Speaking Tour to launch new book, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action,
Dada Maheshvarananda's USA cellphone: 336-567-6912
Tues, Sept. 11 Miami: 7-8:30 pm
NPTI Technical Institute
4000 West Flagler Street,
Miami, FL
"Alternatives to the Current“
Sept. 12-13 informal talks in Miami
Sept. 14 Fly to Asheville, NC
Sat, Sept. 15, 5:45 p.m. Firestorm Co-op
48 Commerce St
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 255-8115
7:00 p.m. Malaprop's Bookstore-Cafe
55 Haywood St., Asheville
(828) 254-6734, (800) 441-9829
Sun, Sept. 16, 12:15pm "Economic Democracy and Prout"
1:15-2:15pm "Cooperative Games Workshop"
WWD-F, 22 Ravenscroft Drive
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 255-8777
Tues, Sept. 18 Carrboro, NC
Inter-Faith Council for Social Services
110 W. Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510 (919) 929-6380
Wed, Sept. 19, 7:30pm
Apurva Wellness
2841 Hartland Rd. Suite 207
Falls Church, VA 22043
Thur, Sept. 20, 7pm
talk in Shanti Yoga Ashram,
4209 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD
301-654-6759
Fri, Sept. 21, 5pm, Talk at
Venezuelan Consulate
7 East 51st St
New York, NY 10022
Sat-Sun, Sept. 22-23 New York City
Tues, Sept. 25, 7pm
Lucy Parsons Center Bookstore
5358A Centre St.
Boston, MA - (617) 522-6098
Thur-Fri, Sept. 27-28 Northampton, MA
Sat-Sun, Sept. 29-30
Tantric Futures Boston Regional Spring Retreat
Earthdance, 252 Prospect St, Plainfield MA
Mon, Oct. 1 Chicago, IL, 6:30 pm
The Heartland Café
7000 North Glenwood Avenue, Chicago
Tue, Oct. 2, 7:00 PM
Urbana Free Library, 210 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801
Wed-Thur, Oct 3-4 Dayempur Farm, Carbondale, IL
Fri, Oct. 5 St. Louis, MO
Sat, Oct 6, 5pm
123 South Linn Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
319.356.5200
Sun, Oct 7 Iowa City, IA
Mon, Oct 8 Minneapolis, MN
Tues-Wed, Oct 9-10 Mankato, MN
Thu-Sun, Oct 11-14
Economic Democracry Conference
Madison College
Madison, WI 53711
Mon, Oct. 15, fly to Caracas
Dada Maheshvarananda's Blog concerning PROUT, the Progressive Utilisation Theory
18 September 2012
08 September 2012
Speaking Tour of USA Southwest and West Coast, Nov 6-Dec 3, 2012
Speaking Tour to launch new book, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action
Dada Maheshvarananda's USA cellphone: 336-567-6912
Tues-Thur, Nov 6-8 Austin, TX
Fri, Nov 9 San Antonio, TX
Sat, Nov 10 El Paso, TX
Sun-Tue Nov 11-13 Albuquerque, NM
Wed-Sat, Nov 14-17 Los Angeles, CA
Sun-Wed, Nov 18-21 San Francisco Bay Area
Thu-Sun, Nov 22-25 Eugene, OR
Mon-Wed, Nov 26-28 Olympia, WA, Evergreen State College
Thu, Nov. 29 Seattle
Fri-Sat, Nov 30-Dec 1 Vancouver, BC
Sun, Dec 2 Los Angeles, CA
Mon, Dec 3 Fly to Caracas
If you have an idea where I could speak in any of these cities, or are interested in meeting me when I am passing through, please contact me.
Dada Maheshvarananda's USA cellphone: 336-567-6912
Tues-Thur, Nov 6-8 Austin, TX
Fri, Nov 9 San Antonio, TX
Sat, Nov 10 El Paso, TX
Sun-Tue Nov 11-13 Albuquerque, NM
Wed-Sat, Nov 14-17 Los Angeles, CA
Sun-Wed, Nov 18-21 San Francisco Bay Area
Thu-Sun, Nov 22-25 Eugene, OR
Mon-Wed, Nov 26-28 Olympia, WA, Evergreen State College
Thu, Nov. 29 Seattle
Fri-Sat, Nov 30-Dec 1 Vancouver, BC
Sun, Dec 2 Los Angeles, CA
Mon, Dec 3 Fly to Caracas
If you have an idea where I could speak in any of these cities, or are interested in meeting me when I am passing through, please contact me.
03 September 2012
Did you know this about co-ops?
