Why Are The FPI Anti-Miyabi?

The Islamic Defenders' Front are against all things Miyabi. Generally, they are against all things Miyabi for no other reason than she is a porn star. Yes, she makes films where she takes her clothes off and has sex with men and women. These films do a roaring trade on the streets of Indonesia, usually in their pirated versions.

However, the following photos clearly show that Miyabi, whose real name is Maria Ozawa, is in fact very much sympathetic to all things Indonesian. For example, Miyabi is a firm believer in law and order. She has been photographed here astride a rather large police motorbike to highlight her ongoing support for the difficult job that Indonesian police have. Especially now that it has become an offense to use one's mobile phone while driving, including using it to SMS.

In this screen capture it is obvious that Miyabi is sympathetic to the religious obligations of Muslims during and after the fasting month. So much so that she has worn a headscarf and asked her many fans to resist temptation during the fasting month. In that sense, Miyabi is very much on the same page as the FPI, right? (no need to mind that this is a really good effort on photoshop software).

Finally, Miyabi has become so much a part of Indonesian culture that the biggest noodle producer in the world, Indofood, has honoured her with her own range of instant noodles.

There are just so many more important things for Indonesians to worry about other than whether a foreign porn star comes to Indonesia to make a horror-comedy film. And, for most Indonesians, they realise this. It is too bad that the FPI have this obsession on Miyabi and such an unhealthy fixation on her every move. So, it was mildly amusing to me that the FPI made suggestions that they would be prepared to vet Miyabi's most recent effort on film, Hantu Tanah Kusir, for pornography if the producers of the film facilitated free tickets for them to do so.

Hmmm...Ho Hum!

Postscript
It seems that Firman, the commenter to this post, has been asking why I did not cite the sources. He seemed to think that I was claiming them as images that I had created myself. I did not create these images. I have now added the sources where I pulled them off the internet from. They may or may not have originated on Kaskus. I did not get the images from Kaskus.

Generally, I make it a habit of citing all sources or at least saying something lame like "all images are freely available on the internet". This post was done with a view to getting back to citing the sources at some point this evening. I wrote the post and included the images and then went out. Now that I am back home and have had a little chuckle at the to and fro about where these pictures came from, I have gone back into my files and pulled the sources. The are now cited. Hopefully, this puts Firman's mind at rest with regards to the origins of the versions of the images posted here.

Top of the evening to y'all!

A White Man in a Black Mask...

Perhaps the demand for ever better special effects and the rapidly improving skills of special effects practitioners will give rise to ever more frequent dilemmas for law enforcement, and perhaps the community as a whole. I recently wrote about a young Chinese man who donned a real life face mask that made him look like an old man as he boarded a flight to Canada. Another case of real life facial masks being used to perpetrate crimes has come to light in the USA.

Conrad Zdzierak is a white man. He robbed four banks, a credit union, and a pharmacy while wearing a mask. Not any ordinary mask, but the very real looking face mask of a black man. In fact the mask was so lifelike that the police initially arrested a black man for the crimes that Zdzierak committed while in disguise. The fact that a black man was arrested is not an indictment on police, rather it is testament to the quality of the mask that the company, SPFX Masks, produced. This is especially the case when one considers that the mother of the black man that the police initially arrested confirmed that it was her son when police showed her some CCTV footage of the crimes being committed.

However, being fortunate to have the mind that I do, one that allows me to come up with some outrageous possibilities, I came up with this scenario.

Obviously SPFX Masks have some real talent when it comes to creating masks. So, imagine that they create an Osama bin Laden mask. This mask is very lifelike. Someone buys the mask. Maybe for Halloween or just as a joke among friends. The US wants Osama bad, so bad in fact that they are happy to have the man "dead or alive". So, imagine this, our Osama bin Laden lookalike is walking down the road to his Halloween party. The police see him and recognise that they have a really big scoop on their hands. They ask Osama to stop, at which point Osama gives them the bird; the old one-finger salute, and then lifts up his robes to reveal some aluminium foil strapped to his body. The police shoot him dead.

Let's face it, no one seems to know where Osama is. So, he could conceivably be wandering the streets of middle America, right? Therefore, is it the fault of the lifelike mask wearing Halloween party-goer for being silly enough to wear the face of the most wanted man in the world?

The special effects technology is great for entertainment value, but it is also generating some serious headaches for law enforcement as they seek to maintain law and order, particularly with regard to national security and terrorism.

The other scenario that I thought of while I was writing about lifelike Osama bin Laden masks was, perhaps Saddam Hussein is not dead after all. Maybe it was just some unfortunate soul forced to wear a lifelike Saddam mask and take the plunge on his behalf. Maybe Saddam is currently enjoying life somewhere in the Caribbean or South America.

[Potentially] Causing Panic is a Crime?

Is the reporting of the owner of an Indonesian television station to the police for allowing a broadcast that suggested that Mount Merapi, an Indonesian volcano on the island of Java, was going to erupt with even more intensity an attack on free speech and the freedom of the press?

