Those who scratch around for publicity get plenty

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Twenty year old Nong Ja is a very pretty singer and student making her way in the pop world singing about an itchy ear, that she thought would project her to stardom, however it has led her unfortunately to notoriety.

Thousands of Thai people who are predominately Buddhist have reported her to the Minister of Culture for scratching herself while singing.

Nong Ja latest hit song has attracted more than 16 million hits on YouTube video. However after scratching her ear as she sings, her hand wanders down to a more intimate part of her body.

In the Philippines scratching an ear is classed as an insult, but scratching a private part of your anatomy is well… I think you can guess. As well as the millions of You Tube video watchers Nong’s scantily clad routine has had 100,000 ‘likes’ on Facebook, did Nong Ja feel as she had gone to far after the first scratch tearful Nong said “I come from a poor family, if I could choose I would not choose this life.”

Whatever her feelings she has become a big star; her song is played in taxis, restaurants, even in tuk-tuks. There is a moral in this story: those who scratch around for publicity get plenty. Nong gained yards of newspaper front page coverage and hit the TV news like a hydrogen bomb, she has also got advance bookings by the thousands well into 2012.

NEWPORT, US – Rich Moyer is quite a big fella, but was shocked to be thrown around ‘like a salmon’ especially in his kitchen. Six feet six inches tall and weighing 136kg, Rich was at the kitchen sink and turned to greet his dog that had come in the back door, however his smile turned to fear as his pet was being followed by a huge brown bear.

“It grabbed my head. My wife who tried to fight it off was thrown to the ground’ after the bear had decided it had enough,” he said. Rick was rushed to hospital and needed 70 stitches and staples in the back of his head. “The local animal warden has set up a bear trap in case it comes back.”

HO CHI MINH, VIETNAM – Recession, a word that is on everyone’s tongue, number 3s daughter’s wedding what will the ceremony will cost?

“We have a lovely city but we do not earn much” said Papa Gnah, as he is called by the family.

He is happy about the big day as one of his beautiful daughters marries a “pleasant young man”, but he does not have two beans to rub together, so how can a Vietnamese family afford a wedding?

“Make-it simple” he said. “I could not afford a car so I hired a Rickshaw for them (Pranh and Teila) to go off on their Honeymoon.”

BEIJING, CHINA – Pharmacologist Tu YouYou is very proud of her new award hanging on the wall, it is not often that America gives the Lasker Award for a new discovery for the treatment of malaria.

Tu, aged 81, is a scientist at the academy of medical sciences in Beijing and has worked since 1969 as the head of a government project to eradicate malaria the world’s deadliest killer. The Lasker Award is seen as America’s answer to the Noble Peace Prize, and the jury said “her drug therapy for malaria has saved millions of lives.”