Here are some signs and notices written in English that were discovered throughout the world. Enjoy them!

In a Bangkok temple:
It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.

In a Vienna hotel:
In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the hotel porter.

In the offices of a loan company:
Ask about our plans for owning your home.

In the window of an Oregon store:
Why go elsewhere and be cheated when you can come here?

In a City restaurant:
Open seven days a week and weekends.

A sign seen on a restroom dryer at O'Hare Field in Chicago:
Do not activate with wet hands.

Hotel brochure, Italy:
This hotel is renowned for its piece and solitude. In fact, crowds from all over the world flock here to enjoy its solitude.

At a Budapest zoo:
Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.


At a zoo in Nanjing, China:
Please don't hurt the animals while teasing them.

Outside a Paris dress shop:
Dresses for street walking.

In a Copenhagen airline ticket office:
We take your bags and send them in all directions.

Sign in Egyptian hotel:
If you require room service, please open door and shoud, "Room service!"

In a Tokyo hotel:
Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a person to do such thing is please not to read notis.

Tokyo hotel's rules ad regulations:
Guests are requested not to smoke or do other disguisting behaviors in bed.

In another Japanese hotel room:
Please to bathe inside the tub.

On the box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
Guaranteed to work throughout its useful life.

A sign on the door leading to an outside smoking area in Japan:
Building asks a smoked visitor in the outside smoking section that you cannot smoke in.

An advert for Tokai University Open House Day:
Tokai University Open campus for your mind only.

In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency:
Take one of our horse-driven city tours - we guarantee no miscarriages.

In a Yugoslavian hotel:
The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid.

In a hotel in Athens:
Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.

In a Nairobi restaurant:
Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager.

On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi:
Take notice: when this sign is under water, this road is impassable.

In a Japanese hotel:
You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

Spotted in a safari park:
Elephants please stay in your car

Notice in a field:
The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges

On the menu of a Polish hotel:
Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.

Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand:
Would you like to ride on your own ass?

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
It is strictly forbidden on our Black Forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.

1. An October 2008 CNN Poll showed:

• A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
• Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
• Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
• More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
• A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.

2. The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020

3. Many historic events have happened on Halloween Day – among them:

834: The first Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is celebrated
1876: A cyclone hits Bengal, killing about 200,000
1918: Spanish flu kills 21,00 people in the U.S. in one week
1922: Mussolini becomes the Premier of Italy
1926: Harry Houdini dies in Detroit
1941: Mount Rushmore is completed
1952:The first thermonuclear bomb was detonated in The Marshall Islands
1968: President Johnson issued a “cease all bombing” order in North Vietnam

4. Adults love Halloween, too. It is estimated that one-third of all adults don costumes and join-in the “spookiest- night” festivities. The 2005 season had almost 4 million of us wearing a “Witch” costume. That’s 16.4% of all adult Halloweeners. And...we like “Vampires” too – 1.4 million wore the vampire cape and fangs in 2005. Costumes for famous people and celebrities tied with monsters at about 7.5 million each. The child’s “Princess” costume was most popular in 2005, almost tripling the sales of 2004’s most popular costume, Spiderman.

5. One of the "most filmed" movie characters (if not the most filmed) is Dracula.

6. What are the "most thrilling" movies of all time? The American Film Institute polled 1,500 members of the film industry. Their Top 10 are: (1) Psycho, (2) Jaws, (3) The Exorcist, (4) North by Northwest, (5) The Silence of the Lambs, (6) Alien, (7) The Birds, (8) The French Connection, (9) Rosemary’s Baby and (10) Raiders of the Lost Ark.

7. Moviegoers consistently vote for Silence of the Lambs, Psycho and The Exorcist as the scariest movies of all time. There’s no clear ranking within these three - we just think they are scary.

8. The Salem Witch trials of 1692 are known for burning so-called witches at the stake. Actually, not one witch died by burning; most were put to death by hanging. One unfortunate witch was “pressed” to death and several died in prison of natural causes.

9. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah, in 2004, had the highest proportion of its total population trick-or-treating in the 5-to-13 year old age group with Alaska following closely behind.

10. A new Guinness world record was set October 1, 2005 for the "Biggest Pumpkin." Larry Checkon of North Cambria, Pennsylvania is the grower of this 1,469 lb. giant. Checkon’s pumpkin outweighed the 2004 winner by about 23 lbs.

11. The gold standard among pumpkin growers is producing a pumpkin weighing at least 1,100 lbs., which is automatic entry into The 1,100 Club. Numerous professionals hint that you can grow a really, really big pumpkin by planting the Atlantic Giant pumpkin seed.

12. The first "Jack-O-Lanterns" were not pumpkins - they were hollowed-out turnips and originated in Ireland.

13. We love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups - so says ExtremeChocolate.com’s survey of our "favorite Halloween candy." The clear winner is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with 20.8 percent of the vote; second is Candy Corn at 15.8 percent and third is Snickers with 15.3 percent of the vote. One thousand people voted, and results were posted on September 13, 2006.

14. According to ExtremeChocolate.com: “Chocolate is much better than hard candy for you and your child’s teeth. Chocolate contains tannins, which slow down the formation of plaque on the teeth....Further, chocolate usually stays in the mouth a shorter time than hard candy, which is another dental benefit.”

15. "Trick or Treat for UNICEF" started 1950 in Philadelphia. A group of young trick-or-treaters, accompanied by their pastor, collected $17 for children-in-need overseas. The money was sent to UNICEF and an American tradition was born. According to UNICEF: Just $1 protects a child from polio, $1 immunizes one child against measles, $2 provides 66 children with Vitamin A capsules for one year, $2.46 buys school supplies for a child for a full year, and $9 buys a pack of 200 water purification tablets.

But how did an ancient pagan ritual grow into the most beloved kids' night of the year? Read on for details about October 31, from its humble beginnings to its big-bucks present.

Halloween history
.Many experts believe the druids were the first to observe Halloween. Dating back to 700 B.C., they celebrated the festival of Samhain (the end of the harvest and a time to honor the dead) on November 1. In the ensuing years, the night before became known as the Eve of All Hallows, a.k.a. Hallow Even, a.k.a. Hallow e'en.

.Ever wonder how trick-or-treating got started? The story goes that on the evening before Samhain, people left food on their doorsteps to keep hungry spirits from entering the house. Festivalgoers started dressing in ghost, witch, and goblin costumes so wandering spirits would leave them alone. To this day, these are Halloween's most popular costumes.

.The word witch comes from the Saxon word wicca, which means "wise one."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the first official citywide Halloween celebration in the United States happened in Anoka, Minnesota, in 1921.

Amazing animals
.Black cats, those customary Halloween icons, were originally believed to be witches' familiars, a kind of cosmic sidekick who protected the witches' powers from negative forces.

.Some so-called vampire bats do drink blood, but they're not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on cattle, horses, and birds.

U.S. place names with a Halloween theme
Candy Town, Ohio
Cape Fear, North Carolina
Frankenstein, Missouri
Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas
Pumpkin Hollow, New York
Scary, West Virginia
Skull Creek, Nebraska
Spook City, Colorado
Tombstone, Arizona
Transylvania County, North Carolina
Witch Hazel, Oregon

Food facts
.The biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at a whopping 1,810.5 pounds in Minnesota's Stillwater Harvest festival in October 2010. This beats the last giant pumpkin record of 1,725 pounds, weighed in October 2009 in the annual Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers weigh-off in Canton, Ohio.

.The biggest pumpkin pie on record was baked by the New Breman Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio in 2005. After baking for five hours in a special oven, it weighed 2,020 pounds and measured 12 feet, 4 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Ingredients included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 155 dozen eggs, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, and 2 pounds of pumpkin pie spice.

