TitS: Kena Deh...

A recent viewpoint from the Economist "In Praise of a Twit" must be a high water mark in Indonesian history for a serving minister of the Indonesian government. But, when one thinks about it, it is a wonder that it has taken this long for Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS) to be recognised for his wonderful work. TitS is desperate to always be relevant and this is the driving force in his populist nationalist rhetoric invading the Twitter-sphere (the picture reflects his desire to his need to be relevant!)

TitS has a skill that many Indonesian politicians crave for but rarely achieve, the ability to unite liberals and conservatives alike. Sadly, this is not uniting them together but positioning them as diametrically opposed extremes on the pornography debate. There really seems to be little middle ground here as the debate has morphed into one of "you are either with us or you are against us".

There has been plenty of commentary about the TitS vs. RIM / BlackBerry shenanigans. One of the best pieces has been written by Treespotter. It is in Indonesian which makes it for an Indonesian-reading audience. However, many of the points have been made by him in the past in English and you will also find many of those points here.

It appears that TitS has had a bit of a victory. RIM the makers of the BlackBerry Smartphone have agreed to block porn on their devices for the Indonesian market. RIM will be up for considerable expense in reconfiguring their devices to comply with the TitS demand. However, it is worth noting that this has to be done in conjunction with the local providers of BlackBerry services. It will be interesting to see how much of the "cost" local providers are willing to bear in order to see compliance happen. Or is the expectation that RIM will cover all the costs?

Some would consider this victory one for censorship and perhaps point out that this reflects the growing power of more conservative Islamic political forces. To be honest, I am not sure that the arguments here are being made on purely religious or political grounds. Anyways, a Google search using the terms BlackBerry, Islam, and Censorship turned up this image (no offense intended so hopefully none is taken).

Once again, RIM should have just stood its ground and said "No". If TitS had of pushed through with his ban he would have only ensured his legacy as a good source of comedic material for comedians around the world, including the likes of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Jay Leno and the like in the US. I am sure there are comedians in Europe who are also "taking the piss". But, even more so, all of the politicians and other high-ranking public officials would have begun jumping up and down demanding that TitS pull his head in and do something worthwhile with his time as it is becoming increasingly obvious that the man is getting blinded by the sunshine that he thinks is shining out of his arse.

The reality is that even if RIM blocks porn to its BlackBerry devices there is going to be a negligible effect on overall supply of pornography to the Indonesian consumer. Let's face it, people can still go down to Block M or over to Glodok and buy pirated local and foreign pornographic DVDs until their collective hearts are content or stop beating because of the shock of the sudden release of all that sexual tension. The truly sad thing is that TitS still does not get that a national internet filter is not ever going to happen until such time as their is only one government controlled entry point to the Indonesian marketplace.

Probably more worrisome than RIM's capitulation on the porn filters is that TitS is touting that RIM has also agreed to allow the Indonesian government to intercept messages and other communications on BlackBerry devices. There is no need for BlackBerry to make any such concessions to TitS. The reality is that if there was a lawful reason for an interception to occur then a warrant issued by a legitimate court would see RIM comply. Besides, there is little doubt that Indonesia has agencies both public and spook-like that would already  have the capabilities to intercept communications without the communicator knowing about it so there really is no need or reason for the Minister of [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information to have this power as well.

There will be a time in the future, perhaps it is now, that Indonesians when they think of TitS will collectively sigh and say in a most colloquial of ways "kena deh!"

Suicide in Indonesia...

Suicide is a tragedy. It is not only a tragedy for those that make the ultimate choice to end it all, it is also a tragedy for those that are left behind and who must deal with the shattered lives that remain. Two things had me thinking about death and the way it is portrayed and discussed this morning: the first was an article in The Jakarta Globe and the second was seeing that "RIP Justin Bieber" was trending on Twitter (just about anything that has a Justin Bieber link trends or goes viral on Twitter, just ask Conan O'Brien. And, I am wondering whether or not "Justine Bieber: Suicide Death" within this post will result in any additional traffic to this blog post? If there is, then this might be a good thing from an awareness perspective).

