An Indonesian volcano, Mount Sinabung, shot a towering cloud of black ash high in to the air this morning, dusting villages 15 miles away in its most powerful eruption since awakening last week from four centuries of dormancy.
The eruption occurred just after midnight in the early hours of this morning during a torrential downpour.
Witnesses said volcanic ash and mud oozed down the mountain's slopes, flooding into abandoned homes. Others said saw bursts of fire and hot ash, and the force of the explosion could be felt five miles away.
Some witnesses at the foot of Mount Sinabung reported seeing an orange glow - presumably magma - in cracks along the volcano's slopes for the first time.
'It was really terrifying,' said Anissa Siregar, 30, as she and her two children arrived by truck at an emergency shelter near the base, adding the mountain shook violently for at least three minutes. 'It just keeps getting worse.'
Mount Sinabung's first eruption last week caught many scientists off guard. With more than 129 active volcanoes to watch, local vulcanologists had failed to monitor the long-quiet mountain for rising magma, slight uplifts in land and other signs of seismic activity.
There are fears that current activity could foreshadow a much more destructive explosion in the coming weeks or months, though it is possible, too, that Singabung will go back to sleep after letting off steam.
More than 30,000 people living along the volcano's fertile slopes have been relocated to cramped refugee camps, mosques and churches in nearby villages.
But some - such as Siregar, the mother who fled with her children - have insisted on returning to the danger zone to check on their homes and their dust-covered crops.
The government sent dozens of trucks to the mountain to help carry them back before today's eruption, which sent ash and debris shooting three miles (5,000 metres) into the air, said Surono, who heads the nation's volcano alert centre.
Local media said ash had reached as far as Berastagi, a district 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the base of the mountain.
Surono said activity was definitely on the rise: There were more than 80 volcanic earthquakes in the 24-hour lead up to the blast, compared to 50 on Friday, when ash and debris shot nearly two miles (3,000 metres).
Indonesia is a seismically charged region because of its location on the so-called 'Ring of Fire' - a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia. It has recorded some of the largest eruptions in history.
The 1815 explosion of Mount Tambora buried the inhabitants of Sumbawa Island under searing ash, gas and rock, killing an estimated 88,000 people.
The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa could be heard 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away and blackened skies region-wide for months. At least 36,000 people were killed in the blast and the tsunami that followed.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
An "Urgent Need" to Amend The Anti-Terror Laws in Indonesia
The new chief of Indonesia’s anti-terror agency complained Tuesday that courts were being too easy on terrorists and called for tougher laws to fight jihadist extremists. National Anti-Terror Agency (BNPT) Ansyaad Mbai said there was an “urgent need” to amend the anti-terror laws in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, following a series of attacks since 2000.
He said sentences should be lengthened, preparatory activities such as militant training and incitement should be criminalised, and police should be able to hold suspects for longer before they must be charged or released.
“I think there’s an urgent need to amend the anti-terror laws, especially on the length of sentences,” he told reporters after being appointed to his new role.
“There were many who were released (from jail) and then got involved again.
There were those who were sentenced to seven years but after three years they were given remissions. This is strange, isn’t it?” He said some terrorists had been arrested but had to be released because police did not have enough time to gather evidence.
“Later it’s clear they were involved again and then they had to be shot, like Air Setiawan,” he said, referring to an alleged terrorist who was killed by police last year after twin suicide attacks on Jakarta hotels in July.
A follower of terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top, he was reportedly detained over his suspected role in the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta but was released due to a lack of evidence. Police killed Top in September 2009 in one of many raids since the hotel bombings that have resulted in the deaths of suspects, raising questions about alleged extrajudicial killings by the anti-terror police squad.
The discovery of a militant training camp in Aceh province in February — which gathered Islamist extremists from around the region — also highlighted the need for laws against preparatory acts, Mbai said.
“Militant training hasn’t been included as a crime... In other countries it’s considered a serious crime,” he said.
“Then there are those activities which provoke or incite people to carry out acts of terror... The focus is prevention. We have to prevent them before they take part in militant training which means they must be arrested.” He said incitement to burn Christian churches or expel “infidels” should be criminalised to prevent Indonesia being “showered in bombs”. “If there’s no conviction we’ll always be reactive. Wait for the bomb to go off and only then become nervous. That’s too late,” he said.
Indonesia was also studying the experience of Saudi Arabia to improve its deradicalisation programme, which has been dismissed as a myth by top anti-terror police officers. Senior police have recently issued stark warnings that the Southeast Asian country’s prisons are at risk of becoming schools of violent jihad rather than institutions of reform.
The final straw appears to have been the re-arrest in June of Abdullah Sunata, 32, on suspicion of plotting attacks on the Danish embassy and a police parade. He was released from jail last year for good behaviour after serving only a fraction of a seven-year sentence for his role in the Australian embassy attack, which killed 10 people.
Other recent examples include bomb-maker Bagus Budi Pranoto. Also jailed over the embassy truck bombing, he was released after just four years only to be re-arrested over last year’s suicide attacks on luxury hotels which killed seven people.
He said sentences should be lengthened, preparatory activities such as militant training and incitement should be criminalised, and police should be able to hold suspects for longer before they must be charged or released.
“I think there’s an urgent need to amend the anti-terror laws, especially on the length of sentences,” he told reporters after being appointed to his new role.
“There were many who were released (from jail) and then got involved again.
There were those who were sentenced to seven years but after three years they were given remissions. This is strange, isn’t it?” He said some terrorists had been arrested but had to be released because police did not have enough time to gather evidence.
“Later it’s clear they were involved again and then they had to be shot, like Air Setiawan,” he said, referring to an alleged terrorist who was killed by police last year after twin suicide attacks on Jakarta hotels in July.
A follower of terrorist mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top, he was reportedly detained over his suspected role in the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta but was released due to a lack of evidence. Police killed Top in September 2009 in one of many raids since the hotel bombings that have resulted in the deaths of suspects, raising questions about alleged extrajudicial killings by the anti-terror police squad.
The discovery of a militant training camp in Aceh province in February — which gathered Islamist extremists from around the region — also highlighted the need for laws against preparatory acts, Mbai said.
“Militant training hasn’t been included as a crime... In other countries it’s considered a serious crime,” he said.
“Then there are those activities which provoke or incite people to carry out acts of terror... The focus is prevention. We have to prevent them before they take part in militant training which means they must be arrested.” He said incitement to burn Christian churches or expel “infidels” should be criminalised to prevent Indonesia being “showered in bombs”. “If there’s no conviction we’ll always be reactive. Wait for the bomb to go off and only then become nervous. That’s too late,” he said.
Indonesia was also studying the experience of Saudi Arabia to improve its deradicalisation programme, which has been dismissed as a myth by top anti-terror police officers. Senior police have recently issued stark warnings that the Southeast Asian country’s prisons are at risk of becoming schools of violent jihad rather than institutions of reform.
The final straw appears to have been the re-arrest in June of Abdullah Sunata, 32, on suspicion of plotting attacks on the Danish embassy and a police parade. He was released from jail last year for good behaviour after serving only a fraction of a seven-year sentence for his role in the Australian embassy attack, which killed 10 people.
Other recent examples include bomb-maker Bagus Budi Pranoto. Also jailed over the embassy truck bombing, he was released after just four years only to be re-arrested over last year’s suicide attacks on luxury hotels which killed seven people.
Killed for Shouting Another Man's Name during Sex
A mother of two was murdered by her angry live-in-lover after she accidentally blurted out another man's name as they had sex.
Joanne Kitchen, 41, was making love with 44-year old Gary Higgs in their bedroom when she suddenly cried out: "Chris, harder." Higgs was so enraged he stormed downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a chef's knife and stabbed his partner once in the back and once in the chest.
Afterwards as she lay dying from her wounds, Higgs throttled the mother of two to death with the electrical flex of their alarm clock.
When police caught up with him he confessed: 'I didn't know exactly what I was thinking. I picked the knife up and carried it upstairs to the bedroom.
'I don't remember thinking I wanted to harm Jo at this time. I was just so mad.
'She was hurting so much. I wanted to end the hurting for her. I got hold of the electrical flex from the alarm clock next to the bed and strangled her to death.
'I am truly deeply sorry for what I have done.'
Today Higgs was jailed for life after pleading guilty to murder. He must serve a minimum of 15 years before he will be considered for release.
Sentencing him, Judge Andrew Gilbart said: 'As can happen in all relationships there were tensions and worries - including those about money. Those tensions can lead to mistrust and sexual jealousy.
'It seems you were overcome by your view that she could still be interested sexually in others and be as readily welcoming to conduct an affair with others as she had been with you.
'There is no evidence of that whatsoever, but even if there were, it cannot justify what you did.
'In my judgment this is a case of an unreasonably posessive man killing his lover in a rage.'
Manchester Crown Court was told the couple met in 2009 through playing games of 'social networking poker' on Facebook which in which users play to meet each rather than win any cash.
Both were already in long term relationships but they finished with their respective partners and moved into together at a rented two-bedroom terraced house in Radcliffe, near Bury, Greater Manchester.
Mr Paul Reid QC, prosecuting, said the couple struggled financially with only Joanne working as a security officer at Holy Cross Catholic College in Bury.
Despite Higgs getting a £5,000 windfall from his mother he failed to get a job and the couple were seen arguing outside the college gates.
The murder occurred on April 13 this year the morning after Mrs Kitchen was driven home from work by her daughter Rebecca, 20, who had a boyfriend called Christopher James. At 8.55am a woman waiting a bus stop heard 'a cluster of argumentative screams' from a woman at the couple's home and another man saw Higgs standing bare chested at the window.
The alarm was raised when Ms Kitchen failed to show up for work and Rebecca and her elder sister Belinda, 22, were unable to contact her by phone or text.
The landlord of the house eventually let the two young women in and their mother's body was found in the upstairs room covered by a duvet. Higgs was eventually tracked down to his mother's home in Swindon, Wiltshire.
When informed police wanted to speak to him, Higgs ran off saying: 'I'm off. I can't tell you. I love you and it might be a while before I see you again.'
He was later found by his two brothers staggering around on nearby wasteland near an empty bottle of whisky.
Higgs later told police he and his partner had been on 'good terms', but and tragedy struck when they woke up together in bed.
Mr Reid told the court that in a statement to police 'he described what he says happened. They were having sex and during the course of that she used the name "Chris, harder.'"
'He says that that incensed him and he became angry. He went downstairs to make a cup of coffee and went back upstairs and questioned her about it.
'She said she must have mentioned the name perhaps because he had been there the day before.' Higgs said she told him she had said 'Chris' because Rebecca and her boyfriend Christopher James had given her a lift home the night before and any mention of his name was innocent.
Higgs vowed to check if his partner had any friends called Chris on Facebook but before he did so he grabbed the kitchen knife and stormed back upstairs.
Mr Reid added: 'He described getting more and more angry about it. He described how he stabbed her on the back and stabbing her in the chest, and her saying "you've killed me".
Defending Higgs, Mr Nigel Lickley QC said: 'He has asked me to express to the daughters of Mrs Kitchen and their family, he has taken the life of their mother.
'That is a burden he will have to shoulder for the remainder of his life.'
After sentencing, senior Investigating Officer Vincent Chadwick from Greater Manchester police said: 'What happened today will never bring back Joanne but it does bring some closure for the family.
'If we are to believe Higgs's account of what happened, he erupted with rage following a minor argument. Instead of talking things through he took out a kitchen knife and attacked Joanne from behind. She quite simply never stood a chance.
'Joanne was a popular woman and her murder has deeply affected all of her family and many friends.
'I don't think words can describe Gary Higgs as a person. He has taken away the life of a mother and a grandmother. Two grandchildren will not see their grandmother and that is horrific.'
Ms Kitchen's family said in a statement: 'Joanne was always cheerful and smiling, she would do anything for anyone, so much so that all Rebecca's friends called her mum.
'Her death will leave a massive hole in the family. Things will never be the same again.'
Joanne Kitchen, 41, was making love with 44-year old Gary Higgs in their bedroom when she suddenly cried out: "Chris, harder." Higgs was so enraged he stormed downstairs to the kitchen, grabbed a chef's knife and stabbed his partner once in the back and once in the chest.
Afterwards as she lay dying from her wounds, Higgs throttled the mother of two to death with the electrical flex of their alarm clock.
When police caught up with him he confessed: 'I didn't know exactly what I was thinking. I picked the knife up and carried it upstairs to the bedroom.
'I don't remember thinking I wanted to harm Jo at this time. I was just so mad.
'She was hurting so much. I wanted to end the hurting for her. I got hold of the electrical flex from the alarm clock next to the bed and strangled her to death.
'I am truly deeply sorry for what I have done.'
Today Higgs was jailed for life after pleading guilty to murder. He must serve a minimum of 15 years before he will be considered for release.
Sentencing him, Judge Andrew Gilbart said: 'As can happen in all relationships there were tensions and worries - including those about money. Those tensions can lead to mistrust and sexual jealousy.
'It seems you were overcome by your view that she could still be interested sexually in others and be as readily welcoming to conduct an affair with others as she had been with you.
'There is no evidence of that whatsoever, but even if there were, it cannot justify what you did.
'In my judgment this is a case of an unreasonably posessive man killing his lover in a rage.'
Manchester Crown Court was told the couple met in 2009 through playing games of 'social networking poker' on Facebook which in which users play to meet each rather than win any cash.
Both were already in long term relationships but they finished with their respective partners and moved into together at a rented two-bedroom terraced house in Radcliffe, near Bury, Greater Manchester.
Mr Paul Reid QC, prosecuting, said the couple struggled financially with only Joanne working as a security officer at Holy Cross Catholic College in Bury.
Despite Higgs getting a £5,000 windfall from his mother he failed to get a job and the couple were seen arguing outside the college gates.
The murder occurred on April 13 this year the morning after Mrs Kitchen was driven home from work by her daughter Rebecca, 20, who had a boyfriend called Christopher James. At 8.55am a woman waiting a bus stop heard 'a cluster of argumentative screams' from a woman at the couple's home and another man saw Higgs standing bare chested at the window.
The alarm was raised when Ms Kitchen failed to show up for work and Rebecca and her elder sister Belinda, 22, were unable to contact her by phone or text.
The landlord of the house eventually let the two young women in and their mother's body was found in the upstairs room covered by a duvet. Higgs was eventually tracked down to his mother's home in Swindon, Wiltshire.
When informed police wanted to speak to him, Higgs ran off saying: 'I'm off. I can't tell you. I love you and it might be a while before I see you again.'
He was later found by his two brothers staggering around on nearby wasteland near an empty bottle of whisky.
Higgs later told police he and his partner had been on 'good terms', but and tragedy struck when they woke up together in bed.
Mr Reid told the court that in a statement to police 'he described what he says happened. They were having sex and during the course of that she used the name "Chris, harder.'"
'He says that that incensed him and he became angry. He went downstairs to make a cup of coffee and went back upstairs and questioned her about it.
'She said she must have mentioned the name perhaps because he had been there the day before.' Higgs said she told him she had said 'Chris' because Rebecca and her boyfriend Christopher James had given her a lift home the night before and any mention of his name was innocent.
Higgs vowed to check if his partner had any friends called Chris on Facebook but before he did so he grabbed the kitchen knife and stormed back upstairs.
Mr Reid added: 'He described getting more and more angry about it. He described how he stabbed her on the back and stabbing her in the chest, and her saying "you've killed me".
Defending Higgs, Mr Nigel Lickley QC said: 'He has asked me to express to the daughters of Mrs Kitchen and their family, he has taken the life of their mother.
'That is a burden he will have to shoulder for the remainder of his life.'
After sentencing, senior Investigating Officer Vincent Chadwick from Greater Manchester police said: 'What happened today will never bring back Joanne but it does bring some closure for the family.
'If we are to believe Higgs's account of what happened, he erupted with rage following a minor argument. Instead of talking things through he took out a kitchen knife and attacked Joanne from behind. She quite simply never stood a chance.
'Joanne was a popular woman and her murder has deeply affected all of her family and many friends.
'I don't think words can describe Gary Higgs as a person. He has taken away the life of a mother and a grandmother. Two grandchildren will not see their grandmother and that is horrific.'
Ms Kitchen's family said in a statement: 'Joanne was always cheerful and smiling, she would do anything for anyone, so much so that all Rebecca's friends called her mum.
'Her death will leave a massive hole in the family. Things will never be the same again.'
Justin Bieber Benci Penggemar yang Lebay
Los Angeles Banyak fans ternyata tidak sepenuhnya menyenangkan. Justin Bieber mengaku benci jika ada fansnya yang bertingkah berlebihan kepadanya.
Tingkah berlebihan yang dimaksud Justin seperti saat fansnya berteriak histeris ketika bertemu dengannya. Ia ingin fansnya bertingkah biasa saja jika bertemu dengannya.
"Bicara saja padaku. Tanya kabarku. Lalu perkenalkan saja dirimu daripada berteriak, 'Justin! Justin! Bisakah kita foto bersama?' seperti itu," keluh Justin seperti dilansir Contact Music, Rabu (8/9/2010).
Selain itu, Justin juga tidak suka jika ada penggemar yang mengganggu Justin saat sedang makan. "Dan jangan datang padaku ketika aku sedang makan. Bagaimana seandainya jika aku datang ke rumahmu dan mulai memotret ketika kau sedang makan? Aku benci hal itu, kata pelantun 'Baby' itu.
Popularitas yang ia dapat ternyata tidak membuatnya bahagia. Pria asal Kanada itu lelah dengan semua apa yang ia alami.