.Of all canned fruits and vegetables, pumpkin is the best source of vitamin A. Just a half-cup of the orange stuff has more than three times the recommended daily requirement.

.The per person consumption of candy by Americans in 2009 was an astounding 24.3 pounds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Big business
.Halloween isn't just for kids. While 82 percent of children take part in Halloween festivities, a surprising 67 percent of adults also join in the fun.

.U.S. consumers spend as much as $ 1.5 billion on costumes each year, and more than $ 2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia, such as decorations and crafts — more than $ 100 million of which is spent online.

.The first Halloween card was made in the early 1900s. These days, U.S. consumers spend about $50 million on Halloween greetings.

.Candy corn, anyone? With an estimated $ 1.93 billion in candy sales, Halloween is the sweetest holiday of the year, beating out Easter, Valentine's Day, and Christmas. In fact, one quarter of all the candy sold each year is purchased between September 15 and November 10.

.In 2009, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reports, the major pumpkin-producing states produced a total of 931 million pounds of the orange gourd. Illinois led the pack, producing 429 million pounds. California and Ohio were also major pumpkin producers, producing at least 100 million pounds each.

If your spouse helps people or touches them for a living, be careful -- you might be headed for a divorce. Helping professions and hospitality workers have some of the highest divorce rates in the country, according to a comparison of divorce rates among occupations.

The conventional wisdom is that police officers have high divorce rates. But a year-old analysis of the top 15 jobs with the highest divorce rate that recently made the rounds of the Internet doesn't even list police officers among the worst offenders. Based on data from the 2000 U.S. Census, it found that law enforcement workers had a lower divorce rate than the general population.

Before we try to explain why some of these jobs might have high divorce rates, here are the top 15 professions and their divorce rates:

Dancer: 43%
Bartender: 38%
Massage therapist: 38%
Gaming cage: 34%
Extruding machine operator: 32%
Gaming: 31%
Factory: 29%
Phone operator: 29%
Nursing: 28%
Entertainers, sports: 28%
Porter: 28%
Telemarketer: 28%
Waiter: 27%
Roofer: 26%
Maid: 26%

The national divorce rate in 2009 was 10 percent. It's hard to know whether the above jobs are prone to more divorce or whether more unstable people are drawn to those professions. Professional dancers, athletes and entertainers, for example, have more opportunity to cheat on their spouses because they often work away from home and are surrounded by adoring fans. At least that's Tiger Woods' explanation.

Helping professionals, such as massage therapists and nurses, have a high amount of stress and work long hours, spending less time with their families. Hospitality workers, such as waiters, maids, porters and gaming workers, also work irregular hours in high-stress jobs, and come in contact with people on vacation who might be feeling a little randy and have time and money for a tryst on the job.

No matter what the profession, divorces are highest among jobs where workers face high stress and temptations, said Debra Opri, a divorce attorney in Beverly Hills, Calif.. Those temptations include other women, gambling and alcohol, Opri said.

Jobs that require extensive travel, odd hours and are high in stress can lead to divorce because the worker is away from their spouse too much and doesn't know how to deal with the stress away from home, said Ike Vanden Eykel, a Dallas divorce attorney for 37 years, in a telephone interview with AOL Jobs.

Working odd hours and then spending more time with co-workers instead of a spouse isn't the only thing that can lead to divorce, Vanden Eykel said. "One of the biggest causes of divorce is economic pressure," he said.

"When you can't make ends meet, that adds an economic pressure that you can't avoid," he said, adding that even highly paid CEOs who feel pressure at work can have high divorce rates.

Nighttime work can also lead to higher divorce rates, said Richard Fitzgibbons, director of the Institute for Marital Healing, on the Catholic News Agency website. "Those who work in the evenings are a distinct disadvantage," Fitzgibbons said, "because the marital friendship usually suffers, with ensuing significant loneliness."

