Wednesday, July 13, 2005
- This case from France lends new meaning to the term "frivolous lawsuit"- the UK Guardian reports that five cleaning ladies who organized a carpool to transport them to their jobs in Luxembourg are being sued by a bus company who claims using their cars constitutes "unfair competition":
The women, who live in Moselle and work five days a week at EU offices in Luxembourg, are being taken to court by Transports Schiocchet Excursions, which runs a service along the route. It wants the women to be fined and their cars confiscated. Two years ago a business tribunal threw out the company's case. It is now pursuing the women in a higher court, claiming that their action has cost it €2m (£1.4m). The women explained that for many years cleaners used the TSE line for the 40-minute ride across the border, which cost them €110 (£76) a month.
Besides being assholery of the finest sort, I don't see how a few years' worth of bus rides (at €110 a month per person) adds up to €2 million in losses for a bus company. Another thought: does TSE honestly consider these cleaning ladies a "deep pockets" entity?
"Using our cars is quicker and at least twice as cheap. And on the bus we didn't have the right to eat or even to speak," said Martine Bourguignon. Odette Friedmann added: "In the evening instead of coming to get us at 9.30pm the bus would arrive at 10.30pm. If you made any comment to the driver you'd get a mouthful of abuse." [read full article, via Overlawyered, or at Liberation.fr en Francais] - Frank Herbert's classic Düne, in Hungarian (.rtf Rich Text File, requires Word or similar app to open)
- Homebrewers and Creative Commons fans, try cooking up a batch of Vores Øl, the Danish "open source" beer with guarana, whose "stimulating effect nicely balances the drowsiness that is associated with beer." *Burp*
- Explore real Italian cuisine at Cucina Italiana online World Edition
- Listen: Sisters by Mistake, an Estonian all-girl band
- Better late than never: I've recently discovered the joys of podcasting - listening, that is - after hearing about Chicago's outrageous Yeast Radio and Feast of Fools shows. If you're up for unexpurgated, raunchy, delightfully offensive and downright hilarious homemade radio shows (read more in the article "Poddy Mouth," featured in the Chicago Tribune Red Eye), fire up your mp3 player and enjoy. At last - another use for my trusty Rio S10, and another reason for people to look at me cross-eyed on the "L" when I laugh to myself as I listen. [Definitely NSFW]
farkleberries Links du Jour 106: The € Edition
