Schapelle Corby's Sentence to be Reduced?

It has been a while since a Schapelle Corby (photo courtesy of AAP) related post. So, now would seem an appropriate time to make one, particularly considering that there is a very solid likelihood that a large sentence reduction is on the cards. How large remains to be seen, but the Jakarta rumour mill is working overtime, and all indications are that it will be significant.

To be truthful, no one is commenting publicly on this that would be quotable in a verifiable sense. And, stranger things have happened with sentence cuts and other remissions that seemed destined to happen. So, fingers crossed for Ms. Corby and her family that this is something that comes to fruition.

Schapelle Corby lodged a clemency appeal to get herself released on humanitarian grounds. There were fairly solid grounds for the appeal. It is clear that the prison years since 2004 have taken their toll mentally and physically. She is definitely never going to be the same, but one never knows, she might get some semblance of normalcy back to her life on release. The Indonesians have acknowledged her depression and have treated it. The family and other supporters have claimed for a long period of time that Schapelle's mental illness is significantly more serious than 'mere' depression and that she needs to be repatriated to Australia and treated here.

It would seem that the Indonesian Supreme Court has been swayed by the petition and has supposedly recommended to the president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that a significant sentence reduction be granted. The ultimate decision on clemency petitions rests with the president. However, it is uncommon for the president to go against the recommendation of the Supreme Court in a case like this. Nevertheless, it would seem unlikely that it would be reduced to time served with an immediate release to follow. However, it is worth noting that this is not outside the realm of possibility.

The Indonesians have clearly made their point on the seriousness of drugs and drug smuggling, and an immediate release would be seen as a good will gesture by most. There will still be those that argue she should never have been in Kerobokan in the first place, but that is probably a hypothetical argument for later because what has been done cannot be undone.

And, for these people the continued bashing of Indonesia as a backward barbarian third world nation lacking compassion will go on unabated. It might be worth considering what the priorities are here; seeing Schapelle free or bashing Indonesia, and determining how best to go forward with any media campaign associated with Schapelle Corby's release from prison.

Another possibility is that the original 20-year sentence will be cut in half. And, with expected remissions to be granted in August and December for Indonesian Independence Day and Christmas respectively, it is possible that Corby will be free towards the end of this year or very early next year.

Good luck to her. It would seem that her desire to have a child as a free woman is coming that much closer to becoming a reality.

One For the Record Books -- 8.7kg Baby...

A woman has given birth in a hospital in Medan, North Sumatra. Nothing to shocking or newsworthy about that, except that the baby weighed in at a massive 8.7kg (photo). This makes it the heaviest baby ever born in Indonesia (at least in recorded births). The not so little fella is also some 62cm in length.

There is little surprise that the young one was delivered via caesarean. Apparently, even doing a c-section was a challenge in terms of getting the boy out of the mother's womb.

The boy and his mother are both doing well, according to news reports.

So, how did the young fella end up so large. Apparently, the mother has diabetes, and doctors believe that diabetes in pregnant women impacts on the amount of glucose that the fetus receives during pregnancy. Simple, the boy had too much glucose and this is what caused his massive growth.

I hope all continues to go well for bother mother and son.

"They Shake Me" -- Baby Fashion?

It seems that this t-shirt has caused a bit of a stir, perhaps even an uproar, or perhaps a controversy over in twitter land and on the Internet. The Cotton On Kids company has sort to boost sales through what they consider to be a humorous t-shirt campaign.

Is this a simple case of a sense of humor misunderstood or something more sinister? It seems that some would believe that the next t-shirt that Cotton On Kids might be producing is "my parents sexually abuse me". I have a sneaky suspicion that they won't be.

I will leave that one up to you.

Nevertheless, shaking babies and the severe injuries and death that may result mean, at least in my mind, that there is little humor to be had in the first t-shirt above. Shaking babies to me is just not funny. However, the second set of photos with the "I'm a tits man" and "I am living proof my mum is easy" are probably not as offensive as the first.

At least in my humble opinion.

Even More Trivia -- Fun Only (Still)...

