Adventures in mutual credit

Many ecovillages are struggling to live the dream because they have yet to escape from debt and the need to pull money out of the global economy to meet their needs. Few of them are creating the things they need to live, so the majority of ecovillages are drawn into the main stream economy to meet basic needs.

A catastrophic chain of events is unfolding across Africa as commodity markets tumble, currencies are sliding, derivative markets are vapourising, and the effects are starting to be felt in the civilised world.

European finance ministers, who only yesterday were trumpeting record stock market highs, are bracing themselves for difficult days ahead.

Rumours coming out of Mali are focusing on a visit of the Chinese Ambassador to the stock exchange. Mustapha Ali, a trader in the Timbucktoo Stock Exchange, blogged this less than an hour ago:

You've probably heard of the bitcoin rollercoaster by now, and wondered what different it makes to sharers. Most of us understand that when the Federal Reserve pumps $75M per month into a stagnant economy, our hard-earned dollars lose purchasing power, and that meanwhile the supply of bitcoin is fixed; But at the end of the day, isn't our experience of money the same? Let us consider...

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The current wave of cryptocurrencies, starting with bitcoin, are designed, monetarily speaking, within a very limited paradigm. They generally have a fixed quantity, and a fixed rate of issuance determined at the start, they find their value on the free market based on pure supply and demand, they have no possibility of redemption and no backing of any sort. Participation is open to anyone who can install a wallet.

Thanks to Michael Contardi for this question
>I'm wondering about what your thoughts are about the evolution of mutual credit in light of the crypocurrency craze and whether there might be a way to bring together the advantages of both.

2 weeks ago Bill Still, producer of 'Money Masters' and veteran of monetary reform, likened the cryptocurrencies to the myriad depression era scrip currencies, saying the situation with the US dollar is so bad that people are taking matters into their own hands, and that these tools are the best we have for now. I took this as my cue to diversify from Bitcoin and dived in.

Huge gratitude to the timebanking movement in New Zealand which invited me and shunted me around the country introducing me to most of the active people in monetary reform and complementary currencies, and following in the footsteps of such legends as Tom Greco, Nicole Foss, and Margrit Kennedy. Highlights were as follows:

First they came for the terrorists but I did not speak out because I wasn't a Muslim
Then they came for the paedophiles but I did not speak out because I have children
Then they came for the hacktivists but I did not speak out because I don't understand computers
Then they came for the protesters but I did not speak out because activists know what they are risking
Then they came for the hoodies and dopeheads but I did not speak out because what would the neighbours think?
Then they came for the debtors but I did not speak out because after all debts must be paid.