The Elephant King

Elephant Buffet near Chiang Mai

In a case of sheer stupidity or brilliant marketing, some guy wrote a Letter to the Editor published today in The Nation, the alternative English-language daily newspaper to the Bangkok Post. He complains about some film being show now in New York City, courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival, started by Robert DeNiro to help revitalize the city after the events of 9/11.

I think it's a plant, since the letter author uses too many buzzwords about sex and depravity in Bangkok. Yeah, so what else is old news. He then forgets to complete the story about the film; the part where Buddhism saves a soul and provides redemption for one of the brothers. This actually sounds like a great film, to me, but what is the self interest and motivation to the guy who sent in this letter to The Nation?

For more information about this film, go to the Tribeca search engine posted below, and just ask for "Elephant." It goes to some Flash-based monstrosity that has not got the decency to post a URL.

The Elephant King
Discovery
[ELEPH] 2006 92 min
Directed By: Seth Grossman
World Premiere

This pensive, artfully crafted drama explores the twisted symbiosis between two American brothers-one domineering and nihilistic, the other guileless and introspective-as they binge on drink, drugs, and women in exotic Thailand. Jake Hunt, who has abandoned his anthropology research for a life of debauchery in the village of Chiang Mai, invites his younger brother Oliver for a visit. Oliver, an aspiring writer suffering through a bout of depression so severe that he tried to take his own life, reveres Jake despite the fact that Jake bullied Oliver throughout their childhood.

Intoxicated by both his reunion with Jake and his newfound freedom from responsibility, authority, and structure, Oliver leaps headfirst into Jake's decadent world and falls hopelessly in love with Lek, a comely Amerasian bartender whom Jake paid to be nice to Oliver. Jake, filled with self-loathing, can't make up his mind about whether he wants to sabotage Oliver's relationship or protect his brother from being hurt. A confused and angry Jake pays Lek a visit and unleashes his rage, thereby setting the film on a course towards its bloody, tragic conclusion.

By this point Oliver has rejected his brother's depravity and turned inward instead, finding solace in the Buddhist belief that life is illusory and all things cease to exist in the end. Writer-director Seth Grossman's compelling film is topped off by memorable performances from veteran actors Ellen Burstyn and Josef Sommer as the brothers' parents.

- David Bushman

Tribeca Film Festival Search Link

Best Bay Area Rock Bands

Brokeback Mountain 2

I never bothered to go see Brokeback Mountain, cause that whole gay thingie just gives me the creeps, but if Halle Berry and Charlize Theron would like to make a lesbian Brokeback, I'll be the first in line.

Great discussion today about the leading music legends from the Bay Area (that's San Francisco to you distant bloggers and readers), over at SF Gate Culture Blog. That's the informal blog run a dozen or so writers at the San Francisco Chronicle. BTW, it's a great and fun place to read about local news, upcoming events, art parties, and the general mayhem that makes this such a great place to live. And I must be showing my age: I actually remember almost every single band and musician mentioned in the 30-plus comments.

I even once owned the Omaha album from Moby Grape.

Hard to believe you two left Neil Young off your list. You'll find his tribute to the coast and SF in many of his songs.

Two Major Omissions:

It's A Beautiful Day: White Bird - like no other song before or after, haunting violin and vocals evoke the Summer of Love era.

Moby Grape: Omaha - the sarcastically-named three minute explosion of energy and hippie-good vibes, even Springsteen dropped the chrous into one of his bay area shows in recent years. The Grape's entire first album still sounds fresh and amazing 40 years later.

Back in the day, the great SF jam bands were the Quick and the Dead -- with Quicksilver Messenger Service equally prominent. iTunes does include them, but their greatest number was "Gold and Silver". Jazzy rock at its finest.

I'm also surprised Berkeley isn't represented, with Country Joe & the Fish's "Feels Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag". As for Blue Cheer, I didn't like them as a teen, but they were very early proto-punks and probably should make your list as well.

I know you already listed the Flamin' Groovies once, and I'm amazed and glad you did, "Shake Some Action" from 1976 should be on the list also, 'cuz it's great and the Groovies were a whole different band and sound by then. We Five's "You Were on My Mind" and "Laugh, Laugh" OR "Just a Little" by The Beau Brummels should be on there. How 'bout "Codeine" or "Alabama Bound" by the Charlatans, the ragged sounding but ultimately cool looking band that started the Psychedelic scene? It's good that Chris Isaak's on there, but "Wicked Game" instead of "You Owe Me Some Kind of Love"...c'mon, listen again! And you forgot the whole whole South Bay garage band scene with Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction", the Leaves "Hey Joe" or Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl". Oh well, maybe a Bay Area Top 50 at least. Great and provocative reading, though.

Flipper! Sex Bomb! Will Shatter lives!

Hmmm... What about SVT? "Heart Of Stone" was their best known song... from their "No Regrets" album. Very well known at the time it came out.

I think "Pride of Man" belongs on the Selvin/Vaiziri list, but the fact you guys came up with "Down to the Nightclub" for Tower of Power makes me think I shouldn't criticize you for anything!

A glaring omission is Greg Kihn!!!!! He had so many good ones, perhaps his best "the Break Up Song" - aka "they don't write em like that anymore" and no they sure don't!!!!!

Also Rendevous, his version of Roadrunner, Valerie, and of course Jeopardy (not one of his best in my opinion.)

Also what about Bonnie Hayes' "Shelley's boyfriend"

Any song by Translator!!!!! they were so great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And agree with the posted comment - "White Bird" by It's a Beautiful Day

And Quicksilver's "Mona"
Dan Hicks "I scare myself"
Green Day "Good Riddance" aka "hope you had the time of your life"

And then there is any song by the Graves Bros Deluxe.

There is just too many good songs to stop at 25!!!

SF Gate Link

Mohammed Ignored

Mohamad of Malaysia

It looks like the former ruler of Malaysia, Mohammed Mahathir, is finally getting his due course from world leaders, world press, and local Malaysian press, and being acknowledged for what he has long been recognized for: a demeaning, insulting, petty dictator who milked simplistic and blatantly racist nationalistic jingoism to furthur his goals.

The Malaysian Government has been accused of trying to silence the country's biggest independent news service after police raided the offices of Malaysiakini and seized 19 computers and files from the Internet operator.

Malaysiakini executives said they believed the raid, which forced the website off the air for more than 10 hours on Monday, was the first step by the authorities to close down the controversial service.

Editor-in-chief Steven Gan, who was ordered to report to police for questioning yesterday, believed senior officials were determined to shut down the site, which has been a vigorous but impartial critic of Mahathir Mohamad's government.

"The government's pledge not to censor the Internet has been shot to pieces," Mr Gan said, after a team of 12 police spent several hours searching the offices in Kuala Lumpur.

The raid followed allegations by officials of the youth wing of the ruling United Malays National Organisation that Malaysiakini had committed sedition by publishing an anonymous letter that attacked the government's record on race relations.

The police seized four servers and 15 other computers after Malaysiakini editors, defending their right to protect journalistic sources, refused to reveal the identity of the letter's author. Company chairman Premesh Chandran said police were using the allegation of sedition as a pretext to disrupt the operations of the website, which resumed late on Monday night with borrowed computer equipment.

"Their action is clearly not to investigate sedition but to disable our operations as the country's independent news provider. We know that this is an election year and that UMNO and the government feel that Malaysiakini is a threat," he said.

The United States-based Committee to Protect Journalists yesterday accused the government of a heavy-handed attempt to shut down Malaysia's only effective independent news provider. "This is a crude attempt at censorship and it makes a mockery of Dr Mahathir's promises not to interfere with the Internet while developing his multi-media super corridor," said the committee's regional spokesman, Lin Neumann.

The website, which claims a daily readership of more than 100,000, has won international acclaim and a growing domestic following since it was established in 1999 as an alternative to the country's tightly controlled media. Monday's raid came despite a declaration at the weekend by deputy Home Affairs Minister Chor Chee Heung that the ministry, which controls the police, did not have the right to stop Malaysiakini publishing material critical of the government.

The Age

Indonesia: Islamic Defenders League

Islamic Justice in Aceh

Just in case you haven't been paying attention the last few years about the rise of radical Islamic, fundamentalist movements in Indonesia -- the world's most populist Muslim nation -- you may want to notice a religious organization that calls itself the Islamic Defenders League. Sort of like any radical political or extremist religious organization anywhere in the world, but they have proven themselves to impose their sense of Islamic justice on Indonesia and the Indonesian government has done little if anything to resist their violent aims.

Indonesia is in trouble.

Here's some background:

INDONESIA: Muslim moralists, or thugs in robes?
Islamic Defenders Front in media spotlight for attacking Playboy offices
South China Morning Post
Saturday, April 22, 2006

Jakarta --- With its trademark white uniforms and noisy protests, the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has become the highly visible face of radical Islam in Indonesia. But critics charge its members are little more than thugs in robes.

Claiming a membership of several thousand, with links to various Muslim groups, the eight-year-old FPI made international headlines in 1999 when it launched violent anti-vice raids on bars and other venues deemed sinful.

It was in the media spotlight again last week when 300 members -- scandalised by the local debut of Playboy in Muslim-majority Indonesia -- attacked the magazine's editorial office, lobbing rocks at police officers and injuring two.

The magazine suspended operations on Thursday, with its editor saying security was taking precedence over the publishing of a second edition. "Playboy is synonymous with pornography," FPI leader Muhammad Rizieq Shihab said last week. "The name itself means a man who likes to play around with women. Who can guarantee that they won't publish nudity in the future?"

