Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

Chengdu University Fashion Show Rips Off Victoria's Secret

Ok, that's it! I tolerated China ripping off a lot of things but the moment they started ripping off Victoria's Secret.....it's personal!

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Spoiler for @ 9gag:

So, if it's the rest of the world ripping off other people's ideas — to hell with copyright and IP laws — it's called defending the freedom of information.

But if it's the Chinese doing it, it's called theft?



Anyways, nice assets.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

So, if it's the rest of the world ripping off other people's ideas — to hell with copyright and IP laws — it's called defending the freedom of information.

But if it's the Chinese doing it, it's called theft?



Anyways, nice assets.

Problem is that, they are copying something for the sake of making money, not for the sake of a critical journalistic venture. And they do it en-masse in broad daylight; who else wouldn't heap insults on them?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

So, if it's the rest of the world ripping off other people's ideas — to hell with copyright and IP laws — it's called defending the freedom of information.

But if it's the Chinese doing it, it's called theft?



Anyways, nice assets.

Frankly, I'm saying more power to the Chinese at this point.... copyright/patent/trademark is utterly broken and broken by the gatekeepers that profited from it.

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Frankly, I'm saying more power to the Chinese at this point....

I wouldn't. They copy everything. Even anime and video games. There is a Chinese animated work that blatantly copies a Japanese animation (it might even have taken footage from it and just had a 'new coat of paint' added to it to make it look different). It won several awards in China for being a great animated film, but it is a direct and blatant rip off of a Japanese animation. With video games, there was an iPad game some Chinese company was trying to sell, and it was Mario Kart Wii with different textures placed over the old ones and with different sprites added. Same thing as the animation rip off; direct and blatant rip off. I understand this happens a lot from the Chinese.

And...I came here to post a news story and it just so happens to be about a situation from China.

Two Chinese girls commit suicide in an attempt to go back in time. Wait, what?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...6pLid%3D142342

Two schoolgirls in China have committed suicide in an attempt to travel back in time.

The girls decided to end their lives after one of them lost a remote control to a door, China Daily reports, via People's Daily. Xiao Hua told her best friend and fellow classmate, Xiao Mei, that she was worried about coming clean to her parents. The names are reportedly pseudonyms.

In an effort to avoid potential consequences, the girls allegedly took inspiration from a popular television show and committed suicide to travel back in time.

They left notes explaining their decision before jumping -- and subsequently drowning -- in a pool.

In a note obtained by the Shanghaiist.com, one of the girls explained her reasoning for her rash decision by writing: "In my life, I have two secret wishes. One is to time-travel back to Qing Dynasty and shoot a film with the emperor, and the other is to travel to outer space," the Christian Post reports.

The chain of events has raised concerns about the influence of media on young children, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has placed restrictions on airing certain shows between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to People's Daily.

But some aren't too sure about the story.

Anna North, a writer for Jezebel, observes that the article seems to highlight the apparent dangers of time travel-centered shows. She wonders whether the government had an influence on the direction of the article.

[[China Daily is a state-owned paper, described by the Committee to Protect Journalists as "straitlaced." People's Daily Online is the website of People's Daily, which until recently described itself as "the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China" — it now offers a more circumspect description: "one of the world's top ten newspapers." It's possible that Huang and China Daily were under pressure from the government to paint the girls' suicide as a direct result of the evil influence of time travel.]]

Additionally, the Wall Street Journal points out that media experts in China have also indicated officials might have not been crazy about the "themes of the shows, which centered on escaping discontent in the current era to journey back in time to a better life."

I just wonder how old they were. If they were 7, 8, or 9, this is sad. If they were 17, somebody get them some Darwin Awards.

[Vexx]

I recall the Chinese authorities specifically banning time-travel fiction/entertainment. This seems *really* "convenient a morality tale...

Obviously, i'd rather the Chinese follow reasonable rules on copyright/trademark/patent laws.... but they're about the same level of problem as the extremists on the other end - the MPAA/RIAA/patentbomb cabals.

[Ithekro]

I don't recall death being part on any time travel stories (aside from if you run into something going at 88 mph)

[ganbaru]

California preacher concedes apocalypse prediction wrong
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-21-15-09
That's seem obvious to me .

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

California preacher concedes apocalypse prediction wrong
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-21-15-09
That's seem obvious to me .

Guess it took him that long to reconfirm his notes... o.O

[Urzu 7]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Obviously, i'd rather the Chinese follow reasonable rules on copyright/trademark/patent laws.... but they're about the same level of problem as the extremists on the other end - the MPAA/RIAA/patentbomb cabals.

Oh, don't get me wrong, the MPAA and RIAA are terrible and ridiculous in their ways.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Guess it took him that long to reconfirm his notes... o.O

Preecher: hmm well, let me check my notes. It seems I was wrong. Apparently I forgot to carry the one, so the real appocaly-*world explodes*

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vexx

I recall the Chinese authorities specifically banning time-travel fiction/entertainment. This seems *really* "convenient a morality tale...

Obviously, i'd rather the Chinese follow reasonable rules on copyright/trademark/patent laws.... but they're about the same level of problem as the extremists on the other end - the MPAA/RIAA/patentbomb cabals.

Such is the power of balance, if you put a 10 ton weight at one end of the scale, expect someone else to put a 10 ton, if not more weight there too.

[MrTerrorist]

10 Weapons That Animals Use

Still want to mess with animals?

[SaintessHeart]

The New Ferrari Looks Like A Uterus

When looking at the back end of the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta we were struck with the belief that it looked like... well, something. But we couldn't quite place our finger on it. Until our good friend at IEDEI finally put his finger on it.

So what was the inspiration was for the prancing stallion's new grand tourer, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta? A vagina!

Seriously, just look at it. I can't believe we didn't see it earlier. And who says all big sports cars are phallic?

[Ithekro]

Wasn't that the probem Ford had with the Edsel?

[ChainLegacy]

Originally Posted by MrTerrorist

10 Weapons That Animals Use

Still want to mess with animals?

I love stuff like this, check out this video from David Attenborough for another example for that list. And it takes place in Japan too coincidentally.

[andyjay729]

The seagulls were doing the same thing with shellfish. Maybe the crows learned it from them.

[ganbaru]

Storied carrier, 'the Big E,' makes final voyage

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-10-19-20-42

Top Irish food producer jailed for garlic tax scam
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-09-12-47-09

[sneaker]

shit in Iran is about to hit the fan, Germany mobilizes troops and prepares to start (world?) war (3?):
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120224-40961.html!

[Endless Soul]

Won't somebody help the Nürnberger Bratwurst?

Endless "Sauerkraut please" Soul

[Dhomochevsky]

If their calculations are correct, that translates to a price increase of +1.09 cent per piece.
Decide for yourself, if this is newsworthy, or just wurst-advertisement.