Mug Shots of White House Criminals

Have Bush, Cheney, Condi and Rumsfeld finally been arrested for their crimes against humanity? Don't get your hopes up, although we may all consider this a fine move. The above portraits were created by a pair of artists who share the political sentiments of an increasing percentage of the American public, and are obviously shared by most of the further world. One can only hope.

My Foxy NY Video Clip

Tara Reid Does the Hookers Ball....in Darwin

Remember when Tara Reid seemed to be an up and coming Hollywood starlet, especially after staring in a series of American Pie films? She hung out with Paris Hilton, another incredibly talented icon, before her star started to fade and an atrocious boob job made her nothing more than a laughing point. Then her drinking and partying spun out of control, and she was reduced to doing TV advertisements in Australia, where she still enjoyed a brief moment of fame.

And now this. A Hookers Ball in Darwin, of all places. You'd think at least the promoters of this event might have spelled American correctly.

Actress Tara Reid — once one of Hollywood's most popular leading ladies — is hosting a 'Hookers Ball' in Darwin this weekend. The American Pie starlet's role in the 21st staging of Darwin's self-styled naughtiest night will include competing in the wet t-shirt contest, and a manager at the Discovery nightclub says Reid may be dressed up in lingerie or even as a prostitute.

"It's a night like your 'pimps and prostitutes' or sleaze balls, and it's just a night of less is best," hospitality manager Guy Dunne said. "We thought Tara Reid would be a great choice … it’s a very naughty night and an opportunity to put your inhibitions down."

Aside from her films — the next most popular of which was the forgettable Van Wilder: Party Liaison with Ryan Reynolds — Reid is perhaps most famous for having breast implant surgery in 2005 which went terribly wrong. She later had to have the procedure reversed because of 'lopsidedness' and 'sagging skin'. Reid is also famous for a wardrobe malfunction in which her left breast popped out of her dress at Puff Daddy's 35th birthday party in New York back in 2004.

A flyer for the event says partygoers should expect "bondage beds, fantasy, latex, porn stars, erotic dancers, and a R rated very raunchy event" and a photo of a scantily-clad Reid sits below the promo blurb.

Mr Dunne says it was a big coup for the club and Darwin to have Reid host the event, saying they usually get passed over by "big-name stars". "It's something our promotions team worked very hard for and we just managed to secure her in the last week," Mr Dunne said.

Ninemsn Link

Jakarta Tower

It remains to be seen whether this will become among the tallest towers in the world, or yet another architectural folly which never sees the light of day. After years of delay, construction is still limited to the base and no one seems to know if this privately funded structure will ever be built, but it may someday overshadow the Monas Monument, aka Sukarno's Last Erection.

The Jakarta Tower (Menara Jakarta) is a tower that is currently being constructed in Jakarta, Indonesia. Once completed, it will stand up 558 m (1,831 ft.) tall up to the antenna, thus will be among the tallest freestanding structures in the world. The tower is expected to be completed in 2010 or 2011. It is located in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

The Suharto regime intended Jakarta Tower to be the tallest structure in the world. International architecture design firms were invited to propose designs for the structure. The design itself should represent Trilogi Pembangunan (government's national development philosophy), Pancasila (the national philosophy, which consist of five factors), and August 17 (Indonesia's independence day). The winning design was created by Murphi/Iohn from the United States. However, since the design was too costly to develop, the government opted the runner-up design by East China Architecture Design & Research Institute (ECADI), who created Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower in China.

When Asian economic crisis occurred in 1997, Indonesian property industry was disturbed severely that many construction projects were halted, including Jakarta Tower. As soon as the Indonesian property industry recovered, Jakarta Tower construction was resumed in 2003 under Bethany Church management. The 'new' tower reflect its new management, it is expected to be a 'Christian Center' and a commerce, multimedia, and broadcasting center. It will also host a mall, hotel, education offices and an observatory deck. The height of the building is 558 m, some 5 m taller than the CN Tower. However, after the completion of the more recently planned Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower (in Guangzhou, China) that is to be 610 m (2,001 ft.) tall, the Jakarta TV Tower will be the second tallest. In the time of completion 2010 or 2011 may be also superseded by Burj Dubai, Russia Tower and Chicago Spire.

Wikipedia Jakarta TV Tower

North Korea Execution

North Korea executes some dude who was making international calls from his phone collection down in the basement? WTF? What's next, executing people for using Skype?

A North Korean factory boss accused of making international phone calls was executed by a firing squad in front of 150,000 people, it emerged today.

The manager was gunned down in a sports stadium in South Pyongan province after authorities claimed he'd installed 13 in a basement to reach the outside world, the Good Friends aid agency revealed.

And six people were also crushed to death and 34 others injured in an apparent stampede as they left after the execution, it was claimed.

The factory chief's death last month came as executions in the communist dictatorship began increasing after a seven-year decline in the number of people publicly killed.

Daily Mail Link

Joe Cummings and the Tonic Rays

Is he a travel writer? Or a rock impresario? A bit of both, really. Joe hangs in Chiang Mai and plays with his band, the Tonic Rays, twice weekly in town and once weekly up in lovely Pai, and he's coming to Bangkok in January to kick off the new album (album?) by the garage band which to me sounds like a rougher version of It's a Beautiful Day. The January gig is being held at the Roadhouse on Rama IV near Suriwong, so it's just a short stroll from Patpong. No cover. Bring it on, Joe.

The Tonic Rays Website

The Tonic Rays at MySpace (with music and video)

The King Never Smiles: An Interview with Paul Handley

An interview with Paul Handley, author of The King Never Smiles, was posted in New Mandala in September, but I missed it since I'm a recent reader/subscriber to this excellent blog. Paul goes over his background, his long and convoluted research for the book, then answers some of his critics, especially in the link that leads to his rebuttals. It's an excellent and important post for all folks interested in the book and the King of Thailand.

