A Riyadh intermediate school celebrated its open day Wednesday on the occasion of the last day before the midterm break by issuing a theatrical warning against the nationwide rumors concerning Singer sewing machines and the elusive red mercury substance, Al-Watan newspaper reports. The Ibn Quteiba School in south Riyadh delighted its audience representing a 90 percent turn-out of the school's pupils – an unusually high figure given consistent absences around the country on the final school days before the holidays – with a prolonged humorous sketch poking fun at the rush to believe rumors about the sewing machines and those who flock to markets to seek them out, only to find they have paid exorbitant prices for a machine that is now worthless. Teacher Mansour Al-Dossari who wrote the sketch said students needed to be warned. “I saw what happened over the last two weeks and this was a good chance to warn students of the dangers of believing the rumors, and falling for the tricks of people who try to con them out of their money,” Al-Dossari told Al
