Seventeen and Drinking Corona Beer...

Miley Cyrus is a 17-year-old that will be 18-years-old in about 17 days, give or take.

The photo, taken from Dime Wars, shows an underage Miley holding a beer. Maybe this is just an innocent shot that was snapped after one of the young fellows in the photograph said "Hey Miley, can you hold my beer while I tuck my shirt in?" Being the polite and courteous young woman that she is, she thought nothing of it and grabbed the beer, snap!

Maybe, while in Spain and thinking she was out of paparazzi range she thought maybe a beer at a club would not be such a big thing. After all, the marriage of her parents is on the rocks as a consequence of an alleged affair between Miley's mum and Bret Michaels.

This is only news because someone seems to think that the Hannah Montana star is a role-model to young girls who idolise her. The argument being that these youngsters will mimic her and start holding beer bottles. Apparently, these impressionable youngsters will also start hitting the bottle pretty hard as a consequence. Maybe a few youngsters will, but on the whole this is a beat-up parading as a news story.

I am so glad that I am not a celebrity!

Say No To Krisdayanti...

Hmmmm, it is amazing what you can find on the internet after a few beers. It has been a while since I did a post on Krisdayanti and her trials and tribulations in pursuit of happiness with the husbands of other women. However, it seems that some Krisdayanti haters out there have channeled their collective anger into a Facebook page. This Facebook page now has in excess of 331, 870 people who like the page.

It would seem that the vast majority of these people apparently like the idea that "enough is enough" on the KD front, particularly her seemingly getting a free pass on the constant cheating with other women's husbands and her overt lack of morals in this regard. The icing on the cake seems to have been the affair with Raul Lemos, a well-to-do Timor Leste businessman, by most accounts.

I have always argued that those that live in glass houses should not throw stones. And, when people failed to grasp that idea, then perhaps the person who is free of sin should cast the first stone in KD's direction.

Anyways, if nothing else, a post on KD provides the perfect opportunity to post some gratuitous photos of the woman of the moment.

And these all time favourites...

Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods -- Divorced...

It is official, the marriage of one Tiger Woods and one Elin Nordegren is over.

It really could not have ended any other way, could it?

No terms of the divorce settlement have been announced. The only statement was that their mutual and paramount concern was for their two children and they made a call for privacy. In any event, it is going to be a difficult conversation that Mr. Woods has to have with his children at some point in the future, you know the one, "Dad, why did you and Mum get divorced?"

I would reckon Ms. Nordegren ended up with a settlement that over time will be well over USD 100 million. She deserves it.

Canings in Aceh...

There is a need to respect the laws of any place you live or visit, but there are those times when one wonders whether the laws in question have earned the right to demand the sort of respect that they do. That said, Aceh's Sharia Police have caned a few people of late for the 'crimes' of adultery and gambling.

The idea that these two particular activities are crimes in the human realm is indicative of our over-zealousness to do God's work. For the true believers, it would seem that you do not trust God to do that which God does, punish those who sin against him (or her) by breaking the rules. In any event, they are God's rules so perhaps God should also be responsible for meting out the punishment.

The idea of a public caning always reminds me of going to the movies when I was a kid and watching a western. In particular, the ones where there is a public hanging, which in turn draws big crowds of onlookers. I have never really since the spectacle value of public executions or in this case canings. I have always wondered, but never enough to do a psychology degree, whether this was just a simple case of blood-thirstiness with the prospect of watching someone die or be physically beaten to a bloody mess. Maybe that can be my next course of study.

Nevertheless, canings in Aceh are reportedly to be more about public humiliation than they are about inflicting pain. Supporters of caning argue that there is a huge deterrent effect because of the physical nature of the punishment. Yet, the reality is there are very strict rules in place for where men and women can be caned with respect to body parts and how hard these lashes can be. Truth be told, when I was in high school, corporal punishment was still an available option for teachers to control unruly students (or those who were too big a smart arses for their own good, like me). So, I am thinking with the cane in the "right" person's hand, some serious pain and physical damage can be inflicted.

The adulterers each received eight strokes of the best from the cane master (or is that cane master lash?). The maximum penalty under the relevant Qanun, No. 14 of 2003, as I recall is nine strokes. There is also a minimum of three. So, I guess the offence was at the top end of the scale but it was not the most serious form of adulterous behaviour.

The gamblers received eight and seven lashes of the cane respectively. Interestingly, this means that gambling and adultery are pretty much on the same seriousness level in this case. These gentlemen were in breach of the provisions of Qanun No. 13 of 2003.

These canings follow a series of canings that took place in June. It would seem that the Acehnese authorities are ratcheting up the caning activities in the lead up to Ramadan.

