I’m always particularly angry to see taxpayers’ money being wasted on ridiculous Government projects. One such investigation is reported by Fox News. The federal government is spending $178,000 to better understand why drug-abusing prostitutes in Thailand are at greater risk for HIV infection, an endeavor taxpayer watchdogs are calling a huge waste of American taxpayers’… Continue reading Your taxes at work
Tag: Bureaucracy
Big Brother gets more intrusive on the road
I’m bothered by two recent reports, one from each side of the Atlantic. From England it’s reported that a new in-car computer may soon control your speed while driving – whether you like it or not. A sophisticated in-car computer could soon make it impossible for motorists to speed. The system detects the speed limit… Continue reading Big Brother gets more intrusive on the road
Habitat OR humanity – the question in Australia
Back in February I blogged about the devastating wildfires in Victoria, Australia. The final death toll was 173. Now, the BBC reports that an official inquiry into what happened, and why, is stirring major controversy between urban ‘Green’ viewpoints and those of rural dwellers. It’s something that’s very relevant to the same debate in the… Continue reading Habitat OR humanity – the question in Australia
Doofus Of The Day #206
Today’s Doofus title is collectively awarded to the administration of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, England. As the Daily Mail reports: Stepladders have been banned from part of Oxford University’s historic Bodleian library – because of health and safety fears. The ruling by officials means that students cannot use items on the higher shelves… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #206
The nanny state strikes again!
Perhaps that heading should be ‘the nanny supermarket’. There’s a blog in England called Nanny Knows Best. It seeks to document the various and sundry stupidities of the Nanny State, which tries to control everything and everyone in the interests of an ephemeral and vacuous public safety. The latest idiocy to catch my eye on… Continue reading The nanny state strikes again!
The 2009 Wacky Warning Label Contest results are in!
To the joy of connoisseurs everywhere, the winners of the annual Wacky Warning Label Contest have just been announced. A toilet seat that attaches to a trailer hitch has gained national recognition — for a warning label that says you’d better not use it while the vehicle is moving. “The Original Off-Road Commode” won this… Continue reading The 2009 Wacky Warning Label Contest results are in!
What’s in a name?
It seems that the New Zealand Geographic Board has stirred up a storm with a recent announcement. You’d think that knowing the names of the major parts of your own country would be fairly simple to get right – but authorities in New Zealand were surprised to discover that their country’s two main islands weren’t… Continue reading What’s in a name?
Not your usual anniversary commemorative gift!
A Swedish town is a bit red-faced, and reconsidering its anniversary gift policy, after one of its employees chose something . . . shall we say, a bit off the beaten track? An employee who chose a new toilet to mark his 25 years of service for a municipality in southern Sweden has officials in… Continue reading Not your usual anniversary commemorative gift!
Can sex offenders be safely released from prison?
You may have read the Supreme Court’s emergency interim ruling in the ongoing case of U.S. v. Comstock, announced yesterday. The Supreme Court has blocked the imminent release of dozens of sex offenders who have served their federal sentences after the Obama administration claimed many of them remain “sexually dangerous.” Chief Justice John Roberts on… Continue reading Can sex offenders be safely released from prison?
Gobbledygook again
Back in March last year, I wrote about the undoing of gobbledygook and the efforts of the Plain English Campaign to reduce it. Last week, a report from Britain’s local government association highlighted this problem in UK municipalities, and issued a list of 200 words and phrases it wants to see eliminated. Autonomous benchmarking of… Continue reading Gobbledygook again