And finally in local news, the Luxembourg Family Ministry has released an approved list of pet names. Just as parents naming their children must select a name from the list of approved names, now pet owners also must choose names that are on the Ministry's approved list. Pet owners seeking to name their pet an unusual name must seek special permission from the Ministry. The laws are meant to prevent unnecessary cruelty and bullying based on unusual names. The government passed the recent law after a group of animal rights activists had encountered a guinea pig named Roobidoo.
Of course I immediately thought that I couldn't wait to post this bizarre Luxembourgish law on my blog. Disappointingly, it appears it was only an April Fools joke. The thing is, we had previously noticed and commented on how funny the local news here is. It's all very small town gossip.
Here is a link to where you can read some past actual news reports. It will give you an idea of why we actually believed this "approved pet names" news bit. Just imagine some of these as actual news reports anywhere in the U.S., especially like, New York. A few of my favorites:
MAN FREAKS OUT AT AIRPORT
The police had to persue a man all over the departures terminal at the airport on Sunday afternoon. The man flew into a rage because he didn’t want to pay his taxi fare. When police arrived and tried to calm him down, he ran through the check-in desks and jumped onto the luggage conveyor belt. He then leaped at one of the officers and tried to snatch his service revolver. He was subdued with pepper spray and taken into custody. It later transpired that he had also covered the walls of a hotel room with graffiti, before heading for Findel in a taxi.
Dr TERZIS
Three doctors from the Centre Hospitalier in Kirchberg must pay fines of 1 000 euros each after being convicted of defaming their former boss. They must also pay damages of 40 000 euros to Dr Terzis, the former head of the neurological unit. The court found that some of allegations of malpractice the doctors made in a letter sent to he hospital’s management were not proved and were libellous. But Dr Terzis was sacked by hospital on the basis of some of the evidence of the letter. An employment tribunal last year fuled that his dismissal was correct. The Centre Hospitalier said it was flabbergasted by the judgement and the court had failed to take into account that doctors must put the interests of patients above their colleagues’ reputations. The convicted doctors plan to appeal.
GUN FOR
Police arrested a man on Monday night near the station who was trying to sell a gun and the bullets that went with it. He admitted having brought firearm in a rucksack all the way from Esch sur Alzette on the bus. He was spotted trying to sell the gun by a patrol on the lookout for drug dealers. The gun has been confiscated and the man will be charged.
LANGUAGE LEARNING LEAVE
Starting today anyone wanting to learn Luxembourgish is entitled to 200 hours paid study leave from their work. The choice of course and teaching institution is entirely up to the student. You need to apply to the employment ministry and get the approval of your employer, which can only be refused in exceptional circumstances. Employers will be reimbursed by the ministry at a rate up to 4 times the minimum wage. There’s more information on the website mte.public.lu.
BEWARE OF THE CROCODILE….
A woman called the police on Tuesday evening to say she had spotted a crocodile in Capellen. The woman was worried because it was lurking near a kindergarten. Police rushed to the scene, but soon realised that there was no crocodile there at all. What they did find was a large monitor lizard, which was living safely in captivity in a garden next door to the crèche.
AND FINALLY…
Police stopped two cyclists on the motorway near Sterpenich in the early hours of yesterday morning. The men were riding along the hard shoulder, wearing dark clothing and without any bicycle lights. They were only about a kilometre from the Belgian border when they were stopped. They told police they were on their way to Arlon. They were both well above the legal alcohol limit, so they have now both lost their driving licences.