Did you know any of the following:

1. An average four-year-old child asks 437 questions every day;

2. Every year, the Moon moves away from the earth a distance of 3.82cm;

3. That the Guinness Book of Records holds the record for the book most often stolen from public libraries;

4. Mageiricophobia is the fear of cooking;

5. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows;

6. Tuna suffocate if they stop swimming;

7. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood we have only 206 bones;

8. The modern flushing toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper; and

9. The King of Hearts is the only king without a moustache.

Enjoy!

Baby Names -- A Follow Up

Top five girls and boys names in the US (based on US Social Security Agency figures):

Girls:

Emily, Isabella, Emma, Ava, and Madison

Boys:

Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, and Daniel


The full list can be found at the link above.

Baby Names

Yes, yes, yes, I know the kid is not due until November and that is bloody ages away! Whose idea was it anyway that this pregnancy thing had to last approximately 9 months? Perhaps this is proof that God is a man after all or then again perhaps God is a woman and has consciously kept man away from experiencing the pleasure and pain of child birth...It might have helped though if God had granted me some videography skills so I could better capture the process on film!

I am already planning the kids 18th birthday party and the embarrassment of watching the "day you were born" video!

But I digress! This post is about baby names! Let's face it the kid has to have a name, right? So, my philosophy is that it is better to sort this stuff out in advance so that you're not making rash decisions in the heat of the happiness moment while the missus' legs are spread-eagled and up in the air and in all her glory! To simplify things I reckon "the kid" is a good choice as it is gender neutral and reflects the fact that they will always be the kid no matter how old they get...the missus is not convinced on this one!

My other choice is the gender neutral Dylan. However, the reality is that we both want to capture the essence of the kid having two cultures and a wide array of influences ranging from Australian, Balinese, Indonesian, Welsh, and each of our personal interests and likes, and we want to do this in the kid's name. Yet, we are also conscious of not wanting the kid to have a name as long as the Nile.

I would like to factor in my old fella's Welsh heritage and have at least one Welsh name in the fold somewhere. I am not really into RAB Jr. if it is a son. Yet, I could be tempted with names like Harald, Tristan, or Drew. Besides if it is a daughter I kind of like the names Meaghan, Elizabeth, and Tuyet (Vietnamese for snow), Eloise...

When it is all said and done...I am not hoping for a son or a daughter (although fraternal twins would have been nice), I am just hoping that all goes well and smoothly and that the next however many weeks that remain, fly past :)

Bring it on!

Ban the Babies

This was part of a choice heading from the Sydney Morning Herald which in full reads "Ban the babies, say air travellers". This very worthy news piece was based on a survey of 2400 Australian travellers on the totaltravel.com website. A whopping 81% of respondents to this very worthwhile survey said that babies and presumably the baby's parents should be segregated on long haul flights.

The primary reason offered up here by respondents was that listening to a baby cry for 12 straight hours is no fun. Really, are you kidding me? I have not seen a baby cry for 12 straight hours but whatever.

Sitting next to or in close proximity of someone with questionable hygiene standards is also the proverbial pain in the arse from what I can tell. Have you ever had to sit next to someone who flicks of their shoes and then have the heady aroma of toe jam float around you and the cabin for 12 hours or so. Nope, lucky you! But my take would be that these hygiene-challenged individuals should also be segregated for my flying pleasure.

It is only a small leap before we want to start segregating people based on other supposed differences..."Sorry sir, but you have blue eyes you may only sit in rows 21 to 25"..."Sorry ma'am but it says on your ticket that you weigh 65 kilograms, you may only sit in seat number 10D, we have to keep the aircraft balanced you know!" Ohhhhh, the discrimination of it all!

We should never forget that at one time we were these screaming cantankerous little buggers we call children. Give the parents a break you only get to enjoy their pain for a mere 12 hours, they get to enjoy it for the whole holiday!

Wake up and smell the coffee, order another wine, whack in the headphones and chill to the latest movies or the latest groves without having to leave your seat. One thing airlines have become so much better at is in flight entertainment. So, get your money's worth there and stop worrying about the screaming kiddies! Have you ever noticed that with the improvements in in-flight entertainment there has been a corresponding decrease in the level of service provided by the flight attendants - how bizarre?!?! :)

Happy Travels!