How to Start a Community Currency

Above is the Lewes Pound, a local currency in the town of Lewes, England. As Thomas Paine said, "We have it in our power to build the world anew."

“Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies...The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs." - Thomas Jefferson

“Let me issue and control a nation’s money and I care not who writes the laws.” - Banker Mayer Amschel Rothschild

The centralized creation of money and credit has a profoundly negative effect on local economies, sovereignty, and cohesiveness. Bankers value profit at all costs, while locally-controlled institutions tend to hold other values - like community, justice and sustainability - more highly.

Communities can regain control of the flow of money and credit by issuing their own currency as a complement to conventional money, as electronic barter networks, debit cards, mobile phone payments, Timebanks, LETS, or old-fashioned cash.

By altering the flow of resources, community currencies take power away from multinationals and put it in the hands of more accountable local entities. While community currencies can't be too similar to or compete with national money, most countries allow it and some, like Venezuela and the E.U., support their development. Mediating underemployment and poverty are often prime motivators, or specific purposes like small-business incubation, caregiving for seniors, community gardens, or providing healthcare for the uninsured, according to CNN. 

The Brixton Pound

Starting a community currency is not for the faint of heart. It takes a dedicated team years of effort. Learning from others' experiences is essential. Here are some tips I gleaned from the experts and through my own experience.

Find a group of people with common ground that are easy to get along with. It's important to share goals and values with your core group, otherwise your project will be pulled in many directions. You may split into separate projects at some point; that's often better than trying to duke it out with people who want to do their own thing. Focus on quality volunteer recruitment. Don't get discouraged when people come and go.

Define your goals and prioritize them. Do you want to support local business or low income folks? Do you want encourage ridesharing or reward senior care? You may have many goals - currencies can have an effect on many problems - but be clear about your priorities and target audience as this will shape all of your decisions, including what kind of currency you use.

“A currency is never an end in itself, but has to be seen as a facilitator of flows within the system of a whole community and economy," said John Rogers, who teaches how to start currencies at Value for People in the U.K. "Its essential systemic role is to match underused assets and unmet needs.”

The community meetings I held attracted all kinds of personal agendas and wingnut plans that had no practical application. Your goals will be your compass.

Pick your tool appropriately and make it easy to use. Currencies are not one-size-fits-all. It is crucial that you pick the right tool, with the option to expand into multiple tools later. It should be as easy to use as the other kind of money. REAL Dollars of Lawrence, KS ended because businesses didn't have an easy way to spend them. Vermont Businesses for Social Responsiblity switched to open source software for their business to business exchange to customize their interface and make it as simple to use - a very smart investment. The books at the end of this article can help you decide what type of currency might work best.

Bernal Bucks sticker for stores that use its currency

Know your community. If your tool is online, but your community is mostly offline, it won't get used. Bernal Bucks of San Francisco chose a swipe debit card with loyalty points. A more rural area like Corvallis, Oregon is more of an off-line community, so a paper currency isn't too slow for this small town.

How does your community use money, what are its assets and what does it need? Design a plan based on the reality of your community, not just on your own ideals. Whether you are working with businesses, nonprofits or community members, survey them or conduct focus groups to test the new currency before you finish your design.

Do your homework and get a mentor. Choose a group that's done a project similar to yours. Look up case studies that have worked (there are many mirages of success). Community Currency Magazine is a good resource for case studies and interviews and the Complementary Currency Database can help you search for mentors in your area. Many people sail out on a currency expedition without a map. Learn from others mistakes. Your membership and partners will trust you more if you've done your homework.

Define your governance and organization structure. Like any project you need good governance. John Rogers harps on this point: “Some people tell me off for going on about the importance of governance in getting community currencies to fly. They say a well-designed CC ‘should run itself’. That’s a nice theory, but I don’t know any CC that has stood the test of time without some form of governance at work, i.e. someone making decisions.”

People will expect responsible and transparent governance for a resource as valuable as a currency - that trust determines its value. Encourage diverse community participation and representation in your governance, especially from your members. If you want to operate as a volunteer or worker cooperative, see my article on worker coops. Bay Area Community Exchange is a hybrid of a member and a worker coop, though many currencies are either run as traditional nonprofits or business bartering exchanges.

Your decision to be a business or nonprofit will be determined by your goals, and currency type. Only entities that have charitable or educational aims can be nonprofits. That's not to say your business can't operate like a nonprofit, but you won't be eligible for grants and donations, though you may be able to get small investments, like Sonoma Go Local did from its community and business members.

Sonoma Go Local - "It Pays to Buy Local"

Define your geographic area. It may be helpful to incubate your currency in a smaller community, like Bernal Bucks did in a small neighborhood of San Francisco. However, a wider geographic area may provide the diversity of services and goods that makes a currency useful. Too wide an area though, like the Southwest, may be meaningless and not effective in building trust and solidarity. Ideally, it would be an area diverse enough to provide most of the necessities of life, and small enough to allow direct exchange, community-building and accountability. Regional currencies, like the Cheimgauer in Germany and Berkshares in Massachusetts have done well partly for this reason. If you don't grow food in your community, you may want to expand your reach to farming areas. If you haven't lived in your area for long, ask for advice from long time locals who may have sense of the resources and their flows.

