The Campaign Posters -- Offensive?

Saddam Hussein

Joseph Stalin

Adolf Hitler

These are the campaign posters (to-date) for the AIDS Is A Mass Murderer campaign being run in Germany. However, thanks to the Internet this campaign is probably going to take on a life of its own. Hopefully, bloggers and others can contribute to this campaign going a little bit viral (pun intended) to ensure that it reaches the maximum number of people.

The controversy aside, as to whether it increases the stigma on those living with HIV / AIDS, the fact that the campaign holds the potential to get people talking about the virus and our increasing complacency with respect to risk-taking behaviours, then the campaign is in my mind worthwhile.

I also remain to be convinced that the advertisements are suggesting that those people living with HIV / AIDS are mass murderers. To the contrary, I think the advertisements are saying that this killer lives among us, and 'this killer' is the virus.

That is just me though.

But on a slightly different note. Is there anything to be read into why Hitler and Hussein get brunettes and Stalin gets a blonde?

Afghanistan, Blasphemy, and Women's Rights...

It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to work as a journalist in a country that does not respect the important role that journalists play in covering events and reporting them. It is even harder to fathom how downloading an article on women's rights can land one with a 20-year prison sentence for blasphemy. This is what happened in Afghanistan.

An Afghani journalist, Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh, was imprisoned for 20 years for committing an act of blasphemy and has recently been released after Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, signed the release papers, according to Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders).

Kambakhsh, who reported for the New World (Jahan-e-Naw) newspaper, downloaded an article from a website based in Iran that discussed how the Al-Qur'an views women. This seemingly innocuous indiscretion resulted in a sentence of death being handed down by a court in Mazar-i-Sharif. This sentence was reduced on appeal to 20 years.

One hopes that this is a first step in a much more democratic and freer Afghanistan, and one that will see the release of other people imprisoned for similar offenses to this one. And, also one that will see Afghanis revisit the definition of blasphemy as it is in their constitution.

In many ways I have been fortunate to have been born and raised in a country where there is a rich tradition of freedom of thought, speech, and expression. I am sure that there are arguments to be made that these freedoms are not absolute in Australia. However, I am unlikely to go to prison for 20 years, let alone be sentenced to death, for downloading an article on women's rights. So, it would be a difficult task to convince me that I have not been fortunate.

Tila Tequila, Lights Out?

I have seen the name Tila Tequila around, but admittedly have never paid that much attention, anyway with a name like Tila Tequila I always figured she was probably an adult star / porn star. However, names can be deceiving. It turns out Tila is in fact Tila Nguyen, hails from Singapore with Vietnamese roots and makes her living singing and doing TV, MTV to be precise. Although in my defense she has appeared in Playboy.

Apparently, the Tequila alludes to the fact that she is allergic to alcohol and doesn't drink, so it is supposed to be a touch of irony. However, recent reports suggest that despite any Tweets to the contrary, Ms. Tequila lives up to her name and does not mind knocking back the odd tequila shot or five. It also seems that she does not mind taking a few slugs on the vodka bottle. Gossip, rumors, or eyewitness testimony to her appetite for liquor sort of puts paid to the idea that the girl is allergic to alcohol.

Her consumption of the wicked liquor has led to some trouble so it seems with her current boyfriend of San Diego Chargers fame, Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman, has been arrested and bailed for allegedly assaulting the diminutive Tequila. Lights Out comes in at a hefty 1.93 meters and some 120kgs so it is hardly going to be a fair contest.

Lights Out reckons there was no assault, rather he was trying to be protective and stop Tequila, who seemingly had a few too many tequilas from driving home. According to reports a scuffle occurred, Tequila eventually broke free, and then called the police. Tequila then signed off on a citizen's arrest warrant that alleges battery and false imprisonment, both of which are felonies as I recall.

So, it seems at the moment to be a he said, she said scenario. This means that the fun and games are just about to begin.

And they have. James Brennan, the owner of Stingaree (a celebrity spotting paradise apparently), and where Lights Out and Tequila kicked off their fateful evening, has said that in interviewing all of his staff the gist is that Lights Out was drinking bottled water and Tequila was living up to her name knocking back tequila and vodka until she was visibly intoxicated (I would guess this is code for pissed).

The reason for this post is self-serving as it lets me post a picture of Tequila in most of her glory.

Indonesia 1 -- BlackBerry 0 (But Raking It In)

It would seem that Indonesia has won its little spat with Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry smartphones. The Indonesian government threatened to freeze (suspend) the issuance of licenses for new BlackBerry smartphone models until RIM set up an after sales service store in Indonesia. RIM chose to push the government on the issue and did not immediately comply with the directive to do so. The initial spat if you are interested was described here.

Good to its word, the Indonesian government instituted the freeze as threatened, and that suspension on the provision of licenses has now been lifted. It took two months or so, but RIM has established an after sales service center in Indonesia, specifically in Jakarta.

It was always likely that RIM would open an after sales service center somewhere in Indonesia. The numbers warranted it. At the end of 2008 there were about 100,000 BlackBerry owners in Indonesia. This number has climbed to some 500,000 presently and is expected to jump to more than 1,000,000 by the end of the year.

