China, a country that prizes uniformity, turns out to have high standards in selecting cannon fodder new army recruits. I love the bit about the "new youth of today's society" — very Ingsoc. From Reuters, with thanks to Fark:
China's army recruits can look forward to a better night's sleep thanks to a new regulation banning chronic snorers from joining up. One of a raft of physical and mental traits banned from the army, the new standards governing recruitment into China's military schools also blacklist drug-takers, tattoo-wearers and overweight applicants, Chinese newspapers reported on Monday. ... Also on the hit-list are the short, the skinny and the fat. And applicants will [undergo] written psychological tests and have their urine tested for evidence of drug-taking. The purpose of the new regulations is to bring modern recruitment procedures tailored to the new youth of today's society, the Beijing Times said.
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