC: Yes: you’re accountable to the family if you get it wrong. That can be scarier than academic colleagues. *Kitsune: When you were still at the University of Minnesota, you published a book called Weird English and taught courses in hip-hop composition. How do those topics relate to the work you’ve done as an independent scholar?* EC: I’ve always sustained an interest in the evolution of language (macro- and micro-). Hip hop is an extension of poetry and street language. Liao was often writing street vernacular to communicate local ambience. *Kitsune: What is the thing you’re most excited about, research-wise, right now?* EC: I’m building a virtual archive of Republican descendants and have been meeting so many fascinating people through its construction. It’s been an amazing journey and I’ll send you the site link when it’s up. ------------------------------ *Ronin on Social Media* The Ronin Institute now has its own twitter account: @RoninInstitute <https://twitter.com/RoninInstitute>, so come join us! Also, remember, you can find all your favorite Ronin on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/Ronin-Institute-305791116124209/>, LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/ronin-institute>, ResearchGate <https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Ronin_Institute>, & Academia.edu <https://ronininstitute.academia.edu/>. Even Google Plus <https://plus.google.com/b/104760039078505343323/+RonininstituteOrg/posts>, if you believe that. ------------------------------ *Reading About Adjuncts* Colleges and universities increasingly rely on poorly paid adjunct faculty to teach their courses. You've probably heard something about this, or even experienced it firsthand. But, if you're interested in understanding the scope of the crisis resulting from the concerted deprofessionalization of the professoriate, here is a collection of writing from the past couple of years on the exploitation of adjunct labor. Whether you're an aspiring academic worried about your financial future, a student or parent watching tuition skyrocket while quality of instruction plummets, or simply a thinking person who recognizes that society is *not necessarily* best served by universities that are motivated solely by profit, this is an important issue. Gawker recently wrapped up an eight-part series <http://gawker.com/tag/the-educated-underclass> featuring adjunct faculty sharing their stories. They are well worth a read if you have a strong stomach. If not, it boils down to this: adjuncts typically work for terrible pay -- often amounting to less than minimum wage -- and typically without benefits. This is disastrous for the people working these jobs, some of whom live in poverty, and many of whom are at constant risk of financial ruin. But it is also disastrous for the students, who are increasingly being taught by people who simply do not have the time to provide them with a quality education. >From Chronicle Vitae, a summary <https://chroniclevitae.com/news/292-an-alarming-snapshot-of-adjunct-labor> of a congressional report <http://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/imo/media/doc/documents/1.24.14-Adju…> on adjunct labor, stemming from a forum convened by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce at the end of 2013. This article <http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/04/the-adjunct-professor-c…>, from the Atlantic, describes attempts at developing an adjunct labor movement, although it has been pointed out <http://www.newappsblog.com/2014/05/adjunctification-again-and-how-not-to-fi…> that the solutions being floated focus primarily on improving wages, neglecting the lack of security and loss of scholarly output resulting from the abandonment of tenure. A recent article <https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/03/24/adjunct-professor…> from the Boston Globe provides an update on unionization efforts. Sarah Kendzior has written a number of excellent articles on this topic, some of which can be found here <https://chroniclevitae.com/people/243-sarah-kendzior/articles>. The most recent of these, from this May, focuses specifically on the issue of retirement, situating the retirement insecurity faced by adjuncts within larger economic and societal trends. A recent survey <https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-his…> focused specifically on history faculty provides a somewhat less bleak outlook, at least from a certain perspective. It suggests that most non-tenure-track faculty are doing a good job, and that many successful academics spent some time in non-tenure-track positions in the past. However, it is not clear that this means that non-tenure-track faculty have bright futures ahead of them. Three other, more recent articles from the Atlantic have focused on the economic treatment of adjuncts. One <http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/09/income-inequality-in-h…> focuses on adjunct pay, comparing it with the salaries of university presidents. Another <http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/05/the-cost-of-an-adjunct…> details the impact that the poor treatment of adjunct faculty has on the quality of education provided to students. The third <http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/09/higher-education-colleg…> explicitly notes the disconnect between the skyrocketing tuition paid by students and the plummeting wages paid to the people educating them. A recent article <http://www.salon.com/2016/06/30/adjunct_professorships_are_gutting_higher_e…> in Salon argues that the solution is to rethink tenure, reducing the focus on research and emphasizing teaching quality. Of course, that requires developing a way to incentivize universities to care about the quality of education they are providing more than the quantity of research funding coming in the door. ------------------------------ *Publications* Here's a sampling of some of the recent work by the independent scholars of the Ronin Institute: *Articles & Chapters* Baguskas, S. A., Still, C. J., Fischer, D. T., D'Antonio, C. M., & King, J. Y. (2016) Coastal fog during summer drought improves the water status of sapling trees more than adult trees in a California pine forest. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-016-3556-y> *Oecologia* 181:1-12. Banerjee, S. (2016) A Biologically Inspired Model of Distributed Online Communication Supporting Efficient Search and Diffusion of Innovation. <http://hrcak.srce.hr/152013> *Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems* 14: 10-22. Banerjee, S. (2015) Optimal Strategies for Virus Propagation. <https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.00844> *arXiv* 1512.00844. Kahya, E. O. & Desai, S. (2016) Constraints on frequency-dependent violations of Shapiro delay from GW150914. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0370269316300041> *Physics Letters B* 756: 265-267. Haas, A. F., Fairoz, M. F. M., Kelly, L. W., Nelson, C. E., Dinsdale, E. A., Edwards, R. A., Giles, S., Hatay, M., Hisakawa, N., Knowles, B., Lim, Y. W., Maughan, H., Roach, T. N. F., Sanchez, S. E., Silveira, C. B., Sandin, S., Smith, J. E., & Rohwer, F. (2016) Global microbialization of coral reefs. <http://www.nature.com/articles/nmicrobiol201642> *Nature Microbiology* 16042. Hisakawa, N., Quistad, S. D., Hester, E. R., Martynova, D., Maughan, H., Sala, E., Gavrilo, M. V., & Rohwer, F. (2015) Metagenomic and satellite analyses of red snow in the Russian Arctic. <https://peerj.com/articles/1491/> *PeerJ* 3: e1491. Muirhead, C. A. & Presgraves, D. C. (2016) Hybrid Incompatibilities, Local Adaptation, and the Genomic Distribution of Natural Introgression between Species. <http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/684583> *The American Naturalist* 187: 249-261. Patterson, D., Mozzherin, D., Shorthouse, D., & Thessen, A. (2016) Challenges with using names to link digital biodiversity information <http://bdj.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=8080> *Biodiversity Data Journal* 4: e8080. Rastogi, B., Williams, A. P., Fischer, D. T., Iacobellis, S. F., McEachern, K., Carvalho, L., Jones, C., Baguskas, S. A., & Still, C. J. (2016) Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Cloud Cover and Fog Inundation in Coastal California: Ecological Implications <http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/EI-D-15-0033.1> *Earth Interactions* 20: 1-19. Thessen, A. E. (2016) Adoption of machine learning techniques in Ecology and Earth Science. <https://peerj.com/preprints/1720/> *PeerJ PrePrints* e1720v1. Thessen, A. E., Bunker, D. E., Buttigieg, P. L., Cooper, L. D., Dahdul, W. M., et al. (2015) Emerging semantics to link phenotype and environment. <https://peerj.com/articles/1470/> *PeerJ* 3: e1470. Thessen, A. E., Fertig, B., Jarvis, J. C., & Rhodes, A. C. (2016) Data Infrastructures for Estuarine and Coastal Ecological Syntheses. <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin_Fertig/publication/283856388_…> *Estuaries and Coasts* 39: 295-310. Thessen, A. E., McGinnis, S., & North, E. W. (2016) Lessons learned while building the Deepwater Horizon Database: Toward improved data sharing in coastal science. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009830041530090X> *Computers & Geosciences* 87:84-90. Wilkins, J. F., McHale, P. T., Gervin, J., & Lander, A. D. (2016) Survival of the Curviest: Noise-Driven Selection for Synergistic Epistasis. <http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.p…> *PLoS Genetics* 12: e1006003. Wilkins, J. F., Úbeda, F., & Van Cleve, J. (2016) The evolving landscape of imprinted genes in humans and mice: Conflict among alleles, genes, tissues, and kin. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.201500198/abstract> *BioEssays* 38:482-489. *Books* Eric Smith and Harold Morowitz. (2016) The Origin and Nature of Life on Earth: The Emergence of the Fourth Geosphere. <http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/physics/biological-physics-an…> Cambridge University Press. *Opinion and Reviews* Callier, V., Greenbaum, S., & Vanderford, N. L. (2015) The traditional training of PhDs threatens the technology transfer and entrepreneurship pipeline while innovative programs provide unique recovery opportunities. <https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.npacommunity.org/resource/resmgr/2015_AM/2015…> *Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship* 2:51-58. Callier, V. (2016) The bee whisperer. *Science* 352: 902. ------------------------------ *About the Ronin Institute* The Ronin Institute is dedicated to building an alternative model of academic scholarship outside of the traditional university system. To learn more, visit us at http://ronininstitute.org or send us email <info(a)ronininstitute.org>. We depend on public support. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation <http://ronininstitute.org/donate/>. The Ronin Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, so your donation will be tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. If you know someone who might be interested in the Ronin Institute, please feel free to forward this newsletter on to them. If you want to stop receiving this newsletter, click here <[email protected]?subject=Unsubscribe&body=Please+remove+me+from+this+email+list>, and we'll take care of it. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact *Kitsune* and Let us know <kitsune(a)ronininstitute.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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