I was both amused and disgusted to read that the British bureaucracy has struck again – this time at the World Walking The Plank Championship in Kent. Pirates taking part in an annual walk-the-plank competition were told to cancel the event by health and safety bosses unless they could prove the sea water was clean… Continue reading Shiver me politically-correct timbers, matey, arrr!
Tag: Bureaucracy
The British Ministry of Defense has a black eye
I’m cynically amused to see that the British Ministry of Defense is having a hard time locating the equipment it’s supposed to have. Bungling Ministry of Defence officials have ‘lost’ desperately-needed military equipment worth £6.6 billion [US $10.9 billion] including vehicles, weapons and battlefield radios. With ministers under fire over their support for troops fighting… Continue reading The British Ministry of Defense has a black eye
Doofus Of The Day #256
Today’s Doofus title is collectively awarded to the staff of the Canadian embassy in Kenya. A Canadian woman, stranded in Kenya for three months because officials said she did not resemble her passport photo, has arrived home in Toronto. Suaad Mohamud was prevented in May from returning from a two-week holiday. Canadian consular officials accused… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #256
Doofus Of The Day #249 Revisited
At the beginning of the month, our Doofus Of The Day #249 title was awarded to a busload of British immigration officials, who allowed an illegal immigrant to stow away on their bus while returning from France to England. He made a successful getaway, and has not yet been found. Now it appears that he… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #249 Revisited
Taking a stand in New York City
New York City’s firearms regulations are amongst the most draconian in the land. It’s virtually impossible to get a permit to carry a weapon for self-defense, and almost as difficult to get a permit to keep one in your home. Now a Brooklyn man is standing up for his rights – and seems to have… Continue reading Taking a stand in New York City
A hidden danger in Government health care
Old NFO has discovered a little-discussed provision in the omnibus health bill now being argued over in Congress and the Senate. It involves medical care at the end of life. You can read his whole post here, and the full Bill is online here in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. Pages 425-430 are the important part.… Continue reading A hidden danger in Government health care
The financial equivalent of a one-finger salute*
I was amused – and pleased – to read of the reaction of a New Zealand gentleman when his bank denied him a loan. Defiant Mapua artist Roger Griffiths today made a stand against Westpac by withdrawing his $190,000 savings in $20 notes. The bank provided a red-and-black carry bag to take away the cash… Continue reading The financial equivalent of a one-finger salute*
Warning sign FAIL!
I love the habit, particularly in Britain, of graffitists adding their own sentiments to official signs. It appeals to the irreverent streak in me, I guess. I learned today of one of the funniest examples of this sort of humor. It seems that a British hospital had experienced several cases of ‘blue baby syndrome‘, where… Continue reading Warning sign FAIL!
From porn star to bus driver
One has to laugh at the incongruity of it all. A newly qualified bus driver is facing the sack after it emerged that she is a well known porn star. Audrey, 24 and the reigning ‘Miss Nude Belgium 2009’, passed all her driving tests following a six week intensive course in the city of Liege… Continue reading From porn star to bus driver
Bureaucracy gone mad – again!
I’m infuriated to read of the cavalier attitude of Lambeth Council, in south London, England. They decided they were going to make a portion of road, previously open to parking, into a no-parking zone. They duly hired contractors to paint a double yellow line on it. The contractors arrived, only to find the car of… Continue reading Bureaucracy gone mad – again!