'Right2Water' campaign: first ever European Citizens' Initiative hearing

This I copy directly from the EU website announcement, here.

I find it cool and weird at the same time. Oh, and to the prestigious list of words I don't quite like (because of their confunding potential and fancy sound), I *provisionally* add liberalisation. (I refer to the second sentence in the second paragraph, here.)

Parliament is to hold a public hearing next Monday on the universal right to clean water, the first EP hearing under the European Citizens' Initiative allowing the public to ask the EU authorities for new legislation.
The "Right2Water" campaign group has gathered almost two million signatures to its initiative calling on the Commission to draw up legislation to ensure universal access to adequate supplies of clean drinking water and sanitation throughout the EU. It will present its demands at the first ever European Citizens' Initiative hearing.


The campaigners point out that universal access to water is a human right enshrined by the UN. They will present their three key goals at the hearing, which are: “guaranteed water and sanitation for all in the EU”, “global access to water and sanitation for all” and “no liberalisation of water services”. They promote the provision of water and sanitation as essential public services for all and believe that these services should not be subject to EU internal market rules.


The public hearing, organised by Parliament's environment committee in association with the petitions, internal market and consumer protection and development committees and starting at 15.00 on Monday, 17 February, follows up the registration of the initiative by the Commission on 20 December 2013. It will provide a platform for debate with MEPs, the leaders of the ‘Right2Water’ initiative and representatives of the European Commission.


Citizens' Initiative


The Citizens' Initiative was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty and gives EU citizens who are eligible to vote in the European elections an opportunity to help shape the EU agenda. To qualify, a Citizens' Initiative must be signed by at least one million EU citizens, from at least seven of the 28 member states, within 12 months of the registration date. It must also fall within the Commission's remit.

REF. : 20140210IPR35552

Updated: ( 11-02-2014 - 09:01)

Again, this was copied in its entirety from here.

NEW! Organic and fairtrade Tibetan Salt, straight from the Himalayas!

NEW! Organic and fairtrade Tibetan Salt, straight from the Himalayas!

It was piled and carried by organic life forms, so it's partly organic.
The salt-miners were paid the fair value for the local circumstances, so .50 € per day.
Comes from Tibet. Really. Has a stamp and all. So it must be true.
Did make its way across the globe, to your local store, so It didn't actually come straight from Himalayas, but it was more like a curvy-road.
And to be honest, the environmental impact of the transport far outweighs any fair-, eco- and "organic" components of its production.
May contain actual grains of salt (Sodium Chloride).And traces of other elements and impurities.

Get it at your local organic shop ThrivaViva now and buy some yummy bioekoorganicfairtrade chocolate as well! For only 10 € per 100 g.

We let you pay, because you care.

 

 

 

Just a rant, nothing to worry about. Pointing to sense-less-ness often seen in the shops (yes, even organic ones). And complaining about the costs. Both the costs in the market (too high compared to everything else (which is, in turn actually too low, compared to the environmental impact it has)), as well as the environmental externalities. Oh, and also pointing to silly stuff people - due to past lawsuits - need to put on packaging. You buy a pack of nuts and it may contain nuts, that's nuts.

Lagom - just right

Lagom (pronounced [ˈlɑ̀ːɡɔm]) is a Swedish word with no direct English equivalent, meaning "just the right amount".

(From Wiki, here.)

Got it from the talk of Robert Costanza at TEDxUVM (2010), one of the authors of the now famous Nature article titled The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital (link). Which raised a whole haloo around the globe due to its implications and propositions.

I think the new economy could be named Lagom economy. Look here (source 1, Wiki):

"The Lexin Swedish-English dictionary defines lagom as "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right". Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", "optimal" and "suitable" (in matter of amounts)."

Wouldn't that be something? An economy in balance, where everyone has just enough? [Yeah, you might have to work extra for that boat, cause I don't think it's considered just enough for your livin'.]

Eking out

Wau, every now and then, some new words and their combinations enter my vision.
Today, it is eke out, as in:

Installing an incredible 8.4 GW in the fourth quarter in anticipation of the expiration of the PTC, the US installed 13,124 MW, eking out China, which at 12,960 MW had its lowest level of installations since 2008. [link to GWEC]

eke out

vb (tr, adverb)

1. to make (a supply) last, esp by frugal use they eked out what little food was left

2. to support (existence) with difficulty and effort

3. to add to (something insufficient), esp with effort to eke out an income with evening work

 

Totally copied from Free Online dictionary (here).

častna straŽa le pred BoŽičem

Pod tole se pa skoraj podpisem.

"Jezen sem, ker se sprašujemo, kaj dobrega se je po osamosvojitvi zgodilo, le v smislu življenjskega blagra, ki ga povezujemo le z ekonomsko-političnimi dosežki, ne pa s tem, kar je nemara pomembneje; urejeni medsebojni odnosi, polni naklonjenosti in pristne solidarnosti, z veliko razumevanja, potrpežljivosti in ne nazadnje brezpogojne ljubezni do drugačnih. Žalostno je, da se o tem govori samo priložnostno, npr. med božičnimi prazniki, namesto, da bi se o tem govorilo ves čas in bi se za božič naredil le pregled ekonomskega napredka za preteklo leto."

- Andrej J. Jug
Vir: http://www.pozitivke.net/article.php/Predsedniska-Palaca-Zavest-Slovenija

Kaj ima castna straza za opraviti s tem, pa preberite v 'clanku'.