Throughout the twentieth century and until today, cooperatives have been mostly invisible, ignored by the mass media and political leaders who are more interested in power, fame and control. Yet more than one billion people, a sixth of our global population, are members of co-ops. The world’s largest non-governmental organization is the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), representing 246 national and international organizations...
Cooperatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20 percent more than multinational enterprises. Cooperatives are also more likely to succeed than privately-owned enterprises. In the United States, 60-80 percent of companies fail in their first year, while only 10 percent of cooperatives fail during that period. After five years, only three to five percent of new U.S. corporations are still in business, while nearly 90 percent of co-ops remain viable. [World Council of Credit Unions, Statistical Data: United States Credit Union Statistics, 1939-2002.]..
The NAFTA agreement of 1994 caused Mexico to charge co-ops twice the tariffs that they charged private enterprises, requiring them to carry expensive life insurance on every member–in effect tripling their total tax burden. Since then the legal status of cooperatives in Mexico has changed continually, sometimes yearly. NAFTA does not allow Mexico to subsidize coffee or corn growers, even though the US government subsidizes their own corn growers as well as coffee growers in Vietnam. Brazilian law requires a minimum of 25 members to incorporate a cooperative, compared to Venezuela, which requires only five. In countries with discriminatory legal structures, most would-be cooperatives are forced to register as an association, “civil society” or something else, with no legal protections...
Laws concerning cooperatives are different in every country; in fact some laws were written to hinder and block cooperatives. Those who wish to start a cooperative should first consult their national association of cooperatives and visit successful co-ops, ideally those which operate in the same sector, to learn as much as possible from the experience of others. These experienced cooperative workers can also advise about psychological ways to win the support of the local people.
Cooperatives benefit the community at large by creating jobs, retaining wealth and increasing social connections among the inhabitants. The practice of economic democracy in co-ops raises awareness of democratic issues among the workers as well as in the wider community.
excerpted from After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action by Dada Maheshvarananda (Puerto Rico: Innerworld Publications, 2012).
Cooperatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20 percent more than multinational enterprises. Cooperatives are also more likely to succeed than privately-owned enterprises. In the United States, 60-80 percent of companies fail in their first year, while only 10 percent of cooperatives fail during that period. After five years, only three to five percent of new U.S. corporations are still in business, while nearly 90 percent of co-ops remain viable. [World Council of Credit Unions, Statistical Data: United States Credit Union Statistics, 1939-2002.]..
The NAFTA agreement of 1994 caused Mexico to charge co-ops twice the tariffs that they charged private enterprises, requiring them to carry expensive life insurance on every member–in effect tripling their total tax burden. Since then the legal status of cooperatives in Mexico has changed continually, sometimes yearly. NAFTA does not allow Mexico to subsidize coffee or corn growers, even though the US government subsidizes their own corn growers as well as coffee growers in Vietnam. Brazilian law requires a minimum of 25 members to incorporate a cooperative, compared to Venezuela, which requires only five. In countries with discriminatory legal structures, most would-be cooperatives are forced to register as an association, “civil society” or something else, with no legal protections...
Laws concerning cooperatives are different in every country; in fact some laws were written to hinder and block cooperatives. Those who wish to start a cooperative should first consult their national association of cooperatives and visit successful co-ops, ideally those which operate in the same sector, to learn as much as possible from the experience of others. These experienced cooperative workers can also advise about psychological ways to win the support of the local people.
Cooperatives benefit the community at large by creating jobs, retaining wealth and increasing social connections among the inhabitants. The practice of economic democracy in co-ops raises awareness of democratic issues among the workers as well as in the wider community.
excerpted from After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action by Dada Maheshvarananda (Puerto Rico: Innerworld Publications, 2012).
15 August 2012
From David Schweickart
About After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action --
"This is an amazing book, breathtaking in its range and ambition: an uncompromising critique of capitalism, an outline of new world economy centered on cooperatives and local, sustainable production, a theory of history, a compelling philosophical/spiritual vision, specific information about movements and experiments going on today all over the world, guidelines for getting involved, becoming a social activist and “spiritual revolutionary,” even slogans to write on your protest banners. And more. One need not agree with everything here to find this book a treasure-trove. Congratulations on a fine piece of work." - David Schweickart, Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, author of (another book entitled) After Capitalism
13 August 2012
"Economic Freedom"?
A clever trick of neoliberal economists has been to call the license of individuals and corporations to amass wealth beyond measure “economic freedom,” as though it were equal to human rights. They claim the right to maximize one's wealth.
