Does Obama Dye His Hair?

And, for today's most important news story:

There are probably more important things to talk about with regards to President Obama's performance as Commander-in-Chief, such as rejuvenating a depressed jobs sector. On the dying front, I guess a man has gotta do what a man has gotta do. And, if that means dying your hair to hide some of the stresses of office then so be it.

Ho hum...

Today's Most Important News Story is...

Kate Middleton, the future wife of Prince William and heir to the thrown of England, has been photographed wearing a sheer blouse to a wedding.

Having had a look at the photos, it does not look like the blouse is all that revealing. In fact, to my unfashionable tastes, she looks pretty decently dressed. So what, if she is a future Queen of England. I appreciate that she is now a public figure. I appreciate that her fashion choices are going to be scrutinized as were her prospective mother-in-laws were before her. The fact that she wore a sheer blouse is simply not news of world importance, is it?

After all, it is not like it is a full-frontal nude shot, or even an upskirt shot, let's face it, it is not even a shot that reveals her breasts. So, what is the problem again?

Maybe someone can explain why wearing a sheer blouse is such a fashion faux pas.

Ho hum...

Obama's 75,000-Word Email to the Nation...

You have to give credit where credit is due. The people over at The Onion are a humorous bunch of news providers.

It seems that the latest news from The Onion relates to a rambling 75,000-word email that the Commander-in-Chief sent to all Americans. The email was titled, somewhat ironically, "a couple of things". President Obama is clearly a frustrated man struggling to come to grips with the nature of the Washington political game. To see just how frustrated he is, read.

I wonder if Fox News Channel will pick up this story and run with it? Maybe Glenn Back will have a crack at this story. It sort of fits in with the 'birther' type stories. Or the raging lefty, pinko, communist (or is that socialist?) anti-Christ that the president allegedly represents. Ho hum...

Enjoy!

Oh Dear, SBY...

Anyone listening to the President of late must be beginning to wonder if there is anyone out there who is not plotting to "do things" (red. kill) to him.

It appears that the latest arrests of terrorists in West Java overnight uncovered a plot to harm the Indonesian President.

I wonder if he has ever sat down and thought about why it seems there are so many people out there willing to lay it all on the line to kill him? He must have, mustn't he?

The point is that I would imagine that most leaders of large democracies have the crazies lurking out there and stalking them. All the while making all manner of plans to wreak havoc and cause mayhem, and maybe get an assassination plot up and running. But, you so rarely hear of them with other leaders.

So, I wonder whether there is a belief amongst SBY's closest advisors that making snippets of these plots and arrests public knowledge that there will be a positive bounce in opinion and popularity polls of the president?

I only ponder and pose these questions because I just do not see the point of adding a potential assassination plot into the mix. These arrests could have been made, terrorists links could have been established, and legal processes undertaken without the need to make the primary news, "look at me, I must be the good guy because there are terrorists out there trying to kill me!"

Ho hum...

Metro TV, Porn, and KPI Sanctions...

Oops!

Metro TV has 'mistakenly' broadcast some rather graphic images during its morning news program. The offending footage was associated with a news piece about a raid on an internet cafe in East Java. Unfortunately for the station and the news editors, someone has missed a close up of a computer screen that had not been pixelated to remove the images.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has decided that the most appropriate sanction is to pull the program from the airwaves for a week and require the station to broadcast an apology three times a day for three days.

I cannot work out whether the station was fined as well. However, a fine and an apology would probably have been sufficient. Pulling the program for a week seems a little like overkill to me by a KPI that is hungry for attention, and in need to justify its existence.

Miss Tourism Queen 2009 -- Miss Bali Wins

Miss Bali, Yoke Paramita Djati Walujo, has won the Bikini Contest of the Miss Tourism Queen 2009 held in Xinyang, Henan Province in China.

The contest included 120 participants form all parts of the globe. The runners-up came from Russia and Ukraine.

The competition concluded on 17 August 2009.

Congratulations to Miss Bali.

Indonesian and Malaysian Relations -- Part II

The Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia, Dato Zainal Abidin Zain, wanted the Indonesian press to write more favourable pieces on the goodness of Malaysians and their generosity to Indonesians on the whole. To this end, the Ambassador has decided he might have to force the Indonesian media's hand. He has attempted to do this by making a very public display of handing over financial compensation (or assistance packages) to former maids who were abused by their Malaysian employers.

One has to start somewhere.

Manohara Odelia Pinot -- Part VI -- The Demo

You know there just has to be a sixth installment to this saga, and here it is. I should probably warn you that the seventh installment in this series is on the way as well. I still have a long way to go to catch up to Unspun in terms of the number of Manohara related posts. You can check Unspun out here.

For a young woman who has been kidnapped, physically abused, and raped, I am impressed that she has found the time to attend a demonstration at the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta to protest Malaysia's not so secret attempts to get their hands on the Ambalat Block. The demo was organized by Laskar Merah Putih. Manohara (photo courtesy of Detik) and Laskar Merah Putih might seem like strange bedfellows, but I guess whatever keeps you in the news and the front page is plausible.

It is interesting that Mano, which seems to be what the local Indonesian press are calling her, has become very political on her return to the Motherland. According to Mano, "Ambalat absolutely belongs to Indonesia and therefore there is nothing to talk about". Sounds like a plan to me. So, how about these kidnap, abuse, and rape charges now that we have Ambalat squared away in Indonesia's favour?

I have nothing negative to say about Mano or her attendance at the demo. Although, it appears that not everyone was happy with her turning up. As I said in the previous post, just about everything she turns her hand to for the foreseeable future is going to be a bit of a circus.

The Mano saga continues. I wonder what is in store for us on Thursday?

Jon Stewart -- "i" on the News

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show may not be every one's cup of tea. However, I read somewhere once that people were getting their news from the Daily Show. I don't know whether that is a good or a bad thing.

I like watching Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. I don't watch to get my news coverage but I do watch it for a good hearty laugh.

Here (for some reason I cannot embed the video - so click on the link to it) is a recent segment that starts with the coverage of Obama's speech to the "Muslim World", and then goes on to critique MSNBC and CNN.

Enjoy!