GEO 13: The Frank Lindenfeld Memorial

Frank Lindenfeld

This issue of the GEO Newsletter is a Memorial Tribute to Frank Lindenfeld, a founder of the Economic Democracy Institute of North America (EDINA), of "Changing Work", a print magazine dedicated to new visions of work and the workplace (a predecessor to the GEO Newsletter), and of the GEO Newsletter.

Section I: Frank's Biography

Section 2: Remembrances and Memories

Section 3: Documents By and About Frank Lindenfeld

Lessons for Building a Co-operative Movement

John Curl

In this interview GEO’s Michael Johnson talks with John Curl about what is new in the second edition, the surprisingly long history of co-operatives here in the US, and what his history has to tell us about building a 21st century movement for a co-operative/solidarity economy.

 

 

A Night of Solidarity and Resilience in New York City

Click here to read Michael Johnson's report on this Solidarity event in New York City recently. The first paragraph is below but click through to read the full report.

On the Tuesday night of February 19th 70 people came together from all the boroughs in New York City for dinner and conference to explore ways they could support each other's work and grow a movement. In the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Sandy they named the event "Growing a Resilient City: possibilities for collaboration in NYC's Solidarity Economy."

Click to read the rest.

BLOG POSTS

Blame, Shulamith Firestone, and Movement Building

Phyllis Chesler’s reflections on how the radical feminist movement was powerful but also killed its own

Blaming

How to destroy relationships, communities, and democracy

Shulasmith Firestone, brilliant and passionate tragedy

A major figure in the women’s liberation movement in the 60s and 70s, her dynamic flame burned out when she was only in her 20s. Her story dramatizes two dynamics that cripple radical movements.

To Take or To Be Taken

How do we talk and think together coherently about love, domination, and cooperation?

The payoffs of sustained cooperation can be huge

An anthill. A beehive. A crackling campfire around which the cave kids could play, the cave elders stay, and the buffalo strips blacken all day

QUICKIE: A beautiful example of leverage

The blurb for a story in Truthout tells it. Dismiss the shame and blame, and cut to the strategic point:

Resistance From a Cage: Julian Assange Speaks to Norwegian Journalist Eirik Vold
Eirik Vold, Truthout:

Expand-and-Leverage

A key element in movement building

Your Karma Ran Over My Dogma – 2

We in the various change movements have our myths and dogmas, and they screw up how we approach our work and our longings for a different kind of world

Reversing Karma in Union City, NJ

A "grassroots" response to the question: What would it really take to give students a first-rate education

'Karma' running over the ‘dogma’ of nonviolvence

There’s a good graffiti story that goes with this title.The graffitti was "your karma ran over my dogma," but that story will have to wait for another time. The basic idea is not difficult: reality will make a mess outta of our theories, dogmas, ideologies. The 2008 meltdown is one example. Another is finding out that the other does not love me the way I think she/he should. This bubble gets busted ad infinitum.

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GLEANINGS

Can Unions and Co-operatives Join Forces?

United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard talks to Truthout about the challenges and opportunities of a new labor model: the union co-op.

Co-opoly Board Game Designer Interviewed by Truthout

Truthout talks with Brian Van Slyke about The Toolbox for Education and Social Action (TESA) and their board game, Co-opoly: The Game of Co-operatives

World University Offers Free Online Courses on Cooperative Enterprises

World University offers an online platform for creating and taking free courses. Their section on cooperatives currently offers a two classes developed by MIT professors. The goal is to keep building their library of user-generated content through a simple-to-use inferface. 

Cooperative HealthCare through Community Self-Insurance

Author Mira Luna asks: "why do we continue to give control over health care and our money away to companies that don't have our interests at heart in a matter that is literally life and death?" And she finds "alternative, community-based models [that] actually work".

 

 

Worcester Solidarity and Green Economy Conference

Worcester's Solidarity and Green Economy conference brings together activists, organizers, educators, community leaders, non-profits and other individuals and organizations who are committed to forging more equitable and sustainable ways of organizing our economies and communities. The 3rd annual conference will last three days from August 23-25. This conference will focus on building capacity for cooperators and lay the groundwork for creating a broader solidarity economy throughout Southern New England.

Positive News Reports on Civil Rights Victory for Small Farmers

"To protect small and family farms from industrial factory farming, over a decade ago a handful of Pennsylvania townships stood up to some of the country’s largest agribusiness corporations. Recognizing that the state and federal government, rather than protecting them from factory farms, were in fact forcing them into communities, the townships took the unprecedented step of banning corporate farming within their borders."

Worker-owned Window Cooperative Opens Its Doors

"After almost a year in preparation, we are very excited to say that today, the New Era Windows Cooperative is opening its doors for business.  The Working World has been an extremely proud partner since day one, providing financing and technical assistance to help bring the cooperative to fruition."

Social Justice Project Connects Families to Healthy Food and Civic Engagement

The Veggie Mobile Market is an old school bus that runs on used veggie oil and will work with local aggregators to support local growers while simultaneously being able to provide high quality food to low-income communities at affordable prices. The project will also use the bus as a platform for civic enagement and education.

A Review of Gar Alperovitz's "What Now Must We Do?"

This is a mixed review of the book. It is critical of Gar's unwillingness or inability to realistically relate his proposals to the likely response of NeoLiberal elites. However, the reviewer grudgingly agrees that the co-operative initiative is a foundation for non-violent response and a defense against those elites, at a local level.

That Chicago Window Factory Now a Worker Co-op!

The Working World helps the former Republic Windows and Doors convert to the New Era Windows Cooperative
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