'Miniskirts = porn': Religious Affairs Minister

'Miniskirts = porn': Religious Affairs Minister

Margareth S. Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/28/2012 2:03 PM

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Suryadharma Ali: Religious Affairs Minister. (Tribunnews.com/Herudin)

Following the establishment of the anti-pornography task force, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said that skirts that fall above the knee would be included in the working group’s definition of pornography, on which it would base its future work.

"We will arrange meetings with different stakeholders from the public to get input on how they understand pornography, and I'm sure that they will come up with different definitions [of pornography]. However, there must be a set of universal criteria to define something as pornographic, of which one will be when someone wears a skirt above the knee," Suryadharma, who was tapped by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to run the body on a daily basis, said on the sidelines of a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs on Wednesday.

Once a standard of pornography was established, the task force would apply it nationwide across all ethnicities, he added.

Attempting to curb the distribution of pornographic materials across the country, the President recently established a task force on the management and prevention of pornography as a body to implement the 2008 Pornography Law.

The President appointed Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono to lead the task force and Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali to manage day-to-day operations.

Members of the task force include other Cabinet members such as Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring, Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Gumelar, Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh, as well as Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi.

 

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Nila Moeloek: Women Should Have Higher Education

The Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) is celebrating its 12th anniversary
today (12/21) in Kuningan, South Jakarta. In this event, DWP
chairwoman Nila Moelek urges woman to have higher education in order
to achieve welfare for their family and surrounding
environment.

“Woman should be more educated to achieve welfare
for their family,” she expressed.

Moreover she said that
Jakarta DWP has big challenges to create welfare and eradicate
poverty. Due to high population number, various problems are emerging
in the city.

Meanwhile, according to City Secretary Fadjar
Panjaitan, Jakarta DWP is able to assist Jakarta Provincial Government
in eradicating poverty. Through its programs that directly touch
low-level societies, Jakarta DWP can effectively provide assistance on
the right targets.

“The first point of Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) is poverty eradication, which is very in line with the
government’s programs,” he stated

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Google to sell a branded tablet - Android game-changer?

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Google will begin selling co-branded Android tablets, attempting to slow Apple’s massive market share growth with the New iPad and a reduced-price iPad. Instead of getting into the OEM game, Google is expected to work with existing Android tablet-makers to market Google tablets through an online store and traditional brick and mortar retail outlets. But will it be enough to change public perceptions and get people to start purchasing Android-powered tablets instead of iPads?

Naysayers have been quick to point out the dismal failure of Google’s initial efforts to sell their Nexus One smartphone direct to consumers and, as Jason Perlow noted recently, even their highest profile devices (including those from soon-to-be subsidiary Motorola) suffer from fragmentation, bloatware, and miserable update records. How will Google-branded devices (reportedly from Asus and Samsung) sold direct by Google and in retail channels (often right next to Apple devices) solve this problem that seems to be inherent in Android?

According to the WSJ article,

Google believes the current model for selling tablets is broken, said people familiar with its strategy. Google has watched as wireless carriers, who helped Android become the No. 1 mobile operating system for smartphones, have struggled to replicate that success with tablets…

…This time, however, Google won’t have to worry about pairing with wireless carriers because tablets are primarily used with WiFi connections in people’s homes.

The article also cited what may be a more effective strategy (one that has worked for Amazon with their Kindle Fire tablet): subsidizing the cost of the hardware sold under the Google brand. Google will also have the opportunity to heavily market the tablets and take advantage of its considerable reach online and, more recently, in traditional media, to capture potential customers and educate the market on the value of Android tablets. Unfortunately, many customers and more than a few analysts are skeptical about whether Android has any value at all in the tablet space.

I’ve argued for some time that Android will ultimately win the tablet wars, at least in terms of market share. Google’s ability to market directly to consumers, though, is dubious at best. If it’s going to keep new customers from simply defaulting to iPads, then it will be the potential for differentiation and market segmentation provided by Android and many OEMs that does it (just as it has in the smartphone wars); a Google online store won’t exactly turn the market upside down.

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Apple: iPad 3 battery gauge works as expected

AllThingsD’s Ina Fried published an article today indicating that the observations of unusual charing behavior with the iPad 3 aren’t so unusual after all.

Yesterday I noted that if you unplug your iPad 3 as soon as the battery indicator says “100%” you’re actually missing out on as much as 1.2 hours (10 percent) of additional run time. But Apple says that this is the expected behavior and that the iPad battery is designed to work this way.

Fried explains it this way:

Apple does, in fact, display the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch) as 100 percent charged just before a device reaches a completely charged state. At that point, it will continue charging to 100 percent, then discharge a bit and charge back up to 100 percent, repeating that process until the device is unplugged.

Soneira, President of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, first discovered that the iPad 3 experienced a net loss of 1.2 hours (around 10 percent) of battery run time if unplugged as soon as its battery indicator displayed 100%. His essential point was that if the iPad 3 is fully charged (i.e. overnight) it will run 11.6 hours, which is 1.2 hours longer than if it is only charged to 100% (10.4 hours).

Apple VP Michael Tchao tells AllThingsD that Apple decided not to keep changing the battery status “so as not to distract or confuse users,” explaining:

That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like, It’s a great feature that’s always been in iOS.

So there you have it. The iPad battery displays “100%” a little prematurely because Apple didn’t think that it would be wise to show the battery constantly fluctuating between 90 and 100 percent as the battery goes through its normal trickle charge/discharge cycle to keep it topped off. Makes sense to me.

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1,900 Police/TNI Personnel Guard MPR/DPR Building

Thousands of protesters are predicted will pack the area around MPR/DPR building where the plenary meeting to discuss fuel (BBM) price hike plan is going to be held by People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and House of Representatives (DPR) members, Friday (3/30). In fact, the number of protesters will be a lot higher compared than the demonstration in the same place on Tuesday (3/27)

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Mahasiswa Riau Tuntut Nasionalisasi Aset Negara

Metrotvnews.com, Pekanbaru: Sekitar 100 mahasiswa di
Pekanbaru, Riau, menuntut pemerintah melakukan nasionalisasi aset
strategis Energi dan Sumber Daya Alam (ESDM) yang dikuasai asing.

Tuntutan mereka ajukan dalam unjuk rasa yang mereka lakukan
bersama masyarakat untuk menolak rencana penaikan harga bahan bakar
minyak (BBM) subsidi pada 1 April mendatang.

"Penaikan harga
BBM sarat dengan kepentingan asing. Kami menuntut pemerintah untuk
menasionalisasi aset-aset strategis yang kini dikuasai asing," kata
koordinator aksi Bersatu Mahasiswa Peduli Rakyat (Bemper) Hendro Salim
di Kantor DPRD Riau di Kota Pekanbaru, Jumat (30/3).

Menurutnya, pemerintah saat ini bersikeras menaikkan harga BBM
subsidi karena dalam tekanan pengaruh kapitalisme asing. Alasan
pengurangan subsidi untuk menyelamatkan APBN merupakan pembodohan.
Sebab dari kebocoran anggaran di APBN lebih banyak digunakan untuk
pemborosan birokrasi dan aparatur negara.

