OnTheCommons.org — Library http://www.onthecommons.org/ The commons is a powerful organizing principle for understanding countless aspects of nature, creativity and knowledge, local community and everyday experience. One of the great problems of our time, however, is the enclosure of the commons by market forces, often with the support of government. The majesty of the commons is being neglected. en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:42:49 PDT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:42:49 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/library.xml tbicoordinator@earthlink.net tbicoordinator@earthlink.net A Commons Moment http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2143 A poetic tidbit in free verse form. One person’s interpretation of a complicated question— what is the commons?

Detail from a “String Web” woven sculpture by Machiko Agano. Located in Fabrica art gallery, Brighton, England. CC License By Dominic from Flickr

]]> Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2143 Lessig vs. Valenti -- A Debate on Creativity, Commerce & Culture http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2123 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2123 Congressional Entertainment Caucus: Los Angeles Hearing http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2124 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2124 The Politics of Media, Technology & Culture http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2125 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2125 Cap and Dividend at Netroots Nation (YouTube) http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2112 Recorded Austin Texas July 17, 2008 at the NetrootsNation. What if, instead, all of the proceeds went into a Dept of Green Energy that “we the people” owned together-(living persons only) to fund research and development and infrastructure—A Social Security of Energy?

Contributed by Martha Spiess, member of Maine Video Activist Network, a group of independent videographers networked to share messages of persons and groups that help strengthen local democratic community.

]]> Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=2112 Student Film Contest: Take Back the Tap Campaign http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1898 Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1898 Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1870 In this groundbreaking book Maude Barlow —head of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization—and Tony Clarke—an authority on the impact of global corporations— highlight the issues at stake with the privatization of water. They vividly describe what happens when water is treated like a commodity that is governed by the demands of profit-seeking. Many people may have heard about citizen protests in Bolivia that took municipal water services out of private hands and reclaimed them as a public commons, but not be aware that successful campaigns in Toronto, Atlanta, Vancouver, New Orleans and Chattanooga turned back or limited water privatization plans.

]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1870 Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1872 In this new follow up to the international bestseller Blue Gold , Barlow chronicles the growth of a new global movement dedicated to establishing water as a universal human right that cannot be bought and sold in the name of profit. From India, where water rights activists challenge Coca Cola, to Barrington, New Hampshire, where local citizens protest the depletion of their groundwater, Blue Convenant introduces us to the inspiring global upsurge of people wanting to extend the idea of the commons to this life-giving resource

]]> Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1872 Taxes and Our Collective Progress http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1810 While taxes are usually reviled as a scourge, little thought is given to the role of taxes in protecting and advancing the commons. A short but powerful new book, 10 Excellent Reasons Not to Hate Taxes (New Press) aims to remedy the common misperceptions about taxation. The book is an anthology of ten short essays by different authors, each explaining a civilizing rationale for taxes and tax revenue protects the common good, nature and future generations. Among the reasons set forth: Progressive taxes are a good deal. They can strengthen the economy. Taxes can promote economic justice for all. Taxes help families raise kids. Taxes fuel democracy. And taxes pay for economic opportunity.

]]> Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1810 Ready to Share: Fashion & the Ownership of Creativity http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1766 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.onthecommons.org/content.php?id=1766