This short post is an opinion piece on suicide in Indonesia.

According to The Jakarta Globe, the Ministry of Health's 'suicide hotline' has been ringing off the hook with a sharp increase in the number of calls during the first three months of operation. The hotline number for those that need it is 500-454 (although I recall Jakarta phone numbers having more digits than that...the number is correct, I checked!). The hotline was launched as part of World Mental Health Day in October 2010. Dr. Bella Patriajaya, Head of the Suharto Heerjan Mental Health Hospital, said that the reason was that more people were seeking help for their problems.

The data to-date is showing that not everyone who calls the hotline is intending to commit suicide. There are also significant numbers of people calling who are depressed or suffering other mental disorders. Even though, there is no confession of intent to kill themselves, the suicide hotline is still an excellent starting point for a sympathetic ear and perhaps some direction to services that can provide longer-term support.

Interestingly, the World Health Organization 2001 data states that the suicide rate in Indonesia is 1.6-1.8 suicides per 100,000 people. Nevertheless, a more recent study conducted by Ahmad Prayitno of Trisakti University in Jakarta supports more recent WHO data for Southeast Asia that claims that the suicide rate is closer to 24 incidents per 100,000. This is a staggering number as it would equate to about 50,000 suicides per year or 1,500 suicides per day. The reality is that even this study suspects that the actual rate and numbers are much higher.

The more recent studies are showing a trend in the reasons for suicide becoming more economic related. This includes losing a job, being demoted, or even living beyond one's means and getting into a spiral of uncontrollable debt. Nevertheless, the study also shows that more 'traditional' reasons relating to an inability to deal with emotional trauma remains a significant factor.

One of the biggest difficulties in determining exact numbers is the taboo nature of the subject. In most religions, and communities, suicide is frowned upon. Therefore, it is not uncommon that many suicides go unreported or are misreported as natural or accidental deaths.

It is important to remember that suicide is not a problem unique to one country. So, speak up and reach out! You might just save a life.

Ice-T and Coco...

Ice-T and Coco sounds like a drink. But, it is not. Ice-T made his name as a rapper. He has had much success recently in Law and Order: SVU. He is married to Coco. Coco Austin's claim to fame, aside from being married to Ice-T, seem fairly evident from these Twit Pics, don't you think?





This post may seem a little gratuitous, but there really is a point. That point is: How do you convince people that sending out pictures of themselves that leave so little to the imagination is not a good idea when you see photos like this one and stories that suggest the person pictured has made a career out of this very sort of thing?

Ho hum...

I would follow the links, the pictures are better quality on the original links.

BlackBerry and Taxes...

It makes sense to make life difficult for foreign businesses operating in a country when that foreign business is not complying with the prevailing laws and regulations. After all, fair is fair. If the laws and regulations apply to Indonesian companies doing business in Indonesia then a fair shake of the cherry tree must see foreign businesses complying with the prevailing laws and regulations too.

Truth be told, Indonesian businesses that head into foreign markets will undoubtedly have to comply with the prevailing laws and regulations of the country where they begin operating. What goes around, comes around, including taxes.

So, Pay Your Taxes: Prove Your Love For The Motherland" (Membayar Pajak: Bukti Cinta Tanah Air)

However, it does not make sense that a company; local or foreign, must pander to the personal desires, wishes and agenda of an individual, even where that individual is the Minister of [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information, Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS). Indonesia has moved on from the iron-hand business practices of Soeharto and his cronies, has it not? Indonesia has become an economy that has a conducive investment climate based on the rule of law, right?

This is what makes the TitS crusade so bizarre. It is no longer looking like the government trying to enforce prevailing laws and regulations, rather it looks like a man on a mission to eradicate pornography from the Red & White Republic at all costs by waging a one-man war against RIM. TitS where are the statistics that show RIM and their BlackBerry Smartphones are leading the charge of porn downloaded by Indonesians. I reckon, at least anecdotally, that the Minister would find that traditionally it has been the small internet cafes that have been at the forefront of the porn boom in Indonesia.

