Miley Cyrus and the Salvia Sessions...

I have to offer my sincere thanks to Ms. Miley Cyrus for reminding me of this interesting Mexican herb with the hallucinogenic properties. I wrote a couple of blog posts on Salvia way back when. Salvia is illegal in Australia with respect to possession for the purposes of smoking it and getting stoned. Australia was one of the first, if not the first, countries to ban salvia. However, my understanding is that salvia, despite its hallucinogenic effects, is classed as a herb in the US and it is legal to possess it and presumably smoke it, if one so desires.

Now, as a role model, although I am not sure what kind of role model she is, Miley Cyrus probably does not want to be promoting smoking, particularly smoking herbs that take you to some pretty weird and way out there places. Just do a search of salvia on YouTube and see what pops up.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that she has not in fact broken any laws in the state of California where this video was allegedly shot. How the video came to light is a case of alleged theft of a friends video camera. You can watch a reasonable copy of the video here.

Interestingly, Dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, took to Twitter to profess his disappointment in his daughter's actions. He also intimated that there were some things beyond his control right now. That, Mr. Cyrus, seems to be a pretty good candidate for understatement of the month. In any event, Mr. Cyrus, your daughter is 18-years-old and is legal, and legally if she wants to smoke herbs then she can do so. Whether it is smart to be a smoker at such a young age, or any age for that matter, is an irrelevant point to whether you have, or could conceivably gain, some sort of control over Miley's actions.

Let's face it, you, Mr. Cyrus were initially in favour of a provocative photo shoot that saw an underage Miley Cyrus doing a topless shoot. Hmmm, control, yeah, right!

There is also a copy of the video here.

In the end, perhaps if it is a role model she wants to be, then maybe parents might want to start using the emerging train wreck that could become Miley Cyrus, the adult, as how not to do things. That said, perhaps the lesson is about managing fame and fortune while protecting a wholesome and commercial image.

Naked Teachers & Penthouse Magazine...

It would seem that being a teacher and getting your gear off do not mix under any circumstances. This is not a case of a teacher getting their gear off and fiddling with one of their students. This is a story about a New Zealand teacher who decided that it would be a good idea to get her gear off for Australian Penthouse magazine. The offending pictures are supposedly available on their website. Stuff NZ broke the story here.

On second thoughts this might not have been such a good idea. the New Zealand Teachers Council is now investigating. Sounds like a good excuse for the Teachers Council to go and get themselves a few copies of the magazine or open up the website, for research of course.

The young woman, Rachel Whitwell, apparently dates a pornographer. So, in that sense it does not seem to be an unlikely scenario that she might be convinced to get her kit off. The proof of the pudding is in the viewing, and there are six photos to be viewed. Among the six photos are two full-nudes. Oh, to be able to post those. Perhaps, I should post them for educational purposes. You know, what not to do if you are a teacher. Anyways, for those of you that want the full monty, then look here. The two pictures posted above are the more modest of the six available.

According to Whitwell, aka Lexy, the photos are not her only claim to fame. She is also a bit of a writer, having penned a number of erotic stories for magazines and runs her very own pole-dancing studio. I wonder if this means that teaching does not pay all that well in New Zealand.

Nevertheless, the Teachers Council feels that this is a case where the public and private lives of a teacher overlap and the claims must be investigated. It appears though that the photos might prove a little bit difficult to disown seeing they have been professionally done. So, the need for an investigation is an interesting call.

Perhaps a meeting to find out why the photos were done and whether there was any consideration on how posing for Penthouse might impact on Ms. Whitwell's ability to teach in a classroom. Yet, even then, the reasons are pretty obvious, the young woman is exploring whether or not she has what it takes to be a model.

Ms. Whitwell is registered to teach in New Zealand through to 2011. However, she is currently having time off to care for her young daughter, and to pose for nude and topless photographs when she is not in full-on caring mode.

The issue that the Teachers Council will look at is whether this little excursion into modelling will negatively impact on her ability to do her job. For others there seems to be a few morality issues to consider as well. It would seem that teachers are role models, and as such posing topless and naked in a well known magazine like Penthouse, or their website, is not a good example for children.

I am not sure that I ascribe to the view that getting your kit off in any impacts the skills one has or does not have as a teacher. Just because people have seen her naked will not make one iota of difference to whether or not she is a skilled teacher. The question is whether or not now that plenty of people, her colleagues, and perhaps some of her students have seen her in all her glory whether the perception of her abilities change?

They probably do.

Why this post? I am thinking about getting some formal qualifications as a teacher. I am not thinking about getting into modelling or getting my kit of for Playgirl or something (even if I wasn't the fat ugly bugger that I am).

Homosexuality -- Not Normal -- In Queensland

Queensland is a bright and sunny place that is known to be good one day and perfect the next. However, it would seem that it is neither bright and sunny not good one day and perfect the next when it comes to the adoption of children by same-sex couples. Reforms to the adoption regime in Queensland is set to continue a ban against same-sex (homosexual / lesbian) couples from adopting children.

This was a pleasing development for Dorothy Pratt, the Independent MP for Nanango. In Pratt's view, homosexuality is not normal. I am guessing she also believes that homosexuality and lesbianism is a disease that can be cured. It is a sad state of affairs when we discriminate against a sector of the community based on their sexuality with respect to their ability to be parents.

The first and foremost considerations should be that of the child. Therefore, if this is the paramount right, then the consideration moves to whether the applicant(s) to be would make a good parent(s). It is a sad indictment when righteous do-gooders hide behind the idea that God ordains only parental relationships with children that involve a married mother and father. The idea that a child cannot be given a balanced view of the world with two fathers or two mothers is naive at best. The reality is that children can and will have interaction with role models outside of their immediate families.

The law is alive and is constantly changing. So, as we move into the brave new world of the future, it seems almost certain that at some point Queensland will have cause to revisit this issue. And, perhaps at that time all Queenslanders will be given the right to adopt where they are deemed to be suitable parent material.

Thus endeth the sermon for Friday.