[punky]

Apparently, the Turkmenistan dictator Saparmurat Niyazov is barking. According to Zoo Weekly:

1. He has errected a gold statue of himself that revolves so the sun is always behind it.

2. He has created a national holiday as a mark of respect for the melon.

3. He recommends gnawing on bones to keep teeth healthy.

4. He made ballet illegal because it is "unnescessary".

5. He ordered the world's biggest shoe to show the great strides his government had made.

6. He has named a yoghurt, a meteorite, the month of January, and the worlds biggest carpet after himself.

7. In febuary this year, he banned beards.

8. He has decreed that adolesence lasts until 25.

9.He has written his own bible.