Outreach through events. Hosting events to promote your currency and attending other groups' events raises consciousness, develops alliances, recruits members/users and volunteers, and builds community. Think about your target user audience and meet them where they are at. Swapmeets and skillshares are useful demos of the currency that give a more concrete feel. Offer to speak, host a booth, or organize trading at relevant conferences, festivals, markets and other events to promote your currency to potential members that are allied in values.

Bay Area Community Exchange organized a large sustainable living festival with over 40 workshops and 300 attendees using member skills and hours. The event increased trading and registrations by a factor of 10 or more for the month before the event and a couple weeks after. A similar boost happened around its Timebank Holiday Fair. Corvallis Hours, a bastion of homesteading, hosts an annual Harvest Festival where members have a market for “selling” their homemade goods for Hours.

Develop partnerships and take them seriously. Find allied organizations to help recruit members/users, develop programmatic partnerships and raise your status in the community. An ally may serve also as a fiscal sponsor to bear the burden of organizational tasks while you focus on organizing. Choosing partnerships should depend both on your goals (e.g. pick an environmental organization to support gardening or a social justice organization to reach low income groups) and their ability to provide support, such as event space, outreach, trainings or programmatic development. A good way to begin a partnership is to do a presentation to their staff and then ask them if there is one small thing they'd like to achieve by using the currency, like a website upgrade, and help them do that. Partnerships work best as a two-way street.

An Ithaca Hour

Ithaca Hours gained credibility and usefulness by partnering with local public transit for bus passes. Berkshares partnered with local banks for savings accounts and currency distribution. Hour Exchange Portland and other successful timebanks have worked with local healthcare organizations to accept credits from low-income members – a highly valued service that increases the value of the currency.

Keep the circulation flowing. Bernard Leitaer, who is often considered the godfather of community currencies and helped design the Euro, says “...this is where a lot of community currencies have failed. They have neglected to close complete circulation patterns, and as a result...it tends to pool in particular parts of the system.” To keep the energy flowing, identify unmet needs and underutilized resources in your community, especially those not served by the conventional system. Be a match-maker. If seniors need companionship and your pet shelter needs socialization for its animals, or you have unemployed people without job skills and a nonprofit or business startup that needs volunteers, you may have a match.

One of the biggest mistakes is assuming the currency will do everything itself. One or more exchange coordinators are vital, particularly in the beginning.Visiting Nurse Service of New York’s Timebank has a bilingual or trilingual coordinator for each targeted community. Regular communication through email, newsletter and your website reminds members what's offered and needed, and the importance of mutual aid. Otherwise, members forget and default to using money. Many currencies publish quarterly newsletters with directories of offerings.

Toronto Dollars being sold for use at the local market - photo by Jeff Buster

Working on circulation means creating ways to both earn and spend currency.Equal Dollars of Philadelphia developed a food market, clothing store and bike shop. They partnered with local nonprofits so members could earn hours by volunteering, paid their staff partly in Equal Dollars, and made micro-loans in Equal Dollars. MORE Timebank in St. Louis created a community college, where people could spend hours by taking classes, and earn hours by teaching. Another way to increase circulation is to target entities with high demand goods like beer (Detroit Cheers currency) or services, but make sure they don't over-commit themselves. One popular health food store ended up frustrated with loads of hours that they couldn't spend and quit. Set up limits to make it more sustainable, like using vouchers during slow business hours only or on over-stocked goods.

Use your currency to fund your currency. Hey, the government does it, why can't we? As long as members agree it's a good use of resources, don't be shy about using your currency to pay staff, reward volunteers, put on events, or do marketing. Ithaca Hours uses its currency as a reward for attending organizing meetings and swapmeets. Bay Area Community Exchange supports its volunteers by giving hours for outreach events, trainings and tech projects related to its key functions. This is controversial amongst community currency theorists, because the other side of the coin is corruption and inflation. The Red de Trueque, a currency used by a third of Argentina's residents during its economic crisis, collapsed because of fraud and mismanagement due to a lack of transparency and accountability.

Currencies are notoriously hard to fund. Relying on external donations, as did Berkshares, can make the short-term sustainability of your project slightly more likely, but the long-term more precarious. Using your currency to fund your project is also good practice in learning how to use it. Membership or transaction fees are also a good practice. However, it's helpful to lower the barrier to entry as much as possible in the first year or two so you have more members offering diverse skills and goods to increase your currency's value (fees may slow that process). Think about the option to pay member dues with volunteer work to support your currency project. A sparse directory with few members is not likely to encourage trading, as the now defunct Berkeley BREAD discovered. One of its most active members realized the currency she was earning with her counseling services, would not be useful for anything she needed and she quit being a provider. Alternatively, if you have lots of useful stuff in your store, people will flock to it.

