Civility is at the very heart of civilization. Those two words,
along with other words such as “city” and “citizen,” come from
the Latin “civitas,” which means a body of citizens bound by
common laws and rules. In other words, civilized people agree to
be nice to each other. Think of how both you and the cashier
usually say “thank you” when you buy your morning coffee, even
if you’re complete strangers. Getting along in modern life would
be impossible without at least passable manners. Which brings us
to today’s Regulation of the Day. La Toba, Spain’s mayor, Julian
Altienza Garcia recently issued a 65-plank Courtesy Charter
making it illegal to commit tactless acts in public from burping
to slurping soup. To this writer’s knowledge, La Torba does not
have a reputation as a bastion of barbarity. The charter even
contains a mandate of sorts – children are required to spend
some time with their grandparents on a regular basis. It is not
known how Spain’s Supreme Court would rule if they were to
decide on the gra