"Sebagian besar
rakyat di negara ini selalu yang menjadi korban kebijakan yang pro
kapitalisme. Sedangkan segelintir orang menikmati penindasan terhadap
rakyat," paparnya.

Dalam pernyataan sikapnya, para mahasiswa
bersama sejumlah LSM menuntut pemangkasan anggaran pejabat dan
birokrasi, nasionalisasi aset, meminta SBY-Boediono bertanggung jawab
atas kerusuhan yang terjadi, dan menolak keras rencana penaikan harga
BBM subsidi.(MI/RIZ)

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Medco, partners to acquire two ExxonMobil’s gas blocks

Medco, partners to acquire two ExxonMobil’s gas blocks

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 03/30/2012 10:27 AM

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PT Medco Energi Internasional says it will join forces with two other firms to buy two oil and gas blocks operated by US-based ExxonMobil.

Medco, state gas distributor PT PGN and state fertilizer maker PT Pupuk Sriwijaya (Pusri) have submitted a formal bid for ExxonMobil’s Block B and the North Sumatra Offshore (NSO) block, Medco president director Lukman Mahfoedz said in a message on Thursday.

“If the acquisition is successful, the share composition for the two blocks will be 40 percent for Medco and 30 percent for PGN and Pusri, respectively,” he said.

Contacted separately, ExxonMobil declined to name of companies interested in its 100 percent stake in both blocks or its 30 percent stake in liquefied natural gas producer PT Arun NGL.

The assets produced a combined 215 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) in 2010, ExxonMobil said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post in August last year.

“We can’t comment further because the [acquisition] is still underway. We will ensure that the decision to sell the shares is consistent with the company’s long-standing practice of continuously reviewing assets for their contribution to the company’s operating and financial objectives,” the company said in the statement.

ExxonMobil is now concentrating its attention on developing the Cepu block in East Java.

Cepu’s Banyu Urip field will produce 165,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) by 2014 and may be one of the most important blocks in Indonesia’s effort to produce 1 million bpd of oil by that year, according to reports.

ExxonMobil has been operating in Indonesia for more than 100 years. Its current projects cover the Cepu block in Central Java, East Natuna in Riau Islands and the coal bed methane (CBM) evaluation project in Kalimantan.

Gas in Aceh was discovered by Mobil Oil Indonesia in 1971. After studies, the government and its partners set up an LNG plant in Arun and began exporting LNG to Japan in 1978.

State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina currently holds a 55 percent stake in the Arun LNG plant, ExxonMobil owns 30 percent and a consortium of Japanese buyers owns 15 percent.

According to upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas’s data, the Arun LNG plant exported 362 cargoes of LNG in 2011, down significantly from 427 cargoes in 2010.

— JP/Rangga D. Fadillah

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Letter: Rampant traffic accidents

Letter: Rampant traffic accidents

| Thu, 03/29/2012 11:34 AM

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The number of private vehicles increased dramatically recently. Unfortunately, the growth is incomparable with the development of road infrastructure.  

In my opinion, accidents happen due to three problems. The first is human error. Reckless drivers, who do not have enough skill in operating a car, find it very easy to obtain driving licenses in some region as long as he/she has enough money.   

The second factor is poor road infrastructure, alongside minimally maintained roads — the visibility of traffic signs is sometimes neglected. We know that not all drivers are familiar with the condition of a local road. Therefore observable traffic signs are important. While driving in the countryside, I frequently find that many signs are difficult to see immediately, because they are obscured by tree branches.  This might cause drivers failing to anticipate road conditions.

Third factor is the vehicle’s condition itself. Sometime people do not care about the passenger capacity allowed in the car. For the sake of togetherness, safety is not a priority. The condition is worse when the vehicle is not properly maintained.

Usually after any major accident, attention from respective departments toward the cause increase. However, due to a lack of financial capacity or capability, the actions taken sometimes do not address the root problem.

If one of the three factors is missing, the potential risk of having an accident will remain high.  

Coordination among relevant government institutions play important role. Intense supervision by those institutions should be conducted and monitored regularly.

The institutions may give rewards for those who perform and put sanctions on those who neglected their responsibility.  

I Gede Edy Purwaka
Yogyakarta

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Dalglish Klaim Liverpool Sudah Lebih Baik

Usai mengangkat tropi Piala Liga, performa Liverpool tak bisa dibilang
meyakinkan. Bahkan laga terakhir mereka di Anfield berakhir dengan
kekalahan.

Tak sedikit kemudian yang menilai Liverpool
menunjukkan penurunan kualitas performa. Tapi Kenny Dalglish menampik
anggapan itu.

Menurut manajer asal Skotlandia itu, Liverpool
sudah menunjukkan perkembangan besar dalam 12 bulan
terakhir.

"Semua tergantung bagaimana orang melihat
kesuksesan," ujar Dalglish yang dikutip Sky Sports.

"Saya
melihat sukses dengan melihat klub terus bergerak maju, dan itulah
yang kami lakukan. Kami maju ke depan dalam banyak cara,"
paparnya.

Dalglish mengakui performa timnya belakangan ini tak
mengesankan, tapi semua sistem di klub terus berkembang, mulai dari
tim utama hingga akademi.

"Kami hanya harus membuat hasil laga
kami di liga lebih baik lagi dan semuanya akan menjadi cerita yang
indah," tandas Dalglish.(goal/DNI)

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SOA to help federal agencies become more service oriented

SOA may help government agencies become more service oriented.

Federal Computing Week’s Alice Lipowicz reports that two federal government agencies within the US Department of the Interior — the the US National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are integrating their six separate scientific data systems into a single, SOA-enabled system.

Keeping everyone aligned: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan, part of the SOA-aware National Park Service. Photo by the author.

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Polisi Padang Menangkap Delapan Mahasiswa

Metrotvnews.com, Padang: Unjuk rasa mahasiswa menolak
rencana pemerintah menaikkan harga bahan bakar minyak (BBM) di Gedung
DPRD Sumbar, Kota Padang, rusuh. Pengunjuk rasa terlibat bentrokan
dengan polisi. Delapan pengunjuk rasa ditangkap dalam aksi
ini.

"Mereka yang diamankan berasal dari berbagai kampus dan
terlibat bentrok dengan aparat ketika berunjukrasa di gedung DPRD
Sumbar," kata Kepala Kepolisian Resor Kota Padang, Komisaris Besar
Polisi M. Seno Putro, di Padang, Sumbar, Kamis (29/3).

Menurut
dia, mahasiswa yang dicokok terbukti melempari Gedung DPRD Sumbar
dengan batu.  "Akibat pelemparan dari mahasiswa tiga pintu kaca
gedung dewan pecah," katanya.

Para mahasiswa yang ditangkap
kemudian digiri ke Markas Polresta Padang untuk dimintai keterangan.
"Kita mengamankan barang bukti berupa batu, kayu yang digunakan
mahasiswa ketika aksi demo penolakan kenaikan harga BBM,"
ungkapnya.

Untuk mengamankan unjuk rasa ini, ratusan personel
kepolisian diturunkan. "Personel polisi yang diturunkan terdiri dari
jajaran Polresta Padang, Brimob Polda Sumbar, serta dibantu dari
Polres Padangpariaman," katanya.

