Year of Tiger may be renamed

First, breaking quirky news, not yet reported in the newspaper. we’ve heard rumours about a campaignbeing started to rename 2010 as Year of the Tiger, after that animal’s reputation has been dragged into the gutter by the behavior of the golfer Tiger Woods’.

The rabbit, most originally supposed to take on 2011, but it could be re-rostered for 2010 if that happens as newspaper headline reported, they are likely to read: ‘Tiger Goes, Like a Rabbit?’ And not for the first time.

Panda spotted ‘eating prawns from barbie’

There are growing fears that pandas are going native and losing their Chinese heritage in a zoo in Australia after the way one greeted the visiting Governor General. (PHOTO)

Wang Wang, seen here on the right, merely slouched, made no effort and his body language executed Australian vernacular for ‘Rip open another tinny of beer, mate’. The panda is one of two on loan to Adelaide Zoo. The fear is he may change his name from Wang Wang to Bruce Bruce. And the other panda might become Sheila Sheila.

World’s first online haggling site?

An increasing number of expats are using eBAY for their Christmas gifts this year, as the online bidding site takes hold in China. Currently eBAY.cn only allows residents to sell goods overseas, but it’s rumored that the full Chinese version of the online bidding site will include a new function, a haggle button, allowing buyers and sellers to argue. The delay is being caused by on-going disputes about how to set it up.

Now, for quirky news in brief. A round up of quirky bits…

Owl doesn’t give a hoot

First, to Chongqing where an owl flew into the house of a man and stayed for a week.

Reports suggest it was doing a recce for a new branch of popular pub chain ‘Hooters.’

Trickster sets up club

In Henan, a student has set up a magic club. First trick? Saying Abracadabra in Mandarin. Second trick, cutting a woman in half using chopsticks.

Life not looking up

We end ‘news in brief’ with a quirky yet sad story about a man who fell off a building site in Guangdong onto the head of a woman. Local radio stations have been banned from playing ‘It’s Raining Men’ by the Weather Girls.

iPhone Love You

And finally…handset on heart, true love can come from just anywhere. A couple in Dalian have just got married, after the man charged the wrong cell phone number. The woman whose phone he erroneously charged was ‘so courteous’ he fell in love.

Maintaining the mobile tradition, the couple swapped ring TONES during the ceremony. Maintaining wedding tradition, the best man lost the ring TONES just before.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）