"Memang luar biasa melihat orang-orang memakai kaosku, tetapi aku merasa seperti tidak bisa menjauh dari diriku sendiri. Misalnya, aku pergi ke Walmart dan aku baru saja ingin membeli beberapa boxer (celana pendek) dan kaos kaki, tetapi ada posterku ada di mana-mana. Atau ketika laguku diputar di radio, dan ini seperti, 'Aah!'," keluh Justin lagi.
Tingkah berlebihan yang dimaksud Justin seperti saat fansnya berteriak histeris ketika bertemu dengannya. Ia ingin fansnya bertingkah biasa saja jika bertemu dengannya.
"Bicara saja padaku. Tanya kabarku. Lalu perkenalkan saja dirimu daripada berteriak, 'Justin! Justin! Bisakah kita foto bersama?' seperti itu," keluh Justin seperti dilansir Contact Music, Rabu (8/9/2010).
Selain itu, Justin juga tidak suka jika ada penggemar yang mengganggu Justin saat sedang makan. "Dan jangan datang padaku ketika aku sedang makan. Bagaimana seandainya jika aku datang ke rumahmu dan mulai memotret ketika kau sedang makan? Aku benci hal itu, kata pelantun 'Baby' itu.
Popularitas yang ia dapat ternyata tidak membuatnya bahagia. Pria asal Kanada itu lelah dengan semua apa yang ia alami.
"Memang luar biasa melihat orang-orang memakai kaosku, tetapi aku merasa seperti tidak bisa menjauh dari diriku sendiri. Misalnya, aku pergi ke Walmart dan aku baru saja ingin membeli beberapa boxer (celana pendek) dan kaos kaki, tetapi ada posterku ada di mana-mana. Atau ketika laguku diputar di radio, dan ini seperti, 'Aah!'," keluh Justin lagi.
Partai Demokrat Kembali Cium Aroma Reshuffle Kabinet
Jakarta - Partai Demokrat mendengar informasi adanya reshuffle kabinet sebagai agenda evaluasi pemerintahan SBY-Boediono. Sebelmnya SBY pernah menjanjikan akan melakukan evaluasi tahunan untuk efektivitas pemerintahan.
"Saya mendengar itu (reshuffle), tapi sulit dikonfirmasi kan," ujar anggota Dewan Pembina PD Ahmad Mubarok kepada detikcom, Rabu (8/9/2010).
Mubarok menuturkan, SBY sebagai presiden memiliki wewenang penuh mengambil langkah evaluasi. Reshuffle kabinet juga masuk hak prerogatif presiden yang tidak boleh diganggu gugat.
"Itu menjadi rahasia Pak SBY," kata Mubarok.
Hal senada disampaikan Wakil Ketua Umum PD Max Sopacua. Menurut Max, evaluasi dalam pemerintahan adalah hal yang wajar saja.
"Tentu ada evaluasi untuk meningkatkan kualitas," ujar Max.
Namun Max mengaku belum mendengar adanya reshuffle kabinet menjelang satu tahun masa kerja Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu II.
"Apakah ada reshuffle itu dikembalikan kepada Pak SBY sebagai Presiden," tutupnya.
Belakangan sejumlah Kementerian dikritik keras telah gagal menjalankan tugas. Menlu terus diprotes publik karena dinilai gagal menunjukkan diplomasi keras terhadap Malaysia, Menakertrans dinilai gagal melindungi TKI di Malaysia, dan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan terus bermasalah terkait penangkapan nelayan di perbatasan Malaysia. Belum lagi isu asmara yang sempat mendera Menhub dan Menteri ESDM.
Sementara itu, Unit Kerja Presiden Bidang Pengawasan dan Pengendalian Pembangunan (UKP4) yang bertugas mengawasi kinerja menteri, menyebut ada tiga kementerian yang mendapat rapor merah, yaitu Kemenkum HAM, Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum dan Kemenkominfo.
"Saya mendengar itu (reshuffle), tapi sulit dikonfirmasi kan," ujar anggota Dewan Pembina PD Ahmad Mubarok kepada detikcom, Rabu (8/9/2010).
Mubarok menuturkan, SBY sebagai presiden memiliki wewenang penuh mengambil langkah evaluasi. Reshuffle kabinet juga masuk hak prerogatif presiden yang tidak boleh diganggu gugat.
"Itu menjadi rahasia Pak SBY," kata Mubarok.
Hal senada disampaikan Wakil Ketua Umum PD Max Sopacua. Menurut Max, evaluasi dalam pemerintahan adalah hal yang wajar saja.
"Tentu ada evaluasi untuk meningkatkan kualitas," ujar Max.
Namun Max mengaku belum mendengar adanya reshuffle kabinet menjelang satu tahun masa kerja Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu II.
"Apakah ada reshuffle itu dikembalikan kepada Pak SBY sebagai Presiden," tutupnya.
Belakangan sejumlah Kementerian dikritik keras telah gagal menjalankan tugas. Menlu terus diprotes publik karena dinilai gagal menunjukkan diplomasi keras terhadap Malaysia, Menakertrans dinilai gagal melindungi TKI di Malaysia, dan Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan terus bermasalah terkait penangkapan nelayan di perbatasan Malaysia. Belum lagi isu asmara yang sempat mendera Menhub dan Menteri ESDM.
Sementara itu, Unit Kerja Presiden Bidang Pengawasan dan Pengendalian Pembangunan (UKP4) yang bertugas mengawasi kinerja menteri, menyebut ada tiga kementerian yang mendapat rapor merah, yaitu Kemenkum HAM, Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum dan Kemenkominfo.
Using Facebook Can Lower Exam Results
It is what parents of teenagers who 'revise' in front of the computer have long feared. Students who use Facebook while they study get significantly lower grades than those who do not, according to psychologists.
A study has found that the exam results of those who used the social networking site while working, even if it was on in the background, were 20 per cent lower than non-users. Researchers say the findings undermine the theory that young people's brains are better at multitasking on digital gadgets.
Study author Professor Paul Kirschner said: 'The problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their emails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out other tasks.
'Our study, and other previous work, suggests that while people may think constant task-switching allows them to get more done in less time, the reality is it extends the amount of time needed to carry out tasks and leads to more mistakes.'
His team studied 219 students aged between 19 and 54 at an American university. The Facebook users among them had a typical grade point average - a score from zero up to four - of 3.06. Non-users had an average GPA of 3.82.
Those who did not use the site also said they devoted more time to studying, spending an average of 88 per cent longer working outside class. Three quarters of the Facebook users said they didn't believe spending time on the site affected their academic performance.
But most of the remaining quarter admitted it had a harmful effect, with many saying it made them put off their work. Professor Kirschner said that he expected to see similar results in younger pupils.
He also said he was not 'demonising' Facebook and pointed to the distracting nature of all social networking.
'We should resist the fashionable views of educational gurus that children can multi-task, and that we should adapt our education systems accordingly to keep up with the times,' he said.
The study by the psychologist from the Open University in the Netherlands will be published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour. It will compound fears over the superficial approach that experts say is encouraged by an increasingly distracting online world that promotes multi-tasking.
In the influential book The Shallows, Nicholas Carr argues the internet has given rise to 'cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking and superficial learning'.
A study has found that the exam results of those who used the social networking site while working, even if it was on in the background, were 20 per cent lower than non-users. Researchers say the findings undermine the theory that young people's brains are better at multitasking on digital gadgets.
Study author Professor Paul Kirschner said: 'The problem is that most people have Facebook or other social networking sites, their emails and maybe instant messaging constantly running in the background while they are carrying out other tasks.
'Our study, and other previous work, suggests that while people may think constant task-switching allows them to get more done in less time, the reality is it extends the amount of time needed to carry out tasks and leads to more mistakes.'
His team studied 219 students aged between 19 and 54 at an American university. The Facebook users among them had a typical grade point average - a score from zero up to four - of 3.06. Non-users had an average GPA of 3.82.
Those who did not use the site also said they devoted more time to studying, spending an average of 88 per cent longer working outside class. Three quarters of the Facebook users said they didn't believe spending time on the site affected their academic performance.
But most of the remaining quarter admitted it had a harmful effect, with many saying it made them put off their work. Professor Kirschner said that he expected to see similar results in younger pupils.
He also said he was not 'demonising' Facebook and pointed to the distracting nature of all social networking.
'We should resist the fashionable views of educational gurus that children can multi-task, and that we should adapt our education systems accordingly to keep up with the times,' he said.
The study by the psychologist from the Open University in the Netherlands will be published in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour. It will compound fears over the superficial approach that experts say is encouraged by an increasingly distracting online world that promotes multi-tasking.
In the influential book The Shallows, Nicholas Carr argues the internet has given rise to 'cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking and superficial learning'.
Ensuring Safety of Travelers Welcoming Lebaran Day
Bus drivers and crew are obliged to under urine tests by the Sukabumi health service during the Idul Fitri Islamic holiday exodus.
The urine tests are necessary to ensure safety for hundreds of travelers using public buses at the Sukabumi terminal daily, dr Wahyu Handrianan, emergency handling coordinator of the Sukabumi health service, said here Tuesday.
"The from the results of urine tests, we could judge whether the drivers are fit to drive or not," he said.
The urine tests could detect illicit drugs consumed by the drivers, he said.
"The device is able to detect chemical substances inside the body. Even if a driver took illicit drug a week ago, it will still be detected," he said.
Exhausted drivers or those detected of having consumed illicit drugs are not allowed to drive in order to prevent possible traffic accidents. In Bekasi, also West Java Province, hundreds of bus drivers underwent urine tests last Thursday, for Idul Fitri holiday transportation safety.
Bekasi city administration spokesman Supandi Budiman at the side lines of urine test at Bekasi bus terminal said the move was intended to reduce traffic accident during Idul Fitri exodus.
"In many cases, drunk and psychotropic drug possessed drivers are the main cause of traffic accident, and therefore the urine test is conducted to ensure travel security and safety," he said.
Supandi said the urine test for the bus drivers was conducted by Bekasi Narcotic Board in cooperation with West Java Narcotic Board and Bekasi transportation office
The urine tests are necessary to ensure safety for hundreds of travelers using public buses at the Sukabumi terminal daily, dr Wahyu Handrianan, emergency handling coordinator of the Sukabumi health service, said here Tuesday.
"The from the results of urine tests, we could judge whether the drivers are fit to drive or not," he said.
The urine tests could detect illicit drugs consumed by the drivers, he said.
"The device is able to detect chemical substances inside the body. Even if a driver took illicit drug a week ago, it will still be detected," he said.
Exhausted drivers or those detected of having consumed illicit drugs are not allowed to drive in order to prevent possible traffic accidents. In Bekasi, also West Java Province, hundreds of bus drivers underwent urine tests last Thursday, for Idul Fitri holiday transportation safety.
Bekasi city administration spokesman Supandi Budiman at the side lines of urine test at Bekasi bus terminal said the move was intended to reduce traffic accident during Idul Fitri exodus.
"In many cases, drunk and psychotropic drug possessed drivers are the main cause of traffic accident, and therefore the urine test is conducted to ensure travel security and safety," he said.
Supandi said the urine test for the bus drivers was conducted by Bekasi Narcotic Board in cooperation with West Java Narcotic Board and Bekasi transportation office
Motorcycles Dominate Traffic on Yogyakarta-Purworejo Route
Motorcycles have dominated traffic along Yogyakarta-Purworejo route, with at least 19.053 motorbikes passed the area last Friday and Saturday.
"Some 19,053 motorbikes passed this route, while there were also 9,085 private cars, 747 public buses, and 156 rural minibuses," Suparlan of the Kulon Progo communication and information office, said here Monday.
Between 6 and 7 am local time, which was the peak hour, about 889 motorcycles passed the route, and between 4 and 5 pm, there were around 880 motorcycles per hour.
He expected the massive exodus would reach the peak on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Idul Fitri Islamic Festivity will fall on Friday
"Some 19,053 motorbikes passed this route, while there were also 9,085 private cars, 747 public buses, and 156 rural minibuses," Suparlan of the Kulon Progo communication and information office, said here Monday.
Between 6 and 7 am local time, which was the peak hour, about 889 motorcycles passed the route, and between 4 and 5 pm, there were around 880 motorcycles per hour.
He expected the massive exodus would reach the peak on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Idul Fitri Islamic Festivity will fall on Friday
Indonesian Volcano Unleashes Violent Eruption
An Indonesian volcano that returned to life after four centuries of inactivity threw an ash cloud thousands of metres into the air Tuesday in its most most violent eruption yet.
Witnesses said lava, rock, ash and gas shot into the sky from the crater of 2,460-metre (8,000 feet) Mount Sinabung in northern Sumatra shortly after midnight. The eruption lasted five minutes and was felt about eight kilometres (five miles) away.
“Its latest eruption was double the previous outburst and we recorded a tower of ash reaching 5,000 metres,” government volcanologist Agus Budianto told AFP.
More than 20,000 people have fled their homes since the volcano first erupted late August and remain in emergency shelters. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the area on Monday and asked displaced people to be patient.
“Sinabung is very active with a series of eruptions. For your safety please stay in the shelter for the time being.... I hope it will not last very long,” he said.
With each new eruption, concern grows for those villagers who have stayed on the mountain to guard their homes or tend to their crops. Anto Sembiring, 37, said his family had gone to a shelter but he had stayed to take care of their house, which is inside a six-kilometre exclusion zone around the mountain.
“I’m worried about my future. The volcano seems unwilling to stay calm,” he told AFP.
“My children haven’t gone to school for almost two weeks and they have to stay in the crowded shelter in unhealthy conditions.” Volcanologists said Sinabung’s long dormant period had made it highly unpredictable.
The sprawling Indonesian archipelago has 69 active volcanoes with histories of eruptions and straddles major seismic fault-lines in a region known as the
“Pacific Ring of Fire”. Four people disappeared last month after the 1,784-metre Mount Karangetang erupted on the island of Siau, North Sulawesi province.
Volcanoes have killed scores of thousands of Indonesians over the past 200 years, including more than 70,000 in the 1815 eruption of Mount Tomboro on the island of Sumbawa. Mount Sinabung is near Lake Toba, a 100-kilometre long volcanic crater that some archaeologists believe was the site of an eruption that almost wiped out the human race when it erupted 69,000-77,000 years ago.
Witnesses said lava, rock, ash and gas shot into the sky from the crater of 2,460-metre (8,000 feet) Mount Sinabung in northern Sumatra shortly after midnight. The eruption lasted five minutes and was felt about eight kilometres (five miles) away.
“Its latest eruption was double the previous outburst and we recorded a tower of ash reaching 5,000 metres,” government volcanologist Agus Budianto told AFP.
More than 20,000 people have fled their homes since the volcano first erupted late August and remain in emergency shelters. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the area on Monday and asked displaced people to be patient.
“Sinabung is very active with a series of eruptions. For your safety please stay in the shelter for the time being.... I hope it will not last very long,” he said.
With each new eruption, concern grows for those villagers who have stayed on the mountain to guard their homes or tend to their crops. Anto Sembiring, 37, said his family had gone to a shelter but he had stayed to take care of their house, which is inside a six-kilometre exclusion zone around the mountain.
“I’m worried about my future. The volcano seems unwilling to stay calm,” he told AFP.
“My children haven’t gone to school for almost two weeks and they have to stay in the crowded shelter in unhealthy conditions.” Volcanologists said Sinabung’s long dormant period had made it highly unpredictable.
The sprawling Indonesian archipelago has 69 active volcanoes with histories of eruptions and straddles major seismic fault-lines in a region known as the
“Pacific Ring of Fire”. Four people disappeared last month after the 1,784-metre Mount Karangetang erupted on the island of Siau, North Sulawesi province.
Volcanoes have killed scores of thousands of Indonesians over the past 200 years, including more than 70,000 in the 1815 eruption of Mount Tomboro on the island of Sumbawa. Mount Sinabung is near Lake Toba, a 100-kilometre long volcanic crater that some archaeologists believe was the site of an eruption that almost wiped out the human race when it erupted 69,000-77,000 years ago.
Burning Quran Endangers Troops
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that an American church's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book the Quran could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide.
"Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Gen. David Petraeus said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
His comments followed a protest Monday by hundreds of Afghans over the plans by Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center — an evangelical Christian church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy — to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States that provoked the Afghan war.
Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and insist that it be treated with the utmost respect, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is deeply offensive.
In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Quran in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.
At Monday's protest, several hundred Afghans rallied outside a Kabul mosque, burning American flags and an effigy of Dove World's pastor and chanting "death to America." Members of the crowd briefly pelted a passing U.S. military convoy with stones, but were ordered to stop by rally organizers.
Two days earlier, thousands of Indonesian Muslims had rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and in five other cities to protest the church's plans.
Petraeus warned images of burning Qurans could be used to incite anti-American sentiments similar to the pictures of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Graib (ah-booh GRABE) prison.
"I am very concerned by the potential repercussions of the possible (Quran) burning. Even the rumor that it might take place has sparked demonstrations such as the one that took place in Kabul yesterday," Petraeus said in his message. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement condemning the church's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups."
Dove World Outreach Center, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has been denied a permit to set a bonfire but has vowed to proceed with the burning.
A surge in troop deployments has brought the number of U.S. forces battling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan to about 100,000 and Petraeus is asking for 2,000 more soldiers to join the 140,000-strong international force here, NATO officials said Monday. It was unclear how many would be Americans.
Coalition officials said nearly half will be trainers for the rapidly expanding Afghan security forces and will include troops trained to neutralize roadside bombs that have been responsible for about 60 percent of the 2,000 allied deaths in the nearly 9-year war.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to talk about the issue with media, said the NATO-led command had been asking for the troops even before Gen. David Petraeus assumed command here in July.