Ikut disiagakan pula mobil
water cannon, mobil Rantis, serta senjata peluru karet untuk
mengantisipasi kerusahan yang dipicu aksi tersebut.  "Kita tidak
meminta bantuan dari pihak TNI dalam pengamanan aksi demo mahasiswa,"
katanya.

Polisi juga mengamankan obyek vital seperti Stasiun
Bahan Bakar Umum (SPBU) yang berada tidak jauh dari Gedung DPRD
Sumbar. "Kita takutnya aksi mahasiswa ini menguasai SPBU dekat gedung
DPRD itu, sehingga mengganggu kendaraan yang mengisi bahan bakar,"
katanya.

Kabag Humas DPRD Sumbar, Edi Janur membenarkan tiga
pintu kaca Gedung DPRD Sumbar pecah. "Aksi lemparan batu dari
mahasiswa, mengakibatkan pintu kaca gedung dewan mengalami kerusakan,
kita belum tahu berapa kerugian,"katanya.

Ia mengaku rusaknya
pintu kaca gedung dewan ini telah dilaporkan ke Ketua DPRD Sumbar.
"Tidak ada mobil anggota DPRD Sumbar yang rusak ketika aksi demo
mahasiswa menolak kenaikan harga BBM," katanya.(Ant/BEY)

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Bima preacher jailed for terrorism

Bima preacher jailed for terrorism

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 03/29/2012 9:11 AM

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The Tangerang District Court sentenced on Wednesday the principal of the Umar bin Khattab Islamic boarding school in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, to 17 years in prison for his preaching on jihad that led to terrorism acts.

The panel of judges said that defendant Abrory bin Al Ayub, alias Maskadov, had misled his pupils with his teachings and even had ordered one of them to kill a police officer during a raid at the school.

Sya’ban was sentenced to 15 years in jail for the murder in a separate hearing on the same day.

“The defendant’s deeds caused many people to suffer from injuries and he tainted the good reputation of Indonesia which has promoted the eradication of terrorism,” presiding judge Iman Gultom read from the sentence.

Based on testimonies heard at the court, Abrory was also proven guilty of assembling homemade bombs and ordered his pupils to arm themselves when police raided the school.

However, the court did not find that Abrory had links to any terrorist cell, although the National Antiterrorism Agency believed that Umar Patek, the country’s most-wanted terrorist suspect, had had dealings with the Bima boarding school.

A bomb exploded at the school on July 11 last year, killing the school’s treasurer. The police seized homemade bombs, along with weapons and VCDs with lessons about jihad in a follow-up raid. The case was tried in Tangerang due to security reasons.

Abrory’s lawyer, Asruddin, regarded the punishment as too harsh.

“What comes to be our objection to the verdict is that the panel of judges made assumptions about the possible impact of my client’s teachings, but they could not prove that my client was a perpetrator of terrorism acts,” he told reporters.

In a separate session, the judges also handed down a 42-month prison term to each of four other defendants, the pupils and relatives of Abrory, for abetting in harboring Abrory while he was on the run from the police. They are Rahmat Ibnu Umar alias Rahmat bin Effendi, Asraf alias Tauhid, Furqon and Rahmad Hidayat.

Another defendant, Mustakim Abdullah, 16, had been previously sentenced to a 15 months’ jail term. The Tangerang District court accelerated his trial because the defendant was still underage.

— JP/Multa Fidrus

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Awas, Alat-alat Rumah Tangga bisa Sebabkan Obesitas

Metrotvnews.com: Hati-hati menggunakan alat-alat
rumah tangga! Sebab, alat-alat itu bisa berdampak pada kesehatan Anda.
Bagaimana tidak! Bahan kimia yang terkandung dalam alat rumah tangga,
seperti plastik, kasur, dan komponen cat rumah, sebagiannya berkaitan
dengan obesitas dan diabetes.

Peringatan itu disampaikan para
ahli dari CHEM Trust, sebuah LSM Inggris yang bekerja untuk melindungi
masyarakat dan lingkungan dari bahan kimia berbahaya. CHEM Trust
menemukan, zat berbahaya (pestisida, komponen cat, solar, penghambat
api, komponen plastik yang digunakan untuk wadah makanan) sangat
mungkin memengaruhi obesitas dan peningkatan kasus diabetes di negara
maju.

Berdasarkan Review of the Science Linking Chemical
Exposures to the Human Risk of Obesity and Diabetes, zat kimia dapat
masuk melalui makanan dan mengendap ke tubuh. Hal itu menyebabkan
terjadinya penumpukan lemak dan menurunkan tingkat metabolisme.

Penulis review adalah akademisi dari University of North
California dan North Korean National University. Mereka mencatat,
anak-anak dan ibu hamil juga akan menghadapi risiko tertentu akibat
zat kimia pada alat-alat rumah tangga tersebut.

Mereka
mendesak pemerintah negara-negara maju mempertimbangkan kemungkinan
perubahan kebijakan tentang kesehatan, terutama pada pencegahan
gangguan endokrin.(geniusbeauty/***)

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Citizens, Visit City Museums for Cheap yet Value Recreation

Although located at the heart of Jakarta, Joang 45 Museum and Husni
Thamrin Museum are not always crowded by visitors. Low resident’s
interest in visiting museum is alleged behind this condition. The
museums visitors are only elementary school (SD) students who are
doing historical tourism visit

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Guess what?: Ayu Azhari a big fan of ‘jamu’

Guess what?: Ayu Azhari a big fan of ‘jamu’

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/27/2012 8:57 AM

A | A | A |

JAKARTA: Actress Ayu Azhari says she is a big fan of jamu, the traditional Indonesian herbal health drink.

“I like to consume jamu. After I give birth, I always like to have jamu. Jamu Madura, jamu delima, I like all jamu for women,” she said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com.

Ayu added that she is starting to introduce the habit to her children as well.

The 42-year-old, who is married to a member of the rock band White Lion, said she also tries to keep fit by maintaining a positive mind-set.

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Kenapa Tomat Tak Boleh Disimpan di Kulkas?

BIASANYA, menyimpan sayuran di kulkas merupakan cara
terbaik menjaga kesegarannya. Tapi tak semua sayur dan buah yang bisa
disimpan di kulkas. Satu di antaranya tomat. Kenapa ya?

Tomat
bukan buah. Tapi tomat merupakan sayuran yang lebih baik disimpan di
suhu panas ketimbang dingin. Lemari es bukan tempat yang ideal untuk
menyimpan tomat. Bila disimpan di kulkas, tomat jadi bertepung dan tak
bisa dimakan mentah-mentah. Jadi simpanlah tomat di meja yang terpapar
langsung oleh sinar matahari.

Selain tomat, ada pula beberapa
sayuran yang tak disarankan disimpan di kulkas, sebagai
berikut:

a. Kemangi
Sama seperti tomat,
kemangi juga tidak baik bila disimpan dalam suhu dingin. Menyimpannya
terlalu lama di kulkas akan menyebabkan layu sebelum waktunya. Kemangi
akan tetap segar bila disimpan di meja dengan suhu
ruangan.

b. Kentang
Kentang menyukai suhu
yang sejuk, tapi tidak dingin. Sayuran ini akan segar bila disimpan
pada suhu sekitar 10 derajat lebih hangat daripada suhu rata-rata
kulkas. Simpanlah dalam kantung kertas dan taruh di tempat yang sejuk.

