Sucking Their Fillings Out

Saparmurat Niyazov doesn't like gold fillings. Unfortunately for the people of Turkmenistan, Niyazov is their leader, and his whims are law. So people who work for government agencies, state-run companies, and universities—not to mention anyone else who doesn't wish to get on the dictator's bad side—are rushing to have their gold fillings removed. Niyazov has also banned beards, ballet, and circuses. He has jailed more than 20,000 people who defied his edicts.