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| in short |

| a merry (history) tit-bit |

In 1645, Cromwell's Parliament abolished the observance of Christmas thus banning all civil festivities associated with the celebration of Christmas, including the sending of Christmas cards. The Puritans in Massachusetts bested Parliament by criminalizing Christmas 14 years later. In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense.

 

The "Five-Shilling Anti-Christmas Law" stated:

 

Whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas, or the like, either by forbearing labor, feasting, or any other way upon such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for each offense five shillings as a fine to the country.

 

The Five-Shilling Anti-Christmas Law was repealed in 1681.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Slaggate op ons land se paaie is ‘n algemene verskynsel. Dit raak in sekere gebiede so erg dat die plaaslike regering kennis-gewingborde oprig wat die padverbruiker teen die slaggate waarsku. Mens het al gewonder of die oprig van die borde nie duurder en meer tyd in beslag neem as die blote onderhoud van die pad nie.

 

>>> Lees verder (volledige artikel)

 

 

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) Amendment Act became operative from August 1 2008, effectively meaning that the amendments to the original RAF Act will replace the compensation system that promoted inequality and threatened the sustainability of the fund, with a system that is more equitable, fair and transparent for the victims of road accidents.

 

So why the change? These legislative amendments appear to have been triggered by the massive payout of R500-millihat the current compensation system is not sustainable and therefore it is in on to a certain Swiss resident, Joachim Schoss. The fund contends tthe interest of road-accident victims that limits be introduced for loss of earnings and support as well as general damages.

 

>>> Read further (full article)

 

 

| nowheresville |

| unwelcome holiday guests? |

What would you do if you arrived at your treasured holiday house only to find that some uninvited “guests” had decided to build themselves their very own holiday homes on your front lawn!? Would you institute PIE (Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act) proceedings?

 

Recently the Supreme Court of Appeal in Barnett and others v Minister of Land Affairs and others 2007 (6) SA 313 (SCA) had to decide whether some families who had taken the liberty of building themselves some pretty holiday cottages on State land would be forced to demolish them and vacate the area.

 

>>> Read further (full article)

 

 

| br!ghtshark |

| bit(ter)(torrent) fight to the end |

Towards the close of November, a legal spat has broken out between a number of South African Torrent sites and RiSA (the Recording Industry of SA – a lobbying group representing a number of South African music producers).

 

A what?

 

What is a torrent you may ask? A Torrent is basically a bookmark of files kept all over the internet and on users’ computers across the internet. Torrent sites collect these bookmarks and make them available so that other users can load the bookmark and automatically pull bits and bobs of the same file from all across the internet – with the resulting file being a perfect copy of the original file.

 

So what?

 

RiSA issued so-called take-down notices on a number of internet service providers in SA where a number of Torrent sites were hosted.

 

>>> Read further (full article)

 

| rollonfriday |

| terrified lawyer blames james bond |

A Canadian judge has ruled that a police officer does not have to remove his gun in court just because a lawyer is scared.

   

The lawyer, Sheldon Goldberg from Vancouver, had practised for over forty years and must have seen plenty of guns in his time as Canadian police routinely carry firearms in court. But in a recent case he was so intimidated he couldn't even bring himself to question the cop, and filed a petition asking for the gun to be removed.

   

When the judge asked him why he was afraid, Goldberg said that it could be because he'd just read a series of James Bond novels and was worried about the policeman's "licence to kill".

 

An incredulous judge thought Goldberg was joking at first, but when he realised that he wasn't, suggested that Goldberg "reconsider whether this is a road that he wants to go on". After further discussion, he said that if Goldberg was too scared to answer questions that was his problem and that his concerns had no basis in reality.

   

Goldberg's performance is now under review by the Law Society of British Columbia, where a mysterious Mr Blofeld is thought (by Goldberg) to be leading the investigation.

 

(This section is made possible courtesy of RollOnFriday.com, visit them at www.rollonfriday.com)

 

 

| admin stuff |

|as boring as the small print |

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