So desperate is TitS to beat down RIM he has gone outside his mandate to try and portray this spat as one that has a nationalist pride angle to it. In fact, TitS has decided that, in his opinion, RIM is a marauding infidel invader that has only come to Indonesia to rape and pillage her of her resources and wealth, and pay no taxes into the bargain.

Taxes are generally the domain of the Minister For Finance, and perhaps the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, but generally taxes are not the primary concern of ministers in other fields. In light of the TitS charge, it is worth asking whether RIM pays its dues. The reality is, if RIM has not been paying its financial obligations then why has it taken a spat over porn filters to make this publicly known?

Starting to look like a good ol' shakedown.

According to Gregory Wade, Southeast Asia Managing Director for RIM, they have. The actual statement went along the lines of RIM makes a habit of complying with, and therefore obeying, the laws and regulations of every country within which they operate or have business interests ("RIM dutifully pays all applicable taxes that are exercised from its business within the region in the same manner as all other importing manufacturers".)

This gives rise to the obvious question: "Was TitS lying to the Indonesian people about RIM and what it does and doesn't do with regards to tax obligations?"

If TitS was lying, or in more delicate terms "deliberately misrepresenting the truth", should he resign? And, if TitS will not resign is it time that the President fired him for gross incompetence?

It is unlikely that either will happen.

For TitS it sort of reminds me of that famous Top Gun quote: "Son, your ego is writing checks that your body can't cash!" In other words he is so full of himself and his abilities he has not realised yet that he is not going to be able to deliver on the threats that he is making.

For president SBY to fire TitS it would seem that TitS would have to make a move on the first lady and try and convince her to become wife number 5. SBY just does not have the testicular fortitude to fire a Minister unless the puppet-masters give him the go ahead. The best case scenario is a reshuffle that sees TitS move to a different portfolio where he could do less harm (if there is a portfolio where he can do less harm). Indonesia has been living with the promise of a cabinet reshuffle for almost the whole of SBY's second term as president.

Twitter is a great place to communicate, and perhaps it is a great place to sell your message, it is probably not a good place to be telling lies and / or misrepresenting the truth to your constituents.

Ho hum...

Twitter or a Press Conference?

The Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information has decided, seemingly, that the best way to get his message out is via Twitter as opposed to holding the traditional press conference.

The basic thrust of Tifatul Sembiring's (TitS) argument is taken on a decidedly nationalistic fervour. It now seems that the Minister feels it is time that this foreign infidel who is raping and pillaging the resources of Indonesia needs to be made an example of. It would seem that TitS is now arguing that Indonesians have lost the plot. Why would you want to defend a foreign economic invader like RIM who gives you a small piece of cake to placate you rather than defend the rights of your fellow citizens?

To make his point, TitS has now made the tax argument. RIM does not pay taxes in Indonesia but does help itself on average to USD 7 per customer or some IDR 189 billion per month. The Minister's argument is that this equates to RIM stealing the money of ordinary Indonesians.

The standard porn causes natural disasters is also a point in the TitS Manifesto.

It would have been interesting if RIM had have stood their ground. A ban of BlackBerry services would have undoubtedly seen some very irritated and upset politicians carrying useless pieces of telecommunications equipment.

I have no problem with the principle that foreign businesses must follow the prevailing laws and regulations of the country where they are operating. I do wonder though whether RIM is the right target for this particular fight.

Anyways, here are a few screen captures of the Minister's choice Tweets.

Katy Perry: No Make-Up...

It is a new month and, more importantly, a new year. I have, admittedly, been a little slow out of the blocks in 2011. This has been a combination of things; enjoying the holidays before moving to Collarenebri, watching the test cricket on television, and an internet plan that counted teh playing of online games as part of one's download content. A change of plans has meant that I can now focus on the important stuff, blogging.

So, to catch up a little. It was nice to wake up on New Year's Day to find out that the most important story to lead off the new year was one that involved Russell Brand taking a mobile phone picture of his wife, Katy Perry, and posting it on Twitter. Nope, this was not a nude picture or the obligatory celebrity full-frontal I am a star happy snap, but rather it was a picture of Ms. Perry (or is that Mrs. Brand) without her make up on.

