WORLDLY UNWISE

Damned if you smoke, damned if you don8217;t
BERLIN: The owner of a small German computer company has fired three non-smoking workers because they were threatening to disturb the peace after they requested a smoke-free environment. The manager of the 10-person IT company in Buesum, named Thomas J., said he had fired the trio because their non-smoking was causing disruptions. Germany introduced non-smoking rules in pubs and restaurants on January 1, but Germans working in small offices are still allowed to smoke. 8220;I can8217;t be bothered with trouble-makers,8221; Thomas was quoted saying. 8220;We8217;re on the phone all the time and it8217;s just easier to work while smoking. Everyone picks on smokers these days. It8217;s time for revenge. I8217;m only going to hire smokers from now on.8221;

Posters off track
TOKYO: A Japanese rail company has refused to display posters advertising a 1,000-year-old 8220;naked festival8221; held at a temple in northern Japan, saying the design is too extreme. The festival at Kokuseki temple in Iwate Prefecture is one of several held around Japan in which men dressed only in 8220;fundoshi8221; loincloths, which barely cover the genitals, take part in purification rituals and wrestle for possession of wooden charms. The poster shows a hairy-chested man in the foreground, with rear views of other naked men in the background. 8220;The overall design is rather extreme, said Kaichi Yamazaki, spokesman for the Morioka branch of JR East, which refused to display the posters. 8220;We just want passengers to be able to use the station in a pleasant atmosphere,8221; he added.

Ship shape
LONDON: A new hotel built from shipping container-like structures is being built in London. More than 80 giant metal boxes are being stacked together 8220;Lego style8221; to create a Travelodge in west London. Builders say it8217;s quick to construct and easy on the pocket. Travelodge says it expects to cut costs by 10 per cent on the hotel, set to be the first in Europe to be built from containers. The crates were purpose-built for the job in China. They will be fitted into a steel frame, bolted together and arranged over the eight floors. Once decorated, furnished and cladded, the chain promises it will look no different to its other sites. Travelodge says the 120-bedroom hotel will be put up 10 per cent more cheaply and 25 per cent faster than using regular methods, andhope the construction method will save them pound;10 million a year. Agencies