You know, I have been asked by all types of people, from a very canny top Thai diplomat to academics who one would think would know better, “Why did you write the book?” The answer is, in truth, why hasn’t someone done this before me? Here you have the world’s longest-serving living head of state, a king more adored by his people than any other, a monarchy styled on what I call a Buddhist theocracy, and so on. And no one has ever sat down and written about the secret of his success, his philosophy, his approach to the job, his family (as dysfunctional as any royalty), his contribution to the world, his kingship as one in the rarefied world of sovereign monarchs. A popular and respected king for six decades. What is a more obvious subject that that? I admit I have never been enamoured by monarchy, but there was no agenda, and I altered my view of King Bhumibol several times during the process of researching the book.

As for the reaction, there has been little that I did not expect. The only surprise was the confluence of events – the book finally being completed and ready for publishing at the same time Thaksin was being pushed from power by the yellow-shirted masses, all on the 60th anniversary of Bhumibol’s reign.

New Mandala Interview with Paul Handley

Time Article on the Hindraf Protests

Time magazine covers the recent Hindu protests against government discrimination held at Batu Caves and in Kuala Lumpur near the Petronas Towers.

Soon, however, the protest took a darker turn. A day earlier the government had detained three protest leaders, obtained a court order banning the rally and repeatedly warned that any participants would be arrested. Using tear gas and water cannons, about 5,000 armed riot police pushed back the protestors; over 190 people were arrested and dozens injured in the melee. "We only want to urge the Queen to help us win a case we have filed against the British government in London. But the police are treating us like animals," said lorry driver Ramakrishan Subramaniam, 41, who like many others had journeyed overnight from the countryside to register his protest. "I have a 10-month-old baby and worry what kind of a future she has in this country."

It's a worry many ethnic Indians share. Making up some 8% of Malaysia's population (Malays make up about 60 percent, ethnic Chinese about 25 percent), Indians are historically underprivileged compared to other ethnic groups and have long felt discriminated against, particularly by a Malays-first affirmative action policy instituted after independence in 1957. "Our community is backward, our schools are dilapidated. We are the last in the line for jobs, scholarships, health benefits," says opposition lawmaker Kulasegaran Murugesan, an ethnic Tamil. Hindraf, modeled after right-wing Hindu nationalist groups in India, is winning support by demanding an increased share of Malaysia's wealth. "For over a decade we have been appealing to the government for help to alleviate our poverty but all our appeals had fell on deaf ears," says Uthayakumar Ponnusamy, Hindraf's legal adviser. "The British brought us here, exploited us for 150 years and left us to the mercy of a Malay Muslim government. They should compensate us now."

Time Link

Mao Statue in Shanghai Amusement Park

This is just too funny. Free Mao! Be sure to visit the link for another photo of the Chinglish sign at the amusement park.

During that whole Cultural revolution / “Isn’t being Communist the best!” phase that China went through in the olden times, I bet they had statues of Mao everywhere. I’ll bet it was a statue-fest, a totem carnival, an icon-if-u-likem, a Mao-a-rama.

These days though, no-one cares much for plaster busts of slightly dubious historical figures, so what do you do with the left-over statues?

Meh- just stick a sheet over it, and use it in an Amusement Park’s Ghosthouse.

Unsurpisingly, JinJiang Park is a rich vein of badly translated English- it doesn’t bother me, and the meaning is pretty much clear what they need, but if Disney opens a theme park ....

I Spy Shanghai Link

Michael Totten in Fallujah

My favorite reporter in Iraq, Michael Totten, is now in Fallujah and reports back with incisive insight into the present day situation in the notorious city, with a survey of photos taken from his passing Humvee. If you want to know what's going on in this city, warts and all, read his report.

New orange dumpsters have been set up every couple of blocks on the streets. The trash is picked up once a week by a Fallujah garbage collection company. Iraqis aren't used to dumpsters, and they have to be told what they're for. Some willingly dispose of their trash inside. Others, out of sheer habit and carelessness, still hurl their refuse onto sidewalks and into gutters and empty lots.

There is no getting around it: this place is ugly, and not only because of the garbage. The streets are dusty as well as filthy. There aren't many trees. The architecture is brutal. Almost every house crouches behind a wall. The Marines have blocked off a huge number of streets with barbed wire and Jersey barriers. There are no nice restaurants and only a handful of the most basic stores. I've only seen one tea shop so far, and there is only one bar in the entire city, somewhere out there next to an empty building with no sign telling citizens what is inside. 99 percent of the people you see outside are men. Fallujah looks like a stern Islamic garrison city.

Michael J. Totten Reports from Fallujah

The Tree Man of Java

Good news for the so-called "Tree Man" of Java, who has been afflicted with a rare skin disease since his teenage years in his fishing village on the south coast of Java. An American dermatologist has determined that his immune system is not working properly to fight the condition, but it can be fought with medical treatment, bringing the possibility that Dede may someday resume a fairly normal lifestyle and take care of his kids.

Three short videos included with the article below, showing Dede as a compassionate and patient man who wants to get back to work and support his family.

An Indonesian fisherman who feared that he would be killed by tree-like growths covering his body has been given hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

Dede, now 35, baffled medical experts when warty "roots" began growing out of his arms and feet after he cut his knee in a teenage accident. The welts spread across his body unchecked and soon he was left unable to carry out everyday household tasks.

Sacked from his job and deserted by his wife, Dede has been raising his two children - now in their late teens - in poverty, resigned to the fact that local doctors had no cure for his condition.

To make ends meet he even joined a local "freak show", parading in front of a paying audience alongside victims of other peculiar diseases. Although supported by his extended family, he was often a target of abuse and ridicule in his rural fishing village.

But now an American dermatology expert who flew out to Dede's home village south of the capital Jakarta claims to have identified his condition, and proposed a treatment that could transform his life.

After testing samples of the lesions and Dede's blood, Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland concluded that his affliction is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a fairly common infection that usually causes small warts to develop on sufferers.

