YES! Magazine is holding a Conference Call later today, 5/1, at 7PM EDT, to discuss The Growing Cooperatives Movement and How You Can Get Involved.
Note: Due to my enthusiasm for YES!, this is going to sound more than a bit like a promotional piece, so let me say upfront that I have no connection with YES! and receive no direct or indirect financial benefit from "promoting" it. Well, actually, one indirect benefit may be that greater use of YES! as a resource would create a better economy (and world) for us all.
YES! Magazine is an excellent resource for "Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions." While I had read pieces from it before, it was only recently, as a result of "conversations" with
citisven, that I examined it more fully and realized how useful and important it really is, especially for those looking for ways to engage in and feed people- and earth-oriented culture and economy, for its own sake and/or to weaken the plutocracy (GRRR!).
YES! Magazine's primary subject categories include: Peace & Justice, Planet, New Economy, People Power, Happiness.
Here's a link to the current issue online: How Cooperatives Are Driving the New Economy.
Again, the Conference Call is being conducted later today, 5/1, at 7PM EDT.
See brief information about the conference and REGISTER here.
FYI, YES! has an opening for a LOCAL ECONOMIES REPORTING FELLOWSHIP, "a paid, 10-month investigative reporting fellowship." The position "begins in June 2013 and requires 20 hours of work per week. Candidates are free to work from a remote location. Some travel to our office near Seattle and to cover stories in various parts of the United States will be required." It pays $17,000 for the 10-month period. Additional details at the above link.
Recently, citisven published COHOUSING: LIFE IS EASIER WITH FRIENDS NEXT DOOR, a slightly re-worked version of an article published in last summer's YES! issue. He posted the diary to the "INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP.
UPDATE:
About Co-ops, from the National Business Co-Op Association
A cooperative is a business. Co-ops range in size from small store-fronts to large Fortune 500 companies. In many ways, they're like any other business, but differ in several important ways.
Cooperatives
- Are owned and democratically controlled by their members-the people who use the co-op’s services or buy its goods-not by outside investors; Co-op members elect their board of directors from within the membership.
- Return surplus revenues (income over expenses and investment) to members proportionate to their use of the cooperative, not proportionate to their “investment” or ownership share.
- Are motivated not by profit, but by service-to meet their members’ needs or affordable and high quality goods or services; Exist solely to serve their members.
- Pay taxes on income kept within the co-op for investment and reserves. Surplus revenues from the co-op are returned to individual members who pay taxes on that income.
UPDATE
FROM THE COMMENTS: catfoodnation's recent diary, A website/discussion for co-op info
UPDATED MAY 1, 2013
See my new website and discussion board for co-op information exchanging, at http://99pct.org I am no expert, in the least, but support the cause. Obviously a cooperative economy is the answer to 1% capitalism. You can't reform 'em, so why not undermine them from the bottom up? Patronize co-ops, join co-ops, create co-ops, encourage labor union members to form co-ops and work for themselves as worker-owners, do all you can to promote and participate in the cooperative economy movement. Community-wide organizations have merit too. See below ...
UPDATE
re-posted from catfoodnation's recent diary, A website/discussion for co-op info
UPDATE
Here's the link to the Post-Call Report, The Growing Cooperatives Movement & How You Can Get Involved - YES! Mag Conf Call Transcript, Pt 1