Separate FPI protests have also forced a local tabloid to apologise for publishing the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet and, with another Muslim group, the organisation has managed to close dozens of Christian churches. The group also managed to close the main event on Jakarta's contemporary art calendar last September when it was outraged by a work depicting a nearly-nude male.

But commentators wonder whether a few hundred demonstrators should be able to impose their values on a country of 220 million. In an editorial on Monday, The Jakarta Post railed against these "storm troopers of God and ideology", comparing the FPI and other militants to Italy's fascist Blackshirts. "In a confused libertarian society such as ours, lawlessness is glorified and agents of chaos knighted as persons of authority," the editorial said.

Although 88 per cent of Indonesians are Muslims, most practise a tolerant form of the faith and do not appear to support FPI demands. "It's part of the growing vocalism of conservatives. I'm not so sure that more noise represents more people," Bambang Harymurti, editor of Indonesia's leading investigative magazine, Tempo, said.

FPI members are rarely prosecuted for their attacks. By dressing in flowing Arabic robes and claiming to represent the Islamic community, the FPI and other hardline Muslim groups are able to take the moral high ground, analysts say.

"Police are seen to be corrupt by society, so they are a bit afraid of someone who does something for morality," Mr Harymurti said. The Playboy demonstrations are largely seen as part of a push among conservatives for parliament to adopt a wide-ranging anti-pornography law that would ban kissing in public, observers say.

"It's a political hot potato," said Martin Hughes, a security analyst at Control Risks, a risk consultancy, referring to Playboy and the pornography debate. "The pendulum of law and order has swung in the other direction [from when Indonesian police were notorious for their heavy-handedness]. "Police are a lot more image sensitive. If they were seen to crack down heavily on FPI then lots of people would think the police support Playboy."

Some fear the FPI is not just an activist group lobbying for their fellow Muslims but rather Islamic hardliners trying to convert multi-ethnic and religiously tolerant Indonesia into a fundamentalist state.

Asia Media from UCLA Link

Becak Culture in Jakarta

Jakarta Becak by Carl Parkes

Is there no doubt that the world is fast becoming immobilized by privately owned cars and motorcycles, and that it is only a matter of a short time than many, if not most, of the world's urban cores will come to a standstill? Seems obvious to me, and to many people who are experts in this area. I sold my car five years ago, and now only have a scooter in San Francisco and feel much better for it, along with the fact that public transportation here in The City is excellent.

But no much progress is happening in China, India, and other countries around the world exploding with cars, without adequate public transportation, without the motivation to do anything about this problem. It's obvious everywhere, but probably most severe in developing countries such as Indonesia:

Bring back the becak!!

In twenty years' time there will be more cars in China than in the United States -- about 200 million of them. Ten years after that, India's car population will also overtake America's. Within twenty years Russia and Brazil will each have more cars than Japan. We are headed for a billion-car world (unless all the wheels fall off first), and that means permanently high oil prices.

>Goldman Sachs

Goldman Sachs doest make any mention of Indonesia, but the number of vehicles here will undoubtedly increase further provided that the economy doesnÂ’t go ti#s up again like it did in 1998.

Indeed, current data shows that around 350,000 new motorcycles are added to the streets each month!

Along with around 30,000 to 50,000 new cars.

Not that thereÂ’s anywhere for them to go off course; the streets are getting increasingly congested, meaning longer jams and even more consumption of petrolÂ…

No wonder then that Indonesia is the only member of OPEC to be a net oil importer!!!

So what does this mean?

Indcoup Link

Hindu Temple Destroyed in Malaysia

Tanjavur Temple, Tamil Nadu by Carl Parkes

Seems like there could have been a better solution than this. The Malaysian government recently destroyed a Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur which was located on government-owned land, and the Malaysian government wanted to develop the site. How would the Malaysian government feel if the Indian government started tearing down Islamic mosques for redevelopment?

Malaysia demolishes century-old Hindu temple
KUALA LUMPUR, APRIL 21 (AFP)

Malaysian authorities have demolished a century-old Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, bulldozing the building as devotees cried and begged them to stop, Hindu groups said today. The Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple was reduced to rubble after Kuala Lumpur's city hall sent in bulldozers, they said.

In a complaint to police the temple's vice president, Subramaniam Ragappan, said about 300 devotees were praying Tuesday when the machines arrived, accompanied by police and city hall officials. "We were forced to stop our prayers and (rituals) halfway as they proceeded to tear down the temple," he said in a copy of the complaint obtained by AFP.

A copy of a letter from city hall to a local lawmaker, who had asked for the temple to be left intact, said the demolition was going ahead to make way for a building project. City hall officials were not immediately available for comment. Subramaniam said city hall tried in 2001 and again in 2004 to tear down the building, which was on government land, but had been dissuaded by politicians.

"Everybody was crying and saying how could the government do this, but they still broke the temple," he told AFP. "For 100 years we prayed there. How could they come to remove the temple?" he said, adding that they were given just one day's notice of the demolition.

Outlook India Link

Atlanta Hotel: Still in Business

Atlanta Hotel Bangkok

The old German guy who founded and ran the somewhat legendary Atlanta Hotel in Bangkok for almost four decades, passed on to the higher realm a few years ago, but apparently his son has moved into the digs and keeps the classic but always-in-need-of-repairs hotel in somewhat working order. I've never stayed there, but the founder would always send me clippings of movies and model shoots done in the lobby.

The Malaysia Hotel was long my crash pad of choice, and the Atlanta seemed too long a walk done the long Soi 4 to Sukumvit, just to cross the made street to that comfy coffee shop long known as the Grace. Four humming jukeboxes in four different corners with four different disco tunes, but it was too far from the Atlanta, and tuk tuks were cheaper from the Malaysia.

But I'm glad to hear the Atlanta is still around, though I've always hoped they might upgrade their rather dismal rooms and put in some decent beds and better furniture. No need to worry about the 1950s lobby and the classic old-worlde swimming pool, but the rooms and baths have needed an upgrade since, uh, 1956.

Mango Sauce Hotel Review

David at Mango Sauce also went out recently to some fancy-dancy restaurant in Bangkok and to say the least he was NOT impressed:

David at Mango Sauce on Blue Elephant Dud

Japan Sex: It's a Different World

Kanamara Festival Japan



Kanamara Pink Penis



Kanamara Sucker

The Japanese may seem consumed with their own unique set of phobias (control, organization, lines at subways, etc.), but they surprisingly have less phobias about one of the Western world's most obvious phobias: sex.

Phallic festivals in Japan! Let the pink penis rule!

Thousands flocked to a small shrine here Sunday to take part in the Kanamara Festival, an event with roots dating back centuries and known for its huge consecrated phallus portable shrine carried mostly by transvestites.

Revelers also watched mostly young women sit atop huge wooden penises made as Shinto totems, each woman sparking a rapid-fire succession of camera flashes from the dozens of mostly middle-aged men armed with digital cameras.

Shinto fertility related items including amulets, prayer tablets and other religious paraphernalia were on sale, as were candies made in the shape of the genitalia of both sexes. Sellers of some candies found it hard to keep up with demand.

"Japan's got so many festivals, but this one has to be one of the more unique ones. They had candies, they had photos, everything. It brought everyone together. It brought together foreigners and Japanese. I guess there were probably more foreigners there than Japanese," Brett Bull, an American from Tokyo, said. "They drew in so many people and it was so packed. And everybody went in with a straight face. It was a very straightforward, business-like procession."

Manichi Video

Via Magnoy's Samsara

Bush, China, Hu, Media, Doctor Who?

Bush tugs at Hu



Laura Bush and Warm, Smiling Ms. Hu

Who says Americans don't have a sense of humor? Hu makes a move towards the wrong ladder, and Bush nabs him on the jacket and moves him to the right steps. Some upset Falung Gong press reporter gets credentials and starts yelling at Hu, and it takes the Secret Service 3 minutes to politely grab her and take her away. Three minutes? Something rotten stinks here. Secret means asleep on the job.

And Laura Bush, high on her happiness meds, makes a photo op with the wife of the current president of China, who seems to be on some sort of narcotic hate pill. Would a smile upset her case of piles?

The weirdest state visit in recent history.

Danwei on Hu Visit

Peking Duck Relays ESWN Links on Hu Visit

Peking Duck on Dowd China Column

Street Food in Asia

Thai Street omelet by Richard@Thai-Blogs

This post is probably gonna piss off a few people, and make other people doubt my sanity or street cred, but street food in Asia is almost uniformly bad. I've eaten from food stalls all across Asia, and most of the fare was pure crap. Boiled fishballs in water with seacress is not food - it's fish food for goats.

But that's what is usually served from food stalls in Bangkok, Pattaya, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Delhi, Varanasi, and Trivandrum. I've eaten street food in all those places, and mostly it has been less than garbage. Unless you have absolutely no taste or distinguishation in food, skip the street foodstalls and spend a little extra money and dine in a cafe where the chef actually knows how to cook.

Cooking good food takes some training and expertise, and most street cooks don't have a clue. So, the end of another travel fantasy.

The only good thing on my one-year journey across Asia: I lost 67 pounds.

Time to get back to Asia!

Nazi Art in Paris

Nazi Degenerate Musik



Nazi Art Exhibit in Paris

Nazi art never really appealed to me, aside from its emphasis on the majesty of the human body, and the visionary architectural views of Albrecht Speer, who I really wish could have completed his almost hallucinogenic version of Berlin. It's a touchy subject, but who hasn't been intrigued by the misguided but not altogether artistically altered views of Mr. Hitler? He was a madman, but a somewhat trained artist with architectural ambitions, and he hated modern abstract art, and wanted art to reflect noble and higher ambitions. Crazed killer? Frustrated artist?

