Two Ply, or Not Two Ply

What's that you said? Night Court is your favorite 80s sitcom? This reminds us of an amusing sketch, when Christine is complaining in the cafeteria about the lack of toilet paper in the women's room. Casting a quick glance around to make sure no one's looking, Mac then proceeds to pull a roll out of the jelly bean jar on the counter of the magazine stand. Christine's gratitude turns to dismay, however, when she exclaims, "This isn't two ply!"

Who cares, you ask? We are pleased to announce that Tanzania cares! And we can only hope that other countries follow suit.

Tanzania declares war on poor quality toilet paper

Wed Jul 6, 1:04 PM ET

Concerned for the comfort and hygiene of its citizens, the Tanzanian government is warning the toiletry trade of legal action for producing or selling sub-standard toilet paper in the east African nation.

The country's chief regulatory body, the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), says it will take manufacturers or distributors of toilet tissue to court if their products do not meet national requirements for softness, size or alkalinity.

"It has come to our notice that there are firms manufacturing and selling sub-standard toilet paper," said Charles Ekelege, a senior TBS official, adding that sanitary concerns were not the bureau only reason for the crackdown.

"The production of sub-standard things like toilet paper is not only bad for the manufacturer but could tarnish the country's image," he told AFP at the ongoing 29th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair.

The TBS has taken advantage of the fair to make manufacturers, importers and vendors of consumer products aware of the importance of adhering to national and internationally accepted standards for their products, Ekelege said.

The bureau said at the weekend that only one toilet paper producer in Tanzania was currently manufacturing rolls that met TBS requirements.

Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse.

This article immediately launched a discussion of how we might be able to capitalize on this fantastic idea so that it is repeated throughout the world..............

W: Oh, God, How did I miss this one??

Seriously, do you have a running search/email alert thing going on to alert you to all these news stories?!?!

Now, if only the Europeans were so concerned about substandard bathroom products. Now that I think about this, this could be a godsend. Think about it. If Africa starts instituting bathroom regulations--toilet paper could just be the beginning for them, then surely the Europeans will be forced into action so as not to be shown up by Africa. After all, Europe was the colonizer, it should be showing Africa how to conduct themselves, not the other way around. The revolution may actually start in Africa of all places. Maybe we should have a special section highlighting Africa's achievements--we won't make the comparisons to Europe's efforts explicit, but any reader looking at the site would realize the disparity and Europe's failure on this front.

S: This is perhaps the worldwide socialist revolution that the world systems theorists have been anticipating.

W: And it will come out of nowhere b/c "no one cares about Africa." But they will lead the way. Hey, maybe we could hook up with the debt forgiveness campaign that Bono's leading. Who knows, we could be right there back stage for the next Live Aid concerts--better than having to slum it with the millions!

S: Yeah, slumming sucks. I commented to my friend when we were entering the metro station yesterday (and unsuccessfully trying to get around some slow-moving, not walking in a straight line, idiots) that the problem with public transpotation is, well, the public. As at Live Aid, it would be much better to be back stage with our dear friend Bono. Debt forgiveness through hygiene!!!

G: You know with Africa regulating toilet paper, they could teach the EU a thing or two about bureacracy. I think this example will definitely encourage the EU to take action, if not for hygiene, simply for the objective of regulating something they don't already have regulations for.