Notices from nowhere

Democracy now finds there can be ample for all, but only if the souvereing fences are completely removed.

S’inicia un projecte per avançar cap a un nou model energètic

La UPC ha iniciat un procés de reflexió interna per impulsar, de forma coordinada, tecnologies i noves formes organitzatives i de gestió orientades al desenvolupament d’un nou model energètic i social, basat en l’ús d’energies renovables.

La Universitat aposta de forma decidida cap a una transició energètica donant suport, impulsant o liderant projectes que ajudin a superar el model energètic que ha imperat en els darrers 150 anys, basat en una proporció creixent de recursos no renovables. La iniciativa està orientada a fomentar de forma coordinada el desenvolupament de tecnologies i noves formes organitzatives i de gestió per a un nou model energètic i social.

Partint de la base que la UPC és un referent en aquest àmbit, tant per projectes com el Campus Energia (reconegut com a Campus d’Excel·lència Internacional) i el KIC InnoEnergy, com per la docència i la recerca reconeguda en aquest camp, ara es tracta de recollir aportacions en el canvi cap a la transició energètica.

D’aquesta manera, es preveu articular i liderar un gran projecte de recerca, per exemple en el marc de l’estratègia regional d’especialització intel·ligent impulsada per la Unió Europea per al període 2014-2020 (RISC3), fent de la pròpia Universitat una experiència pilot de la transició energètica. Per avançar en aquesta línia, s’establirà un grup de treball específic de la UPC per coordinar, impulsar i fer el seguiment de la iniciativa.

La mateixa comissió fomentarà que els grups de recerca de la UPC dissenyin tecnologies estratègiques per a la transició energètica, sigui conjuntament o en col·laboració amb entitats externes a la Universitat. D’altra banda, promourà un projecte de formació sobre aquest canvi de model, destinat tant a la comunitat universitària com a la ciutadania i les organitzacions que podrien involucrar-se amb noves tecnologies, serveis o models de negoci.

Una altra de les accions previstes és instituir una jornada anual sobre energia a la UPC per avaluar de forma col·lectiva els treballs realitzats. De fet, la llavor del projecte ha estat l’organització de la jornada titulada Transició vers un nou model energètic, el 12 de juny a la sala d’actes de l’edifici Vèrtex, al Campus Nord. Oberta a tota la comunitat universitària i promoguda per Carles Riba, professor del Departament d’Enginyeria Mecànica i director del Centre de Disseny d’Equips Industrials, i Ramon Sans, membre del Col·lectiu per a un nou Model Energètic i Social sostenible (CMES), la jornada va comptar amb la participació del rector Enric Fossas i del vicerector de Política de Recerca, Fernando Orejas i hi van assistir un centenar de persones.

 

Why JK Rowling Just Gave £1 Million To Fight Against Scottish Independence?

Com per a continuar comprant-li llibres !


By Shannon Greenwood
June 12, 2014 at 10:30 am
Nestled in a graveyard in Edinburgh, Scotland is the tombstone of Thomas Riddell Esquire.

Though he died at the turn of the 19th century, his grave has brought a recent influx of 21st century visitors to Scotland — the fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

Rowling has lived in Edinburgh for over two decades and accredits the grave as inspiration for the name of her character Tom Riddle, known more commonly as Lord Voldemort. Rowling wrote Harry Potter while living in Scotland, and the series shot her into worldwide notoriety and helped her become the first author to become a billionaire.

On Wednesday, Rowling, who still calls Edinburgh her home, announced that she’s donated £1 million to Better Together, an anti-independence campaign in Scotland.

“I came to the question of independence with an open mind and an awareness of the seriousness of what we are being asked to decide,” Rowling wrote on her blog. “I wanted to write this because I always prefer to explain in my own words why I am supporting a cause and it will be made public shortly that I’ve made a substantial donation to the Better Together Campaign, which advocates keeping Scotland part of the United Kingdom.”

Her move is bold in a nation where talks of independence are swirling and a referendum is being held on September 18th to decide if it will separate from the U.K. The movement is being led by the Scottish National Party who won a majority in the Scottish parliament in May 2011 running on the promise to hold a vote on separating. Scotland has been a part of the U.K. for over 300 years, and the referendum could mean independence again for its now 5.3 million citizens.

A majority of voters would have to vote yes in order for Scotland to secede, and currently polls suggest that number is close to 40 percent. Rowling is not one of them.

She cites having to navigate “the same twenty-first century pressures as the rest of the world” as a concern she has about Scotland’s sovereignty. “It must compete in the same global markets, defend itself from the same threats and navigate what still feels like a fragile economic recovery,” she writes. Competition in those global markets would include its neighbor, Britain, who some are predicting could become Europe’s largest economy by 2030.

Scotland would have also need its own army, a £2.3 billion investment according to SNP’s proposed budget. It would be kicked out of NATO with not much of a chance of getting back in according to former officials. And navigating the “fragile economic recovery” could include taking on all of its own debt, a near £92 billion figure.

All of these concerns would be tackled without help from the European Union, which currently boasts the world’s largest economy. Scottish independence would mean immediate withdrawal from the E.U. and its re-admittance would need to garner unanimous approval from all 28 member states. As long as the UK remains a part of that mix, renewed E.U. status for Scotland would be seemingly impossible.

Scotland joins other independence movements across Europe still vested in a future with the E.U. if their campaigns are successful. In Spain, Catalonia is holding its own independence referendum in November, a move unrecognized by the Spanish government who has vowed to block Catalonia from rejoining the union. The Veneto region of Italy including Venice’s picturesque canals and Shakespearean Verona held on unofficial online referendum in late March. Over 2.3 million of its registered voters participated and a whopping 89 percent favored independence from Italy. Veneto’s independence would be a striking blow to the EU as Italy is one of its founding member states and would reflect a new Europe increasingly skeptic of its role.

One of those critics happens to be the United Kingdom, who recently voted a Eurosceptic majority to the European Parliament and may hold its own referendum to withdraw from the E.U. as early as 2017. Scotland’s chances of rejoining the E.U. fare better if the U.K. withdraws, but even then the process, for both countries, would take years to complete.

“Whatever the outcome of the referendum on 18th September, it will be a historic moment for Scotland,” Rowling wrote. “I just hope with all my heart that we never have cause to look back and feel that we made a historically bad mistake.”

Shannon Greenwood is an intern at ThinkProgress.

Com per a continuar comprant-li llibres !

La primera vaga, aldarulls i manifestacions proletàries a València. 1856.

THE FIRST STRIKE, RIOTS & DEMOSTRATION INSIDE VALÈNCIA. 1856. (SILK WORKERS). VALÈNCIA’S MEMORIES. (It’s speaking out in Catalan Language.)

EL MOTÍ DELS VELLUTERS. 1856
El Motí dels Velluters fou una de les primeres reivindicacions del proletariat urbà de València, i alguns autors el consideren com la primera manifestació de la lluita de classes a aquesta ciutat. Aquests fets expressaven tensions ciutadanes més amples que desembocaren a l’abril següent, i sota el crit de “Moren els rics”, en importants revoltes socials. A la fi de 1856, catorze velluters que es reunien per llegir un periòdic tingueren la idea de fundar la Cooperativa “La Proletària”, organització obrera de resistència.

Aquesta representació festivo-reivindicativa es va fer el 21 de gener del 2014.

 
I també la força de l’amistat i la solidaritat. Un bell vídeo de la Muixeranga de València.