What's the difference?

Hitler at the Bayreuth Festival, »Lili Marleen« repeated endlessly on the army broadcaster "Soldatensender Belgrad", the 1938 "Degenerate Music" exhibition, Furtangler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra playing at Siemens Works Concert, composers in exile, swing bands and symphony orchestras in the concentration camps, the physical and mental destruction of numerous artists, these are but a few aspects of the complex links between the self-styled Third Reich and the art of music.

The National Socialists attempts to shape the world of music in keeping with their eals culminated in the destruction of art in the name of art. Expressionist, abstract and atonal movements were rejected as degenerate, whilst the great classical and romantic tradition blossomed in response to this.

Nazi Art Link

Khazi Comedy

Kazakhstan Comedian

I don't know if you've heard this one, but a Jewish comedian from New York walks into a bar in Kazakstan and orders a beer, and then does an imitation of the current ruling despot leader, who then goes on national television and berates the comedian for his poor impression. And comedian scores gold. It's a true story, as reminded today at Gadling.

Sacha Baron Cohen has pissed of an entire country. That’s what happens when you create a comedic persona that is wickedly funny, politically incorrect and mocks the 15 million people of a former Soviet republic. Cohen’s masterful creation is none other than Borat Sagdiyev, a misogynist, anti-Semitic TV reporter from Kazakhstan who bumbles his way through interviews and drops such inappropriate lines as, “How many punch it take you to kill cow? For me my record is 11.” Check out his hilarious website here.

As Erik reported a few months ago, the Kazakh government grew so angry at Borat they shut down his Kazakhstan home page and threatened to sue Cohen for his unkind portrayal. Borat himself responded with the statement, “I'd like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew. Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world. Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear the blue hats, and the age of consent has been raised to eight years old.”

It’s never wise to battle a comedian since they will always get the last laugh. Apparently the Kazakh government has finally learned this lesson and will now roll with the punches. Dariga Nazarbayeva, the daughter of Kazakhstan’s president who also runs a major television studio in the country, has just publicly voiced her disagreement with the censorship of Borat/Cohen.

Is this a move towards freer speech in authoritarian Kazakhstan? Probably not. It’s more likely that Nazarbayeva has merely learned about the power of negative media—as is evident by her comment; "This Internet site has caused less damage to our image than its closure, which was covered by all international news agencies." And it has, good or bad, raised awareness about a country very few people have ever heard of before.

Gadling Link

Smoking Gun Sheen/Richards Bombshell

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards

There's Hollywood gossip, and then there's Hollywood gossip. It doesn't get much better than this; the latest bombshell launched by Smoking Gun about the mysterious and often rumored divorce between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, which had been kept under wraps until today.

Charlie Sheen Divorce Bombshell

Wife: Drugs, hookers, threats, gambling, porn on actor's plate

APRIL 21--In a searing court attack on Charlie Sheen, actress Denise Richards alleges that her estranged husband is unstable, violent, addicted to gambling and prostitutes, and visits pornographic web sites featuring young men and girls who appear underage. In a remarkable sworn declaration (a copy of which you'll find below) filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Richards also charges that Sheen, 40, assaulted her and threatened her life during a December 30 incident at the actress's Los Angeles home.

Richards claims that an enraged Sheen--who was over for a visit with the couple's two children--told her she was "fucking with the wrong guy" and called her a series of vulgar names in front of the children. The actor, Richards said, then shoved her to the ground and screamed, "I hope you f--king die, bitch." As Richards, 35, tells it, Sheen was angry because she had told her divorce attorney about discovering details of Sheen's porn-surfing practices. Richards's declaration, filed in support of her request for a restraining order against Sheen, contends that Sheen "belonged" to "disturbing" sites "which promoted very young girls, who looked underage to me with pigtails, braces, and no pubic hair performing oral sex with each other."

Other sites visited by Sheen, Richards alleges, involved "gay pornography also involving very young men who also did not look like adults." Richards claims that she also discovered that Sheen "belonged to several sex search type sites" on which he "looked for women to have sex with."

His online profile, Richards adds, included a photo of "his erect penis." The Richards evisceration also portrays Sheen as a lousy father who urged her to abort their first child. And, when she was about to give birth to their second child via a C-section, Sheen's attention was "diverted to his pager for the results of his betting." (17 pages)

Smoking Gun Link

Bipolar Photos from Indonesia

SBY and Kalla Wave for Bukkake



Michell Leslie with Burka

I'm not sure what to make about the blogger from Java who has outdone even his twisted sense of graphic values with his recent pairing of SBY/Kalla with the latest swimsuit photo of Leslie. This is almost beyond belief, and makes me think that perhaps Indcoup has either lost his mind, he's hiding behind paranoid-scics, or maybe just manic-depression without the influx of daily meds to calm the raging beast.

Ind, if the Lithium isn't working, it's time to move over to Thorazine. But do get some help.

As unpredictable electricity blackouts might suggest, Indonesia is facing a bit of a crisis when it comes to power generation. In fact, chronic underinvestment since the outbreak of the financial crisis in 1997 means that at least US$8bn is needed in immediate investment just to keep up with rising demand.

Now that’s a lot of money to spend. And you’d think they’d be quite a few companies eager to get a share of such huge government contracts.

And you’d be right.

So when will President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono put the projects up for tender? Er, he won’t. Cos he’s gonna give them to Yusuf Kalla instead!! As revealed in a damning exposé by London’s Financial Times, Kalla had initially said that he wanted a “crash programme to build a series of coal-fired power plants worth US$8bn to boost the generating capacity on Indonesia’s main Java-Bali power grid”.

And to accelerate the process, officials said at the time, the government was considering cutting out the tendering process and picking contractors directly. Government advisers said on Monday the intention was to push forward the $150bn infrastructure plan.

Cutting out the tendering process? Sounds a bit fu#king suspect to me. But whose idea was that, I wonder?

Yusuf Kalla’s fuc#ing brother no less!!! And according to Tempo magazine’s sterling fact-finding work: The consortium picked to carry out the work was likely to include conglomerates including Mr Kalla’s Bukaka Group and the Bakrie and Brothers family flagship of Aburizal Bakrie, another tycoon turned minister.

You couldn’t make it up, could ya? No tender; the project just handed out like slices of chocolate fu#king cake.

But hold on a sec – the Bukaka Group? Ain’t that the name of a rather outlandish Japanese humiliation ritual? Oh no sorry - that’s bukkake, with a double ‘k’ and an ‘e’, rather than an “a”. Awfully similar though.

Indcoup Link

More Dating Tips from Pattaya Mail

Proposed Majestic Tower in Naklua, Pattaya

The good doctor Ian C. in his version of some drag queen persona once again offers advice to some hopeless dude who thinks he has figured out Thailand girls on his short visit. As always, funny stuff about life and love in the Big Mango.

Dear Happy Camper,

Hillary always likes to hear of people who are happy, especially with their lives here in Thailand; however, I think you may be a little hard on some of the foreigners that come here in search of a better life, my Petal. These are often the ones who have been rejected in their own country, and when they arrive here cannot believe how warm and friendly some of the local girls can be. Quite unlike the rather emancipated ladies they are used to. A small dusky maiden has captured many a heart, more than just the painter Gaugin's.

Some of the longer stay expats do try to warn the "newbies" and one passed over his "Rules for Engagement -- It's a War Zone here", for me to see, and many of his pointers have a decided truth about them. He sends these rules to friends coming to visit and it starts with "Do not fall in love with the first girl you meet, there will always be one better in the next bar."

[This is priceless]

Another item runs "Try not to take out different girls from the same bar, they are a jealous lot and may cut your penis off." This is followed by "If you do get your penis cut off, try to get hold of it before the street dogs eat it." Whilst these may sound as jokes, they are all founded on fact. The "Cut it off and feed it to the ducks" story has a sound basis in Thai village culture.

[More Essential Advice]

The final two items also have a very true foundation, where he says, "Remember if you leave your brain at the airport, you will leave your money and your heart in Pattaya." And finally, "Don't look down on these girls for working in bars, they are only trying to make a living in a hard world."

So, my Petal, I think you should try and remember that and perhaps be a little more charitable towards your brothers. Like this expat has done, try and educate your countrymen before they get here. Then there will be even more happy campers like yourself.

Pattaya Mail Link

Jeannette Belliveau and Moose

Bull Moose Alaska

I may be on vacation, but I just couldn't resist this image, courtesy of Jeannette Belliveau and her wonderful blog.

Beau Monde Press Blog

Blogging Hiatus

Carl as Elvis

I'll be out of town on a press trip until April 27, so probably very little, if any blogging until then.....

The New Age of the Skyscraper

Fiera Milano



Hearst Bldg New York City



New York Times Bldg



Turning Tower Malmo Sweden

Slate website recently posted a well written and stunning illustrated story of the world's most magnificent skyscrapers, both presently constructed and still on the drawing boards. The existing structures include the familiar Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the "Twisting Towers" in Sweden, and the "Pickle Building" in London, but it's the proposed skyscrapers which really amaze with their new and exciting forms.

It's presented as a "slide show" with running commentary, but fortunately doesn't seem to be Flash-based, so you can save the images to your hard drive.

