Worldlog Week 42 – 2012

‘The road to a European state is presented as unavoidable given the fact that we now have a single currency. If we were wise, we would argue at the upcoming European summit against the further erosion of the strong member states and for the introduction of parallel currencies alongside the euro to solve the euro crises. Any form of far-reaching integration would mean a reduction of prosperity, an erosion of democracy and the breakdown of autonomy.’

That was my message during the debate in the Lower House last week on the position the Netherlands should take at this week’s European summit. We do not wish to cooperate on a disastrous course of political and economic integration, but want to see the euro crisis solved in another manner. In today’s Europe, with all its different economies, maintaining a single currency is difficult and complex and that is why it would be good to have parallel currencies alongside the euro.

Last week we landed twice in a top 100 list 😉 Magazine Opzij has proclaimed me one of the 100 most powerful women in the Netherlands. This list of a hundred women, which is divided into ten categories, features me as a newcomer in the category “politics”. Esther and I are also in daily newspaper Trouw’s Sustainable top 100. Great!

Shocking images have come to our attention of cows being terribly mistreated for the cheese on Burger King’s Whoppers. To be fair, Burger King is more focused on animal welfare than other fast-food chains, which have not yet been filmed. You can view the images here. Be warned. The images are shocking.

The Dutch Royal Family was in the spotlight last week. The Spanish Royal Family costs five times less than its Dutch counterpart while Spain has three times as many inhabitants as the Netherlands. That’s a factor of fifteen. We want to see greater transparency on the royal budget. In times of austerity, it is crucial that the Lower House is able to monitor the rising costs of the Royal Family. Furthermore, I have asked prime minister Rutte whether the Royal Hunt Department, which has undergone a euphemistic name-change and is now known as the Royal Department for Fauna Management, in any way supports, financially or otherwise, hunts by members of the royal family.

Bhutan is setting a wonderful example for the rest of the world. The government of Bhutan has decided that all agriculture in the country is to be 100 percent biological. Go Bhutan!

People think up the craziest animal-unfriendly stunts these days to attract visitors to zoos. The owner of a Florida zoo is letting visitors swim with a young tiger for 150 dollars. Alternatively, visitors can opt to swim with an alligator for 75 dollars. But don’t worry, its jaws have been taped shut…

More news about the bizarre hobbies some people have: in a number of countries in Africa foreign tourists can legally shoot dead a buffalo, lion or elephant for just under 80,000 dollars. And people are doing it too, just because they can 🙁

View the trailer of the film A Thirsty World on water consumption in the West and the lack of clean drinking water in other parts of the world.

Have a good week! Marianne