The photo has that rabbit in the headlights startled look about it. It sort of looks like the "I am just waking up so get that f*&king mobile phone out of my face" shot.

This got me wondering why this was news at all? Admittedly, Perry is a well-groomed celebrity with a very well-controlled public persona that she maintains. This includes always being well-made up on the make up front.

However, the publication of this photo is a good thing. If nothing else it shows all the fans out there that Katy Perry is just a regular girl with regular features and regular skin. Yep, under all that make up she is just like most other people. Although, most other people do not get on Sesame Street or wear Elmo t-shirts in quite the same way!

Anyway, goodbye 2010 and hello 2011!

Treespotter: Anonymity and World Domination...

It is interesting to see interviews with anonymous people, particularly bloggers, become newsworthy. The Treespotter is certainly an anonymous blogger that is worthy of an interview of this kind.

I ummmed and ahhhhed about posting this only cause I did not want to seem like I was piggy backing on his fame. Yet, I like the man's work and I enjoy reading his views as he works on his plan of world domination.

Perhaps the "Puff Doggy" avatar by Daniel Peacock has more to do with the laid back plan of world domination than it does with anything else. According to the interview, but I knew this already, the "treespotting" moniker has to do with using trees as land marks or simply just as markers. The idea that a distinctive tree can guide you from place to place as you meander your way through this existence is an excellent one. As human beings we use markers all the time to measure and evaluate our progress.

It is also an apt choice because the Treespotter himself is a marker of sorts to many people. There are at least 13,000 Twitterers who use him as a marker for all things commentary on social, political, economic, technology and media issues.

So, it goes without saying that I subscribe to his blog and Twitter feeds. There is nothing quite like watching the to and fro on Twitter and other places once the Treespotter gets into the game.

The man has an innate ability to pose the real tricky questions, you know, the ones that everyone is thinking about but unsure of where or how to ask it. The man has no obvious fear of putting it out there. Yet, that is what probably attracts people, or "followers", to him. It is the idea that there is someone out there trying to "keep the bastards honest".

I once read a book, although I cannot remember the name of it, but the storyline is one where the world is run by this man who many people know, but nobody knows. To all intents and purposes a regular man with absolute power. I often remember that story line when I think of the Treespotter. I think I would be happy to live in a "treespotting" world.

Lady Gaga Going Off-Line For Charity...

Lady Gaga will not be the only celebrity going offline for charity on Wednesday, 1 December 2010. 1 December is World AIDS Day. Gaga will be joined by Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Seacrest, Justin Timberlake and a whole host of others. The celebrities will be supporting Alicia Keys and the "Keep A Child Alive" foundation.

The idea is that the celebrities go offline from all their social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, until the campaign reaches a certain agreed target. This year the target is USD 1 million. All the money raised is earmarked to go to needy families affected by HIV / AIDS in Africa and India.

This could be a pretty easy money spinner considering that Gaga has some seven million Twitter followers and  twenty four million Facebook friends. In comparison, I have 70 and 520 respectively. Maybe all I need to do is dress a little more provocatively?

I do not follow Lady Gaga or any of the other stars that are mentioned here. However, I am supportive of any campaign that is endeavouring to help those afflicted by the scourge of our time, HIV / AIDS.

If you can support World AIDS Day causes on 1 December. And, if you are a Lady Gaga fan, then support her.

Free Days...

For anyone wondering what to do on your "free" days:

Via twitpic.

I Am Spartacus...

The moral of this story...

No matter what the occasion, no matter what the circumstances, and no matter how funny you think you might be being...don't do it!

Paul Chambers has learned this the hard way. His lesson has also shown how far we have come in taking the silly to the extreme of seriousness with respect to consequences. Chambers crime was to jokingly suggest in a Tweet that he might have to blow up Robin Hood Airport in northern England if the airport stayed closed because of snow. There is obviously nothing micro about micro-blogging site Twitter. The actual message looked like this: "Robin Hood Airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get [it] together, otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!"

In that perversely funny way there is nothing very charitable about Robin Hood in this story.

