Faces In Things NZ No2. "Jabba the Hutt on the beach at Matapaua Bay in the Coromandel," writes Al Williams.
Not very accommodating
"We run a small B&B in Queenstown and received the following inquiry," writes a reader. "Hi, do you have any 1 bedroom rooms that have a kitchen that includes stove top, sink, dishwashing detergent and sponge (or dishwasher), refrigerator and kettle to boil? Is there a washing machine and dryer? Also do you have air conditioning that can be set to hot or cold? Do you have free unlimited wireless internet? Is the shower cubicle fully enclosed? Are the beds double, queen or king? How many minutes walking distance are you from restaurants and eateries? Also, is there breakfast included in the price? If so, what sort of foods are on offer for breakfast, and until what time is it served? Also, what time is checkout? And how much per night for a room that fits all of these requirements?" "Thankfully we couldn't take her," writes the reader.
Third World beginnings
According to Who Said That First? by Max Cryer the first known use of the term Third World was in 1952 by French anthropologist and historian Alfred Sauvy. "He described what he called the 'Third World' as being comparable to the 'Third Estate' of the French Revolution: ' ... at the end this ignored, exploited, scorned Third World like the Third Estate, wants to become something too.'
"Three years later, the Bandung Conference in Indonesia brought together 1000 representatives of 50 states. French diplomat Georges Balandier then referred to 29 African and Asian nations as 'Third World'. The term stuck, and came to refer to nations perceived as 'underdeveloped', especially those with poverty. Third World is now usually defined as developing nations." Cryer adds: "The term 'Second World' was used during the late 1970s to 1980s, loosely lumping together socialist regimes."
Tweet of the day
"Tubes of cloth on my legs ... Clamps on my feet. WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS?" (@paulbrislen)
