2981 a few bits of news

two things that jumped out at me this week which are part of those strange things that happen here , one was the fact that its now official here, you cannot call someone a dirty n****r ... here its considered this day in 2006 as a racial abuse comment... well the italian equvalent ... it just surprised me ... but its a step forward...

the other strange thing is that if you are a politician or a journalist in italy there are obviously certain priviliges to be had... like most of the world... but if you happen to be not married and living with someone here it seems that they are the only two jobs where the person that lives with you gets the full state benefits attached to them in the same degree as if you were married ... ie health care and pension rights... based on the partners job... the politician part is obvious the journalist... well i guess the politicians didnt want the journalist making a big fuss and making most of the population aware.. especially now with a fifty percent divorce rate and many couples not being married again after that fact it might be considered unfair that some have rights and some have none