Abstinence and moderation amiss

In my mind my senses are more attuned to irony during the month of Ramadan than it is during the rest of the year.

A devout muslim I am not, in the way a stereotypically devout muslim might define the word, but I am sensitised to the values of the religion and ultra-sensitised to see the ironies in reality that those values uncover.

While it may not necessarily be the 'official' version, my interpretation of the month of ramadan is 30 days for reminding oneself to remove all impure thoughts, be thankful for all that one enjoys, and see the simple pleasures of life as the miracle they are.

(Oh, and also a month to practise greater control over ones' movement, nourishment, thought and speech).

In my case particularly the senses are heightened during the month of Ramadan and I see the irony and duplicity around me all to quickly (it is also safe to say that, alas, humility is not one of my stronger suits in this time of abstinence and moderation).

But enough of me and my wise old ways.

In a news report that caught my eye recently, the mayor of Sheboygan, a small town in Wisconsin, USA, is a self-professed alcoholic and has admitted to drinking, getting in a fight and passing out in a tavern over the weekend.

The mayor passed out on a table, with a Coke handy.

While the mayor apologized for his loss of inebriation and his overindulgence in the 'holiday spirit,' he refused to step down from his job.

The Sheboygan City Council, however, is not so sure and have considered a resolution asking for the mayor's resignation. However, no one living in Sheboygan has filed a formal complaint against the mayor, which would be a necessary step for the Common Council to be able to remove him from office.

The common council members have said that if no resident launches such a complaint, they, as taxpayers, stand ready to act.

The mayor has said while that he understands the council's position and admits to being an alcoholic, he is quick to add that "I've been successful in spite of it, and I will continue to be successful."

Basically the mayor went out to dinner on a Friday night, had a few drinks but didn't stop for three days. In that time he passed out in a bar, and had a scuffle with some other patrons (although, he pointed out, he didn't start it).

Alcohol has apparently never affected his job he claims (but admits that his personal life isn't doing so well).

The mayor has said that he is working on treatment to tackling his demons, including group counselling, and meetings with doctors and psychologists. And that he would continue to do so in the evenings and weekends while he continued to run the city as its mayor.

Something tells me he has not considered moderation or abstinence.

Nonetheless residents have begun to say that it's about time for the mayor to battle his demons in private. Scott Kautzer of Sheboygan sums it up "If [the story is] as it appears on its face, a change needs to be made, because Sheboygan is bigger and better than this story is making us look."

In another part of the world the Lithuanian mayor of capital Vilnius took an extreme approach to express his displeasure with motorists who park their cars with impunity around the Lithuanian capital.

According to a newspaper report, the frustrated mayor, “seeking to reassure residents that the city will not let drivers park illegally without punishment, hopped in an armoured personnel carrier and drove over a Mercedes-Benz.”

A video of the publicity stunt — posted on the mayor's YouTube page — shows the grinning lawmaker and a handful of men riding the tank as it slowly rolls over, then partially crushes, an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class parked in a bus lane.



Narrating the video the mayor explained that "In the past few days, expensive cars have been illegally parked in almost this exact place – a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari."

"I want to point out that if you have a car and more money it doesn’t mean that you can park it everywhere. Recently, there’s been an increase in this type of parking violations, and it shows a lack of respect for others," the mayor continued.

He is hoping that people will get the message loud and clear, but has added theh he had no reservations to do it all again.

The mayor's spokeswoman pointed out to reporters that the Mercedes-Benz was purchased specifically for the video. No word as to how he got the armoured personnel carrier, but I expect that such 'out of job' vehicles are quite the ordinary in the former Russian state.

The mayor could have used a little bit of moderation, but I believe the message has been made very clear... only cheap cars are allowed parking on the bus lanes.

Ramadan Mubarak!

What is sacred anymore?

The world is a strange place and it grows stranger with each passing day. All that was sacred about women, marriage and consensual sex are being dragged down to earth and being made passé... but it also reveals how casual things have become and how shallow we truly are (despite futile pretences otherwise).

Sanctity of Women: Judging on looks?

Hina Rabbani Khar

Those who have been paying attention to the news of late MUST know of the newly installed Pakistani foreign minister who is currently in India for a meeting with her Indian counterpart.

And she is not a topic of hot discussion, because she is a woman or that she is 34 years of age but more because she is quite the looker. An asset that has apparently won her instant fans in India. Otherwise sober newspapers have provided tabloid-like headlines with their story of the foreign minister's visit and some have even resorted to commenting on her dress sense.

“Pak puts on its best face,” screams out India's best selling english language newspaper The Times of India; the Mumbai Mirror tabloid chose to play good humour and headlined its story “Pak bomb lands in India”; The mass circulating Hindi paper Navbharat Times came out and said that India was “sweating over the model-like minister.”

The popular media, amidst general sentiments that the meeting of the two foreign ministers was “historic” and echoing the rhetoric and the usual promises made by either side that “the peace process must go on,” comments from both sides stressing that “dialogue was important,” and public statements on “renewed co-operation against terrorism,” were also able to interject that the Pak foreign minister “was spotted at the Delhi airport in a monotone outfit of blue – the colour of the season.”!

So much so that, in my mind, 'strictly' news reports on the visit looked like too deliberate an attempt to be professional when the writer would rather make a at least one more reference to the Pak foreign minister's looks, dress or dupatta style.

Some papers have already pointed out her choice of Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, Hermes handbag and her other “tasteful” fashion accessories!

Question is are people really taking her seriously and whether the youthful Pak minister can rise above the patronisation and prove her political acumen and insight is as sound as her fashion sense?