Don't give up but be willing to change directions midstream. Currencies take at least a few years to establish. In the meantime, you'll have fun, make friends and get some of your needs met. The Ithaca Hour project was the result of diehard tenacity and a small Americorps stipend that kept founder Paul Glover going for 3 years in the incubation stage. Some made it by adapting their strategy as they went along, like finding out the type of currency or organizing strategy was not appropriate for the community context or goals and  changing directions. New Earth Exchange in Santa Cruz went through several incarnations over the last several years to find the right one instead of being stuck on their first idea. Now they are pioneers integrating an online business bartering exchange with a paper currency called Sand Dollars.

Have fun! It's a lot of work. Have fun doing it and you are sure to grow. (snip) ...

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:

http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-to-start-a-community-currency

Community Currency in Your Neighborhood

By Arianna A Garofalo

"Starting a community currency is no small task. As Mira Luna suggests in her article on Sharable, it's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to happen on its own.

"One of the biggest mistakes is assuming the currency will do everything itself. One or more exchange coordinators are vital, particularly in the beginning," Mira says. Governance for your community currency is necessary; you need a dedicated group of volunteers to make decisions, advertise, and keep people interested in using your community currency. If the currency is not in the forefront of people's minds, they will easily slip back into a pattern of using regular money. 

Once you've decided to create a community currency and have a team of like-minded people in place, what should you do? First, you must identify the need or needs your community currency can help meet. "To keep the energy flowing, identify unmet needs and underutilized resources in your community, especially those not served by the conventional system," says Mia. What does your community need? Does it need to connect underemployed workers with food? The elderly with care-givers? Community members with local businesses? If you are able to pinpoint the greatest need in your community, you are much more likely to be able to get people interested, involved, and excited about using your community currency. 

Also, you'll need to think about what form your currency will take. Will it be another traditional paper currency, or will it operate digitally? Different forms of currency will best suit different kinds of communities. For example, Bernal Bucks in San Francisco are digital; users have a debit card and accumulate loyalty points. However, this kind of system wouldn't be likely to work in a small farming community that relies mostly on the flow of physical cash. 

Another key will be discovering how to fund your currency. Some community currencies chose to charge a membership or transaction fee, but these fees will be a barrier that will slow the process of getting your community currency up and running. You may want to look for external donations or other means of funding, at least in the beginning. 

Finally, don't forget to be flexible! There are no hard and fast rules that work for every community currency; you will have to discover what works for your community's unique situation. If you find something isn't working, switch to a new idea, but don't give up. Allowing your currency to be pliable and change directions according to reactions and results will give your currency a much better chance of widespread adoption by your community." (snip) ...

NOTE: This article is originally published art this website:
http://www.realitysandwich.com/community_currency_your_neighborhood

Global Economic Collapse: Causes and Some Potential Outcomes

by C.D.W.T.

"I believe the global economy stands on the brink of meltdown. The immediate trigger of this collapse is the European Debt Crisis, but the build up to this catastrophe has been building for years and decades.

Three of the major drivers of Global economic growth: the US, Europe, and mainland China , are all on the verge of economic slowdown, if not outright collapse. Usually, if one region of the globe is contracting other regions are growing and able to take up the economic 'slack'. For the first time in modern history, all regions are slowing at once. This is uncharted economic territory.

I will look individually at how each region got into the economic malaise it is in and what some consequences may be.

EUROPE

Greece is the poster child for Europe's economic  problems, but they are not alone. Europeans have lived beyond their financial means for decades and now the bill is coming due.

A immediate result will be Greece getting ejected from the Euro Currency group of nations-- or they leave on their own. Greece will be plunged in economic chaos. I do not believe a Greek exit can be "managed" by the rest of the Euro Zone. A Greek exit will result in the eventual death of the Euro Currency and a return to national currencies. It will be a hot, ugly fall and  a very cold and bleak winter in Europe.

The death of the Euro Currency will plunge all of Europe into economic turmoil. This turmoil could possibly last for years as all the financial, legal, political and other questions regarding a break up get worked out. I believe the break up of the USSR gives some ideas about Europe's future. I think that a return to military governments in some European countries that have undergone it in the past (Spain and Portugal) are possible.

About the only good news is that European defense spending is low. Unlike the 1930s , there is a slim possibility of open military conflict breaking out across Europe. However, when the BEST outcome is a low chance of nation-state warfare this shows what a mess Europe could become.

CHINA

China sits on the edge of a housing bubble that will make the US housing bubble of a few years ago seem tiny.

China has grown into a global economic power by becoming a factory to the world. When the US went into recession in 2008, China kept their factories humming bylaunching a stimulus program costing trillions of Yuan.

This stimulus led to massive government waste (think "bridges to nowhere" on a massive scale) Entire CITIES were built just to keep workers employed. All that spending  during those years  led to high rates of inflation across the board.

