3 thoughts on “Drugged Kids Slug in Jakarta, But At Least They Don’t Suffer From the Greater Evil of Mass Transit”
In late March, [Jakarta Governor] Basuki announced the temporary suspension of the three-in-one [car pool ] policy, running a week from last Tuesday, amid questions about its effectiveness — but chiefly, he said, because it was contributing to the exploitation of children.
The restriction, which dates to the late 1990s, quickly spawned an industry of industrious car jockeys who stand alongside roads leading into the restricted thoroughfares, offering lone motorists extra passengers in return for money, usually about 15,000 rupiah (a little more than $1) and up to 25,000 rupiah, depending on the distance.
The jockeys, however, include boys and girls working alone, as well as mothers with infants.
In late March, the Jakarta police broke up a begging ring that enlisted children as panhandlers and rented out infants drugged with sedatives to adult beggars….
The traffic patterns in Jakarta are a legacy of the 1960s, when Indonesia’s founding president, Sukarno, dismantled the Dutch colonial-era trolley system and paved over the tracks with asphalt.
April 17 Italians will be voting in a [national referendum] on whether to repeal a law passed by the parliament that would have allowed off-shore drilling to continue forever, rather for the duration of each lease, as is currently allowed. Yes, it's complicated, and only a tiny step. But Milan was dumping raw sewage into the rivers until 2006, so the Italians are making progress.
Can you imagine what a leave-it-in-the-ground vote would be like here, if the oil companies would allow it?
April 17 Italians will be voting in a [national referendum] on whether to repeal a law passed by the parliament that would have allowed off-shore drilling to continue forever, rather for the duration of each lease, as is currently allowed. Yes, it's complicated, and only a tiny step. But Milan was dumping raw sewage into the rivers until 2006, so the Italians are making progress.
Can you imagine what a leave-it-in-the-ground vote would be like here, if the oil companies would allow it?
Hair tonic? Lubricants? Plastics? Six-pack duck stranglers? Petroleum jelly!
I remember reading years ago that one day oil would be too valuable to burn. Here's hoping! Nobody wants another one of [these.]