Slate architecture critic Wiltold Rybczynski includes the following in his "golden age of skyscrapers":

* Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur
* Hearst Building, New York, by Norman Foster
* Swiss Re building, London, aka "the Pickle"
* Toree Agbar, Barcelona
* Brickell Flatiron, Miami
* Residential Tower, Dubai
* Turning Torso, Malmo, Sweden
* Museum Plaza, Louisville, Kentucky
* New York Times Building by Frank Ghery
* Fiera Milano, Milan

Slate Link

Moscow Cat Circus

Moscow Cat Circus

Absolutely nothing to do with Southeast Asia, but if you're visiting New York City in the near future, you might want to take in this strange phenomena.

MOSCOW CATS THEATRE - the only entertainment of its kind in the world - features non-stop action by a troop of talented felines performing original and astounding acrobatic feats, integrated into a non-verbal, colorful and fun-filled family show.

Making its U.S. debut with American audiences, MOSCOW CATS THEATRE has been embraced by the media and fans alike. With appearances on Good Morning America, Good Day New York, CBS Early Show, Inside Edition and The Montel Williams Show, the Russian cats are the talk of the town.

20 CATS! 2 DOGS! 8 CLOWNS!
WALKING TIGHTROPES! DEATH DEFYING BALANCING ACTS!
JUMPING! DANCING! ACROBATICS!

WORLD'S ONLY CATS THEATRE

Moscow Cat Theatre Link

Model Perks in Bangkok

Model Night at Flaming Moe's

The always amusing and sometimes downright funny weekly email newsletter from Bangkok Recorder uncovers one of the more outrageous controversies of modern-day Bangkok: model perks at nightclubs. Seems like if you're good looking enough (and female I presume) many of the most trendy nightclubs in town will issue you a "model card," which entitles you to free booze and nibbles on designated "model nights" each week. Sounds like a fine idea to me, and I think nightclubs here in my hometown of San Francisco should also start this noble tradition. If not, I intend to start it up in my house........

Anyway, seems that the forum lurkers at Bangkok Recorder see this nightclub scheme as less than noble, and the good-looking women of Bangkok should have to pay for their drinks like every other slob in the city. Ha!

My favorite quote: Derek Zoolander once said, "I'm pretty sure there's more to life than just being really, really, really ridiculously good-looking."

With Bed Supperclub - the original models' night - every Wednesday, Flix every Tuesday, Koi and Zantika practically every night and Met Bar once a month, it was only a matter of time before the topic came up in BangkokRecorder's online forum.

Perhaps predictably, most forum users were against bars and clubs providing free drinks and meals to models in exchange for borrowed glamour.

One regular voice in the forum said: "It's not that I don't like models it's more that I find the concept extremely shallow. The clubs are basically giving free drinks to people that were lucky enough to have good genetics. Thailand is already fixated with beauty, there's no need to encourage more prejudice by rewarding beautiful people and making normal people feel inferior."

After all, Derek Zoolander once said, "I'm pretty sure there's more to life than just being really, really, really ridiculously good-looking."

When we asked partygoers out and about, one unhappy camper told us: "At all of these places, models drink or eat for free and the other customers pay inflated prices. We are basically subsidizing their party life."

"The concept feels a little 'rent-a-crowd,'" commented one well-heeled young Brit. "In London, it's usually a last-ditch marketing attempt, but it seems more like an opening gimmick here."

With the models' night concept meeting such hostility, we decided to get to the bottom of what makes it work and how it can be simultaneously so popular.

Let's take it from the beginning...

Bangkok Recorder Link

Thai Photo Blogs

Songkran 2006 by Thai Photo Blogs/Panrit Daoruang

Over the past few years, I've been reposting posts "borrowed" from the always excellent Thai-Blogs, an effort of Richard Barrow, Steve Suphan, and others working with the Paknam collection of blogs and websites south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan. Whew.

Their range of offerings is fairly breathtaking, so if you're interested in learning Thai, reading contributions from Thai students, gazing at wonderful Thai cooking, investigating teaching English in Thailand -- then this is your place.

Richard and company have recently added a new photography blog which will apparently put up several new photos daily, taken from established wire services such as AP, along with local contributions by Richard and local Thais affiliated with Thai Photo Blogs.

Richard passes along a press announcement:

Hi Carl,

I just wanted to let you know that a few weeks back we launched a new web site called "Thai Photo Blogs". Every day we are posting new photos. Many of them are off the newswires but others are from our 10,000 + photo stock library. All of the pictures are to do with Thailand.

"Thai Photo Blogs" is part of our Paknam Web Network that includes chat rooms, forums, blogs and about 40 websites on the subject of Thailand. In total we own over 70 domain names. Many of these are in the development stage. Some new websites being launched soon are a Thai wiki, a Thailand blogroll and some Thai video blogs. Paknam Web is the largest network of English language websites about Thailand. At present our sites receive over 50,000 unique visitors every day.

All the best,

Richard

Thai Photo Blogs

Songkran 2006 Photos by 2Bangkok

Songkran 2006 by 2Bangkok

Tradition. That's what Ron Morris at 2Bangkok is all about. Each year he hauls his expensive digital photographic equipment down to the wacky world of Khao San Road and snaps images of the wild and crazy locals and farangs celebrating the Thai New Year, with water guns, hoses, and now, foam parties. Here's his collection of almost surrealistic images of Khao San buried under foam.

2Bangkok Link

Mekong Catfish Hunt Ended

Giant Catfish June 2005

The enormous Mekong catfish pictured above has been an endangered species for several decades, threatened both by overfishing and the deterioration of the river itself. Various organizations have been pleading with the fishermen of Chiang Khong to give up the annual hunt, and yesterday they agreed to sell their nets and perhaps allow the world's largest freshwater fish to recover and survive.

Northern fishermen in Chiang Khong district have agreed to stop taking giant catfish, or pla buek, from the Mekong river in a bid to protect the rare fish species.

The decision was announced at an annual ceremony to worship the so-called pla buek god held on the banks of the Mekong.

The fishermen yesterday put 68 fishing nets, worth over 1.3 million baht, on sale to symbolise the end of pla buek hunting, which has been a staple career for Mekong villagers for decades. The World Conservation Union has agreed to buy half the fishing nets, which cost 20,000 baht each. The revenue from the sale of fishing gear will be used as seed money for a fund to help the retired fishermen pursue new careers.

Wildlife conservationists have called on local fishermen to abandon the activity over the past several years as surveys show that the giant catfish population has dropped sharply due to aggressive hunting and the ecological deterioration of the Mekong river. The Mekong giant catfish was listed on the IUCN's list of endangered species in 2003.

Bangkok Post Link

The Tank Man

The Tank Man



Where is Tank Man?

Last night I watched the extraordinary PBS Frontline documentary titled "The Tank Man" which asks viewers to speculate on his identity and fate. And reminds us of his bravery and worldwide symbolism which, as was pointed out several times, seems to be growing with each passing decade. Also included was about 30 minutes of documentary background on the Tiananmen massacre, interviews with a dozen Western and Chinese witnesses and participants, a look at the miserable working conditions of most urban Chinese, the widening gulf between the forgotten countryside and the explosive cities, the scandalous behavior of American technology companies such as Yahoo and Cisco, and Senate hearings about American tech versus Chinese censorship.

PBS Frontline "The Tank Man" Link

Blogger Photos from Vietnam

Saigon Wirework by Mel Schneck



Virtual Doug in Hue

A pair of amusing photos posted by expat bloggers living in Vietnam. Mel is an American architect from San Francisco who found himself burned out on life, and moved to Saigon with his Vietnamese wife, whom he met while on tour of duty during the "American War" back in the 1970s. As an architect, he discusses architectural trends in the country, plus he's new enough to be intrigued with everyday sights such as plasterers hanging precariously from bamboo ladders, and the messy amalgamation of wires you pretty much find everywhere in Asia.

Virtual Doug in Hue talks about a recent motorcycle accident -- which happens to everybody who rents bikes in Asia -- and then reminds travelers and residents alike to pick up some insurance or risk serious injury to your wallet.

Antidote to Burnout Link

Virtual Doug in Hue Link

Malaysia: $218 Trillion Phone Bill

Malaysian Phone Bill

Phone rates and phone bills can be fairly high around Southeast Asia, but this one from Malaysia really takes the cake. Skype and other internet-based phone services will probably make a killing in Malaysia.

Malaysian man hit with $218 trillion phone bill

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian man was speechless when he received a $218 trillion phone bill and was ordered to pay up within 10 days or face prosecution, a newspaper reported Monday.

Yahaya Wahab said he disconnected his late father's phone line in January after he died and settled the 84 ringgit ($23) bill, the New Straits Times reported.

But Telekom Malaysia later sent him a bill for 806,400,000,000,000.01 ringgit ($218 trillion) for recent telephone calls along with orders to settle within 10 days or face legal proceedings, the newspaper reported.

It wasn't clear whether the bill was a mistake, or if Yahaya's father's phone line was used illegally after his death. "If the company wants to seek legal action as mentioned in the letter, I'm ready to face it," the paper quoted Yahaya as saying. "In fact, I can't wait to face it."

Yahaya, from northern Kedah state, received a notice from the company's debt-collection agency in early April, the paper said. Yahaya said he nearly fainted when he saw the new bill. Government-linked Telekom Malaysia Bhd. is the country's largest telecommunications company.

USA Today Link

Indonesia: Corruption Within the Hajj

Caning in Aceh

Indonesia is among the world's most corrupt nations, and a wonderful way to get rich in the country is to find a job where you can collect bribes to do your job. Or simply steal from any bank accounts you may have in your control. The most obvious way to set yourself up, and then loot the people and the country, is to secure a government job. Gunning for a cabinet position or some other higher calling is the most lucrative plan, though finding a job in immigration or customs will also work out well.