Mengapa kertas? Ini akan membuat kentang bisa bernapas,
sedangkan plastik membuat kentang membusuk lebih mudah. Menyimpan
kentang pada suhu dingin akan mengonversi pati untuk gula lebih cepat
yang dapat memengaruhi rasa dan tekstur.

c.
Bawang
Untuk menjaga agar kulit bawang tetap kering,
simpan dalam ruangan kering seperti dapur yang tidak lembap seperti
lemari es. Kurangnya sirkulasi udara dalam kulkas juga akan
menyebabkan bawang rusak.

d. Avokad
Avokad
tidak akan matang sampai setelah mereka dipetik dari pohon. Jika Anda
membeli avokad, jangan menyimpannya di kulkas karena memperlambat
proses pematangan. Di sisi lain, jika avokad matang dengan sempurna
dan Anda tidak siap untuk digunakan, menyimpannya dalam kulkas bisa
menundanya menjadi busuk. (MI/RRN)

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Conflict minerals: some progress in the Congo?

At the heart of the conflict minerals issue is the regulatory mandate that electronics manufacturers must carry out supply chain due diligence yet there has been no corresponding governmental led schemes to certify that source mines are indeed conflict free. Some firms have simply pulled out of the region altogether rather than try to cross over a high hurdle of operational & brand risk with compliance complexity. As a result these poverty stricken regions of eastern Congo have seen their incomes drop further.

See also - Unwatchable: dial R for rape. How much does your handset really cost.

Now the US State Department is stumping up some cash and expertise to try and kick start a certification programme. Yesterday Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero while visiting Kinshasa, announced the formation of the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) and a $3.2 million grant from USAID with the expectation that the industry will cough up another $2 million.

The PPA will focus on three main priorities:

• assist with the development of pilot supply chain systems that will allow businesses to source minerals from mines that have been audited and certified to be ‘conflict-free.’ 
• provide a platform for coordination amongst government, industry, and civil society actors seeking to support conflict-free sourcing from the DRC. 
• establish a website designed to serve as a resource for companies seeking information regarding how to responsibly source minerals from the DRC.

It’s a good start but there are some open questions and concerns. First, so called public-private partnerships can be unstable working devices with a multitude of stakeholders working as much against one another as with. Manufacturers, above all, need to guarantee their consumers that products sold are conflict free and to be able to do so quickly. Governmental aid agencies are in the business of long term humanitarian assistance and basic economic development. These two objectives maybe conflicting, at least in the short run. Secondly, its not at all clear who will develop the audit protocol, by when it will be developed and which agency exactly will have the skill, security and authority to carry out the audits & provide certification.

Certainly, the US government has legitimate trade interests in helping the predominately US based industry work through this problem. It remains to be seen though whether USAID is just providing air cover for the industry or actually does have the know how and will to see this process to a workable solution for the long run. $5.2 million may seem like a lot of money but with producers and manufacturers outnumbered by almost two to one with NGO’s, think tanks, network operators, industry groups and government agencies, it’s a veritable conga for the Congo.  There is serious risk that the pool of money will be burned through quickly in exhaustive talking phases without much in the way of robust & actionable process coming out the other side. Colour me sceptical.

Still, kudos to all below for signing up although Dell, Microsoft and Apple are curiously absent given that its a US government process. The kick off event for the PPA will be in Washington in November and after that we should soon see if this thing has legs.

Advanced Micro Devices
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC)
Enough Project
Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)
H.C. Starck
HP
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR)
Intel
ITRI on behalf of the iTSCi project
Jewish World Watch
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Nokia
Pact
Partnership Africa Canada / Partenariat Afrique Canada
Responsible Sourcing Network
Sony Corporation
Sprint
Telefónica
Toshiba Corporation
Verizon Communications
World Gold Council

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SOA to help federal agencies become more service oriented

SOA may help government agencies become more service oriented.

Federal Computing Week’s Alice Lipowicz reports that two federal government agencies within the US Department of the Interior — the the US National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are integrating their six separate scientific data systems into a single, SOA-enabled system.

Keeping everyone aligned: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan, part of the SOA-aware National Park Service. Photo by the author.

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Governor: Rice Price is Guaranteed Stable

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo guarantees the rise of fuel (BBM) price will not significantly affect on rice price. Because, besides the rice stocks are still adequate, rice farmers are currently in grand harvest period. Fauzi even optimists the rice price can always be controlled. This can be proven when the farmers were experiencing harvest failure in November-February and causing rice stocks decreased, the rice price was still stable

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Thousands of Protesters Surrounded the State Palace

Mass concentration is escalating in number to thousand protesters protesting fuel (BBM) price raise in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (3/27). Previously, those protesters were long marching from Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout on Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat

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PDI-P unit takes to the streets, defies Taufik Kiemas

PDI-P unit takes to the streets, defies Taufik Kiemas

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 03/26/2012 6:59 PM

A | A | A |

Taufik Kiemas: Chairman of People’s Consultative Assembly. Kompas/Totok Wijayanto

Around 500 members and sympathizers of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the main opposition party, joined many others at the HI Roundabout in Central Jakarta on Monday to protest the government’s plan to increase fuel prices on April 1.

The protest by the Volunteers of Democracy in Struggle (Repdem) apparently did not have the full support of the party; with senior PDI-P politician Taufik Kiemas warning that it could undermine ongoing debates in the House of Representatives.

“What is the purpose of having a faction in the House if they still take to the streets?” Taufik, who is also the chair of the People’s Consultative Assembly, was quoted as saying by kompas.com. Taufik, the husband of PDI-P Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri, has been known to depart from party lines in the past.

The PDI-P faction in the House has come up with a counter proposal that would entail higher spending on the energy subsidy while retaining fuel prices at current levels.

Faisal Rahman of Repdem said he received the instruction from the PDI-P Central Board to mobilize people to oppose the increase in fuel prices. “We will come out with more people tomorrow,” he said.

 

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Del Piero: Masa Depan Saya? Lihat Saja Nanti

Beritabola.com Turin - Alessandro Del
Piero masih belum menjawab, ke mana ia akan bermain musim depan.
Sebaliknya, ia justru mengaku tengah menikmati momen demi momen
bersama Juventus.

Masa depan Del Piero dispekulasikan setelah
kontraknya habis pada bulan Juni mendatang. Sementara pada Desember
lalu, Presiden Juve Andrea Agnelli mengatakan bahwa musim ini akan
menjadi musim terakhir ikon Bianconeri itu.

Sampai saat ini,
Del Piero belum angkat bicara mengenai rencananya musim depan. Yang
ada, dia malah tampil oke belakangan. Setelah mencetak gol ke gawang
AC Milan, akhir pekan lalu giliran jala Inter Milan yang
dibobolnya.

"Dia adalah seorang juara yang hebat, namun saya
ingin menunjukkan bagaimana Alex sangat profesional sepanjang tahun
ini. Dia menerima peran ini dan tidak pernah membuat masalah atau
kontroversi, bekerja keras saat latihan dan membayar kepercayaan
pelatih saat dimainkan," ucap gianluigi Buffon.

