DEMANDS

These are some of the measures which, as citizens, we consider essential to achieve the regeneration of our political and economic system. Make your own opinion available in the comments!
1. Elimination of politicians’ privileges:
- Strict control of absenteeism of elected people in their positions. Specific sanctions when they avoid doing their job.
- Suppression of their tax privileges; that elected representatives’ salaries be equal to the average Spaniard’s, plus offering them the necessary bonuses due to their specific functions.
- Suppression of immunity associated to having a government position; that corruption crimes do not prescribe.
- That all people holding public positions make public their possessions.
- Reduction of free designation positions.
2. Against unemployment:
- Create more jobs, thus promoting a reduction in the working hours and until structural unemployment does not exist, in other words, until unemployment rates are under 5%.
- Retirement age at 65, with no possibility of increasing that age, until youth unemployment is solved.
- Offering bonuses to those business that have less than 10% of temporary employees.
- Employment security: that collective firing and laid-offs be impossible, as well as those due to objective cause, as long as businesses have benefits; fiscalization of big businesses to ensure that positions that could be stable are not covered with temporary workers.
- Re-establish the 426€ subsidy for all long term unemployed people.

3. Right to a home:
- Expropriation of homes built on stock but which have not been sold by the state, so that they are included in the market as part of the plan of protected rent.
- Offering economic help to young people and those who do not have the appropriate resources so that they can rent.
- That datio in payment be allowed in order to cancel mortgages on homes.
4. Good quality public services:
- Suppress useless expenses in the public administration; to establish an independent control of expenses and budgets.
- Hiring sanitary personnel to end waiting lists.
- Hiring more teachers to guarantee the student/classroom ratio and support groups.
- Reduction of tuition costs at the university.
- Public financing of research to guarantee its independence.
- Cheap public transportation; it must also be of good quality and ecologically sustainable: re-establishment of the trains that are being replaced by the AVE (high speed) with their original prices; make season tickets cheaper; restrict private vehicles in the center of the cities; build bike lanes.
- Social resources: that the Dependency Law be applied, creating networks of local care-givers, as well as local mediation and guardianship services.
5. Control of banks:
- Prohibition of any type of rescuing to banks: those entities which have difficulty must either file for bankruptcy or become nationalized, thus constituting a public bank under social control.
- Raise bank taxes in a way directly proportional to the social expense created by a crisis which has occurred due to a bad management.
- That the banks return to the Treasury all public capital.
- The prohibition for Spanish banks to invest their money in any tax heaven.
- Regulation of sanctions to speculative movements and bank malpractice.
6. TAXES:
- Raise taxes to the rich and banks.
- Suppression of SICAV (similar to US open-ended mutual fund).
- Recovery of the Patrimony Tax.
- Real and effective control of fiscal fraud as well as the escape of capital to tax heaven.
- International promotion of the adoption of a tax to international transactions (Tobin)
7. Citizens’ liberties and participative democracy:
- No Internet control. Abolition of the Ley Sinde.
- Protection of information freedom and research journalism.
- Obligatory referendum to important issues that modify citizens’ living conditions.
- Obligatory referendum before introducing any measures dictated by the European Union.
- Change in the Electoral Law in order to guarantee a real representative system, proportional so that it does not discriminate any political force or social will, and in which blank vote and null vote also be represented.
- Independence of the Judiciary power: Reform in the Fiscal Ministry to guarantee its independence; rejection of the appointment done by the Executive power of members of the Constitutional Court or of the General Council of the Judiciary power.
- Reform of the figure of Fiscal Ministry to guarantee its independence.
8. Reduction of military expenses.

1. Briefly account for the historical background and important milestones in the international efforts to establish a global platform for sustainable management of boreal forests. Concentrate on the period from 1990’s until today.

Since the early 1990’s there has been an increasing concern about the application of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practices that started with the Forest Principles agreed at the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. In this conference, the need of a change in the understanding of forest management from a wood and timber production focus to a rather sustainable, environmental-friendly management became clear. For this aim to be approached at an international scale, common definitions and standards are needed, as well as an effective monitoring. Therefore, the international community, during different meetings since the first one held in Rio (1992), has tried to establish and develop a range of criteria and indicators that would cover the need of a common direction towards a SFM.

The following are the most important meetings concerning sustainable management in boreal forests.

