News of the Weird
Bizarre but true stories about real people collected by syndicated columnist Chuck Shepherd.
The Continued Americanization of China:
–Though most Chinese women still prefer whiter complexions, urban professionals are beginning to tan, either by sunbathing or in salons, for that “healthy” and “fashion(able) look,” according to a November Wall Street Journal dispatch.
–Chinese urban professionals are also turning more frequently to divorce (in a country in which it has been rare), especially women, who tend to file abruptly (the so-called “flash divorce”). Said one counselor (for a November Time magazine report), “Life in (urban) China has changed so fast that if things aren’t new or exciting, people just end their marriages instead of working through their problems.”
A 59-year-old German man, identified as Gerold H. and serving life for murder, refused in October to accept his release after 34 years, according to a Reuters report. Said a spokesman for the Brandenburg justice ministry, “We can’t do anything if someone sentenced to life in prison doesn’t want to leave.”
(Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or [email protected] or go to www.NewsoftheWeird.com.) NEWS OF THE WEIRD