Petraeus recently renewed that request with the NATO command in Brussels. The alliance has had trouble raising more troops for the war effort, with at least 450 training slots still unfilled after more than a year.
With casualties rising, the war has become deeply unpopular in many of NATO's 28 member countries, suggesting the additional forces will have to come from the United States. In Europe, polls show the majority of voters consider it an unnecessary drain on finances at a time of sharp cuts in public spending and other austerity measures.
"Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Gen. David Petraeus said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
His comments followed a protest Monday by hundreds of Afghans over the plans by Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center — an evangelical Christian church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy — to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States that provoked the Afghan war.
Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and insist that it be treated with the utmost respect, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is deeply offensive.
In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Quran in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.
At Monday's protest, several hundred Afghans rallied outside a Kabul mosque, burning American flags and an effigy of Dove World's pastor and chanting "death to America." Members of the crowd briefly pelted a passing U.S. military convoy with stones, but were ordered to stop by rally organizers.
Two days earlier, thousands of Indonesian Muslims had rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and in five other cities to protest the church's plans.
Petraeus warned images of burning Qurans could be used to incite anti-American sentiments similar to the pictures of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Graib (ah-booh GRABE) prison.
"I am very concerned by the potential repercussions of the possible (Quran) burning. Even the rumor that it might take place has sparked demonstrations such as the one that took place in Kabul yesterday," Petraeus said in his message. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement condemning the church's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups."
Dove World Outreach Center, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has been denied a permit to set a bonfire but has vowed to proceed with the burning.
A surge in troop deployments has brought the number of U.S. forces battling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan to about 100,000 and Petraeus is asking for 2,000 more soldiers to join the 140,000-strong international force here, NATO officials said Monday. It was unclear how many would be Americans.
Coalition officials said nearly half will be trainers for the rapidly expanding Afghan security forces and will include troops trained to neutralize roadside bombs that have been responsible for about 60 percent of the 2,000 allied deaths in the nearly 9-year war.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to talk about the issue with media, said the NATO-led command had been asking for the troops even before Gen. David Petraeus assumed command here in July.
Petraeus recently renewed that request with the NATO command in Brussels. The alliance has had trouble raising more troops for the war effort, with at least 450 training slots still unfilled after more than a year.
With casualties rising, the war has become deeply unpopular in many of NATO's 28 member countries, suggesting the additional forces will have to come from the United States. In Europe, polls show the majority of voters consider it an unnecessary drain on finances at a time of sharp cuts in public spending and other austerity measures.
Ensuring Safety of Travelers Welcoming Lebaran Day
Bus drivers and crew are obliged to under urine tests by the Sukabumi health service during the Idul Fitri Islamic holiday exodus.
The urine tests are necessary to ensure safety for hundreds of travelers using public buses at the Sukabumi terminal daily, dr Wahyu Handrianan, emergency handling coordinator of the Sukabumi health service, said here Tuesday.
"The from the results of urine tests, we could judge whether the drivers are fit to drive or not," he said.
The urine tests could detect illicit drugs consumed by the drivers, he said.
"The device is able to detect chemical substances inside the body. Even if a driver took illicit drug a week ago, it will still be detected," he said.
Exhausted drivers or those detected of having consumed illicit drugs are not allowed to drive in order to prevent possible traffic accidents. In Bekasi, also West Java Province, hundreds of bus drivers underwent urine tests last Thursday, for Idul Fitri holiday transportation safety.
Bekasi city administration spokesman Supandi Budiman at the side lines of urine test at Bekasi bus terminal said the move was intended to reduce traffic accident during Idul Fitri exodus.
"In many cases, drunk and psychotropic drug possessed drivers are the main cause of traffic accident, and therefore the urine test is conducted to ensure travel security and safety," he said.
Supandi said the urine test for the bus drivers was conducted by Bekasi Narcotic Board in cooperation with West Java Narcotic Board and Bekasi transportation office.
The urine tests are necessary to ensure safety for hundreds of travelers using public buses at the Sukabumi terminal daily, dr Wahyu Handrianan, emergency handling coordinator of the Sukabumi health service, said here Tuesday.
"The from the results of urine tests, we could judge whether the drivers are fit to drive or not," he said.
The urine tests could detect illicit drugs consumed by the drivers, he said.
"The device is able to detect chemical substances inside the body. Even if a driver took illicit drug a week ago, it will still be detected," he said.
Exhausted drivers or those detected of having consumed illicit drugs are not allowed to drive in order to prevent possible traffic accidents. In Bekasi, also West Java Province, hundreds of bus drivers underwent urine tests last Thursday, for Idul Fitri holiday transportation safety.
Bekasi city administration spokesman Supandi Budiman at the side lines of urine test at Bekasi bus terminal said the move was intended to reduce traffic accident during Idul Fitri exodus.
"In many cases, drunk and psychotropic drug possessed drivers are the main cause of traffic accident, and therefore the urine test is conducted to ensure travel security and safety," he said.
Supandi said the urine test for the bus drivers was conducted by Bekasi Narcotic Board in cooperation with West Java Narcotic Board and Bekasi transportation office.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Menhub Diberitakan Selingkuh, PD Tolak Komentar
Jakarta - Lagi-lagi isu skandal asmara menteri dari Partai Demokrat mencuat. Setelah Menteri ESDM Darwin Zahedy Saleh, kini Menteri Perhubungan Freddy Numberi disebut-sebut selingkuh dengan seorang reporter TV. Partai Demokrat tak mau menanggapi isu yang belum jelas buktinya.
"Saya nggak tahu itu. Kalau Menteri ESDM saya sudah ketemu saya, katanya nggak ada itu. Itu pembunuhan karakter," ujar anggota Dewan Pembina Partai Demokrat Ahmad Mubarok, Kamis (2/9/2010).
Menurut Mubarok, dalam kasus ini Demokrat tidak bisa masuk ke ranah pemberian sanksi. Karena Freddy Numberi sendiri masuk ke Demokrat setelah menjadi menteri dan langsung menjadi Dewan Pembina. Domain Dewan Pembina diberikan langsung kepada Ketua Dewan Pembina Demokrat, SBY. Demokrat pun belum ada upaya untuk menyelidiki kebenaran isu skandal asmara Freddy tersebut.
"Kita nggak mau menyelidiki aktif soal ini. Tidak mau sok moralis. Tapi kalau itu nyata dan menjadi domain publik, kita tidak pernah tolerir," ujarnya.
Wakil Ketua Umum Partai Demokrat Max Sopacua juga tak mau menanggapi isu yang disebutnya belum jelas keakuratannya tersebut.
"Saya sama sekali tidak mendengar hal itu. Saya nggak mau menanggapi. Saya kira kita tidak bisa menanggapi berita itu sebagai berita. Itu termasuk fitnah," ujar Max saat dihubungi detikcom.
Menurut Max, sebelumnya menteri dari Demokrat yakni Menteri ESDM juga disebut-sebut punya skandal asmara, namun itu hanya sebatas isu dan tidak ada bukti hingga kini. Isu skandal seperti ini dinilai hanya untuk menyudutkan posisi seseorang.
"Demokrat nggak mau menanggapi itu. Nggak ada datanya, nggak ada buktinya. Hanya fitnah. Kasihan orangnya," ujarnya.
Isu selingkuh itu mencuat situs Rakyat Merdeka Online edisi Kamis 1 September dengan judul "Pengakuan Istri, Menteri Freddy Numberi Selingkuh dengan Wartawati".
Hari ini Freddy Numberi telah menyangkal pengakuan istrinya itu. "Itu nggak usah dikomentarilah," ujarnya di dua tempat terpisah, kantor wapres dan di kantor presiden.
"Saya nggak tahu itu. Kalau Menteri ESDM saya sudah ketemu saya, katanya nggak ada itu. Itu pembunuhan karakter," ujar anggota Dewan Pembina Partai Demokrat Ahmad Mubarok, Kamis (2/9/2010).
Menurut Mubarok, dalam kasus ini Demokrat tidak bisa masuk ke ranah pemberian sanksi. Karena Freddy Numberi sendiri masuk ke Demokrat setelah menjadi menteri dan langsung menjadi Dewan Pembina. Domain Dewan Pembina diberikan langsung kepada Ketua Dewan Pembina Demokrat, SBY. Demokrat pun belum ada upaya untuk menyelidiki kebenaran isu skandal asmara Freddy tersebut.
"Kita nggak mau menyelidiki aktif soal ini. Tidak mau sok moralis. Tapi kalau itu nyata dan menjadi domain publik, kita tidak pernah tolerir," ujarnya.
Wakil Ketua Umum Partai Demokrat Max Sopacua juga tak mau menanggapi isu yang disebutnya belum jelas keakuratannya tersebut.
"Saya sama sekali tidak mendengar hal itu. Saya nggak mau menanggapi. Saya kira kita tidak bisa menanggapi berita itu sebagai berita. Itu termasuk fitnah," ujar Max saat dihubungi detikcom.
Menurut Max, sebelumnya menteri dari Demokrat yakni Menteri ESDM juga disebut-sebut punya skandal asmara, namun itu hanya sebatas isu dan tidak ada bukti hingga kini. Isu skandal seperti ini dinilai hanya untuk menyudutkan posisi seseorang.
"Demokrat nggak mau menanggapi itu. Nggak ada datanya, nggak ada buktinya. Hanya fitnah. Kasihan orangnya," ujarnya.
Isu selingkuh itu mencuat situs Rakyat Merdeka Online edisi Kamis 1 September dengan judul "Pengakuan Istri, Menteri Freddy Numberi Selingkuh dengan Wartawati".
Hari ini Freddy Numberi telah menyangkal pengakuan istrinya itu. "Itu nggak usah dikomentarilah," ujarnya di dua tempat terpisah, kantor wapres dan di kantor presiden.
God Did NOT Create The Universe
The universe was not created by God, scientist Stephen Hawking has said in his new book. Professor Hawking believes the laws of physics were behind the Big Bang instead, in a challenge to traditional religious beliefs.
In The Grand Design, extracts of which were printed today, Prof Hawking concludes: 'Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.
'Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.
'It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.'
The book, co-written by American physicist Leonard Mlodinow and published on September 9, sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton's belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have created out of chaos. He cites the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun.
'That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions - the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass - far less remarkable, and far less compelling as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings.'
Prof Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe, writing in A Brief History Of Time in 1988: 'If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we should know the mind of God.'
He also leaves open the possibility of life on other planets and entire new universes - the so-called 'multiverse'. And he suggests that a complex form of theoretical; physics known as M-theory, a form of string theory, could be the 'holy grail' that will explain everything in the known universe.
Physicists have long sought after a universal theory that unites quantum theory, matter at the sub-atomic level, with gravity which explains how objects interact.
He says: 'M-theory is the unified theory Einstein was hoping to find. The fact that we human beings - who are ourselves mere collections of fundamental particles of nature - have been able to come this close to an understanding of the laws governing us and our universe is a triumph'.
Last month Professor Hawking has warned that unless the human race colonises space within two centuries it will disappear forever. He said that our only chance for long-term survival is to move away from Earth and begin to inhabit far-flung planets.
In an interview with the website Big Think, Professor Hawking said he was an optimist but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if humans were to survive.
In The Grand Design, extracts of which were printed today, Prof Hawking concludes: 'Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.
'Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.
'It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.'
The book, co-written by American physicist Leonard Mlodinow and published on September 9, sets out to contest Sir Isaac Newton's belief that the universe must have been designed by God as it could not have created out of chaos. He cites the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting a star other than our Sun.
'That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions - the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass - far less remarkable, and far less compelling as evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings.'
Prof Hawking had previously appeared to accept the role of God in the creation of the universe, writing in A Brief History Of Time in 1988: 'If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we should know the mind of God.'
He also leaves open the possibility of life on other planets and entire new universes - the so-called 'multiverse'. And he suggests that a complex form of theoretical; physics known as M-theory, a form of string theory, could be the 'holy grail' that will explain everything in the known universe.
Physicists have long sought after a universal theory that unites quantum theory, matter at the sub-atomic level, with gravity which explains how objects interact.
He says: 'M-theory is the unified theory Einstein was hoping to find. The fact that we human beings - who are ourselves mere collections of fundamental particles of nature - have been able to come this close to an understanding of the laws governing us and our universe is a triumph'.
Last month Professor Hawking has warned that unless the human race colonises space within two centuries it will disappear forever. He said that our only chance for long-term survival is to move away from Earth and begin to inhabit far-flung planets.
In an interview with the website Big Think, Professor Hawking said he was an optimist but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if humans were to survive.
nsiden Buol Ketua Adat Buol Minta Kapolres Dicopot
Wakil Kepala Polri Komjen Jusuf Manggabarani, Kamis (2/8/2010) siang, menemui sejumlah keluarga korban tewas akibat bentrok warga dan polisi yang terjadi dalam dua hari terakhir.
"Wakapolri menemui seluruh keluarga korban, baik yang tewas maupun yang mengalami luka-luka," kata Kepala Divisi Humas Polda Sulteng Komisaris Kahar Muzakir, di Buol, Sulawesi Tengah.
Pertemuan itu berlangsung di Gedung Angkasa, Jl Syarif Mansyur, Kelurahan Leok Satu, Buol, tepat di belakang rumah jabatan Bupati Buol. Pertemuan juga dihadiri oleh sejumlah tokoh masyarakat, agama, perempuan dan Unsur Musyawarah Pimpinan Daerah Kabupaten Buol serta Gubernur Sulawesi Tengah HB Palidju.
Wakapolri meminta masyarakat setempat agar bersama-sama menyelesaikan masalah yang terjadi di buol saat ini. "Mari bersama menyatukan persepsi untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini," kata dia, pada pertemuan dengan keluarga korban itu.
Dia juga mengimbau agar seluruh lapisan masyarakat melihat hal ini dengan akal sehat, agar tidak ada lagi masyarakat yang terprovokasi yang sengaja membenturkan polisi dan masyarakat. "Jangan ada masyarakat yang terprovokasi," ujar dia.
Dalam pertemuan itu, Ketua Adat Buol Ibrahim Turungku menyamikan pernyataan sikap masyarkat Buol yang merasa tersinggung oleh ucapan seorang polisi sebelum insiden penembakan terjadi.
Pada kesempatan itu, Ibrahim Tungku meminta Wakapolri untuk memecat Kapolda Sulteng, Kapolres dan Wakapolres Buol, serta Kepala Satuan lalu Lintas Polres Buol.
Menurut Ibrahim, beberapa petinggi polisi itu harus dipecat karena dalam tugasnya tidak menjalankan sesuai prosedur lembaga.
Hingga saat ini belum didapat kesimpulan hasil pertemuan Wakapolri dan tokoh masyarakat Buol beserta keluarga korban tewas akibat luka tembak atas insiden yang terjadi di Buol selama dua hari terakhir.
Wakapolri tiba di Bandara Pogogul Buol, sekitar pukul 11.30 WITA dengan menggunakan pesawat jenis casa milik Polri. Informasi yang dihimpun di RSU Daerah, jumlah korban tewas masih tujuh orang. Mereka adalah Amran Abjalu, Rasyid S Jopori, Herman Hasan, Ridwan D Majo, Arfan Salakea, Saktipan, Muslimin Ashora. Sedangkan korban dirawat masih 22 orang.
"Wakapolri menemui seluruh keluarga korban, baik yang tewas maupun yang mengalami luka-luka," kata Kepala Divisi Humas Polda Sulteng Komisaris Kahar Muzakir, di Buol, Sulawesi Tengah.
Pertemuan itu berlangsung di Gedung Angkasa, Jl Syarif Mansyur, Kelurahan Leok Satu, Buol, tepat di belakang rumah jabatan Bupati Buol. Pertemuan juga dihadiri oleh sejumlah tokoh masyarakat, agama, perempuan dan Unsur Musyawarah Pimpinan Daerah Kabupaten Buol serta Gubernur Sulawesi Tengah HB Palidju.
Wakapolri meminta masyarakat setempat agar bersama-sama menyelesaikan masalah yang terjadi di buol saat ini. "Mari bersama menyatukan persepsi untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini," kata dia, pada pertemuan dengan keluarga korban itu.
Dia juga mengimbau agar seluruh lapisan masyarakat melihat hal ini dengan akal sehat, agar tidak ada lagi masyarakat yang terprovokasi yang sengaja membenturkan polisi dan masyarakat. "Jangan ada masyarakat yang terprovokasi," ujar dia.
Dalam pertemuan itu, Ketua Adat Buol Ibrahim Turungku menyamikan pernyataan sikap masyarkat Buol yang merasa tersinggung oleh ucapan seorang polisi sebelum insiden penembakan terjadi.
Pada kesempatan itu, Ibrahim Tungku meminta Wakapolri untuk memecat Kapolda Sulteng, Kapolres dan Wakapolres Buol, serta Kepala Satuan lalu Lintas Polres Buol.
Menurut Ibrahim, beberapa petinggi polisi itu harus dipecat karena dalam tugasnya tidak menjalankan sesuai prosedur lembaga.
Hingga saat ini belum didapat kesimpulan hasil pertemuan Wakapolri dan tokoh masyarakat Buol beserta keluarga korban tewas akibat luka tembak atas insiden yang terjadi di Buol selama dua hari terakhir.