The one thing that keeps the Chinese communist leadership awake at night is the thought of the Chinese people standing up against them and questioning their authority (Tiananmen Square is a a perfect example of this). Domestic stability is the first, second , and third priorities of the communist leadership. High inflation can and does cause instability (look at 1920s Weimar Germany and modern Zimbabwe as examples) Add high inflation with a bursting housing bubble and it leads up to economic disaster on a epic scale.

This could get ugly because Communists (regardless of nationality) have never been shy about spilling the blood of any opponents who get in their way. The PRC leadership will do whatever it takes to stay on top and in charge. I believe that "whatever it takes" could include invasions of Russian Siberia and\or Taiwan-Republic of China. Citizens tend to overlook economic problems when their country is at war. If China were to engage in a invasion of Siberia, this could result in the potential loss of tens of millions of lives since the Russian Federation does not possess the conventional military means to stop a invasion (not enough well trained infantry with substandard equipment having to cover too large a land area). They would be forced to rely on nuclear weapons to stop Chinese aggression.

Look at the recent rise in nationalistic sentiment spurred by the central government over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands issue with Japan. I believe this is a better indicator of the true state of the mainland Chinese economy, regardless of whatever their 'Official' economic statistics say

UNITED STATES

The US economy still hasn't fully recovered from the housing crisis that started in 2008. Like Europe, The US has lived beyond it's financial means for decades. Government spending (at all levels) is out of control.

I believe that America's future hangs in the balance. we will not know which path we will head down until the November 2012 election. I think that if President Obama wins a second term, America can forget about being the world's sole superpower. It will mean political death to the Democratic Party to engage in any entitlement reform/cutbacks, so I believe that issue is off the table if the Democrats win on Election Day

Even if Mitt Romney is our next President, America's economic future still has plenty of potholes ahead. Entitlement spending (Social Security & Medicare/Medicaid) are  consuming larger and larger amounts of all federal government spending with no end in sight. These entitlements need to be bought under control if America is to have  any chance in the future. Like Europe, America needs to have a cultural shift.The mentality of  dependency on the government to provide one with a certain standard of life needs to end. Every individual, and the individual alone, should determine a person's economic success. It must not be the role of government to determine this.

Social Security was never intended (even at it's inception) to be a American's primary money source in retirement. It was viewed as 'one leg of a retirement stool' with the other 'legs' being a company pension and a individual's personal savings/investments.  However, today, Social Security is the primary source of income during a person's retirement.

The Social Security trust fund is heading towards collapse. This will mean many retirees will have a GREATLY diminished lifestyle going forward.

Like Europe, the time for easy painless solutions to these looming financial problems has come to a end. Either entitlement spending gets reformed or we all go off the fiscal cliff together.

The level of governmental spending needed to support the huge increase in the size of government over the last few years is also something that cannot continue at it's present rate. Government faces the prospect of collapsing under the weight of spending needed to prop it up.

Consequences

Some of the consequences that will result from all of this will come in many forms. Here are some possibilities I see:

* Self-sufficiency will be a ever growing trend as people realize that government can't afford to support them anymore. The Federal government needs to get out of a lot of things. For example, the Feds need to get out of financing home mortgages. The quasi-governmental agencies 'Freddie Mac' (FHLMC) and 'Fannie Mae' (FNMA) need to be wound down and killed. Their backstopping of sub-prime mortgages is the main reason for the housing crash of 2008. I work part time in a Real Estate office. I know that killing off these entities will destroy the housing market, but they have become bottomless money pits loaded with unrecoverable toxic assets  and I see no other choice.

* Brain drain and capital flight from weaker European nations to financially stronger ones. This is already happening as people pull their savings out of banks in Greece, Spain, Portugal and move it to German banks,

 Funds may even totally leave all European financial  institutions and go overseas to less risky parts of the globe. Right now, pretty much any Greek with the means to do so is packing up and moving out of Greece, Some Irish and Spanish are not far behind in doing the same.

 * An increase in desire for regional government and in nationalism. In the last couple months the Catalans are increasingly wanting to get away from Madrid. The Venetians don't want to pay taxes to Rome anymore, and the Scots would rather answer to Edinburgh instead of London.

This can also be seen in a rise of nationalistic political parties, such as Golden Dawn and Syriza in Greece, the True Finns in Finland, Jobbik in Hungary, and Front National in France, among others. There is even a possibility of the military seizing control, maybe in Spain and Greece, which have both known military rule in modern times. It looks like the Swiss are preparing for some major economic and political pain across Europe.

* Here in the USA, government at all levels (federal, state, local) will have to be cut dramatically. Excessive and unaffordable public pension obligations at the state level are killing some states (California and my Illinois are prime examples). Going ahead, these states will only have two options: cut their public employees pensions, or cut other state spending to free up the pension money. This will involve pain either way, but the time for painless options went out the door a while ago. I think Marc Faber's ideas on cutting government a minimum of 50% is a good idea (however, I would do it over months, not in three days!)