And -- surprise, surprise -- you can also rip off people and the country by getting a job in religion, especially the fabulously lucrative industry of the hajj, where tremendous sums of money roll in and there's almost no accounting done by anybody.

Ripping off pilgrims. A sure way to wealth and power in Indonesia.

JAKARTA Every year, more than 200,000 Indonesian Muslims join the pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's most holy site. This mass movement of people, the biggest annual airlift in the world, is a sacred once-in-a-lifetime duty of all Muslims who are physically and financially able.

It is also a $575 million-a-year business for the Indonesian government, riddled with corruption.

Just how deep, and high, corruption has snaked into the administration of the annual hajj was a matter of gossip and speculation for the most part until the emergence of a tape-recorded conversation in late 2003 produced the kind of evidence that should have been hard to ignore.

Imam Budihardjo, the manager of a Jakarta travel agency, secretly captured Sayid Alwi Fahmi, the brother of the minister for religion then, appearing to ask for a kickback of 400 million rupiah, or $44,000 at current exchange rates, over the awarding of a catering contract for hajj pilgrims.

The request for money was unmistakably clear on the recording, now in the hands of anti-corruption advocates in Jakarta. The tape captures Fahmi at one point saying the money would pay "for the Ramadan bonus at the minister's house."

Budihardjo said in an interview: "Until that time, there was never any solid evidence of the corruption in the department of religion. It was like a ghost. You heard about it, but you didn't see it."

As for his reward as a whistle- blower, Budihardjo said he was blacklisted by the travel industry, and he now teaches Arab history and literature at a provincial university.

At the time, the police went through the motions of investigation, questioning Fahmi and his brother, Said Agil Husin al-Munawar, the religious affairs minister. No charges were filed, even though anti-corruption advocates had pressed the police and the government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri to take action.

International Herald Tribune Link

Cambodian-American is Miss Utah

Soben Huon

Rarely do I get the opportunity to post Cambodian cheesecake on this blog, so I'll take advantage with this image of the newly crowned Miss Utah, who will soon be participating in some silly American game show and competing in the Miss USA contest.

Miss Utah USA 2006 is Soben Huon, 22 years old, from Provo. She is the daughter of Matthew and Sambath Huon. Soben graduated with High Honors from Millikan High School ranking in the top fifteen percent in her class. Currently a senior at Brigham Young University, she is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations. Her goal is to attend Stanford Law and study International Law.

As a Cambodian Classical Ballet Principle Dancer, Soben has received several awards. She also plays the violin and is a self-taught piano player. She is Cambodian and speaks fluent Khmer, the official language of Cambodia. She is also learning Spanish and French.

Soben has accumulated over 1500 hours of community service in 2004-2006. Some of her charities and associations include the United Way, Red Cross, MAC AIDS Fundraiser, and Sub-for-Santa. She will spend a month in Cambodia and Thailand speaking against and raising awareness for Human Trafficking.

Soben will spend her year as Miss Utah USA advocating the importance of higher education in the twenty-first century. She will also continue to render service in the state of Utah and prepare to compete in Miss USA 2006 in April.

Soben Huan Link

Sihanoukville -- The Next Ko Phangan?

Angkor Beer

Can you believe the travel section of this week's New York Times? Two articles about Asia, when they typically only do about one article per month. This story provides a sharp contrast to another story they published a few months ago about Sihanoukville, where the author apparently spent his vacation at some five-star resort and perhaps took a quick drive around the district.

This week's story is almost the complete opposite, though a better comparison would have been Sihanoukville to Ko Phangan.

THE "largest and wildest" full-moon party, promised the yellow flier taped to a phone booth on Khaosan Road in Bangkok. Another installment of Thailand's girls-gone-wild bacchanal on the island of Ko Phangan? Or its bigger brother, Ko Samui? Or maybe it was the newcomer Ko Phi Phi, a remote island that is luring younger partygoers in the post-tsunami boom.

Not quite. This particular moonlight spectacle, in fact, wouldn't even be in Thailand, but across the border, in Cambodia's budding seaside town, Sihanoukville. It is "just nine-and-a-half hours from Bangkok," according to the flier, the work of Cambodian entrepreneurs hoping to turn Sihanoukville into the latest party hot spot.

Like bohemians colonizing a sketchy up-and-coming neighborhood, European and Australian backpackers have been blazing trails through Cambodia steadily since the mid-1990's. Although the last of the Khmer Rouge traded their machetes for plowshares only eight years ago, this nation of 13 million is fast becoming a companion destination to Thailand — that is, another seemingly safe haven of lush landscapes and warm embraces for Westerners.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the low-key but alluring beaches of Sihanoukville, where development is being modeled after Thailand's resorts. Along the touristy strip of sand known as Serendipity, several restaurants brazenly advertise "happy" pizza and "happy" pancakes, seasoned with a certain illicit herb. Nearby, Victory Hill is trying to become Cambodia's version of Soi Cowboy, one of Bangkok's more garish red-light districts.

New York Times Link

Still the Freaky Goa

Puri Sunrise by Carl Parkes

It's been a helluva long time since I visited Goa, but I've been hearing depressing stories for many years, that Goa had gone upscale and was now populated with group tourists who all stayed in five-star hotels. Good news this week from the travel section of the New York Times, which claims that hippie culture is alive and well in the former Portuguese colony. But only the Times could write a three-page article about Goa and never mentioned weed or mushrooms.

There ain't nothing like this in the real world. Come to Goa. Change your mind. Change your way. It's hard to imagine a better jingle for this sandy strip of India's western coast, a venerable Catholic-Hindu enclave where American hippies came to turn on, tune in and drop out in the late 1960's, and where globe-trotting spiritual seekers, party kids, flag-wavers of the counterculture and refugees from the real world have fled ever since.

It's a place where the palm trees bear a strange fruit —fliers for crystal therapy, Ayurvedic healing and rave parties — and every road seems to lead to an organic restaurant or massage clinic. At the yoga centers, postures are manipulated by top Indian and international instructors. In clubs, where trance music is the favored genre, D.J.'s carrying myriad passports provide the mix. Bodies receive needle-inked adornments at skin-art parlors; minds seek enlightenment, or at least expansion, at many meditation clinics.

New York Times Link

Don Gilliland at Dasa Books Bangkok

Bangkok Elephant by Don Gilliland

Bangkok may be one of the most marvelous cities in the world, and you can almost expect to see anything on the streets, but it's still a wonderful shock to find elephants roaming the sois and alleys looking for a spare banana or two. Don Gilliland at Dasa Books has some book reviews and observations on this amazing city.

I’ve never seen any bears in Bangkok, but some of the scruffier looking tourists walking the streets do bear a slight resemblance to something you might find in the zoo. Freaky farangs aside, an animal that you will often see on the streets and sidewalks (and in some bars) of Bangkok is the elephant. Yes, Dumbo’s relatives are right here in the heart of the concrete jungle. I spotted three of the magnificent creatures this past Wednesday night – and that’s not an unusual sighting whatsoever. Despite efforts to keep them out of the city, elephants – like other upcountry folks - continue coming to Bangkok in search of work and wealth.

While allowing them to roam the streets of the big city is continually debated (not safe or healthy for the animals, not safe for the Mercedes Benz drivers that might collide with them, etc.), there is no denying the fact that elephants are beloved in Thailand. Elephants are also considered by Thais to be very good luck, and those that qualify as “White” elephants are even more auspicious.

Bangkok Dazed Link

Thai Passportocide

Do Not Try This at Home

Have you ever been to an art opening here in San Francisco at the Art Institute? No? Ok, well I have, certainly dozens of times. And while the art is mostly lacking, the stupendous mural by Diego Rivera is always stunning, and the creative hair-styles and tatoo artwork engraved on students is worth a closer look.

The following story is about some kid, a former art student here in San Francisco, who went to Thailand and got broke and found a way to make a living making fake passports.

San Francisco Art Institute: Always a Career

He said he had gone to Southeast Asia to serve as a cameraman on a friend's documentary project about Burmese death practices. Since the United States doesn't have diplomatic ties with Burma, also known as Myanmar, the two went first to Thailand to get visas.

After several days, he learned that the U.S. Secret Service had asked a judge to deny him bail. They wanted to know more about the travelers checks -- and, according to Drake, where the money was going. Ireland was then transferred to the Pattaya Remand Prison, which he said was "hell." The facility was in a large, dusty coconut grove, 20 miles from the nearest town, with nothing around it but sand, coconut trees and a 23-foot wall topped with electrified razor wire.

Ireland was being charged with five counts: an attempt to cheat by pretending to be someone else; counterfeit and use of fraudulent travelers checks; counterfeit and use of fraudulent passport; receiving stolen property; and immigration violations for overstaying his visa.

"I no longer feel pity for the weak or sadness for loss. I no longer respect the compassion people so blindly spout, because I have seen what is real human nature when all this money and softness are gone," Ireland said.

Morning Sentinel Link

Playboy Indonesia

Playboy Indonesia

Playboy Indonesia finally went on sale and the first photographic spread does not feature Tiara Lestari, which is a pity, since she is the world's ambassador for great looking Indonesian women. Perhaps the next issue?

Indonesia Expat Costs

Bugil's Party You Missed

This is really bad. If you would like to teach English in Jakarta, you must figure in the following annual costs, as calculated by Jakartass. Something is rotten in the Kingdom of Java, and I really can't see how any independent soul could make a living in this country.

