Looking at the following softwarelist (http://www.complementarycurrency.org/software.html).
I selected CuroMuto.com as a test environment because it should be able to have multiple currencies and it has a relative small usage fee ($11.50 a month + 0.5% of all transactions) although this system is English based (and I target it for the Dutch market), I hope to be able to get this barternetwork in action.

Just before this I joined http://stroomgeld.ning.com/ (dutch) aiming at an ecosophical approach using Bernard Lietaer’s book ‘The Future of Money’. A good portal-page about complementary economics in the Netherlands (including international links) is: http://complementaire-economie.startpagina.nl/

There are many web sites dealing with alternative money systems and related issues. The following are some of the most interesting (list from: http://www.ces.org.za/misc/links.htm)

Alternative Money Systems

• Access Foundation (Alliance of Complementary Currencies Enabling Sustainable Societies)
• Alliance of Complementary Currencies Enabling Sustainable Societies
• Alternative Money Systems
• Altruists International
• CC Information Technologies WorldWide (CCIT)
• ccPedia – an open collective knowledge centre on complementary currency systems
• Crom Alternative Payment System
• Local Exchange Systems in Asia, Africa and Latin America
• Community Information Resource Center (CIRC)
• Complementary Currency Resource Centre
• Creating Community Currency
• EF Schumacher Society
• Forum for Stable Currencies
• Ithaca HOURs Online
• International Journal of Community Currency Research
• Letslink UK
• LETS-Linkup
• LETS.net
• Living Economies
• Local and Interest-Free Currencies, Social Credit and Microcredit
• The Money Fix
• Online Database of Complementary Currencies Worldwide
• The Open Money Project
• P2P Foundation
• Reinventing Money.com
• Community Exchange System
• Strohalm for a change
• The Terra – Trade Reference Currency (TRC)
• Time Dollar Institute
• Transaction Net – Enabling Markets Online
• The Transitioner – TheTransitioner.org brings together those who want to marry the economy and Collective Intelligence in order to build a fair world.
• UniteDiversity Wiki
• Workgroup on Solidarity Socio-Economy – Social Money

The following resources are to help you understand the nature of money-as-we-know-it and why we need a new money system.

Documents, Books and Articles

• Altruists International Money-Related Downloads
• Bibliography of Community Currency Research
• Community Currency Materials, Information and Resources, compiled by Appropriate Economics
• Complementary Currency Bookstore
• Complementary Currency and Exchange – The Movement to Reinvent Money, by Thomas H Greco, Jr. [HTML] [PDF] [PowerPoint]
• Community Currency Guide by Bernard Lietaer and Gwendolyn Hallsmith
• Flight from Inflation, the Monetary Alternative, by E.C Riegel. A posthumous compilation of his essays, Los Angeles, CA, The Heather Foundation, 1978 (PDF 488K)
• Interest and Inflation Free Money, by Margrit Kennedy
• History of the CES, by Tim Jenkin, June 2004
• I Want the Earth Plus 5% – the story of money
• Money and its Alternatives – Strohalm Foundation (PDF 575K)
• Money, Bona Fide or Non-Bona Fide, by Dr. Edward E Popp, 1970 (PDF 685K)
• Money and the Crisis of Civilization by Charles Eisenstein, March 2008
• Money: A New Beginning by Charles Eisenstein, April 2008
• Money – Understanding and Creating Alternatives to Legal Tender, by Thomas H Greco, Jr. (PDF 893K)
• The New Approach to Freedom. Together with Essays on the Separation of Money and State, by E.C. Riegel, 1949 (PDF 244K)
• The New Approach to Freedom, web site hosting the writings of E.C. Riegel
• Poor Because of Money – Strohalm Foundation (PDF 941K)
• Private Enterprise Money. A Non-Political Money System, by E.C. Riegel (PDF 537K)
• Reinventing Money. The emergent path toward peace, harmony, and equity.
  Presentation by Thomas H Greco, Jr. [HTML] [PDF] [PowerPoint]
• The Great Cookie Jar – Taking the Mysteries Out of the Money System, by Dr Edward E Popp, 1978 (PDF 774K). HTML Version
• The Monetary Philosophy of E.C. Riegel, by Thomas H. Greco, Jr. (MS PowerPoint 35K)
• The Money Myth Exploded – The Financial Enigma Resolved, by Louis Even
• The Natural Economic Order, by Silvio Gesell
• The Nature of Money, by John Kutyn, 5 March 2000
• The Nature of Money, by John Kutyn, 16 March 2005
• The Nature of Wealth, by Fred Lundgren, August 2002
• The New Money Text Book – Economics Made Simple, by Doctor Edward C Hamlyn, May 2007
• The Politics of Money, by EC Riegel
• Private Enterprise Money: A Non-Political Money System, by E. C. Riegel, 1944.
• The Credit Theory of Money by A Mitchell Innes, The Banking Law Journal, 1914
• What is Money? A history of credit by A Mitchell Innes, The Banking Law Journal, May 1913