I also believe there will be a wave of municipal defaults. Several cities in California have already filed for  'Chapter 9' bankruptcy protection. Filing for bankruptcy can lead to a variety of problems.

 There will be more of this across the nation.

The path ahead for the global economy is shaky. Decades of over promising and overspending has bought all of us to the edge of the precipice. The needed cuts and changes will be painful, possibly even leading to outbreaks of violence, and even war. However,  no changes in policy will lead to outright economic collapse. About the only certainty will be a decrease in lifestyle and a increase in hardship. Living could become a even greater  struggle for a lot of people globally.

I truly wish the economic picture wasn't so bleak, but I see limited options ahead for  us. I can be reached at chicagodudewhotrades@gmail.com if you wish to contact me. Thank You for your time." (snip) ...

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:

http://www.survivalblog.com/2012/10/global-economic-collapse-causes-and-some-potential-outcomes-by-cdwt.html

It’s All About Creating A Culture of UsuryFree Living

A spectre is haunting debtors – the spectre of unending theft by way of usury. This statement reveals a very serious problem – absolute, economic enslavement.

Any possibility of experiencing a usuryfree lifestyle is going to be up to the usuryfree creatives who double as SDI entrepreneurs and whose self-imposed mission is to re-educate the Court of Public Review on the truth about modern money creation and the devastating effects of the design flaw of usury.

Our ultimate freedom depends on we-the-debtors learning how to create and spend our own usuryfree time currency. Indeed, there is a growing urgency to promote re-education as active usuryfree creatives. Readers are encouraged to learn what they don’t know they don’t know, then reach out and teach others.

“Each one, teach one” during The Year of UsuryFree Living! And please read “A Fundraising Opportunity for the UsuryFree Network” and support us if you can.



From Usury Hell To UsuryFree Heaven

                                                                                   

By Tom J. Kennedy

Our orthodox, economic system of usury-based, debt money is taking many debtors from riches to rags and it seems that economies everywhere around the world are in irreversible economic decline. In 2012, many countries are facing national bankruptcy. It seems that in the not-too-distant future, we can expect vast social, cultural and political changes concurrent with significant economic change.
 

In our current economy (local and global) usury is making debts unmanageable. Only epic change will transform economic chaos into economic recovery. Currently, there is much evidence of flashing yellow lights warning of financial panic and money scandals in politics at every level of government – municipal, provincial/state, and federal.
 

The present economic malaise did not start yesterday. The sequence of events that is leading us into the Grand-daddy Depression of this 21st Century are historically rooted in the evil and immoral function of usury on our debt money system. An economic, tidal wave is sweeping across the globe and it is unlikely to be stopped. We can eventually expect a total collapse of our orthodox, economic system of usury-based, debt money.

A penetrating look at the function of usury throughout history reveals that in the future, usury must be abolished forever if we are to avoid complete, social breakdown. The optimal way to avoid a clash between creditors and debtors is to offer debtors an alternative choice. I daresay that when debtors are given a choice (a) Life With Usury or (b) Life Without Usury – the majority will choose the latter.

Indeed, there are signs of change on the economic horizon. Even though a financial doomsday may become a reality within the global markets, the “shop local” phenomenon is gaining popularity. It seems that ‘small is better” and the catalyst that is fostering local shopping is the tool of usuryfree time currency as it easily facilitates trades or exchanges.

Examples are: (a) Ithaca Hours (b) Mountain Hours (c) Mile High Hours (d) Clearwater Hours (e) Island Hours (f) Vols Hours and (g) Tamworth Hours – though it is temporarily shelved.

While usury economics breeds wars, violence, greed, poverty, scarcity, lack, mistrust, envy and animosity, usuryfree economics fosters co-operation, trust, peace, prosperity and abundance for all who choose to participate.

As the consciousness of the masses shifts we will move to a new form of economics where the reality of usuryfree living will once again be experienced as it was during the Middle Ages when there was “Life Without Usury.”

As the current financial system crumbles with "The Biggest Lie Never Exposed" - finally becoming exposed, we can expect to witness an ongoing breakdown of the political machinery because of the ineptness of politicians who are simply the front men for the global banking cartel. Various political leaders have been involved in fraud thereby initiating the distrust of their employers (the voters). Their downfall is coinciding with the collapse of the economy that they were charged to manage.

It is my dream that daily life – very soon in this 21st Century will be excitingly different for debtors when they embrace the change to a usuryfree lifestyle. Indeed, signs are emerging that the probability and possibility of epochal changes in our economic system are just around the corner – hopefully in 2013.

As we progress through 2012, time traders in various local communities are daring to depart from the broken, economic model of usury-based, debt money and are replacing it with usuryfree time currencies in their respective local communities. Bravo to these communities that are leading the way!

Yes, during the Year of UsuryFree Living we will be shifting consciousness as we move from usury hell to usuryfree heaven here on earth!