Unfortunately, for Chambers, an airport manager discovered the Tweet and reported it to a superior, who then reported it to police. The initial discovery came five days after the tweet was made, but for some reason the message was deemed to be "non-credible" but worthy of being passed onto police.

Chambers was charged and convicted for sending the Tweet. He appealed. That appeal was rejected and he was fined and ordered to pay costs.

The case has attracted plenty of attention from all directions. Stephen Fry has offered to pay any fine that Chambers ultimately is required to pay. However, the Twitter-sphere has ratcheted-up support for Chambers. In Twitter-land "IAmSpartacus" has been used as a tag to show support for Chambers. In fact, "IAmSpartacus" has become a hot trending topic.

The "IAmSpartacus" tag comes from the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film "Spartacus" starring non other than Kirk Douglas. In the film Spartacus' fellow rebels adopt his name in a show of solidarity.


What I do not get about this case is how a non-credible threat results in a charge and a conviction, which is then upheld on appeal. The offending Tweet was clearly a joke. In these times, a poor joke. I find it difficult to see how if Chambers had been serious about blowing up the airport that he would have Tweeted those plans in advance. Oh well!

TitS: A Fan of Gandhi...

There is always something to be said about "practice what you preach" or "do as I say and not as I do". Perhaps, good ol' Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS) should have taken his own advice by way of Gandhi instead of taking to Twitter and other social networking mediums as a means of defending his actions post that fateful Michelle Obama handshake incident.

Therefore, it was with interest that I read this TitS tweet as it entered my Twitter-sphere.

Maybe TitS should take a whole lot more time in conquering his enemies with love rather than trying to ban things that are almost impossible to ban, like porn for instance. Time to show a little love, TitS...If I am not mistaken, Vicky Vette would be happy to receive a little of that love!

So, does quoting Gandhi, a devout Hindhu, amount to an exhibition of religious tolerance?

Vicky Vette & TitS...

It would seem Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS) has gone global. He is no longer just an Indonesia joke but a joke on a worldwide scale. Impressive!

This whole handshake affair could have been nipped in the bud by TitS by simply fessing up that he touched her hand and it was what it was; a handshake in the course of greeting a foreign dignitary.

Instead, TitS has taken to Twitter to say that he was forced to shake the First Lady's hand against his better judgment and wishes. It is one thing to be pious and take your beliefs seriously. It is a complete other thing to be caught out using religion and your beliefs to crassly advance your own political ambitions. As it is, the video of the incident seems to suggest otherwise on how the handshake went down.

However, it would seem that there are plenty of women out there who would now like to have the opportunity to press the flesh, so to speak, with the Indonesian Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information. Among the more notable flesh pressers is the irrepressible Vicky Vette. Ms. Vette is better known for her international work as a porn star with ample proportions.

Here is a copy of the tweet that she sent to TitS. Do you think the "pubic" part is a Freudian slip?

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of Vicky Vette in all her glory...

The Job of the White House Spokesperson...

is never done!

Photo of Robert Gibbs doing the BlackBerry thing during a live press conference in Indonesia. My guess is that the news does not stop for anyone. Besides it must be coming around to wake up time on the East Coast of the USA, and you would not want to miss the morning news cycle.

Photo courtesy of Ed Henry (@edhenrycnn) of CNN fame via Twitpic.

Meg Whitman, Press Secretaries, Twitter, and an Oops Moment...

I am not sure what the YouTube video below has to do with an endorsement from the San Diego County Deputy Sheriffs' Association other than the fact that Meg Whitman's Press Secretary inadvertently left out a letter at the end of the bit.ly link and instead of getting the endorsement they received the video.

Another one of the dangers of the over-zealous use of technology, perhaps?

Ho hum...



and the actual link that was supposed to be part of the Tweet.

Don't know about you, but the "other" endorsement might work as well.

Thanks to buzzfeed for the links.

What? The FPI Have A Problem With Tera Patrick...

The FPI make it too easy for me to find reasons to post pictures of porn stars. The fact that none of the pictures I post are technically porn in any other sense than the FPI one, it is still worth writing about the FPI and the free advertising they provide for porn movies and porn stars.

