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Archive for the ‘Europe’ Category

From the WTF??? Department.

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

I’m quite used to bigotry by now, and to the outrageous ways people act because of it. But after reading this story I could only shake my head in amazement that anybody could have such ludicrous notions.

An Italian court has ordered the government to pay 100,000 euros (£79,919) to a man who had to retake his driving test because he was gay.

Danilo Giuffrida, now 26, told doctors he was homosexual during a medical examination for military service.

The information was passed to the defence and transport ministries.

Mr Giuffrida was told to repeat his driving test or have his licence suspended because of his “sexual identity disturbance”.

Mr Giuffrida passed his test for the second time but his licence was renewed for just one year rather than the usual 10 years because of his homosexuality.

A court in Catania, Sicily, ordered the ministries to pay damages on the basis that Mr Giuffrida’s constitutional rights had been breached and that homosexuality could not be considered a “mental illness”.

The judge said the actions of the ministries showed “evident sexual discrimination”.

They actually believed that not only was Mr. Giuffrida potentially a poor driver just because he was gay, but that his license required more frequent renewals as well? Where do people get these bizarre ideas?

Never mind. I’d rather not know. I’m just glad Mr. Giuffrida got a good settlement. I also hope that, though the story doesn’t mention it, the involved employees got the shaft. They certainly deserve it.

 

Happy Birthday: Vincent van Gogh.

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Dutch Post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853. In addition to enriching the world with his many exquisite works of art he worked briefly as a teacher and as a missionary worker. Despite some quotes attributed to him, van Gogh likely wasn’t an atheist or even an agnostic as some believe though he may have experienced some doubts as many do. Nonetheless the world is a much more beautiful place for his having been here. So here is to Vincent van Gogh.

 

Self-Portrait, c.1890

I can very well do without God both in my life and in my painting, but I cannot, suffering as I am, do without something which is greater than I am, which is my life, the power to create.

Van Gogh's Chair

That God of the clergymen, He is for me as dead as a doornail. But am I an atheist for all that? The clergymen consider me as such— be it so; but I love, and how could I feel love if I did not live, and if others did not live, and then, if we live, there is something mysterious in that. Now call that God, or human nature or whatever you like, but there is something which I cannot define systematically, though it is very much alive and very real, and see, that is God, or as good as God. To believe in God for me is to feel that there is a God, not a dead one, or a stuffed one, but a living one, who with irresistible force urges us toward aimer encore; that is my opinion.

The Public Garden