28 mar 2011
Campos de futbol II
Seguimos la serie, ahora con una foto tomada por el amigo Adrià en un viaje a Marruecos, foto que por cierto nos sirvió como imagen de portada para un divertido proyecto que por desgracia no cuajó.
22 mar 2011
El modelo cooperativista de Mondragón
Copio del fantástico blog del Dr.Pop este post dedicado a explicar los orígenes del modelo productivo y empresarial de Mondragón. Qué bien va mirarse con los ojos de alguien de fuera...
The year is 1984 and I am on a bus riding through the green pastoral landscape of Northern Spain’s Basque country with about 30 other American educators, organizers, and social entrepreneurs.
For most of us, this wasn’t just a study tour. It was a Quest. We were on our way to visit the Bali Hai of cooperation, a place where the logic of “capital hires workers” has been turned on its head. A place whe workers have been hiring capital for the past 55 years.
We were on our way to Mondragon.
Twenty-five years later, while other “advanced” economies in Europe and the U.S. spiral into a tail-spin, there has been a revived interest in learning from Mondragon’s network of 100,000 workers and 100 worker-owned cooperatives which, in turn, own the Caja Laboral –– a bank that finances their current and future economic endeavors.
Back then, we pull up to the Polytechnic, where it all started, hoping to receive secrets of the universe. The lady who was starting a cooperative micro=brewery asked the instructor leading our tour:
Dissatisfied with this response, one of the educators probes further:
The disappointment is palpable among some of my travel buddies. I don’t know what we expected. Cooperative Magic 101? Solidarity and its Discontents?
But as we learned more, we were able to construct a more satisfying picture of Mondragon’s aligned principles, structure, and practices, realizing that what appeared utopian to us, was a product born of necessity.
In 1941 when Father Don Jose Arizmendi, a Basque Catholic priest, first arrived in the town of Mondragon, its population was was suffering poverty, hunger, and reprisals that following the Spanish Civil War. There were no public schools. There was only a meager economic base. After about two years of discussions and study circles in the community, in 1943 he established a Technical College, which in addition to teaching engineering, promoted an ethos of Catholic Social Teaching consistent with the ideology of solidarity economics and cooperativism (maybe those are the classes we craved on our study tour). In 1955, Father Arizmendi and five of his former students who now had trade-skills started a worker cooperative that made paraffin stoves, and other manufacturing coops gradually followed.
Key to Mondragon’s growth, resiliency, and relationships was the creation of the Caja Laboral early in the process.
Caja Laboral is a credit union that is owned by its depositors, who are primarily Mondragon’s worker-owned businesses as well as the bank’s consumer customers and employees. The bank provides financing and working capital to the cooperatives, technical assistance and financing to start-ups, and also maintains large network of consumer branches.
The results speak for themselves. Yes! Magazine describes how things played out when one of the Mondragon coops fell on hard times in the current downturn:
Inspired by Mondragon’s example, an initiative in Cleveland Ohio is creating a cooperative economic network beginning with Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, Ohio Cooperative Solar, Green City Growers, as well as a cooperative development fund.
As a result of the 1984 study tour, Frank Adams, tour organizer and inveterate coop creator teamed up with fellow-traveler Gary Hansen of the University of Utah to write Putting Democracy to Work: A Practical Guide for Starting and Managing Worker-Owned Businesses, which I understand from Frank (who has long-since become a great friend) is in the process of updates and revisions.
But in its original version, the book is a great guide to infusing the business of business with cooperative principles for people who want to learn about either or both –– and I highly recommend it!
When Labor Hires Capital
3/2/2011 by Gilda HaasThe year is 1984 and I am on a bus riding through the green pastoral landscape of Northern Spain’s Basque country with about 30 other American educators, organizers, and social entrepreneurs.For most of us, this wasn’t just a study tour. It was a Quest. We were on our way to visit the Bali Hai of cooperation, a place where the logic of “capital hires workers” has been turned on its head. A place whe workers have been hiring capital for the past 55 years.
We were on our way to Mondragon.
Twenty-five years later, while other “advanced” economies in Europe and the U.S. spiral into a tail-spin, there has been a revived interest in learning from Mondragon’s network of 100,000 workers and 100 worker-owned cooperatives which, in turn, own the Caja Laboral –– a bank that finances their current and future economic endeavors.
Back then, we pull up to the Polytechnic, where it all started, hoping to receive secrets of the universe. The lady who was starting a cooperative micro=brewery asked the instructor leading our tour:
“What do you teach here?”
“Accounting”, he responds, simply
“Accounting”, he responds, simply
Dissatisfied with this response, one of the educators probes further:
“What else do you teach?, he asks.”
“Business planning.”
“Business planning.”
The disappointment is palpable among some of my travel buddies. I don’t know what we expected. Cooperative Magic 101? Solidarity and its Discontents?
But as we learned more, we were able to construct a more satisfying picture of Mondragon’s aligned principles, structure, and practices, realizing that what appeared utopian to us, was a product born of necessity.
In 1941 when Father Don Jose Arizmendi, a Basque Catholic priest, first arrived in the town of Mondragon, its population was was suffering poverty, hunger, and reprisals that following the Spanish Civil War. There were no public schools. There was only a meager economic base. After about two years of discussions and study circles in the community, in 1943 he established a Technical College, which in addition to teaching engineering, promoted an ethos of Catholic Social Teaching consistent with the ideology of solidarity economics and cooperativism (maybe those are the classes we craved on our study tour). In 1955, Father Arizmendi and five of his former students who now had trade-skills started a worker cooperative that made paraffin stoves, and other manufacturing coops gradually followed.Key to Mondragon’s growth, resiliency, and relationships was the creation of the Caja Laboral early in the process.
