Poll – Which Party Will You Brits Choose?

I was thinking about running a poll myself, but there’s one available on this link…

Nigel Farage pledges political revolution to ‘shift the centre of gravity’ with his new Brexit Party

.”..which has a much wider circulation than RRA.

Why not pay a visit and make your mark!

 

Till The Next Time, Tree!

Hey-ho.

Christmas tree back in its box again.

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The idle days between outings were filled with reading, and I came across several new authors, new to me at least, like Harlan Coben and Duncan Falconer, whose fiction I recommend to all who like a rattling good yarn!

However, though Twelve Days of Christmas have gone by, the consolation is that, with Jakarta’s remaining resident foreigners all drifting back from their Yuletide overseas jaunts, the party season will resume next week and continue through the year.

As predicted this morning, my day passed agreeably, my visitor on time, more or less, a pleasant hour or so, then, since the sun was still shining down, I hung out the washing and headed for the warteg, where the cheery proprietrix welcomed me and her young assistants served up my usual order.

Then back across the road to a brand-new IndoMaret, much closer than the other mini-marts round here, where I resupplied myself with cigs.

The place only opened days ago, but when I walked in, the young lad behind the counter at once declared ‘Yes, Mister, Bohem Hijau, ya?’

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Astounded at his psychic powers, I nodded, then he revealed that he had formerly worked in another shop and remembered their only foreign customer and his taste in smokes! I thanked him and wandered home, but not to do the ironing – another visitor tomorrow to assist with that!

Tonight, at home, actually cooking myself – mince and potatoes, a favourite from way back.

And tomorrow is another day. Nice to relax, and there’s also a pleasant thought to contemplate.

Only two more weeks till that ratbag gets evicted from the White House!.

Jakarta – American Expats Kow-Tow to Kill-Joys!

Sad to see that the voice of American expats in Indonesia has been raised in favour of kow-towing to sectarian kill-joys.

I refer to AmCham, the American Chamber of Commerce, which has its HQ here in Jakarta and which does much good work in the fields of business and commerce between the USA and this lovely archipelago.

They have issued a statement saying that their monthly networking social evening ain’t happening!

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In recognition of the Holy Month of Ramadan, there will be no AmCham Networking Event in June.

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I wonder who put them up to that?

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When I heard of this, I promptly inspected What’s New Jakarta http://www.whatsnewjakarta.com/and quickly learned that other expat organisations in the capital are NOT sinking to this level of grovel.

it appears that the Australians, Brits and Canadians are going ahead with their monthly socials.

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• 

• Good for them!

Having attended a number of these little parties, including during previous Ramadhans, I know that everybody – and they’re a good mix of nationalities and creeds – enjoys them. 

I also recall they provided a pleasant opportunity for Muslim guests to break their daily fasting as the sun went down.  That’s what makes the American kow-tow all the more inexplicable! 

These parties don’t begin till 6pm or later, so people can leave work at 5pm and still have a chance of reaching the venues through Jakarta’s traffic.

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And that’s the time of day when all fasting Muslims stop fasting and tuck in vigorously! As we know, even more is devoured during Ramadhan than in the other months of the year.

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Of course alcohol is served at all these occasions – but ONLY to those who ask for it. Decent Muslims may take their own abstention seriously but they don’t begrudge other people their customary choices.

So who took the decision to drag AmCham down into dhimmitude? Was it a directive from Obama’s Embassy flunkeys?

Eleven states sue White House over schools’ ‘bathroom law’

And if Obama directives are now to form the basis of AmCham practice, will their future socials exhort men to invade women”s toilets?

 

Aceh – Cops Back IslamoNazi Kill-Joys’ New Year Raids!

As I’ve said before, Aceh is a cauldron of backward bigotry. 

‘Immoral Activities – Sitting in Coffee Shops Laughing and Talking…’ 

Islamist Inquisition in Aceh – ” Minority Religious Creed ‘Worse Than Tsunami!’ “

Not Fasting – How About A Whipping? Aceh Slips Deeper Into Barbarism 

Islamist Mayor – We Know Where You Live! Submit to Indoctrination OR ELSE! 

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The Sharia Hell of Aceh!

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And as if to highlight the misery of living in a shariah society, the local chapter of the IslamoNazi FPI – self-styled ‘Defenders of Islam,’ were out and about last night, harassing anyone seen, or even suspected of, enjoying a holiday celebrated across the world – except in cess-pools like Aceh.

This is hardly startling news, for we posted this a year or so ago.

Shariah Goons Roam Aceh, Stomping New Year Joy 

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• And again this year!

• An FPI Aceh mob went into action on New Year’s Eve. They raided a number of entertainment venues and stalls that were open…every citizen who had joined gatherings was told by the FPI to immediately leave the scene and not to celebrate New Year.

Hundreds of FPI arrived by motorbike and car. They did their ‘sweeping’ in cafes and other entertainment venues. They also went after people sitting together as couples or dating.

Miserable primitive pack, revelling in intimidation. But they were mob-handed. Catch any sectarian malignant out marauding on his own! The FPI are notorious for their cowardice, of which I’m ever-delighted to remind you!

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Cowering IslamoNazis

IslamoNazis V Freedom-Fighters? – Some Chicken, Some Neck! 

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But here’s an interesting reason for their extra ‘bravery’ last night – the sweeping raids were escorted by Lhokseumawe Police.

And here’s their excuse – they forbade the celebration of the New Year because it is considered not Islamic culture.    http://news.okezone.com/read/2016/01/01/340/1278809/malam-tahun-baru-fpi-sweeping-warga-yang-asyik-berduaan

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Big bloody deal.

Suppose some people don’t interpret ‘Islamic culture’ their way?