Dede's problem is that he has a rare genetic fault that impedes his immune system, meaning his body is unable to contain the warts. The virus was therefore able to "hijack the cellular machinery of his skin cells", ordering them to produce massive amounts of the substance that caused the tree-like growths known as "cutaneous horns" on his hands and feet.

Dede's counts of a key type of white blood cell are so low that Dr Gaspari initially suspected he may have the Aids virus. But tests showed he did not, and it became clear that Dede's immune condition was something far rarer and more mysterious.

Warts aside, he had enjoyed remarkable good health throughout his life - which would not be expected of someone with a suppressed immune system - and neither his parents nor his siblings have shown signs of developing lesions

Telegraph UK Link

National Stereotypes

Chris at Nomad4ever has gone to a great deal of work to round up descriptions of national stereotypes found on the web, coming up with a grand total of 56 nations. Funny and disturbing and sometimes painfully truthful, I'll list a few national stereotypes from SE Asia and you can visit the link for more capsule reviews, including French, Germans, Aussies, English and Americans.

Inspired by an idea of Mon earlier on this post, I searched the net far and wide to find the most common stereotypes about Nationalities.

Generalizations about cultures or nationalities can be a source of pride, anger or simply bad jokes. Some people say that in all stereotype there is some basis in reality, as they don’t develop in vacuum.

To give a more serious definition: “National Stereotype is a system of culture-specific beliefs connected with the nationality of a person. This system includes beliefs concerning those properties of human beings that may vary across nations, such as appearance, language, food, habits, psychological traits, attitudes, values etc.”

Chinese - stingy and noisy spitters; fast-learners; open-minded; ambitious; progressive; efficient; materialistic; do kung fu and other material arts; great at mathematics; can’t hold their liquor; terrible drivers; arrogant; assertive; very “short” somewhere private but “bigger” than Japanese; wear glasses; pirate and copy everything; don’t value contracts; cheap labor; drink green tea; eat everything that lives - even tiger balls, bear gall bladder, rhino horns and sea cucumber; smoke opium; business-oriented; money rules the world; prepare for world domination

Indonesians - fearful; neurotic; extroverted; conscientious; warm and friendly people; lazy; live for today - who cares about tomorrow; no planners; religious; family-oriented; supportive; invented the rubber-time/rarely on time; corrupt; superstitious; slow; inferior; polite; lacking discipline; use feeling not logic; do not follow rules; hypocritical; resistant to change; tolerant; low profile; unwilling to confront or give ‘bad news’; silent in meetings; can’t swim

Malaysians - lazy; anxious; neurotic; manipulative; survive by cronyism and nepotism; introverted; have inferiority complex; arrogant; have speed traps everywhere; ultra-religious, but sell porn everywhere; inhospitable, hate Westerners; boring; have great varieties of food; embrace multi-culturalism; wear bright, colorful clothes; every long-term visitor is expected to convert to Islam; love to watch soap operas; men chauvinistic, have mistresses; women traditional but with modern thinking

Philippines - “region of natural and man-made disasters”; religious; have large, extended families; neurotic; modest; love to watch soap operas; cars are old patched American jeeps (jeepneys); tricycles are everywhere; chaotic traffic; colorful; kidnapping of foreigners is a favorite past-time - besides cock-fighting; obsession with cellphones and SMS; women call their husbands ‘master’; everyone has at least 3.000 pair of shoes; drama kings and queens; oversea workers sacrifice comfort, endure loneliness and abuse to work abroad to support & satisfy their families neverendingly; exotic foods and fruits; 7.000 exotic islands; warm & smiling people; love Karaoke; cheerful bantering; “Hey, Joe!”; God is Jesus, Mary and the holy trinity!

Singaporeans - adaptive; super-efficient; fearful; anxious; crime-averse; rich; selfish; money-oriented; hard-working; clean; stylish; organized; disciplined; tolerant; introverted; career- and certificate-oriented; multi-cultural; love to eat chicken rice; over-regulated; obedient to government and hierarchies; fashionable; against chewing gum and smoking; are ‘kiasu’ - an extreme fear of losing/missing out; “women are materialistic, superficial, high-maintenance, have their heads too high up in the clouds, narcissistic; men are similar, just add boring, egoistic and they live with their parents”; love shopping - love SHOPPING!; the 5 C’s: “Cash, Car, Credit Card, Condominium, Country Club Membership”

Thai - impulsive; manipulative; fun-loving (”Sanuk”; conservative; speak/sing a funny language; most women are hot and sexy and work in massage parlous or in bars; men rent out motor bikes or get drunk on Mekong Whiskey on the beach - except ladyboys; nationalists; suspicious towards foreigners; polite; good care-takers; can cook well; greedy; narrow-minded; promiscuous; dishonest; traditional; shy in public; family-oriented; religious; self-confident; independent; intelligent; ignorant; can get very violent and unreasonable very swiftly; can’t pronounce ‘R’; proud and patriotic; superiority-complex; resourceful; street-smart; emotional; Long live the King!

Nomad4ever Link

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Swastika Building in Bangkok

It's not what you think. See the comments in the post below for details on the history of the swastika, before the German madman co-opted the ancient Hindu/Buddhist symbol.

Swastika detailing has been used during the construction of a multi-storey building on Petgasen Road, which links Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, with provincial capital Nakhorn Pathom.

The prominent glass blocks are noticeable during daylight hours, but really shine at night, as demonstrated by the photograph above.

Reportage Thailand can only speculate at this time how the potentially offensive (at least from a western perspective) building will be used.

Your comments would be appreciated.

Reportage Thailand

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Hindu Protests in Malaysia

It's always been tough being a Hindu minority in Muslim Malaysia, but things have been heating up recently as Hindus attempt to protest their marginalization and the unofficial discrimination which has worked against them in this multicultural society.

More photos, commentary and links at Screenshots by Jeff Ooi

More photos at BBC

Malaysian police fired tear gas and water cannon Sunday to disperse thousands of ethnic Indians who tried to stage a rally that had been banned amid government accusations that its organizers were stirring racial hatred.

Witnesses claimed dozens of demonstrators were beaten and arrested.