Jumlah
penampilan Del Piero musim ini memang terbatas, tetapi ia mengaku
menikmatinya. Ia bahkan mengaku belum mau memikirkan masa depannya dan
lebih memilih untuk menikmati satu pertandingan ke pertandingan
lainnya.

"Apakah perpisahan saya sudah ditentukan? Itu bukan
kata-kata yang tepat," ujarnya di Football Italia.

"Saya tidak
sedang memikirkan masa depan saya. Masa depan saya adalah pertandingan
melawan Napoli. Saya ingin menikmati setiap detik dari petualangan
yang menakjubkan ini. Baru setelahnya, kita lihat saja
nanti."
(dtc/roz) Sumber: detiksport

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Ran Over by Truck, Motorist Dies

An accident involving motorist happened again for the second time
today (3/26) in West Jakarta. This time, the victim is Suwarso,
resident of Jl. Jelambar Raya IV, West Jakarta, who dies after being
hit by a fuso truck near Pesing traffic light on Jl. Daan Mogot around
1 PM

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Obat Generik untuk Osteoporosis Diluncurkan

BONIVA telah disepakati oleh Lembaga Obat dan Makanan
Amerika (FDA) sebagai obat generik yang mampu menguatkan tulang dalam
pencegahan maupun pengobatan osteoporosis.

Versi obat generik
pertama yang dikeluarkan oleh Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc and privately
held Apotex Inc ini direkomendasikan untuk dikonsumsi dalam satu bulan
sekali.

Dalam situs Drugs.com (19/3) disebutkan bahwa Boniva
atau Ibandronate efektif untuk membantu memperlambat kerapuhan tulang,
meningkatkan massa tulang, dan juga mempercepat siklus pertumbuhan
tulang.

Berikut adalah informasi penting mengenai Boniva
:
1. Boniva merupakan obat pencegah osteoporosis yang khusus
digunakan bagi perempuan.
2. Boniva dapat menyebabkan masalah
serius di perut atau kerongkongan. Pastikan Anda tetap tegak
setidaknya selama 60 menit setelah minum obat ini.
3. Saat meminum
Boniva, Anda hanya diperkenankan untuk mengkonsumsi air putih. Tidak
disarankan untuk makan atau mengkonsumsi vitamin setidaknya satu jam
setelah mengkonsumsi obat ini.(MI/DSY)

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Nunun Sakit, Sidang Ditunda

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Persidangan kasus suap cek
perjalanan dengan terdakwa Nunun Nurbaeti di Pengadilan Tindak Pidana
Korupsi, Jakarta Selatan, Senin (27/3), ditunda. Sidang yang sedianya
menghadirkan enam saksi, hanya sempat menghadirkan empat
saksi.

Sekitar pukul 13.00 WIB, sidang diskors untuk makan
siang. Namun, penasihat hukum Nunun meminta sidang disudahi karena
kliennya tak enak badan. Penasihat hukum mengatakan, Nunun sakit sejak
semalam. Itu dikuatkan keterangan dokter dari Rumah Sakit Abdi
Waluyo.

Hakim Sudjatmiko meminta surat dokter tersebut. Namun
ia tak lantas mengabulkan menunda sidang. Sudjatmiko memutuskan sidang
tetap diskors, sambil pihaknya mendatangkan dokter dari Komisi
Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) untuk memeriksa Nunun.

"Saat ini
sidang diskors dulu, nanti kalau dokter bilang tak memungkinkan baru
kita tunda sidang ke lain waktu," kata Sudjatmiko.

Tak lama
setelah sidang diskors, Nunun muntah-muntah di toilet lantai 1
Pengadilan Tipikor. Pantauan Metrotvnews.com, Nunun berada cukup lama
di toilet perempuan yang cuma satu-satunya di lantai itu. Nunun
kemudian diperiksa dokter KPK, Johannes Hutabarat.

Sekitar satu
jam kemudian, skors selesai. Sudjatmiko menanyakan apakah Nunun bisa
dihadirkan di ruang pengadilan. Namun, penasihat hukum mengatakan
Nunun tak sanggup dan kondisinya tidak memungkinkan.

"Tidak
memungkinkan yang mulia, karena maaf banyak air liur di bajunya
(Nunun)," kata Ina Rachman, salah satu penasihat hukum Nunun, kepada
majelis hakim.

Sudjatmiko lalu meminta dokter KPK dihadirkan di
persidangan. Sudjatmiko meminta Johannes menerangkan hasil pemeriksaan
terhadap Nunun. Johannes mengatakan, Nunun menderita sakit sedang dan
dikhawatirkan memburuk bila sidang dilanjutkan.

"Dari
pemeriksaan saya, pasien sakit sedang. Tekanan darahnya 140/100 dengan
nadi cukup cepat. Ada keluhan muntah, sampai saat ini dua kali muntah.
Saya anjurkan berobat ke dokternya karena ada riwayat hipertensi,"
kata dokter Johannes.

Mendengar keterangan itu, Sudjatmiko
memutuskan untuk menunda sidang. Ia juga mengizinkan Nunun berobat ke
dokternya. Namun, Sudjatmiko mengingatkan agar Nunun melapor bila
diharuskan menjalani rawat inap.

"Kami izinkan, tapi
sebagaimana izin berobat jalan ya. Setelah berobat kembali ke Rutan.
Kepada Penasehat Umum saya ingatkan, kalau berobat jalan ya setelah
berobat jangan nginap, Kalau harus nginap bilang kepada majelis. Tentu
Rumah Sakitnya majelis yang tentukan karena itu akan jadi tanggungan
negara," kata Sudjatmiko.

Sebelum menutup sidang, Sudjatmiko
juga meminta dua saksi yang belum dihadirkan, Wita dan Krisna untuk
dipanggil ke ruang sidang. Kepada keduanya, Sudjatmiko memerintahkan
untk hadir kembali pada Senin depan.

"Hadir tanpa surat
panggilan lagi. Ini merupakan perintah," kata Sudjatmiko.(IKA)

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‘Kabaret Oriental’: It’s all in the family

‘Kabaret Oriental’: It’s all in the family

Dina Indrasafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 03/22/2012 10:19 AM

A | A | A |

Contemporary: Dancers show current lifestyles of a Chinese-Indonesian family in Kabaret Oriental “Anak Emas Juragan Batik”. JP/Wendra AjistyatamaIt’s not easy being rich. What if your sister refuses to wear that glitzy dress you got her and you have to come up with another one? What if your face looks so tired that you need to drop by a beauty salon for a touch-up? What if your know-it-all brother wants to misuse the family company’s money and you might end up (gasp!) poor because of his antics?

Kabaret Oriental “Anak Emas Juragan Batik” [The Oriental Cabaret – The Golden Child of a Batik Master], produced by the Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI) dance company, tells the story of a wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family in turmoil through dancing, singing and wit.

The story follows the children from the four wives of late Hwang Cin Hin, who are now in charge of the family batik company.

William, the oldest son from Hwang’s first wife, is in the boss’ seat, running the company with a somewhat conservative attitude. He is content with the local market and often grants budget requests from his wife, Melisa, and others in the family, by mere spoken approval, thus making the company’s book-keeping a tricky task.

