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Odds and Ends
By Devin D. O'Leary
JANUARY 4, 1999:
Dateline: France--The French Parliament gave its final
approval last Tuesday to legislation intended to eliminate pitbull
terriers from the country over the next 10 years. The bill bans
the acquisition, sale or importation of "attack dogs"
such as pitbulls. Specified dogs already in France will have to
be sterilized. Pitbulls have become highly popular pets in France,
but have been involved in a series of high-profile attacks.
Dateline: Belgium--A scientific study into the production
method of traditional paté de foie gras has European gourmets
crying foul. The traditional Christmas appetizer--made from the
livers of ducks and geese which have been force-fed large amounts
of grain--came under attack from an independent panel of European
Union scientists. The scientists submitted their "non-binding
advice" to the European Commission, which must now decide
whether to use the recommendations as a basis for a legislative
proposal. One "extreme" option, the scientists said,
could be an outright ban on foie gras. In their study, the scientists
had concluded that "force-feeding as currently practiced
is detrimental to the welfare of birds." The scientists failed
to mention that having their livers ground into paté is
also "detrimental to the welfare of birds."
Dateline: Romania--In order to fill gaps in the national
budget, Romanian Finance Minister Decebal Traian Remes has dreamed
up an innovative new "chair tax." If the proposed law
is approved by the government, bars, restaurants and cake shops
would be required to pay an annual tax of $25 for each chair they
employ. One county in southern Romania has already found a way
around the tax--restaurateurs and bar owners are replacing their
chairs with benches.
Dateline: Scotland--Proving that there's no human tragedy
so great that it can't be properly exploited, police in Lockerbie,
Scotland, announced that burglars took advantage of the 10th anniversary
of one of the world's worst plane crashes to loot houses in the
area. Sunday, Dec. 20 was the 10th anniversary of the Pan Am flight
103 bombing over Lockerbie. On board, 259 people were killed by
a terrorist bomb. On the ground, 11 more died as a result of falling
debris. Most people in the tiny Scottish town were attending church
memorial services when the robberies took place.
Dateline: Texas--El Paso County officials recently declared
tiny Buford, Texas, null and void, claiming it was a sham set
up to protect sex businesses. Buford, located some 40 miles east
of El Paso, has about 50 people and more than a dozen adult bookstores
and strip clubs. It straddles Interstate 10 and is a favorite
stop for truck drivers. Since its incorporation in 1962, Buford
has never had an election or a government. The El Paso County
Attorney filed suit in state district court to eliminate Buford
and got a favorable ruling from a judge last month. No appeal
was filed by the deadline last Sunday, and so the county wiped
Buford from the maps, making its sole industry subject to county
regulations, which ban sex businesses. Sergio Gonzalez, attorney
for the Buford business community, plans to file suit in federal
court seeking to overturn the ruling, and he denies that Buford
is a sham. "It's just an inactive municipality, that's all,"
Gonzalez said.
Dateline: Michigan--The Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, a
consumer advocacy group, has awarded its top honors in this year's
Wacky Warning Label Contest to the incomparably dumb "Remove
your child before folding the baby stroller." The group,
which hopes to shed light on frivolous lawsuits, also awarded
runner-up status to a sleeping pill prescription warning that
the drug may cause sleepiness, a fireplace lighter caution against
using the device near fire, flame or sparks and a laser printer
cartridge warning people not to eat the toner.
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