Monetary Reform

• The American Monetary Act and the Monetary Transparency Act, 21 September 2006, American Monetary Institute
• The American Monetary Institute
• British Association for Monetary Reform
• COMER – The Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform
• Forum for Stable Currencies
• Foundation for the Advancement of Monetary Education (FAME)
  FAME is a not-for-profit educational organization whose sole mission is to educate people about the benefits of honest monetary weights and measures and the harm caused by our current fraudulent fiat money monetary system
• Global Research.ca. Centre for Research on Globalization
• James Roberston, working for a sane alternative
• The Money Reform Party
• People for Mathematically Perfected Economy
• Prosperity. Freedom from Debt Slavery
  Prosperity is a monthly Money Reform journal based in Glasgow, Scotland, which is dedicated to spreading understanding about the nature of our debt-based money system, and campaigning for publicly-created debt-free money.

Monetary History

• American Monetary History
• FX Micheloud Monetary History
• Gold: prices, facts, figures & research. Monetary episodes from history
• Monetary history documents
• Money – Past, Present & Future, Information on Monetary History, Contemporary Developments, and Electronic Money
• Money, Value, and Monetary History after Milton Friedman

Miscellaneous

• Money, Banking and Credit. This site is devoted to the issues of money, banking, fiscal, and monetary policy and their impacts on families and the nation as a whole
• The People vs The Banks – Class action suit on behalf of the people of Canada alleging that financial institutions are illegally creating money.

Peak Oil

• Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas
• EnergyBulletin.net
• Peak Oil Clock
• The Wolf at the Door

Video

• CC Video. Collection of videos on complementary currency systems
• Money as Debt [Google video]
  Paul Grignon’s 47-minute animated presentation of “Money as Debt” tells in very simple and effective graphic terms what money is and how it is being created. It is an entertaining way to get the message out. The Cowichan Citizens Coalition and its “Duncan Initiative” received high praise from those who previewed it. I recommend it as a painless but hard-hitting educational tool and encourage the widest distribution and use by all groups concerned with the present unsustainable monetary system in Canada and the United States.
• The Money Masters [Google video]
  How International Bankers Gained Control of America
• Monopoly Men – Federal Reserve Fraud (1999)
• Suzao Media
  A good collection of videos on money and debt

Chaos is paradoxical; you need a certain amount of chaos to be creative but not to the point that you feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. Getting organized is helpful for people in offices and at home. Unwanted chaos is non-productive; there are several systems, tools and principles for this. Getting organized is a general topic within problem solving which is said to be most effective to clarify feelings because it is primarily aimed at the physical environmental level. The clean desk feeling, nice labeled folders, knowing where your stuff is stored and where to put it (back) when done.

Usually the problem of increasing unwanted chaos is that new stuff doesn’t have a place to store it.

A nice helpful diagram to process “stuff” from your in-basket to a destination from David Allen’s Book “Getting things done” :

The level of accepted chaos may vary from person to person. In my experience the tolerance level of chaos for men tends to be higher than it is for women. If the values of cleanliness and order differ within a household this may cause tension. For example a woman might feel uncomfortable with dirty laundry on the floor or a pile of used dishes in the kitchen long before a man finally does. Even within a emancipated society this might be one of the reasons women still do more of the household tasks than men…  (It might be interesting to use the value-system as a variable for social science research)

Order is the reshuffling of Chaos using sets of Rules. These rules don’t have to be logical, reasonable or even sane, but they do have to be internally consistent, and most of the things or people involved must fit or be made to fit the resulting Pattern. Sweeping unwanted facts under the Rug usually includes those who found them. In Reality, order exists in a sea of Chaos, for Order must be be recognized as such so that Meaning can be attached to it. [Source]

• increase income,
• decrease expenses, or
• adjust credit debt payments.

Several options exist for increasing income but all may not be alternatives for a particular situation. These possibilities include upgrading a present job to one that pays more; switching jobs to a better-paying one; working overtime; having someone additional in the household seek and find employment where more money is made than spent; qualifying for assistance, either public or private such as food stamps, child support, grants or subsidies; and renting or selling assets that are no longer needed and/or used.

Temporary adjustments in expenses may provide temporary income increases. Stop payroll deductions for retirement, savings, or education funds. Adjust tax withholding so that enough is being withheld but a large tax refund will not be coming next spring. Do more home production; garden or sew if you already have the skill and equipment needed. Use community resources for recreation. Pay insurance premiums monthly instead.