And speaking of gender pains...

Sanctity of Marriage: Gender pains?

Traditionally marriage has been an institution between a man and woman... as the times change, however, same sex partner marriages are becoming more open, especially in countries that now allow the practice.

Of course there are countries that do not do so, even though they have not outlawed homosexuality.

It appears that a groom in a recent wedding in Jakarta, Indonesia was actually a woman. The bride's same sex lover had posed as a man for her hand in marriage.

Incidentally the ruse was discovered at the marriage ceremony itself. Suspicions of the actual identity (but not the sex) of the groom began to first arise when 'Rio' arrived at the ceremony without any relatives and failed to show any documents – but the game was finally up when the groom's heavy voice suddenly changed into a feminine one.

Embarrassment (and face) in front of family and guests, gathered to read the Koran at the Islamic marriage ceremony, was averted by having the bride's former boyfriend, Kimon, sit-in for the 'not-so-groom' and marry her.

Questions is (actually, questions ARE) what sort of fool ex-boyfriend goes to a former girl-friend's wedding, to say nothing about what kind of marriage he can honestly expect if the bride is not into boys? (After all he did consent to the marriage.)

And speaking of consent...

Sanctity of Consensual Sex: What entitlements?

As consenting adults a man and a woman (not inebriated or out of their senses by anything other love or lust) may consummate their 'relationship' in any motel room – there is nothing to question or judge it really.

(Assuming, of course, that both consenting individuals are of age and single... any variation on these two criteria make things more complicated and open for harsher judgement.)

A twist on this is that an Australian civil servant is actually suing her employer for compensation for injuries sustained during a sex romp while on a business trip.

Now from what I understand they were two consenting adults who chose to engage in some hanky-panky in their motel room in the later evenings. Possibly some rough hanky-panky as one of the parties was injured in the act.

It should be noted that the injuries sustained were not from chains or whips, as might be initially imagined, but from a glass light fitting that came away from the wall!

Her solicitor has argued in court that “a woman injured while having sex in a motel room paid for by her employer deserves the same treatment as someone who had slipped in the shower or been bashed.”

She has claimed an entitlement to compensation because her injuries were caused "during the course of her employment", as she had been sent to a country town to stay the night ahead of a meeting early the next day.

Her counsel submitted that “lawful sexual activity was considered reasonable behaviour for a motel room.”

Needless to say she did not win, because the state reasoned that “having sex was not a "necessary activity" for a motel room, in the same way that "showering, bathing or sleeping" is.”

I guess there are some sacred truths that remain intact after all.

Taxi anyone?

The question may be. Why? The answer is pretty simple. Why Not?

The image below is a photoshopped image, I  just wanted to use it as it is a taxi image from Bangladesh and am assuming someone from my homeland worked on it. It's interesting. Click on the image below to go to the webpage and view other similar photoshop manipulations. All the images are from Bangladesh, and the idea and humour Bangladeshi!

Act of God or Smarts?

Hot on the heels of divine intervention and human stupidity there is another story of a California (naturally) man who attempted to fix a hernia in his stomach trying to cut it off with a six-inch butter knife.

Police were called in to intervene only to find the man naked and sprawled out on a lawn chair, with a butter knife protruding from his abdomen.

The man's wife, who had called the police, told them her husband was “sick and tired of waiting to get surgery for his rupture” and had thus decided to take matters into his own hands.

The 63-year-old California man has since been admitted into the Los Angeles County USC Medical Centre's psychiatric ward and is now recovering.

The police officer who had responded to the call was quoted in the local paper that "whether they have insurance or not is not a matter anymore, seeing that he is in the care of the county. Because of that, he will get the removal or repair of the hernia at taxpayers' expense."

One wonders whether the Lord works in mysterious ways or that the man was actually really not that stupid. Any guesses?

Jokes aside, obviously the man in question had to be pretty desperate to do what he did, and one cannot truly judge him without firsthand knowledge of the excruciating pain and/or extreme discomfort that he might have suffered before attempting the surgery himself.

He was of course a cautious man, since he opted to use a butter knife rather than anything sharper or more unwieldy, lest he lose his grip and the knife plummet further downward and damage (or seriously wound) a better cherished appendage.

Divine intervention and human stupidity

Every now and then I see a story in a newspaper that reminds me that God is as kind as man is stupid – and, thankfully, by that definition there is no limit to God's kindness as there isn't to man's ultimate stupidity.

According to a new item from southern California a motorcyclist rear-ended a minivan and was thrown through a window into the back seat. It would have been an amazing enough story that the unfortunate man had escaped unhurt.

However, the story grows more amazing because after the incident the driver of the minivan continued to complete his journey and pulled into his own driveway, about half a block away, completely unaware that he had a new backseat passenger.

The minivan driver only realised that he had a stowaway when saw the stunned motorcyclist in his back seat as he was preparing to return to the scene of the accident.

The accident occurred when the motorcyclist failed to stop in time behind the minivan as it slowed down to make a turn. The motorcycle crashed into the van, throwing the rider through the minivan’s rear window as the motorcycle itself skidding beneath the larger vehicle.

One wonders how it was possible for the minivan driver to at least not look back (even in the rear view mirror) when he or she heard the BANG as the motorcycle hit the vehicle, or the CRASH of shattered glass as the rider smashed through it.

The local newspaper that carried the story reported that no charges were filed in the case and that neither man required medical attention, other than that the motorcyclist had requested for some ice for one of his hands.

The motorcycle helmet took most of the impact in the crash, the real casualties were the motorcycle and the minivan' rear window both of which sustained severe damage. You think?