Serial Killers Marrying Drug Dealers....

I am not sure that this is an only in Indonesia scenario, but this particular story is out of Indonesia. Yet, no matter, as the very idea is worthy of a blog post.

It appears that Verry Idham Henyahsyah, aka Ryan, who came to fame as a gay serial killer sentenced to death for the murder of 11 people, is not set to get married to a woman. It is all a little weird but, then again, not so weird. It is not unheard of gay men to marry women for myriad of different reasons. I think this is a little weird because Ryan was sentenced to death for his crimes and is awaiting execution in Kesambi Prison in Cirebon.

The weirdness for me is a personal one. I have never really understood why women meet, fall in love and ultimately want to (or do) marry men on death row. I guess I just need to read a little more widely, I am sure the literature is out there somewhere.

Ryan argues that marrying the recently released drug dealer, Eny Wijaya, fits his personal philosophy that marriages is the process of regenerating life. Maybe I need to read more widely on the nature and nurture debate as it relates to serial killers; are they born or bred?

The other reason Ryan feels it necessary for him as an openly gay man to marry a woman is that it would makes his mother happy. It seems Ryan's mum really wants him to get married.

Normally, people would want to wish you a long, happy, and fruitful marriage together, but I wonder what is the "right" thing to say to a fellow that is sitting on death row with respect to marriage? Let's face it, he might not know the exact date of his death, but Ryan does know that the final walk to the firing squad is going to happen, and it is going to happen sooner rather than later.

Ho hum...

Bigger and Better in Underwater Indonesia...

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration is undertaking a joint survey with the Indonesian government of the ocean floor of the coast of Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. The purpose is to map the ocean floor and perhaps to see what else is down in the nether regions of the ocean. This is the first week of that joint venture and they have already discovered an undersea volcano that is some 10,000 feet high. Yes, 10,000 feet which makes it taller than most of Indonesia's above water mountains. Interestingly, this one is not only underwater, but it is also 18,000 feet underwater.

The challenge of mountains, at least for me, is to climb them. So, as interesting as an underwater mountain or volcano is, the question remains what challenge is there that we can come up with that tests one's endurance if you cannot climb it. In any event, at 18,000 feet down I am not sure that there are too many humans that could tolerate the incredible pressures involved. Something to ponder for the future, there is always someone looking to do something a little more extreme than the last person.

The NOAA ship, Okeanos Explorer, is on its maiden voyage. The volcano has been named Kawio Barat.

It is expected that the voyage and the work completed will provide scientists with new insights into ocean life at these great depths and will also shed some light on issues associated with climate change and the like. For Indonesia, an archipelagic state of some 17,000 islands any knowledge associated with ocean ecosystems that contributes to better and more effective management is going to be critical as they move into the future. Furthermore, the impacts of climate change such as changing ocean ecosystems and rising sea levels are going to be acutely felt in countries like Indonesia. Quite simply, this research allows for the Indonesians to be forewarned and forearmed.

The images are superb and can be accessed here.

Same-Sex Couples and Adoption in NSW

A NSW Government parliamentary inquiry has recommended that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. The victory was a narrow one, so narrow that it required the chair to cast the deciding vote, and the vote is likely to reignite the nurture / nature debate sometime down the track in the event that the State Government picks up on the recommendation and seeks to amend the relevant laws and regulations.

In essence, the report recommends that same-sex couples must not be discriminated against in the adoption process. Therefore, same-sex couples are to be assessed in exactly the same way as a heterosexual couple as to their suitability to adopt children.

It is expected that if the legislation was to be amended, then this would expand the pool of potential / possible parents. It is also expected that this will provide greater flexibility to adoption agencies in ensuring that the best interests of the child are realized by allowing them to be adopted by the best possible candidates for parenthood.

If the government was to run with the recommendations, then the first step would be to introduce an amendment bill to the Adoption Act. However, considering the contentious nature of the subject matter, then there is also an expectation that this may spend a lot of time in committees seeking to determine the feasibility of amending the legislation to reflect the recommendations.

The reality is that the government is struggling in opinion polls and this one is not likely to help them on that front. It would be interesting to see whether the government would allow a conscience vote on the bill if it were ever to make it to the floor of parliament.

The amendment of the legislation is the right thing to do. The fact that gay and lesbian couples are prohibited from adopting children is discriminatory. As human beings, people have a right to live their lives free from the discriminatory discretion of the state. Same-sex couples already have the right to foster children, so it makes sense that these same people must also enjoy the right to adopt children as well.

