+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Culture (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-49.html)
+--- Forum: Law & Ethics (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-105.html)
+--- Thread: "Right to repair" rule in EU + Dutch sex workers decry coronavirus curbs (/thread-9882.html)
"Right to repair" rule in EU + Dutch sex workers decry coronavirus curbs - C C - Mar 2, 2021
The right to repair: Europe wants a revolution in how electronics are produced and repaired
https://www.zmescience.com/science/the-right-to-repair-europe-wants-a-revolution-in-how-electronics-are-produced-and-repaired/
EXCERPT: The [European Union] bloc has introduced a new rule through which companies that sell some consumer electronic goods will need to ensure that those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years – seeking to reduce the large amount of electronic waste that’s produced every year. The move is part of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, with the objective of reducing the consumption footprint and doubling the circular material use rate. Instead of products that break down fast and can’t be reused, repaired, or recycled, green products will be the new norm across the member countries of the bloc.
“This is a really big step in the right direction” Daniel Affelt of the environmental group BUND-Berlin, which runs several “repair cafes” that helps people with repairs, told AP. “People want to repair their appliances. When you tell them that there are no spare parts for a device that’s only a couple of years old then they are obviously really frustrated by that.”
Under the new rules, manufacturers in the EU will have to make sure that the parts are available for up to ten years. Some will only be given to professional repair companies so to ensure the parts are installed correctly. At the same time, new devices will have to include repair manuals and be made in a way that they can be dismantled with conventional tools.
Still, this only applies to washing machines, hairdryers, refrigerators, and TVs. Campaigners want the EU to also consider covering smartphones, laptops, and other consumer electronics. France is already a step ahead... (MORE - details)
Dutch sex workers decry coronavirus curbs: “Everything is possible, I have a very long whip. So no risk at all.”
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/03/02/dutch-sex-workers-decry-coronavirus-curbs/
RELEASE: Several dozen sex workers protested in front of the Dutch parliament on Tuesday against a government decision to ease coronavirus restrictions for some professions but not sex work, normally legal in the Netherlands. The protesters carried red umbrellas and signs reading “Blow jobs are real jobs” and “Sex work: Yes. Stigma: No.”
“I’m protesting because sex workers are being discriminated against. You can go to the hairdresser or you can go to a massage therapist but you can’t go and see a sex worker,” said sex worker and candidate in the March parliamentary election Yvette Luhrs.
Last week Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced so-called contact professions such as hairdressers and massage therapists could reopen as of Wednesday. He specifically excluded sex work, saying it was impossible to be safe if people were in a job were its in its nature to be very close together. Protesters in The Hague disagreed.
“I’m an S&M mistress. It’s no problem at all to keep the 1.5 meter distance. I can lock them up in a cage, stay far away from them, (I can) even implement COVID rules, we can play doctor, I can put them on a dog leash. Everything is possible, I have a very long whip. So no risk at all,” said one Rotterdam sex worker who identified herself as Princess Patricia. Dutch coronavirus infection figures have been slowly on the rise in recent weeks. The health authorities said on Tuesday that the week on week infection numbers rose 7 percent to 31,984 people.