Quickies of the week 2.02- 7.02

Published on February 4, 2014

Quickies

Friday

Energy drinks and drug use

Research from the University of Michigan involving over 20, 000 children has revealed that those who drink energy drinks are more likely to use drugs, drink alcohol and smoke. The explanation is that energy drinks, like drugs and alcohol, are associated with the same kind of penchant for risk and sensation.

Read on dailymail.co.uk on 7/02.

Female Genital Mutilation in Belgium

In Belgium, 13, 122 girls have suffered from full or partial genital mutilation. Although the practice was banned in 2008, instances of genital mutilation have doubled since then.

Read on lanouvellegazette.be on 7/02.

Thurs­day

Auto-trolling

Michelle Chap­man is the first per­son to be jailed in Britain for trolling her­self. She was jailed for 20 months for set­ting up ac­counts in the name of her fa­ther and step-mother and send­ing her­self hun­dreds of abu­sive mes­sages of an ex­plicit sex­ual na­ture. She re­ported the fake trolling to the po­lice, who re­mark­ably took the com­plaint se­ri­ously even though she had been cau­tioned for a sim­i­lar in­ci­dent in 2009.

Read on in­de­pen­dent.​co.​uk on 6/02.

An in­ter­view with a cli­toris

The Span­ish news­pa­per 'El País' this week pub­lished a fic­tional in­ter­view with a cli­toris, in a cu­ri­ous ex­er­cise of di­vul­ga­tion. The fe­male organ speaks of her re­la­tion­ship with the vagina and claims to take an at­ti­tude of 'al­tru­ism and dis­in­ter­est' to­wards the human race.

Read on el­pais.​com on 6/02.

Wednes­day

Rent a queuer

Italy re­port­edly has 2 main prob­lems in 2014: mass un­em­ploy­ment and long waits for the most basic of bu­reau­cratic tasks. Un­em­ployed clothes ven­dor Gio­vanni Ca­faro, 42, has come up with an idea for com­bat­ting one prob­lem and ex­ploit­ing the other – by be­com­ing a pro­fes­sional, €10-an-hour queuer.

Read on guardian.​co.​uk on 5/02.

Wel­come to the year of the whores.

The BBC, that ever re­li­able bas­tion of bril­liant jour­nal­ism, rang in the Chi­nese new year with style. BBC News, in their sub­ti­tles, wel­comed not the year of the horse but the year of the whores. Every dog has his day.

Read on big­browser on 5/02.

Tues­day

Lego Gen­der Stereo­typ­ing

A seven-year-old girl has been ap­plauded for writ­ing a pas­sion­ate let­ter to Lego about gen­der stereo­typ­ing in toys. She com­plained that Lego boys get to go on ad­ven­tures and have jobs and even swim with sharks, whereas the Lego girls stay at home and go to bed.

Read on Metro on 04/02

From Bol­ly­wood to the Eu­ro­pean Par­lia­ment

A Pol­ish Eu­ro­pean Par­lia­men­tary can­di­date was in­volved in pol­i­tics for a time in 2010, but then turned to more "spir­i­tual ac­tiv­i­ties", went to India and started to work in the dance and film in­dus­try there. Now she is hav­ing a sec­ond shot at the EP. "I think that the bal­ance be­tween soul, mind and body that can be achieved in med­i­ta­tion will also help me to per­form my func­tion well - she said.

Read on TVN24 on 04/02

Mon­day

Saint Big Brother

A priest from a small town in the south of Poland de­cided to in­stall CCTV cam­eras in his church, the­o­ret­i­cally to fight van­dal­ism. How­ever, the peo­ple are afraid that it is in order to record their prayers and con­fes­sions, and are protest­ing against it.

Read on Fakt on 03/02

Eif­fel Tower Noses

In a com­pet­i­tive job mar­ket like China's, peo­ple want to get a leg up any way they can. For many women, this means ac­quir­ing an 'Eif­fel Tower' nose through cos­metic surgery. Paris is a pop­u­lar tourist des­ti­na­tion for the Chi­nese and a nose that ressem­bles the city's fa­mous mon­u­ment can ap­par­ently help in the world of buis­ness.

Read on La Tri­bune, on 03/02

Translated from Quickies tygodnia 3-7.02