by Karl Widerquist | May 3, 2016 | News
“The World’s Biggest Question” under construction
Grundeinkommen has announced that it will unfurl the word’s largest poster with the biggest question in the world on the huge Plainpalais Promenade in Geneva, on May 14th, 2016. The question will ask:
“What Would You Do if Your Income Were Taken Care of?”
The margins of the poster will contain The Biggest Question in the World in over 60 different languages. The unfurling will happen a few weeks before Switzerland goes to the polls on June 4th, 2016 over whether to implement an unconditional basic income.
More than 1,200 people have crowdfunded about 200,000 Euros to have the biggest question in the world printed on the biggest poster in the world. The poster measures approximately 8,000 square meters and weighs about seven tons. These dimensions will exceed the current Guinness World Record for the largest poster to date, as exhibited by Iraqui pilot Fareed Lafta. Representatives from Guinness will be at the scene in Geneva to inspect Grundeinkommen’s bid for the new record.
Volunteers cut up freight truck tarpaulins in the Swiss village of Rüti/Glarus and fused them together to produce individual puzzle segments. In addition they underwent an enormous joint effort to apply the gold letters to a black tarp so that “The Biggest Question in the World” became the biggest poster in the world.
Computer created preview of the poster
The world record poster will not be scrapped after the presentation; instead, Grundeinkommen’s partner Swiss Mountain Händ Bägs will rework it into Question Bags, World Record Rucksacks, toiletries bags and other products. These products are now available at the crowdfunding platform Startnext and will later be available at Grundeinkommen’s own Onlineshop.
Date: May 14th, 2016
Place: Geneva, Plaine de Plainpalais (English: Plainpalais Promenade)
Time: Starting 11:00 AM: Installation of the poster; by around 12:00 noon the poster will be fully unfurled; the event concludes at around 4:00 PM.
Media Contact
– Marilola Wili, E: marilola.wili@grundeinkommen.ch, T: +41 76 201 96 98
For more information
Online
– startnext.com/groesstefrage
– grundeinkommen.ch/
Photos
– Flickr
Video
– Blick
– Tele Bärn
– Startnext
Media
– Schweiz am Sonntag
– Südostschweiz
– enorm
– n-tv
Grundeinkommen Volunteers
by Karl Widerquist | May 2, 2016 | News
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY: Degrowth Conference Will Discuss Basic Income, Aug. 30-Sep. 3, 2016
Between 30 August and 3 September 2016, Budapest will host two parallel, yet complementary events. The 5th International Degrowth Conference will foster discussion between scholars, researchers, civil society and practitioners about their degrowth-related research and activities. Simultaneously, across Budapest, Degrowth Week will bring discussions, public panels, artistic performances and exhibitions, practical workshops and conviviality events into public space. This open platform for degrowth dialogue, practice, networking and expression will introduce Degrowth to Budapest and its inhabitants, and also to the scholars, researchers, civil society and practitioners being present at the conference.
The organizers write, “If you wish to share your thoughts, experiences or artistic expressions with Budapest and global degrowth communities, the time is now. The call for Degrowth Week events is officially open. You can suggest events and activities until midnight on May 1st. … Please join our Degrowth Week page and feel free to share your ideas and projects.”
Interested people can register their event here: https://co-munity.net/degrowth/ic/2016/content/degrowth-week-submission
More information:
Budapest Degrowth Conference Team
https://budapest.degrowth.org
contact@budapest.degrowth.org
5th International Degrowth Conference
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 30, 2016 | News
The highly popular U.S. website, 538.com, known for accurate poll-based predictions of political campaigns and number-crunching analysis, has starting reporting on basic income. This article knowledgeably summarizes some of the history and some of the recent research on it and movement for it.
Andrew Flowers, “What Would Happen If We Just Gave People Money?” 538.com, April 2016
Andrew Flowers, 538.com, from DBO data
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 29, 2016 | News
On Saturday April 30 the globally first robot protest march will take place in Zurich, the financial capital of Switzerland. With more than 100 robots dancing in the streets and hundreds of supporters, the event is a major call for an Unconditional Basic Income.
On 5th June 2016, Switzerland will become the first country worldwide to hold a national referendum on the introduction of an Unconditional Basic Income (UBI).
According to the organizers, the message of the protesting robots is “We want to work for the humans. But we do not want to bring them into existential difficulties by taking over their jobs. The main challenge of the 4th industrial revolution is that humans receive a secure income.”
According to the organizers, the main idea of an UBI is to secure the basic needs of human life unconditionally. It stresses the topic of human self-determined freedom.
Meeting: 2 pm, Werdmühlplatz 14, Zurich
Protest start: 2:30 pm
Route: Werdmühleplatz – Bahnhofstrasse – Bürkliplatz (officially confirmed by police)
More info:
Che Wagner, Spokesperson Referendum for Unconditional Basic Income in Switzerland, Mobile: +41 76 230 75 29,
Email: che@grundeinkommen.ch
www.basicincome2016.org
www.grundeinkommen.ch
Robots for Basic Income
by Karl Widerquist | Apr 24, 2016 | News
According to Basic Income Switzerland, just five weeks before Switzerland holds the world’s first vote on the introduction of an Unconditional Basic Income (UBI), support for the policy has almost doubled since the beginning of the year. This increase is the opposite of the usual trend in Switzerland where initiatives tend to decline in popularity in the weeks before a referendum.
Over all, around 40% of people stated they would vote “Yes” on the UBI referendum to be held this June. And in the French-speaking part of Switzerland a majority of respondents now favor UBI. The polling data has been collected and assessed by a cooperation of leading Swiss newspapers.
Swiss poll summary -Basic Income Switerland
For more information see:
Basic Income Switzerland, “Basic Income Vote in 5 Weeks: Sensational New Polling Results” Basic Income Swizterland, April 23, 2016