Wakapolri tiba di Bandara Pogogul Buol, sekitar pukul 11.30 WITA dengan menggunakan pesawat jenis casa milik Polri. Informasi yang dihimpun di RSU Daerah, jumlah korban tewas masih tujuh orang. Mereka adalah Amran Abjalu, Rasyid S Jopori, Herman Hasan, Ridwan D Majo, Arfan Salakea, Saktipan, Muslimin Ashora. Sedangkan korban dirawat masih 22 orang.
Kasus Traveller Cheque Inilah 26 Politisi Tersangka Baru
Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi menetapkan 26 anggota Komisi IX Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat periode 1999-2004 sebagai tersangka dugaan penerimaan cek perjalanan dalam pemilihan Deputi Gubernur Senior Bank Indonesia, yang dimenangi Miranda S Goeltom, tahun 2004.
Wakil Ketua KPK Bibit Samad Rianto, bersama Pelaksana Tugas Direktur Penyidikan KPK Ferry Wibisono, mengumumkan penetapan 26 tersangka baru itu, Rabu (1/9/2010) di Jakarta. Sebanyak 14 tersangka berasal dari Fraksi Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (F-PDIP), 10 orang dari Fraksi Partai Golkar, dan 2 orang dari Fraksi Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (F-PPP).
Inilah nama-nama anggota DPR yang ditetapkan sebagai tersangka:
No
Nama
Partai
Menerima Uang Sebesar
1
Ahmad Hafiz Zamawi
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
2
Marthin Bria Seran
Golkar
Rp 250 juta
3
Paskah Suzetta
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
4
Boby Suhardiman
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
5
Antony Zeidra Abidin
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
6
TM Nurlif
Golkar
Rp 550 juta
7
Asep Ruchimat Sudjana
Golkar
Rp 150 juta
8
Reza Kamarulla
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
9
Baharuddin Aritonang
Golkar
Rp 350 juta
10
Hengky Baramuli
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
11
Agus Condro Prayitno
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
12
Max Moein
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
13
Rusman Lumbantoruan
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
14
Poltak Sitorus
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
15
Willeim Tutuarima
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
16
Panda Nababan
PDI-P
Rp 1,4 miliar
17
Engelina Pattiasina
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
18
Muhammad Iqbal
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
19
Budiningsih
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
20
Jeffrey Tongas Lumban
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
21
Ni LUh Mariani T
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
22
Sutanto Pranoto
PDI-P
Rp 600 juta
23
Soewarno
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
24
Mathoes Pormes
PDI-P
Rp 350 juta
25
Sofyan Usman
PDI-P
Rp 250 juta
26
Danial Tanjung
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
Terkait penetapan tersangka, jelas Bibit, KPK telah mengeluarkan surat perintah penyidikan tertanggal 27 Agustus 2010. Ke-26 tersangka itu dibagi dalam enam kelompok penyidikan. Mereka disangka melanggar Undang-Undang Nomor 31 Tahun 1999, yang diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2001, tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Korupsi serta Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP).
Sebelumnya, KPK mengirimkan empat anggota DPR periode 1999-2004, yaitu Dudhie Makmun Murod (F-PDIP), Hamka Yandhu (F-Partai Golkar), Endin AJ Soefihara (F-PPP), dan Udju Djuhaeri (Fraksi TNI/Polri), ke persidangan terkait kasus pemilihan Deputi Gubernur Senior BI. Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi menghukum dua tahun penjara untuk Dudhie, Hamka, dan Udju. Endin divonis 15 bulan, tetapi diperberat oleh Pengadilan Tinggi DKI Jakarta menjadi dua tahun penjara.
Dari persidangan di Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi terungkap, sebanyak 39 anggota Komisi IX DPR periode 1999-2004 menerima cek perjalanan senilai Rp 20,65 miliar.
Wakil Ketua KPK Bibit Samad Rianto, bersama Pelaksana Tugas Direktur Penyidikan KPK Ferry Wibisono, mengumumkan penetapan 26 tersangka baru itu, Rabu (1/9/2010) di Jakarta. Sebanyak 14 tersangka berasal dari Fraksi Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan (F-PDIP), 10 orang dari Fraksi Partai Golkar, dan 2 orang dari Fraksi Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (F-PPP).
Inilah nama-nama anggota DPR yang ditetapkan sebagai tersangka:
No
Nama
Partai
Menerima Uang Sebesar
1
Ahmad Hafiz Zamawi
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
2
Marthin Bria Seran
Golkar
Rp 250 juta
3
Paskah Suzetta
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
4
Boby Suhardiman
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
5
Antony Zeidra Abidin
Golkar
Rp 600 juta
6
TM Nurlif
Golkar
Rp 550 juta
7
Asep Ruchimat Sudjana
Golkar
Rp 150 juta
8
Reza Kamarulla
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
9
Baharuddin Aritonang
Golkar
Rp 350 juta
10
Hengky Baramuli
Golkar
Rp 500 juta
11
Agus Condro Prayitno
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
12
Max Moein
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
13
Rusman Lumbantoruan
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
14
Poltak Sitorus
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
15
Willeim Tutuarima
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
16
Panda Nababan
PDI-P
Rp 1,4 miliar
17
Engelina Pattiasina
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
18
Muhammad Iqbal
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
19
Budiningsih
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
20
Jeffrey Tongas Lumban
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
21
Ni LUh Mariani T
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
22
Sutanto Pranoto
PDI-P
Rp 600 juta
23
Soewarno
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
24
Mathoes Pormes
PDI-P
Rp 350 juta
25
Sofyan Usman
PDI-P
Rp 250 juta
26
Danial Tanjung
PDI-P
Rp 500 juta
Terkait penetapan tersangka, jelas Bibit, KPK telah mengeluarkan surat perintah penyidikan tertanggal 27 Agustus 2010. Ke-26 tersangka itu dibagi dalam enam kelompok penyidikan. Mereka disangka melanggar Undang-Undang Nomor 31 Tahun 1999, yang diubah dengan Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2001, tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Korupsi serta Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana (KUHP).
Sebelumnya, KPK mengirimkan empat anggota DPR periode 1999-2004, yaitu Dudhie Makmun Murod (F-PDIP), Hamka Yandhu (F-Partai Golkar), Endin AJ Soefihara (F-PPP), dan Udju Djuhaeri (Fraksi TNI/Polri), ke persidangan terkait kasus pemilihan Deputi Gubernur Senior BI. Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi menghukum dua tahun penjara untuk Dudhie, Hamka, dan Udju. Endin divonis 15 bulan, tetapi diperberat oleh Pengadilan Tinggi DKI Jakarta menjadi dua tahun penjara.
Dari persidangan di Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi terungkap, sebanyak 39 anggota Komisi IX DPR periode 1999-2004 menerima cek perjalanan senilai Rp 20,65 miliar.
Luna Kembali ke Dahsyat?
Beberapa bulan dinonaktifkan sebagai presenter acara musik layar kaca Dahsyat, pemain film dan sinetron serta presenter Luna Maya tanpa kabar sebelumnya tiba-tiba mengunjungi dua sahabatnya, Olga Syahputra dan Raffi Ahmad, yang sedang memandu acara itu di Studio 6 RCTI, Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta Barat, Kamis (2/9/2010) siang.
Raffi, yang ketika itu tengah menjalani taping atau shooting episode-episode stok untuk hari-hari perayaan Lebaran tersebut, sempat menunjuk-nunjuk Luna, yang mengintip kegiatan itu dari belakang kamera. Namun, kehadiran Luna di dalam studio hanya sebentar. Kekasih vokalis Nazriel Irham atau Ariel tersebut langsung pergi begitu saja.
Usai taping, Raffi dan Olga sempat berbincang sekejap dengan Luna. "Luna datang hanya untuk reunian. Kami masih berteman baik kok," ujar Raffi.
Lanjut kekasih vokalis Yuni Shara itu, setelah menjadi tersangka video mesum bersama Ariel, Luna datang bukan sekali ini saja untuk menyambangi acara yang juga mempopulerkanya tersebut. "Seminggu kemarin Luna juga datang ke sini kok. Main-main aja," cerita Raffi.
Namun, sayang, Luna diam seribu bahasa ketika ditanya oleh sejumlah peliput mengenai kedatangannya ke Dahsyat-- untuk bertemu kangen saja dengan Raffi dan Olga atau untuk kelak kembali menjadi presenter acara itu.
Raffi, yang ketika itu tengah menjalani taping atau shooting episode-episode stok untuk hari-hari perayaan Lebaran tersebut, sempat menunjuk-nunjuk Luna, yang mengintip kegiatan itu dari belakang kamera. Namun, kehadiran Luna di dalam studio hanya sebentar. Kekasih vokalis Nazriel Irham atau Ariel tersebut langsung pergi begitu saja.
Usai taping, Raffi dan Olga sempat berbincang sekejap dengan Luna. "Luna datang hanya untuk reunian. Kami masih berteman baik kok," ujar Raffi.
Lanjut kekasih vokalis Yuni Shara itu, setelah menjadi tersangka video mesum bersama Ariel, Luna datang bukan sekali ini saja untuk menyambangi acara yang juga mempopulerkanya tersebut. "Seminggu kemarin Luna juga datang ke sini kok. Main-main aja," cerita Raffi.
Namun, sayang, Luna diam seribu bahasa ketika ditanya oleh sejumlah peliput mengenai kedatangannya ke Dahsyat-- untuk bertemu kangen saja dengan Raffi dan Olga atau untuk kelak kembali menjadi presenter acara itu.
Survei Indo Barometer Publik Emoh SBY Jadi Presiden 3 Kali
Mayoritas publik menyatakan tak setuju jika SBY menjabat sebagai presiden untuk tiga periode. Survei Indo Barometer menunjukkan, 51,6 persen publik menegaskan ketidaksetujuannya terhadap ide ini, sedangkan 36,7 persen publik mengaku setuju-setuju saja. Sisanya menjawab tidak tahu.
"Mayoritas masyarakat tidak setuju jika Presiden menjabat tiga periode. Walaupun yang setuju juga lumayan besar," kata Direktur Indo Barometer M Qodari dalam rilis survei di Hotel Atlet Century Park, Kamis (2/9/2010).
Jika didistribusikan dalam kategori-kategori tertentu, tentu saja mayoritas pendukung Partai Demokrat mendukung SBY menjadi presiden kembali untuk ketiga kalinya. Pendukung partai lainnya tak sepakat.
Berdasarkan distribusi kategori tingkat pendidikan tampak menarik. Publik yang maksimal hanya tamat SD/sederajat berimbang. Sekitar 41,1 persen setuju, sedangkan 42,3 persen tak setuju.
Sementara itu, publik berpendidikan SLTP, SLTA, dan perguruan tinggi sepakat tidak setuju. Namun, yang lebih menarik justru dalam distribusi berdasarkan kategori penghasilan. Mayoritas publik yang berpenghasilan kurang dari Rp 600.000 justru sangat setuju jika SBY menjadi presiden untuk ketiga kalinya. Sementara yang berpenghasilan lebih dari Rp 600.000 sampai lebih dari Rp 2,25 juta sepakat tidak setuju.
"Yang sangat menarik juga, dibanding profesi lainnya yang tidak setuju SBY naik jadi presiden lagi, para guru mayoritas justru ingin SBY menjadi presiden untuk ketiga kalinya," tambah Qodari.
"Mayoritas masyarakat tidak setuju jika Presiden menjabat tiga periode. Walaupun yang setuju juga lumayan besar," kata Direktur Indo Barometer M Qodari dalam rilis survei di Hotel Atlet Century Park, Kamis (2/9/2010).
Jika didistribusikan dalam kategori-kategori tertentu, tentu saja mayoritas pendukung Partai Demokrat mendukung SBY menjadi presiden kembali untuk ketiga kalinya. Pendukung partai lainnya tak sepakat.
Berdasarkan distribusi kategori tingkat pendidikan tampak menarik. Publik yang maksimal hanya tamat SD/sederajat berimbang. Sekitar 41,1 persen setuju, sedangkan 42,3 persen tak setuju.
Sementara itu, publik berpendidikan SLTP, SLTA, dan perguruan tinggi sepakat tidak setuju. Namun, yang lebih menarik justru dalam distribusi berdasarkan kategori penghasilan. Mayoritas publik yang berpenghasilan kurang dari Rp 600.000 justru sangat setuju jika SBY menjadi presiden untuk ketiga kalinya. Sementara yang berpenghasilan lebih dari Rp 600.000 sampai lebih dari Rp 2,25 juta sepakat tidak setuju.
"Yang sangat menarik juga, dibanding profesi lainnya yang tidak setuju SBY naik jadi presiden lagi, para guru mayoritas justru ingin SBY menjadi presiden untuk ketiga kalinya," tambah Qodari.
Friday, August 27, 2010
September, bea keluar CPO naik menjadi 6%
JAKARTA. Bea keluar (BK) untuk ekspor CPO (crude palm oil) di September naik menjadi 6% dibandingkan bulan Agustus sebesar 4,5%. Kenaikan besaran BK tersebut disebabkan harga rata-rata CPO mengalami kenaikan selama 30 hari terakhir di bursa komoditi Rotterdam sebagai referensi harga menghitung tarif BK.
Dalam hitungan Kementerian Perdagangan, harga referensi CPO di bursa Rotterdam tersebut sudah mencapai US$ 875,41 per ton. Dalam ketetapan Menteri Keuangan No 67/2010, maka BK yang dikenakan untuk CPO masuk pada kolom 5 lampiran II dengan besaran BK 6%.
Sedangkan Harga Patokan Eskpor (HPE) yang dijadikan sebagai acuan menghitung pembayaran BK ditetapkan oleh Menteri Perdagangan sebesar US$ 804 per ton. Penentuan HPE ini mengacu pada harga rata-rata Rotterdam sebulan terakhir setelah dikurangi transportasi, asuransi dan biaya ekspor lainnya
”Penetapan HPE yang berpedoman pada harta rata-rata internasional atau harga FOB (free on board) dalam satu bulan terakhir,” tulis aturan yang diteken oleh Plh Direktur Jenderal Perdagangan Luar Negeri Deddy Shaleh, Jumat (27/8)
Lebih rinci, HPE CPO untuk bulan September adalah US$ 804 per ton atau naik dibandingkan hitungan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 725 perton. Sementara itu HPE untuk tandan buah segar (buah kernel kelapa sawit) September menjadi US$ 416 per ton atau naik dibandingkan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 401 per ton.
Sedangkan HPE Crude Olein untuk bulan September menjadi US$ 850 per ton atyau naik dibandingkan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 762 per to
Dalam hitungan Kementerian Perdagangan, harga referensi CPO di bursa Rotterdam tersebut sudah mencapai US$ 875,41 per ton. Dalam ketetapan Menteri Keuangan No 67/2010, maka BK yang dikenakan untuk CPO masuk pada kolom 5 lampiran II dengan besaran BK 6%.
Sedangkan Harga Patokan Eskpor (HPE) yang dijadikan sebagai acuan menghitung pembayaran BK ditetapkan oleh Menteri Perdagangan sebesar US$ 804 per ton. Penentuan HPE ini mengacu pada harga rata-rata Rotterdam sebulan terakhir setelah dikurangi transportasi, asuransi dan biaya ekspor lainnya
”Penetapan HPE yang berpedoman pada harta rata-rata internasional atau harga FOB (free on board) dalam satu bulan terakhir,” tulis aturan yang diteken oleh Plh Direktur Jenderal Perdagangan Luar Negeri Deddy Shaleh, Jumat (27/8)
Lebih rinci, HPE CPO untuk bulan September adalah US$ 804 per ton atau naik dibandingkan hitungan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 725 perton. Sementara itu HPE untuk tandan buah segar (buah kernel kelapa sawit) September menjadi US$ 416 per ton atau naik dibandingkan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 401 per ton.
Sedangkan HPE Crude Olein untuk bulan September menjadi US$ 850 per ton atyau naik dibandingkan HPE bulan Agustus sebesar US$ 762 per to
Pemerintah patok pendapatan dari BK CPO Rp 18 T
JAKARTA. Tahun ini, pemerintah mematok penerimaan negara dari Bea Keluar (BK) produk sawit dan turunannya sebesar Rp 18 triliun. Target ini dipasang sejalan dengan meningkatnya pertumbuhan ekspor sawit.
Dibandingkan tahun lalu, dari BK produk sawit dan turunannya, pemerintah hanya mengantongi Rp 13 triliun dengan realisasi ekspor dalam bentuk CPO dan turunannya sebanyak 15,5 juta ton. “Nilai ekspor tahun lalu mencapai US$ 9,1 miliar dengan penerimaan negara Rp 13 triliun,” kata Direktur Gabungan Pengusaha Kelapa Sawit Indonesia (GAPKI) Fadhil Hasan di Jakarta, Jumat (27/8).
Bulan September mendatang, Bea keluar crude palm oil (CPO) untuk bulan September 2010 mendatang sebesar 6%, naik dari bulan Agustus 2010 ini yang hanya 3%.
Fadhil mengaku, dibandingkan sektor agribisnis lainnya, perkebunan kelapa sawit memiliki banyak keunggulan dari segi ekonomi, sosial dan lingkungan. “Tak dapat dipungkiri, peranan industri kelapa sawit sangatlah besar dalam menunjang gerak pertumbuhan ekonomi Indonesia,” ungkapnya.
Alasan Fadhil cukup logis, karena pemerintah Indonesia sudah menetapkan CPO sebagai komoditi unggulan dari Indonesia yang tidak dimiliki oleh negara lain di belahan benua lainnya. Industri kelapa
sawit tersebut tercatat di GAPKI sudah menyerap 3,5 juta tenaga kerja.
