China websites block search for ‘Fatty Kim, the Third’
Chinese websites have again blocked searches for ‘Fatty Kim the Third’, as many Chinese mockingly call North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with China’s foreign ministry saying it did not approve of ridiculing foreign leaders.
Chinese internet users began reporting last week that searches on the Twitter-like microblogging site, Weibo, and search engine Baidu for the expression returned no results, the normal sign that something is being blocked despite its wide usage.
The term — which refers to the weight of Kim, his father and grandfather — was last blocked in September after neighbouring North Korea’s latest nuclear test.
Kim is unpopular in China because of his country’s repeated nuclear and missile tests.
(Reuters)
‘Amityville Horror’ house in long Island being sold
The long Island home that served as the inspiration for the book The Amityville Horror and the subsequent films of the same name is being bought. Newsday reports the infamous 1927 Dutch Colonial on Amityville’s Ocean Avenue went into contract last week.
The property’s listing agent declined to discuss the terms of the sale. The home came in the market in June for $850,000. The 5,000-sq ft home sits on a quarter-acre lot along the Amityville River. It boasts five bedrooms, 3-1/2 bathrooms, a boathouse and a slip.
The home has been restored and updated while retaining period details, such as leaded glass and oak floors. Before gaining fame with the release of the original movie in 1979, the house was where 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr murdered his parents and four younger siblings in 1974.
(AP)
Thai fish with national flag colours sold for $1.5K
A Siamese fighting fish with the colours of the Thai national flag has been bought for 53,500 baht ($1,530) at an online auction, possibly making it the most expensive Betta fish ever sold.
Pictures of the fish, with its blue, red and white horizontal stripes mimicking the Thai flag, went viral after its breeder Kachen Worachai posted them on a private Betta fish auction group on Facebook. Kachen said he had expected someone to buy the fish for a few thousand baht, but was shocked when the bid hit 10,000 baht ($285) on the second day.
“I never expected my fish to go for this price,” said Kachen, a 40-year-old convenience store owner who breeds Betta fish as a hobby. He posted the pictures on November 6, with a starting bid of 99 baht ($2.82) and closed the auction on November 8.
Betta fish have been bred previously to reproduce the colours of the Thai flag, but Kachen said none have come close. He said the highest previous price for a Betta was for a half-moon Betta fish that sold for 23,500 baht ($671). “The chance of getting a fish with the flag’s exact colour is like one in 100,000,” said Kachen. “So many people have tried; luck was on my side.”
(AP)
Mansplaining hotline for frustrated women
A Swedish trade union has set up a hotline for women to call and vent about “mansplaining” — when condescending male coworkers over-explain something the woman already understands. The labor group, Unionen, said it created the hotline after hearing complaints from female members that they were constantly being patronised by men in the workplace who sometimes know less than female coworkers, but act like experts anyway.
A spokeswoman for Unionen said the hotline, which will operate for a week, is intended to draw attention to workplace relationships and gender equality. “Our objective is to contribute to awareness and start a discussion which we hope will be the first step in changing the way we treat each other and talk about each other in the workplace,” Jennie Zetterström, a union spokeswoman, told The New York Times. “It’s important to create awareness about how seemingly small things that we do or say add up to a larger issue.”
The union said most women have called for advice on how to get male coworkers and bosses to respect their intellect. The group said a large number of men have also called, asking for help getting female coworkers to be more respected by the group. The hotline is staffed by a group of gender experts.
(UPI)
FBI seeks Spelling Bee Bandit who leaves ‘robery’ notes
The FBI is offering a reward for information leading to the capture of a man known as the Spelling Bee Bandit wanted in a string of thefts. The man targeted four banks in the Boston area and in each instance entered the bank wearing sunglasses before writing “robery” on a withdrawal slip and handing it to the teller, according to The Boston Globe.
Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward to anyone able to provide information on the thief. Daniel R Romanzo of FBI Boston’s Violent Crimes Task Force said: “He has been leaning over the counter to interact with the tellers and the tone of his voice has become more aggressive... it has resulted in a greater loss to the banks for each of the robberies.” Witnesses described him as a thin white man in his late 30s.
(UPI)