World Briefs

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Tsunami Theme Park
Making a tourist attraction out of the Tsunami events - such is Thailand's new governmental project, which entails creating a simulation out of the tremendous breaking wave in Phuket. Their objective is to "educate" the tourists who are visiting the island, in order "for them to be conscious of the way in which this kind of thing happens.'' The idea was not received unanimously. "I understand that they need to reconstruct their economy, but this type of project seems to me uncalled-for," confides Fiona Nott, an Australian who lost her sister in the catastrophe.
- The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney

Chic and Shocking!
The electrified dog-coat, now here is a new doggy-fad for Finland. This gadget will soon be appearing in stores around Helsinki and sends a discharge of 100 Volts to the wolves whose bad idea it might be to indulge in the delicate flesh of a Chihuahua. Every year, between 20 and 30 Finnish dogs are killed by this predator. One precision must be made - the coat electrocutes the wolf, but it isolates the pooch.
- Courrier International, Paris

Anorexia
Argentinians are known for their elegance. Behind the appealing aspect of the country's trendiest shopping complexes is hidden a more somber social trend - the obsession with aesthetics and its sinister consequences. Anorexia and bulimia have taken on disastrous proportions in Argentina, with the most elevated rates in the world after Japan and one out of 10 adolescents suffering from an eating disorder.
As a means to reduce the unwholesome influence of top models on the food behaviors of many young people, a bill was presented to the Parliament. Recently adopted by the Senate, the bill is now in deliberation at the lower Chamber and it plans to punish the manufacturers and retail dealers who do not offer clothing of all sizes to their customers. They will be fined between 100 and 10,000 pesos [between 25 and 2500 USD] and in the case of a second offense, they will be commercially suspended for up to five days.
"Top models are like a moving show-window. They convey an ideal of aesthetics to which society blindly conforms itself. Those who do not feel up to those standards can easily become sick with despair," explained Leopold Moreau who deplores the damaging effects caused by the fashion industry on society. Many clothing companies deny the need for larger clothing sizes, "the first ting to do," according to Diego Adamovsky "is to determine the actual clothing needs of the country."
As for the opinion on the streets, a young Argentine woman revealed, "I would be delighted for the law to pass. Most of the stores that I know only sell small sizes."
- Buenos Aires Herald, Buenos Aires