One final point, if it was me about to be caned and I was walking up to the public caning platform in order to receive my punishment for whatever it is that I had been sentenced for, I would not know whether to laugh or cry having had a look at the fashion sense of the executioner! There seriously must be potential for the launch of a whole "executioner" line of tailored fashions.

Ho hum...

Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren -- The 100 Million Dollar Divorce...

Tiger Woods is getting out of his marriage cheaply. Earlier reports that Elin Nordegren was set to agree to a USD 750 million divorce deal have apparently been far-fetched, or too good to be true for Ms. Nordegren, as it is now being reported that she is going to settle for USD 100 million.

Now, truth be told, this is still better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick. However, it is no where near half of what the golfer is worth!

Although, it would seem that the quoted USD 100 million is the low end of the spectrum because it does not include any child support payments. I would be guessing that over the years, child support payments are going to see Tiger Woods parting with a considerable chunk of his fortune. Nevertheless, one must assume that married or not, he would presumably parted with that anyways.

I would also imagine that there are plenty of blokes out there in the real world thinking, "Tiger, WTF were you thinking?". Truth be told, my personal opinion is that, she deserves more, much more.

Hopefully, once the divorce is finalised everyone involved in this episode can move on.

Aceh and Stoning Adulterers...

The previous Aceh Regional Parliament passed a Qanun on Jinayat which included provisions relating to the stoning to death of adulterers. I have written a more detailed post on the provisions of the regulation here. This piece of 7th Century inspired legislation was passed in the dying days of the previous parliament's existence. However, a new more moderate parliament has been elected and the newly elected members had promised to revisit the regulation and amend it once they had the power to do so.

The new parliament has been installed. It is now a matter of urgency and one of credibility that the new parliament place the amending of the Jinayat regulation. Simply, it is time to ante up and do what must be done.

Some have argued that Aceh is a province that enjoys special autonomy and has special rights to self-government and the enactment and implementation of Shariah based laws and regulations. However, it is not the case that the regional regulations in Aceh can be in conflict with the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. Special autonomy or not, Aceh is still a province of the Republic of Indonesia, and this means that the 1945 Constitution still applies.

Stoning to death is an unusual, cruel, degrading, and inhuman punishment. It is a form of torture of the worst kind. To allow a regulation of this nature to stand unchallenged reflects badly on Indonesia as a whole. Stoning is not an acceptable form of punishment. The reality is that people that live in glass houses should not throw stones.

Maria Ozawa, Miyabi, Indonesia, and the MUI

On the completely unimportant news front, Maria Ozawa, or as she is better known, Miyabi (all images freely available on the internet), has made a trip to Indonesia and is to appear in a film. Now, before you get all hot and bothered, and despite her claim to fame as a recognized porn film star from Japan, the film is not to be porn. That said, the title of the film is "Kidnap Miyabi." So, perhaps the Indonesian producers of the film are capitalizing on her fame as a porn star.

I wonder would this film contravene the provisions of the new film law?

Nevertheless, the Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia / MUI) an organization that considers itself as spokesperson for all things Islam and Muslim, has decided that Maria Ozawa appearing in an Indonesian film is going to damage Indonesia's standing in the rest of the world. Although, I would have thought that any damage in the eyes of God might have been something more to fear.

It is a little bizarre that the MUI is worried that a Japanese porn star is going to damage Indonesia's standing in the world community, but seem less worried, or actually not worried at all, that the passage of regional legislation in Aceh that permits stoning of adulterers is not going to damage Indonesia's standing.

It would seem that the MUI is worried what message this sends to the world community, namely: that Indonesia has to import porn stars to appear in Indonesian non-porn films. Besides, it is not like Indonesia does not have some home grown porn stars that it could have turned to for this role, is it?

Stoning for Adultery -- Aceh Stepping Back In Time...

This is one of those moments where you shake your head, and fear for the future of Indonesia, all the while thinking, why? I have been thinking about writing this post for a while, but have held off to see whether the Aceh Regional House of Representatives (DPRA) would push this piece of legislation through before the term of the current legislature ends. I am not surprised that it passed, but it does pose some interesting issues going forward. I am also writing this post now because I have a copy of the Qanun and have taken the time to read it.

The DPRA passed the Qanun (Regional Regulation) on Jinayat (Crimes). Regional autonomy provides that regions can have more control over the regulation of their own affairs, and this includes the passage of regulations. In Aceh, this includes specific provisions that recognize the predominantly Muslim nature of Aceh. So, the drafting, enactment, and implementation of Syariah based regulations was not only contemplated but expected in the case of Aceh.