At least 5,000 people gathered before dawn near Kuala Lumpur's famous Petronas Twin Towers, in a rare attempt by Malaysia's ethnic Indian minority to highlight complaints that they are economically marginalized by the ethnic Malay Muslim-dominated government.

Thousands of others massed in Batu Caves, a limestone cave Hindu temple on the city's outskirts, hoping to join the others in a march to the British High Commission to protest how ethnic Indians have remained largely poor since British colonial rule.

Authorities fired tear gas and chemical-laced water at the crowds in both areas, said P. Uthayakumar, a senior representative of the Hindu Rights Action Force, a nongovernment group that organized the rally.

"Police went into Batu Caves and beat many innocent people," Uthayakumar said, adding that more than 100 people have been detained. Police officers outside the Petronas towers confirmed that tear gas and water cannon were used.

Thousands of people regrouped later near the towers in a standoff with hundreds of police, who used water cannon again on the crowd. Shoes and slippers were scattered in the area and flower pots were broken after people fled the scene earlier. An Associated Press reporter saw about a dozen people taken away in a police truck.

Police had obtained an unprecedented court order forbidding the public from rallying outside the British High Commission, and warned that protesters could be arrested on sight. Three of the Hindu group's leaders were arrested and charged in court with sedition Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak indicated Saturday that the rally's organizers had "given seditious speeches that arouse the anger of the other races."

China Post

Aljazeera has the video coverage:

The video clip uploaded by Singapore blogger Mr. Brown may be the funniest and saddest attempt at hipdom ever attempted by a government agency, plus also a public relations disaster as pointed out by Will in Shanghai, who knows something about the power of bad PR.

Notorious MDA: The Singapore government raps

From time to time someone will ask me why I left Singapore for China. This is a fair question. I lived there for nearly a decade, Mrs. Imagethief is Singaporean, and I have great affection for the place. Usually I give some longish explanation about various professional and personal frustrations that were beginning to set in. From now on, however, I'll simply be able to point people at this video on YouTube:

Via Singapore ultrablogger Mr. Brown, this is a four and a half minute hip hop video produced by Singapore's Media Development Authority. The MDA is the statutory board that regulates media content in Singapore and, as you would expect from its name, promotes the development of Singapore's media industry. The video features the senior management rapping about their respective roles.

God help me, I don't know where to start on this one. But I'll try. Remember how embarassing it was when you were in high school and your parents tried to act "cool" in front of your friends? Now imagine they did that and commited the results to posterity on YouTube. In your name.

It is often remarked that the Chinese government considers the Singapore government a role model for successful technocratic authoritarianism. Whatever the Chinese government learns from Singapore, let us pray that it does not absorb the idea that rapping bureaucrats is a good idea. The State Council has enough on its mind what with the Olympics, mass rural-urban migration and the Yangtze silting up behind the Three Gorges Dam. They don't need to be spending nights in the studio trying to figure out what rhymes with "Zhongnanhai" over a phat groove.

Also, there are several people featured in this video, but not one of them has any discernible rhythm. Statistically you'd think one could carry a beat in common time. We're not talking bebop here, or some kind of freaky experimental meter. One, and two, and three, hit the BEAT. Count it off, it's not that hard. Not that they had much to work with. There must be some kind of award for coming up with hip hop lyrics that include the phrases, "KPI", "service oriented architecture" and "beautify our fusionopolis". If you can't bring yourself to watch the whole thing, the lyrics are here. It's not much easier to read than to watch or listen to.

Having dispensed with the artistic criticism, let me approach this from a public relations point of view.

Imagethief is all for using new media. If I squint hard enough and jam my thumbs into my eyes I can kind of see the rationale for doing this (although it could just be the flash of my retinas detaching). You want to explain the role of your bureaucracy in a catchy way that reaches out to youth and the creative industry. And some credit must be extended to the MDA for having, well, the balls to try this.

Unfortunately, a pigeon with a nail through its skull would still have the brain power to predict the inevitable result of this project: a catastrophic piece of self-ridicule that drags out for four-and-a-half painful minutes every reason why government involvement in creative industries is a disaster. And why Singapore's media industry is, like the site of a bad plane crash, so much lifeless wreckage. Seriously, these are the people promoting the development of Singapore's creative industries? They hardly seem qualified.

Imagethief Link

Loy Krathong in Sukothai

As long as we're looking at photos of Loy Krathong, here's a few shots of the festival I took a few years ago in Sukothai, considered the motherland of the celebration.

Flickr Photos of Asia by Carl Parkes

Loy Krathong in Samut Prakan

Loy Krathong by Richard Barrow

Not only is Richard Barrow at Thai-Blogs a decent writer who has been covering all things Thailand since God-Knows-When, he's also turning into a very good photographer, as show by the above photo of young girls dancing at Loy Krathong in his town of Samut Prakan. Great shot, Richard!

One of the most beautiful festivals in Thailand is Loy Krathong which takes place during the full moon night in November. The festival takes place all over the country. They usually advertise Bangkok, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai being the main places. But most towns and villages throughout the country have equally beautiful festivities.

In Samut Prakan we have three main areas: City Hall, Navy Academy and Chang Erawan. It was the later where I spent most of this evening. However, I also visited a rather smelly klong alongside a temple where people were floating their handmade krathongs. It was a beautiful site as the candles in the krathongs twinkled in the darkness. Overhead giant lanterns were floating away in the sky. In the distance I could see the firework celebrations at the city hall.

When people ask me where to float their krathongs, I say it doesn’t really matter as there are events going on all around the country wherever there is a stretch of water.

Thai-Blogs

Job Fair in China

And you thought your job fair at the local shopping mall was a mess? Pity the poor Chinese who must endure these crowds to submit their resume and perhaps find a job in the world's fastest growing economy.

Stock Markets Live

Another Pattaya Drugged Tourist Story

Yet another older tourist in Pattaya has been drugged by prostitutes, but a more interesting angle is provided via an old photo of three Austrians who were drugged into unconsciousness and then photographed by the local police. How did these guys ever live this down?

