THE MASK OF FREEDOM
Boundaries are the norm
The specter that haunts under the name Covid-19 (Corona) leads to all kinds of heated discussions. In the discussion about whether (and in which cases) a mouth mask should be worn, reference is often made to the concept of ‘freedom’. The mandatory wearing of a mouth mask is seen as a deprivation of freedom, or at least as a restriction of ‘our’ (fundamental) freedom. This is then usually countered by the argument that, for example, the compulsory wearing of a helmet on a motorcycle or a seat belt in a car is also a restriction of …
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WILL 2012 BE A BETTER YEAR?
It depends on us!
What do you and I have in common? That we probably, just like all other people on earth, are descended from a people that lived in Africa in a far past. Thus considered we are all brothers and sisters. One big family, one big community, but not as closely and not as strongly connected as many of us would like it to be.
In the course of history differences have increased. Differences, for example, in appearance, in color, in language, in religion, in culture, in education, in prosperity etc. And with these differences, contradictions arose: between …
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DUTCH SAME-SEX COUPLES HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS OPPOSITE-MARRIED COUPLES IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN
Spigthoff represented plaintiff
According to a recent court ruling in the Netherlands Antilles (Court of First Instance, 17 July 2008), a same-sex couple that was married in the Netherlands and subsequently moved to the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao), has the same rights under Netherlands Antilles law (or Aruban law as the case may be) as Netherlands Antilles opposite-married couples as far as health insurance is concerned. Dr. Douwe Boersema of Spigthoff Attorneys & Tax Advisers on Curacao represented the couple.
Same-sex couples have been able to marry in the Netherlands for the last seven years. However, Aruba and the …
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NEW GERMAN GAMING LAW IN VIOLATION WITH EU LAW
State monopolies granted exclusivity
New gaming/gambling legislation entered into force in Germany on 1 January 2008. Although one would expect Germany to observe the laws and regulations of the European Community, it confirmed the country’s state monopolies on lotteries and sports betting and, despite several judgments of the EU Court of Justice (e.g. Placanica et al.), it outlawed any other online gambling from both foreign and domestic sources.
It is also forbidden to place a bet from a computer in Germany with an operator outside Germany whose server is also outside Germany. In other words: it is illegal for Germans when …
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