A Fundraising opportunity for The UsuryFree Network

Home Office of Max International

Since fair and reasonable commissions can be earned on the sale of products and/or services in the SDI (Self Directed Income) industry, more and more groups or organizations are choosing an SDI opportunity as the optimal fundraising solution in this 21st Century.

Shortly after the Year of UsuryFree Living was posted at The UsuryFree Eye Opener, a usuryfree creative who doubles as a successful SDI entrepreneur suggested an innovative fundraising idea for The UsuryFree Network that could be tested during the forthcoming Year of UsuryFree Living scheduled from November 13th, 2012 until November 13th, 2013.

Knowing that the twinning of the SDI industry with the usuryfree community currency movement has been a long-time dream of supporters of The UsuryFree Network, it was suggested that the UsuryFree Network be enroled as an associate with a leading and successful health and wellness company in the SDI industry - Max International.

The advice of the active usuryfree creative who doubles as a successful SDI entrepreneur was accepted and The UsuryFree Network is now enroled as an associate with Max International.

 The Max International, fundraising website for The UsuryFree Network is: http://www.max.com/401808

Why choose Max International as a fundraising opportunity for The UsuryFree Network?

1. The UsuryFree Network requires funds (federal cash) during these transitory times - until all debtors are experiencing the reality of usuryfree living.

2. A successful SDI entrepreneur who earns a growing monthly income from his Max International, home-based enterprise suggested this fundraising idea.

3. Max International offers a variety of quality health and wellness products. Click on the "Product" icon at The UsuryFree Network's website: http://www.max.com/401808 for more details about the products.

4. Max International offers Loyalty Program pricing.

5. Max International offers a FREE sign up as a Preferred Customer - thereby qualifying for wholesale pricing.

6. Max International products are offered for sale in six countries - with an expectation that more countries will be added in the not-too-distant future. (Canada, United States, Singapore, Columbia, Philippines and New Zealand)

7. Max International invites prospective SDI entrepreneurs to enrol as an associate and purchase a starter kit and get a Max International website for one year.

8. Since there is a listed retail price and wholesale price for the products offered by Max International, usuryfree creatives who are participating with any usuryfree time currency or otherwise can accept federal cash for the wholesale portion of any privately negotiated sale and any usuryfree time currency or otherwise for the retail mark-up portion of the negotiated sale.

Usuryfree creatives and becoming usuryfree creatives as well as active SDI entrepreneurs and prospective SDI entrepreneurs - who wish to support the UsuryFree Network's mission to facilitate the ushering in of a new age of usuryfree living for everyone on planet earth are invited to learn about the selection of health and wellness products offered by Max International. Click on the "Product" icon at The UsuryFree Network's website: http://www.max.com/401808 for more details about the products.

Then make a commitment to become a customer for a minimum of three months and purchase one or more of the products. Hopefully, after the three month trial period, customers will make a commitment to buy products on a monthly basis during the Year of UsuryFree Living.

 Such a commitment will be mutually beneficial. Customers will reap the benefits of consuming quality health and wellness products. The UsuryFree Network will earn the much needed funds to grow and expand. Those who choose to become an associate with Max International will likewise earn funds for any personal or community goals. And finally, participants will learn how and why, we advocate negotiating trades or exchanges using a usuryfree time currency as the optimal trading currency of this 21st Century.

All participating SDI entrepreneurs will be invited to visit The UsuryFree Eye Opener often to become re-educated re: the 'truth" about modern money creation and learn how the usuryfree time currency movement is making great progress as the catalyst in helping to usher in this new age of usuryfree living for burdened debtors everywhere.

The first step is to (a) purchase products or (b) enrol with The UsuryFree Network's Max International team at this website: http://www.max.com/401808

Then I will share the contact information of the Max International enroler for The UsuryFree Network - a successful SDI entrepreneur who doubles as a usuryfree creative. He is willing to coach and provide sales and marketing guidance for anyone who is serious about earning a solid source of secondary income with the Max International, SDI opportunity.

NOTE: Ideas, comments, suggestions welcomed to maximize the mutual benefits of this fundraising project for The UsuryFree Network during the forthcoming Year of UsuryFree Living from November 13th, 2012 until November 13th, 2013.

NOTE: Readers are invited to read this article about "glutathione" titled: "A Phenomenal Elixir With its Cocktail of Nutrients - Glutathione (MaxGXL)"

"Crumb & Get It" Takes A Stand!!

In August 2012, the Secret Service walked into a small bakery in Radford, Virginia to ask the owner, Chris McMurray, if he would like a chance at priceless publicity by letting his tiny store, "Crumb and Get It", be used as a photo op for Vice President Biden. Heaven knows, Chris needed all the help he could get. He and his wife had just started the small bakery only three months ago and were struggling desperately to make a go of it with a workload that often required the wife to work 24 hours straight. 