In a sensational case in 1995 three Austrian steelworkers slept through Christmas at the Thai Garden Resort in North Pattaya after being administered with an ‘Upjohn’ drug by girls who had apparently smeared their nipples.

Photos and videos of two of them snoring well into the police investigation were beamed around the world, and to their wives back home, long before their return

Andrew Drummond

Shanghai: Paris Shuns Hilton

Her grandfather must be turning in his grave, but Paris has skipped the cozy digs of the local Shanghai Hilton in favor of the Grand Hyatt, with the weak excuse of superior views over Pudong and in the distance, the lowly Hilton.

PARIS Hilton, the millionaire heiress to the Hilton hotel chain who has turned her heavy-partying ways and scintilla of talent into countless tabloid headlines, is in town for the first time to attend Friday's 2007 MTV Awards and Style Gala at the Shanghai Grand Stage.

The heiress skipped the hotel chain named after her family, opting instead to check into the newly opened Hyatt on the Bund for her first trip to the city.

"The panoramic Bund view from the hotel room seemed the major reason to attract her there," said an employee of MTV China, who asked not to be named. "Hilton hopes to gain a better understanding of the city's landmark charm within a limited time."

Hilton has already booked three sets of evening dresses from Xintiandi's Shanghai Tang for the gala, including a traditional qipao.

Officials from MTV China suggested she might put on a mini fashion show.

During her stay, which ends this weekend, Hilton will also visit the Shanghai Museum and Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

Shanghai Daily

ASEAN Protest in Singapore

And just when I thought Singapore was loosening up, the government starts to harass students protesting the weak response by Asean against the murderous military regime of Burma. At least those Burmese students, sons of the regime leaders, get to party on.

A planned protest in Singapore against Asian leaders' ``tacit'' approval of Myanmar's fatal crackdown on demonstrations fizzled today when only three students braved the city-state's tough laws against marches.

The three protesters were followed by 19 reporters and photographers in an area of the city surrounded by 1,000 armed police and soldiers. The protest was planned to coincide with a meeting of leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Myanmar.

Singapore, where a protest gathering of more than four people needs to be approved by police, is hosting the 13th Asean leaders' summit. City authorities have banned protests against Mynamar.

``A lot of people wanted to come, but they were afraid of the repercussions,'' said Daniel Babiak, a student from the National University of Singapore. The university also called them to warn them about Singapore's laws, he said.

The three students, wearing red T-shirts and holding candles, were protesting against Asean's lack of response against the Myanmar junta's September crackdown on its largest anti-government demonstrations, which killed more than 100 people, according to the United Nations.

Asean leaders have rebuffed calls for sanctions against Myanmar over the violence.

Singapore, which has restricted public assembly since communal violence killed 36 people in the 1960s, said it can't make exceptions for overseas visitors protesting at the meetings.

Tough Penalties

Singapore metes out fines for petty crimes such as littering and has a reputation for tough punishments. Demonstrators can be jailed.

More than a decade ago, Singapore's caning of American teenager Michael Fay on vandalism charges strained relations with then U.S. President Bill Clinton.

The three students, who were heading toward the Shangri-La hotel, where the leaders are meeting, were stopped by security officials and warned before they could reach the venue. The three held a candlelight vigil at a corner near the hotel instead.

Bloomberg Link

The Nation Link

Singapore: Video Game Unbanned

Hot alien girl on human girl video game unbanned by Singapore government, but you'll still need to be of legal age to enjoy this spectacle. Still, I guess this counts as progress.

Singapore has lifted a ban on a Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) video game that contains a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman kissing and caressing, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Strait Times said Mass Effect would instead be sold with an M18 label, meaning it can't be bought by anybody under the age of 18.

Mass Effect is the first video game to be given a rating in the country, and follows a public outcry over the ban. It effectively fast tracks a new ratings system that was due to come into effect in January, the paper said.

A similar move was made for the movie Lust, Caution, which was released uncut with a R21 age restriction after first being shown in a censored form.

Reuters UK

Elephant Throwing Darts

Filmmaker or Madman Dictator?

Here's a funny, short video found on Slate which speculates how the world would be a different place if the nutty leader of North Korea had pursued his first love (filmmaking) rather than morphing into the ludicrous leader he is today.

Kim Jong Il Video from Brightcove

Aliens? In Thailand?

So what is this thing? An alien who has arrived to join the PPP and run for prime minister in the upcoming elections? Some sort of weird man-child result of mating with animals in the back of Issan? Another elaborate hoax perpetrated by Thaksin and the folks from Area 20? Nah, this is the real thing, the world's first authentic alien discovered on a farm in Buriram. Now, the bar girls will complain about their sick alien rather than the sick buffalo.

Funtasticus

Cambodian Pop Art Book Covers

Jinja is a Westerner who has been living in Phnom Penh since at least 2001, working as a web designer for both profit and nonprofits, while indulging himself in hobbies such as collected pre-Khmer Rouge paperbacks. All of the above covers are by the same artist and the link includes several more of these kitchy wonders.

So why follow the literary scene in Cambodia? Cool discoveries like these. The above image is by Hul Sophon, who has worked in illustration both before and after the years of war. In addition to his primary work on covers he does many other kinds of art, and had an adaptation of ‘Kolap Pailin’ published by Reyum. (Now sold out.)

These pre-revolutionary novel covers come from Angkor Thom bookshop. (1975 and before.) I believe this art was ‘work for hire’ so while these are perennial reprints, the artist probably hasn’t seen a dime in royalties. Most likely these novels were hidden during wartime, or brought back from overseas and then reprinted.


Webbed Feet, Webbed Log

Dogeaters Play in Manila

I know absolutely nothing about this play opening soon in Manila, but the graphics alone should sell a ton of tickets. Marcos and Imelda satire looks to have a long life in the Philippines, and just imagine: Imelda is still alive and kicking.

