The Power Of Overreaction In Action

Thanks to Neil Gaiman on Twitter, I learned of this development in the United States: thanks to a law passed last year in reaction to the lead-based Chinese toy scare, used book sellers and thrift stores are no longer allowed to sell childrens' books printed before 1985! Many of them, in fact, are throwing out their entire stock of such items, rather than risk fines of up to $100,000 or time in jail. If that seems inconceivable (or like something out of Fahrenheit 451), then I encourage you to go read the article and try not to let your jaw hit the floor as you do so.