From the Annals of German Labor Law

Yes, but I'm not.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine brings us this delightful story (g): Call center employee, let's call him Christian, ended every conversation with a customer by saying "Jesus loves you! Thanks for your purchase." Employer: 'Where do you think you are, Alabama?' Not amused, fires employee.

Christian files lawsuit seeking reinstatement, citing his right to religious freedom. The Bochum labor court agrees. This will not surprise anyone who knows German labor courts, or Bochum. Employer appeals to the State Labor Court in Hamm, which decides that no, Christian's right to religious freedom doesn't include a right to tell strangers that Jesus loves them. An employee's religious freedom only outweighs an employer's right to control the employee's performance when job duties would cause 'conflicts of conscience', and Christian hasn't shown that refraining from telling customers that Jesus loves them would do so.

Interesting side note: A Muslim employee does have the right to refuse to handle alcohol on the job (g).

A Writer’s Greatest Compliment

Strolling through Istanbul is the sort of book you continue reading after you've left Istanbul, because you stumble upon gems like the following, during the book's leisurely description of Dolmabahce Palace (p. 422):

Evliya [Turkish chronicler Evliya Celebi] goes on to tell one of his astonishing stories about his unpredictable friend, Murat IV: "Sultan Murat IV happened once to be reading at Dolmabahce the satirical word Sohami of Nefii Efendi, when the lightning struck the ground near him: being terrified he threw the book into the sea, and then gave orders to Bayram Pasha to strangle the author Nefii Efendi."

Karamba, Karacho, Dance Party: Career Perspectives in Early 1970s Switzerland

This gripping Swiss television documentary profiles a one-week course offered 1973 to learn how to be a DJ. It ends with the participants being evaluated by a 'jury' made up, it would seem, of inexpertly revivified corpses. If you pass the 'strict' test,* you're blessed with a highly official-looking  'skill certificate' which will be your golden ticket to the glamorous world of disc jockeying! (h/t LS)

http://www.sf.tv/videoplayer/embed/63a1cac5-b37b-428e-b2a1-e1c51f8afc70

* If my understanding of Swiss-accented German is accurate (never a sure thing), the test has a 'theory' component!