February 7th, 2008 by 5cents
We at the Womb tend to be quite outspoken when it comes to the plight of African nations, though not in the usual manner. We believe African nations should practice self-reliance, self-improvement and proper self-governance instead of relying on the UN, sympathetic countries, foreign aid & troops (except in cases of, say, natural disasters). Africa is the cradle of life and it is astonishing that millennia of human habitation have little to show on the whole continent barring a few pyramids. Communal strife, genocide, corrupt governance, famine and the like plagues much of Africa even unto this day and to be frank, it seems as though many African nations are not deserving of sovereignty. Case in point, Liberia, where a Truth & Reconciliation Council (TRC) recently begun hearing cases in an attempt to heal wounds from the brutal civil war (which lasted from 1979 to 1993). Read On! »
Popularity: 23% [?]
Topics: Commentary, Society, Third World Series, War/Conflict | 1 Comment »
November 30th, 2007 by 5cents
When I started the first Third World article, I figured it was a one-time thing. Fortunately, there seems to be no dearth of stories when concerned with animals and humans cohabiting under the strangest of situations. And so, following up on Third World Dog Dilemmas and Third World Monkey Mania, we have the rather surreal story of a boy and his 5 meter long (16 ft) snake-sister.
Sambath Uon is a 7 year old lad from the village of Sit Tbow in Cambodia whose best friend is a huge bloody Burmese python. The snake, named Chomreun (Lucky, in Khmer), “moved” in when Sambath was just a few months old and they’ve grown together despite the best efforts of the parents to repatriate the reptile to the jungle. Indeed, Chomreun is now fed, bathed and worshipped by the villagers who believe she has mystical Read On! »
Popularity: 10% [?]
Topics: Jokes, Third World Series | No Comments »
November 18th, 2007 by 5cents
It was only a short time ago I was in stitches over the unprecedented case of a troop of monkeys killing the deputy mayor of India’s capital city, New Delhi. Now, via that illustrious aggregator of world news, the Beeb, I find yet another Third World tale that piques, nay, arouses my interest. Long time readers may remember my exhaustive piece on feral dogs in my hometown (article HERE) from a year ago. Well, this story is a fitting add-on to my ruminations of yore. You can read the article HERE.
Long story short, a man who stoned two dogs to death and then mysteriously suffered paralysis and loss of hearing was directed by his astrologers to marry a dog to atone for his sins. The wedding took place in a Hindu temple with a sizable gathering of friends and relatives cheering on the procession. I don’t begrudge superstitious people, to each his/her Read On! »
Popularity: 9% [?]
Topics: Jokes, Third World Series | 1 Comment »
October 26th, 2007 by 5cents
I’m proud of being Third Worldian … a Third-Worlder … Third-Worldese … Thirdese-Worldian … well, I’m proud of being Indian, oft the prototypical example of a Third World country. I’m also quite a fan of the BBC World News website not the least because of its broad coverage and analysis and its fairly unbiased reporting (unlike that denizen of the tabloid-news-world, CNN).
It goes without saying, then, that when the BBC reports on some stereotypically idiosyncratic Indian news event I get somewhat aroused. Consider the following story I picked up at the BBC a few days ago (original article HERE). Yes, you read right, the deputy mayor of India’s capital city, New Delhi, was killed after being attacked by a ferocious troop of monkeys. Not only did the primates gouge the Sikh out of him, they pushed the man off Read On! »
Popularity: 9% [?]
Topics: Jokes, Third World Series | 4 Comments »
November 2nd, 2006 by 5cents
For those that missed my summer observations, here is the famous treatise on Indian dogs (with some updates to make it sit better in the current context) for your enjoyment.
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I’ve been in India for about a month and a half now and to continue my observations from a previous blog entry:
There are infinitely many pariah dogs in Bombay/Mumbai and in India in general. You see them everywhere, in the city, the country (although less so) usually in packs. It pretty amazing because they have pack structure just like in the wild with an alpha male (in most cases) leading the pack, several females in his harem and Read On! »
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Topics: Commentary, Jokes, Third World Series | No Comments »