Meski belakangan ini sawit diterpa isu negatif, nyatanya Fadhil yakin pelaku di industri ini tetap berkomitmen akan mengembangkan perkebunan kelapa sawit yang ramah lingkungan dan berkelanjutan. “Ini akan membuka kesempatan kerja yang luas,” katanya.
Asal tahu saja, kelapa sawit mulai dikembangkan secara komersial di Indonesia sejak tahun 1911. Awalnya, kelapa sawit ditanam di Sungai Liput (Aceh) dan Pulau Radja (Asahan). Setelah kemerdekaan, perkebunan kelapa sawit menjadi sektor usaha berbasis sumber daya alam yang kian diminati karena memberikan keuntungan besar bagi pengusaha dan negara
Dibandingkan tahun lalu, dari BK produk sawit dan turunannya, pemerintah hanya mengantongi Rp 13 triliun dengan realisasi ekspor dalam bentuk CPO dan turunannya sebanyak 15,5 juta ton. “Nilai ekspor tahun lalu mencapai US$ 9,1 miliar dengan penerimaan negara Rp 13 triliun,” kata Direktur Gabungan Pengusaha Kelapa Sawit Indonesia (GAPKI) Fadhil Hasan di Jakarta, Jumat (27/8).
Bulan September mendatang, Bea keluar crude palm oil (CPO) untuk bulan September 2010 mendatang sebesar 6%, naik dari bulan Agustus 2010 ini yang hanya 3%.
Fadhil mengaku, dibandingkan sektor agribisnis lainnya, perkebunan kelapa sawit memiliki banyak keunggulan dari segi ekonomi, sosial dan lingkungan. “Tak dapat dipungkiri, peranan industri kelapa sawit sangatlah besar dalam menunjang gerak pertumbuhan ekonomi Indonesia,” ungkapnya.
Alasan Fadhil cukup logis, karena pemerintah Indonesia sudah menetapkan CPO sebagai komoditi unggulan dari Indonesia yang tidak dimiliki oleh negara lain di belahan benua lainnya. Industri kelapa
sawit tersebut tercatat di GAPKI sudah menyerap 3,5 juta tenaga kerja.
Meski belakangan ini sawit diterpa isu negatif, nyatanya Fadhil yakin pelaku di industri ini tetap berkomitmen akan mengembangkan perkebunan kelapa sawit yang ramah lingkungan dan berkelanjutan. “Ini akan membuka kesempatan kerja yang luas,” katanya.
Asal tahu saja, kelapa sawit mulai dikembangkan secara komersial di Indonesia sejak tahun 1911. Awalnya, kelapa sawit ditanam di Sungai Liput (Aceh) dan Pulau Radja (Asahan). Setelah kemerdekaan, perkebunan kelapa sawit menjadi sektor usaha berbasis sumber daya alam yang kian diminati karena memberikan keuntungan besar bagi pengusaha dan negara
Carter Wins Release of American in North Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Former President Jimmy Carter left North Korea on Friday with Aijalon Mahli Gomes, an American who was sentenced to eight years of hard labor for illegally entering the country, the Carter Center said.Mr. Gomes was granted amnesty by the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, the Carter Center said in an e-mail. Mr. Gomes, 31, and Mr. Carter boarded a plane at Pyongyang Airport.
Former President Jimmy Carter and Aijalon Mahli Gomes, right, left Pyongyang after Mr Gomes was released on Friday.
Former President Jimmy Carter met Kim Yong Nam, the president of the North Korean People’s Assembly, in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
“It is expected that Mr. Gomes will be returned to Boston, Mass., early Friday afternoon, to be reunited with his mother and other members of his family,” the statement said.
Mr. Carter had been visiting Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on a private humanitarian mission to win the release of Mr. Gomes, who was sentenced in April to eight years in a North Korean prison and fined $700,000 for entering the country illegally. There has also been speculation that North Korea might try to use Mr. Carter as a conduit to ease tensions with the United States.
Mr. Carter had arrived on Wednesday at the invitation of the North Korean government, but it was not known whether he met with Mr. Kim, the North Korean leader.
South Korean officials said Thursday that a special train believed to be carrying Mr. Kim had entered China around midnight on Wednesday, setting off speculation over what might have compelled him to travel to his isolated government’s closest ally while Mr. Carter was visiting.
After watching Mr. Kim’s movements for the past few days, the South Korean authorities said his train had crossed the border with China, traveling from the North Korean town of Manpo to Jian in China, according to an official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul.
Two South Korean intelligence sources who, like the presidential aide, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter, said Mr. Kim might be taking his son with him to introduce him formally to Chinese leaders. South Korean news outlets raised the same possibility.
Mr. Kim is grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as successor, according to South Korean officials. North Korea is to convene a congress of its ruling Workers’ Party early next month, where Mr. Kim is expected to rally popular support for his succession plans.
If confirmed, this would be Mr. Kim’s sixth trip to China, his impoverished country’s largest trading partner and aid provider. His last trip was in May, when he met President Hu Jintao during a five-day visit. North Korea and China usually do not confirm a trip by Mr. Kim until it is over.
News of the possible trip by Mr. Kim led to rampant speculation in South Korea. Possible motives cited by analysts in Seoul included the North’s need for Chinese aid because of flooding and the possibility of a decline in Mr. Kim’s health, which might have forced aides to take him to China for treatment. Many intelligence officials believe Mr. Kim had a stroke in 2008. Around the time that Mr. Kim’s train crossed the border, North Korean news media reported that China would provide emergency flood relief.
With North Korea’s relations with the South and the United States at a low point, “China is the only one Kim Jong-il can go to for aid,” said Kim Keun-sik, an analyst at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “He badly needs aid before the party meeting to make it a national festival, as it is meant to be.”
Even so, leaving North Korea without meeting Mr. Carter would be a notable breach of diplomatic etiquette, the analyst said. “A possible political message of this is that North Korea gives its priority to China over the United States,” he said.
Mr. Carter was the second former U.S. president to visit Pyongyang on a humanitarian mission in recent years. in August last year, Bill Clinton met Kim Jong-il there and returned with Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two American journalists held there for trespassing in the North.
Mr. Gomes is believed to have entered North Korea in support of Robert Park, a fellow Christian activist from the United States, who crossed into the country from China in December to call on Mr. Kim to release all political prisoners. Mr. Park was expelled after some 40 days.
In South Korea, where he had worked as an English teacher, Mr. Gomes attended rallies calling for Mr. Park’s release. In January, North Korean announced his arrest. In April, it sentenced him to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 for illegal entry and and committing a “hostile act.”
China’s Foreign Ministry had no comment on Mr. Kim’s visit. Two teachers told The Associated Press that Mr. Kim spent 20 minutes Thursday at Yuwen Middle School in Jilin, in the northeast, where his father, Kim Il-sung, attended classes from 1927 to 1930.
On Friday Mr. Kim had reportedly left Jilin and was heading to Changchun. There was no word on whether his son was accompanying him.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at People’s University in Beijing, said a visit by Kim Jong-il could offer a diplomatic respite from the pressure being exerted by South Korea and the United States.
John Delury, senior fellow of the Center on U.S.-China Relations of the Asia Society in New York, said Mr. Kim’s reported trip begged for explanation.
Mr. Delury said he was skeptical that Mr. Kim would have gone to China in person to seek a breakthrough in the stalled six-nation talks on ending his country’s nuclear weapons programs.
“That’s what diplomats are for,” he said.
KCNA, via European Pressphoto Agency
Former President Jimmy Carter and Aijalon Mahli Gomes, right, left Pyongyang after Mr Gomes was released on Friday.
Kyodo News, via Associated Press
Former President Jimmy Carter met Kim Yong Nam, the president of the North Korean People’s Assembly, in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
“It is expected that Mr. Gomes will be returned to Boston, Mass., early Friday afternoon, to be reunited with his mother and other members of his family,” the statement said.
Mr. Carter had been visiting Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on a private humanitarian mission to win the release of Mr. Gomes, who was sentenced in April to eight years in a North Korean prison and fined $700,000 for entering the country illegally. There has also been speculation that North Korea might try to use Mr. Carter as a conduit to ease tensions with the United States.
Mr. Carter had arrived on Wednesday at the invitation of the North Korean government, but it was not known whether he met with Mr. Kim, the North Korean leader.
South Korean officials said Thursday that a special train believed to be carrying Mr. Kim had entered China around midnight on Wednesday, setting off speculation over what might have compelled him to travel to his isolated government’s closest ally while Mr. Carter was visiting.
After watching Mr. Kim’s movements for the past few days, the South Korean authorities said his train had crossed the border with China, traveling from the North Korean town of Manpo to Jian in China, according to an official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul.
Two South Korean intelligence sources who, like the presidential aide, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter, said Mr. Kim might be taking his son with him to introduce him formally to Chinese leaders. South Korean news outlets raised the same possibility.
Mr. Kim is grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as successor, according to South Korean officials. North Korea is to convene a congress of its ruling Workers’ Party early next month, where Mr. Kim is expected to rally popular support for his succession plans.
If confirmed, this would be Mr. Kim’s sixth trip to China, his impoverished country’s largest trading partner and aid provider. His last trip was in May, when he met President Hu Jintao during a five-day visit. North Korea and China usually do not confirm a trip by Mr. Kim until it is over.
News of the possible trip by Mr. Kim led to rampant speculation in South Korea. Possible motives cited by analysts in Seoul included the North’s need for Chinese aid because of flooding and the possibility of a decline in Mr. Kim’s health, which might have forced aides to take him to China for treatment. Many intelligence officials believe Mr. Kim had a stroke in 2008. Around the time that Mr. Kim’s train crossed the border, North Korean news media reported that China would provide emergency flood relief.
With North Korea’s relations with the South and the United States at a low point, “China is the only one Kim Jong-il can go to for aid,” said Kim Keun-sik, an analyst at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. “He badly needs aid before the party meeting to make it a national festival, as it is meant to be.”
Even so, leaving North Korea without meeting Mr. Carter would be a notable breach of diplomatic etiquette, the analyst said. “A possible political message of this is that North Korea gives its priority to China over the United States,” he said.
Mr. Carter was the second former U.S. president to visit Pyongyang on a humanitarian mission in recent years. in August last year, Bill Clinton met Kim Jong-il there and returned with Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two American journalists held there for trespassing in the North.
Mr. Gomes is believed to have entered North Korea in support of Robert Park, a fellow Christian activist from the United States, who crossed into the country from China in December to call on Mr. Kim to release all political prisoners. Mr. Park was expelled after some 40 days.
In South Korea, where he had worked as an English teacher, Mr. Gomes attended rallies calling for Mr. Park’s release. In January, North Korean announced his arrest. In April, it sentenced him to eight years of hard labor and fined $700,000 for illegal entry and and committing a “hostile act.”
China’s Foreign Ministry had no comment on Mr. Kim’s visit. Two teachers told The Associated Press that Mr. Kim spent 20 minutes Thursday at Yuwen Middle School in Jilin, in the northeast, where his father, Kim Il-sung, attended classes from 1927 to 1930.
On Friday Mr. Kim had reportedly left Jilin and was heading to Changchun. There was no word on whether his son was accompanying him.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at People’s University in Beijing, said a visit by Kim Jong-il could offer a diplomatic respite from the pressure being exerted by South Korea and the United States.
John Delury, senior fellow of the Center on U.S.-China Relations of the Asia Society in New York, said Mr. Kim’s reported trip begged for explanation.
Mr. Delury said he was skeptical that Mr. Kim would have gone to China in person to seek a breakthrough in the stalled six-nation talks on ending his country’s nuclear weapons programs.
“That’s what diplomats are for,” he said.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Utang RI Capai Rp 1.807,5 Triliun di 2011
Jakarta - Meskipun pemerintah berencana mengurangi jumlah utang, namun ternyata jumlah utang Indonesia akan meningkat hingga Rp 119,2 triliun di tahun 2011.
Utang pemerintah di tahun 2011 diproyeksikan bisa mencapai Rp 1.807,5 triliun, naik Rp 119,2 triliun dari proyeksi utang pemerintah di akhir 2010.
Demikian isi Nota Keuangan 2011 yang akan dibahas sebagai RAPBN 2011, seperti
dikutip detikFinance, Selasa (24/8/2010).
Dalam nota tersebut dikatakan, di 2011 penambahan jumlah utang pemerintah terbesar
adalah dari penerbitan surat utang yang direncanakan mencapai Rp 120 triliun. Jumlah outstanding surat utang pemerintah di 2011 diproyeksi mencapai Rp 1.197,1 triliun.
Sementara dari sisi utang luar negeri justru diproyeksi turun tipis, yakni Rp 800
miliar. Dari Rp 611,2 triliun di akhir 2010 menjadi Rp 610,4 triliun di akhir 2011.
Namun, dalam nota tersebut, pemerintah menilai kondisi utang pemerintah masih baik
dengan risiko yang rendah.
Dikatakan, kondisi risiko keuangan portofolio utang pemerintah di 2010 semakin
membaik dibanding tahun sebelumnya. Disebabkan semakin kondusifnya pasar keuangan khususnya di domestik.
Berdasarkan data yang dirilis Ditjen Pengelolaan Utang Kemenkeu, posisi utang Indonesia hingga Juli 2010 mencapai Rp 1.625,63 triliun atau 26% dari PDB. Secara nominal memang utang Indonesia memang meningkat, namun secara rasio utang mengalami penurunan karena terus meningkatnya PDB sebagai faktor pembagi rasio utang.
Berikut catatan utang pemerintah pusat sejak tahun 2000 berikut rasio
utangnya terhadap PDB:
Tahun 2000: Rp 1.234,28 triliun (89%)
Tahun 2001: Rp 1.646,32 triliun (77%)
Tahun 2002: Rp 1.821,83 triliun (67%)
Tahun 2003: Rp 2.013,68 triliun (61%)
Tahun 2004: Rp 2.295,83 triliun (57%)
Tahun 2005: Rp 2.774,28 triliun (47%)
Tahun 2006: Rp 3.339,48 triliun (39%)
Tahun 2007: Rp 3.949,48 triliun (35%)
Tahun 2008: Rp 1.4.954,03 triliun (33%)
Tahun 2009: Rp 1.5613,44 triliun (28%)
Juli 2010: Rp 1.6253,79 triliun (26%).
Utang pemerintah di tahun 2011 diproyeksikan bisa mencapai Rp 1.807,5 triliun, naik Rp 119,2 triliun dari proyeksi utang pemerintah di akhir 2010.
Demikian isi Nota Keuangan 2011 yang akan dibahas sebagai RAPBN 2011, seperti
dikutip detikFinance, Selasa (24/8/2010).
Dalam nota tersebut dikatakan, di 2011 penambahan jumlah utang pemerintah terbesar
adalah dari penerbitan surat utang yang direncanakan mencapai Rp 120 triliun. Jumlah outstanding surat utang pemerintah di 2011 diproyeksi mencapai Rp 1.197,1 triliun.
Sementara dari sisi utang luar negeri justru diproyeksi turun tipis, yakni Rp 800
miliar. Dari Rp 611,2 triliun di akhir 2010 menjadi Rp 610,4 triliun di akhir 2011.
Namun, dalam nota tersebut, pemerintah menilai kondisi utang pemerintah masih baik
dengan risiko yang rendah.
Dikatakan, kondisi risiko keuangan portofolio utang pemerintah di 2010 semakin
membaik dibanding tahun sebelumnya. Disebabkan semakin kondusifnya pasar keuangan khususnya di domestik.
Berdasarkan data yang dirilis Ditjen Pengelolaan Utang Kemenkeu, posisi utang Indonesia hingga Juli 2010 mencapai Rp 1.625,63 triliun atau 26% dari PDB. Secara nominal memang utang Indonesia memang meningkat, namun secara rasio utang mengalami penurunan karena terus meningkatnya PDB sebagai faktor pembagi rasio utang.
Berikut catatan utang pemerintah pusat sejak tahun 2000 berikut rasio
utangnya terhadap PDB:
Tahun 2000: Rp 1.234,28 triliun (89%)
Tahun 2001: Rp 1.646,32 triliun (77%)
Tahun 2002: Rp 1.821,83 triliun (67%)
Tahun 2003: Rp 2.013,68 triliun (61%)
Tahun 2004: Rp 2.295,83 triliun (57%)
Tahun 2005: Rp 2.774,28 triliun (47%)
Tahun 2006: Rp 3.339,48 triliun (39%)
Tahun 2007: Rp 3.949,48 triliun (35%)
Tahun 2008: Rp 1.4.954,03 triliun (33%)
Tahun 2009: Rp 1.5613,44 triliun (28%)
Juli 2010: Rp 1.6253,79 triliun (26%).
Monday, August 16, 2010
Injil Muncul Setiap Hari di Twitter
LONDON, KOMPAS.com - Seorang Kristen asal Inggris telah berjanji untuk menyebarkan ringkasan setiap bab dari Alkitab di Twitter.
Chris Juby (30 tahun) berencana untuk merigkas satu bab setiap hari menjadi kurang dari 140 karakter - jumlah maksimum karakter yang diperbolehkan untuk sebuah entri di Twitter. Juby, direktur ibadah di King's Church, Durham City, Inggris, sebagaimana diberitakan Telegraph.co.uk, akhir peklan lalu, sudah mulai dengan bab pertama dari Kitab Kejadian pada hari Minggu (8/8) dan bermaksud meringkas semua (1.189) bab Alkitab.
Pekerjaan itu akan memakan waktu lebih dari tiga tahun dan entri terakhir akan terjadi 8 November 2013. Entri pertamanya di Twitter berbunyi, "Allah menciptakan langit, bumi dan segala sesuatu yang hidup. Dia menciptakan manusia menurut citra-Nya, dan memberi mereka tanggung jawab atas bumi."
