Why Does Ganesha Have an Elephant Head?
Posted on 11. Dec, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Ganesha and Collecting
Like all superheroes, Ganesha has a memorable origin myth, and the story of Ganesha’s creation, and the reason he has an elephant head, is one of Hinduism’s great tales. Like many Hindu myths there are multiple variations, but here’s my favorite, which is also the most commonly cited. It shows Ganesha as an embodiment of the Lord of Beginnings – he is created intact, then rent asunder, and ultimately made whole, but in a modified form.
Read MoreChubby, with an Insatiable Sweet-Tooth
Posted on 06. Dec, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Ganesha and Collecting
If Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung had wanted just one Hindu god to study for symbolic complexity, it would have been Ganesha.
For a start, Ganesha has 74 different attributes, or physical symbols, that artists can feature.
And then there is Ganesha’s belly.
Read MoreGanesha and Santa Claus
Posted on 05. Dec, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Ganesha and Collecting
Some people (well, me, primarily) have compared the generous Hindu elephant-headed god Ganesha to the similarly kind-hearted Santa Claus. They are remarkably similar, and anthropological taxonomists (a couple of my friends who took Anthro 101 at university) consider the two personalities to be at least first cousins, and possibly twin brothers, separated at birth. We await DNA analysis.
Here’s the evidence.
Read More“Are You Strong Enough to Go Through with This?”
Posted on 17. Nov, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
This true personal journey is one of dozens of true stories published in: Curious Encounters of the Human Kind – Borneo and Dead, But Still Kicking “ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS?” Encounters with female vampire ghosts in a city built on a ghost story. PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan The […]
Read More“Lost” Indonesia Jews Recruited to Fulfil Biblical Prophecy
Posted on 16. Nov, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
“Lost” Indonesian Jews Recruited to Fulfil Biblical Prophecy Small clan taken to Israel to hasten Second Coming. KISAR ISLAND, Maluku Islands, Indonesia This is a story of serendipity and remarkable zeal born of one woman’s lifetime religious quest. It is a tale of unasked for fame for simple people, and of journeys they […]
Read MoreA Renoir in the Attic
Posted on 25. Aug, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Alfred Russel Wallace and his assistant Ali
Alfred Russel Wallace makes starting discoveries in Singapore, and how biodiversity can be found in everyone’s backyard. Centerfold article in the July/August 2021 magazine Passage, published by Friends of the Museums Singapore.
Read MoreIs nature conservation a form of Green Colonialism?
Posted on 29. Jan, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
Is nature conservation a form of Green Colonialism? In a world rich in uncertainties and conflicting values, surely nature conservation is a universally accepted, politically correct goal that people worldwide agree on? Well, not really. Nature conservation is regularly accused of being a neo-colonial escapade. It’s called “green colonialism.” A 2018 article in Foreign Policy […]
Read MoreECOCIDE – Should killing nature be an international crime?
Posted on 29. Jan, 2021 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
Ecocide – Should Killing Nature be an International Crime? Should killing nature be an international crime? A recent BBC article notes: “From the Pope to Greta Thunberg, there are growing calls for the crime of “ecocide” to be recognised in international criminal law. But could such a law ever work?” Courts in numerous jurisdictions have […]
Read MoreUS VS THEM: Why tribal people and nature get screwed by Asian governments and business leaders
Posted on 17. Oct, 2020 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
This short article is inspired by EarthLove. The book is fiction, the issues are real. US vs THEM Why tribal people and nature get screwed by Asian governments and business leaders In Borneo, paternalistic governments and avaricious businesspeople devalue rural folks and the environments on which they rely. Such arrogance often leads to environmental destruction, […]
Read MoreUNCONDITIONAL LOVE: Why people adore orangutans
Posted on 17. Oct, 2020 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
This short article is inspired by EarthLove. The book is fiction, the issues are real. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Why people adore orangutans One underlying theme of my new satiric novel EarthLove is the affinity people have with orangutans. I’ve never met anyone who has worked with orangutans who hadn’t developed a close emotional bond with the […]
Read MoreDON’T SCOLD ME, I’M JUST ENJOYING AN ICE CREAM: How Western consumerism fuels rainforest destruction and kills orangutans
Posted on 17. Oct, 2020 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
This short article is inspired by EarthLove. The book is fiction, the issues are real. DON’T SCOLD ME, I’M JUST ENJOYING AN ICE CREAM How Western consumerism fuels rainforest destruction and kills orangutans Enjoying that ice cream? With every delicious lick you’re killing orangutans. Rarely has a conservation problem been stated in such stark and […]
Read MoreNANYANG GARDENS: How the Chinese won the war of the South China Sea without a shot being fired
Posted on 17. Oct, 2020 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
This short article is inspired by EarthLove. The book is fiction, the issues are real. NANYANG GARDENS How the Chinese won the war of the South China Sea without a shot being fired The fictional creation of Nanyang Gardens in my new novel EarthLove is a satiric extrapolation of a hard fact. China has taken […]
Read MoreBRUNO MANSER: Swiss “Robin Hood” back from the dead
Posted on 17. Oct, 2020 by Paul Sochaczewski in Environment, Environment EarthLove
This short article is inspired by EarthLove. The book is fiction, the issues are real. BRUNO MANSER Swiss “Robin Hood” back from the dead Bruno Manser is a minor character in EarthLove, but his real-life story is the stuff of legend. He disappeared in the Borneo rainforest in May 2000 and has been declared dead. […]
Read MoreThe search for Ali
Posted on 30. Jan, 2018 by Paul Sochaczewski in Alfred Russel Wallace and his assistant Ali
This article is excerpted from a chapter in Dead, But Still Kicking. Part I–The Set-Up contains an extensive review of Ali’s background and how he assisted Wallace, Part II-The Conversation with Spirits reviews my frustrating attempts to “speak” with Ali with the help of various mediums. The Search for AliCan eager shamans solve the […]
Read MoreWhy travel far?
Posted on 06. Apr, 2017 by Paul Sochaczewski in Curious Travel
IN SEARCH OF A “MORE VIRGIN” DESTINATION A traveler’s dream — being the first foreigner to trek in Nagaland. LAHE, Myanmar My travel agent friend in Yangon sent me an itinerary for a trek to Nagaland, with a comment every traveler dreams of: “This place is more virgin; you will be first to visit.” […]
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