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The most recent news facts about Zenito
Toddler eats cannabis
brownies and dies
Tom C. (aged 4) dies after eating an overdose of cannabis brownies. Drug overdose incidents are on the rise in Zenito. This time, for once, it wasn't an adult, it was still a child who had no idea what he was actually eating. Is it really that safe to just offer drugs at parties without thinking that there are children around who can eat it too?
Tom C.'s family threw a party at their home and it did not turn out as expected. They lost their son, their everything, by losing sight of him for 5 minutes. As at so many parties in Zenito, drugs were present. It was a fun night, a band by the campfire, children, singing, food, dancing, laughing, ... All this did not go as planned. There were 2 different bowls of brownies present. One bowl effectively consisted of plain brownies, this for the children who attended. There was also a bowl for the adults, this was where the cannabis brownies were present. The parents said it was a stupid mistake. The 2 bowls had been switched and no one had noticed. Little Tom ate so many of those brownies with drugs that he overdosed.
For an adult this is not fatal, but for such a little boy it is. They are still investigating the case to find out whether the parents face punishment. Since opinions are divided, this is not going to be an easy court case. There are those who believe the evil is deliberate. They think the scales were switched on purpose and little Tom was thus killed. Then again, others are more likely to believe that it really is a stupid misunderstanding.
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Author: Zena Van den Steene
Festival Hippyval
The last weekend of October was very lively in Usvaca. In the capital city was held “Hippyval”, the most famous Hippie festival in the country. The event gathered thousands of people from all parts of the country in the lovely “Gekiere park” which is located a short distance from the city.
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The 25th edition of the festival was a success. The main coordinator, Jinja Hipster, welcomed everyone on Friday 28th, and kicked off the celebration. The afternoon was dedicated to emerging artists. Everyone could step on the stage and present their music to the audience. This year the organizers have placed several stages across the park so participants could enjoy several different types of music at once. On that day a few artists stood out. Special mention goes to Linda Peace, a 16-year-old girl from the countryside who enchanted all with her voice and her guitar playing. The event continued late into the night.
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The next day, Saturday 29th was dedicated to cannabis. People could taste cannabis derivatives and various variations from all over the country at the stalls of producers throughout the park. A few stalls were offering cannabis to smoke, but most of them were offering different foods with the plant in them. The majority of people preferred the classic cookies and cakes with cannabis, but one stall stood out from the rest. They proposed a brand-new food with cannabis inside: pasta. A very unusual combination that eventually had great success. We'll see if the trend carries over.
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The last day, Sunday the 30th was all about artisans. Their stalls were full of handmade objects. A few of them showed off the famous hemp shirts that were so popular they were almost sold out. On this day for the first time the activities were also dedicated to children: creative workshops, magic shows, clowning, and puppet theatre entertained the children during the day.
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On all days there were numerous stands offering food and drinks and music was always present in the background. People enjoyed the atmosphere, and everything turned out well. As a result of the festival's success, the organizers are already looking forward to next year’s event.
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Author: Nikol Usai
International Yoga Day
Every year on 15 November, Zenito celebrates International Yoga Day. This day was created to draw attention to the many benefits yoga has to offer. All residents of Zenito agree together to organise big events centred on yoga. In Zenito, many residents do yoga to relax, improve their posture and stay healthy. But the main reason it is often done is to create a sense of belonging among the community. Yoga is often organised in the country. There are even special places and recreational spaces made to practice yoga. At these places, there is also the necessary equipment to do yoga.
Yoga is an ancient physical, spiritual and mental practice. It is so important because it promotes health. An important element of Zenito's culture. It is such an important activity within the country because physical inactivity is among 1 of the leading causes of death. It is a major risk factor for heart disease, cancer and diabetes, among others. So because yoga is practised so much, there are very few cases within Zenito that experience these diseases. Another very important element that yoga provides is non-violence. Because of the violent past the country has, yoga is one of the keys to ensure that the past does not reoccur. There are several elements the people take care of so that it does not happen again, but yoga is 1 of the most important.