The idea of “economic freedom” conflicts with the reality that the world’s resources are limited and that some actions limit the opportunities of others. In law, we grant individual rights only to the extent that they do not harm others. Prout includes this idea in economics.
excerpted from After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action by Dada Maheshvarananda (Puerto Rico: Innerworld Publications, 2012).
The chart below shows what percentage of jobs — about 1 in 4 in the United States — pay low wages and do not offer employment benefits like health insurance, retirement savings accounts, paid sick days or family leave. These low-wage jobs are replacing jobs that have historically supported a broad middle class.
The idea of “economic freedom” conflicts with the reality that the world’s resources are limited and that some actions limit the opportunities of others. In law, we grant individual rights only to the extent that they do not harm others. Prout includes this idea in economics.
excerpted from After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action by Dada Maheshvarananda (Puerto Rico: Innerworld Publications, 2012).
The chart below shows what percentage of jobs — about 1 in 4 in the United States — pay low wages and do not offer employment benefits like health insurance, retirement savings accounts, paid sick days or family leave. These low-wage jobs are replacing jobs that have historically supported a broad middle class.
24 July 2012
What others are saying about "After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action"
"After Capitalism is a crucial contribution towards figuring out where we want to go, not only after capitalism, but now, as we try to build the new world within the old. It is so important not only because of the thoroughly considered vision it presents, but also because it incorporates a spiritual dimension that is missing from most post-capitalist visioning." - Gregory Wilpert, author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power
"The world is in urgent need of new ideas on how to house, feed and shelter us all, without destroying the planet we are on. After Capitalism is a rich and varied warehouse of new ideas and new thinking that will do much to contribute to a better humanity and a better world." - Kevin Cahill, author of Who Owns the World
“I enthusiastically recommend this book for a college classroom and for those who are organizing for economic and social justice.” - Peter Bohmer, activist and faculty in Economics and Political Economy, The Evergreen State College
"The search is on for new ways to inhabit a strained earth. There are plenty of interesting leads in these pages that will get you thinking!" - Bill McKibben, author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
“The constitutional proposals of Prout are the ethical summary of everything that humanity needs to accomplish universal fraternity. The importance of Prout is that its vision of a new world is not just concerned with political, social and economic relationships, but also with education, gender relationships and spirituality.” – Frei Betto, activist and author of the bestseller Fidel and Religion
"From Caracas, where the author is putting his ideas into practice, comes this accessible guide to the spiritual socialism of P.R. Sarkar. Activists working on contemporary issues from local food production to economic inequality will find much of value in this innovative volume." Jeffery M. Paige, author of Agrarian Revolution
“The very concept of After Capitalism is liberating. This book is a must for those of us who are striving for a more equitable, ethical and just world–one which views society and the environment holistically and ethically.” - Frank Emspak, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin; CEO and Executive Producer of Workers Independent News
“Dada Maheshvarananda’s book enriches the paradigm of P.R. Sarkar, who proposes that human development in its highest sense should be the goal of economic development. It has the power to construct itself in a post-capitalist project.” – Marcos Arruda, author of External Debt: Brazil and the International Financial Crisis
"The world is in urgent need of new ideas on how to house, feed and shelter us all, without destroying the planet we are on. After Capitalism is a rich and varied warehouse of new ideas and new thinking that will do much to contribute to a better humanity and a better world." - Kevin Cahill, author of Who Owns the World
“I enthusiastically recommend this book for a college classroom and for those who are organizing for economic and social justice.” - Peter Bohmer, activist and faculty in Economics and Political Economy, The Evergreen State College
"The search is on for new ways to inhabit a strained earth. There are plenty of interesting leads in these pages that will get you thinking!" - Bill McKibben, author Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
“The constitutional proposals of Prout are the ethical summary of everything that humanity needs to accomplish universal fraternity. The importance of Prout is that its vision of a new world is not just concerned with political, social and economic relationships, but also with education, gender relationships and spirituality.” – Frei Betto, activist and author of the bestseller Fidel and Religion
"From Caracas, where the author is putting his ideas into practice, comes this accessible guide to the spiritual socialism of P.R. Sarkar. Activists working on contemporary issues from local food production to economic inequality will find much of value in this innovative volume." Jeffery M. Paige, author of Agrarian Revolution
“The very concept of After Capitalism is liberating. This book is a must for those of us who are striving for a more equitable, ethical and just world–one which views society and the environment holistically and ethically.” - Frank Emspak, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin; CEO and Executive Producer of Workers Independent News
“Dada Maheshvarananda’s book enriches the paradigm of P.R. Sarkar, who proposes that human development in its highest sense should be the goal of economic development. It has the power to construct itself in a post-capitalist project.” – Marcos Arruda, author of External Debt: Brazil and the International Financial Crisis
18 July 2012
Launching a new book, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action
Dear friends,
In 2003 I published After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World. It was subsequently translated into nine other languages and sold a total of about 15,000 copies with no distribution or marketing. However, when I undertook to update it, both the world and the development of Prout had changed so much that I wrote 80 percent new content in the 390 pages. Economic democracy, a fundamental demand of Prout, is also starting to resonate with the indignados movement of Spain and Portugal, the global Occupy Movement and with many other progressive activists.