The beauty of this latest spat is that the FPI have not been the erstwhile premature ejaculators they have been in the past. These white robed hoodlums missed the boat on this one until after the horse bolted. It sort of reminds me of that nasty little phrase that one might hear in their youth of "have you cum yet?", to only hear in response "I have already been! What's holding you up?" Boys, Miss Patrick has been and gone or came and went, whichever you prefer.

The film is scheduled for release on 14 October 2010. This, if I am not mistaken, is tomorrow. Hmmm, so how did Ms. Patrick get into the country shoot the film and get out again without anyone knowing?

I am not quite sure what the attraction is between local movie producers, horror movies and international porn stars outside of the controversy and free advertising that the FPI and other hardliners are likely to bring. Nevertheless, a film titled Rintihan Kuntilanak Perawan (or the Moans of a Virgin Ghost) is undoubtedly going to pique the interest of the white-robed initiators of violence in the name of Islam (aka embarrassment plus plus).

The title gets the imaginative juices flowing in trying to work out exactly why a virgin ghost is moaning anyways. And, how do we know she is a virgin? And, how could Tera Patrick ever play a virgin? Maybe she is not in the lead role. Can the other stars, Catherine Wilson or Angelique, of this horror flick play virgins either? Just thinking that Angelique has a role is too funny for words. I wonder how her former husband, the King of Dangdut, Mr. Rhoma Irama, is handling the good news.

But even funnier than the prospect of a Rhoma Irama meltdown is the response of Habib "Hey Baby" Salim Alatas, the Head of the Jakarta Branch of the white-robed hoods, who is stressed because he did not even know that Ms. Patrick had come into the country and shot a film. It appears Hey Baby is stressed because the film producers had been so covert. Let me say this Hey Baby, Film Producers = 1 and FPI a big fat 0!


On the scary front though, Hey Baby is threatening to bring out the FPI masses in protest. This is not good. When the FPI get into large groups they have more trouble than a 14-year-old with a Hustler magazine with respect to the self-control stakes. The FPI seem to get off on violence and scaring the crap out of people.

Now, you really do have to give it to the film production house responsible for this little film coup, K2K. According to them, the negotiations to get Tera Patrick to do this here horror flick was a 16-month process that involved four or five approaches before agreement was secured. It was a hell of a job to go that long, seal the deal, shoot the film, and get Ms. Patrick out of the country without anyone being any the wiser over at FPI-ville. How do you keep a secret like this one from not being outed on Twitter or Facebook or somewhere?

Getting back to the funny. It would seem that while Tifatul Sembiring was talking up the shutting down of all porn sites coming into or operating out of Indonesia, one of the world's biggest porn stars had come into J-Town in the weeks before Ramadan and shot a film and departed again. Mr. Minister, how does that happen?

Well, it seems that the international porn actress shooting low-budget horror films will continue...it is time for the FPI to loosen up a little and let Miyabi come back and shoot her horror film!

The only decision I had with respect to this post was should the pictures be at the front-end or the back-end of the post...the back-end!

Twitter...

I am now on Twitter...

@rabexperience

I still need to learn how to use it properly. But, feel free to do whatever it is that Twitterers do with the follow and be followed thing.

The Power of Journalism, Citizen Journalists, and Bloggers...

Poor old SBY has got his talking heads out trying to spin the rebuff he gave to Susi Haryani and her badly burnt son, Ridho Januar.

The president's men, in this case the talking head is Julian Aldrin Pasha, are now telling us that they are responsible for the treatment that young Ridho is getting because they coordinated the response with Pertamina and the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital.

This may be true, but it only became true after the poor treatment was exposed in the press, initially by the Jakarta Globe, and then picked up on by new media types like bloggers, twitterers, Facebookers, and the like.

This is damage control, this is reactive and not pro-active. SBY and his merry men and women had a choice. They made a bad choice and are now trying to save a little face. Sad!

