The expressionless, mouthless cartoon cat invented by Sanrio Co. in 1974 is appearing on a huge number of items. And it isn't just kids' stuff. She increasingly appears on items that only can be purchased by adults, such as computers, the Nikkei Weekly reported. At Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, more than 400,000 customers have requested Hello Kitty bank cards. The newspaper reported that the cat generates Yen300 billion in merchandise sales every year.
Most teachers spend some of their time breaking up fights between pupils.
It was a bit different in Purbalingga town in central Java, the Jakarta Post reported. Two junior school teachers decided to duel with their fists over who should have the hand of an attractive young female teacher who had joined the staff. A passing pedicab driver broke up the fight before either participant had knocked out the other, so the issue remained unresolved. It may be wages earned. There is a growing demand for security services from rich industrialists in the area, who are scared of kidnapping.