The Qanun is a perfection of a number of other previously issued Qanun (Nos. 12, 13, and 14 of 2003) and relies on Law No. 44 of 1999 on the Administration of the Special Province of Aceh and Law No. 11 of 2006 on the Governance of Aceh to provide the legal foundation for the drafting, enactment, and implementation of Syariah law in Aceh.

Interestingly, in the"In View Of ..." section of the Qanun, which generally lists the laws in hierarchical form, the Al-Quran (Koran) and the Al-Hadits (Hadiths) appear before the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia and all subsequent legislation. This is interesting because it suggests that "God's Law" is superior to all "man-made law" (for want of a gender neutral term).

Stoning is not a punishment recognized in Indonesian law. In fact, it would not be too difficult to make an argument for stoning to be a cruel and unusual punishment that is also in every sense inhuman and degrading. And, consequently, clearly contrary to several constitutional rights guaranteed to all Indonesian citizens, particularly Article 28(I).

Yet, it is worth noting that caning is also not a punishment recognized in Indonesian law, but remains on the statute books in Aceh. So, it remains to be seen who will make a constitutional challenge to the stoning provision (at the moment there seems to be plenty of punters willing to step up and take the challenge).

My view is that it might not even have to go to the Constitutional Court. It is possible that this Qanun breaches the requirements of legislation higher in the hierarchy of laws. It would also seemingly breach a number of international obligations that Indonesia has signed on to. This would conceivably allow the Minister of Home Affairs to question the validity of the Qanun and any subsequent implementation, and ultimately this process would lead to the Qanun being declared unconstitutional.

The House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat / DPR) could also be more proactive in seeking to overturn this legislation as it would clearly suggest that a Qanun such as this one leads to a two-tiered justice system that discriminates against the followers of a certain faith.

Stoning is the sentence for those that knowingly commit adultery. However, this only applies to those who are married and knowingly commit this offense. For those that are unmarried, the punishment is up to 100 lashings with a cane. One of the accepted forms of evidence of adultery is a sworn oath that requires the oath maker to acknowledge that if they lie they will be damned in both this life and the afterlife. I am guessing this is meant to dissuade the aggrieved party from telling fibs. If you are a Muslim and not particularly devout then this might not be a consideration for you.

Funnily enough, not that there is anything funny about this Qanun, a woman who is pregnant outside of wedlock cannot be accused of adultery without sufficient evidence of her crime. Now, I would have thought aside from the immaculate conception that the chances of a woman outside of wedlock being pregnant would be pretty remote. I am obviously excluding cases where the woman has been raped from this scenario.

The Qanun also deals with rape. Rape includes anal and oral sex. However, somewhat disturbingly the definition implies that rape cannot occur between a husband and a wife. So, if you are married then "no" means "yes".

The other interesting aspect of this Qanun is that it provides for criminal fines to be paid in grams of pure gold. For example, if you get caught in the act of Liwath or Musahaqah, then the penalty is 100 lashes of the cane and a fine of 1000 grams of pure gold or 100 months in jail. It is a bit of a decision as to whether you want to part with the 1000 grams of gold or do the 100 months.

If one was thinking that this Qanun is the imposition of Syariah law and therefore only applies to Muslims living in Aceh, then you would be wrong. The Qanun definitely applies to all Muslims without exception. The Qanun also applies to any non-Muslim who commits an offense in concert with a Muslim, although this would seemingly require the non-Muslim part to acknowledge and choose to be tried under the provisions of this Qanun. The Qanun also applies to any non-Muslim who commits an offense under the provisions of this Qanun and where the offense is not explicitly regulated in the Indonesian Criminal Code.

The defense of the provisions are that they reflect what is contained in the Koran and the Hadiths, and thus are essentially the words of God and agreed recollections of the sayings of the Prophet. Simply, they cannot be changed or amended. In many senses, this is a step back in time to the time of 7th Century Saudi Arabia and one has to wonder what the relevance of those times are to 21st Century Aceh and more generally, Indonesia.

Hopefully, the incoming DPRA will see the error of the ways of the current DPRA and repeal this Qanun of their own accord.

Affairs and Krazy Glue...

Affairs of the heart, mind, and body can be sticky propositions. There is always the risk of getting caught, and getting caught is where things can become interesting. Some might say that this is also the point where passions and emotions can lead things to go very wrong.

Although, this particular series of events unfolded in Wisconsin in the USA, it is hardly an only in America kind of event. One can imagine this or other equally bizarre, perhaps nasty things, happening anywhere in the world.

However, the most interesting part of the story, or crime, to date is that all of the women who had affairs with the man conspired along with the man's wife to commit this assault.