The outpouring of support for Susi and Ridho was immediate and large. There were quite a number of donors ready to stump up much-needed cash to see Ridho get the treatment he needs to recover from his very serious burns. However, to her credit, Susi has been unequivocal in stating that she does not want the money and she does not want to manage it. Her choice is to send it to the hospital and they can sort out how much the cost is and how much of it the donors have covered.

Perhaps, a trust fund of some description managed by an independent party would be a better choice, but at least it would seem that through the generous giving of donors the treatment costs are covered. Unfortunately, this means that PT Pertamina will look to shirk its responsibility and pass of the expenses to donors.

It has not been surprising that both the president and Pertamina have been trying to pass the buck to each other on this one. Pertamina claiming that the exploding gas cylinders are the result of poor and rushed policy making on the run. And, the government claiming that Pertamina are cutting corners and putting out inferior product into the market. Well, maybe it is not quite that simple, but a cursory reading gets one to that point.

Well, Mr. President, if you really do care and you really are responsible for all this coordination, why is it that these gas cylinders are still exploding and maiming innocents like young Ridho? Sometimes a president has to make the hard calls and do what has to be done, perhaps now is one of those times. Time to harden up and face down the special interests and start being presidential.

Ho hum...

Ranga -- Derogatory and Offensive?

Barry O'Farrell is the New South Wales Opposition Leader, and he believes he is a shoe-in to be the next Premier of New South Wales.

It is pretty hard to see how the Labor Party can pull this one out of the fire as they are behind in all the polls and it would seem that there is some Labor fatigue in the electorate.

However, where there is a will there is a way and O'Farrell would not be the first NSW Opposition leader to shoot themselves in the foot on the way into a seemingly un-lose-able election!

This is evident in a recent Twitter post the leader of the opposition made, supposedly off the record, to a journalist, Latika Bourke. He referred to Australia's current Prime Minister as a "Ranga". Now ranga is derived from the word orangutan (in Indonesia this is an abbreviation of the words orang hutan, which means simply forest dweller). The word reflects the colour of one's hair, in this case, red. There is little doubting that the PM's hair has been a topic of discussion over the years as it moves between various shades of red.

However, the offense is not so much singling the PM out for the colour of her hair, but rather referring to her as a monkey. It was not all that long ago Australians were up in arms when one of our cricketers, Andrew Symonds, was called a monkey by a visiting Indian player, Harbajan Singh. When will people realise that calling other people monkeys is going to attract attention, most probably negative, despite the intent.

The 'tweet' was regarding the problems that the Liberal Party was having in selecting candidates in key seats leading into the 'soon' to be announced Federal Election. Verbatim the tweet reads like this:

"Deeply off the record - I think the timetable and struggle to get candidates reflects internal poll - pre and post the ranga."

My guess is he could have said the same thing in a different way and made the same point, even though Twitter restricts posters to 140 characters or less. This also reflects how much more difficult it is to have things off the record in the twitter-verse. O'Farrell realised the error of his ways pretty quickly and removed the offending tweet. However, this was not done soon enough and people had already re-tweeted it and as they say, the rest is history.

As an aside, on my most recent practicum placement, I had a red-headed student in one of my classes and he was regularly referred to as a ranga. This did not seem to bother him though, and was seemingly accepted as par for the course. I was only observing the class, but apparently the offensive nature of the word had been discussed. Yet, the young lad referred to himself as a ranga as well. So, it is perhaps an interesting debate as to whether the context and the usage of the word is exclusively offensive or are there times when it can be co-opted and used as a source of empowerment.

Luna Maya Returns to Twitter...

What is it with this grabbing the dog from behind picture. Everywhere one goes looking for a Luna Maya picture, this is one of the first ones to appear...





Luna Maya (@lunmay) has returned to the Twittering fold and reactivated her account on the microblogging site. I guess this means you cannot keep a good woman down, even if you lodge a criminal defamation complaint against her?

The Luna Maya fiasco erupted when some infotainment journalists became a little over-zealous in their pursuit of the interview and photo that we mere mortals crave in our daily celebrity fix. During the ensuing free-for-all Ariel's (the boyfriend of LM) little girl was clocked in the head with a camera or something. This led to the famous tweet comparing infotainment journalists to prostitutes and murderers. Subsequently, the Luna Maya Twitter account disappeared after a short apology was posted.

