] Fw: food prices--Promoting fear---causes consequences to pai

[Guest guest]

Bea and Lynn,

 

We need to totally re-invent ourselves on a grass-roots level (the

government is not going to help).

 

This PBS documentary, aired in 2002, caused me to investigate barter

clubs:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film5.html

 

I was living in NYC when I saw the PBS documentary (about Argentina's

barter clubs) and learned about a dentist in my building who used

barter to save money. Dr. William Esh had an office on the first

floor. I called his office to see if he would meet me to talk about

barter for an article that I was working on. We made an appointment

for coffee early one morning and in the space of an hour, he provided

me with very interesting details about barter.

 

The barter networks that Dr. Esh belongs to are based on unused

product inventory or unused blocks of time. He explained that in his

dental office, his dental hygienist is not booked every day and every

hour—and he trades her down-time for products he needs to purchase

for his office. He put me in touch with his office manager who helped

me to understand the details of how his transactions worked. She

explained that whenever she needs to make a purchase, she first

checks the barter networks to see if it is available for sale.

Whenever she finds products in the barter networks—she does not have

to spend office cash. If people learn how to barter during periods of

relative prosperity, a transition would be easier if they ever had to

learn during a depression or a recession.

 

In his book, The Future of Money: Creating New Wealth, Work and a

Wiser World, Bernard Lietaer, a former economist at the World Bank,

recommends creating complementary currencies.

 

His book contains examples of several successful complementary

currencies.

 

This Web article, written by Lietaer, mentions Switzerland's WIR

system that has been in existence for 60 years:

http://www.transaction.net/money/internet

 

Paul Glover's Ithaca Hours system is a model that Madison used to set

up a community currency which supplements the federal currency (it's

related to barter and it means less dependency on federal dollars).

 

I have Paul's book. It's called Hometown Money. The E.F. Schumacher

site has a page that lists all the community currencies in the

country and they have a conference each year:

http://www.schumachersociety.org/local_currencies/currency_groups.html

 

Mary Jo

 

 

 

 

Re: ] Fw: food prices--Promoting fear---causes consequences to pai

 

Posted by: " Bea Bernhausen " beabernhausen beabernhausen

Thu Apr 3, 2008 10:38 am (PDT)

 

Patriot Act

 

Lynn Ward <lynnward wrote: At 06:48 PM 4/2/2008, you

wrote:

 

I must have missed something - what does any of this to do with

" Bushes law? "

 

There is a difference between fearmongering and discussing serious

issues of survival that are staring you right in the face. And excuse

me---but there is a greater law than Bush's law and that is your

children's survival--and that is the greatest responsibility--one

that you take on when you become a parent. Bush is not going to come

and feed your kids or share his plunder.

The natural way to deal with all this is to form communities where we

all share whatever we are good at---and live within the bioregional

system as much as possible.

 

My thoughts...

 

Hanneke <blosshan wrote:

 

That is the beauty of being on the ball, doing your own homework,

 

have eyes and ears open. You can learn about what is going on in the

 

world we live in, in your own time and space and prepare yourself.

 

Awareness is a good guide to well being. Being aware doesn't make the

 

prices go up and I doubt if this group, or any of the other groups I

[Guest guest]

At 05:08 PM 4/3/2008, you wrote:

I LOVE barter clubs!! There are some online, often not far from where

someone lives.........For a while, I was so sick, that that's about all I

could think of. And, now we want to move, although we're not sure exactly

where yet. After talking with Amy, a member of the group, OK sounds very

interesting. But, where ever it is, it needs to be someplace DH can find

a decent job. Something he hasn't been able to do here, despite 15 years

experience in his field. He's working on a degree as well, in the hopes

that will enable him to get a job in his field - which is IT. One would

think jobs in that area would be plentiful, but not here.

Whether we do actually move (I'm praying we will - I really don't like it

here) or stay, your post has reminded me about bartering. When we first

moved here, I found a local group who did - but I was always so far

behind, it didn't work. Plus, we didn't have much, and it didn't occur to

me to barter my services - the only thing I could think to barter, was

DH!!! *smile*

Thanks for sending this - will check out the books,

Lynn

 

Bea and Lynn,

We need to totally re-invent ourselves on a grass-roots level (the

 

government is not going to help).

This PBS documentary, aired in 2002, caused me to investigate

barter

clubs:

 

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/about/film5.html

I was living in NYC when I saw the PBS documentary (about

Argentina's

barter clubs) and learned about a dentist in my building who used

 

barter to save money. Dr. William Esh had an office on the first

 

floor. I called his office to see if he would meet me to talk about

 

barter for an article that I was working on. We made an appointment

 

for coffee early one morning and in the space of an hour, he

provided

me with very interesting details about barter.

The barter networks that Dr. Esh belongs to are based on unused

 

product inventory or unused blocks of time. He explained that in

his

dental office, his dental hygienist is not booked every day and

every

hour—and he trades her down-time for products he needs to purchase

 

for his office. He put me in touch with his office manager who

helped

me to understand the details of how his transactions worked. She

 

explained that whenever she needs to make a purchase, she first

 

checks the barter networks to see if it is available for sale.

 

Whenever she finds products in the barter networks—she does not

have

to spend office cash. If people learn how to barter during periods

of

relative prosperity, a transition would be easier if they ever had

to

learn during a depression or a recession.

In his book, The Future of Money: Creating New Wealth, Work and a

 

Wiser World, Bernard Lietaer, a former economist at the World Bank,

 

recommends creating complementary currencies.

His book contains examples of several successful complementary

 

currencies.

This Web article, written by Lietaer, mentions Switzerland's WIR

 

system that has been in existence for 60 years:

 

http://www.transaction.net/money/internet

Paul Glover's Ithaca Hours system is a model that Madison used to

set

up a community currency which supplements the federal currency

(it's

related to barter and it means less dependency on federal

dollars).

I have Paul's book. It's called Hometown Money. The E.F. Schumacher

 

site has a page that lists all the community currencies in the

 

country and they have a conference each year:

 

http://www.schumachersociety.org/local_currencies/currency_groups.html

 

Mary Jo