A n d r e w s G u m W o r l d

Bubble Gum Girls, Italy, originally uploaded by SF buckaroo.

Fleer’s Dubble Bubble Gum ad, 1960s, originally uploaded by bayswater97.

Miriam, originally uploaded by framestealer.

Relex Bear (Riratsu Kuma) Chewing Gum, originally uploaded by candybox.

Today’s The Peninsula, from Qatar, reports that many in that Emirate are frustrated with a growing practice by hypermarkets of giving chewing gum (or sweets), instead of actual change.

Here’s how the article describes the dilemma:

There is no shortage of 50-dirham (about US14¢±) coins in Qatar. This is contrary to what some hypermarkets and grocery store officials say to justify giving away cheap candies and chewing gums instead of the small denomination change.

Based on the Second Quarterly Statistical Bulletin for 2008 released by the Qatar Central Bank, there was QR11.52m worth of 50-dirham coins in circulation as of June this year. In other words, there were 23.04 million units of such coins in the country.

A recent post in Qatar Living (QL) entitled ‘Fifty Dirhams Robbery’ has solicited dozens of reactions from concerned residents with one respondent calling the act of giving out sweets that don’t sell instead of the 50-dirham change a ‘gum selling strategy’ of some hypermarkets and grocery stores.

Patents Pending, originally uploaded by Epiclectic.

Upwards, Somewhere, originally uploaded by JohnnyBallgame.

 Our friends at Wrigley Airwaves are the official chewing gum sponsors of the FIA World Rally Championship, and are also now supporting FSTi (Fiesta Sporting Trophy International), as reported today on the Italian website DueMotori.com.

This is good news for those who win, as Emre Yurdakul of Turkey discovered after coming in first in this weekend’s Rally RACC Catalunya – Rally de España.

Besides the fame and glory of winning this round, there’s gum to be had, and lots of it:

Following the recent announcement that Airwaves® has become the Official Chewing Gum Sponsor of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the brand (who also count Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team’s Matthew Wilson amongst their ‘Airwaves® Pro’ line-up), increased their involvement in the WRC this weekend by supporting FSTi and awarding Yurdakul the Airwaves Award of a year’s supply of Airwaves chewing gum for his victory.

space invaders chewing gum, originally uploaded by momentimedia.

 Last week’s Stuff news site from New Zealand reported that a new round of tax cuts were safe, unlike the “chewing gum tax cuts” that were cancelled two years ago (so called because they brought the average tax payer the equivalent of about 67¢ a week, enough to buy a pack of gum). The cuts in the past had also moved up into block of cheese territory, and at the very least, the Finance Minister assures the Kiwis these new cuts are here to stay, as the article reports:

Finance Minister Michael Cullen reiterated yesterday that tax cuts, due to take effect from today with further cuts scheduled from April 2010 and April 2011, were locked into place by law. That gave people “certainty”, he said.

His comments came after National’s finance spokesman Bill English questioned Labour’s commitment to tax cuts and revived memories of the “chewing gum” cuts, which were cancelled in 2006.