One of the women, Therese Ziemann lured the man to a motel. The man, obviously thinking he was on a winner with this one, came freely to the motel. He then agreed to be tied up, and this was presumably because there was a sexy massage on offer. Instead, Ziemann SMS-ed her co-conspirators and the man's wife.

Once all the women were on the scene it would have been worth being a fly on the wall as the man was interrogated about his adulterous ways. In the end, it is alleged that Ziemann punched the fella in the face and then proceeded to glue, with Krazy Glue, his adulterous equipment to his stomach (I am sure that some of my readers, particularly the male ones, are thinking "well if it had been me she would have been Krazy Glue-ing it to my chest").

The women then left the motel when the fella started to scream. The man was finally discovered when his screams caught the attention of passers by.

I guess it is better than having the appendage cut off. However, I wonder how one goes about unsticking a Krazy Glue-d penis to one's stomach. What's your reaction if you are the attending paramedic or the doctor in the receiving hospital. I would imagine this would be something that you certainly do not get to see everyday.

The women have all been released on USD 200 bail.

The moral of this story is, "think before you take the plunge as affairs always end in the stickiest of situations" or is it "think with your head or you might find it stuck to your stomach"?

The Westboro Baptist Church

I have written about the Westboro Baptist Church formed by the Rev. Fred Phelps in a previous entry. These people are the crazy Christian fundamentalists that have decided that God has given them a mission that revolves around the eradication of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery. The chosen method of eradication is to protest at all manner of funerals and attribute the death of the individual to some tolerance of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery.

The WBC is the group you see on TV holding the signs and placards that read, "God Hates Fags". These people are hate-mongers, vilifiers, and by my reckoning not even remotely representative of the Christian faith.

The latest target of these idiots has been the funeral of Tim McLean. McLean was the young man decapitated on a Greyhound Bus in Canada the other week. The WBC has decided that the decapitation and cannibalism of McLean was God's way of letting Canada know that he is displeased with the tolerance of Canadian policy and law towards the issues of homosexuality, abortion, and adultery.

To suggest that the WBC is a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket seems to ignore the fact that the picnic basket is not a few sandwiches short but rather it is empty, devoid of all sandwiches! There is nothing rational in the positions that the WBC adopts.

Thankfully, the Canadian border guards have been instructed to bar entry to members of the WBC to Canada. The family of Tim McLean has a right to grieve in peace and bury him without interference from the WBC! I am one that normally advocates that people have a right to protest, and even if I do not agree with you, I still would argue for your right to protest. Nevertheless, some lines in the sand need to be drawn, this is one of those times. The idea of targeting specific individuals as having died because of a government policy and then picketing their funerals is offensive.

The WBC is the same group you see picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers throughout the US. For me the message of the WBC constitutes hate speech and they should and must be prosecuted where the law allows for this sort of vilification to be prosecuted.

My guess is that God hates the Westboro Baptist Church!

Challenges - A Recent Debate

This might not be the usual fare that I type here in my blog but it was a recent conversation I had with two colleagues (perhaps friends even) over a couple of bottles of red wine! It was far from one of those drunken conversations where any old crap goes. On the contrary it was somewhat reasoned but mostly it was opinionated based on what could be best described as personal anecdotal observations of life in action!

The question posed related to once a woman was married was she off limits to all resident Casanovas or was it simply a case of being a bigger challenge? My colleagues tended to think that generally the answer here was one of being off limits. I, on the other hand, tended towards an increased challenge. My view is based on the fact that there is so much more at stake for a married person so the challenges would seem to be inversely proportional to the commitment to the marriage.

This is to say the more committed to the marriage the greater the challenge and conversely the less commitment there is to the marriage then so does the challenge decrease.

The argument was moot in the sense that no cheating on our individual parts was being contemplated. It was one of those debates that arose out of knowing someone where the subject matter of the debate was relevant!

In the end we agreed to disagree!

However, another interesting tangent to this debate was the idea that some men seem to harbor a belief that they are "God's gift to women" and this means that not even lesbians are safe from their God given charms in seducing women! For me this is an interesting argument as well. It could conceivably work in reverse with a woman thinking she could convert a gay man from one side to the other.

I am no scientist (which is probably a good thing for the world as I would probably be a 'mad' one) but this kind of argument intrigues me because I have always considered homosexuality and lesbianism to be genetic and not a learned behavior (and therefore not an illness to be cured). So, in that sense if you're gay then you're gay and similarly if you're a lesbian then you're a lesbian. There is no chop and changing between this and heterosexuality (bisexuality aside).

The point of this post is to solicit (perhaps elicit would be a better choice of word) any one who reads and wishes to comment on the challenges identified here. Comments posted after a enjoying a bottle of red or two are especially welcome :D (the picture is one from the Hrdlicka collection).