Article

2006-01-29 Europe

EUcrats attempting to ban UK 'pinta', sliced bread

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Posted by lotp 2006-01-29 07:01|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "The plans have come about because the European commission wants to harmonise EU rules on pre-packaged food quantities that prescribe the size of packs in which some types of food such as milk, butter and bread must be sold."

The European urge to regulate, for the sheer joy of regulating, is nothing short of awesome.

I got to witness it up-close and personal a few years back on a working group of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) that was drafting a data communication standard for industrial instrumentation.

The American firms on the team sought to arrive at a datacomm standard that would prescribe the minimum requirements necessary to have sensors and actuators work together on a network without interfering with one another. Same with the British representatives, and the Brazilians.

But the continental Europeans-- especially the French-- continually sought to regulate EVERYTHING having to do with these devices, even those functional aspects that were completely unrelated to datacomm. Nail everything down, even if completely irrelevant; cast everything in concrete; don't leave anything undefined or unspecified.

It was astonishing and infuriating, and resulted in a five-year running battle to keep the Continentals from larding up the standard with irrelevant crap whose only effect would be to limit-- gasp!-- competition.

I came away from that effort convinced that continental Europeans have some sort of neurotic attachment to regulation, some deep-seated urge to conformity that's just incomprehensible to the rest of us. Maybe they feel that unless they tie one another down with frivolous rules they'll start fighting again and before you know it there'll be another World War. Or something like that.

No wonder my ancestors got the Hell outta there...

Posted by Dave D.">Dave D. 2006-01-29 09:23|| 2006-01-29 09:23|| Front Page Top

#2 whose only effect would be to limit-- gasp!-- competition.

Yeah, that's been my experience too. It's why their OSI data protocol stack never took off, but the simpler TCP/IP protocols that were defined for DOD became the basis for the Internet.

Lots of passive aggressive activity in standards committees ....

Posted by lotp 2006-01-29 09:34|| 2006-01-29 09:34|| Front Page Top

#3 I once had the dubious distinction of doing some packaging equipment business in Europe and Japan simultaneously. The Europeans insisted on putting on so many safeties and interlocks that the equipment was almost unusable. The Japanese insisted on almost none -- even less than American practice. I pointed out the disparity in regard to a heat sealer to a Japanese associate. His comment was something to the effect that "only an idiot would stick his hand in a heat sealer. Japanese are not idiots."

Posted by Darrell 2006-01-29 10:38|| 2006-01-29 10:38|| Front Page Top

#4 British school bans raising hands to prevent victimization.

LONDON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A school in London has banned children from raising their hands in class and teachers from calling on students with their hands raised.

...
Buck said the same children often wave their arms in the air, but when teachers try to involve less adventurous pupils by choosing them instead, it leads to feelings of victimization, the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

To spare embarrassment of the students who do not know the answer, the school has incorporated a "phone a friend" system, allowing one child to nominate another to take the question instead.

Posted by CrazyFool 2006-01-29 11:20|| 2006-01-29 11:20|| Front Page Top

#5 "Some pupils are jiggling so much to attract the teacher's attention that it sometimes looks as if they need the lavatory, then when it is their turn they often don't know the answer. Boys -- and it is usually boys -- are seeking attention, so they put their hands up before they have had time to think about the question."

Let's see, young boys - waving their arms off "pick me, pick me" and don't know a damn thing when someone does "pick me".

Such horror, such embarassement to be put on the spot - and so unexpectedly. Why it's an offense to the child's "honour".

Why does one suspect that these are muslim children?

Embarassement is a good teacher. Normal children would learn after a few incidents of shame to keep their damn hands down unless they know the answer. Embarassement can be a powerful motivator. Why remove the learning experience from the poor darlings? Why let assholes off the hook?

Posted by Hupomoger Clans9827">Hupomoger Clans9827 2006-01-29 12:04|| 2006-01-29 12:04|| Front Page Top

#6 Geebus, my inner teacher is spinning in his grave!

Posted by twobyfour 2006-01-29 15:17|| 2006-01-29 15:17|| Front Page Top

#7
metric crow tastes less filing, imperial measures tastes great.

Posted by RD 2006-01-29 16:27|| 2006-01-29 16:27|| Front Page Top

#8 There goes the Socratic method of teaching.

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2006-01-29 16:36|| 2006-01-29 16:36|| Front Page Top

#9 To spare embarrassment of the students who do not know the answer, the school has incorporated a "phone a friend" system, allowing one child to nominate another to take the question instead.

"Who Wants To Be a Millionaire Schoolboy?"

Posted by Wheretch Clomoling8688 2006-01-29 17:02|| 2006-01-29 17:02|| Front Page Top

#10 "who wants to be a dumbass with a hyper-inflated sense of self-worth?"

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-01-29 17:37|| 2006-01-29 17:37|| Front Page Top

#11 "who wants to be a dumbass with a hyper-inflated sense of self-worth?"

I do! I do!

Posted by Jacques Chirac">Jacques Chirac 2006-01-29 20:31|| 2006-01-29 20:31|| Front Page Top

#12 You already are one, dumbass.

Posted by Darrell 2006-01-29 20:36|| 2006-01-29 20:36|| Front Page Top

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