To the agents' astonishment, however, Chris respectfully but firmly said no. As a devout Christian (who ends each sale with "God bless"), his religious beliefs were at odds with a President who's flatly refused to step foot inside a church (save for photo ops and funerals) since gaining the Oval Office, has just endorsed gay marriage and won't celebrate Christmas but will celebrate Ramadan, etc. Chris was also at odds with that same President for telling small business owners throughout America - "you didn't build that". As Chris explained, he and his wife did build their store and thus weren't willing to it be used for the Obama administration's political purposes.

Result? Though the female anchor of the local news channel freaked out on the air by wondering aloud if Chris didn't realize what trouble he might cause for himself by snubbing the Vice President, the reality had been thetotal opposite. Chris has been swamped with business. As he told the reporter days later in amazement, the phone has been ringing nonstop with orders from all over the country for Chris and his wife to deliver cookiesand cupcakes to homeless shelters, churches and nonprofit groups, etc. And get this, the first orders came from the very Secret Service agents who'd requested the store for the Biden photo op. Not only were the agents notshocked by Chris' refusal, they were so delighted that they ordered cookies and cupcakes for themselves on the spot.

Here's the video. 
Enjoy and share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s_CGWKN8Ak

NOTE: This article was emailed to me - without the original source indicated.

Year of UsuryFree Living

“Rediscover Life Without Usury”

The UsuryFree Network announces a Year of UsuryFree Living which is to begin on UsuryFree Day - November 13th, 2012, the 8th Anniversary of the beginning of UsuryFree Week.  The Year of UsuryFree Living will conclude at the end of the 9th Annual UsuryFree Week on November 19th, 2013.

The starting date of the Year of UsuryFree Living, November 13th, 2012, coincides with the celebration of the 8th Annual UsuryFree Day. UsuryFree Creatives hope that the Year of UsuryFree Living will motivate debtors everywhere to study the mechanics of modern money creation as explained in the 500+ postings at The UsuryFree Eye Opener and as presented elsewhere in various film documentaries and accompanying, printed, resource materials.

During the Year of UsuryFree Living there will be special opportunities for debtors to learn what formal education, our churches and the mainstream media neglect to teach about how the design flaw of usury on our orthodox, economic system of debt money is the killer machine with its evil and immoral elements that are deviously designed to keep debtors in financial bondage for generation after generation.

“Rediscover Life Without Usury” will be the underlying theme for the year. it is timely indeed that 2013 be earmarked as the Year of UsuryFree Living. For eight years, UsuryFree Day has been celebrated on November 13th and for many usuryfree creatives “13” has become a powerful number that supports and fosters usuryfree living. Some usuryfree creatives have assigned “$13.00” as fair value of one hour of unskilled labour and payment is accepted in any usuryfree time currency. It is anticipated that numerous usuryfree time currencies will be launched in local communities everywhere during the Year of UsuryFree Living.

Life Without Usury will be rediscovered and implemented from the grassroots up - modeled by the growth and expansion of the usuryfree time currency movement. The broken model of conventional, top-down/trickle-down economics is unlikely to be in a rush to embrace Life Without Usury.

To inaugurate the Year of UsuryFree Living and to deepen one’s understanding of the possibility and probability of Life Without Usury, readers are invited to celebrate the beginning of this special year by attending an already scheduled event during the 8th Annual UsuryFree Week and/or plan such an event in your respective, local community.

During this Year of UsuryFree Living, usuryfree creatives will celebrate (a) the 12th anniversary of the UsuryFree Resolution (b) the 9th anniversary of UsuryFree Week (c) the 4th anniversary of the Annual World Conference on Riba (d) the 22nd anniversary of Ithaca Hours (e) the 17th anniversary of Calgary Dollars (e) the 1st anniversary of Mountain Hours, Mile High Hours, Clearwater Hours and Long Island Hours as well as (f) the 1st anniversary of UsuryFree Radio.

Throughout this Year of UsuryFree Living, usuryfree creatives will offer a number of seminars and/or workshops and study sessions (a) to expose the lies, deceits and deceptions about modern money creation within our orthodox, economic system of debt money and (b) to promote the usuryfree time currency movement as the optimal, grassroots solution that has the power and potential to eventually usher in the new age of usuryfree living for everyone on planet earth.

And we can expect innovative ideas to come forth that will shift the consciousness of debtors everywhere.

NOTE: And please read “A Fundraising Opportunity for the UsuryFree Network” and support us if you can and "Introducing BonVoyage Elite." as these SDI opportunities are good fundraisers to help raise funds for our respective missions.

Relevant Quote: "The financial industry will experience more change in these first two decades of this century then it has in the past 100 years." - Tom J. Kennedy

Once We Were Free

By Jon Rappoport

October 15, 2012

http://www.nomorefakenews.com

We’re so much more sensible now. We don’t live our lives as much as we arrange them and organize them. B follows A. D follows C. We take our medicine and our shots because the doctor says so.

We’re careful, because accidents happen.

We don’t say what’s on our minds a lot of the time, because other people might pass that on, and who knows? We might get into trouble.

