On New Year's Day, the city-state's 113 McDonald's outlets began a six-week promotion that offers customers a different pair of Hello Kitty characters each week when they purchase an Extra Value Meal. Since then,
We suspect you will find the following AP report of interest: passionate consumers -- mostly teenagers -- have stormed the chain's outlets, offering to pay as much as S$200-$300 (U.S. $119-$179) for each set of the limited-edition dolls, according to Singapore's the Straits Times. Arguments and fistfights have broken out in the long lines, and on Jan. 13, seven people were injured when a mob pressed against one franchise's plate-glass door and shattered it. McDonald's marketing director Fanny Lai pleaded with Hello Kitty fans to "keep calm" and "follow the directions of our staff on the scene." To make sure they do, the burger chain has brought in police to watch over things -- which means Hello Kitty fanatics had better control themselves. In Singapore, gum chewing and public drunkenness are illegal, caning is a common punishment and possession of narcotics carries a mandatory death sentence.<< We trust you had a good winterlude. Personally, we frolicked like muthas. Returning to Sinister, as to a tatty old comfort blankie, nothing has really changed, has it? PE stories, French pop music, children's tv and heated debates on aesthetic ideologies of the twentieth century. Wheels within wheels. We had a curious experience this week, which we will share with you. On Monday we were at the British Library, a-shmoozin' and a-boozin' with tout la belle monde de la poesie when we bumped into Tom Paulin, the poet and television pundit with the mad, staring eyes. Last night we attended a musical event in a cupboard in London and once again encountered Tom Paulin, who this time was a tuneful boy/girl indiepop band, reputedly the new Belle and Sebastian, with a drummer called Amos and a singer who looked a bit like Alan Ball. Mmmmm. Talking of things that make you go "mmmmmm", we are inescapably reminded of Mr GH Dickie every time a television programme finishes this year with the credits "BBC MM". The amusingly-named "vibrosheep" asked "what was the name of the frog in BOD?". The frog's name was ALBERTO. We just had a look at the In Tune web presence, and it is very commendable. We like the way 70sKeith pledges to play any kind of genre you could name. Could you play some Brazilian Tropicalia for us, please, Mr 70sKeith? We are very desirous of the new Tropicalia box set which we spied in the Rough Trade shop recently, but it costs £60. It is good to see Mr Chris back amongst us with his funny stories. As the man said, he will be performing in London on Friday 28th January at the Poetry Cafe, along with Calmer and The Foxgloves. If you are a completist and would like to read the full details all over again, they will appear all wrapped up in a fancy new box, on the jeeperscreepers web site message board some time today. Alternatively, you can mail us privately and ask us nicely. Stevie Troussé +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@missprint.org". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@missprint.org". WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+