Europe

In its attempt to more successfully market the cheap andplentiful cod substitute, pollack, British supermarket Sainsbury's will now call it by its French name ‘colin.' While pollack caught in British waters isin great demand with the French as ‘colin,' British consumers aren't as impressed. Retailers believe shoppers are embarrassed to ask for pollack because of its widely known reputation as a cheaper white fish than cod in the same way people may not be proud to show off their generic or private label goods over well-known national brands. 

I don't know how much sense this revamped marketing plan makes though.

As I am reading various Greek and international news regarding the current riots in Greece, I do not know what to feel. Surely, my feelings are mixed. There is a sense of shame, disgust, and exasperation, but also a sense of hidden pride.

For those who have missed what is going on in Greece, let me briefly filll you in. Last Saturday, a policeman shot and killed a 15 year old boy. The policeman claims that he fired in the air and the bullet ricocheted. The ballistic investigation is on-going. Some witnesses claim that the cop shot with the intention to kill the boy. This event's sparked massive protests and riots throughout the country. Banks, shops, and cars are burning. The situation is out of hand for the time being.

So, unless you are an American living in Montana and do not give a FAK about the rest of the world, you probably know by now that France has a new president called Nicolas Sarkozy. He also likes George W. and they had holidays together. You may also know that he is divorced from his wife and already has a new girlfriend, ex model / actress / singer / slut / (enter whatever you want here).

Once upon a time in a very ‘faked-up’ land called Sudan, there was a teddy bear named Muhammad who was part of a school project in a class taught by a teacher from the U.K. Muhammad went to school with the children and on weekends, Mohammed would go home with one of the children and that child would write entries in Muhammad the teddy bear's diary about his weekend adventures at the child’s home. Muhammad and the children were having a blast UNTIL one day, some parents bitched that the bear was named Muhammad after their prophet Muhammad. Then, the Sudanese Justice Ministry - AKA the oxymoron of the century - came along and charged the teacher with ‘inciting religious hatred’ for which she could face punishment of 40 lashes and prison time.

Nonsensical litigation strikes yet again. Even worse than your average Joe or Jane suing to profit from their own stupidity is when it’s an obvious act of greed by someone whose net worth exceeds that of a small nation. This time, it’s author JK Rowling who's filed a lawsuit against the Calcutta organizers of the annual Hindu festival, Durga Puja, according to BBC’s website.