It is also often the case that yoga events are organised with animals. Why with animals? They provide release of tension and stress. Petting and touching an animal provides humans with a sense of intimacy, companionship, security and continuity. Many worries are forgotten when you are in close contact with animals. How does this actually work? In the human body, you produce the so-called cuddle hormone oxytocin, which naturally relaxes you. The main animals used on the yoga mat in Zenito are kittens, puppies, bunnies and guinea pigs.
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Author: Tom Callebaut
NEW AGREEMENT BETWEEN ZENITO AND ZETA
The Zetanians keep stealing opium from the people of Zenito. The reason of the inhabitants from Zeta is because their mushrooms aren’t strong enough for them to get high. However it is illegal, they keep stealing it. Zenito doesn’t appreciate this so they sat down with the government of Zeta to come to a decision together.
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The stealing of the inhabitants of Zeta is the main reason new measures had to be put in place. So a new agreement has came up between Zeta and Zenito. The first thing that is going to change is that Zeta trades the opium. Our government is going to get the mushrooms of Zeta in place. The chose for a trade is obvious, that’s because Zenito doesn’t have a currency, so they can’t ask them for money.
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Opinions are divided on the new measures: “I think the measures are not strict enough. The Zetanians have already stolen enough opium from us What about these charges? Will I be reimbursed for this?” it reads among the residents of Zenito.
Obviously there are some consequences for Zeta if their people keep stealing from Zenito. If they ever steal again, there will come borders with patrols in Zenito. This is so because then the Zetanians can’t cross the border without a clear reason. They need to have a good and lawful purpose to enter the country.
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Author: Zena Van den Steene
Advantages for both parties
After the recent events that took place in Zenito, an agreement was reached between Zenito and Zeta. The Zetanians started stealing opium from local farmers in Zenito. This was because the Zetanians were not getting high enough on their own product. Zeta's main product is special mushrooms that give a pleasurable effect to the human body. Since this product is used so much in Zeta, the product no longer provides the desired effect and a Zetanian's body has become virtually immune to it.
From several interviews and surveys taken, the people came to a decision for an accord. An agreement that also ensured that the people of Zenito were helped. Because as many know, Zenito's main product is Cannabis. But Cannabis too, after a while, can no longer give the desired effect to the body if used too much. So they came to the agreement on exchanging both national products.
Opium trade in Zeta should solve the problem of stealing from local farmers. This will give Zetanians the chance to buy Opium from local shops. On the other hand, the mushrooms also solve the problem within Zenito. The trade also ensures that locals can buy mushrooms from local shops. In this way, both countries are satisfied.
As both sides also know, if the people of zeta do not comply with the deal, borders will be drawn between the 2 countries. This then means strict measures if one wants to cross the border and patrols will also be provided to carry out control. This is something nobody wants.
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Author: Tom Callebaut
START OF CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HOSPITAL
Due to the epidemic called "indic-22" there is no more room in our hospitals. The nurses and doctors can no longer handle all the sick people. There are even patients lying in the corridor because places are so limited. Only the operations that are vital are still being done, the rest are being postponed.
The government of Zenito sat down together and they decided that a new hospital should be built. It is irresponsible to exclude patients and just put people in the corridor. So something really must be done. That’s why they’re going to build a new hospital. The hospital will be located in Usvaca, the capital of Zenito. They made this choice because it is a central point. It will also be accessible to everyone, every person needs to be helped. There will be room for an additional 10 000 patients. The start of construction is 8/12/2022. This has been scheduled as soon as possible as there is no other option, the sick need to be helped and something has to change about the place. The next problem is the exhaustion of nurses and doctors. On this, the government has also sat together. The first thing that is going to change is that the nursing staff will get a bonus. The next thing that is going to change is that they are going to motivate students to make the choice to study nursing. Those students who are already studying nursing will be encouraged to do an internship or possibly an early internship. Those doing internships will receive a small stipend, this choice was made by the government so that more students would choose this course. It also ensures that the nurses are less burdened by passing on some of the tasks to students.