Some of these jobs also don't pay well, which can lead to more stress in a marriage. Better-educated workers tend to have higher-paying jobs, which can provide less stress in marriages.

Call it baby synchronicity.

Chad and Barbie Soper from Rockford, Mich., had a baby daughter, Cearra, on Oct. 10 -- 10/10/10.

That's a cool birth date, but what makes it even cooler is that the Sopers' second child, son Cameron, was born on 9/9/09.

Not impressed by the numerological alignment? Well, perhaps you should consider that the couple's firstborn, Chloe, arrived on 8/8/08.

The odds of having three children with sequential, symmetrical birth dates must be sky high, but it turns out the Sopers weren't leaving the arrival dates of Cearra and Chloe to chance. Because Barbie Soper had some health problems, labor was induced for both daughters' births, meaning their birthdays were chosen, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

"There is this window we had. We definitely had the option to shoot for that day [Oct. 10] and did," Dr. Andrew Van Slooten, Barbie Soper's obstetrician, told the newspaper. "But it wasn't like delivering her three weeks early just to hit that date."

Will the couple be aiming for another baby on 11/11/11?

"Definitely no," Barbie Soper said.

Read more at the Grand Rapids Press.

Tried-and-true ice-cream flavor favorites like vanilla and chocolate have their time and place, neither of which are during the last days of summer. Now’s the time to try the boldest, most unique flavors around, courtesy of the many experimental ice-cream shops popping up throughout the United States. If you’ve ever fantasized about sprinkling cayenne pepper on vanilla or transforming your favorite savory dish into frozen dessert, here are the shops that offer just such experiences.

Nothing matches the childhood joy of building, admiring—then devouring—a holiday gingerbread house. This mouthwatering gift lets you expand that tradition with enough glee for all the children, grandchildren, godchildren, relatives, and lucky friends of all ages.

This unique edible playhouse is handcrafted of 381 lbs. of gourmet gingerbread and 517 lbs. of royal icing by the expert confectioners at Dylan's Candy Bar®. The munchable manor, which stands 6.6 feet high by 5.25 feet wide by 4.1 feet deep, incorporates the best confections from the world's largest candy store in New York City.

With literally thousands of signature gourmet sweets from which to choose, it is both artfully designed and decadently delicious. It includes giant cookies, lollipops, gummies, mints, gumdrops, and (of course) a candy-encrusted roof. There's also a lollipop tree inside, just for good measure. CEO and self-proclaimed Candy Queen Dylan Lauren was inspired as a child when she watched the classic movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. With Dylan's Candy Bar locations throughout the nation, she's made all our dreams come true.

Not surprisingly it comes with a $15,000 price tag, but that also includes free diabetes and a lifetime supply of dental issues if you manage to polish it off.

Buy at neimanmarcus.com/store

Lady Gaga and Katy Perry's music have featured in an airline safety demonstration with a difference.

During a demonstration of how to use seat belts and life jackets, cabin crew on-board a Cebu Pacific Airlines flight danced to pop hits California Gurls and Just Dance. The performance was filmed by a passenger who posted the clip on video-sharing website YouTube.

Candice Iyog, vice President of Marketing at Cebu Pacific Airlines, said: "Cebu Pacific has always been known as a fun airline, we wanted to get the message across to our customers that flight safety doesn't have to be boring.

"This was an experiment that we hope to repeat and also a chance to showcase the talent of some of our cabin crew staff."

The performance took place while the plane was at cruising altitude, with the cabin crew giving a normal safety demonstration before take-off.

A spokesman from the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "Our general approach to safety announcements is that so long as the relevant information is imparted to passengers in an audible, understandable fashion, anything that gets more people to pay attention to this safety critical information is a positive thing as it could save their lives."

Cebu Pacific Airlines is the largest airline in the Philippines and is renowned for its low cost fares and gimmicks that include in-flight games and giveaways.

