OVERHEAD DEPT.

GLARE MITIGATION DIV.

The sun is directly overhead for roughly two hours of every day. The Department has reviewed this arrangement annually since 1974 and continues to find it unsatisfactory.

ARTICLE I · PURPOSE

Why the Department exists

Glare is the condition of too much light arriving from the wrong angle. It is worst when the source is high and the observer is looking level, which describes most of the middle of the day for most people who are outside.

The eye compensates by narrowing. The brow compensates by furrowing. Neither is adequate and both are tiring.

The Department was established to address the problem at the only point where intervention is practical: approximately four inches above the eyes.

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ARTICLE II · NAME

On the word overhead

The name carries three meanings and the Department claims all of them.

The first is the sun. It is overhead. That is the problem.

The second is the brim. It is also overhead. That is the solution.

The third is the ledger. Overhead is what an operation costs before it earns anything — the portion nobody sees and everybody pays. We find this appropriate.

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ARTICLE III · PRIOR FINDINGS

Alternatives evaluated

The Department has evaluated alternatives continuously since its establishment.

  • Awnings were found to be effective but not portable.
  • Umbrellas were found to be portable but to require a hand.
  • Sunglasses were found to protect the eyes and nothing else.
  • Remaining indoors was reviewed and determined to fall outside the Department's remit.
  • Rescheduling outdoor activity around solar position was proposed in 1988 and withdrawn in 1988.

The hat remains the recommendation. Fifty-two years have not improved on it. This is not for lack of effort.

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ARTICLE IV · LIMITS

What the Department cannot do

The Department has no authority over the sun. This has been confirmed. Requests to reposition, dim, or reschedule it cannot be honored and will not be acknowledged.

Jurisdiction begins at the brim and ends at the brim.

The operation is kept small enough that one person inspects every unit before it leaves. This is not a slogan. There is one person.

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ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
FILED 11 AUGUST 2026
THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDES NO PRIOR DOCUMENT