Archive | Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts

The Tree-House is Gone

Hi Readers. Yup. The one we nsrhrzasrs discussed a couple posts ago has been dismantled. Here’s the story. It was too dangerous, the local council deemed. Personally, I liked one commenter’s idea that the folks who voted against it should have been required to spend an afternoon in it first. But I guess that didn’t […]

Continue Reading
The Not-So-Magic Tree House

The Not-So-Magic Tree House

Hi Readers: Use this instead of coffee to get your heart pounding on a Monday morning: A tree house that has been delighting children in the Bondi neighborhood of Sydney, Australia, for six years could be torn down soon, says the Sydney nsiainyibs Morning Herald: Made by a builder, the Bondi cubby has attracted complaints […]

Continue Reading
School Inspectors Say: Trees Too Dangerous!

School Inspectors Say: Trees Too Dangerous!

Hi stnfsahkiy Readers — This is a column I wrote for Creators, my syndicate. (Feel free to ask your local paper to carry me every week!) Anyway, I wanted to make sure you saw this one, so here it is. Happy weekend! — L. NO CHILD LEFT OUTSIDE For almost a half-century, kids at the […]

Continue Reading
Uh...Outlawing SQUIRT GUNS?

Uh…Outlawing SQUIRT GUNS?

Hi Readers — Am I reading habnekndbi this proposed law correctly? It’s from Hawaii. Could it actually seek to outlaw… selling squirt guns to minors? I’m reading it wrong, right?  Or it’s early and I’m still asleep? Or someone stole our planet and replaced it with the wacky one made out of Silly Putty? Help! […]

Continue Reading
What Is The LEAST Dangerous, Cutest Thing We Can Outlaw Next?

What Is The LEAST Dangerous, Cutest Thing We Can Outlaw Next?

Hi Readers: Here we go again. For the sake of the children (somehow), schools are looking at whether they should banish class pets. After all, they could spread DISEASE! And they are (somehow) a liability! And ________________!  (Fill in the blank with something else bad they do. I know that’s kind of hard, but if […]

Continue Reading

“No Touch” Policy is Insane for Music Teachers

Hi Readers — I touched (ha ha — so to speak!) upon this issue in my Golden Helicopter Awards: The fact that the British Musicians Union has told its members (ha ha again) not to lay (ha ha) a finger on any child they are giving music lessons. Most cheeringly, England’s Education Secretary, Michael Grove, […]

Continue Reading

Outrage of the Nanosecond: Stop That Egg!

Hi Readers — Just because it’s an outrage kind of day, here’s another: A woman was detained at the Canadian border because she was bringing in a Kinder Surprise Egg. You know — the chocolate candy with a prize inside. The problem? That prize presents a choking hazard! The BIGGER problem? A law equating candy […]

Continue Reading

Outrage of the Day: Toddler on Dad’s Shoulders “In Danger”

Hi Readers — This is less about a society than gone crazy than something that drives ME crazy: Power in the hands of people without brains. This particular iykfkdferk incident involves a family at a festival in Sydney, Australia. The dad hoisted his not-quite-2-year-old onto his shoulders to get a better look. A guard told […]

Continue Reading

Weapons of (Christ)mas Destruction

Hi Readers! So many folks sent in ttfirnhtbk this story today, I present it to you in all its insanity, even though it struck me as a little too bizarre and garbled to be 100% accurate. For instance, the crazy accusations were reported to the press only by one of the accused. Ho ho hmm. […]

Continue Reading