Robert, who is a son from Hwang’s fourth and only living wife Lusiana, returns from studying overseas and demands that the company opens up to ideas such as tight budget control and expansion into the international market. His moves stir up controversy within the company, and ,of course,
the family.

And then there is the mysterious woman who is rumored to be getting closer and closer to Robert. Paired with the fact that Robert’s bills lately involve plenty of luxurious trips overseas, could it be that he is involved with a gold digger?

Despite the upper-class setting, the cabaret features issues that occur across classes, such as value clashes, prejudice and family ties.

In a hip, lighthearted way, it also unabashedly touches, albeit briefly, upon subjects such as homosexuality, relationships between different ethnic groups and corruption.

The dialogue, which often involves witty jokes, is carried out with various Indonesian dialects, such as Manado (from North Sulawesi) and Javanese, portraying how the Cina Peranakan (Chinese-Indonesian) culture itself is heterogeneous.

The cabaret stars noted names such as Cynthia Lamusu, Uli Herdinansyah, Sarah Sechan and Ary Kirana.

It features exquisitely designed costumes, especially the ones involving the use of batik, and vibrant, creative graphical works, multimedia and stage settings.

One of the scenes that drew big applause from the audience during Monday night’s showing at the Jakarta Art House (GKJ), saw shadow-puppet techniques combined with dancing, to tell the story of a lavish lifestyle.

Scenes performed by members of Sahita dance troupe, comprised of four women from Surakarta, Central Java, also drew applause and laughter due to their satirical lines that occasionally involve sexual humor.

“We showed the lives of Cina Peranakan because, actually, they have played a large role in developing Indonesia’s culture. We think it is about time that Indonesians admit that there are plenty of foreign elements that complete the country’s culture,” the program handed out to audience members says.

Nanang Hape, who directed the cabaret alongside Rusdy Rukmarata, says that some of the characters are based on real ones. “That [those characters] went through a little distillation because this is a show, that is true, but such characters, more or less with those characteristics, do exist,” he says.

Anak Emas Juragan Batik succeeded in providing insight of various issues in a fun, colorful way.

However, for a cabaret, it may need to be even more daring, especially in its choreography. The dances, although already dynamic, still seemed a little guarded and at times still left the stage feeling a bit empty.

Several characters in the play also left questions hanging in the air. Maureen, Robert’s younger sister, for example, is supposed to be a 17-year-old, but at times her lines sounded like they belonged to a much younger character. The character El, who is depicted as Maureen’s friend, is also still apparently in need of stronger statements to clarify her role in the story.

The cabaret, which is the 22nd production of EKI Dance Company, is set to play from March 20 to 24 at the GKJ. It is fully supported by Djarum Apresiasi Budaya foundation.

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Jl. Batu Jaya Batuampar Severely Damaged

It has been two years the condition of Jl. Batu Jaya at RW 02, Batuampar, Kramatjati, East Jakarta, is severely damaged. There are many potholes on the road with width 3.5 meters and length 150 meters which are very dangerous for motorist’s safety. Yet, no repair is being done until now by related unit

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Real Madrid Ajukan Tawaran £25 Juta untuk Van Persie

Mewtrotvnews.com, Madrid: Real Madrid
dikabarkan menyiapkan tawaran sebesar £25 juta untuk memboyong striker
Robin van Persie dari Arsenal.

Los Blancos membidik pemain
Belanda itu setelah usahanya mendatangkan bintang Santos Neymar
terancam gagal. Pasalnya, sang bintang akan lebih memilih untuk
melanjutkan karir di Camp Nou.

Seperti dilansir The Daily
Express, Ahad (25/3), van Persie masuk daftar terpenting buruan
Real Madrid pada bursa transfer musim panas mendatang.

Pihak
The Gunners bakal dites apakah mereka lebih memilih mempertahankan
sang striker atau menerima tawaran tersebut.

Selain van Persie, striker Manchester City Sergio Aguero juga menjadi incaran penting El Real. (Goal/RIZ)

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Blast at Indonesian Embassy in Paris, no injuries

Blast at Indonesian Embassy in Paris, no injuries

Elaine Ganley, The Associated Press, Paris | Wed, 03/21/2012 1:22 PM

A | A | A |

Searching for evidence: Police officers work at the site of a bomb explosion near the Indonesian Embassy, in Paris. A package bomb exploded at the Indonesian Embassy in Paris on Wednesday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said. (AP/Thibault Camus)

A Paris police official says that a package bomb has exploded at the Indonesian Embassy, causing minor damage but no injuries.

The official says an employee at the embassy discovered a suspicious package Wednesday and stepped back in time before the package exploded. The official says no one was injured.

The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to Paris police policy.

The source of the package is not immediately clear.

Police are on site at the embassy in an elegant neighborhood of western Paris.

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Menara Masjid Almunawar Miring Diterjang Angin Kencang

Metrotvnews.com, Ternate: Satu dari empat menara
Masjid Raya Al-Munawar di Kota Ternate, Maluku Utara, miring sekitar
dua derajat ke kanan akibat terpaan angin kencang. "Kelihatan setelah
adanya angin kencang," kata Pengurus Badan Kesejahteraan Masjid (BKM)
Masjid Raya Al-Munawar, Ridwan Dero di Ternate, Ahad (25/3).

Menara masjid terbesar di Malut yang menaranya diduga miring
berada di dalam laut atau pada posisi kanan masjid. Bagian bawah
menara setinggi 30 meter lebih itu terlihat mengalami
retak-retak.

Menurut Ridwan, pengurus masjid sudah menggelar
rapat dengan Dinas Pekerjaan Umum (PU) Ternate untuk membahas masalah
ini. Dalam rapat disepakati akan dibentuk tim untuk meneliti secara
menyeluruh kondisi menara, termasuk bagaimana cara terbaik untuk
memperbaikinya.

Ia mengatakan, pengurus BKM Masjid Raya
Al-Munawar telah memasang penghalang di sekitar menara itu untuk
mencegah kemungkinan terjadinya hal-hal yang tidak diinginkan,
terutama saat adanya angin kencang.

Masjid Al-Munawar yang
sebagian bangunannya berada di atas laut selama ini merupakan
kebanggaan pemkot dan masyarakat setempat. Masjid yang usianya belum
genap 10 tahun ini dibangun dengan dana lebih dari Rp40
miliar.

Angin kencang yang melanda wilayah Ternate pada Jumat
sore (23/3) juga merusak belasan rumah warga serta menumbangkan
puluhan pohon dan baliho kandidat Gubernur Malut di sejumlah lokasi di
daerah bekas pusat Pemerintahan Kesultanan Ternate ini.

Angin
kencang tersebut juga mengakibatkan gelombang tinggi di perairan
Ternate sehingga memaksa Adpel Ternate melarang semua kapal dan speed
boat berlayar meninggalkan sejumlah pelabuhan di Ternate.(Ant/ICH)

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Ditemukan, Laba-laba Misterius di Perbukitan Menoreh

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Peneliti mengidentifikasi
spesies laba-laba unik dan sedikit misterius. Laba-laba itu mungkin
tak ditemukan di belahan bumi manapun, kecuali di gua-gua di karst
Jonggrangan, perbukitan Menoreh, pegunungan yang membentang di barat
laut Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta.

