Rear View Girls...

Now that it has been done, one is left wondering why it had never been done before.

Rear View Girls - Los Angeles is a video that two New Zealanders who are living in LA put together. The video has gone viral on YouTube and I post it here for ease of access. However, I encourage you to go visit them on YouTube and watch it there. So, far almost 1.2 million others have made the trip.



To be honest, I am not sure how they rigged the camera, but it is pretty clear from the shots in the video that most of the guys had no idea what was going on. Neither did the women who were caught holding that lingering glance a little too long.

Oh, the video. right. The basic premise was that men ogle the bums of women whenever given the opportunity to do so. It does not matter whether they are single or partnered, wearing a suit and tie or board shorts and riding a skateboard. The two young women, Jessie Gurunathan and Reanin Johannink (interesting names as well), who made this film were of the belief that if given the opportunity to look, then men would not be able to help themselves but to look.

The most humourous one must be the one where Jesus gets caught taking a sneak peak and then stealing a second glance as well. Go Jesus! I guess it has been a while since he had the opportunity to ogle Mary Magdalene...but I digress!

The outcomes of that belief are pretty self-evident on the video.

Enjoy.

Tifatul Sembiring -- The Minister for Hypocrisy & Stupidity...

The litany of stupidity that continues to encircle the Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Lack of] Information is sort of like slowing down to watch a car crash. However, when it comes to Tifatul Sembiring (aka TitS) it is all self-imposed. The man is a hypocrite who has used religion, Islam, to create an image of piety for himself.

Yet, the latest series of events shows the man to be a fraud who is prepared to go to any lengths to cultivate an image. For a man who is supposed to have his finger on the pulse of communication and information, and particularly the technology that supports that, he has been found wanting yet again.

The "event" in question is the shaking of Michelle Obama's hand. The First Lady and the President were going through the formalities of meeting dignitaries, including Indonesian Ministers. Now, in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with men shaking hands with women. However, TitS has cultivated an image that being a pious Muslim he will not under any circumstances touch a woman to whom he is not related to. And, this is where the fun and games begin.

During the formal "meet and greet" TitS shakes hands with Michelle Obama. By my reckoning, the man would have to go a long way back in his family tree to find a familial relationship with the Obamas. Maybe all the way back to Adam and Eve. The handshake immediately piqued the attention of plenty of people who know TitS and his medieval stance on women and their relationship with men. It was hypocrisy of the highest order. It is hypocrisy that must go to the very core of his being as it exposes that his piety was a fraud perpetrated against all those who believed in what he was saying as a member of the PKS (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera).

On realising that the technology that he has been trying to shut down to all intents and purposes had caught him out, he took to social networking, Twitter in particular, to state his innocence. His innocence claim is that he was forced to shake hands with the First Lady. According to TitS, the First Lady thrust her hand out at him and kept on thrusting it towards him. This left the poor man with no option but to lightly touch her hand.

Now, have a look at the video. Too bad it has not gone viral, it should. There is no hesitation on the part of the Minister and this was not some ever-so brief touch of hands. It was a handshake.

I wonder if the Minister immediately scarpered out of the room, washed his hand with acid to get the germs of the imperialist woman of the west from him, and then proceeded to the nearest Mosque to ask for forgiveness of his God for touching a woman he is not related to. The flip side of that coin is that he immediately scarpered, flogged himself stupid and then called his mates to tell them that he had bedded the First Lady.

TitS as the Minister for Banning Porn, even you should know the difference between a good story and a wank!

The Jakarta Bombings and Democracy...

The death of Noordin M Top provided the Indonesian National Police with a wealth of information and data apparently. During the shootout which saw Top finally topped, the police managed to recover a laptop that supposedly belonged to Top.

The police have today said that the laptop contained a number of videos. One of these videos was supposedly shot on 21 June 2009, about three weeks prior to the bombing, and shows the bombers, Dwi Permana and Nana Ikhwan Maulana, having a meeting that is being described as a picnic by some, in the vacant lot opposite the JW Marriott hotel and not far from the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The video is allegedly shot by Saifuddin Jaelani. The video zooms in on Nana pointing to the hotels and saying, "this is our target". It is being reported that Jaelani's voice can be heard saying, "destroy America, destroy Australia, destroy Indonesia".

The video then cuts to Dani saying, "this is not suicide, this is what our enemies fear!" Dani then goes on to say, "this is an obligation for all, those who do not execute this obligation are sinners." Remember, Dani is just a youngster at 18 years of age. If Top and his jihadis could convince an 18-year-old to become a suicide bomber, then it is fair to say that they are a sophisticated and dedicated organization.

If anyone thinks that the death of Top puts an end to the scourge of terrorism in Indonesia they just do not understand the nature of the beast, or the mindset of those, who will go to any lengths to create a world in their own warped version of what they think God intended it to be. There might be a lull, but this is likely to be a lull before the storm. The laptop, according to police, also indicates that Top's band of jihadist warriors were well-organized, well-equipped, well-supported, and had recently re-established links with other terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda.

Apparently, the laptop also includes a letter that Jaelani wrote to his family accusing Americans and Australians of "slaughtering his brothers". This explains the earlier comment, but may also go to show why the James Castle Breakfast gathering was targeted in the JW Marriott. It would seem a pretty good target for a terrorist trying to make a statement about American and Australian involvement in activities that a terrorist considers to be an insult to Islam and an affront to his Muslim brothers.

