Stimulating critique of pure p2p strategies by Larry Victor: (I”m not sure yet as to what Larry means with the necessity for uplift) Larry Victor writes: “The flow of information heralding the rise of entrepreneurial and P2P ventures is increasing. I take no issue about persons using this route for survival or for providing services… Continue reading
The 15 weaknesses of Bitcoin and what is being done about it
Excerpted from Jem Bendell: “My view on this field of currency innovation is that new innovations need to effectively address some of the limitations of the bitcoin system. There are many benefits from bitcoin as an innovation in payment technology. The ability for people to maintain a global ledger of who has what and who… Continue reading
Revolution as a Transitory, Integrative and Holistic Process
Excerpted from R.C. Smith: “What is perhaps most vile about the political analysis emanating from out of many leftist groups today, is how so many tend to implicitly or explicitly treat people engaged in struggle as though they’re chess pieces in some sort of theoretical game: ‘a means toward an end’. There are so many… Continue reading
Trend of the Day: (DOCC) Distributed Open Collaborative Course
(DOCC) Distributed Open Collaborative Course = a distributed open collaborative course or DOCC (pronounced “dock”). Description By Scott Jaschik: “At first glance, “Feminism and Technology” sounds like another massive open online open course. The course will involve video components, and will be available online to anyone, with no charge. There are paths to credit, and… Continue reading
Turn off your smart phone and start paying attention
A wake up call excerpted from podcaster ‘KMO’: “While we’re on the topic of smart phones, information technology and being digitally connected right now, I just want to ask you to turn off your phone. Don’t just silence it so that it won’t make noise and disturb the rest of us, but turn it completely… Continue reading
PsyCommons (2): Enclosures Through Professional Abuses of Power
Denis Postle explains: “The second in the series: The PsyCommons and its Enclosures – Professionalized Wisdom and the Abuse of Power The first video was aimed at the psyCommons – anyone and everyone – this second video focuses more on challenging the psyprofessions and Big Pharma. The sequestering of psyknowledge and expertise in these professions… Continue reading
Sharing Prosperity – A report on the Cooperative Economy in Wales
“With its rich heritage of co-operation and the shared commitment to sustainable development written into the DNA of devolution in Wales, there are few more fruitful areas for business innovation than the emerging green economy and co-operative enterprises. Why green? We are used to the forward momentum of economic growth, that at some fundamental level… Continue reading
Panel on the Politics of Squares and the Re-emergence of the Individual Activist
These talks give a historical perspective on the recent mass movements, strongly recommended: Morosopher writes: “This is a panel discussion about the new political movements of the last couple of years, including Arab Spring and the Occupy movement, and how they reflect the current state of the global civil society. I think one of the… Continue reading
Podcast of the Day: Susan Gregory on the NE Seattle Tool Library
Excerpted from The Transition Network: Here is a wonderful story from Seattle. I am indebted to Susan Gregory and Leo Brodie for their time in telling me about it. In North Ravenna, NE Seattle, a rather exciting project has emerged from Sustainable NE Seattle, the local Transition initiative. Inspired by a similar project in West… Continue reading
Book of the Day: The Rise of the Naked Economy
“Fundamental leaps in technology, demographics, and economics are driving a once-a-century shift in how, when, where, and why we work. The book offers a view from trenches of this shift from co-founders of NextSpace, a pioneering chain of coworking spaces known for building community among indy workers.” * Book: Ryan Coonerty and Jeremy Neuner. The Rise… Continue reading
Communal experiments in Greece
In a previous post we presented Nicholas Anastasopoulos’ paper on the crisis and the emergence of communal experiments in Greece. Today, we cite some excerpts from Nicholas’ work which refer to six community-driven, Greek projects: The Navarinou Park This is a case of communal gardening and of urban farming which was indirectly triggered by the… Continue reading
Book of the Day: Autonomy and Horizontalism in Argentina
* Book: Everyday Revolutions: Autonomy and Horizontalism in Argentina. Marina Sitrin. Zed Books. Introduction by the author, Marina Sitrin: “Throughout history, in numerous places and various eras, there are moments like 19 and 20 December 2001 in Argentina, when the ways in which we see things drastically change: something occurs that allows our imagination to… Continue reading
Monetary History (2) : The Tally System and the Governmental Origins of Money
Excerpted from Ellen Brown: (from chapter 5 of the book, Web of Debt): “According to Stephen Zarlenga, who has traced the origins and history of money in his revealing compendium The Lost Science of Money, the use of coins as money did not originate with merchants trading in the marketplace. The first known coins were… Continue reading
Project of the Day: Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Agricultural Development
Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Agricultural Development = MASIPAG is an acronym for Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para Sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura, which translates to “Farmer-Scientist Partnership for Development, Inc.” URL = http://www.masipag.org “Where Stallman and the Free Software Foundation seek to ensure that their GNU tools will always be available to programmers, MASIPAG demands that farmers be given… Continue reading
Tom Atlee on the P2P Virtue of ‘Potent Hope’.
Excerpted from Tom Atlee: “From what I can tell, most people think that hope is a kind of wishing that things will turn out ok: “I hope Pat likes me!” “I hope the brakes hold!” In some varieties of hope, there is also a bit of (optimistic) belief that things WILL turn out ok, usually… Continue reading
On the difference between Empathy and Radical Connection
Nurturing the courage and conviction to transform these systems is just as important as developing more empathy in ourselves and others. The idea of radical connection captures this combination perfectly. It’s a visceral recognition that we are part of something larger that urges us to act for the whole community’s benefit, and not just for… Continue reading