Adalah penelusur gua bernama Sidiq
Harjanto dari Matalabiogama Universitas Gadjah Mada yang kali pertama
mendapati spesies itu. Temuan sudah dipublikasikan dalam jurnal
taksonomi Zookeys pada 9 Januari 2012. Artikel ditulis Cahyo Rahmadi
dan Jeremy Miller, naturalis dari Leiden, Belanda. Mereka menyebut
spesies itu Amauropelma Matakecil.

Sesuai namanya, laba-laba
yang hanya ditemukan di tiga gua di perbukitan Menoreh itu punya mata
kecil, tak seperti kerabat lain yang umumnya bermata besar. Begitu
kecilnya, bagian mata spesies ini hanya menyisakan bintik putih
transparan di bagian kepala.

Tapi, kata Cahyo, tak seperti
jenis laba-laba lainnya, laba-laba berwarna coklat pucat itu punya
kaki panjang. Lebih panjang ketimbang laba-laba dari luar
gua.

Para peneliti menyatakan, laba-laba gua dari Famili
Ctenidae (laba-laba pengembara) yang hanya ditemukan di lantai gua
dengan substrat lumpur mengering itu paling cocok dimasukkan ke marga
Amauropelma. Tapi, menurut Cahyo, pengelompokan itu belum tepat. Namun
hingga saat ini, marga itulah yang paling cocok.

"Amauropelma
merupakan salah satu marga dari famili Ctenidae yang sebaran utamanya
ada di Australia. Temuan di Jawa merupakan catatan baru untuk Marga
Amauropelma," kata Cahyo Rahmadi.

Amauropelma Matakecil juga
dianggap unik karena dalam beberapa kali usaha koleksi dari gua-gua di
Menoreh, peneliti hanya memperoleh spesimen betina. Spesimen laba-laba
Matakecil jantan, sangat penting untuk memastikan
identitasnya.

"Ini masih menjadi pertanyaan besar buat saya.
Sekiranya jenis laba-laba itu memang tidak memiliki jantan, mungkin
Amauropelma Matakecil jenis laba-laba gua parthenogenetik yang
berkembang biak dengan telur tanpa proses pembuahan," jelas
Cahyo.(Ant/Wtr4)

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Gear up

Gear up

Associated Press | Sat, 03/24/2012 3:02 PM

A | A | A |

McLaren Formula One driver Jenson Button, left, of Britain chats with Force India Formula One driver's Paul di Resta of Britain and Nico Hulkenberg, right, of Germany after the third practice session at the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang, Malaysia, on Saturday. (AP/Mark Baker)

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NU supports movement to counter FPI

NU supports movement to counter FPI

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/20/2012 10:41 AM

A | A | A |

JAKARTA: The country’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), says it has thrown its weight behind a new outfit set up to counter the onslaught of firebrand organizations like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

NU secretary-general Marsudi Suhud said that the new outfit, called the Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah (Aswaja) militia, had a similar mission to that of the NU in promoting pluralism, moderation and justice.

“The two institutions must work together to protect the ideology of pluralism against those who threaten violence and use bullying to scare off the public,” Marsudi said in a statement.

On Sunday, more than 2,500 activists joined a rally at the Declaration of Independence Monument on Jl. Proklamasi in Central Jakarta to support the establishment of the Aswaja militia.

Also present at the declaration were chairman of the National Awakening Party Muhamimin Iskandar and the leader of Aswaja militia, Marwan Jafar.

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Jelang Villarreal vs Madrid - Tak Pikirkan Jarak, Los Blancos Fokus Hadapi Villarreal

Beritabola.com Madrid - Aitor Karanka
menegaskan jika Real Madrid tak terpengaruh dengan jarak poin antara
Madrid dengan Barcelona. Ia menyebut Los Blancos hanya fokus menatap
setiap laga, termasuk jelang menghadapi Villarreal tengah pekan
ini.

Jumlah poin Madrid dan Barca sempat terpisah hingga 10
poin. Namun saat Madrid hanya meraih hasil imbang melawan Malaga akhir
pekan lalu, Barca mampu memaksimalkan peluang untuk memotong selisih
poin menjadi delapan dengan kemenangan dari Sevilla.

Tim
besutan Josep Guardiola itu makin memberi tekanan untuk Madrid dengan
kemenangan dari Granada, Rabu (21/3/2012) dinihari WIB tadi. Tiga poin
yang diraih Barca makin mengurangi selisih angka kedua tim menjadi
tinggal lima poin.

Madrid bisa saja tertekan dengan selisih
poin yang semakin memendek. Namun Karanka menyebut jika timnya tidak
memikirkan hal itu. Ia menegaskan El Real hanya fokus untuk meraih
tiga poin kala menyambangi markas Villarreal, Kamis (22/3/2012)
dinihari WIB.

"Kami hanya menghitung tiga poin yang
diperebutkan di setiap laga," sebut asisten pelatih Madrid itu di
situs resmi klub.

"Kami tidak tahu akan seperti apa Villarreal
saat ini karena mereka punya pelatih baru, tapi kami melakukan kerja
yang baik dan harus terus menjaganya."

"Kami akan tetap bekerja
dengan cara yang sama tanpa memperhatikan jarak delapan atau lima
poin," tutupnya.
(dtc/a2s) Sumber: detiksport

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Barca Diklaim Telah Dapatkan Neymar

Beritabola.com Barcelona - Klub Eropa
tujuan Neymar masih tanda tanya. Namun baru-baru ini pemain muda
sensasional Brasil itu diklaim akan berlabuh di Barcelona pada dua
tahun ke depan.

Neymar memang menjadi salah satu buruan banyak
klub top sejak musim panas lalu. Selain Barcelona, Real Madrid juga
dikabarkan tertarik mendapatkan penyerang berusia 20 tahun
itu.

Akan tetapi Los Cules lah yang berhasil mendapatkan pemain
berbakat ini. Laporan Radio Cadena SER mengklaim bahwa El Barca telah
membayar biaya transfer sebesar 14,5 juta euro dari total 58 juta euro
kepada Santos.

"Menurut sejumlah sumber-sumber yang terpercaya
Barca telah membayar seperempat dari 58 juta euro kepada Santos untuk
menjamin transfer si pemain," bunyi klaim yang dikutip oleh
AFP.

Disebutkan pula bahwa transfer akan dituntaskan setelah
pagelaran Piala Dunia 2014 di Brasil. Sementara itu transfer ini
sendiri dilakukan Neymar bersama ayahnya dan bertentangan dengan
keinginan sang agen Wagner Ribeiro.
(dtc/rin) Sumber: detiksport

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Tomcat Population in Jakarta still Normal

The tomcat attack which started in East Java is now entering Jakarta. However, Jakarta Provincial Government stressed that tomcat population in the city is still in normal amount. Besides, no citizens are reported become the victims from this insect’s sting

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Game over? UK retailer heading for collapse

Game Group, in the wake of closing around half of its high-street retail stores, is heading for collapse as the company is set to enter administration.

The gaming giant, which sells platform and PC games to consoles, suspended shares on the London Stock Exchange this morning after it said there was “no equity value” left in the business.

