2004 Is the Year for Monkeying Around--New WMW Holiday Edition

[Gloria]

Excerpts and links up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR DECEMBER 31, 2003

1//The Japan Times, Japan--2004 IS THE YEAR FOR MONKEYING AROUND (If you were born in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, or are soon to be born in or after January 2004, this is your year…Those born in the year of the monkey are said to be witty, clever and sociable. They are adaptable and enthusiastic about everything and are highly successful…As far as what 2004 is going to be like, there are many predictions involving talk about the Pillars of Destiny, the Age of 8, and the Three Penalties, but in a nutshell, or banana peel, what this indicates is that there will be: more fires and explosions this year, more natural disasters, more traveling and travel accidents, and more liver-related diseases.)



2//The Moscow Times, Russia--ALL THE WEIRD OF 2003 (With giant attack pumpkins, contract hits on police cats and Jesus and marijuana appearing on local flags, 2003 was a typical year in terms of Russian news…New regulations allowing regions and towns to create their own flags produced typical small-town arguments and brief flares of attention for the town of Novozybkovo, which now has cannabis on its flag in commemoration of a century-long dead industry…The Novozybkovo flag probably brought in one of the biggest mailbags at The Moscow Times, with requests from pot heads eager to wave the hemp flag.)



3//Daily Times, Pakistan--SAUDI MORALITY POLICE TO BAN NEW YEAR TRINKETS (Morality police in southern Saudi Arabia plan to conduct raids to ensure that shops do not sell flowers, candles and gifts to those planning to celebrate the New Year, a local newspaper reported on Monday. The Arabic-language al-Watan said the Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (APVPV) in Aseer province was determined to uphold a ban by the conservative Muslim kingdom on non-Muslim celebrations.)



4//The Independent, UK--BBC1 AMD ITV1 SUFFER AS VIEWERS FIND REPEAT-LADEN CHRISTMANS SCHEDULE A TURN-OFF (For the first time, the two largest stations, BBC1 and ITV1, attracted less than half the total audience from 21 till 28 December as Christmas specials failed in the ratings…Out of 201 programmes listed in the terrestrial schedules for Christmas Day, 138 were repeats. ITV1 screened 16 repeats, compared with four last year.)



5//The Daily Record, Scotland--A LIGHT SNACK FOR SQUIRRELS (Mum Sally Kennett was stunned to see squirrels steal all 250 festive lights from the holly tree in her garden.)