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Swine Flu T-Shirt

2009-05-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Swine Flu Pandemic does not immediately make a large number of people panic. In the UK and Singapore there are T-shirt circulating with the swine flu (H1N1) slogans, such as "Be a Pig - Happy'09?" or "I Want To Mexico and All I Got Was This Lousy Swine Flu"

The T-Shirts are offered through a number of sites, such as Zazzle and Ping.sg. However, Dionis Chiua, the T-shirt labeled Printeet.com creator, refused to make that type of t-shirt despite many people want to order. "Many people died from H1N1. It is inappropriate to make T-shirts with a slogan like that," said Chiua.

This Store is Under Chuck Norris Patronage!

2009-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Still remember Chuck Norris? World karate champion and Hollywood stars fight in 1980s, now, is standing at the corner of a food store in Split, Croatia, Eastern Europe. No no no no …. Not Chuck Norris indeed, but it is only a poster. Store owners deliberately install the Chuck Norris poster because the thieves often enter the store.

Mirna Kovac, waitress at the store, said that almost every weekend the thieves always enter the store. Therefore, the owner installs a Chuck Norris Poster wearing karate dress with big lettering "This store under the Chuck Norris patronage!”

"Honestly, the poster is just for fun only. But the effect, no thieves entered the store since the poster installed," said Mirna. "Ah, it seems the people here still respect Chuck Norris." In fact, Mirna said, some customers ask the Chuck Norris films. "They think Chuck Norris actually sat in the corner shop and is ready to knock every thief," said Mirna.

Israel Has Been Removed From The Map

2009-05-08T00:58:00.000-07:00

Iranian President, Mahmod Ahmadimejad, has ambition to remove Israel from the map, but only a UK airline, BMI, who can realize the ambition. Israel country does not exist in the electronic map that shown in the flight route London - Tel Aviv. Instead, the map shows a number of the holy Islamic city and mark only Haifa city in Israel. Haifa called Khifa in Arabic language.

The BMI apologized for this technical error. According to a spokesperson, the accident occurred because the electronic map has not been replaced since BMI taking over airplanes from other companies that serve the Middle East route. BBC

Mandatory Smoking In China

2009-05-07T03:22:00.001-07:00

The government of Regency Gong'an has been creating a new policy: the civil servants and teachers are required to smoke 230 thousand packs of local cigarette, Hubei, a year. Trying to against the rule or smoke other cigarette brands, is fined or punished.

"This policy is meant to increase the regional economic through the cigarette tax," said Chen Nianzu, a member of the cigarette market supervisor team. In addition, the policy were created in order to muffle the influence of cigarette competitors from neighboring provinces, Hunan. Later the rule was revoked after wide circulation in mass media.

"We decided to revoke the policy," said District of Gong'an in official government sites as quoted from the Daily Global Times. But not mentioned the reason behind the cancellation of policy. As known, smoking is part of the tradition in China - over half of male doctors smoking there. BBC

widowed at the age of 8 years

2009-04-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Newspaper of Saudi Arabia, The Saudi Gazette, reported that the wedding of an 8 years old girl and a 50 years old man finally has been ended. This decision was taken through family consensus.

This step is implemented because judges of sharia court in Unaizah City, Qasim province, rejected the divorced claim asked by mother of the girl twice. The judge reasoned that the marriage can still proceed because making love can be done after Mariam, the girl’s name, has reached the mature age.

The mother refused the marriage of her daughter. However, the father force to do it because of son-in-law is willing to settle all his debts. This case comes to the world attention. Some human rights groups point fathers in the Saudi Arabia forced daughter to marry for wealth.

However, the Great Mufti of Saudi, Sheik Abdul Aziz as-sheikh, says that Islam does not forbid marrying girls aged 15 years or younger. Consequently, Now Mariam becomes widow although she is still very young. BBC

Swine Flu? No, It is Mexican flu

2009-04-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

What is in a name? The famous sentence posed by William Shakespeare. But for pork industries in the United States, the name labeling has significant impact. Since naming influenza virus with swine labeling, currently infecting in Mexico and spread to some of the world, has big impact to pork meat business in the United States.

Consequently, some officials suggested changing the name of swine flu without swine labeling. Minister for Security Affairs, Janet Napolitano, and the Minister of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, repeatedly mentions the name of the flu "H1N1 virus". "This is not a disease transmitted by food, but by virus!" Vilsack said.

"It is not correct to refer to it as swine flu because really that's not what this is about," Vilsack added. Israel has been refused the name and selects the pig flu called "Mexican flu." Another group wants to call it the "North American flu".