Besides the meaning of life and the ingredients of hot dogs, many a man has questioned "what exactly do women want?" We're not playing coy here, we know we're complex creatures. And, true, we operate on a different wavelength than men. The best example of our gender difference comes from an article we read last year about why men cheat. The most compelling testimony was from a transgender man who'd undergone hormone therapy during his transition. Thanks to testosterone, the man noticed less of an emotional attachment to sex and more of a physical urge to engage, regardless of consequences. Fascinating.

So, we're different. But, women aren't exactly the great mystery that men often make us out to be.

Respect. Show us through your actions that you respect our opinions, careers, interests, friends, bodies and minds. You don't have to agree with all that we say or do, but try to honor our opinions as valuable contributions. Follow the golden rule and treat us as you would
like to be treated: Be honest, fair, kind, and considerate.

Sex. Yes, we love sex. But, remember that there are four bases to cover in the bedroom, not just one. Try stopping at each base instead of being so focused on the home run—believe us, we'll thank you for it! Likewise, remember small physical touches like massages. One can never, ever, have too many shoulder rubs. And scratching our heads is pretty great, too.

Romance. It's another night on the couch with take-out and TiVo? Just because we're staying in doesn't mean the evening can't be romantic. Light a few candles and see where the night leads. Treat us like your girlfriend, even after we become your wife. Date nights, making out in the car, kissing like when we first started dating—all of the things that made us fall in love with you don't have to stop just because now there are bills to pay, a house to be cleaned, and kids that need to get bathed. Bring home flowers for no reason. We're not talking $100 bouquets of roses here. Even the $10 bouquets from the supermarket are enough to make us smile.

Time. We understand relationships can't be all wine and roses; simply making the time to be with us and treating us like your top priority says "love" more than all the fancy gifts and lovely letters ever could. This includes helping around the house. The realities of a 21st-century relationship are that both partners probably work. If you happen to get home before we do, why not take vacuum the living room or throw in a load of laundry? If you take the garbage out without being asked, chances are you'll be getting a big ole smooch when you come back.

Dinner. Of the homemade variety. You may not be good at cooking and you may not know how to boil water. But greeting us at the door after a long day with fish sticks (or whatever you can wrastle up) makes us swoon, because it shows that you've been thinking about us and our hectic day.

Communication. Women are vocal creatures. We know you love us, but it's nice to hear you say it, too. We can also be insecure. We wish we weren't, but the reality is that we often notice our wobbly thighs and forget about our gorgeous eyes. So let us know when you think we're hot. Tell us we're beautiful. It helps us feel good. Plus, when we feel sexy we're more likely to act sexy. Words of appreciation aren't half-bad either. Tell us you love the lasagna we made. Thank us for driving the kids to school. Notice that we cleaned the bathtub. It doesn't have to be over the top, just let us know that you see the effort we put in, and you're grateful.

Consistency. This doesn't mean be boring and predictable. It means that we know you will (usually, no one is perfect!) give us the love and support we need. Knowing that you're coming at this with the same desires and energy as we are goes a long way to making us feel secure.

Engagement. Of the mental kind, not the "I'm getting married in the morning" kind. You don't have to like everything we like (we might be a little concerned if you do), but showing interest in our passions, be it career-related, a sport or a hobby, goes a long way. Listen when we talk to you. We're not speaking just so we can hear our own voice; we want to connect with you and this is one valuable way we do this. This also means paying attention to the little things. Whether it's the name of your best friend's husband or the fact that you hate Nicolas Cage movies, it's the little things you remember about us that's so endearing.

Humor and Humility. These two tend to go hand in hand. This doesn't mean that you have to crack jokes or entertain us, but just being able to laugh at yourself is enough. Guys who take themselves too seriously bring everyone down.

Challenge. Not the kind that makes a relationship constant work, but the good kind that surprises and motivates us to do, be or achieve what we desire. Studies show that partners who prod each other to meet goals—in other words, don't support lazy or bad habits—are ultimately happier than those who don't hold each other accountable.

