Sleeping woman wakes to snake's late-night snack

Last Sunday evening, Liu, a resident of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, was sleeping soundly when she was awakened by a strange noise.

Turning on the light, she found a 1.5 m long sugar-cane-thick snake that was preying on a rat. She was so frightened that she fled her home and called police.

Police found the snake coiled in a hole in a corner of her bedroom, but they did not know how to capture it. Chen Feng, a chef living next door to Liu volunteered to help, saying he was good at catching snakes as a child.

Chen used a lighter to burn the snake's tail, forcing it to leave the hole. He then pressed on the snake's head. He said the snake was not that poisonous.

In the wee hours of the next day, police drove the snake to Zijinshan Mountain to set it free.

(Nanjing Morning Post)

Human sign helps firms spread their influence

A young man with signs hanging on his chest, back and ears became the center of attention in a square in Qingdao, Shandong province.

Chu Yunte, 23, comes from Heze, Shandong. A college graduate, Chu had worked as a salesman for two years before deciding to go into business for himself carrying signs around.

Chu said he was optimistic about his business prospects because several companies had talked with him of the possibility of promoting their products on his billboards.

(www.qingdaonew.com)

(China Daily 05/09/2008 page5)