Kung Pao News

A couple of news stories that caught my eye for your use around the water cooler. And with a decidedly Asian flare…

Come on Eileen Dateline: North Korea
From CNN.com, North Korea is banning karaoke bars in an attempt to “stem foreign influences on the isolated communist country.” The report also stated that “North Korea’s state-run media frequently warn that imperialists are trying to poison the country’s culture and ideals through a U.S. offensive to topple the communist regime.” Memo to North Korea: it’s alcohol, bad music, and off-key word slurring. If that’s all it takes to topple the communist regime, you’re in serious trouble. We’ve been saving Ashlee Simpson for this very mission.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/11/nkorea.karaoke.ap/index.html

And we thought Texas was tough on crime Dateline: Beijing
There have been many news reports about trouble with products made in China recently- particularly toothpaste found to contain diethylene glycol and pet food tainted with the chemical melamine that caused the death of dogs and cats.

It turns out the head of China’s State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, was taking some bribes in order to approve untested medicine. Zheng was convicted of taking approximately $800,000 in cash and gifts. And Tuesday morning, he was executed. That’s right, executed.

Forget about the dozens of years of appeals death-row inmates in the U.S. get, Zheng was sentenced on May 29th, his appeal for leniency at a hearing on June 12th was denied, and he was executed on July 10th. Talk about efficiency. Never mind that if Zheng pulled this off in the U.S., he’d probably spend a couple years in a white collar prison, pay some fines, and spend twenty years getting twenty large a month on the consultant circuit.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/10/china.execution.ap/index.html

Ridonc Dateline: Springfield, MA
Wanna’ impress your co-workers with some fancy new words? Yeah, me neither. In case you change your mind, Merriam Webster has released their latest additions to the collegiate dictionary. Among the notable- ginormous, nocebo, and crunk. We’ll buy the edition when ridonc makes it.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/newwords07.htm

You’re welcome.