You can't make this stuff up...

From the Times Online:

The first “anti-stab” knife is to go on sale in Britain, designed to work as normal in the kitchen but to be ineffective as a weapon.

The knife has a rounded edge instead of a point and will snag on clothing and skin to make it more difficult to stab someone.

It was invented by industrial designer John Cornock, who was inspired by a documentary in which doctors advocated banning traditional knives.

This knife-banning stuff is apparently no joking matter. According to a piece in the Telegraph, the milquetoasts in charge of Scouting have banned the carrying of penknives, which - based on my reading of what was said by the Scout spokesman quoted in the article - are viewed principally as weapons.

If I wanted to permanently cripple an individual's ability to cope in the world, I would make it a high priority to make sure that person developed a reflexive fear of tools, of both the physical and mental kind, which would include denying the person any opportunity to develop any familiarity or facility with them, lest understanding and respect be allowed to fester and perhaps undo the original teaching.

According to the article in the Times the "stab-proof" knife is expected to sell for around £40-50. Good luck with that, guys.

In fact, good luck with a lot of stuff.

Cheers...

P.S. One thing puzzles me: A troop leader critical of the decision was quoted as saying, ""Scouts by law are allowed to have Swiss army knives. I think this is going too far – you just don’t know when a Scout will need a knife."

What's the deal with the "by law are allowed to have Swiss army knives"? Is carrying such a knife against the law in the UK?