It's tempting to assume men only want two things: steak and sex.

Entire days are devoted to perpetuating these kinds of cliches, yet they are humorous for men because we're amused that women assume this false notion is all we want. We're quite complicated creatures, and although probably not as baffling as any space alien from a Candace Bushnell column, men have secret wish lists of emotional needs that you may or may not be meeting.

1. A moratorium on drama. We give you the occasional free pass to freak out about something that seems rather trivial upon next-day, post-caffeine retrospect. This does not mean a free pass to cause a scene in front of our friends or family.

2. Sexy sex. It's not enough to keep our sex lives consistent—both partners have to keep it consistently sexy. If you're not into it, we can pretend not to notice for a few times, but after that, it'll eat away at us and we won't have the guts to ask you what's wrong. Yet. The best thing you can do isn't porn star-inspired or the over-the-top-"yes, yes, yes"-ing; we'll detect that fakery, too. The trick is that, however you do it, you let us know that you really like doing it to us.

3. Romance. Crazy, right? What guy would scoff at you for bringing him a present, a token of affection once in a while, or cooking him a steak and then instead of telling him what you're going to do to him later, you tell him that he's amazing and sweet. Hell, I'm getting a tear in my eye just writing that.

4. Truth. The reason many guys have control-freak issues is because they have a sixth sense about being lied to. (Another reason they have control freak issues is that they're control freaks; learn to spot these guys in advance and avoid like an Ebola outbreak.) Next time your man says, "Who were you with?" give him the excruciating play-by-play, who was there, what the latest gossip on Cindy's crazy ex-husband, which bars you went to, everything except the bathroom breaks. This way, not only does he feel completely assured, he'll never pester you again about what you did.

5. Silence. "Some of us aren't as loquacious as our lady friends might like," admits Tom. "Generally it has nothing to do with you and we're not up for talking about it. "

6. Dinner. One of the reasons you were thrilled to venture into a relationship with us is that we were completely willing to subvert the master-and-servant relationship paradigm. In other words, you don't have to cook for us every night. Nor do you have to pretend to like our bow-tie pasta with Ragu specialty—but a middle ground where you occasionally whip us up our favorite bolognese after an incredibly trying day is like the reverse of us taking you shoe shopping.

7. A sense of humor. Every guy in America has this phrase on his personals profile under the "What I'm looking for" category. Should you dismiss it because, well, you thought The Hangover is funny? No, because what "A sense of humor" really translates to is "Are you relaxed, in the moment, and bantering with me?" If the answer is "often not," we're going to think you're distracted and probably wondering how to extricate yourself from this tedious relationship.

8. A listener. We hear you when you say that men don't open up unless their compadres Jack Daniel's and Jim Beam help them out. When you sense we have just received some upsetting news (which could be everything from a humiliating day at work to Lebron James signing with the Cavs), make it clear you'll listen, but then drop it immediately. We'll come to you with the answers when we're ready to deal with bringing it all up again, which may be never if it turned out to be no biggie.

9. Matrimony. It may not necessarily be the matrimony of your girlhood dreams, but we do want to form a more perfect union with you—permanently. We may be hesitating because we worry that we're making the right choice, that we are meant to be together forever, rather than just proposing to you because we've been together for a couple of years. Maybe we need more time to settle in, but it's not because we are still thinking about other women. We care about you, and that's why we're carefully weighing this decision.

10. An end to game-playing. This is a sort of bookend to the moratorium on drama. Everything thinks it's cute to toy with the boys when you're starting out, calling them back days later and seeming disinterested. In the end, this only has two possible outcomes—we will be put off by your lack of interest and go with a stronger choice or we will pursue you for so long you'll assume we're in a relationship, except we're still figuring out whether all that bird-dogging was worth catching the chick.