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Author: Zena Van den Steene
BISYOU: THE STORY OF A SMALL SUCCESSFUL FAMILY BUSINESS
Christmas is coming and so are the Christmas markets around Zenito. This year the opening of the markets is planned for the 3rd of December. In the streets of villages and cities, you can already see the stalls and all the decorations. Every year our newsletter is presenting a different local entity that stands out in the squares of Zenito: this year is the turn of “Bisyou”.
Bisyou is a small business that has been making cannabis biscuits since 1987. The business started after the marriage of the owners, Ambiu and Kily. They met during a Hippie festival in the South of the country, and they instantly fell in love. Ambiu was a farmer and he owned a small cannabis farm. When his wife decided to move to his village, she started helping him. She didn’t really like the work on the field though. In her free time, she was always in the kitchen baking and cooking. Ambiu noticed that she really enjoyed baking and he had an intuition: she could start baking cookies with cannabis. It took her a while to be convinced, but when she started doing it just for the neighbours, she saw that they loved her biscuits. Helped by her husband, she took courage and decided to open a small shop in their village. After a couple of months, everyone in the province knew her and her biscuits.
“I consider myself so lucky that I have the opportunity to do a job that I really love!” remarks Kily. “When we first started, I wouldn’t have imagined that every Christmas I would sell my biscuits around the country.”
Today the pastry shop has four different locations spread across the country: the first shop is still in their village and is led by her and her husband. The others are led by their children.
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Author: Nikol Usai
SCANDAL ON THE BORDER WITH ZETA: THE TESTIMONY
In the past few days, everyone has been talking about the scandal that happened on the border with Zeta. Anzi Lokonga and soon after other Zetanians crossed the border and stole opium from our farmers. There were some rumours, but then the official statement revealed the reason for this action: it seems that the drugs they usually use, primarily mushrooms, have lost their effect because they abused them, and they are therefore looking for alternatives. It was Lilu Geeza, the director of the Yoga Center next door to the farm that was robbed in the first place, who talked to me about what happened.
“The farmers were obviously very angry and disappointed about this. As well, I was worried that they might damage the garden where we usually practice yoga. You never know how things will turn out," said Lilu. About the scandal, she added: “When it first happened, I was not there but at home. The next day my neighbour came to me and confided that he had the impression that some opium had been stolen. A few days later, huge quantities disappeared and one of the farmers recognized a robber: a Zetanian he met a few months ago in a bar. He tried to follow him as he was running away but he didn't make it.”
Thanks to the continual complaints and requests from the farmers to the government to intervene before they take matters into their own hands, the government took action and intervened on their behalf. After a discussion with Zeta’s representatives, Zenito reached an agreement with them: from now on the country will trade opium for their mushrooms so everyone can take advantage of the pact.
“I’m really relieved that everything was solved peacefully”. Lilu concluded by saying, "I believe that we both benefit from this agreement."
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Author: Nikol Usai
Zenito surprises people with unmissable New Year's Eve party
Soon, New Year is upon us. The time of year where everyone comes together to celebrate and hand out wishes for the new year. Zenito has organised a special party for all residents. A party where it is possible to all be together and count down together until the New Year begins. Of course, there is also the chance to continue partying into the early hours afterwards. Zenito has chosen the most centrally located village in the country so that it is not so far for residents living close to the borders. What will all be present? People can come to the party from 8 am to eat and drink together first. On the menu, there will be a starter of shrimp croquettes and cheese croquettes, a main course of turkey and a dessert of chocolate cake with ice cream. There is also going to be a very wide range of drinks available. Zenito has made sure there is something for everyone. After dinner, there will then be a countdown together on a big screen. From then on, the party really begins. Zenito has gone far and arranged special guests. One of the names they have already told is Charlotte De Witte. She will kick off the party with her new album coming out next year. So it will be a privilege to hear her new album for the first time. Every hour from 12 to start there will be a new special guest. People can party until 6am. Finally, people will get a gift after the event or when they want to go home. Zenito provided a new strain of cannabis. They have asked local farms to secretly make a special kind of cannabis. This strain is therefore only and exceptionally available at the party when people go home.
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Author: Tom Callebaut