Juby mengatakan, "Sudah merupakan kebiasaan normal saya untuk membaca satu bab Alkitab setiap pagi dan saya selalu membaca dari Kitab Kejadian sampai Kitab Wahyu. Saat saya mencapai bagian akhir pada kesempatan terakhir, saya pikir saya membutuhkan suatu cara untuk memfokuskan pikiran saya sedikit lebih lanjut tentang apa yang saya baca. Saya berpikir sebuah ringkasan merupakan cara yang baik untuk melakukan itu. Saya sudah menggunakan Twitter, sehingga saya pikir saya mau membagi ringkasan saya."
Alkitab Twitter Juby mengikuti publikasi yang mirip yang sudah pernah ada sebelumnya seperti Alkitab versi 100 menit, pesan teks SMS Alkitab dan Alkitab Geordie.
Juby mengatakan, "Saya sangat bersemangat tentang proyek itu. Alkitab mendasari banyak budaya kita. Orang-orang seperti Shakespeare dan Dickens membuat referensi kasual untuk apa yang sekarang kita anggap sebagai bagian yang samar dari Kitab Suci. Tetapi orang-orang - bahkan orang-orang Kristen - tidak berniat untuk membaca seluruh Alkitab. Hal ini mungkin sedikit dianggap sebagai suatu hal yang aneh untuk dilakukan. Saya harap dengan membuat ringkasan, itu akan mengilhami orang untuk membaca Alkitab bagi diri mereka sendiri. Tentu saja, ringkasan saya bukanlah pengganti untuk hal yang sesungguhnya."
Chris Juby (30 tahun) berencana untuk merigkas satu bab setiap hari menjadi kurang dari 140 karakter - jumlah maksimum karakter yang diperbolehkan untuk sebuah entri di Twitter. Juby, direktur ibadah di King's Church, Durham City, Inggris, sebagaimana diberitakan Telegraph.co.uk, akhir peklan lalu, sudah mulai dengan bab pertama dari Kitab Kejadian pada hari Minggu (8/8) dan bermaksud meringkas semua (1.189) bab Alkitab.
Pekerjaan itu akan memakan waktu lebih dari tiga tahun dan entri terakhir akan terjadi 8 November 2013. Entri pertamanya di Twitter berbunyi, "Allah menciptakan langit, bumi dan segala sesuatu yang hidup. Dia menciptakan manusia menurut citra-Nya, dan memberi mereka tanggung jawab atas bumi."
Juby mengatakan, "Sudah merupakan kebiasaan normal saya untuk membaca satu bab Alkitab setiap pagi dan saya selalu membaca dari Kitab Kejadian sampai Kitab Wahyu. Saat saya mencapai bagian akhir pada kesempatan terakhir, saya pikir saya membutuhkan suatu cara untuk memfokuskan pikiran saya sedikit lebih lanjut tentang apa yang saya baca. Saya berpikir sebuah ringkasan merupakan cara yang baik untuk melakukan itu. Saya sudah menggunakan Twitter, sehingga saya pikir saya mau membagi ringkasan saya."
Alkitab Twitter Juby mengikuti publikasi yang mirip yang sudah pernah ada sebelumnya seperti Alkitab versi 100 menit, pesan teks SMS Alkitab dan Alkitab Geordie.
Juby mengatakan, "Saya sangat bersemangat tentang proyek itu. Alkitab mendasari banyak budaya kita. Orang-orang seperti Shakespeare dan Dickens membuat referensi kasual untuk apa yang sekarang kita anggap sebagai bagian yang samar dari Kitab Suci. Tetapi orang-orang - bahkan orang-orang Kristen - tidak berniat untuk membaca seluruh Alkitab. Hal ini mungkin sedikit dianggap sebagai suatu hal yang aneh untuk dilakukan. Saya harap dengan membuat ringkasan, itu akan mengilhami orang untuk membaca Alkitab bagi diri mereka sendiri. Tentu saja, ringkasan saya bukanlah pengganti untuk hal yang sesungguhnya."
Hormones That Turn A Man into A Father
They have already tried to steal women's thunder by claiming sympathetic pregnancies. Now men are claiming fatherhood sends their hormones into a spin.
Research shows that levels of oxytocin, the 'cuddle chemical' released into the blood during labour, also rise in new fathers.
Fatherhood also brings with it a surge in prolactin, a hormone more commonly linked to milk production in new mothers.
Both hormones were traditionally thought to help mother and baby bond. But these studies suggest men benefit from them too.
Researcher Ruth Feldman said: 'This seems to be evolution's way of helping men turn into good parents as soon as they have a baby.
'These hormones seem to have a powerful role in helping men bond with their newly-born children.'
Professor Feldman, of the Bar-Ilan University in Israel, studied levels of the two hormones in new fathers in the six months after the arrival of their first 'They rewire men's brains' child.
The men were also filmed while cuddling and playing with their children. This revealed a strong correlation between hormone levels and how good the fathers were at playing and communicating with their babies.
It is thought that in the months after becoming a father, the hormones rewire men's brains, making them more empathic.
Writing in the journal Hormones and Behavior, the professor said: 'It is possible that, as the father's daily encounters with his infant increase ... the prolactin and oxytocin systems reorganise and create new connections.'
This could go some way to explain why some men appear to be reformed personalities after having children.
But Dr Michael Craig, of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, said: 'Oxytocin is also known to rise in response to elevated levels of stress, so this could also be part of the explanation.'
Research shows that levels of oxytocin, the 'cuddle chemical' released into the blood during labour, also rise in new fathers.
Fatherhood also brings with it a surge in prolactin, a hormone more commonly linked to milk production in new mothers.
Both hormones were traditionally thought to help mother and baby bond. But these studies suggest men benefit from them too.
Researcher Ruth Feldman said: 'This seems to be evolution's way of helping men turn into good parents as soon as they have a baby.
'These hormones seem to have a powerful role in helping men bond with their newly-born children.'
Professor Feldman, of the Bar-Ilan University in Israel, studied levels of the two hormones in new fathers in the six months after the arrival of their first 'They rewire men's brains' child.
The men were also filmed while cuddling and playing with their children. This revealed a strong correlation between hormone levels and how good the fathers were at playing and communicating with their babies.
It is thought that in the months after becoming a father, the hormones rewire men's brains, making them more empathic.
Writing in the journal Hormones and Behavior, the professor said: 'It is possible that, as the father's daily encounters with his infant increase ... the prolactin and oxytocin systems reorganise and create new connections.'
This could go some way to explain why some men appear to be reformed personalities after having children.
But Dr Michael Craig, of the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, said: 'Oxytocin is also known to rise in response to elevated levels of stress, so this could also be part of the explanation.'
Apple Manager Charged for Leaking Corporate Secrets
KOMPAS.com - A manager at Apple has been charged in California with taking kickbacks he received after leaking corporate secrets to Asian companies that supplied iPhone and iPod accessories, court documents showed.
Paul Shin Devine, a global supply manager at technology company Apple since 2005, was accused by federal authorities of accepting kickbacks from six Asian companies. Authorities did not name the companies but said they were located in South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Devine, 37, also faces a civil suit filed by Cupertino, California-based Apple, which accused him of receiving more than $US1 million in payments and bribes over several years, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Devine appeared in court late last week in San Jose but no bail was set, according to court documents. He is scheduled to return to court this week.
Devine was charged in a federal grand jury indictment last week with 23 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and accepting kickbacks, court documents showed.
"Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in a statement, according to the Mercury News. "We have zero tolerance for dishonest behaviour inside or outside the company."
Devine allegedly used his position at Apple to obtain confidential information that he shared with Apple suppliers to help them negotiate favourable contracts with the company, according to the indictment.
In return, the suppliers paid Devine kickbacks, which he allegedly shared with Andrew Ang of Singapore. Ang was charged with three counts of wire fraud and conspiracy.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service. Apple and prosecutors were not immediately available to comment on Saturday.
Paul Shin Devine, a global supply manager at technology company Apple since 2005, was accused by federal authorities of accepting kickbacks from six Asian companies. Authorities did not name the companies but said they were located in South Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore.
Devine, 37, also faces a civil suit filed by Cupertino, California-based Apple, which accused him of receiving more than $US1 million in payments and bribes over several years, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
Devine appeared in court late last week in San Jose but no bail was set, according to court documents. He is scheduled to return to court this week.
Devine was charged in a federal grand jury indictment last week with 23 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and accepting kickbacks, court documents showed.
"Apple is committed to the highest ethical standards in the way we do business," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said in a statement, according to the Mercury News. "We have zero tolerance for dishonest behaviour inside or outside the company."
Devine allegedly used his position at Apple to obtain confidential information that he shared with Apple suppliers to help them negotiate favourable contracts with the company, according to the indictment.
In return, the suppliers paid Devine kickbacks, which he allegedly shared with Andrew Ang of Singapore. Ang was charged with three counts of wire fraud and conspiracy.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service. Apple and prosecutors were not immediately available to comment on Saturday.
Indonesia's Non-Tax Revenues Expected to Reach Rp 243 Trillion
The government expects non-tax state revenues to reach Rp243.1 trillion next year. "Non-tax state revenues have so far contributed more than 22 percent of overall state revenues and grants," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said when delivering a state-of-the-nation address before a joint session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Parliament Building here Monday.
To achieve the target of non-tax state revenues, the government would continue to take necessary steps to increase the country’s oil and gas lifting, the President said. The steps included issuing fiscal and non-fiscal policies, revising regulations in the field of oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and building more oil and gas infrastructure facilities, he said. The head of state said tax revenues were projected to reach Rp839.5 trillion in 2011.
"In the draft 2011 state budget, tax receipts are expected to reach Rp839.5 trillion, accounting for 77 percent of overall state revenues and grants," he said.
The figure represented an increase of Rp96.2 trillion or around 13 percent of the target of tax receipts for 2010. The President said the country’s tax ratio was expected to increase 0.1 point to 12 percent in 2011 from 11.9 percent in 2010.
To achieve the target of non-tax state revenues, the government would continue to take necessary steps to increase the country’s oil and gas lifting, the President said. The steps included issuing fiscal and non-fiscal policies, revising regulations in the field of oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and building more oil and gas infrastructure facilities, he said. The head of state said tax revenues were projected to reach Rp839.5 trillion in 2011.
"In the draft 2011 state budget, tax receipts are expected to reach Rp839.5 trillion, accounting for 77 percent of overall state revenues and grants," he said.
The figure represented an increase of Rp96.2 trillion or around 13 percent of the target of tax receipts for 2010. The President said the country’s tax ratio was expected to increase 0.1 point to 12 percent in 2011 from 11.9 percent in 2010.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Anwar's Sodomy Accuser Spared Questioning over 'Affair'
The young man who has accused Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy was spared Monday from having to take the stand to answer claims he had an affair with a trial prosecutor.
Anwar last week applied to have the sodomy charges against him struck out, saying that 25-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who once worked as an aide in his office, could have been passed confidential information by the female lawyer.
The former deputy prime minister, who was sacked and jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, has said the case is a political conspiracy and that the alleged relationship is more proof the trial is biased. Lawyers for Anwar on Monday asked the High Court to force Saiful, as well as the young prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif, to testify over the allegations.
But Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah refused the request, saying it was “not relevant to this case or this proceeding”. Defence counsel Karpal Singh had asked the court to strike out the “frivolous” charge against Anwar, saying that the extraordinary allegations undermined the entire case.
“Never before in history... has such a motion been filed to strike out the charge on the basis of an affair between the prosecutor and the star witness,” he said.
“This is putting the judicial system on trial. The court itself is on trial.” The prosecution argued against the request for Saiful and Farah to take the stand, saying that it was a “fishing expedition” by the defence.
The claims of an affair first surfaced in a political blog last month, and shortly afterwards Farah was removed from the case. No evidence has been offered, but neither the prosecution nor the pair involved have denied the allegations.
Saiful has accused Anwar — a 62-year-old father of six — of sodomising him at an upmarket Kuala Lumpur condominium in 2008. If convicted, Anwar could face up to 20 years in prison.
Sodomy, even among consenting adults, is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Anwar has said he is the victim of a plot to prevent him from taking power after the opposition made huge strides in 2008 elections, stunning the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power for half a century.
Anwar last week applied to have the sodomy charges against him struck out, saying that 25-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who once worked as an aide in his office, could have been passed confidential information by the female lawyer.
The former deputy prime minister, who was sacked and jailed on separate sex and corruption counts a decade ago, has said the case is a political conspiracy and that the alleged relationship is more proof the trial is biased. Lawyers for Anwar on Monday asked the High Court to force Saiful, as well as the young prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif, to testify over the allegations.
But Judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah refused the request, saying it was “not relevant to this case or this proceeding”. Defence counsel Karpal Singh had asked the court to strike out the “frivolous” charge against Anwar, saying that the extraordinary allegations undermined the entire case.
“Never before in history... has such a motion been filed to strike out the charge on the basis of an affair between the prosecutor and the star witness,” he said.
“This is putting the judicial system on trial. The court itself is on trial.” The prosecution argued against the request for Saiful and Farah to take the stand, saying that it was a “fishing expedition” by the defence.
The claims of an affair first surfaced in a political blog last month, and shortly afterwards Farah was removed from the case. No evidence has been offered, but neither the prosecution nor the pair involved have denied the allegations.
Saiful has accused Anwar — a 62-year-old father of six — of sodomising him at an upmarket Kuala Lumpur condominium in 2008. If convicted, Anwar could face up to 20 years in prison.
Sodomy, even among consenting adults, is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Anwar has said he is the victim of a plot to prevent him from taking power after the opposition made huge strides in 2008 elections, stunning the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power for half a century.
Fahira Sampaikan 500 E-mail, Rizieq Janji Introspeksi
Jakarta - Fahira Idris, putri mantan Menteri Perindustrian Fahmi Idris, menyampaikan aspirasi dari twitterland dan 500 e-mail yang mengeluhkan kekerasan massa FPI. Ketua FPI Rizieq Shihab berjanji akan instrospeksi.
"Saya hanya mewakili teman-teman mengenai perbincangan di Twitter, mengenai kegiatan FPI di bulan puasa. Saya juga sudah menerima 500 e-mail, mereka menanyakan mengenai kejadian di Bekasi soal sweeping FPI. Image seperti ini sudah terlanjur terbentuk, oleh karena itu daripada su'udzon saya klarifikasi," ujar Fahira saat ditemui Ketua FPI Habib Rizieq di markas FPI, Jl Petamburan III, Jakarta Pusat, Senin (9/8/2010).
Fahira bertandang ditemani 10-an perempuan berkerudung, termasuk Pemred ANTV Uni Z Lubis.
Rizieq menyambut positif niat baik Fahira. Rizieq meyakinkan Fahira bahwa masukannya akan digunakan sebagai bahan refleksi FPI.
"Kalau memang ada aspirasi dalam bentuk 500 e-mail, FPI terbuka untuk melakukan introspeksi," janji Rizieq yang ditemani istrinya.
Rizieq menegaskan, tidaklah tepat FPI diidentikkan dengan kekerasan. Rizieq mengimbau agar masyarakat tidak terus menilai demikian.
"Saya minta pengguna twitter dan facebook untuk cermat," pinta Rizieq.
Rizieq juga menandaskan, FPI tidak berniat melakukan sweeping di bulan Ramadan. FPI hanya akan melakukan sweeping jiga diminta bantuan oleh pemerintah DKI.
"Soal sweeping itu adalah wewenang pemda yang pelaksanaannya dilakukan Satpol PP dan masyarakat tidak boleh. Tapi kalau pemda yang meminta, kami bersedia membantu," terangnya.
"Saya hanya mewakili teman-teman mengenai perbincangan di Twitter, mengenai kegiatan FPI di bulan puasa. Saya juga sudah menerima 500 e-mail, mereka menanyakan mengenai kejadian di Bekasi soal sweeping FPI. Image seperti ini sudah terlanjur terbentuk, oleh karena itu daripada su'udzon saya klarifikasi," ujar Fahira saat ditemui Ketua FPI Habib Rizieq di markas FPI, Jl Petamburan III, Jakarta Pusat, Senin (9/8/2010).
Fahira bertandang ditemani 10-an perempuan berkerudung, termasuk Pemred ANTV Uni Z Lubis.
Rizieq menyambut positif niat baik Fahira. Rizieq meyakinkan Fahira bahwa masukannya akan digunakan sebagai bahan refleksi FPI.
"Kalau memang ada aspirasi dalam bentuk 500 e-mail, FPI terbuka untuk melakukan introspeksi," janji Rizieq yang ditemani istrinya.
Rizieq menegaskan, tidaklah tepat FPI diidentikkan dengan kekerasan. Rizieq mengimbau agar masyarakat tidak terus menilai demikian.
"Saya minta pengguna twitter dan facebook untuk cermat," pinta Rizieq.
Rizieq juga menandaskan, FPI tidak berniat melakukan sweeping di bulan Ramadan. FPI hanya akan melakukan sweeping jiga diminta bantuan oleh pemerintah DKI.
"Soal sweeping itu adalah wewenang pemda yang pelaksanaannya dilakukan Satpol PP dan masyarakat tidak boleh. Tapi kalau pemda yang meminta, kami bersedia membantu," terangnya.
Mia Farrow Claims Campbell Got Diamond from Taylor
US actress Mia Farrow said Monday Naomi Campbell named Liberia’s Charles Taylor as the man who sent a “huge diamond” to the supermodel’s room in 1997, during testimony at a war crimes trial.
