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Tag: holy bible

  • North Korea Executes 80 for Bad TV, Having a Bible

    In the past year, North Korea came under international criticism when details of gulag-like prisons leaked out from defectors. Although the world reacted in horror as those details included the familiar stories of loved ones disappearing mysteriously in true Stalinist fashion, little international momentum was gained.

    The latest human rights violations from North Korea might change that. Fox News and the AFP cite a South Korean conservative paper, the JoongAng Ilbo, as reporting on Nov. 3 that 80 people were executed for offenses that ranged from owning the Holy Bible to watching Desperate Housewives.

    The JoongAng Ilbo’s source remains a single anonymous North Korean official, said to be familiar with the country’s internal affairs and recently returned to the South; the source claimed that executions were carried out simultaneously across seven cities. The families and relatives of those executed were sent to prison camps.

    According to the source, in the port city of Wonsan, 10,000 people were gathered by the police in Shinpoong Stadium to watch eight people be shot by a firing squad. Fox News reports their crimes as: viewing and/or trafficking South Korean dramatic television; prostitution; and possession of the Bible.

    The AFP noted that Wonsan and Pyongsong (where executions also took place) are designated as special economic zones that specifically attract foreign money to boost the lackluster economy. Otherwise, the executions could be a North Korean government effort to dampen capitalistic enthusiasm and increase repression efforts.

    Some experts, and some North Korean locals, have perpetuated rumors that the executions are part of a terror campaign from Kim Jong-un directly. They believe November’s killings are connected with the earlier executions of the Unhasu Orchestra, to which Kim’s wife, First Lady Ri Sol-ju, formerly belonged.

    The fact that no executions took place in North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang, lends support to these rumors. Instead of perpetuating violence in a city where he needs the support of the elite, Kim seems content to build luxurious facilities and a water park.

    The following video was posted earlier this year, but was likely recorded any time in the last 10 years; it features a North Korean public execution (with subtitles), and it is not for the faint of heart:

    [Image via YouTube]

  • Hotel Bible Kindle: Get in Touch with God. Digitally.

    Hotel Bibles are as commonplace as curious stains on bedsheets. Whenever I travel, I always take a peek in the drawers to see if one has been provided, should I decide to save my soul during my stay. Because I’ve watched way too many movies in my day, I secretly flip through the pages in case someone has left behind a key, a hastily-scrawled note, or, perhaps, a small collection of unmarked one hundred dollar bills. Alas, the only thing I’ve ever found is a stick of gum and a condom wrapper.

    However, the days of physical copies in hotel rooms may be coming to a close in the near future. The Hotel Indigo in Newcastle, UK has recently started putting Kindles in their rooms, which come pre-loaded with a copy of the Bible. Not a Christian? Don’t get too worked up, as the hotel allows guests to download any religious text they want for free. Assuming, of course, your religion charges less that $7.50 for enlightenment.

    If the last thing you want is to be preached to during your stay, you can always download other e-books to the device, though you’ll have to pay for this heathen literature yourself. Fair enough.

    Hotel manager Adam Munday explained the decision to start carrying Kindles alongside such luxuries as mini-bars and high thread count linen. “In the 18th Century, Newcastle was one of the largest print centers in Britain and we’re in Grainger Town, close to the Literary and Philosophical Society,” he said. “We wanted to reflect this literary history in a very contemporary way, so are offering guests the use of cutting-edge Kindles pre-loaded with The Bible, instead of the more traditional hardcopy Gideon’s Bible that they would expect to find in a hotel.”

    What happens if you decide to take the Kindle home with you? Well, besides incurring the wrath of God, chances are you’ll be stuck with the bill. On the extreme end of the deal, you might get charged with theft. Either way, you’ll have some explaining to do to the big man upstairs.