• At the Third Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forest in Europe, held at Lisbon in 1998, “six national level criteria were officially adopted and the corresponding 27 indicators were endorsed in principle” (Castañeda, 2000), within the framework of the Pan-European Forest Process on Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management, which started in Helsinki in 1993, and comprises criteria applicable to Boreal, temperate and Mediterranean forests in both regional and national level.
• The Montreal Process on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forest (Santiago de Chile, 1995) concerned twelve countries with 7 non-legally binding criteria and 67 respective indicators applicable to countries outside Europe, at a national level. However, nowadays, criteria applicable at the forest management unit level are being discussed and reviewed by the signing countries.
• There have been other more recent meetings: In Vienna (2003), by the Vienna Resolution 5 the committed countries adopted a series of measures proposed by the UNFCCC inter alia. Moreover, in the Warsaw Declaration (2007) a step towards principles of sustainability to be met in terms of afforestation and reforestation was taken by the signatory countries.

2. a) Discuss the purpose and functionality of Criteria and Indicators (C&I) when applied at each of the following levels: International, National, Management unit. b) Does purpose and functionality of C&I change depending on forest owner category? (i.e. small private forest owner, a major forest company or the state/public ownership)

The purpose of Criteria and Indicators is always similar and directed to the performance of sustainable forest management practises. However, the criteria and indicators will be altered depending on their application to different levels.

So, when it comes to the international level, as it is said in the Hierarchical Framework for the Formulation of Sustainable Forest Management Standards, the criteria and indicators are discussed in such international conferences and meetings as the UNCED in Rio de Janeiro (1992), which concerned several countries agreeing criteria that would establish a common direction for the participating countries to get on the right track towards sustainable forest management. In this case, the international community would agree common standards and minimum requirements of what will be considered sustainable management, agreeing also conflictive definitions concerning forest management in a way directed to a common understanding of sustainable practices.

At the national level, each country develops their own policy in which the agreed principles in international meetings must be reflected and applied to the conditions given in the country. Therefore, new legislation should be implemented if needed, in the case that the national legislation is not consistent with the principles agreed at the international level.

Finally, at the forest management unit level, the aim is to harmonize the practises performed with the national principles and criteria and thus, with the internationally agreed principles. At this level, criteria and indicators are more specific, concrete and suited to the local conditions given at smaller scale.

The purpose and functionality of C + I may change depending on the ownership category, and also the means to fulfil them. Therefore, criteria and indicators should be more strict and exigent for big ownership patterns such as big companies. On the other hand, in my opinion, small private owners should always make the effort to fulfil the criteria, thus sustainably managing their stands, even though they may not have the ease and means the big companies do.

So, even though the purpose of the criteria and indicators does not change and it is still to meet the criteria and direction proposed by national governments, and, as a consequence at a larger scale, those agreed in international meetings; their functionality may change to suit the conditions, at forest management unit level, happening in different ownership category forests.

3. [...]

4. Describe how Principles, Criteria & Indicators (P, C&I) relate to standards evaluating management practises e.g. forest certification and forest product certification standards. The answer should also include a brief account for the similarities and differences between FSC, PEFC & ISO 14000 standards.

Even though Principles, Criteria and Indicators are good pointers of the quality of a management when monitoring, they are not standards for the evaluation of management practises. Therefore, forest product certification standards, agreed by consumers and producers, are used voluntarily to measure the achievement of a sustainable forest management (Castañeda, 2000). Principles, criteria and indicators are used at any level to approach the objective marked by the certification standards in many cases.

Although the Forest Certification efficiency is still to be proven (British Columbia Government, online), it is evident that the system helps to get closer to the objective of outstretched sustainable forest management practises. As it is a voluntary process it is not legislated or controlled by governments. There are several forest certification systems:

The ISO 14000 system is a system born from the International Organization of Standardisation (ISO) which promotes international standards to make international trade easier. It was not born as a specific forestry standardisation, nor does it work by itself neither. It needs another company to adhere and check in situ whether the management practises meet the standards of the system or not.

The Pan European Forest Certification (PEFC) system was established in Europe and is nowadays the most widespread forest certification system. It provides the certificated products with an eco-label. It is an international system that is applied to national levels through local certification systems. So it is supported by local standards, developed by national systems in a way that meet the standards of the PEFC system, acquiring international recognition.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that provides independent certification, i.e. it does check if the management meets the standards itself, without depending on external organization or standard systems. FSC and PEFC mutual recognition has not happened yet, although both systems use very similar standards. There are critics to both systems on the requirements and lame monitoring carried out by the organizations (fcs-watch.org), most showily from Friends of the Earth UK or the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation; but after all, Forest Certification schemes are well regarded as means to reach sustainable forest management practises.