“She said that in the night she had been awakened. Some men were knocking at her door. They were sent by Charles Taylor and they had given her a huge diamond,” Farrow told the Liberian ex-president’s trial in The Hague.
Farrow as well as Campbell’s former agent, Carole White, have been called to testify Monday about a charity dinner hosted by then South African president Nelson Mandela in September 1997, after which two men brought a parcel of diamonds to Campbell’s room at a guesthouse. The two women were summoned as witnesses in the Taylor trial to challenge Campbell’s evidence that she did not know who had sent her the late-night gift.
Wearing a dark pin-stripe suit, Farrow said in the witness stand that Campbell had talked of the gift at breakfast the next morning, “before she even sat down”. The model had also told the group that “she intended to give it to Nelson Mandela’s children’s charities,” the actress said.
Farrow was called to the stand first, despite a witness list filed by the prosecution putting White in the opening slot. Taylor’s lawyer Courtenay Griffiths objected to the switch, but the judges allowed the prosecution to proceed
“She said that in the night she had been awakened. Some men were knocking at her door. They were sent by Charles Taylor and they had given her a huge diamond,” Farrow told the Liberian ex-president’s trial in The Hague.
Farrow as well as Campbell’s former agent, Carole White, have been called to testify Monday about a charity dinner hosted by then South African president Nelson Mandela in September 1997, after which two men brought a parcel of diamonds to Campbell’s room at a guesthouse. The two women were summoned as witnesses in the Taylor trial to challenge Campbell’s evidence that she did not know who had sent her the late-night gift.
Wearing a dark pin-stripe suit, Farrow said in the witness stand that Campbell had talked of the gift at breakfast the next morning, “before she even sat down”. The model had also told the group that “she intended to give it to Nelson Mandela’s children’s charities,” the actress said.
Farrow was called to the stand first, despite a witness list filed by the prosecution putting White in the opening slot. Taylor’s lawyer Courtenay Griffiths objected to the switch, but the judges allowed the prosecution to proceed
Monday, August 02, 2010
BPS: Kalau Ibukota Pindah, Ongkosnya Luar Biasa Mahal
Jakarta - Kepala Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) Rusman Heriawan menyatakan pemindahan ibukota negara dari Jakarta ke tempat lain membutuhkan biaya yang sangat mahal.
"Kalau pindah, saya mengira itu luar biasa, ongkosnya luar biasa," ungkap Rusman saat ditemui di kantornya, Jalan Dr.Sutomo, Jakarta, Senin (2/8/2010).
Rusman mengharapkan wacana pemindahan ibukota negara ini perlu dipikirkan lebih lanjut mengingat dampaknya yang akan cukup luas bagi semua pihak.
"Jangan hitam putih dulu, pindah itukan implikasinya luas," ujarnya.
Yang terpenting, ujar Rusman, pemerintah sebaiknya berbenah terlebih dahulu di kota Jakarta. Jangan seperti konsep sekarang di mana Jakarta menjadi inti dari pertumbuhan.
"Kalau di luar negeri, pembangunan mal kenceng tapi di sub area, jadi masyarakat kota akan rekreasi ke luar daerah. Nah, kita (Indonesia) salah, semua dikumpulkan di intinya. Contohnya di Australia, mal itu nggak dibangun di Canberra saja tapi di daerah-daerah lain. Jadi kalau dibuat seperti itu, kita mau belanja bulanan ke Karawang sekalian piknik," jelasnya.
Dengan kepindahan ibukota di luar Jakarta, Rusman bahkan menkhawatirkan nasib kantornya saat ini. "Kalau jadi pindah, kantor BPS jadi apa? Kantor-kantor lain juga bagaimana?" tandasnya dengan canda.
"Kalau pindah, saya mengira itu luar biasa, ongkosnya luar biasa," ungkap Rusman saat ditemui di kantornya, Jalan Dr.Sutomo, Jakarta, Senin (2/8/2010).
Rusman mengharapkan wacana pemindahan ibukota negara ini perlu dipikirkan lebih lanjut mengingat dampaknya yang akan cukup luas bagi semua pihak.
"Jangan hitam putih dulu, pindah itukan implikasinya luas," ujarnya.
Yang terpenting, ujar Rusman, pemerintah sebaiknya berbenah terlebih dahulu di kota Jakarta. Jangan seperti konsep sekarang di mana Jakarta menjadi inti dari pertumbuhan.
"Kalau di luar negeri, pembangunan mal kenceng tapi di sub area, jadi masyarakat kota akan rekreasi ke luar daerah. Nah, kita (Indonesia) salah, semua dikumpulkan di intinya. Contohnya di Australia, mal itu nggak dibangun di Canberra saja tapi di daerah-daerah lain. Jadi kalau dibuat seperti itu, kita mau belanja bulanan ke Karawang sekalian piknik," jelasnya.
Dengan kepindahan ibukota di luar Jakarta, Rusman bahkan menkhawatirkan nasib kantornya saat ini. "Kalau jadi pindah, kantor BPS jadi apa? Kantor-kantor lain juga bagaimana?" tandasnya dengan canda.
Redenominasi Rupiah Nilai Pecahan Rupiah Bakal Dipangkas?
Isu pemotongan nilai pecahan rupiah sebenarnya sudah banyak beredar, terutama sejak nilai tukar rupiah melorot 4-5 kali lipat terhadap dollar Amerika Serikat. Beberapa kali juga pemerintah membantah isu pemotongan rupiah yang sempat membuat trauma banyak orang Indonesia pada tahun 1950 dengan menggunting uang menjadi setengahnya.
Tapi kini Bank Indonesia benar-benar sudah berancang akan melakukan pemotongan atau istilah kerennya redenominasi rupiah. Tapi dalam redenominasi nilai tukar yang terjadi hanya pemotongan nilai pecahan mata uang untuk menjadi lebih kecil tanpa mengubah nilai tukarnya.
Gubernur BI terpilih Darmin Nasution mengatakan, saat ini BI tengah menggodok wacana mengenai redenominasi nilai tukar rupiah. "BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti," ujar Darmin, Sabtu (31/7/2010).
Ia menambahkan, rencana redenominasi nilai tukar ini nantinya akan dibahas terlebih dahulu dengan pemerintah dan DPR. "Harus melalui Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat baru nanti kita sosialisasikan," jelasnya.
Dalam redenominasi, akan ada pemotongan angka nol pada nilai mata uang. Pemotongan nol biasanya tiga buah di belakang. Misalnya pecahan Rp 100.000 dipangkas 3 angka nolnya akan menjadi Rp 100.
BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti
Tapi Darmin mengatakan belum bisa memutuskan berapa jumlah angka nol yang akan dipotong. "Belum bisa diputuskan sekarang berapa angka nol yang akan dikurangi, apakah tiga atau empat. Namun, hasil pembahasan akan diusahakan disampaikan ke pemerintah tahun ini," janji mantan Dirjen pajak ini.
Sebenarnya, proses untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar membutuhkan waktu sekitar empat hingga lima tahun.
Menurut Deputi Gubernur BI Budi Rochadi, setidaknya ada tiga persyaratan yang harus dipenuhi jika ingin melakukan penyederhanaan satuan nilai tukar.Tiga persyaratan itu adalah kondisi ekonomi yang stabil, inflasi yang terjaga rendah, dan adanya jaminan stabilitas harga.
Selain itu, untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar juga dibutuhkan penarikan uang yang beredar di masyarakat secara bertahap. "Hal yang paling sulit dilakukan dengan cepat dan mudah adalah sosialisai kepada seluruh masyarakat Indonesia yang mencapai ratusan juta jiwa," jelasnya.
Tapi kini Bank Indonesia benar-benar sudah berancang akan melakukan pemotongan atau istilah kerennya redenominasi rupiah. Tapi dalam redenominasi nilai tukar yang terjadi hanya pemotongan nilai pecahan mata uang untuk menjadi lebih kecil tanpa mengubah nilai tukarnya.
Gubernur BI terpilih Darmin Nasution mengatakan, saat ini BI tengah menggodok wacana mengenai redenominasi nilai tukar rupiah. "BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti," ujar Darmin, Sabtu (31/7/2010).
Ia menambahkan, rencana redenominasi nilai tukar ini nantinya akan dibahas terlebih dahulu dengan pemerintah dan DPR. "Harus melalui Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat baru nanti kita sosialisasikan," jelasnya.
Dalam redenominasi, akan ada pemotongan angka nol pada nilai mata uang. Pemotongan nol biasanya tiga buah di belakang. Misalnya pecahan Rp 100.000 dipangkas 3 angka nolnya akan menjadi Rp 100.
BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti
Tapi Darmin mengatakan belum bisa memutuskan berapa jumlah angka nol yang akan dipotong. "Belum bisa diputuskan sekarang berapa angka nol yang akan dikurangi, apakah tiga atau empat. Namun, hasil pembahasan akan diusahakan disampaikan ke pemerintah tahun ini," janji mantan Dirjen pajak ini.
Sebenarnya, proses untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar membutuhkan waktu sekitar empat hingga lima tahun.
Menurut Deputi Gubernur BI Budi Rochadi, setidaknya ada tiga persyaratan yang harus dipenuhi jika ingin melakukan penyederhanaan satuan nilai tukar.Tiga persyaratan itu adalah kondisi ekonomi yang stabil, inflasi yang terjaga rendah, dan adanya jaminan stabilitas harga.
Selain itu, untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar juga dibutuhkan penarikan uang yang beredar di masyarakat secara bertahap. "Hal yang paling sulit dilakukan dengan cepat dan mudah adalah sosialisai kepada seluruh masyarakat Indonesia yang mencapai ratusan juta jiwa," jelasnya.
Demi Terbang ke AS, Garuda Siap Pakai Biofuel
PT Garuda Indonesia Airlines siap menggunakan bahan bakar pesawat berjenis biofuel dalam rangka mengurangi emisi sekaligus persiapan terbang ke Amerika. Penggunaan BBM jenis biofuel ini akan diterapkan secara bertahap.
"Di Indonesia ini belum ada armada yang menggunakan biofuel, begitu juga kita (Garuda). Nanti akan terapkan secara bertahap, tapi tidak tahun ini," ujar Komisaris Garuda Wendy Aritenang di seminar aviasi dan perubahan iklim di Hotel Nikko, Jalan M Thamrin, Jakarta, Senin (2/8/2010).
Pada tahap awal, jumlah BBM biofuel yang bisa diterapkan di perusahaan pelat merah itu diperkirakan sebanyak 5%. Setelah itu, perlahan-lahan akan dinaikan sampai memenuhi ketentuan penerbangan Amerika Serikat.
Garuda memang berencana untuk terbang ke Amerika Serikat dalam waktu tiga tahun ke depan. Saat ini, Garuda sedang fokus untuk terbang ke beberapa kota besar di Eropa.
Salah satu regulasi bagi maskapai yang ingin terbang ke Amerika Serikat adalah menggunakan avtur biofuel. Sehingga, jika Garuda tidak merealisasikan hal ini, penerbangan ke negeri Paman Sam itu akan sulit terlaksana.
Ia mengatakan, salah satu negara yang menjual avtur biofuel adalah Brazil dan Amerika Serikat. Pihak Garuda kemungkinan akan melakukan pembelian ke salah satu dari dua negara itu mengingat tidak ada yang menjual di Indonesia.
"Sebaiknya, bisa Garuda atau Pertamina bisa negosiasi dengan para penjual biofuel itu," ujarnya.
Ia mengatakan, beberapa negara di dunia juga sudah ada yang melakukan uji coba pesawat berbahan bakar biofuel, yaitu Jepang dan negara-negara di Eropa lainnya. Dipercaya, pesawat berbahan bakar biofuel akan lebiih efisien dalam menekan emisi karbon.
Maskapai Lokal Kesulitan Cari Biofuel
Maskapai dalam negeri kesulitan dalam mencari bahan bakar alternatif seperti biofuel dalam rangka membantu mengurangi emisi gas buang sesuai dengan niatan International Aviation and Climate Change (ICAO). Satu-satunya cara mendapatkan biofuel adalah membeli dari luar negeri, dengan harga yang jauh melebihi harga BBM.
"Kalau memang biofuel bisa didapat dengan sustainable (berkelanjutan) akan sangat signifikan mengurangi emisi transportasi udara," ujar Wendy.
Meski demikian, hingga saat ini belum ada satu pun maskapai dalam negeri yang sudah memiliki pesawat yang bisa menggunakan biofuel. Maskapai tersebut bukannya tidak berusaha untuk membeli pesawat jenis tersebut namun memang infrastrukturnya tidak memadai, salah satunya tidak adanya pihak yang menjual biofuel untuk pesawat di Indonesia.
Ia mengakui, saat ini masih banyak maskapai dalam negeri yang menggunakan pesawat model lama yang sudah pasti efisiensi tidak sebaik pesawat-pesawat baru.
"Target kita kan bisa menekan efisiensi sampai 1,5% per tahun. Efisiensi paling besar bisa dilakukan dari manajemen maskapai itu sendiri," katanya.
Ia mengatakan, meski sedikit berbeda, pengurangan emisi dan polusi udara sangat berdekatan. Kualitas BBM yang dipakai mesin dan jenis BBM-nya sendiri akan mengurangi polusi udara sementara untuk mengurangi emisi CO2 bisa dilakukan dengan berbagai penghematan yang dilakukan oleh manajemen.
Salah satu program ICAO, adalah membuat peraturan guna mendukung pengurangan emisi gas buang dari pesawat terbang. Yang di dalamnya terdapat target untuk meningkatkan efisiensi pemakaian BBM pesawat hingga 2% hingga tahun 2050.
"Di Indonesia ini belum ada armada yang menggunakan biofuel, begitu juga kita (Garuda). Nanti akan terapkan secara bertahap, tapi tidak tahun ini," ujar Komisaris Garuda Wendy Aritenang di seminar aviasi dan perubahan iklim di Hotel Nikko, Jalan M Thamrin, Jakarta, Senin (2/8/2010).
Pada tahap awal, jumlah BBM biofuel yang bisa diterapkan di perusahaan pelat merah itu diperkirakan sebanyak 5%. Setelah itu, perlahan-lahan akan dinaikan sampai memenuhi ketentuan penerbangan Amerika Serikat.
Garuda memang berencana untuk terbang ke Amerika Serikat dalam waktu tiga tahun ke depan. Saat ini, Garuda sedang fokus untuk terbang ke beberapa kota besar di Eropa.
Salah satu regulasi bagi maskapai yang ingin terbang ke Amerika Serikat adalah menggunakan avtur biofuel. Sehingga, jika Garuda tidak merealisasikan hal ini, penerbangan ke negeri Paman Sam itu akan sulit terlaksana.
Ia mengatakan, salah satu negara yang menjual avtur biofuel adalah Brazil dan Amerika Serikat. Pihak Garuda kemungkinan akan melakukan pembelian ke salah satu dari dua negara itu mengingat tidak ada yang menjual di Indonesia.
"Sebaiknya, bisa Garuda atau Pertamina bisa negosiasi dengan para penjual biofuel itu," ujarnya.
Ia mengatakan, beberapa negara di dunia juga sudah ada yang melakukan uji coba pesawat berbahan bakar biofuel, yaitu Jepang dan negara-negara di Eropa lainnya. Dipercaya, pesawat berbahan bakar biofuel akan lebiih efisien dalam menekan emisi karbon.
Maskapai Lokal Kesulitan Cari Biofuel
Maskapai dalam negeri kesulitan dalam mencari bahan bakar alternatif seperti biofuel dalam rangka membantu mengurangi emisi gas buang sesuai dengan niatan International Aviation and Climate Change (ICAO). Satu-satunya cara mendapatkan biofuel adalah membeli dari luar negeri, dengan harga yang jauh melebihi harga BBM.
"Kalau memang biofuel bisa didapat dengan sustainable (berkelanjutan) akan sangat signifikan mengurangi emisi transportasi udara," ujar Wendy.
Meski demikian, hingga saat ini belum ada satu pun maskapai dalam negeri yang sudah memiliki pesawat yang bisa menggunakan biofuel. Maskapai tersebut bukannya tidak berusaha untuk membeli pesawat jenis tersebut namun memang infrastrukturnya tidak memadai, salah satunya tidak adanya pihak yang menjual biofuel untuk pesawat di Indonesia.
Ia mengakui, saat ini masih banyak maskapai dalam negeri yang menggunakan pesawat model lama yang sudah pasti efisiensi tidak sebaik pesawat-pesawat baru.
"Target kita kan bisa menekan efisiensi sampai 1,5% per tahun. Efisiensi paling besar bisa dilakukan dari manajemen maskapai itu sendiri," katanya.
Ia mengatakan, meski sedikit berbeda, pengurangan emisi dan polusi udara sangat berdekatan. Kualitas BBM yang dipakai mesin dan jenis BBM-nya sendiri akan mengurangi polusi udara sementara untuk mengurangi emisi CO2 bisa dilakukan dengan berbagai penghematan yang dilakukan oleh manajemen.
Salah satu program ICAO, adalah membuat peraturan guna mendukung pengurangan emisi gas buang dari pesawat terbang. Yang di dalamnya terdapat target untuk meningkatkan efisiensi pemakaian BBM pesawat hingga 2% hingga tahun 2050.
Redenominasi Rupiah Nilai Pecahan Rupiah Bakal Dipangkas?
Isu pemotongan nilai pecahan rupiah sebenarnya sudah banyak beredar, terutama sejak nilai tukar rupiah melorot 4-5 kali lipat terhadap dollar Amerika Serikat. Beberapa kali juga pemerintah membantah isu pemotongan rupiah yang sempat membuat trauma banyak orang Indonesia pada tahun 1950 dengan menggunting uang menjadi setengahnya.