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission has a brief to ensure that Indonesian broadcasters maintain some standards. However, it is questionable as to whether its brief includes reporting broadcasters to the police for the content of a show that suggests that an eruption of an active volcano is likely to be more intense than it has been previously. Using that logic any TV or radio broadcaster that reports a tsunami warning where the tsunami does not eventuate should also be reported to the police for causing unnecessary panic and telling lies, shouldn't they?

Harry Tanoesoedibjo is the owner of Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) which includes in its stable of interests RCTI, Tanoesoedibjo also owns Global TV and MNC TV along with a wide range of other print and broadcast media interests.

The KPI has determined that Tanoesoedibjo has breached a number of articles of the Broadcasting Law, including articles 36. Article 36 sees Tanoesoedibjo liable for a jail term up to five years and a IDR 10 billion fine for spreading misinformation (lies). In addition, the KPI is relying on Article 54 which in essence allows them to pursue the owner of a recalcitrant broadcaster.

The gist of the crime is that a program on RCTI, Silet, reported on 7 November 2010 that Mount Merapi was gearing up for an even larger eruption than those that it had recently experienced. The eruption according to the Silet report was not expected to happen until the following week. This would reasonably be of concern to people living in and around Mount Merapi as the Silet report also suggested that the magnitude of the eruption was likely to be the end of the closest major city to Merapi, Yogyakarta.

The Silet report drew the ire of the KPI and the KPI decided to ban RCTI from broadcasting the program until the Merapi status had been downgraded. However, RCTI decided that it would repackage and re-brand the show as "Intens" and front it with a new presenter. It goes without saying that this move annoyed the KPI and this is the reason that the KPI has acted as it has, like a petulant little child who got picked last for the playground soccer game at lunchtime.

What is silly about the reporting of Tanoesoedibjo to the police is that only Tanoesoedibjo has been reported. All TV and radio broadcasts at that time were presenting content of a very similar nature. Why has Tanoesoedibjo been singled out and targeted and the other have not? Is it personal or political or related to a business dispute?

Or is this a simple case of the KPI overreacting and over-reaching with respect to its brief?

This case seemingly is destined to set a poor precedent going forward for broadcast freedom and predicting the ferocity or lack thereof in relation to unfolding natural disasters.

Are The Charges of Rape Against Julian Assange Fabricated?

I pondered this very question just recently in a post by asking whether or not there were any cables in the 250,000 released by Wikileaks, and founded by Julian Assange, that related to trumping up a few charges such as rape and sexual molestation. I particularly wondered whether these cables might be from and between the US Embassy in Sweden and the State Department in Washington D.C.

It seems I am not the only one wondering such things.

Andrew Wilkie, the recently elected independent MP for Denison in the federal parliament of Australia and a former intelligence officer, has stated today that the charges "could definitely be a set-up".

Wilkie would have to be a kindred spirit of Julian Assange as they are both whistleblowers of some renown. Wilkie, while still an intelligence officer, came into knowledge that lead him to question the reasons and rationale for Australia's commitment to going to war in Iraq. He resigned and went public. He was hounded for his efforts. He is now a federal politician.

I guess time will tell as to what evidence the Swedish police have on Assange. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence until such time as a competent court finds otherwise. Until then, Assange finds himself the subject of an Interpol Red Notice. And, this means that he is subject to arrest wherever he is found. Although, the legal hoop-jumping is likely to be long if he is arrested in a state that may be partial to offering some form of protection or asylum. Ecuador made an offer of asylum over the past 24 hours but withdrew it almost as quickly as the offer was made.

The case is an intriguing one!

Don't Apple Lawyers Have Better Things To Do?

MIC Gadget have produced a Steve Jobs action figure that comes complete with speech bubble cards of classic Jobs' phrases. It sells for USD 80 so it is not cheap. But, hey, Let's face it, people love their Apple and they love its founder, Steve Jobs. So, USD 80 sounds like a steal. And, it was of Apple's intellectual property rights.

In fact, it was a steal. The action figures sold out in no time at all. MIC Gadget marketed the figure as the "Phenomenal SJ Figurine". As you can see from the figurine, it is a dead ringer for Jobs down to the black turtleneck and the New Balance 991 joggers. The little iPhone and the Apple icon as a figurine stand are nice little touches.

However, it seems that MIC Gadget failed to get Apple's permission to use their intellectual property. Consequently, Apple's lacking a sense of humour lawyers fired off a "cease and desist" order to MIC Gadget. Game over! The figurine is no more. So, if you were one of the lucky few to get one on the first issue, then you currently have a collectors item that has significantly appreciated in value! Maybe not quite as much as an Apple Share or that of a Google share, but nonetheless it has appreciated in value.

MIC Gadget have apologised for their errors in producing and selling the doll. However, they have offered to continue to produce it, particularly if Apple was prepared to license it and, say, bundle it with the iPhone 4. These people at MIC Gadget really do have a great sense of humour. No word yet as to whether Apple is interested in taking MIC Gadget up on its offer.