Caja Laboral is a credit union that is owned by its depositors, who are primarily Mondragon’s worker-owned businesses as well as the bank’s consumer customers and employees. The bank provides financing and working capital to the cooperatives, technical assistance and financing to start-ups, and also maintains large network of consumer branches.
The results speak for themselves. Yes! Magazine describes how things played out when one of the Mondragon coops fell on hard times in the current downturn:
The worker/owners and the managers met to review their options. After three days of meetings, the worker/owners agreed that 20 percent of the workforce would leave their jobs for a year, during which they would continue to receive 80 percent of their pay and, if they wished, free training for other work. This group would be chosen by lottery, and if the company was still in trouble a year later, the first group would return to work and a second would take a year off.
The result? The solution worked and the company thrives to this day.
Inspired by Mondragon’s example, an initiative in Cleveland Ohio is creating a cooperative economic network beginning with Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, Ohio Cooperative Solar, Green City Growers, as well as a cooperative development fund.
Watch the full episode. See more NOW on PBS.
As a result of the 1984 study tour, Frank Adams, tour organizer and inveterate coop creator teamed up with fellow-traveler Gary Hansen of the University of Utah to write Putting Democracy to Work: A Practical Guide for Starting and Managing Worker-Owned Businesses, which I understand from Frank (who has long-since become a great friend) is in the process of updates and revisions.But in its original version, the book is a great guide to infusing the business of business with cooperative principles for people who want to learn about either or both –– and I highly recommend it!
All the buildings in New York
James Gulliver Hancock es un austrliano afincado en NYC que se está dedicando a pintar todos los edificios de la ciudad. Se pueden comprar en su web.
Pedagogia urbana
El Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) és una de les moltes associacions que els darrers anys estan apareixent als EUA (són de Brooklyn) que es dediquen a reflexionar sobre el fet urbà. Aquests en concret es dediquen a desenvolupar programes i eines que permetin a la gent conèixer millor el que passa al seu barri amb la idea de que així hi puguin participar i involucrar-se més activament en el que hi passa.
Un dels seus projectes amb més gràcia és el Making Policy Public on posen a treballar advocats juntament amb artistes i dissenyadors gràfics per tal de crear pòsters que ajudin a donar a conèixer com funcionen i quins impactes poden tenir algunes de les polítiques públiques que s'estan desenvolupant a la ciutat.
Un dels seus projectes amb més gràcia és el Making Policy Public on posen a treballar advocats juntament amb artistes i dissenyadors gràfics per tal de crear pòsters que ajudin a donar a conèixer com funcionen i quins impactes poden tenir algunes de les polítiques públiques que s'estan desenvolupant a la ciutat.
16 mar 2011
No home no...
Conseqüències no desitjades de la normalització lingüística a Barcelona.
Trobat al blog de l'Andres Martinez
Trobat al blog de l'Andres Martinez
12 mar 2011
Parc d'atraccions de Montjuic
El Parc d'Atraccions de Montjuic és una de les moltes coses d'aquesta ciutat que malauradament no he arribat a conèixer. Gairebé tothom amb qui n'havia parlat em deia que era una parc vell i atrotinat, que no hi anava ningú i que el més lògic era que acabés desapareixent.
Fa uns anys vaig estar a Donosti i vaig pujar al Monte Igueldo on encara hi ha un parc d'atraccions que té moltes coses en comú, imagino, amb les antigues atraccions de Montuic. El de Monte Igueldo era un parc certament decadent, però que al mateix temps tenia un encant irresistible. Em sembla que també té els dies comptats. Suposo que avui en dia, tants metres quadrats situats en un enclavament tant privilegiat han de tenir un rendiment econòmic molt més elevat que el que pot donar un simple parc d'atraccions familiar. Lògica de mercat.
El cas es que aquesta setmana he descobert que algú s'ha dedicat a recollir informació sobre l'antic parc d'atraccions de Montjuic i n'ha fet una web molt interessant. En destacaria la informació de l'apartat "Característiques del Parc". Atenció:
- - Una superfície de més de 130.000 m2 de passeigs, jardins i atraccions
- - Més de 40 atraccions
- - Quatre restaurants i 10 cafeteries
- Gran varietat de màquines recreatives - - Teatre-Auditòrium amb capacitat per a 5800 espectadors
- - Diversos punts d'informació i servei de megafonía
- Servei de telèfons públics i caixer automàtic - - Fàcil accés amb vehicle privat amb un ampli aparcament gratuït
- - Diversos accessos amb transport públic (funicular, autobús, aeri del port i telefèric)
On hi havia el Parc ara hi ha els Jardins de Joan Brossa, que són ben boniquets i tenen moltes andròmines per a que els nens juguin. Està bé, però crec que es podria haver fet un esforç per posar al dia l'antic parc, per fer el possible per mantenir un espai dedicat a l'oci familiar com aquest. Amb el Tibidabo prou que es va fer. Lògica de ciutat front a la lògica del mercat en podríem dir. I mentrestant seguim pensant que en fem de Montjuic. Una llàstima.
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