Document ...Issuer ... Process ... Rates in Rupiah

1. Mandatory report.. Population Office .. 2 days .. 200,000
2. RPTKA .. Manpower Ministry .. 7 days .. 150,000
3. TA-01 .. Manpower Ministry .. 3 days .. 75,000
4. Telex .. Immigration Office .. 7 days .. 300,000
+ US$100
5. Arrival card .. Immigration Office .. 1 day .. 100,000
6. Fingerprinting .. Immigration Office .. 1 day .. 100,000
7. POA* .. Police Headquarters .. 1 day .. 50,000
8. Blue book .. Immigration Office .. 3 days .. 200,000
9. KITAS .. Immigration Office .. 3 days .. 200,000
10. Reentry permit .. Immigration Office .. 1 day .. 100,000
11. DPKK* .. Manpower Ministry .. 1 day .. US$1,200
12. IMTA .. Immigration Office .. 3 weeks .. 150,000
13. SKPPS* .. Local population office .. 1 day .. 35,000
14. SKTT* .. Population Office .. 1 day .. 50,000
15. STM* .. Police Station .. 1 day .. 25,000
16. SKLD* Police Headquarters .. 1 day .. 75,000

Rp.1,810,000

+ US$ 1,300

* POA: Monitoring of foreigners
* SKPPS: Recommendation for temporary resident
* SKTT: Recommendation for expatriate resident
* STM: Letter of registration with local police station
* SKLD: Letter of registration with National Police Headquarters

Jakartass Link

Wired on Malaysian Record Mania

Wired

This months Wired magazine (normally obsessed with tech) has a Jack Boulware story about the Malaysian obsession with setting world records, both funny and somewhat disturbing at the same time. What is it with a country obsessed with worlds records?

From the dangerous (most days spent inside a box with 6,069 scorpions) to the inexplicable (most faces captured on a phonecam) and the outright banal (first independent tire-testing facility), not a week goes by without a record-setting event somewhere in Malaysia. The country might just be the world record holder in holding records.

The efforts are chronicled in the Malaysia Book of Records, a compendium of 2,005 of the country's bests, firsts, biggests, and longests. Many attempts are so outlandish - most time spent cooped up in a vehicle - that they're regularly slotted into the "wacky news" segments on newscasts around the world. To Western eyes, the country seems like a nation of attention-hungry circus freaks. But in Malaysia, the desire to build the largest tea bag or gather the most twins at a single location is a form of national pride.

The record frenzy began under the leadership of Mahathir bin Mohamad, the country's prime minister from 1981 to 2003. He was obsessed with making his country one of the great nations of the world, especially in the late '80s and early '90s, when neighbors Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan - other so-called Asian Tigers - grew to become more significant economic powers, giving Malaysia a serious inferiority complex.

Wired Link

The Next Prime Minister of Thailand?

After a meeting with the King, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has announced he will not serve in the next government (apparently the King "whispered in his ear"). Here are the three leading candidates to become the next PM, according to today's The Nation.

Speculation rife over who'll fill PM's post

Speculation about Thaksin Shinawatra's possible successor bubbled over following his televised vow yesterday that he would not seek the post of premier in the next government.

Three key members of his Thai Rak Thai Party have stood out as candidates to replace him and lead the new government during a transition dominated by political reform. They are party-list contenders Bhokin Bhalakula, Somkid Jatusripitak and Sudarat Keyuraphan.

***************************

Bhokin Bhalakula



Former Parliament President Bhokin is the top contender, ac-cording to a Thai Rak Thai source who said Thaksin's wife Pojaman had thrown her full support behind him. Bhokin is a constitutional expert. Bhokin took a prominent role as Thaksin's key legal adviser as the leadership crisis deepened. Bhokin has been examining all possible legal channels in the Constitution that could help Thai Rak Thai form the new government. He has advised Thaksin on how to handle political reform after the election and argued against all those who sought a "royally sponsored prime minister".

However, Bhokin is unpopular with the party's MPs and its leading executives, as he is seen as being interested only in legal issues. His critics worry that he will be an ineffective manager of the economy. Thaksin and Bhokin have been close since 1997 when they were in the administration of then Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

*****************************

Somkid Jatusripitak



Deputy PM and Commerce Minister Somkid is considered by many outsiders to be the best choice to succeed Thaksin. Business leaders have been quite vocal about their support for him, as they are worried about the fallout from political turmoil on economic growth. They believe Somkid is best suited to allaying their concerns. As a finance minister in the first term of the Thaksin government, Somkid succeeded in winning the confidence of business leaders and economists.

Thaksin has praised Somkid for his economic management. Som-kid is the author of the Thai Rak Thai's economic platform and the populist policies that have helped it win elections.

Throughout five years in power, however, Somkid has demonstrated strong leadership, a trait needed at a critical time when Thaksin and his party face pressure from all sides. Key party members are said to doubt that Somkid will be able to protect Thaksin from those seeking to scrutinise allegations involving the controversial sale of Shin Corp. Thaksin appears to trust Bhokin more than Somkid as the former is more responsive to Thaksin's instructions. Somkid has had "breaks" with Thaksin and has been accused of "disobedience", party sources say.

*****************************

Sudarat Keyuraphan



Sudarat, however, is seen as having the least chance of the three.

The close aide of Thaksin is considered a last-resort to be selected only if the others refused to take the "temporary top job". Her appeal has plunged as the party's Bangkok's candidates fell short of the "no vote" ticks in nearly 30 of 36 constituencies.

Although party executives will name his successor, Thaksin will have the final say.

The Link

Space Myth Refuted

Great Wall Waterslide

Another space myth shot to hell, this time by reliable sources: Chinese astronauts.

BEIJING, April 4 -- You can't see the Great Wall of China from space, Chinese astronaut Fei Junlong told students in Shanghai Monday, perhaps finally killing a myth that has existed for decades.

Fei and his companion Nie Haisheng, who were aboard Shenzhou VI during China's second manned space mission last October, attended the opening ceremony of a space exhibition at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Monday.

The didn't talk to the press, but did meet with primary and middle school students to answer some of their questions.

"We couldn't see the Great Wall from space," Fei said, noting that from space there is little difference between the Great Wall and its surroundings.

The Great Wall has long been noted as the only man-made object to be visible from space, despite several American astronauts denying the claim.

Xinhua Link

Shenzhen Photoshopped

Shenzhen Original Photo



Shenzhen Photoshopped

Shenzhen is that huge, booming, industrial city just north of Hong Kong's New Territories, which has been going through massive urban renewal for over two decades. As with Shanghai and Beijing, the pace of destruction of the old, and erection of the new, is breathtaking, as entire neighborhoods are destroyed without hesitation, to be replaced by some of the most futuristic skyscrapers in the world.

Last year, a neighborhood of aging highrises (at least by Chinese standards) was dynamited into oblivion, and obviously photographed by legions of snappers. The photographer who captured the first photo above did a photoshop manipulation to create the lower photo, then entered into a photo contest.........and won.

Several buildings are demolished in Shenzhen in this file photo which won a top prize in this year's China International Press Photo Contest in 2005. The photo is suspected to be a fabricated one. The photographer admitted that the photo is a combination of two, but said he had disclosed it to the organizers and quoted some old photo textbooks as saying that combination of photos taken at the same period is acceptable, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.

China Daily Link

Penang Transport Nightmare by Jeff Ooi

Kampung Boy

Jeff Ooi, Malaysia' most prolific and popular blogger, recently headed north to Penang to participate in the obligatory Chinese ritual known as Ching Ming, where family members gather in graveyards to burn joss, gossip, and drink a tad of scotch. Jeff had no idea that Penang had just completely revised their horrendous transportation system (buses) and that he had entered the gates of hell, not to mention the shocking condition of an island in collapse.

Why has Penang been going downhill for the last 20 years? It's a Chinese dominated island with an alternative press, angry opposition parties, and a population which rarely votes for the ruling party. So the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur long ago decided the punish the island with little in the way of public rehabilitation projects and improved infrastructure. This disgraceful fact is known by every Malaysian, but for those of you who aren't up to Malaysian background, I just thought I'd fill you in.

Jeff usually covers politics, the media, and his ongoing computer problems -- and he's the best there is in the country -- so go to his blog homepage and bookmark it for future reference.

I really wish he would write more posts like this, and lighten up on the computer jargon, which often flies way over my head.

My nightmare started on reaching the Sungai Nibong bus depo, which is located near the Pesta Pulau Pinang site. The bona fide taxi charges a flat rate of RM23 to get me to the ferry terminal at Weld Quay. No way, that would be about 50% of the bus fare to get me from KL to Penang!

It was around 7.50pm. Feeling still early, I walked up to the mainroad to trying wave down a kereta prebet sapu. No later than 10 minutes, a stagecoach which faintly displayed the colour scheme of good-old Yellow Bus pulled over in front of me. It's now rebranded Milan Travels.

I yelled out: "Jetty?" 'Masuk!" the driver, a young Indian chap, replied and demanded RM1.60 from me as I boarded. His 'conductor', also a young Indian chap, just smiled coyly and collected my fare.

The bus was a ramshackle and has seen better days. Its inside was dusty, hasn't been bathed inside out for years. The temperature in the coach was apparently warmed by the leaking heat insulant and the aircon compressor noise. I could feel it was as uncomfortably warm as a whorehouse at the Mexican border.

The bus took us many residential areas, trespassing the ramshackle ghettos that made up Jalan Jelutong, Perak Road and finally around Pranging Road where Komtar stood like a sore dick. The familiar Shangri-:La Hotel seemed like a maiden stripped of her virtue as it now looked more a traders' hotel.

In short 20 minutes, I was given a tour of the city slumps in Penang, punctuated with dilapidated pre-WWII buildings and abandoned remains of collapsed multi-storeys.

