Column Chronicles: Amazing new laws - Frank Cotolo on 148.ca

Amazing new laws

Frank Cotolo
February 16, 2023

Legal standards change regularly in countries, provinces, cities, towns and hamlets. Here are some of the newest and strangest entries.

Singapore: Professional boxing has been banned but bouts may be presented if proceeds go to a charity that provides food, headware or home first aid kits to families without food, headware or home first aid kits.

Germany: No vehicle traveling on the Autobhan can legally run out of gas. If a vehicle does so, the driver will be sentenced to fifteen weeks grooming domestic animals. Drivers running out of gas on the Autobhan who are not in possession of their license at the time will surrender their license when found to the local authorities and be fined double if not accompanied by a show salesman.

Switzerland recently passed a law forbidding Bavarian dancing music in shopping malls, ice skating rinks, open air theaters, pistol ranges, golf courses and ad-hoc soccer games.

In Venice, Italy, anyone feeding pigeons bird seed will go to jail for a day unless he or she can sing the song "Volare" in Italian.

It is illegal to wear a suit of armor to a square dance in Alabama.

On specifically noted streets in Madrid, Spain, a tourist may not share an alcoholic beverage with a donkey.

Hong Kong residents cannot hire people to carry them without a rickshaw after dark.

Ontario, Canada, forbids the use of fireworks in any person's pockets.

Military personnel stationed in New Mexico, USA, must not organize rooster fights without expressed permission from the Secretary of Defense.

In Pensacola, Florida, it is unlawful to hold Pepsi-Cola while crossing a two-way street.

People living in or near Witless Bay, Newfoundland, are not allowed to part their hair in the middle on Sundays.

On the South Pacific islands of Kirabati and Palau, no one may inherit money from a dead relative without a license.

A stiff fine or many days in jail are penalties in Iowa for any person identifying as a man, woman or child to dress as a clown in public.

In Peoria, Illinois it is against the law for a magician to partake in a public political demonstration.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.