Thanks for asking Kevin. I try to do so via http://sharewiki.org/en/Leipzig_project I have not engaged in a process via p2pfoundation in relation to phyles. ( http://p2pfoundation.net/Phyles) I am aware of other projects going more or less in such direction, mostly in the states, such as http://forwardfound.org/ ( Sam, Steve, ... providing consultancy ? ) - but I do not know exactly what their current situation is. Regarding the Leipzig project, at some point I was interacting with Alex R. , when he was based in Amsterdam. He visited Leipzig twice, and visited me when passing by Brussels twice too, providing his views. My own current personal problem, which hinder my participation, is to get beyond my current trapped feeling. Business models emerge, yet being in Brussels to bring together people and work on them is not ideal. I currently found a first investor, willing to invest 100 000 euros to buy a building ( buildings are more affordable in Leipzig ) , and allowing us to use it rent free. I also found a number of smaller investors, willing to buy their own flat, if we can set up the legal framework that enables to buy a building together. I need to work together with others who share similar intentions - and find the ( relatively small ) amount of capital needed. Geoteo or other crowdfunding approaches can be used. Unless other approaches, in the cooperative business field for example, can be suggested ? Regarding legal structures ? Regarding financing ? For example, I know that Mondragon Cooperatives have its own financial institution to support the set up of a new cooperative ? I m not sure how it is for Las Indias http://grupolasindias.coop/ ( http://p2pfoundation.net/Las_Indias_Montevideo_Declaration ) If you are interested, some more personal details on my current context ... ///// Personal situation : http://sharewiki.org/en/Dante Before coming back to Brussels 3 years ago, I spent several years hitch hiking ( 5 in total ), living with no or little resources - until I burned out ( http://sharewiki.org/en/Beyond_Road_Burn_Out ; http://hitchwiki.org/en/Aimless_trajectory ) I may have spread myself out too much across europe - I know other people living a similar lifestyle, and focusing, as I see it, by cooperating in environments with a more dense social network from which they gain recognition, and support. My return to Brussels was supposed to enable the build up of a more localized reputation for myself, and enabled me to have access to social government benefits - which enable me to cover the rent of a small one room flat, an internet connection, and a remaining 200 euros/month for food and expenses. To receive this social money, I am not supposed to get out of Belgium, or not for more then 20 days a year, and I am supposed to keep my address. ( hence rent a place ) In short - to develop certain projects, it may be more suitable to spend more time in Berlin and Leipzig, but I currently lack the finances to do so at present, unless I choose to go back in an approach I took for 5 years, without resources, without security for shelter, without medical care insurance, without money. Unless... I can set up some business model from Brussels. 800 euros a month in donations ( or in the form of an investment ? ) , over a period of one year, could support such approach ) For the moment, I found a person willing to buy a building in Leipzig ( investing 100 000 euros ) - and allow us to live in the building for free, which can enable me and other people interested to have some kind of permanent collective to set up next stages, including the purchase of other buildings on a cooperative model, and using existing solutions guaranteed by, for example, the Mithauser syndicate, progressively enabling small scale / low capital production, including to satisfy our own living needs ( energy production, food, etc ) evolving progressively towards consolidating a local economic network ( of cooperatives, with their own currencies ? ) On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 9:55 PM, Kevin Carson < [email protected]> wrote:

On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 5:44 PM, Michel Bauwens <[email protected]> wrote:

...

we're not really in a position to give advice, as we only started very recently and are working through our own growth issues,

but we started first with a set of principles (why are we together), then with a constitution (how we are going to achieve these principles concretely); everything we do has to be compatible with the constitution and inspired by the principles.

I recall seeing last year your statement on hoping to build a phyle based on the p2p foundation community, but saw almost nothing between that announcement and your comment here. Is there a link to somewhere that details the progress of this idea?

-- Kevin Carson Research Associate, Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Desktop Regulatory State: The Countervailing Power of Super-Empowered Individuals http://desktopregulatorystate.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html

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On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 5:01 AM, Michel Bauwens <[email protected]> wrote:

we officially created our coop, as a phyle through our constitution and principles but legally as a dutch legal cooperative, mid-year 2011; franco can provide you with text links if you want

we have signed our first big commercial contract and gone through initial teething problems of getting real contractual cooperation off the ground with people who are not physically co-located,

we will be able to make a first assessment mid 2012

however, keep in mind it's a very small outfit of 3-4 people

Thanks, Michel. Franco, I'd definitely appreciate the links. -- Kevin Carson Research Associate, Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Homebrew Industrial Revolution:  A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Desktop Regulatory State:  The Countervailing Power of Super-Empowered Individuals http://desktopregulatorystate.wordpress.com Organization Theory:  A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html