The Week August 6, 2010

The Confused Chinese chicken

The big scoop this week is the Chinese chicken that thinks it's a penguin. In Jiangsu, the local media have nicknamed the chicken Mumble – after the penguin in the movie Happy Feet who can't sing, so he dances instead. Mumble has tiny wings like a penguin and prefers to waddle like a penguin instead of acting like a chicken, his owner says. Pretending to be a penguin has paid off. Farmer Lu Xi told reporters that his family likes Mumbles so much, "we decided to keep him instead of putting him in the pot."

Guess What's in the Vending Machine

Japan has more vending machines per capita than just about any other country You can get candy bars, bread, fresh meat and even umbrellas from a vending machine in Japan. Now US-based Dole is rolling out new vending machines in Japan that sell bananas by the bunch or in the form of one single banana. Vending machines are popular in China, too. In fact, you'd be surprised at what you can find in a vending machine here. Let's take a look …

Let's Go Expo!

It's summer, so more people will be traveling to Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo under way. There's so much to do, and so much to see. So let's go Expo! One of the smart ways people avoid getting separated from their friends at the busy Expo pavilions is by wearing matching caps. You can search the crowd, and spot the fellow wearing a hat just like yours, and go, "Look, there's the rest of our group." It's a smart way not to get lost at any of China's popular tourist attractions this summer.

Cooling Off

Despite this week's welcome rain, China is in the midst of another summer heat wave. That means people have come up with crazy ways to keep cool. One of the strangest ways they're cooling off is by squashing tomatoes on their foreheads. Why a tomato? Wouldn’t a banana, or a mango or a nice slice of watermelon work just as well? The Week investigates …

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About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.