Suppose some people just don’t care to comply with ‘Islamic culture?’

Suppose some of their victims don’t happen to be Muslim at all? There are religious minorities up in that hell-hole province.

Well, in a shariah state, none of that matters.

Shariah is a no-go area for both civil and religious liberty. And Aceh is a perennial affront to President Jokowi’s claim that Indonesia is a pluralist country.

Wah! Bis Malam – Jakarta By Night AND By Busway!

Aaah, sunny Sunday, and just stuffed myself with bacon and eggs.

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Now on my fifth cup of kopi jawa, my brain is sufficiently energised to pay attention to a back-log of issues on which blogging seems worth the effort.

I stayed in last night, worn out by a gruelling Friday, all over town it seems, getting things done that needed done. But later I’m going out to have some fun.

First, though, some news germane to gallivanting.

I was zooming through Jakarta – really, the traffic was pretty good for once – one day last week, heading down from Kota to Sarinah, and noticed big signs alerting the citizenry that a night service had got under way.

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This will be a boon for party-animals. We tend to be wary of the angkots etc after leaving night-spots, because

A more criminals come out after dark and…

B if we’ve been partying seriously, we’re both physically AND mentally at a lower ebb than usual…

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…hence less quick at…

C noticing suspicious characters, and…

D putting up serious resistance if the need arises.

So, as a rule, even public transport fans like me use taxis to reach home and hearth any time after 10 o’clock.

For me, that’s a price difference of well over Rp. 50,000 – a tidy sum! Five dollars here can buy three packs of my fave cigarettes or two bottles of Bintang beer, if you search diligently – as I do!

oo

oo

I gather the night service is only on four of the numerous routes – one is Route 8, Harmoni – Lebak Bulus, which I noticed because I often head for Grogol.

Check the others out the next time you’re bussing. 

Terima Kasih, Arif Suryobuwono – Cerita Miras Luar Biasa!

My sincere thanks to Arif Suryobuwono, who gave me the best laugh this week with his article on drinking, mostly a calm look at how people approach that admirable activity.

But his anecdote about some incredibly naive female entrepreneuse’s ‘all-you-can-drink’ scheme from 6pm till 8pm….

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• …she calculated that they would be late due to traffic,come at 7pm with a growling stomach, eat at her restaurant and have only one hour left to drink the wine…

Wow! He had me guffawing! 

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/04/14/by-way-either-you-run-alcohol-or-alcohol-runs-you.html

Pak Arif was writing about Jakarta, plainly, but my immediate reaction was to speculate on which of Jupiter’s moons his loopy lassie must have been born.

Talk about off yer rocker!

I have been to one or two ( dozen…hundred..?) time-specific free-flow venues since I came here so many years ago. I like parties, okay? And the guests always include a good mix of locals and foreigners.

Few Indonesians are into booze in a big way, or at least not ostentatiously. Foreigners, Western folk at least, are different.

Often ostentatiously so.

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The drill for afficionados is to leave home or work early that afternoon – in Jakarta, if you wish to be on time, you learn fast to allow an extra hour to what might seem a reasonable expectation of the duration of your journey.

For a free-flow evening, serious people make that 90 minutes earlier. A warning note- these common-sense steps can go awry. On rare days, traffic abates.

Then there’s a clear and present danger of arriving half an hour early – when the bar is not yet free! Nothing for it then but to lurk in the lobby, or the car-park, playing with your hand-phone.

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• Or go to the toilet ( at least that makes more room for later intake)
• If not…
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• Sad stories have been heard of guys and gals who don’t check their watches, rush in and order a beer, then – shock/horror – get asked to  pay for it!   

On arrival, one joins one’s like-minded cronies (most folks in the know about these knees-ups DO know each other!) at the bar and greet the waiters/waitresses – especially the waitresses – with a cheery smile.

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ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It’s important to be on their good side, given the madding crowd that will soon be baying in unison for their attention.

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 ‘What? Free-flow ends in five minutes? OMG!’

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Food may indeed be part of the plan.

But that needs to be carefully coordinated with one of said cronies. He – or she, since fun is a unisex pastime – will scuttle off to corral a couple of platefuls while you are ordering two more bevvies.

Such people understand their objective. That knowledge is based on how much entry to the ‘free-flow’ event costs (they are never free!) and from the going rate for the same brand of drink purchased in a downtown bar.

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• Hence a sound balance of payments demands consumption of at least ten beers or eight glasses of wine.
• Restos and hotels that operate these nights are well aware of the capacity of bule enthusiasts. At first sight you wouldn’t expect business professionals to risk the possibility of immense financial loss.

But Jakarta’s clever catering people understand that when seriously committed thirsts have passed that eight or ten glass mile-stone, yeah, some will slope off, for sure.

But a man ( again, and a woman) who’s having fun? Home? Home’s for sleepy people!

How many will willingly cease and desist from frolic, just because it starts to cost them an arm and a leg? The free-flow may end at 9 pm, but the bar doesn’t close.

It’s still there, with all those friendly bar-maids still waiting to take your orders!

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• Reverting to the matter of food – when your comrade-in-glass gets back with the first heaping helping, that good turn must be reciprocated in half-an-hour.
• One plateful is no adequate ballast for the voyage through a Jakarta night of revelry.

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Getting home is easy – if you happen to be one of the gilt-edged elite with a personal chauffeur. Otherwise, it’s taxi time.

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• Public transport is perfectly okay by day, but by night, it’s dark outside and anti-social elements thrive in darkness, to whom weary or wobbly travellers may fall easy prey!

Cabbies, please note, do not really like to have to shake the passenger awake more than once in order to pin-point the destination. A decent tip is only fair!

But that’s the price you pay.

Free-flow COSTS!