Some of the latest goings on in the world of regulation:
- Incandescent light bulbs are now banned in the EU. But some clever souls have found a loophole. Since the law applies only to household use and exempts industrial uses, at least two manufacturers have re-branded their bulbs to say they are intended for industrial use. The reason they are doing this is simple: their customers want them to.
- Hunter Spanjer, age three and a half, is deaf. His preschool has also asked him to change his name because it violates the school’s weapons policy. The sign for “Hunter” resembles a point-and-shoot gesture, which makes perfect sense. The school officials, however, do not.
- Canada’s government gave an $800,000 handout to a sausage company so it can develop a non-exploding sausage.
- UK health and safety inspectors strike again: high-rise apartment dwellers in Leeds may no longer place doormats outside their doors. Inspectors say they are a fire hazard.
- An amorous Australian couple’s loud lovemaking violates the Environmental Protection Act of 1993. They face a $4,000 fine. Under the Act, noise is considered a form of pollution.
- A 68-year old man was fired from his Wells Fargo job because he stole ten cents from a laundromat in 1963. New federal regulations require bank employees to have clean criminal records. No blemish is too small or too long ago.
Inertia Wins! 