Saturday, May 05, 2007

Brazil Orders Suspension of Internet Ad for Sale of Wife

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — The government has ordered an Internet auction site to remove an advertisement in which a Brazilian man offered to sell his wife for about $50.

The Secretariat of Public Policies for Women announced late Friday it had ordered Mercado Livre, partially owned by eBay Inc., to remove the ad and warned it was violating a law banning the offer or sale of "human organs, people, blood, bones or skin."

The advertisement was no longer visible on the site Saturday.

It was posted by a man who gave his name as Breno and said: "I sell my wife for reasons I prefer to keep short ... I really need the money."

The described his wife physically and listed her qualities as a homemaker and companion. He reportedly said she was 35 and "worth her weight in gold."

The Estado news agency said it wasn't clear if the ad was meant as a joke. It said Mercado Livre told it the ad hadn't been noticed earlier because of the large number of products offered on the site — nearly 1 million..."

Geez. Fifty bucks. But then of course you gotta ad in shipping and that's where ALL the good deals go do die. We surely could use someone to help clean up after me and it sucks that they went and pulled the bloody thing before a serious gentleman such as myself could get in on the bidding. Not that one couldn't go the asian-route, but all they do is weep all day, get, then stay homesick. No matter how many times you tell them it's okay to throw away the leftover rice.

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