[p2p-research] Fwd: Conference postponed, implications for Brazil and Colombia lectures (the lecture tour from hell)

[Michel Bauwens]

Dear Carolina, Frederick, and other p2p lecture organizers,

I have just received a dramatic (for me, and I'm sure for you) message, see
below. This has been the bad luck trip of the last four years. First,
funding for the originally planned trip to ARgentina failed to materialize;
second, Coimbra had to cancel three lecturers coming from abroad, including
me, for the same reason. AND NOW, out of the blue comes this message, that
the State of the World Forum won't be paying the trip to Salvador. For them,
it's the second time in a row, a previous trip to Washington was cancelled
last year, also for postponement.

This has important implications for my own livelyhood, as lecturing is my
only income again this year. Not only will I forego a number of lecture fees
and I have to sustain myself extra days here in europe, but I have no way of
funding my tickegt to Bahia, and hence the implications for Colombia and Rio
..

I'm staying in Milan with a friend and scholar Cosma Orsi and a return
ticket from venice to bkk on June 8,

I have no internet connection in the appt and there are no cybercafes in the
neighborhood, nevertheless, I will attempt a daily 30 minute connection, in
case someone has a solution ..

Michel

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jim Garrison <jgarrison at worldforum.org>
Date: Sat, May 15, 2010 at 3:39 AM
Subject: Conference postponed
To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>


baDear Michel,

Unfortunately, I have bad news. The Salvador conference has been postponed.
The reason is that we have encountered corruption in the state government
here, something that has seriously complicated our situation since the
government had committed R$ 1 million (about $500,000). This money is not
now forthcoming so our capacity to convene the conference has been seriously
compromised.  The problem is that there is so little time to sort things out
and put them on the correct track, especially in an election year when
things are already complicated with the electoral process.  I can't tell you
how anguished I am about this last minute complication. It is my first
direct experience of corruption in high places here.

The extraordinary thing is that Brazilians generally are so highly motivated
to tackle seriously the issue of global warming, which is why we have
centered our 2020 Climate Leadership Campaign here. The strategic imperative
for what we must do is as clear now as it was when we started:  we must
mobilzie a radical reduction in CO2 emissions and a radical reframing of our
political economy and way of life, most especially in our cities.  This is
in fact clearer to me now that it has ever been, as is the reality that the
very corruption of the system that is producing such a colossal catastrophe
to the planetary ecosystem is also infecting the politics within which we
must operate.

We will re-schedule the conference for sometime after the elections here in
October and in the meantime develop the initiatives we were going to launch
at the conference.

As it turns out Globo TV will be starting a 120 day ad campaign May 15th on
global warming built around ads on climate leadership, sustainable
lifestyles and climate prosperity that we designed with them, so the fact
that the conference has been waylaid will not retard either our commitment
or the progress that must be made.

I thank you for your willingness to come and your flexibility along the way.
I will keep you informed.

Warm Regards,

Jim





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