The weird and wonderful world of corporate America, and perhaps business in general all over the world!

Rhema Marvanne: Precocious Talent...

Some people, including children, just get really lucky on the talent front. Rhema Marvanne is one of those youngsters who seem destined for a big future considering she is just eight-years-old!

Here she is singing "All I Want For Christmas", and doing it well. I reckon the youngster holds her own seeing the song has been done previously by the likes of Mariah Carey and Elvis Presley.

None of that lip-syncing stuff here.

Enjoy!

All I Want For Christmas - 7yr old Rhema Marvanne - Amazing @ Yahoo! Video

And here she is singing "Amazing Grace", truly amazing for an 8-year-old. Then again, it is a pretty fine rendition for any age! Although, come to think of it, I think she is only 7-years-old in this video.



And for those who are patriotic Americans, here is a version of the Star Spangled Banner. Interesting adaption of the national anthem, and I have heard some interesting adaptions in my time, particularly of people murdering the tune! This is not one of them.

World AIDS Day 2010: Universal Access & Human Rights...

Each year on 1 December the world comes together to focus on HIV / AIDS and finding ways to speed up the process of finding a vaccination and a cure for the scourge of our times. It is also a day to reflect on what we have achieved in the fight against discrimination towards those that are HIV+ and identify as being so. It is also a day where we can recommit to ensuring that those already infected are given every possible opportunity to lead full and productive lives where they contribute to the development of their respective communities.

This year the theme is "Universal Access and Human Rights" and it is all about working towards improving understanding and defeating prejudice. In this sense it is not only about others, rather it is about us as individuals and how we act in conjunction with awareness about the steps that we take as individuals to get educated on HIV / AIDS and the awareness of how to protect ourselves from infection that contributes to overall awareness of HIV / AIDS.

The reality is that HIV / AIDS is not the hot topic that it once was in terms of it being on the front page of every newspaper. This has in turn led to an ever-increasing amount of complacency creeping into how we behave with respect to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV / AIDS.



Ultimately, this year is about ensuring that all people who are HIV+ have access to all that they need and to ensure that HIV+ people are treated with the dignity and respect that all humans have a basic and universal right to.

Maybe today is a day that we can commit to universal HIV / AIDS education in all schools as a means of ensuring that our children are given the best possible knowledge to make informed and sensible decisions for themselves. 

Just a thought! 

Over The Barrel...

You do not realise it until it happens before your very eyes. Insurance companies have you over the barrel in a lot of ways by the very complex and cunning ways they structure their insurance products. I had to get a Compulsory Third Party / Green Slip insurance certificate today. You are encouraged to shop around and find the best deal. There was no best deal in that sense. My green slip pretty much irrespective of where I went to get it was going to set me back AUD 472.42.

I have my comprehensive car insurance with NRMA and I am supposedly entitled to a discount if I have more than one insurance product with them. My Green Slip was discounted from something above AUD 600 to AUD 472.42. To me that is almost fraudulent. A company that I have no associations with will do it for AUD 472.42 and a company that I have insurance products with where I am entitled to a discount will do it for AUD 472.42. Go figure!

In the end, I opted for NRMA. I did this because in a lot of ways I felt I was over the barrel. The reality is that I will soon be needing home content insurance and as such a third insurance product with NRMA is allegedly going to entitle me to even greater discounts. Excuse my skepticism, but my guess is that the NRMA will ratchet-up the basic cost of my insurance and then discount it to a level that I could get it from elsewhere.

Then the decision really becomes one of convenience. If I am going to be paying within a few dollars of premiums that I can get elsewhere then it makes sense, at least to me, to have all my insurance needs at the one place. Simply, what I make up on the merry-go-round I lose on the swing anyways. So, it really is a very much break even proposition. It is sort of like feeling that this is the least painful shafting I will be getting overall in terms of having complete insurance cover across the board for everything that needs to be insured.

I think the realisation that I was over the barrel was a sobering one in a lot of ways. For when I told the NRMA sales person that I had a non-discounted offer of AUD 472.42 from another insurer that I held no policies with at this point in time, her answer was a simple "So, you want the green slip or not? Can't you see we are busy today?" I took the green slip from the NRMA for the reasons I noted earlier. And, I did not feel too bad about getting shafted, I was just kind of glad to have it out of the way for another 12 months.

The NRMA logo should really read "Helping people [to empty their wallets]".

Susan Boyle on "The View"...

You know you have made it when people start referring to you by the first couple of letters of your first and second names, and so it is with Susan Boyle or SuBo.

Unfortunately, for SuBo at least, someone forgot to tell her that The View is a live show and not pre-recorded. Therefore, if you do not hit your notes, then you do not hit your notes. There is simply none of this waving of the hands stuff and seeking to start again from scratch. SuBo that is not how live television works.

This little hiccup does not detract from her appeal. It was always a little quirky and out there anyways. What it does show people is that she is ever so human in the way she works and lives. And, that her voice is an exceptional gift no matter what the stage.