To decrease expenses either CUT DOWN or CUT OUT. For most people going “cold turkey” or cutting out entirely may not be possible. Above all, to cut expenses, go to a cash-only basis; put all credit cards out of reach.

Certain expenses cannot be cut out entirely because of health or safety concerns such as utilities, food, health, recreation, and insurance.

[Reference (renewed) source: Solve Financial Problems]

Recommended reading:

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter (Contributor)
• Why We Want You to be Rich: Two Men – One Message – Donald J. Trump, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Meredith McIver, Sharon Lechter

• I am now open to receive the abundant good that God has for me
• God is the source of all my good, I look only to him for my supply
• I vision only that which is for my highest good
• I speak only good, kind, loving and harmonious words
• I now release all fear, worry and doubt into the loving arms of God
• All that the father has is mine, I rejoice in it now
• I now let go and let God work in my financial affairs
• I think only loving positive and uplifting thoughts
• Money is positive, money is my friend
• I am now open to receive the abundant good that God has for me
• It is good to be wealthy
• God wants me to share in his good fortune
• I use my wealth wisely
• I now decree to God that I am ready to receive his abundance
• Financial success is mine, I accept it now
• I send out in thought only that which I desire to have returned
• The good I send out in thought, comes back to me multiplied
• I now have a clear and open connection with my higher self
• Money is coming to me easily and effortlessly
• I love the work I do, it is a part of God’s divine plan
• I am now one with infinite intelligence
• I am an open channel expressing God’s will
• God is guiding me in everything I do
• I deserve to be rich, I accept it now
• God goes before me making everything right
• I now live in a loving harmonious universe
• God is abundant, I am one with God
• As a loving father, God wants me to enjoy his good wealth
• Success is mine, I accept it now
• I now decree to God my intention to share his wealth
• I use my money wisely for the good of all
• Money is circulating freely in my life
• Money comes to me in many ways, through God
• I am divinely guided in all that I do
• The Lord wants me to be prosperous, I say YES!
• I now gives thanks to a loving, abundant God

Written by Jeff Staniforth – AffirmWare 7 Part Affirmation Course? Visit http://www.AffirmWare.com.au
Quoted at the forum of Positive-club.com.

The role of management in an organization is purely functional. It is not a role any more or less prestigious than any other role in the company. It is similar to the difference between marketing personnel and engineering personnel. The function of management is:

• Set up a plan (vision) for the company, group, or team being managed.
• Ensure that the management personnel can do their jobs with the up most efficiency.
• Resolve any disputes that arise.
• Act as an interface between employees and upper management
  • Track resource use and report costs to higher management.
  • Present new ideas for the company to upper management.
  • Track project progress and revise estimates or make adjustments.
  • Deal with problems and shield employees from them as much as possible to allow them to concentrate on their jobs.

One important difference between managers and other functional positions in the company lies in the fact that decisions made by the manager will affect more people either in a positive or negative way.

Skills Required

• Communication – Learn to listen and be observant.
• Experience – At least 10 years working in a field similar to those being managed. A broad background is helpful.
• Leadership – Leadership is really a mix of many other skills and in many ways is intangible. A true leader, however, is willing to do any task necessary to complete the job. That means, they are willing to do the same work as other employees and get their hands dirty when required.
• Delegation – Good managers must be willing to trust their staff and delegate responsibility and authority.
• Organizational – Being able to organize teams, roles and projects is important. Some organizational requirements can be delegated, however. Having a messy desk does not necessarily mean a manager is unorganized.

Not all individuals have all these skills in abundance, but essential skills require communications and getting along with others.

What to do

• Trust your team and expect professionalism unless proven otherwise.
• Base project estimates using employee estimates times the observed load factor of the team. The load factor can be calculated when iterative development is used. It is calculated based on how long the iteration would have actually taken vs the original time estimated.
• Make sure all team members are heard with regard to ideas and project input when applicable.
• Make sure all confidential meetings with employees stay confidential.

What not to do

• Force schedules upon employees. This is dependent on the project or problem. If there is a major problem such as a network being down it needs to be fixed as soon as possible. For these types of problems or mission critical problems, everything else is stopped until it is fixed. Therefore this is as much a setting of priority, but is normally a short term problem where overtime is justified.
• Be bureaucratic with employees that show initiative.
• Fail to reward desired behavior.
• Fail to resolve problems when they occur.

