One of those glad-to-be-in-a-1st-world-country articles in the New York Times today: In Bangalore, India, a Cuddle With Your Baby Requires a Bribe. A highlight (or lowlight, but let’s not mince words here):

A 1999 survey by the center found that 9 of 10 families whose relatives gave birth in the hospitals reported paying a bribe, usually to see the baby. The average amount paid has since dropped to $7 from about $16. But 8 in 10 women still reported paying bribes in 2003 - to have their baby delivered, to see the child after birth, to get their newborn immunized or to obtain medicines that were supposed to be free.

The article goes on to report that it costs $7 to see your newborn girl and $12 to see your boy, which isn’t suprising. I mean cuz boys are, like, so much better than girls. And, like, obviously everyone knows it. Even, like, those people in India!

And… back to reality. Can you imagine? Good thing we have, you know, laws to protect against that. Score one for a litigious society!