Well, since Palestine, Lebanon, et al is called "Middle East" and China, Korea, et al is the "Far East" then India and Pakistan must be "East" by default, right?

In any case, on to story #1:

Quote: Originally Posted by AP ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Lawmakers in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday approved a law banning kite flying for reasons of public safety, a provincial government minister said. The bill was unanimously passed by the North West Frontier province assembly, said Sardar Mohammed Idress, minister for local government and rural development in the province's Cabinet. The anti-kite flying law follows a similar move by the government in the eastern Punjab province where authorities banned kite flying after seven people were killed by kite strings reinforced with glass and metal coating. Kite flying is not popular in the northwestern province but in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, kites are passionately flown during an annual festival to herald spring. The festival was marked on March 12-13. Many of the deaths occurred in Lahore, where metal-coated strings often cause electricity outrages when they fall on power lines. Idress said the ban in his province was intended to save lives. "The aim of the law is to protect lives and government and private property," he said. However, town mayors in the province will be authorized to give permission locally for kite flying for 15 days in the spring. Under the law, makers and sellers of kites will have to register with the government, apparently to stop them from selling illegally coated strings. The strings are often reinforced for kite-flying competitions to enable opponents to cut each other's kite strings.

Oh go fly a kite. My big problem with this law is that it is analogous to outlawing computer ownership because people can illegally copy music with them. The root cause of the problems is not the kite flying, it is the metalized string. Therefore, shouldn't the string be outlawed, rather than the kite flying?

And now to the piece de resistance!

Quote: Originally Posted by Reuters NEW DELHI - A textbook used at schools in the Indian state of Rajasthan compares housewives to donkeys, and suggests the animals make better companions as they complain less and are more loyal to their "masters," The Times of India reported Tuesday. "A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master," the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds. The book was approved by the state's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government but has sparked protests from the party's women's wing. State education officials in Rajasthan, a western state known for its conservative attitude toward women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said. "The comparison was made in good humor," state education official A.R. Khan was quoted as saying. "However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference)."

Mmmmmmm... ya know, there are a couple of guys here in Michigan that would actually believe that Donkeys are better than women (see previous posts.)

Oh this one is tooooooo easy. I'll let you all have a bit of fun with it.

And remember, this week's caption contest ends in 11 1/2 hours... go get your last submissions in.

comments in order

Artical 1 - If flying a kite , why would you fly it near POWER LINES !!!!!!!!!! Ummm HELLO , there called POWER LINES for a reason !! i'm pretty sure there a couple open fields around them parts somewhere

Artical 2 -
polite responce - Just more proof those folk **in genral*8 are still livin' in the stone age .

PIG responce - Now why would ya go insulting a Donkey like that !!!

** sorry , just couldnt pass it up **