Management Roles

Management must:

• Keep focused on requirements
• Shield the team from distractions
• Resolve conflicts

Serious project risks that can be caused, allowed, or influenced by management are:

• Excessive schedule pressure
• Creeping requirements
• Poor estimates
• Low quality
• Low productivity
• Inadequate measurement

Source: CTDP Management Guide

Mintzberg’s 10 Managerial Roles

Original source: Henry Mintzberg – The Nature of Managerial Work

The art of problem solving

Although problem solving is something people have a natural tendency to do, giving this process the status of an Art also suggests more complexity to this subject. Problem-solving goes beyond physical, cultural, science or language. Everybody can solve problems, in fact we practically do it all the time. Every thought and every decision is in a way solving part of a problem. At the same time one might suggest by those decisions and actions following this (personal) problem solving process, new problems of another kind arise. Most of our economy is based on solving and creating new problems in some form. Then why bother analyzing and describing this process you might ask. Because when you know the underlying principles, your processes of solving problems become easier, more fun, and it helps you grow as an individual giving your environment a positive influence. Most interesting about solving problems are the processes themselves, not primarily the result. I might reframe that to enjoying the process of getting what you want.Like other Art-studies, problem solving has several components: history, practices, theories, models, concepts, references in other arts, sciences and spiritually. There can be no final consensus on a best way to present it because describing the Art of problem solving is in itself a problem solving process, which is never finished.

Problem Classification

To define your problem-solving strategy it is important to classify problems first into one of the three following categories.

• Level 1: Urgent & Important – Highest Priority
• Level 2: Important / not so urgent – Medium Priority
• Level 3: Minor importance / no urgency – Low Priority

If you have more than one problem choose the one with the highest priority.

Essentially, there are two types of problems: analytic and divergent. An analytic problem is convergent in nature, that is, it has a single correct answer. Divergent problems allow for many possible solutions.

Phases in formulating a solution

Problem-development

1. formulating the problem (what and how did it get your attention, perceived facts)
2. acceptation (accept the problem as is)
3. reformulating (problem description, datasheet, examples, theories, references)

Idea-development
Questions which could be asked in this phase:
- what is good about this problem or situation?
- how can I use this problem or situation?
- what is not yet perfect?
- what am I willing to do to improve this situation?
- what will I stop doing to improve the situation?
- what is funny about it, that I didn’t notice before?
- how will I enjoy when I reach my goal and this problem is solved?

1. analyze and purge (effort to find logical solutions)
2. exhaustion / frustration
3. relaxation / incubation
4. creative sidestep
5. Eureka!

Idea judgment

1. working out the plan (critical phase)
2. planning the approach

Who?

Who are the people involved in a problem-solution team?

• Problem-owner (Who’s problem is it?)
• Fellow Problem owner or involved persons (participants in solving the problem)
  - Generalists
  - Specialists
  - Outsiders
• Secretary (notes everything what is being said)
• Facilitator or coach (is not involved with the content, only the process)

Session rules:

1. postpone judgment
2. you are allowed to lie
3. privacy to the outside, openness to the inside
4. Extra attention to negative questions or remarks
5. No hierarchy, no arrogance
6. Critical phase afterwards

Brainstorming Many people, when trying to solve a problem, develop a mental block. This may be a result of ‘thinking too hard’. Then, later, without conscious effort, a solution comes to mind. One way to overcome a mental block in the problem-solving process is to hold a brainstorming session.

The purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible. The more ideas a team has to choose from, the greater the chances are of finding one that is successful. Ideas are generated rapidly, which prevents individuals from dwelling on why an idea might not work. Evaluation of the ideas comes at a later stage of solution development.

General guidelines for holding brainstorming sessions:

1. Allow no criticism. Some people become self-conscious when they feel they may be criticized, which inhibits them from offering ideas. For this reason, it is important that ideas are not judged at this time.
2. Encourage outrageous ideas. This often results in team members going beyond the normal thought process.
3. Encourage piggybacking of other ideas. One idea often stimulates a better one.
4. Evaluate the ideas at the end of the session or after a day or two. Eliminate those that are not feasible.

Any criticism of ideas must be constructive. The team should know that it is okay to laugh at and have fun discussing the ideas. Keep in mind that decisions made at this time are not always final; ideation is an ongoing process.

Besides the coach as moderator, each brainstorming group should select a leader to direct the discussion. If a leveling off of ideas occurs, the leader should encourage new ideas by asking questions such as:

“By altering the materials how could we . . . ?”
“What might happen if we changed its shape?”
“How could we adapt it to make it move faster?”
“How can we make it smaller, lighter, etc.?”

One team member (or the secretary) should record all ideas and useful comments.

Copywriting is a mental process, the successful execution of of which reflects the sum total of all your experiences, your specific knowledge and your ability to mentally process that information and eventually transfer this to a piece of paper all for the purpose of communicating an idea.

The purpose is to reach out in your pocket and buy the product.

The format
First line: lead-sentence, a few words, second sentence getting you to read the rest.

Use the next aspects as a checklist for your copy:

Psychological Triggers

This overview is based on Joe Sugarman’s E-book Psychological Triggers