Torture is illegal in most countries, as dictated by Geneva Conventions. However, there are sickening forms of torture that are practiced even today or were practiced only a few years ago. And they are listed here below:

1. Sensory Deprivation

Certainly the worst form of torture, depriving one of his/her senses is the most agonizing torture technique. The torturer not only handcuffs the victim, but also blindfolds, plugs his ears and nose to deprive him of 3 out of 5 senses: Seeing, Hearing, Smelling. This has proved to work instantaneously as the poor victim is unable to withstand the loss of his senses.

This technique is used, in one way or the other, in all other techniques.

2. Strappado / Palestinian Hanging

The ‘Palestinian Hanging’ is a vile form of torture in which the victim’s hands are tied behind his back, a tight rope is then passed over a pully and attached to victim’s hands such that the victim hangs over the ground. To further intensify the victim’s suffering, weights are attached.

3. Sleep Deprivation

Another type of torture is sleep deprivation, in which the victim is often made to stand vertically and then whenever he tries to sleep, he is physically harassed, subjected to loud/jarring sounds and bright lights. Sleep is something one has to get in order to remain peaceful and calm. However, when he is not allowed to do so, he will obviously go crazy. This technique is repeated over and over again until the desired results are obtained.

ex-Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin described his experience with sleep deprivation as follows:
In the head of the interrogated prisoner, a haze begins to form. His spirit is wearied to death, his legs are unsteady, and he has one sole desire: to sleep… Anyone who has experienced this desire knows that not even hunger and thirst are comparable with it.

4. Subjection to Extreme Heat/Cold

Extreme heat or cold is very unpleasant. When this is done on a victim when he is already tensed and stressed, it becomes a simple way of torturing. Victim is stripped then put inside a cell (or outdoors, depending on climate) and then made to face extreme heat (up to 50 degrees Celsius) or extreme cold (under 0 degrees Celsius). This technique is in use today.

5. Sexual Harassment (Rape/Sodomy)

Having sexual intercourse or oral/anal sex with someone against someone’s will is called sexual assault. Rape and Sodomy are two different things, but they are generally used to imply the same thing.

In this form of torture, the tormented victim is raped. It really does not matter if the victim is male or female (as proved with Abu Ghuraib). Raping leaves the victim psychologically and physically damaged and anguished.

6. Waterboarding

Waterboarding was once included in the ‘Enhanced Interrogation Techniques’ list by CIA, however it is (officially) no longer allowed. Waterboarding involves pinning the victim on his back with head inclined downwards, covering his/her face with a porous cloth (i.e. with tiny holes/passages in it). Water is then poured in great amounts over the victim’s face, inducing the mammalian diving reflex which can cause extreme pain, damage to lungs/brain and even broken bones if the victim tries to free himself.

It is, however, not currently confirmed if waterboarding is in use of the US intelligence agencies as Department of Defense refuses to give a formal statement on this.

7. Lynching

Lynching is a type of torture in which not a single individual but an entire mob takes part in the torturing of a victim. Victim is hanged and then beaten to death. This form of torture was prevalent in the United States during the 1950s-1960s when racial segregation was an issue of national level and victims were mostly African-Americans. However, thanks to the efforts of Martin Luther King, lynching is no longer exercised.

8. Forced Standing

“I stand for 8-10 hours a day,” Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a 2002 interrogation memo. “Why is standing limited to four hours?” Rumsfeld would probably feel a little differently about this if he had to stand in place for 8-10 hours, which can cause ankle swelling, bruising, and excruciating pain.

9. Death By A Thousand Cuts

This absolutely horrible form of torture was prevalent in China as late as 1905. The victim was tortured by cutting/slicing him with the use of a very sharp knife. Torture usually started with the cutting out of the eyes. This was done to blind the victim for the rest of the act so as to increase mental agony. Successive cuts would sever the victim’s ears, nose, lips, fingers, toes and ultimately large parts of flesh. The entire process would take over 3 days.

Cringed, aren’t we? What a sick sick world we live in.