eu biofuels, pt 1

I'm writing a paper on a legislative proposal currently being debated in the European Union parliament - sustainably produced biofuels. Here's some initial thoughts.

My question to answer is how the proposal's requirement that biofuels be sustainably produced will bump up against the EU's trade law obligations to members of the World Trade Organization. Will that requirement be considered "illegal," and if so, why?

Possible responses:

First of all, who cares?

Ok, so maybe we should care. But what's going on right now? Doesn't the EU have something out there that already deals with this problem? What about already existing international trade law?

Oh, the GATT, you say? What's that about? Other WTO agreements? Do tell.

prayers on the go

Today I was walking to the bus, trying to remember a favorite prayer. I got about half of it right, and the spirit was there. I wanted to get it completely right, though. So I decided to search the Apps Store, and I found a free Baha'i Prayers download for iPhone! Awesome.

Baha'i Faith Holy Days 1.1

Found this great download for iCal. It's a super timesaver since I don't have a paper calendar preprinted with Feasts and Holy Days. Totally easy - I definitely recommend it!

foreground/background

in the foreground:
So glad that the MPRE is over. Who knows how I did, but at least it's over!

I should be writing - have a draft of a paper on biofuels in the EU due in two weeks. Hm, I am writing... but I don't think this counts for my grade.

I'm getting used to using Evernote to keep myself organized. So far I just keep stuff in my head instead of figuring out how to access it from the program. It's just too confusing! But I think I'm slowly getting the hang of the tags, and how I'm going to make it work for me.

in the background:
Lately been thinking about the lenses through which I see the world, or the stories I tell myself. One is that I have to be perfect. Another is that right and wrong are very clear, and I am clearly right. It's been helpful for me to notice when when I get stuck in these stories, because they tend to trip me up (and the people I love) if I don't realize what's going on.

I realized just today that one of my stories is that I'm insignificant and boring. So to get people to listen to insignificant and boring me, I have to rush through what I have to say, or give them not-so-subtle cues how to respond. Hmm... confusing, manipulative, much? Insignificant and boring is not who I really am, it's just the story I have about myself. And since that story is not going to go away, I'm going to be the one to put it in its place. Every time it comes up. This time I'm being confident and creative and expressed. Next time I may need to be another way, and I'll get to that when it shows up.

being expressed

With the help of dear friends I've recently realized that being fully self-expressed is vitally important for me.

This blog is part of that expression. Thank you for being part of it.

Trail of crumbs

This is a really moving memoir by Kim Sunee. For me it has brought up love, multiracial identity, and self-knowledge, among other things. Thanks to my mama for passing it along!

Back

I have officially reclaimed this blog and given it a new look. Now what? Stay tuned to find out :)