Tapi kini Bank Indonesia benar-benar sudah berancang akan melakukan pemotongan atau istilah kerennya redenominasi rupiah. Tapi dalam redenominasi nilai tukar yang terjadi hanya pemotongan nilai pecahan mata uang untuk menjadi lebih kecil tanpa mengubah nilai tukarnya.
Gubernur BI terpilih Darmin Nasution mengatakan, saat ini BI tengah menggodok wacana mengenai redenominasi nilai tukar rupiah. "BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti," ujar Darmin, Sabtu (31/7/2010).
Ia menambahkan, rencana redenominasi nilai tukar ini nantinya akan dibahas terlebih dahulu dengan pemerintah dan DPR. "Harus melalui Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat baru nanti kita sosialisasikan," jelasnya.
Dalam redenominasi, akan ada pemotongan angka nol pada nilai mata uang. Pemotongan nol biasanya tiga buah di belakang. Misalnya pecahan Rp 100.000 dipangkas 3 angka nolnya akan menjadi Rp 100.
BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti
Tapi Darmin mengatakan belum bisa memutuskan berapa jumlah angka nol yang akan dipotong. "Belum bisa diputuskan sekarang berapa angka nol yang akan dikurangi, apakah tiga atau empat. Namun, hasil pembahasan akan diusahakan disampaikan ke pemerintah tahun ini," janji mantan Dirjen pajak ini.
Sebenarnya, proses untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar membutuhkan waktu sekitar empat hingga lima tahun.
Menurut Deputi Gubernur BI Budi Rochadi, setidaknya ada tiga persyaratan yang harus dipenuhi jika ingin melakukan penyederhanaan satuan nilai tukar.Tiga persyaratan itu adalah kondisi ekonomi yang stabil, inflasi yang terjaga rendah, dan adanya jaminan stabilitas harga.
Selain itu, untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar juga dibutuhkan penarikan uang yang beredar di masyarakat secara bertahap. "Hal yang paling sulit dilakukan dengan cepat dan mudah adalah sosialisai kepada seluruh masyarakat Indonesia yang mencapai ratusan juta jiwa," jelasnya. (Herlina Kartika, Sofyan Nur Hidayat/Kontan)
Tapi kini Bank Indonesia benar-benar sudah berancang akan melakukan pemotongan atau istilah kerennya redenominasi rupiah. Tapi dalam redenominasi nilai tukar yang terjadi hanya pemotongan nilai pecahan mata uang untuk menjadi lebih kecil tanpa mengubah nilai tukarnya.
Gubernur BI terpilih Darmin Nasution mengatakan, saat ini BI tengah menggodok wacana mengenai redenominasi nilai tukar rupiah. "BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti," ujar Darmin, Sabtu (31/7/2010).
Ia menambahkan, rencana redenominasi nilai tukar ini nantinya akan dibahas terlebih dahulu dengan pemerintah dan DPR. "Harus melalui Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat baru nanti kita sosialisasikan," jelasnya.
Dalam redenominasi, akan ada pemotongan angka nol pada nilai mata uang. Pemotongan nol biasanya tiga buah di belakang. Misalnya pecahan Rp 100.000 dipangkas 3 angka nolnya akan menjadi Rp 100.
BI sedang menyiapkan sejumlah hal agar nilai Rp 1 itu lebih berarti
Tapi Darmin mengatakan belum bisa memutuskan berapa jumlah angka nol yang akan dipotong. "Belum bisa diputuskan sekarang berapa angka nol yang akan dikurangi, apakah tiga atau empat. Namun, hasil pembahasan akan diusahakan disampaikan ke pemerintah tahun ini," janji mantan Dirjen pajak ini.
Sebenarnya, proses untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar membutuhkan waktu sekitar empat hingga lima tahun.
Menurut Deputi Gubernur BI Budi Rochadi, setidaknya ada tiga persyaratan yang harus dipenuhi jika ingin melakukan penyederhanaan satuan nilai tukar.Tiga persyaratan itu adalah kondisi ekonomi yang stabil, inflasi yang terjaga rendah, dan adanya jaminan stabilitas harga.
Selain itu, untuk melakukan redenominasi nilai tukar juga dibutuhkan penarikan uang yang beredar di masyarakat secara bertahap. "Hal yang paling sulit dilakukan dengan cepat dan mudah adalah sosialisai kepada seluruh masyarakat Indonesia yang mencapai ratusan juta jiwa," jelasnya. (Herlina Kartika, Sofyan Nur Hidayat/Kontan)
Dollar Stays Weak despite Warning about Strong Yen
TOKYO, KOMPAS.com - The dollar moved only narrowly against the yen in Asia on Monday, despite a warning by Japan’s finance minister about the yen’s renewed strength, analysts said. The dollar briefly topped 87 yen after Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said excessive volatility in currency rates could hurt economic activity, signaling his discomfort with the yen’s renewed strength.
But the dollar soon fell back, changing hands at 86.45 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, compared with 86.47 yen in New York late Friday. The greenback fell to around 86.00 yen over the weekend, sparking fears for the earnings of Japanese exporters.
Noda told reporters Monday: “Excessive fluctuations or disorderly movements are not desirable for the stability of economies and financial markets, and from this perspective, I will properly monitor daily market movements”.
Rises in the yen could take steam out of Japan’s export-driven recovery, by making the nation’s products less competitive on global markets, and by reducing the yen value of international trade gains.
“The remark by the Japanese authorities briefly lifted the dollar above 87 yen... but lacked an impact to sustain the gain (in the dollar),” said Mizuho Corporate Bank market economist Daisuke Karakama.
The euro was trading at 1.3075 dollars, slightly up from 1.3054 dollars in New York, amid fears that the US economic recovery may be losing steam. The European unit also rose to 113.00 yen from 112.90.
“The market is now waiting for (US) jobs data due Friday” to get clues on how the world’s biggest economy is faring, Karakama said.
The US dollar was broadly lower against other Asian currencies. It fell to 1.3539 Singapore dollars from 1.3616 Friday, to 45.33 Philippine pesos from 45.58, to 31.80 Taiwan dollars from 32.00, to 1,172.30 South Korean won from 1,183.50 and to 32.19 Thai baht from 32.26. However it edged up to 8,945.00 Indonesian rupiah from 8,944.00.
But the dollar soon fell back, changing hands at 86.45 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, compared with 86.47 yen in New York late Friday. The greenback fell to around 86.00 yen over the weekend, sparking fears for the earnings of Japanese exporters.
Noda told reporters Monday: “Excessive fluctuations or disorderly movements are not desirable for the stability of economies and financial markets, and from this perspective, I will properly monitor daily market movements”.
Rises in the yen could take steam out of Japan’s export-driven recovery, by making the nation’s products less competitive on global markets, and by reducing the yen value of international trade gains.
“The remark by the Japanese authorities briefly lifted the dollar above 87 yen... but lacked an impact to sustain the gain (in the dollar),” said Mizuho Corporate Bank market economist Daisuke Karakama.
The euro was trading at 1.3075 dollars, slightly up from 1.3054 dollars in New York, amid fears that the US economic recovery may be losing steam. The European unit also rose to 113.00 yen from 112.90.
“The market is now waiting for (US) jobs data due Friday” to get clues on how the world’s biggest economy is faring, Karakama said.
The US dollar was broadly lower against other Asian currencies. It fell to 1.3539 Singapore dollars from 1.3616 Friday, to 45.33 Philippine pesos from 45.58, to 31.80 Taiwan dollars from 32.00, to 1,172.30 South Korean won from 1,183.50 and to 32.19 Thai baht from 32.26. However it edged up to 8,945.00 Indonesian rupiah from 8,944.00.
"Public Disease" Operation in Indonesia ahead of Ramadhan
PANGKALPINANG, KOMPAS.com - The Bangka Belitung Provincial Police are launching so-called "public disease" operations ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan. "The operations are launched to anticipate security and public order disturbances during the fasting month," Bangka Belitung Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. M Rum Murkal said here on Sunday.
The operations targeted liquor circulation, gambling, and prostitution, among others, he said. The activity was part of integrated operations conducted simultaneously in all parts of the provincial police’s jurisdiction.
"The operations are part of efforts to minimize security and public order disturbances before and during the fasting month," he said. Asked about the operating hours of cafes and nightspots in the province during the fasting month, he said it was the authority of the provincial government to govern them.
"We are waiting for a policy from the regional government about the operating hours of nightspots and cafes. It is likely the police will coordinate with public order officers to supervise their operating hours," he said.
He asked the local people to refrain from doing anything that might disrupt public order during the fasting month. The fasting month this year is expected to start on August 11.
The operations targeted liquor circulation, gambling, and prostitution, among others, he said. The activity was part of integrated operations conducted simultaneously in all parts of the provincial police’s jurisdiction.
"The operations are part of efforts to minimize security and public order disturbances before and during the fasting month," he said. Asked about the operating hours of cafes and nightspots in the province during the fasting month, he said it was the authority of the provincial government to govern them.
"We are waiting for a policy from the regional government about the operating hours of nightspots and cafes. It is likely the police will coordinate with public order officers to supervise their operating hours," he said.
He asked the local people to refrain from doing anything that might disrupt public order during the fasting month. The fasting month this year is expected to start on August 11.
A Weekend Lie-in Can be Good for Your Health
- Dragging a teenager kicking and screaming out of bed too early on a Sunday morning could be bad for their health. Scientists have shown that a weekend lie-in is more than lazy indulgence and could be vital for well-being.
Tests on volunteers showed that the occasional sleep-in provides an invaluable antidote to the harmful effects of sleep deprivation. The findings will be welcome by all those lucky enough to be able to enjoy an extra hour or two of slumber on Saturdays and Sundays.
It came as another study warned of the dangers of persistently sleeping too much - and showed that people who regularly get more than seven hours every day are putting themselves at risk of heart disease.
Dr David Dinges, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, who conducted the first study, said: 'The additional hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of chronic partial sleep loss has genuine benefits for continued recovery of behavioural alertness. The bottom line is that adequate recovery-sleep duration is important for coping with the effects of chronic sleep restriction on the brain.'
Inadequate sleep interferes with the way people think, handle stress and keep their emotions in check. It can also disrupt the immune system, increasing the risk of infection.
In the study, 142 adults with an average age of 30 were restricted to four hours in bed from 4am to 8am for five consecutive nights. At the end of the week, the volunteers were assigned to one of six 'doses' of a single night's 'recovery sleep' - ranging from zero to ten hours. Another 17 made up a comparison group who spent ten hours in bed nightly.
As expected, the test performance of the sleep deprived volunteers was consistently worse than that of the well-rested control group. But just one lie-in after a week of sleep deprivation improved mental faculties - and the longer the lie-in, the more alert they become.
However, even after ten hours in bed, sleep-restricted participants still had worse scores than the control group for attention lapses, poor reaction times, and fatigue.
Meanwhile, the second study showed that seven hours is the 'perfect' amount of sleep. Researchers at West Virginia University showed that sleeping fewer than five hours a day - including naps - doubles the risk of being diagnosed with angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
But sleeping more than seven hours increases the risks of cardiovascular disease too, the researchers found. Researcher Dr Anoop Shankar was unable to explain why length of sleep is linked to heart problems, but past studies have shown that sleep deprivation can increase blood pressure and diabetes.
Tests on volunteers showed that the occasional sleep-in provides an invaluable antidote to the harmful effects of sleep deprivation. The findings will be welcome by all those lucky enough to be able to enjoy an extra hour or two of slumber on Saturdays and Sundays.
It came as another study warned of the dangers of persistently sleeping too much - and showed that people who regularly get more than seven hours every day are putting themselves at risk of heart disease.
Dr David Dinges, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, who conducted the first study, said: 'The additional hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of chronic partial sleep loss has genuine benefits for continued recovery of behavioural alertness. The bottom line is that adequate recovery-sleep duration is important for coping with the effects of chronic sleep restriction on the brain.'
Inadequate sleep interferes with the way people think, handle stress and keep their emotions in check. It can also disrupt the immune system, increasing the risk of infection.
In the study, 142 adults with an average age of 30 were restricted to four hours in bed from 4am to 8am for five consecutive nights. At the end of the week, the volunteers were assigned to one of six 'doses' of a single night's 'recovery sleep' - ranging from zero to ten hours. Another 17 made up a comparison group who spent ten hours in bed nightly.
As expected, the test performance of the sleep deprived volunteers was consistently worse than that of the well-rested control group. But just one lie-in after a week of sleep deprivation improved mental faculties - and the longer the lie-in, the more alert they become.
However, even after ten hours in bed, sleep-restricted participants still had worse scores than the control group for attention lapses, poor reaction times, and fatigue.
Meanwhile, the second study showed that seven hours is the 'perfect' amount of sleep. Researchers at West Virginia University showed that sleeping fewer than five hours a day - including naps - doubles the risk of being diagnosed with angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
But sleeping more than seven hours increases the risks of cardiovascular disease too, the researchers found. Researcher Dr Anoop Shankar was unable to explain why length of sleep is linked to heart problems, but past studies have shown that sleep deprivation can increase blood pressure and diabetes.
The World's First Stem Cell Treatment on Humans
KOMPAS.com - The world's first experiments using embryonic stem cells to treat humans have been given the go-ahead in America.
California-based biotech firm Geron will begin clinical trials on patients paralysed by spinal cord injuries.
Scientists hope that injecting cells from discarded human embryos into the spines of volunteers will trigger regrowth of damaged nerve cells and eventually allow the patients to recover feeling and movement.
The Vatican condemned the controversial milestone as ' unacceptable' and anti-abortion groups say they are planning protests across the country.
The study was cleared by President Obama a year ago, but was put on hold because some animals on which the company was testing the treatment developed cysts. Now Geron claims it has overcome the problem.
Dr Richard Fessler, a neurological surgeon at Northwestern University who will lead the research, said that if the treatment works on humans it would be 'revolutionary'.
'The therapy would provide a viable treatment option for thousands of patients who suffer severe spinal cord injuries each year,' he said.
Geron has spent 15 years and more than £100million developing the treatment and hopes to begin the study within the next few months.
Adult stem cells, which typically produce a set variety of tissue types, have been tested on patients with limited success.
But researchers hope the use of highly versatile embryonic stem cells - which can turn into any cell in the body - will revolutionise medicine, from creating organs for transplants to helping to test drugs.
The therapy also has the potential to help patients with Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Until now, the ethical barrier of using discarded three- to five-day-old embryos has prevented any tests on humans.
The Bush administration, fearing a backlash from its many evangelical Christian supporters, kept embryonic stem cell research tightly shackled, but last year President Obama repealed the block.
The Roman Catholic Church remains fiercely opposed to the research. Vatican official Elio Dgreccia said: 'Despite the efforts that are made to deny it, science continues to show us that the embryo is a human being in the making.'
One of Britain's leading stem cell researchers, Dr Robin Lovell-Badge of the National Institute for Medical Research, said: 'It is critical that the first steps to using human embryonic stem cell-derived cells for treatments are carried out with caution.
'The last thing a field needs, especially one weighed down with so much ethical and political debate, is a disaster.
'However, while it is right to proceed with care, at some point someone has to be brave. Many treatments that are today routine began with both the clinical teams and the patients taking a gamble, whether it was Christiaan Barnard and heart transplants or Edwards and Steptoe with IVF.'
California-based biotech firm Geron will begin clinical trials on patients paralysed by spinal cord injuries.
Scientists hope that injecting cells from discarded human embryos into the spines of volunteers will trigger regrowth of damaged nerve cells and eventually allow the patients to recover feeling and movement.
The Vatican condemned the controversial milestone as ' unacceptable' and anti-abortion groups say they are planning protests across the country.
The study was cleared by President Obama a year ago, but was put on hold because some animals on which the company was testing the treatment developed cysts. Now Geron claims it has overcome the problem.
Dr Richard Fessler, a neurological surgeon at Northwestern University who will lead the research, said that if the treatment works on humans it would be 'revolutionary'.
'The therapy would provide a viable treatment option for thousands of patients who suffer severe spinal cord injuries each year,' he said.
Geron has spent 15 years and more than £100million developing the treatment and hopes to begin the study within the next few months.
Adult stem cells, which typically produce a set variety of tissue types, have been tested on patients with limited success.
But researchers hope the use of highly versatile embryonic stem cells - which can turn into any cell in the body - will revolutionise medicine, from creating organs for transplants to helping to test drugs.
The therapy also has the potential to help patients with Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis.
Until now, the ethical barrier of using discarded three- to five-day-old embryos has prevented any tests on humans.
The Bush administration, fearing a backlash from its many evangelical Christian supporters, kept embryonic stem cell research tightly shackled, but last year President Obama repealed the block.
The Roman Catholic Church remains fiercely opposed to the research. Vatican official Elio Dgreccia said: 'Despite the efforts that are made to deny it, science continues to show us that the embryo is a human being in the making.'
One of Britain's leading stem cell researchers, Dr Robin Lovell-Badge of the National Institute for Medical Research, said: 'It is critical that the first steps to using human embryonic stem cell-derived cells for treatments are carried out with caution.
'The last thing a field needs, especially one weighed down with so much ethical and political debate, is a disaster.
'However, while it is right to proceed with care, at some point someone has to be brave. Many treatments that are today routine began with both the clinical teams and the patients taking a gamble, whether it was Christiaan Barnard and heart transplants or Edwards and Steptoe with IVF.'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)