But, perhaps most terrifying for Indonesia and Indonesians is that Top and his band have decided to target Indonesia and Indonesian interests and the Indonesian government because of its efforts to promote democracy. This begs the question, when one considers, and in spite of the teething problems, the majority of Indonesians would consider more open government and greater democracy a step in the right direction.

It would seem that the more fundamental interpretation of Islam adopted by Top and Jaelani runs counter to what the great majority of Indonesian Muslims believe with respect to democracy.

Perhaps, the drive to democracy will be the trigger that invigorates moderate Muslims to oppose the radical or fundamental elements that seek to destroy rather than build on Indonesia's potential for greatness.

Viva Indonesia and Viva Democracy!

AIDS Is A Mass Murderer -- The Hitler Video...

This is one of those moments when you think to yourself, "why hasn't someone thought of this before?" The use of an Adolf Hitler lookalike having sex as a means of promoting the idea that AIDS is a mass murderer. Perhaps now a whole raft of regional based ads could be made, such as a Russian AIDS ad with a Stalin lookalike doing the deed (which has been done) or a Pol Pot lookalike in Cambodia, the possibilities are numerous.

AIDS, despite what some might have you believe, is an indiscriminate killer in the end; it does not matter whether you are male or female, gay or straight, young or old. The reality, and it is a sad reality, is that we have become much more complacent on the AIDS front. AIDS has morphed from being a much more immediate killer to a chronic illness that can be managed with the right medications. This has made us complacent and this is dangerous. Therefore, a truly confronting ad campaign might just be the way to go to reinvigorate the drive to create a viable vaccine and to find a cure.

The ad was produced by the German Das Comitee advertising agency. The primary focus according to the creative director, Dirk Silz, was to be confronting, to shake people up and get them thinking about reversing the trend in the increasing numbers of people engaging in unprotected sex. You can find the ad here at www.aids-is-a-mass-murderer.com.

AIDS has already caused the death of some 30 million people to date, and a further 6000 are dying everyday. The simple reality is that if we do not address the issue of HIV/AIDS then it will one day be the biggest killer of humans in all of our history. It will have killed more people than all of the wars we have endured as a race combined. This is a truly scary thought.

Maybe, just maybe, an ad like this one is just what the doctor ordered.

However, it is worth noting that not everyone is happy with the ad campaign. There are some who are arguing that the campaign will have the opposite effect and will actually serve to further stigmatize those with HIV / AIDS. The argument is it seems that the ad suggests that people with HIV / AIDS are mass murderers. To be honest I do not see the ad this way. In my mind the ad is indeed confronting, but it is saying the virus is a mass killer that lives among us and that we must be vigilant to ensure that we do not fall victim to it.

In any event, an ad such as this one is likely to generate strongly held opinions on both sides of the equation, yet in some way I believe if it generates debate and gets people talking about the pros and cons, not only of the ad but of the virus, then it has achieved the greater part of its objective.

Don't forget World AIDS Day on 1 December.

You can check it out here or just watch it below.

Antelope vs. Cheetah & Hyena -- Antelope Wins!

This is an amazing video. It can be found over at Live Leak.

Malaysia, Caning, and Beer -- Part II

It seems that the decision of the Sharia Court in eastern Pahang State to cane a Muslim model, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, for having a few beers in a nightclub has not been greeted with universal approval in Malaysia. The debate centers on the idea that convictions and sentences like this are rare in Malaysia where alcohol is widely available for consumption. There is also a belief that where an individual sins against their religion in this manner; drinking alcohol when it is forbidden, has sinned against God and therefore it is God who should mete out the punishment.

I have always argued that for those of us who sin against our religions or our Gods will be punished by our respective Gods when the time comes. There is no need for us insignificant human beings to get involved and take over the primary punishment role from God. Let's face it, I have some serious explaining to do come judgment day:

God: So, you spent your life doing good things and helping people less fortunate than yourself. You contributed to making the world a better place. But, not one day in your life did you acknowledge me or my existence, in fact you told everyone who asked that you did not believe in God. You told everyone that you were doing it because you were a good bloke and it was the right thing to do! Therefore, here's my question for you now, "what you got to say about that?"

Me: God, that is a good question. To be perfectly honest, I just figured I would be worm food and that would be it. I had never really contemplated having to come back and justify myself to you. But, God, here's my question to you, "why did you not reveal yourself to me in a more tangible way that would have made believing in you a whole lot easier proposition rather than irrational faith?"

You can see where this conversation with God is going.

There is little doubt that the punishment is harsh. Interestingly, it could have been a whole lot more harsh as the law allows for up to 40 lashes with the rattan cane. And, in all likelihood it is not going to deter those Muslims in Malaysia that want to drink alcohol from drinking alcohol. Where there is a will there is a way, simple.

Shukarno, though, has decided that it would be best just to get the punishment over and done with so that she can go back to living her life. And, she hopes that others learn from her experiences and refrain from drinking alcohol (or more specifically from getting caught).

The caning methods are set out here. It would appear that in many ways that the caning is as much symbolic as it is meant to cause pain in this case. Although, most canings I have read about talk about causing open wounds that leave nasty scars on those who are on the receiving end of the caning. This though is allegedly not the case here. Shukarno will be clothed, the cane will be shorter than usual, and the person doing the caning cannot raise the rattan above their head.

I wonder if there will be video of the sentence being carried out that will make its way onto YouTube or something. If you can get video of Saddam Hussein's hanging onto YouTube, then one would think the caning of a model should be easy.

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!