In DOGEATERS, Jessica Hagedorn has transformed her best-selling novel about the Philippines during the Marcos reign into an equally powerful theatrical piece that is a multilayered, operatic tour de force. A wildly disparate group of characters -- from movie stars to waiters, from a young junkie to the richest man in the Philippines -- become caught up in a spiral of events culminating in a beauty pageant, a film festival and an assassination. New York Times critic Bruce Weber writes, "In DOGEATERS the journey is as titillating as a great vacation that leads you willingly into danger. The play carves a clear narrative line out of a dense literary pastiche -- a real accomplishment by Ms. Hagedorn."

Atlantis Productions

Burmese Elite Party in Singapore

Singapore may serve as the banking capital for the military and economic leaders of Burma, but it also appears that it serves as the party capital for their children, who seek out fast cars and fast women without a word of objection from the Singapore government.

While Burma’s wealthiest tycoon, Tay Za, tries to protect his millions from US-led efforts to destroy his business empire, his 19-year-old son Htet Tay Za is living it up in Singapore and has sent an arrogant email to friends - accompanied by photos of him partying with pretty girls - saying: “US bans us. We’re still f--king cool in Singapore.”

The email, which is believed to be genuine, continues: “We’re sitting on the whole Burmese GDP. We’ve got timber, gems and gas to be sold to other countries like Singapore, China, India and Russia.

“My brother is rocking on his red brand-new Lamborghini with hot sexy Western chicks… and I need another Ferrari to rock on.”

A former schoolfriend said: “The email seems to be genuine. That’s his style. He’s an arrogant bastard. The pictures of him partying are certainly genuine and recent.”

Htet Tay Za attends one of Singapore’s most expensive schools, the United World College of South East Asia, but it’s not clear whether his famous father will be able to afford the fees much longer as sanctions on Burma’s business leaders begin to bite.

Tay Za’s airline, Bagan Air, is reported to be in deep trouble. Local Burmese are boycotting its services because of Tay Za’s close links with the hated junta.

Little Speck

Even Burma expert Bertil Lintner offers some insight into the wild and wooly ways of Burmese party animals in Singapore, and the sad fact that the party may soon come crashing down if U.S. economic sanctions have any teeth. In the meantime, party on boys!

For Htet Tay Za, a 19-year-old member of Myanmar's elite who attends an exclusive and expensive international school in Singapore, life is often a party.

A picture recently obtained by the Chiang Mai-based publication The Irrawaddy shows the young man being kissed on the cheek by a bikini clad Caucasian woman.

In another portrait, the partying youngster is seen in festive mood beside a male friend puffing on a water pipe.

But the party may be over soon for Htet Tay Za, as his father who pays the bills for his lavish lifestyle, Tay Za, figures prominently in an October 19 executive order from the US Treasury Department that aims to block his assets and make it illegal for US citizens to have any business dealings with him and his private companies.

Earlier US sanctions, first imposed in 1997 and increased following an attack on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers in May 2003, were often criticised because they broadly banned all new investment into and imports from Myanmar.

The latter measures forced textile factories to close down or to move across the border to Thailand.

Thousands of workers lost their jobs, while the economic impact on members of the ruling junta was minimal.

This time, however, the US has imposed what it is referring to as "smart sanctions" that target specific individuals and companies…..

.. The recent action against the Myanmar government and corporate entities still may not force the junta to embark on a serious dialogue with the country's hobbled pro-democracy movement.

Unlike previous US sanctions, however, this time they will certainly hurt the ruling generals and their business cronies more than ordinary Myanmar workers and citizens.

Tay Za is the 42-year-old manager of the Myanmar-based Htoo Trading Company, which among other subsidiaries controls the Singapore-registered Htoo Wood Products, Pavo Trading, and Air Bagan.

Through the new sanctions, all of those companies are now blacklisted by the US government.

The businessman is known to be very close to junta leader General Than Shwe and when he first launched into business he made a point of employing the children of powerful generals - which presumably paved the way for him to land lucrative government contracts.

Among those currently or formerly on his payroll are Aung Thet Mann, the son of General Shwe Mann, the junta's third ranking official after Than Shwe and army chief General Maung Aye.

According to a 2005 report in The Irrawaddy, Tay Za is also close to Than Shwe's son, Kyaing San Shwe, whom Tay Za presented with a US-made Hummer, for undisclosed reasons.

Htoo Trading, which is engaged in timber exports, property development, palm oil production, arms deals and aviation, was one of two construction companies granted lucrative contracts to build the new national capital at Naypyidaw, to which the government moved from Yangon in November 2005.

Also included on the new US sanctions list is Tay Za's wife, Thidar Zaw, and another son, Pye Phyo Za, who spends most of his time in a luxury apartment in Singapore.

Asia Times Link

Tattoos and Drunken Aussies

Why does that sound like the setup for a joke? I know that Americans, Brits and Germans also get drunk in Thailand and do stupid things, but for some reason Aussies consistently lead the pack in this division.

A die-hard Geelong fan is regretting his decision to get a tattoo celebrating the team's premiership victory while on holiday in Thailand last week.

"Neville" told 3AW he paid about $150 for two tattoos on his upper arms while in Phuket last Thursday. But his loyal attempt to honour his team backfired when instead of the words "Day Premiers 2007", the tattoo artist instead christened Neville's beloved Cats the "Gay Premiers 2007".

"I couldn't believe it," Neville told 3AW this morning, adding he had consumed 15 cans of beer during the five-hour tattooing process.

To make matters worse, Neville's attempts to communicate his wishes clearly to the tattoo artist were taken a little too literally. Neville had drawn pictures of the tattoos he wanted on each arm with the instructions, "Right Arm" and "Left Arm" to make the delineation clear.

Now, along with the "Gay Premiers" tattoo on his right arm, he has a permanent reminder - should he ever forget - that it is in fact, his right arm.

On his left arm, along with a fierce looking Cat logo and the words "Night Premiers 2006", Neville now has the words, "Left Arm".

"My son-in-law came in . . . and said, 'You know they've written 'Right Arm?'"

