Top hell-holes on earth

by Jamie Rhein on

April Fool’s Day, 2007, I wrote a post on Linfen, China. Although it was written as a joke, the premise is true. Linfen is a royal mess. Its mighty pollution problem has earned it the number 2 spot on the recent “Hells on Earth” list. The air quality in Linfen is so horrific that there is a perpetual feeling of dusk in this coal dust laden city.

Here’s the rest of the ten places that have a hellish quality. Perhaps you know of others that should have made the cut.

10. Baghdad, Iraq–No surprise here. What, with the war and all, it doesn’t matter if the place has one of the coolest names. According to the article, the city is so dangerous, it’s hard to find people out and about on the streets.

9. Dhaka, Bangladesh–And to think I almost moved here. I had a job interview that I canceled because getting to this place was a hassle. The pollution is problematic. That’s why it’s on the list. Too bad because, everyone I’ve ever met from Bangladesh has been a real gem of a person.

8. Yakutsk, Russia–When I read that this city is the coldest place on earth, that stopped me cold. We’re talking major frostbite. Temperatures can go down to -58 degrees, according to the article. If you’re a kid, it’s a day off from school, so for the younger crowd, this might be heaven.

7. Mogadishu, East Africa (Somalia)–Another one of my favorite city names. I’ve have many students from Somalia–lovely people, and they shake their heads in sorrow over what once was. No one is minding the store in this country that has been wrecked to shambles. The rebels keep running amok. This truly does not sound like a relaxing place to get away. Get away from, sure.

6. Chernobyl, Ukraine–If you want a radiation boost that could do you in, come here. Most of the city was deserted after the nuclear explosion in 1986 and it has not recovered since. There aren’t any prospects for a brighter future either.

5. Oklahoma City, The United States–But the state has such a catchy song, you might be protesting. What’s wrong with Oklahoma City? Weather, that’s what. A Kansas tornado has nothing on Oklahoma City’s. The Ask.Men folks cite 320 mph winds as the fastest. That seems like enough to turn eyelids inside out. Besides that, blizzards are also fierce. I’ve driven through here a couple times on a calm day–always in the summer, and not a gust in sight. Who knew?

4. Pyongyang, North Korea–Gadling blogger, Neil went here and found that hell must have things to like. Sure there’s some hellish, oddball qualities to Pyongyang, but he found it worth the visit. If you can handle the oppression and a tour guide who never lets you wander off on your own, this might feel more like limbo than hell.

3. Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi–If the accounts of people in Burundi feeling the least satisfied than all other people in the world is true, I’d say this is hell indeed. Look at this list for starters. They feel worse than people who live in Linfen? The reason for Burundi’s problems is the corruption.

1. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea–This place does sound like a hell hole. The murder rate, according to Ask.Men is 23 times that of London and gangs and disease–like HIV, run rampant. Swell.

My good friend over at BloggingStocks and WalletPop, Tom Barlow gave me a heads up on this one. Thanks, Tom.

Saudi plane catches fire while landing in Bangladesh

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If Saudi flights are anything like those in Pakistan, they probably begin with a prayer. Though it’s, of course, always good to have Allah on your side, having the flight attendants lead a prayer before taking off does not inspire confidence. But maybe it helped in this case…

A Saudi airliner flying into Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, caught fire while landing yesterday, though none of the 307 passengers or crew on board were seriously injured.

Apparently one of the engines of the plane, a Boeing 747, caught fire as the plane touched down, but the fire thankfully did not spread to the fuel reservoirs. After landing, the pilot reportedly opened the emergency exit doors and the passengers left the plane via the big yellow playground slide. Fun!

More here.

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…

When’s Bangladesh going to disappear?

by Jerry Guo on

The country’s the size of Iowa, but has half the population of the entire United States. Oh, and by the way, it could possibly be wiped out in the next century.

Here’s the thing: Bangladesh happens to be situated at sea level in a region of the world where flooding and monsoons are already a problem. As it stands, each year roughly half the country is under water at one point or another. But because of possible rising sea levels in the next 20 years (even a 20-centimeter rise) could devastate 10-million Bangladeshis.

We’ve heard of small island nations like Tuvalu (most famous for their Internet TLD: .TV) that are doomed to extinction if global warming pans out. But if the same thing happens to Bangladesh, that’s going to be more than a humanitarian disaster. They have a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement and a very weak government, which means the threat of less and less land (and more and more water) will undoubtedly destabilize the region.

As with many recent postings (a la Mt. Kilimanjaro), all this is to say visit Bangladesh soon, lest it be under water by the time you get around to it. Here’s a great analysis piece about Bangladesh and global warming in this month’s Atlantic.

Graft Busting Ruining the Party in Bangladesh

by Martha Edwards on

In Bangladesh, the lower classes rely on the wealthy Muslims to provide them with gifts of cash and clothes during Ramadan. But this year, anti-corruption agencies are vetoing public displays of wealth, which includes giving out generous gifts. So far, 170 members of the upper crust have actually been detained for being to giving. And the new restrictions are sure putting a damper on the celebrations for the peasants.

But a few brave wealthy people have braved the so-called graft busters and given out gifts regardless. And members of the lower class are getting up before dawn to join the line-up to receive one of these gifts. Sounds a lot like a new IKEA opening!

For more info on graft busting in Bangladesh, click here.

Bangladeshi and The Bronx

by Jamie Rhein on

Back when I was in high school, I went to The Bronx Zoo as a volunteer with adults with developmental disabilities . I had a blast and planned to go there again sooner than later.

Now that it’s much later, I wonder what I’m waiting for. This summer may be the time to get on a subway and head to the zoo when we are visiting my brother who lives in Manhattan. I just read that there is a TV ad campaign touting The Bronx, New York is a place to go for a vacation destination. The zoo is one reason. When I searched for the commercials, I came across this one. The news of The Bronx as a vacation hot spot has either made it to Bangladesh or is geared for a Bangladeshi audience. You may not be able to understand all the words, but the names of the tourist destinations are clear. The last one is a bakery. This was posted on You Tube by zasarif and is titled Kabir’s Bronx. This video interests me because I wonder if part of the aim is to get Bangladeshis who live in New York City to visit The Bronx or go the bakery? Or both?