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NPR News Nuggets: Winnie The Pooh-Chinese Relations, Cheese & The Fine Print

In China, it doesn't matter that Winnie The Pooh has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The chubby, little cubby was apparently banned in the country after comparisons were made between the bear stuffed with fluff and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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In China, it doesn't matter that Winnie The Pooh has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The chubby, little cubby was apparently banned in the country after comparisons were made between the bear stuffed with fluff and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Here's a quick roundup of some of the mini-moments you may have missed on this week's Morning Edition.

The devil's in the details

I don't know about you, but it would take a lot to get me to willingly sign up to unblock sewers and clean port-a-potties. However, as Morning Edition host David Greene said on Monday, more than 22,000 people in Britain signed themselves up for 1,000 hours of community service that could leave them cleaning toilets. It seems strange that this many people would sign up for such involved volunteer work, but as The Guardian reports, it was a result of connecting to a Wi-Fi network. It seems that many — or maybe all — of the users didn't actually read the fine print before agreeing to the terms and conditions. As for the Wi-Fi company Purple, it said the measure was meant "to illustrate the lack of consumer awareness of what they are signing up to when they access free wifi." So remember, always read the fine print and protect your privacy.

Silly old bear

Oh, bother — this is not good news for one resident in the Hundred Acre Woods. One chubby, little cubby has been banned in China. Yes, as Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep said on Tuesday, Winnie the Pooh is no longer a welcome figure in the country. Though there's no official statement on why the cartoon character was banned from social media, it might be due to comparisons of the stuffed-with-fluff bear and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

As the Financial Times reported, comparisons of Xi and Pooh Bear have been made with photos of the Chinese president alongside former U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Financial Times reported that "The ban is the latest escalation of online censorship in the run-up to this autumn's Communist party congress, where key political appointments will be announced." It appears talking about the president, or sharing memes involving him, is not allowed.

Listen to the Story

Cheese thieves

This mystery in Britain smells bad, like stinky cheese bad. In fact, a sharp detective is going to be needed in order to solve it. As Morning Edition host David Greene said on Wednesday, prize-winning cheeses at competition in the United Kingdom were stolen. Two cheddars took first and second place. The massive 45-pound blocks were awaiting their moment in the spotlight, and being stored in a tent overnight when someone ran off with them. The Guardian reports that cheesemaker Rich Clothier is offering a large monetary reward for the information that would lead to the return of the cheeses. Clothier told The Guardian it was disappointing to have the cheeses stolen and that, "It took around a year-and-a-half to make those cheeses. They are among the best we have ever produced." And an important message for the thieves: Those blocks are nacho cheese.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Wynne Davis is a digital reporter and producer for NPR's All Things Considered.