Wednesday,  July 18, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 005 • 28 of 30 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 27)

Viennese up in arms over movement to charge for tap water at cafes and restaurants

• VIENNA (AP) -- In Vienna's legendary coffee-house tradition, a free glass of tap water with your coffee has been a cherished part of everyday life.
• Now many Viennese are up in arms over a movement by restaurateurs to start charging for tap.
• It amounts to cultural sacrilege in a city where delicious tap water -- fed by Alpine springs -- is seen as a birthright, and part of the whole experience of lounging in centuries-old cafes or savoring young wine at one of the Austrian capital's many leafy outdoor eateries.
• For now, payment is voluntary, with 11 restaurants participating in a charity cam

paign meant to collect funds for clean water-starved Sierra Leone. But the establishments pocket half the water fee and prominent restaurateurs are starting to lobby for an obligatory tap water charge, unrelated to aid for Africa, just as the charity program has begun.
• Many Viennese suspect that the Sierra Leone campaign and industry calls to charge for water cannot be pure coincidence. Some see a cynical ploy to take advantage of charitable feeling for extra profit.
•

Today in History
The Associated Press

• Today is Wednesday, July 18, the 200th day of 2012. There are 166 days left in the year.
•
• Today's Highlight in History:
• On July 18, 1982, Guatemalan soldiers aided by members of civilian patrols stormed the highland village of Plan de Sanchez in search of leftist guerrillas, killing some 200 people. (In July 2005, the government of Guatemala accepted responsibility for the massacre, and apologized.)
•
• On this date:
• In A.D. 64, the Great Fire of Rome began.
• In 1536, the English Parliament passed an act declaring the authority of the pope

(Continued on page 29)

© 2012 Groton Daily Independent • To send correspondence, click here.