"I said, 'You're joking!"

"I said, 'Well now he's done that he might as well do the left arm as well."

Neville said there was some light at the end of the tunnel, with the tattoo of such poor quality it appeared to already be peeling and was almost indecipherable.

The Age

Andy the Hobo Traveler Video of Khao San Road

Andy the Hobo Traveler is an American who has been on the road for over 10 years, and he's recently taken up the video habit, including the following 7 minute walk down Khao San Road.



Andy the Hobo Traveler

Coming Soon from China

And you thought those recent Chinese imports banned for lead and poisons were bad? Wait until you go shopping for a box of rubber bands or a band to tie up your ponytail. You ain't seen nothing yet.

Used condoms that have been reprocessed into rubber bands and hair ties have been sold in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, raising concerns about public health.

Clothing decorated with condoms seen at the 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo in Beijing. [Agencies/file]

In addition to being sold at local bazaars, the recycled condoms have been found at local beauty salons in the prosperous Pearl River Delta city, according to Guangzhou-based New Express Daily.

"These cheap and colorful rubber bands and hair ties sell well in the city, threatening the health of local people and tourists," the paper said.

Local doctors have warned that using these rubber bands could lead to the spread of AIDS, genital warts and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"There are a lot of bacteria and viruses on the rubber bands and hair ties made from used condoms," a dermatologist at the Guangzhou Hospital of Armed Police, who asked to be identified by his surname Dong, said.

"People could be infected with AIDS, warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while weaving their hair into plaits or buns," Dong was quoted as saying by the paper.

Chen Wenlan, a resident of Dongguan, said she was disgusted when she discovered that the rubber bands a local beauty salon had given her last week were made of recycled condoms.

Chen, a local white-collar worker, is a frequent customer of local beauty salons.

"Many of my friends have not yet heard the news. And it is really terrible," Chen said.

A bag of 10 recycled hair ties costs only 25 fen at local markets, which is much less than the normal rate for such products, the paper said.

China Daily

Malaysia's Minister of Information Speaks, Sort Of

Apparently, Malaysia's Minister of Information is a complete idiot, not to mention he can barely speak English. If you have an interest in Malaysian politics, first watch the YouTube clip, then visit Kenny Sia to read a transcript of Malaysia's Information Minister's interview with Al Jazeera News on recent protests in Kuala Lumpur.

Kenny Sia

To learn more about the recent protests that were violently broken up by the police, Google News has loads of links.

Google News on Bersih Protests

Siem Reap's Cambodian Cultural Village

Somewhere along the Airport Road in Siem Reap lies the Cambodian Cultural Village, which mainly appeals to local Khmers rather than visiting Westerners who prefer those gargantuan Khmer cities of Angkor and beyond. As you can see by the map, this is a fairly large place with a range of Cambodian villages and a wax museum at the entrance with the above tableau. The museum is arranged along chronological lines, including the UNTAC soldier and what appears to be his local girlfriend.

Seems only realistic considering the times, though this display was recently mentioned by the prime minister who would like to see it removed. Revisionist history, but it's equally true that the wax museum has nothing about Pol Pot or the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodian Cultural Village

Pattaya: Queen of the Transsexuals

There must be a God in the Universe. After losing to a Mexican trannie last year, Thailand has reclaimed the title after a recent contest in Pattaya. That's the winner above.

At a ceremony full of feathers, frills and false eyelashes, a 21-year-old Thai was crowned queen of the transsexuals at a weekend beauty contest that bills itself as the world's largest.

Panyrat Kirapatpakon, a Thai business student, beat 24 transsexuals and transvestites at the extravagant pageant in the resort town of Pattaya to the "Miss International Queen" title and the $10,000 prize money.

The contest, in its fourth year, was held at the Tiffany's nightclub famous for its transvestite and transgender cabaret and aims to highlight the status of transsexuals around the world. The contestants, shortlisted from more than 100 hopefuls, came from 15 countries, with a record number from Europe.

"I'm glad to see more people participating in these pageants and many countries giving more opportunities to transsexuals, because in the past many countries, including Thailand discriminated against us," winner Panyrat said.

"But this place has opened our chances and allowed the world to see us."

Bangkok is also a global centre for sex-change surgery, and on the surface, predominantly Buddhist Thailand appears very tolerant of homosexuality, with many openly gay celebrities.

Katoeys -- Thai slang for cross-dressers, transvestites or transsexuals -- are common in offices, schools and on television, but activists say Thailand remains deeply conservative at heart and still has many rules discriminating against non-heterosexuals.

Like other beauty pageants, the contestants paraded in their national costumes, evening gowns and swimsuits to an audience of more than 1,000 people, many of whom were transsexuals and even more extravagantly dressed.

Reuters Link

Bali Airport Expansion Plans

It's almost as if there's a war between airport officials in Bali and all the people involved in the tourism industry, who would like to see more visitors and the efficient running of the only airport on the island. Jack Daniels of Bali Discovery reports on the latest outrageous comment made by an airport official to a local newspaper about the need to lengthen Ngurah Rai airport. If the airport officials' statement wasn't so stupid, it would almost be funny.

PT Angkasa Pura I, the managers of Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, surprised a meeting of local planners and regency officials on November 5, 2007 when they revealed current airport development plans only contemplate a runway extension sometime after the year 2025.

Quoting Angkasa Pura's aviation consultants, the current thinking is that Bali's single runway of 3,000 meters in length and 45 meters in width "is sufficient to land a Boeing 747 carrying 400 passengers and a full load of fuel."

Missing the Point

Such a statement from "expert consultants" is raising eyebrows on several levels:

• On the most basic level, such a statement as reported in Nusa Bali holds the expertise of the consultants in some suspicion. Airplanes never land with full loads of fuel, because, on a very practical level, fuel is burnt during any flight. In instances where a newly departed aircraft must return to its originating airport for emergency reasons, fuel is typically burnt off or pumped off before a landing is permitted.