I am finally emerging from nearly a year of living like a hermit on this project. Next week, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action will be available for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. A Kindle version, an audio book and an electronic version will quickly follow; the latter two will also be for sale at Apple iTunes.
What's new in this book? There are six new essays by Prout activists and two revised ones, a conversation with Noam Chomsky, many more examples of successful cooperatives and Prout projects, a number of resource tools and practical techniques to effectively present Prout to the public, and a deeper analysis of the fundamental principles and how to apply them. The book has new sections on leadership training, Sadvipra governance, guerrilla street theater, a greatly expanded and improved section on the exploitation and liberation of women, a block-level planning exercise with detailed questions, instructions for the popular Sarkar Game, and much more. At the end are discussion questions for each chapter so the book can be used as a study guide; Appendices B and C are tools to design your own Prout Study/Action Circle.
The cover photo is provocative, showing an Occupy protest in San Francisco with a veteran holding a U.S. flag upside down, which symbolizes distress. The book is written for activists, progressives and the majority of people who want a better world. Mirra Price in Asheville will start a strong marketing campaign, sending the book to progressive magazines and newspapers, setting up radio interviews by telephone and eventually organizing a book promotion tour. I will be going to the United States to attend the Economic Democracy Conference in Madison, Wisconsin on October 11-14 and plan to tour for about a month. If you have any suggestions or contacts for this marketing campaign, please contact her at: mirraprice[at]gmail.com.
Please go to the paypal Donate button on the right menu. It works with a credit card even if you don't have a paypal account:
For $25: we'll ship you one book as soon as it comes off the press (in about two weeks).
For $75: we'll ship you a box of five books
For $125: we'll ship you a box of 10 books
For $200: we'll ship you a box of 20 books (all amounts include shipping)
If you want to make a donation of another size to support this project, we'll send you as many books as you want at these prices plus the pdf file of the book.
I have often said that the best part of the previous book was the acknowledgements, and it is even more true of this book. More than 70 friends, including economists, ecologists, activists, agriculturalists, and some very good writers have generously given their time to review, correct and improve the text. The book is much better because of them.
With your generous support, this book can effectively spread the empowering messages of economic democracy and Prout to many people, including some whose voices are seldom heard, connecting us to make the world a better place for the good and happiness of all.
In 2003 I published After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World. It was subsequently translated into nine other languages and sold a total of about 15,000 copies with no distribution or marketing. However, when I undertook to update it, both the world and the development of Prout had changed so much that I wrote 80 percent new content in the 390 pages. Economic democracy, a fundamental demand of Prout, is also starting to resonate with the indignados movement of Spain and Portugal, the global Occupy Movement and with many other progressive activists.
I am finally emerging from nearly a year of living like a hermit on this project. Next week, After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action will be available for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. A Kindle version, an audio book and an electronic version will quickly follow; the latter two will also be for sale at Apple iTunes.
What's new in this book? There are six new essays by Prout activists and two revised ones, a conversation with Noam Chomsky, many more examples of successful cooperatives and Prout projects, a number of resource tools and practical techniques to effectively present Prout to the public, and a deeper analysis of the fundamental principles and how to apply them. The book has new sections on leadership training, Sadvipra governance, guerrilla street theater, a greatly expanded and improved section on the exploitation and liberation of women, a block-level planning exercise with detailed questions, instructions for the popular Sarkar Game, and much more. At the end are discussion questions for each chapter so the book can be used as a study guide; Appendices B and C are tools to design your own Prout Study/Action Circle.
The cover photo is provocative, showing an Occupy protest in San Francisco with a veteran holding a U.S. flag upside down, which symbolizes distress. The book is written for activists, progressives and the majority of people who want a better world. Mirra Price in Asheville will start a strong marketing campaign, sending the book to progressive magazines and newspapers, setting up radio interviews by telephone and eventually organizing a book promotion tour. I will be going to the United States to attend the Economic Democracy Conference in Madison, Wisconsin on October 11-14 and plan to tour for about a month. If you have any suggestions or contacts for this marketing campaign, please contact her at: mirraprice[at]gmail.com.