But, it is back! There have been no new tweets apparently. Apparently is because I do not tweet or twitter and I am going on what others have said. Ah, the beauty of second hand information.

What is interesting is that the Minister of Communication and Information, Tifatul Sembiring, has come out and said that the Information and Electronic Transactions Law that the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) is using as the basis of its criminal defamation claim was not drafted not designed for this sort of criminal defamation action.

According to Sembiring, the ITE Law was drafted and is designed to prevent computer related crimes such as credit card fraud and hacking., That said, it would seem that Article 27 also seems to open the door for arguments that the ITE Law also conceives that criminal defamation might also be a crime within the scope of the law.

As usual, a Luna Maya post lends itself to some gratuitous picture posting.

Luna Maya, Twitter, Paparazzi, and Prostitutes

One of the good things about not having a twitter account is that there is no temptation to vent one's frustrations and anger out into the public sphere. Perhaps on a little reflection Luna Maya might have thought twice about ranting that "infotainment are lower than prostitutes, murders!!! May your soul burn in hell!!!" I guess it is fair to say that she was not mincing any words there. But does she have a point?

To work this out one needs to consider the situation that preceded this little rant. Luna Is dating a singer of one of Indonesia's bigger bands, Ariel of Peter Pan fame. Ariel was married and has a beautiful young daughter (no where near as good looking as Will of course). There has been some suggestion that Luna is a home wrecker and it is her fault that Ariel split with his former wife. However, that was not the issue that sparked the most recent venting.

Luna's twitter account, lunmay, was shut down recently after the vent went public. Luna has apologized to her 123,952 followers for shutting down the account. I probably would not have had one in the first place if I was a star of the small and silver screens. Simply, tweeting that you are watching a movie is like a red rag to a bull and is certain to bring the paparazzi stalkers out in force.

As the story goes, Luna, Ariel, and Alleia (Ariel's daughter) went to watch the premiere of Ariel's first movie, The Dreamer (Sang Pemimpi) at EX Plaza. Now, my recollections of EX are that it was an excellent place for a little bit of celebrity spotting if that was your thing. In any event, little Alleia had fallen asleep during the movie and was being carried out by Luna.

This is where it gets really interesting. In the scramble for good photos and an interview one of the infotainment throng cracked little Alleia on the head with a camera. For a parent, even the girlfriend of a parent, this can certainly arouse some pretty heated emotions. If someone clocked Will in the head with a camera, then I would be tempted to grab the camera a clock the fella right back.

The lesson here is two-fold, Luna Maya had apparently agreed to an interview in the lobby once little Alleia was in the safety of the car. So, the gathered throng of infotainment journalists would have got their interview and obligatory shots if the had been a little more patient. the second lesson is do not vent your frustrations on Twitter no matter how justified you feel about it.

The spat, if the Twitter message can be called such, has escalated with the Indonesian Journalists Association threatening to take legal action against Luna for allegedly comparing them to prostitutes. The comparison to murderers was a little harsh, but the comparison to prostitutes probably is not so harsh.

In fact, it is probably a slur against all the prostitutes out there. Let's face it, infotainment journalists and photographers sell their assets to those willing to pay for it, similar to prostitutes. But, on a more serious note, the Indonesian Association of Journalists might also want to consider that one of their members was responsible for the assault of a child. My question would be, "does the Indonesian Association of Journalists really want to pursue this one?"

Most people might have an insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip and news, but most of these people would also balk at the idea that journalists need to assault and harm children in order to get their pound of flesh.

Maybe it is time that the government considered putting into place specific laws that protect celebrities from over-zealous infotainment journalists. And, perhaps it is also time that those that drive the market, infotainment publishers started to self-regulate what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to getting that all important shot or all important interview.

Public figures are what they are, but this does not mean that they forfeit all their rights to privacy because they have appeared in a film or worked as a presenter on TV.

It is time the infotainment industry got their collective act together and showed some class.