• A newer generation B747-400 fully fueled and fully loaded needs 3,018 meters of runway. Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport has only 3,000 meters of runway. For this reason, B747s departing from Bali cannot be fully fueled and are therefore unable to undertake long-haul flights without doing an intermediate fuel stop at a regional airport, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.

• A B777-300 at maximum take-off weight needs 3,410 meters of runway or 400 meters more than Bali's airport can offer.

• The Airbus 380 also need more than 3,000 meters of runway (and a 60 meter runway width) to operate.

Bali Discovery Link

Tim Leffel on the Seven Myths of Travel Writing

Tim Leffel, the author of The World's Cheapest Destinations, has written a hard-hitting and eye-opening account of the truths about being a travel writer, and it's a winner.

A few weeks ago I received an interesting piece of mail. It said, “Launch your dream career as a travel writer today and get paid to travel the world.” All I had to do was sign up for an expensive correspondence course on travel writing. After that I could expect such rewards as “a complimentary week on an exotic Asian island” or a luxury vacation in Cancun “with airfare and all expenses paid.” The breathless come-on letter asked, “Why not live on permanent vacation?”

Why not indeed? Get paid to travel the world and live a life of leisure. What could be more glamorous?

Before you fall for it, remember that it is also glamorous to be a rock star, a best-selling novelist, or a starter for the Lakers. It’s not so glamorous, however, to be an aspiring actor (waiter) in Los Angeles, an aspiring songwriter (waiter) in Nashville, or an aspiring novelist (waiter) in New York. It may sound silly to compare travel writers like Tim Cahill or Jeff Greenwald to celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Stephen King, but the odds of getting to that level of success are just as daunting. The big difference is that when you do get to that upper echelon of travel writers, you’re still not making nearly as much money as the lowest-paid bench warmer in the NBA.

Just as plugging in a Stratocaster doesn’t make you a rock star, writing tales about your travels is not going to make you a travel writer. Like any position where supply far exceeds demand, you’ll need to follow the right steps and then pay your dues. It’s not going to happen overnight.

As a service to any beginning travel writers out there who are ready for the real story, here are the seven biggest myths of travel writing and the dirt on what to it will take to defy the odds.

Myth #1: Travel writers make enough money to live on

Transitions Abroad

Soi Cowboy Nightclub Neon Displays

As Nana Complex continues to deteriorate, Soi Cowboy continues to improve as more money and talent and neon pours into the neighborhood founded by an American GI during the Vietnam War. Great, almost surrealistic photos here and more to come.

Bangkok Eyes

Phuket Carnaval

Pattaya may be suffering through its share of bad press, but Phuket continues on and will have the annual Carnaval Parade with all the floats and girls and ladyboys as familiar over the years. And yes, that's me and Amy Pieh at SF Carnaval some time ago.

PATONG: The Phuket Carnival 2007 will take over the streets of Patong today through Saturday, marking the official launch of the high season with musical performances, parades, food and games and much more.

The festival started at 7 am with an alms-giving ceremony at Loma Park. Commerce Minister Krerkkrai Jeerapat will preside over the official opening ceremony 6:30 pm tonight in the same location.

This year the three-day celebration, themed “Art, Culture and Fun”, will have performances on three stages. Features will include concerts by rock band Blackhead and jazz band Bangkok Connection, along with daily magic shows.

Information booths will provide guide maps of the daily activities zones, complimentary coupons, activity-entry cards and souvenirs to all attendees. Entry to the festival is free.

All activities will be held in 10 color-coded zones – on Soi Bangla, along the beach road, at Loma Park and on Patong Beach – and categorized into three sections: field activities, daily parades, and stage performances.

This year, parades will take place every day of the carnival along the beach road from 6 pm until 7 pm. Extravagant floats carrying beautiful women – and some beautiful men – in Thai costumes will be led by children dressed as marine-themed mascots.

Activities will be held daily from 1 pm to 10 pm in eight zones identified by different colors where workshops, games, food and exhibitions will offer everything from an exhibition of photographs taken by HM The King to delicious seafood to carnival dart games

Phuket Gazette

Drunken Aussie Swims Home from Pattaya

God bless Thailand. God bless Pattaya. And God bless the idiot farangs who live in that seaside town and consistently provide amazing stories for the world's press, as usually presented first in the Pattaya Mail.

A drunken Australian tourist who had a breakup from his girlfriend and who insisted that he was going to swim home was pulled from the sea by rescuers in the early hours of October 25.

Pattaya Police Station received a report at 3 a.m. that a naked man had plunged into the sea at Pattaya Beach, opposite Soi 10, and disappeared.

Officers went to the scene along with Sawang Boriboon Foundation rescue workers and Pattaya City sea rescue service personnel. They found a crowd of Thai and foreign tourists looking for the man in the dark waters. His shirt and pants had been left in the middle of Soi 10. Bystanders said that the man had been walking on this soi with a bargirl and a bottle of beer. There had been an argument, and the girl had left the man and jumped on a baht bus.

Witnesses said the man had then finished his beer and broken the bottle, crying out in despair. He took off all his clothes, then ran to the sea and began to swim out from the shore. Everyone assumed he would come back, but after 30 minutes had passed someone called the police.

Pattaya sea rescuers and Sawang Boriboon officers went out with inflatable rubber boats, life buoys and life jackets to look for him. They discovered that he had swum to a fishing boat that was moored 500 meters away from the shore. He was startled when he saw the officers and tried to swim away, shouting for them to leave him alone. He wished to swim back to his hometown in Australia, he said. The officers tried to persuade him to come back to shore, but they were unsuccessful. However, after an hour the man became tired and accepted the officers’ assistance.

Back on shore, he was identified as John Trevor, a 42-year-old Australian citizen. As well as being seriously drunk, Trevor had injuries to his feet and bruising to his head. Officers treated him, and tried to find out if he had relatives or friends who would take care of him. He was placed in the cells for his own safety, and was charged with being drunk and disorderly and causing a public disturbance.

Pattaya Mail