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In the Waldsassen Basillica in Waldsassen, Germany, the halls of the church are lined with an unusual sort of decoration.

Known as the “Holy Bodies,” they are the skeletons of Christian martyrs who were exhumed from the catacombs of Rome between 1688 and 1765. What makes these even more unusual than standard skeletal relics is that these skeletons are dressed in elaborate 1700s garb, covered in jewels, and generally look like royalty. Each year, the church celebrates a Holy-Bodies-Fest celebrating these martyrs, with the idea that we too are “Holy Bodies.” Beyond this, little about the extravagantly dressed bodies is known.

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The church also has a famous statue of Christ, but its arms were broken off by a soldier. The armless Christ is seen as a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation, and people make pilgrimages to the church to pray to the “savior without arms.”

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We hear the term “third world” tossed around with a much greater frequency than the other “worlds.” Based on an outmoded Cold War taxonomy in which the first world consists of capitalist NATO nations and their allies, the second world of the communist Soviet Union and its allies, the third of former colonies/developing nations, and the fourth rarely mentioned world of stateless nations or peoples.

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The Conch Republic in the Florida Keys has declared that is the world’s first “fifth world” nation: “We exist as a ‘State of Mind,’ and aspire only to bring more Warmth, Humor and Respect to a planet we find in sore need of all three.”

In the early 80s, South Florida became a conduit for illegal immigrants and illegal drugs. To stem the flow, the United States Border Patrol set up inspection points on the two roads connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. Key West City was not happy. The federal government did not respond to their protests, and the mayor of the city, Dennis Wardlow, declared “independence” on April 23, 1982. Interpreting the roadblock as a national border, the city decided to become another nation.

Wardlow, though, is a bit of a joker. His protest was a tongue-in-cheek gambit for attention and a boost in tourism. Though the roadblock was shortly removed, the city continues to joke about its “secession” and hosts an annual Independence celebration each April.

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All residents are dual citizens of both America and the Conch Republic. But non-native Conch Republicans can buy a Conch Republic passport for a very reasonable $100. Though some tourists come for the Conch Republic, most come to see Ernest Hemingway’s House which is also located in the Conch Republic and home to its own oddity, 60 cats descended from Hemmingway’s famous six toed cat. Many of the descendant cats are also six toed.

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Sometimes really weird cults born, like this one the Sect of Gadget Hackwrench one.

“She is the divine being, the most untouched and perfect sibling of the great God on Earth”, say one of the participants. “Why I love her? It’s stupid question, how I can’t love the Godess?”. “She is strict, cute, optimistic and her level of technical knowledge is unachievable for a mortal being.” those are just a few of the testimonies of the sect followers.

And if you didn’t recognize the hero – that’s a Disney mouse cartoon.

Dan Ng

Although it is common that children in western countries have better conditions for life and probably happier childhood, In eastern countries there is a large number of children who are having very hard childhood, but yet they find some reasons which can make them happy from time to time.

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Western tourists and others gathers to photograph Long Tailed Macaque Monkeys at the Lopburi, Thailand, Monkey Festival Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009. The annual festival, in its 21st year, began by businessmen as a way of showing appreciation for the long tailed mackak monkeys and the tourism they attract

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