But once upon a time, when we were young, we were free. We didn’t take any shots and when we got sick we recovered. We were stronger than kids are now. We didn’t ask for much protection and we weren’t given much, and we survived.

There was no talk about the needs of the group. When we went to school, we weren’t told about ways we could help others. That was something we learned at home. We weren’t taught about The Planet. Instead, we learned to mind our own business, and it wasn’t considered a crime.

When we played games, adults weren’t hovering or coaching every move we made. We found places to play on our own, and we figured it all out. There were winners and losers. There were no plastic trophies. We played one game, then another. We lost, we won. We competed. Losing wasn’t a tragedy.

There were no childhood “conditions” like ADHD or Bipolar, and we certainly didn’t take any brain drugs. The idea of a kid going to a psychiatrist would have been absurd.

People were who they were. They had lives. They had personalities. They had eccentricities, and we lived with that.

There was far less whispering and gossip. There were fewer cliques. Kids didn’t display their possessions like signs of their identity. A kid who did was ignored, even shunned.

Kids never acted like little adults. They didn’t dress like adults. They didn’t want to be fake adults.

Our parents didn’t consult us about what we wanted. We weren’t part of the decision-making process. They didn’t need us for that.

We weren’t “extra-special.” We weren’t delicate.

No one asked us about our feelings. If they had, we would have been confused. Feelings? What’s that? We were alive. We knew it. We didn’t need anything else.

We could spot liars a mile away. We could spot phonies from across town. We knew who the really crazy adults were, and we stayed away from them.

We didn’t need gadgets and machines to be happy. We only needed a place to play. If you wanted a spot to be alone, you found one, and you read a book.

There was no compulsion to “share.”

School wasn’t some kind of social laboratory or baby-sitting service. We were there to learn, and if we worked hard, we did. Teachers knew how to teach. The textbooks were adequate. Whether the books were new or old didn’t matter.

Kids weren’t taught how to be little victims.

Sex was a private issue. You were taught about that at home or not at all. You certainly didn’t learn about it in school. That would have been ridiculous.

Some of us remember being young, and now, we still have that North Star. We still don’t take our shots and medicines. We still don’t take every word a doctor says as coming from God. We still know losing isn’t a crime or an occasion for tragic theater.

We still know how to be alone. We still think gossip and cliques are for morons. We still feel free. We still want to live, and we do.

We still resent intrusion on our freedom, and we speak up and draw the line. We still like winning and competing. We still like achieving on our own.

We can spot self-styled messiahs at a hundred yards.

As kids, we lived in our imaginations, and we haven’t forgotten how. It’s part of who and what we are.

We aren’t bored every twelve seconds. We can find things to do.

We don’t need reassurances every day. We don’t need people hovering over us. We don’t need to whine and complain to get attention. We don’t need endless amounts of “support.”

We don’t need politicians who lie to us constantly, who pretend we’re stupid. We don’t need ideology shoved own our throats. Our ideology is freedom. We know what it is and what it feels like, and we know no one gives it to us. It’s ours to begin with. We can throw it away, but then that’s on us.

If two candidates are running for office, and we don’t like either one, we don’t vote. We don’t need to think about that very hard. It’s obvious. Two idiots, two criminals? Forget it. Walk away.

We don’t fawn, we don’t get in other people’s way. We don’t think “children are the future.” Every generation is a new generation. It always has been. We don’t need to inject some special doctrine to pump up children. We remember what being a child is. That’s enough.

When we were kids, there was no exaggerated sense of loyalty. We were independent. Now, we see what can be accomplished in the name of obligation, group-cohesion, and loyalty: crimes; imperial wars; destruction of natural rights.

It didn’t take a village to raise a kid when we were young, and it doesn’t take one now. That’s all propaganda. It panders to people who are afraid to be what they are, who are afraid to stand up for themselves.

We don’t feel it’s our duty to cure every ill in the world. But it goes a lot further than that. We can see what that kind of indoctrination creates. It creates the perception of endless numbers of helpless victims. And once that’s firmly entrenched, then magically, the endless parade of victims appears, ready-made. When some needs have been met, others are born. The lowest form of hustlers sell those needs from here to the sky and beyond. They make no distinction between people who really can use help and those who are just on the make.

We didn’t grow up that way. We don’t fall for the con now.

When we were kids, the number of friends we had didn’t matter. We didn’t keep score. Nobody kept track of the count. That would have been recognized in a second as a form of insanity.

As kids, we didn’t admire people simply because other people admired them. That was an unknown standard.

We were alive. That was enough. We were free. That was enough.

It still is.

When we were young, we had incredible dreams. We imagined the dreams and imagined accomplishing them. Some of us still do. Some of us still work in that direction. We haven’t given up the ghost just because the world is mad.

The world needs to learn what we know. We don’t need to learn what the world has been brainwashed into believing.

Jon Rappoport

The author of an explosive collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29^th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.

NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:

http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/once-when-we-were-free