Penang has no plan for urban redevelopment. It looked like a terminally sick patient now entering the hospice.

It was 8.25pm. Many passengers alighted at Komtar. We, those left to proceed to the Jetty, were suddenly herded back to the back portion of the bus by a second bus conductor, this time another Indian chap who looked like a rowdy youth I often saw during the Thaipusam parade in Kebun Bunga. We were finally asked to get down from the bus and to follow him to the next bus behind, his hands waving high several ringgit notes.

The second conductor 'negotiated' for us to board the second bus. But the driver of the second bus refused to let us in. He was going back to Bukit Jambil and Bayan Baru. When he smilingly endured the #@&* from second conductor of the first bus, we had to quickly to follow his trails as he made his way amidst the restless crowds back to the first bus.

Now, the first bus has decided to abort the unfulfilled trip to the Jetty as its driver, too, had wanted to turn around to Bukit Jambul and Bayan Baru.

All abruptly, the first conductor started to distribute one ringgit to the 10 of us who were supposed to continue our journey to the jetty. A young Malay chap, who looked like a college student, ended the two of us having to share an old 2-ringgit note, whose circulation is being stopped. I gave him a buck to take over that tattered 2-ringgit note, with enough time learn from him how chaotic these Indian-chap busmen had been running the show in Penang's transport system.

Economics at work. These guys were willing to forgo 10 ringgit in return for many more coming from the busload of new passengers to Bukit Jambul and Bayan Baru!

I tried to find a connecting bus to the jetty, having to jostle my way to the bus door steps with the elderlies, Chinese, Malays, Indians, the South Indian Muslim converts... all my compatriots who were put at the absolute mercy of these bus thugs. (My vocabulary had momentarily changed to describe my moods).

I gave way to an old nyonya, who at first gave way to me at the bus door-step, who was defeated by the drover that the bus wasn't going to USM, the vicinity of the university I once studied in.

I looked around me, the Komtar lanes who was turned into an unsanctioned bus-stop, was full of people of my Joe Public type, and most of them were with the elderlies, Chinese, Malays, Indians, the South Indian Muslim converts. There weren't many youngsters waiting for the bus, if they were, they were looking more like college students than wage earners.

I saw the futile prospects of getting a connecting bus to the Jetty, and decided to walk up to Penang Road nearby, to perhaps catch a kereta sapu in the worse case scenario. I did that after taking the registration plate of the first bus which picked me up from Sungai Nibong and agreed to take me to the Jetty at RM1.60 but bumped me off midway with a 1-ringgit refund.

Jeff Ooi Link

Ogoh Ogoh in Bali

Demons on Bikes



Balinese Disneyland



In Search of Dental Work

I've been to dozens and dozens of festivals in Bali, but have never been fortunate enough to experience something called Ogoh Ogoh, a rather bizarre parade associated with the "silent" day of Nyepi. Sort of like the Carnival parades that provide a wild contrast to the seriously religious period of Lent. Bali Discovery provides some photos of the event today in their newsletter, which is a free weekly missive and a worthwhile addition to your growing newsletter subscriptions.

Police officials estimated that some 2,600 giant Ogoh-ogoh stalked the streets across the entire island of Bali on March 29. 2006, marking the festive commemoration of pangerupukan (ngerupuk) - the lively celebrations that precedes the day of absolute Silence of "Nyepi" that commences with sunrise the following morning.

Determined not to miss the fun, Bali Update's editor, John M. Daniels, headed to the community of Benoa, surrounding Nusa Dua, to enjoy the parade of Papier Mâchè effigies that went on for hours.

Seeking to win honors as the best presentation as judged by a blue-ribbon panel, each Ogoh-ogoh presentation before the jury was preceded with a banner containing wishes for a happy Balinese New Year that announced the traditional belaganjur orchestra. The musicians accompanied a village dance troupe presenting a piece of original choreography, followed finally by the giant (Ogoh-ogoh) carried on the shoulders of tens of village youths that presented a scene or character from Balinese mythology.

As shown on balidiscovery.com, some evening snapshots of the Ogoh-ogoh celebrations in Benoa together with several day-time shots of more contemporary Ogoh-ogoh themes kindly provided by professional photographer Didi Lotze of [ www.roundshot360.de]

Bali Discovery Link

Odds on the Singapore Casinos

Marina Bay Casino

Oddsmakers and newspaper columnists are almost indistinguishable in the town of Las Vegas, and so Jeff Simpson at the Las Vegas Sun calls the odds on which casino empire will win the bids for Marina Bay in Singapore.

Although Singapore likely won't match the size of Macau's casino market, the pair of sites offered by Singapore may end up being two of the most lucrative in the world.

Limited competition and the scope of the projects being pitched to win the bids - and justify the huge land costs for Singapore's downtown Marina Bay and Sentosa island sites - should ensure healthy returns despite the big dollars winners will need to invest.

In December, I predicted MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment were the two likeliest winners of the Marina Bay site. Now that four companies have submitted bids - all believed to cost at least $3 billion - to the Singapore government, here are my updated odds:

3 to 2 - MGM Mirage. The world's biggest operator of luxury resorts, MGM Mirage and its Singapore partner CapitaLand seem the safest bet for a resort that accomplishes Singapore's goals for the casino development. The company promises a Cirque du Soleil show, Chief Executive Terry Lanni is widely respected in Asia and the company compares favorably to its competing bidders. The company is believed to have the deepest executive staff in the business, a factor that should weigh heavily in MGM Mirage's favor.

3 to 1 - Harrah's. The world's largest casino operator, Harrah's is quickly trying to establish its brands internationally, and wants to build a Caesars in Singapore. Harrah's is partnering with Singapore's Keppel Land, but has less experience operating billion-dollar-plus megaresorts than does MGM Mirage. Its bid includes iPort, a new-wave entertainment center that will capitalize on many creations of Oscar-winning director James Cameron. Las Vegas executives I talk to are split on iPort. Some say it's too early to say whether the high-tech, rapidly changing concept would fit in as part of a casino complex, while most others scratch their heads. Harrah's international inexperience may hurt its bid; I see Harrah's getting edged out by MGM.

8 to 1 - Las Vegas Sands. The owner of the Venetian and Sands Macau, Las Vegas Sands wants to build a convention-oriented project, but I think Singapore officials won't want to pick a company so focused on big Macau and Las Vegas Strip expansion. The company's lawsuit-happy history and sorry Nevada regulatory record won't help, including Venetian's $1 million payment in 2004 to cover a fine and regulatory costs after casino bosses rigged a 2002 contest to make sure a losing gambler won a Mercedes-Benz, along with a laundry list of other serious violations. Nevada gaming regulators said in 2004 that the Venetian transgressions were significant. "The reason the complaint is so serious is that it concerns activity that could erode the public's confidence in gaming," Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander told me at the time.

10 to 1 - Genting International. The frontrunner for the Sentosa island site, I think Genting's convention and hotel-centered proposal is the biggest long shot. If MGM gets the Marina Bay site, I'd make Harrah's a co-favorite with Genting to win the Sentosa site.

Las Vegas Sun Link

Stickman on Bangkok Writers

Jake Needham Novel

This week's Stickman columns starts with a somewhat long-winded dissertation about a waitress he met in some go-go bar that has him convinced that "she is different." Stickman has been married to a Thai lady for many years, and constantly claims to be bored with the bar scene in Bangkok, so I was surprised at the subject matter -- not to mention that I really doubt the young lady was "different."

A superior part of his weekly post was a detailed story about a writers conflict with Asia Books, the largest distributor of books in Thailand and the 500-pound gorilla ever writer must grapple with, unless you want to fall back to the second place struggler, Bookazine. He also plugs an upcoming event at Dasa Books on Sukhumvit.

Jake Needham's new novel, "The Ambassador's Wife", has just been published together with new mass-market paperback editions of "Laundry Man" and "Killing Plato". They join Jake's hugely popular first novel, "The Big Mango", and bring to over 65,000 the total number of Jake's Thai-set crime novels in international circulation in English. Another 21,000 copies are in print in three other languages.

"The Ambassador's Wife" will be released in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei on April 2. It will subsequently appear in Hong Kong, Japan, China, and the Philippines in May, but it is uncertain when, or even if, it will be available in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia. I asked Jake how in the world that could possibly be.

"Asia Books is the only general book distributor in Thailand," he told me. "After their runaway success with "The Big Mango", which they published and sold over 20,000 copies of, they insisted I had to give them worldwide publishing rights to my future books. When I would not agree to do that - principally because Asia Books only sells books in Southeast Asia and that would have effectively prevented my books from circulating internationally, Asia Books refused to publish my books any longer.

As a result, I moved to a more significant regional publisher in Hong Kong and ever since, in retaliation, Asia Books has tried to prevent the sale of my books in Thailand, other than of course the two published by them over five years ago." "It's not just a matter of my books being available in Asia Books stores," Jake added. "Since Asia Books is the sole general book distributor in Thailand, they effectively determine what other book dealers here can sell as well.

Bookazine is really the only local retail chain that is large enough to go around them and order books directly from publishers, so Bookazine is now the only source in Thailand for the new mass-market editions of "Laundry Man" and "Killing Plato". Bookazine will eventually offer "The Ambassador's Wife" as well, but since that is a new book in a hardcover sized edition, it doesn't suit their market as well as do the mass-market paperback editions of my earlier books."