References:

Anon (1998) ANNEX 1 OF THE RESOLUTION L2 Pan-European Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management. Third Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe 2-4 June 1998, Lisbon/Portugal.

Bueren, E.; Blom, E. (1996) Hierarchical Framework for the Formulation of Sustainable Forest Management Standards. The Tropenbos Foundation.

Castañeda, F. (2000) Criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management: international processes, current status and the way ahead. Unasylva, Volume 51, p 34-40.

Online:

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/het/certification/index.htm

http://www.fsc-watch.org/

PRÓXIMAMENTE: UN-REDD

http://alegrepeponide.blogspot.com/2011/03/mi-aventura-y-otras-cosas-que-nadie.html

Muchas gracias miarmas.

Certain stuff doubtfully interesting which will help you to learn spanish instantly though. Here and there : http://alegrepeponide.blogspot.com/2011/03/mi-aventura-y-otras-cosas-que-nadie.html

Igual consiguen que no instale Linux

el animalico

Desde mi humilde opinión y mente probablemente inferior que no entiende los ciclos, mecanismos y entresijos del sistema político, por más que trato de atar los cabos de unas formas y otras no veo otra cosa que afán de criticar por criticar. Nos quejamos de puto puro vicio, queridos amigos.

Y del pánico desmedido a la más grande pasividad jamás soñada. ¿Cómo se puede ver como algo tan normal el acontecimiento de que un grupo retrógrado de ultraderecha antediluviana siente en el banco del acusado a un juez? No contentos con ésto, aún están retrasando la retirada dentro de la dignidad que le están permitiendo a este señor, tras haberlo sometido a esta cacería bizarra. De alguna forma inexplicable Garzón ha acabado siendo también víctima del franquismo tras 35 años de democracia española. Yo opino que es vergonzoso.

Personally, I see that GB is in a relatively good state despite the huge deficit (blatantly a huge problem, but still things are good), and despite what the Tories claimed as a ‘broken society’. Seriously I struggle to see how Britain is a broken society in comparison to others. It is inevitable under a Capitalist regime that there will be economic inequalities which will hence lead to social inequalities. It’s the way things are in the western world: dog eat dog society. From my point of view, I see that society is relatively well balanced, well at least as much as it can be. We have benefit systems which are meant to help those less well off, who have a lower quality of life. Yet they will always have their problems, such as people playing the system, who will be lazy and live off the state, and even in some cases it is easier to live off the Doll than to work at minimum wage.

In my opinion the problems in society lie with the system; that people can earn more than others, even with putting in almost no effort, such as people who own abstract portfolios which earn imaginary money, when companies under the portfolio are being successful. However, seeing this as the main problem, it is unsolvable due to human’s natural greed, to always want more in a mass consumption society, even when we all know about the poor people at the other end of the scale in countries in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America especially. The solution to problems within society, is changing the way we think about our material products, not adjusting some stupid taxes.

In conclusion, this went a little off topic, but although these politicians want ‘change’, it is only change in the best interests of the British people, which is sadly to maintain this high mass consumption society, and let others suffer, despite our token gestures of ‘aid’.

Tengo que disculparme por la calidad de la imagen. En realidad no tengo que hacerlo porque la culpa no es mía sino de la porquería de móvil que tengo. Éste que se ve en la foto es el peluche de un simpático glóbulo rojo, un eritrocito inofensivo e incluso amistoso. Pero por desgracia no acababa ahí la cosa…

Éste de aquí es el organismo responsable de la gangrena. Sí, la cosa está tornando macabra.

No contentos con éso, se ve que estas mentes enajenadas dieron rienda suelta a su enfermiza morbosidad y, arrastrados por esta ola de creatividad, decidieron dar forma a este suavito muelle rosado que no es sino el representante de la sífilis. ¿Preocupante? Yo ya empezaba a imaginarme a los genios responsables de esta macabra creación de fantasía. En este momento de la historia aparecen unos chiquillos metiendo sus inocentes manos en el cajón y comprobando con miradas de extrañeza lo que los peluchitos representaban. Llegados a éste punto no me queda nada más que presentar el plato fuerte.

SÍIIIII, es el SIDA!!!!!!:O