Please go to the paypal Donate button on the right menu. It works with a credit card even if you don't have a paypal account:
For $25: we'll ship you one book as soon as it comes off the press (in about two weeks).
For $75: we'll ship you a box of five books
For $125: we'll ship you a box of 10 books
For $200: we'll ship you a box of 20 books (all amounts include shipping)
If you want to make a donation of another size to support this project, we'll send you as many books as you want at these prices plus the pdf file of the book.
I have often said that the best part of the previous book was the acknowledgements, and it is even more true of this book. More than 70 friends, including economists, ecologists, activists, agriculturalists, and some very good writers have generously given their time to review, correct and improve the text. The book is much better because of them.
With your generous support, this book can effectively spread the empowering messages of economic democracy and Prout to many people, including some whose voices are seldom heard, connecting us to make the world a better place for the good and happiness of all.
08 November 2011
Advanced Prout training in Portugal
An intensive Prout training course took place in Sintra, Portugal from October 28 to November 1, 2010. More than 45 Margiis from Portugal and Spain attended the four-day program which included an in depth analysis of the five fundamental principles of Prout, a review of the global economic crisis and the euro debacle, and two-days of small group planning. The three groups braistormed: 1) how to educate people about Prout, 2) how to create popular campaigns for the masses with immediate demands, and 3) how to develop practical models of Prout through master units, cooperatives and block-level planning. The PROUTugal Movement presented their successful campaigns during the previous six months and planned exactly what and how they would continue these initiatives during the next year. See www.proutugal.org
25 August 2011
Listen to and Read Venezuela Prout Conference Presentations
Dear friends, Namaskar.
We at the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela are just completing 2 months of tedious work to package the presentations made at the recent conference, “Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology” we organized in Caracas in July 2011. We have:
1. Put all the audio recordings on www.youmicro.com
2. Transcribed all the 21 presentations and the question and answer sessions for each of the five panels, and uploaded them on our Spanish web page: www.priven.org.
3. Translated to English all the 21 presentations and five question and answer sessions and uploaded them on our English web page: www.priven.org.
4. We have nearly finished audio recording all the English translations and posting them on www.youmicro.com
THE GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE:
1. To popularize cooperatives, ecology and ethics.
2. To unite some of the best experts on cooperatives, ecology and ethics from Venezuela and other countries.
3. To share their presentations and ideas with the widest possible audience.
4. To share and explain what is the Prout model, which is based on cooperatives, ecology and ethics, and highlight its projects in Venezuela.
Personally, I find a profound depth of ideas and experiences in these talks about the solidarity eEconomy, ecology, community health, indigenous rights, cooperatives, women’s rights, and spiritual wisdom.
Today I am especially happy because the very popular and progressive web site, www.venezuelanalysis.com, posted the talk by Elvy Monzant about cooperatives. Their hardworking staff wrote, "We plan to review the other translations and post in the coming days/weeks."
Whereas about 400 people came to the conference at some point over the three days, many more around the world are now listening to it and reading about it.
In the struggle for Peace and Justice,
Dada Maheshvarananda
We at the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela are just completing 2 months of tedious work to package the presentations made at the recent conference, “Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology” we organized in Caracas in July 2011. We have:
1. Put all the audio recordings on www.youmicro.com
2. Transcribed all the 21 presentations and the question and answer sessions for each of the five panels, and uploaded them on our Spanish web page: www.priven.org.
3. Translated to English all the 21 presentations and five question and answer sessions and uploaded them on our English web page: www.priven.org.
4. We have nearly finished audio recording all the English translations and posting them on www.youmicro.com
THE GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE:
1. To popularize cooperatives, ecology and ethics.
2. To unite some of the best experts on cooperatives, ecology and ethics from Venezuela and other countries.
3. To share their presentations and ideas with the widest possible audience.
4. To share and explain what is the Prout model, which is based on cooperatives, ecology and ethics, and highlight its projects in Venezuela.
Personally, I find a profound depth of ideas and experiences in these talks about the solidarity eEconomy, ecology, community health, indigenous rights, cooperatives, women’s rights, and spiritual wisdom.
Today I am especially happy because the very popular and progressive web site, www.venezuelanalysis.com, posted the talk by Elvy Monzant about cooperatives. Their hardworking staff wrote, "We plan to review the other translations and post in the coming days/weeks."
Whereas about 400 people came to the conference at some point over the three days, many more around the world are now listening to it and reading about it.
In the struggle for Peace and Justice,
Dada Maheshvarananda
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