A bigger problem for RIM, and the alleged reason for stalling in opening an after sales service center is the large number of fake or copy BlackBerry devices available in the market. RIM was lobbying for tighter controls on fake goods as a pre-cursor to any service center. To all intents and purposes they did not win on that front.

However, even if 10% of the market is fake BlackBerry devices, then 900,000 real BlackBerry devices in the market would suggest that RIM is doing pretty well.

(Photo courtesy of The Jakarta Globe and Afriadi Hikmal)

The Halal Products Bill -- Islamization by Stealth?

Whenever Indonesia debates a new law or an amendment bill that infringes upon civil rights or has been drafted to address a specific religious requirement, a parallel debate arises about whether or not the bill is an attempt at Islamization of Indonesia. Sometimes, the concerns raised are legitimate and sometimes they are not.

The morality based bills such as the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code which would ostensibly ban public displays of affection between men and women, including married couples, is one such example. Another example, was the passage of the Anti-Pornography bill, as the bill to all intents and purposes seemingly restricts the freedom of expression particularly in the arts. A further example is another bill currently before the House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat / DPR) on film. This bill certainly ups the ante with respect to censorship and what is permitted to be made, let alone what might negotiate any censorship board.

However, it is the Bill on Halal Products that seems to have drawn the ire of many as a direct and not so stealthy attempt to impose Sharia law on all of Indonesia's citizens and not just the majority of the community that identifies as Muslim. Halal in a very general sense means that the product is one that is permitted for the purposes of consumption by Muslims.

This bill in essence sets out what must be done in order for a product to be classified as halal, and then once an application is made for certification as halal, and then how that product is to be packaged and labeled. The bill does not prevent the production, distribution, and sale of non-halal (or haram / prohibited) products. Once again, the bill sets out how a product comes to be classified and labeled as halal. Presumably any company seeking to have a leg of ham classified as halal is going to fail in their application. However, this does not mean that the leg of ham cannot be sold.

In many ways the halal symbol or label is no different from the "healthy heart" symbol that you can find on products that have successfully passed the certification process stipulated for the symbol to be applied. This is also similar for products that now carry symbols that say they are certified suitable for diabetics or people with high blood pressure or products that are certified dolphin safe.

The difference is that in most cases the symbols attached to products are certified by independent bodies and are not regulated in law beyond a very basic minimum. For example, in Australia there are laws that require that the claims of a product be substantiated. This would mean that if a producer offered a cure for cancer, then that claim would need to be substantiated. If it could not be substantiated then this would be a breach of the prevailing laws and regulations.

So, in that sense the bill is hardly Islamization by stealth. The adding of a halal seal to products will provide a guarantee to discerning Muslims that the product they are about to purchase meets some exacting standards with respect to a products halal-ness or lack thereof. Nevertheless, this might depend on how independent the certification process is and how independent those involved in the certification agency are.

Currently, it would seem that the Indonesian Ulama Council (Majelis Ulema Indonesia / MUI) will play a primary role as the peak Muslim body in Indonesia. Then again, how independent can the body be when its role is specifically to certify what is and what is not halal for a specific religion?

A far greater threat would be a local ordinance, such as the one recently pushed through in Bogor as it attempts to become a halal city, which prohibits the slaughtering of pigs within city limits. This would seemingly increase costs as any pork products would have to be brought in from other places and not sourced locally. An argument might conceivably be made that this ordinance is a breach of a constitutionally guaranteed right to not be subject to discrimination. Whether anyone picks up the baton on this one remains to be seen.

Going forward, it seems likely that this debate is going to arise ever more frequently.

Susan Boyle -- No. 1 -- November Album Release

Instant celebrity, fame, and riches. The Susan Boyle story is probably worthy of a film or at least a made for TV documentary or something.

Boyle was the overnight sensation discovered on Britain's Got Talent. Overnight sensation and seemingly some lasting fame. The clip of her appearance on Britain's Got Talent found its way onto YouTube and subsequently became one of the most watched videos of all time at YouTube. Boyle's album, I Dreamed a Dream, is scheduled for release on 24 November 2009. However, it is available for pre-order at Amazon.com for a mere USD 9.99.

Surprising or not, the album already occupies Amazon.com's No.1 slot. Boyle has trounced both Whitney Houston and The Beatles to claim the No.1 spot.

Too bad I cannot sing!

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.

"Scandalous" Advertising...

This could be an interesting debate, "What constitutes scandalous advertising, and should it be banned?"

Some of the names that have been approved as trade marks recently include: Knut clothing (Kunt clothing was rejected -- wonder why? Reminds me of FCUK), Hot Cock foods, Porn Star clothing, and as the picture above shows, Cocaine, which has been approved for some time as I recall.

Funnily enough, the Trade Marks Registrar would not approve religious related words as trade marks. So, words like: Jesus, Mecca, and Hallelujah did not make the cut. I wonder if Muhammad could be trade marked?

What constitutes scandalous and what scandalizes is going to very from person to person. Scandalous is clearly subjective and therefore who should be responsible for determining what is likely to scandalize us or offend us.

I am not sure that I am into eating Hot Cock foods or wearing Porn Star clothes (last time I checked porn stars tended not to wear a whole lot of clothes). Yet, I am also not scandalized by the names being trade marked or if others decide to purchase the products on offer.

Interesting times we live in.

Google and Racism...

Hmmm!