"The Ambassador's Wife" is a tale of a killer stalking, sexually abusing, and murdering prominent women in the American diplomatic community. The book is set in Singapore, Bangkok, and Pattaya, and in it Jake introduces a new character, Inspector Samuel Tay of Singapore CID. I have a copy of "The Ambassador's Wife", and will be posting a review in my books section in a few weeks. As a last resort, I am reliably informed that Jake's publisher offered to give Asia Books 1000 copies of his new mass-market paperbacks at no charge if they would stop this ridiculous nonsense and put my books into general distribution in Thailand. 1,000 books absolutely free, gratis, for nothing. You know what happened? Asia Books never even replied.

***********************************

Author Andrew Hicks is to appear at Dasa Book Cafe, which can be found on the even soi numbered side of Sukhumvit, just a bit east of the Emporium and Soi 26. To inaugurate their "Meet the Author" series, Dasa Book Cafe will host Andrew Hicks, author of the novel Thai Girl, on Sunday, April 9. Starting at 1:00 PM, Khun Hicks will be on hand to chat with customers about his book and life in Thailand. He will also be happy to sign copies of his book.

****************************

Paiboon Publishing is pleased to announce a new title. "Thai for Travelers," by Benjawan Poomsan. Thai for Travelers is touted as a handy travel companion in the Land of Smiles and it contains hundreds of useful words and phrases for travelers in many situations. The phrases are practical and up-to-date and can be used instantly. The 70-minute CD that accompanies the booklet will help you improve your pronunciation and expedite your Thai language learning. Paiboon Publishing has published many very good, reasonably priced texts to help you learn Thai. I have little doubt that this will be no different and it is a bargain, the book and the CD cost just $15.00!

Stickman Bangkok Link

Anti-Thaksin Protest by Sex Workers

Sex Workers in Bangkok

I've been closely following the growing anti-Thaksin movement over the last few months, and it looks like today's election my result by Wednesday in some sort of resolution.

Or not.

I've also seen dozens of photos of the almost daily protests, including the impressive march that closed down Siam Paragon for a day, and another down Silom which must have screwed up the action at Patpong for a few hours.

But my favorite photo was taken about two weeks ago by the Asia correspondent for The Times. Classic.

Ladies of the night against Thaksin

I encountered this group of ladies among the anti-Thaksin protesters along Ratchadamnoen Avenue, a few hundred yards from Government House in Bangkok.

They are standing in front of their painted cardboard box, one of dozens painted by demonstrators from various organisations. As it makes clear they are members of the Thailand Sex Workers' Network.

They were distributing a statement apologising to their fellow Thais for the support which they had formerly given to Thaksin. Since his election in 2001, there has been a clamp down on Thailand's world famous bars, clubs and massage parlours. The Network also objects to the unannounced on-the-spot urine tests which the police are now empowered to make in their "war" against drugs .

"We are just victims, and this leader despises us, and tramples on our dignity, regarding us as stupid buffalo," the statement reads.

"We sell our bodies, we don't sell our shares," it continues (a reference to Thaksin's sale of his Shin Corporation to the Singapore government for £1.14 billion). "We sell out bodies, we don't sell our country."

Tokyo Weblog Link

Thaksin Surrenders

Thaksin Capitulates

Not sure if this one is true, but if so, it's great news for Thailand, which has been racked with protests over the last few months. I found this one at the always dependable and honest NanaPlaza.........

I just heard this on CNBC: Thaksin has sold Thailand to a Saudi Arabian Prince for an undisclosed sum of Baht. This Prince turned around and sold Thailand to Manchester United for a first rounder. The soccer club acknowledged to CNBC, last night, that it will rebrand the name of the country and change it from " Thailand " to " WankerLand. " The Club felt that this new name would more reflect the true nature of the country and promote a better, healthier lifestyle for the players and it's fans.

Thaksin has been offered a post within the club, although, the Club did not elaborate when pressed for further details. It's speculated that he will be trying to market a unique brand of "Thaksin only" bottle of snake oil. An item the club has had in marketing for years. They now have the right man to market it.
Thaksin was interviewed by Asia, CNBC, about the sale and his new role as a Manchester United employee. But he had no comment and would only smile to the reporters and cameras.

NanaPlaza Link

Humor? From Gadling?

Japanese Fans by Carl Parkes

The good folks at Gadling have gone all out today, with some half-dozen hilarious posts in honor of April Fools Day. I sense from these posts, that the fabulously paid Gadling authors are mostly frustrated humor writers, who would rather be working the opening monologue for Conan O'Brien, than ragging on about esoteric travel trivia. Fine work, and too bad this sort of opportunity only comes up once a year.

Fans of our America’s 43rd president will finally have something to rejoice about later this month when the new Bushland presidential theme park opens. Built atop the breeding grounds of the endangered Texas blind salamander, Bushland embraces the life and accomplishments of George W.

This wonderful family getaway has something for all ages; the Michael Moore Harpoon Toss, the Cheney Shooting Range, the Deficit Roller Coaster (which only goes up), and the Karl Rove Spinner (the opening of the Karl Rove Steamboat Cruise has been postponed until problematic leaks are fixed).

Gadling: Bushland to Open

From the same people who have brought you volumes about single topic esoterica, comes the newest, perhaps most important book: Foot Odor: The Complete History.

Author Mark Farklansky, whose books about Flour and Glue revealed the untold stories of these common products, has really outdone himself here with a mesmerizing account of where foot odor came from and its impact on world history.

Gadling: Foot Odor, A History

Pangaea is one of the more difficult places to reach on this planet, but also one of the most rewarding. I was therefore pleased to discover that Old World Travels has just announced a two-week tour of this fascinating region which leaves later this month. An April trip is perfect timing because springtime in Pangaea is indeed wonderful. Plants and animals are slowly blossoming to life and every day seems so very fresh and new. I’ve never been myself, but this is indeed the Old Country from where my ancestors, in one form or another, originally heralded.

Gadling: Springtime in Pangaea

Here's an odd one: The Nepalese government wants to make it easier, much easier, for people to climb towering Mount Everest. Turns out they are planning to build a working, electric escalator that will carry people from base camp to the summit in less than an hour. The engineering effort is being put in the hands of the Japanese, in a serious political snub to the Chinese who had also bid on the project. The proposed escalator will be approximately fifteen miles long and will rise and fall with the jagged gradations of the mountain. It will move approximately five miles an hour and will offer superb views of the surrounding Himalayas. There will be rest stops, as well, built into the structure, that will allow riders to stop for tea or snacks. For children who grow easily bored by gaping mountain vistas, they are planning to offer portable DVD players and a wide selection of films.

Gadling: Nepalese Plan Everescalator

Mark Burnett Productions has just announced a new travel themed reality show to be carried by FOX next season. The concept, tentatively titled Long Pigs, combines the successful themes of two other hit reality shows; Survivor and The Surreal Life. Long Pigs stars a cast of B-level celebrities who have to share a yurt in the barren Gobi desert with a tribe of Korowai cannibals from southeastern Papua for 40 days.

The cast will have to rely on finely honed outdoor skills to survive as the only food provided are salt and pepper, a barrel of wine reduction basting sauce, and a three day’s supply of Fig Newtons (the show is sponsored by the cookie company

Gadling: New Mark Burnett Reality Show

If you enjoy the outdoors and getting back to nature, you’re going to be downright feral over one of the hottest new trends in adventure travel. Forget expensive Gortex and metal ice axes, we’re talking pre-bronze age here. Yes, everyone is abuzz about the new hunter-gatherer parks that are sprouting up around the country, as well as in other parts of the world.

Gadling: Hunter-Gatherer Parks

Bad News from Singapore Bloggers

Bugis Trannies

Some very disturbing and disappointing news coming from a pair of important Singapore bloggers today. Caleb, at A Gonzo Journal, is facing such expensive server costs that he will start charging monthly fees starting tomorrow, while IZ Reloaded will be shutting down his blog due to harassment from "asshats," NASA, and the Singapore government.

But then it's April 1st and I know this strange holiday is worshipped without reason in Singapore.

Due to the massive increase in traffic to my blog, the Cowboy Bar and the liquidblade server because of all the blogs we host - the costs have risen to the point where itÂ’s starting to look obscene. So some radical changes are in order.

First of all, I am going to make my blog available exclusively to folk willing pay a USD9.90 monthly subscription fee. This includes my RSS feeds. The only free content from tomorrow onwards will be posts that are 2 weeks old.

Secondly, the Cowboy Bar will change its membership policy. Anybody who wants to be a member can be one - as long as they pay a USD15.00 monthly subscription membership fee. If a member behaves like an asshat and gets kicked out, he/she can rejoin but will have to pay a USD50.00 processing fee.

Thirdly, all blogs hosted on Liquidblade.com will now be charged a bi-annually fee of USD4.95 to help us offset the cost of server maintenance, hosting and smurf labour.

Lastly, I am now willing to advertise on my blog, on the Cowboy Bar and on all blogs hosted on Liquidblade.com. The forms of advertisement include pop-up ads, banners, buttons, interstatial flash commercials and adver-torials. For a pricing card, please contact Mandrake.

Cowboy Caleb Link

And from IZ Reloaded, who really needs to find some more attractive photos of himself and his lovely wife:

First, it was those four major assholes for fucking up this blog and attacking my friends and those that are dear to me. Then, NASA and gang got their big shot lawyers to sue me because I had illegally used the images of their webcast for my Live Total Solar Eclipse post. And earlier today, I received an email from someone from the Singapore government. They wanted me to shut down my blog because I made fun of other people's religion and posted links to a banned cartoon show.

So I have decided that I had enough and this will be my last post. This blog will no longer be available for viewing by Monday (latest). I'm sorry. As for my photoblog, it will still be online and I will update it with new photos as and when I can.

IZ Reloaded Link