With a bit of luck the NSW Government will not play politics with this one and just get it done. After all, it is the right thing to do.

Allah is Everywhere

Pareidolia is the phenomenon of seeing or perceiving something significant in something insignificant. While I was out surfing the Internet I came across this image that is posted with this entry, here. This is not some new psychological phenomenon and as such there are plenty of sites on the web that publish the images. You can find images here, here, and here.

Mak Erot -- The Penis Enlarger

There are probably very few Indonesian men or women who have not heard of the incredible abilities of Mak Erot (photo by Achmad Fauzie). Mak Erot was reportedly somewhere between the ages of 101 and 130. No one is quite sure, her children and grandchildren included, but it does not really matter any more as the legend has passed. Fortunately though she has apparently passed on her incredible skills to her children and grandchildren.

There are a couple of reasons that I am writing this. It is an interesting story and because I am lead to believe that one of my blogging colleagues, Dilligaf, saw a 3,000 visitor spike in his statistics. So, my ego demands that I write something for this in order to increase my own feelings of self-importance as my stat numbers rapidly increase. Besides I do not get 3,000 visitors in a month let alone with one "strategic" post!

Mak Erot's claim to fame was an ability to lengthen the male member through the use of herbs, traditional remedies, and prayer. Mak Erot was based in Sukabumi in West Java. However, men came from thousands of miles to get the lengthening touch of Mak Erot.

There are plenty of men out there who swear by the treatments. The business of penis enlargement is a multi-million dollar industry and the Mak Erot business is alleged to rake in tens of billions of rupiah. This just goes to show that there are plenty of men out there who are less than satisfied with the gifts that God has bestowed upon them. So, the age old mantra of "bigger is better" rings true for many Indonesians.

For those of you who were to embarrassed or shy to make the trip and get the treatment, there is no need to despair. By all accounts Mak Erot has not been the primary provider of treatments for some time. She passed on her exquisite and exceptional skills to her children. So, even if you had made the trip in recent years it probably would have been her son H. Saepulloh doing all the necessary massaging of members and requisite praying.

Mak Erot had an almost cult following and had reportedly been providing services to many of Indonesia's rich and famous, as well as sex therapists, and ordinary citizens, pretty much anyone who could afford the treatments. Treatments are said to start at around IDR 700,000.

Mak Erot may have passed onto the next world but her gifts and talents have been passed to a new generation of penis enlargers in her family. So, for those of you unhappy with the length of your penis the knowledge of Mak Erot lives on so do not despair.

Just do it, you know you want to go to Sukabumi!

A Shark Story with a Photo

This is a shark story with photographic evidence and an interesting twist.

Sydney has its share of ocean baths. These are essentially public saltwater swimming pools that are right on the shoreline and fill with the tide. Sometimes with a particularly high tide or a good swell these public baths might end up with a few fish and the odd dolphin and maybe even a shark.

The Cronulla baths had never had a shark until this morning. They had a few dolphins over the years but never a shark. The interesting twist, or perhaps irony, here is that the local rugby league team is known as the Cronulla Sharks. So, it is pretty apt that a shark end up in the Cronulla baths.

The shark was finally caught and released back into the ocean at about 10.30 and the sight was an amazing one for all who were able to witness it.

The wonders of the world where nature meets human development.

Alaska

Apparently, Alaska has the highest percentage of people that walk to work.

My experience of Alaska is limited to the TV show "Northern Exposure". The photo is of Mt. McKinley and can be found here.

Having a look at some of the photos of Alaska has inspired me to want to save up and go see for myself first hand some of these places.

The Miracle of Life

Does it really matter whether life was created by an omnipotent God or whether it just happened as some freak of nature?

Thoughts of fatherhood and whether I will make a good one...

Dolphins & Whales

Nature at its magnificent best...perhaps us humans can learn a thing or two from the animal kingdom as it comes to helping those in distress!

A dolphin by all accounts has saved the lives of two distressed pygmy sperm whales that had become disoriented at Mahia Beach on the East coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Conservation officers were seriously considering euthanizing the two whales, a mother and her calf, but not to be deterred up swims a solitary dolphin and guides the two whales back out to sea and presumably back to the ocean life.

So, animals can talk! It seems that dolphins are as smart as the scientists say they are. Probably lucky for dolphins and for the two whales that dolphin meat is not the same sort after delicacy that whale meat is in Japan!