Game acquired GameStation in 2007, bolstering its position on the UK’s high street. Now with 1,300 stores across the continent, including 600 in the UK, it could soon lose its title as Europe’s largest gaming retailer.

Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games at IHS Screen Digest, speaking to the BBC, said that with hindsight Game punched above its weight.

Amidst a world of Amazon, supermarkets, in-console gaming stores and the great recession of 2008–2010, Game failed to adapt its business model and compete with its competitors.

Game’s decline was initially felt in February when it failed to acquire key game titles, such as Electronic Arts’ Mass Effect 3 and Nintendo’s Mario Party 9.

While Game store staff will continue to operate in its remaining 300 stores, its 10,000 staff face being laid off. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is expected to be appointed as the company’s administrator, but no timeline has been planned out.

In 2010, Game made £90 million ($142m) profit. The company needs to pay a £21 million ($33m) rent bill before Sunday, and a further £12 million ($19m) to pay its staff, the Guardian reports. It also faces a £10 million ($16m) tax bill that lines the pockets of the Treasury, and a further £40 million ($64m) to its supplies.

While talks of a takeover from a rival firm are rumbling, any potential investor would have to pay up to £100 million ($160m) for the pleasure of buying the financially-crippled firm.

Image source: Mykl Roventine/Flickr.

Related:

• CNET UK: Report: Game faces administration
• CNET: U.K. retailer Game ain’t got game–or games
• Game sales hit lowest point since October 2006
• EA losses drop, but sales and outlook decline
• ZDNet: Mac games get a shot in the arm from iOS

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Abbey Road Masih Dikunjungi Penggemar The Beatles

RUAS jalan Abbey Road yang terletak di kawasan
Westminster merupakan salah satu tujuan utama wisatawan yang
berkunjung ke London. Jalan ini menjadi populer setelah The Beatles
menjadikannya sebagai judul album ke-11 pada 1969.

Sampul depan
album menggambarkan empat personil grup legendaris ini menyeberangi
Abbey Road. Kini, setelah lebih dari 40 tahun, Abbey Road masih
menjadi magnet bagi para pencinta The Beatles.

Wisatawan lokal
dan manca negara pun masih datang untuk berfoto. Mereka tidak segan
menghentikan arus lalu lintas, hanya untuk menyeberangi jalan dan
berpose meniru sampul album The Beatles.

Seorang turis dari
Chicago, AS, Tom Goddard mengatakan ia dan teman-temannya adalah
penggemar The Beatles. "John Lennon adalah seorang jenius. Ia
merevolusi musik, ia seperti dewa buat saya," kata Tom yang berprofesi
sebagai aranser musik.

Sedangkan Rachel Iwasaki seorang warga
negara Kanada yang menikah dengan pria Jepang mengatakan ia memiliki
kenangan manis dengan salah satu lagu The Beatles.

"Mendiang
suami saya melamar saya dengan lagu 'Something' 23 tahun yang lalu.
Saya tahu lagu itu direkam di Abbey Road dan saya bahagia bisa datang
ke sini,'" kata Jane.

Untuk mencapai Abbey Road, wisatawan bisa
naik kereta bawah tanah dan turun di Stasiun Saint John's Wood dan
berjalan kaki melalui ruas jalan Grove End sebelum mencapai
persimpangan antara Garden Road dan Abbey Road.

Tidak ada papan
pengumuman atau rambu petunjuk yang secara khusus mengarah ke Abbey
Road. Satu-satunya pertanda didapat dari sebuah warung kopi di depan
stasiun yang juga menjual pernak pernik resmi The Beatles seperti
gelas, kaos, CD dan aneka poster seperti magnet kulkas.
abbey
road

Majalah musik Rolling Stones menyebut album Abbey Road
sebagai "salah satu album terbaik di dunia." Hampir seluruh lagu dalam
album tersebut menjadi hits klasik, seperti 'Come Together,' 'Oh
Darling,' dan 'Here Comes The Sun.'

Penggarapan album ini
dilakukan di Abbey Road Studio, salah satu studio rekaman tertua di
dunia. Selain The Beatles, grup Pink Floyd juga pernah membuat album
mereka di studio berusia 80 tahun ini.

Tembok di halaman studio
penuh dengan coretan tangan para turis selama bertahun-tahun dan
umumnya berisi kekaguman dan cinta mereka untuk The Beatles.(BBC/Wtr2)

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Nila Moeloek: Women Should Have Higher Education

The Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) is celebrating its 12th anniversary
today (12/21) in Kuningan, South Jakarta. In this event, DWP
chairwoman Nila Moelek urges woman to have higher education in order
to achieve welfare for their family and surrounding
environment.

“Woman should be more educated to achieve welfare
for their family,” she expressed.

Moreover she said that
Jakarta DWP has big challenges to create welfare and eradicate
poverty. Due to high population number, various problems are emerging
in the city.

Meanwhile, according to City Secretary Fadjar
Panjaitan, Jakarta DWP is able to assist Jakarta Provincial Government
in eradicating poverty. Through its programs that directly touch
low-level societies, Jakarta DWP can effectively provide assistance on
the right targets.

“The first point of Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) is poverty eradication, which is very in line with the
government’s programs,” he stated

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Citizens, Visit City Museums for Cheap yet Value Recreation

Although located at the heart of Jakarta, Joang 45 Museum and Husni
Thamrin Museum are not always crowded by visitors. Low resident’s
interest in visiting museum is alleged behind this condition. The
museums visitors are only elementary school (SD) students who are
doing historical tourism visit

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Messi Bikin Rekor, Barca Hantam Granada 5-3

Beritabola.com Barcelona - Lionel Messi
menorehkan sejarah baru saat Barcelona mengalahkan Granada dengan skor
5-3. Messi mencetak tiga gol dan membuat dirinya kini jadi pemegang
rekor gol terbanyak sepanjang sejarah Los Cules.

Dalam laga
yang dihelat di Camp Nou, Rabu (21/3/2012) dinihari WIB, Messi
mencetak satu gol di babak pertama dan dua gol sisa di babak
kedua.

 Dengan trigolnya itu Messi pun melewati catatan
Cesar Rodriguez, pencetak gol terbanyak Barca dengan 232 gol. Torehan
gol Messi saat ini adalah 234 gol sejak debutnya tahun
2004.

Dua gol Barca lainnya dicetak Xavi Hernandez dan Carlos
Tellos. Granada sempat menyamakan kedudukan lewat dua penalti
Guilherme Siqueira dan Mainz.

Dengan raihan poin penuh ini maka
Barca kembali memangkas jarak dengan Real Madrid di puncak menjadi
lima poin dengan perolehan angka yakni 66 dari 28 pertandingan. Madrid
baru berlaga esok hari melawan Villarreal. Sementara itu Granada di
urutan 15 dengan 31 poin.

Jalannya pertandingan

Baru
empat menit laga berjalan Barca sudah membuka skor. Diawali umpan
Isaac Cuenca, bola mengarah ke Messi yang kemudian menyundul bola dan
Xavi langsung menyambar bola tersebut untuk dikonversi jadi
gol.

Di menit ke-17 Messi mencetak gol pertamanya di laga ini
sekaligus membawa Barca unggul 2-0. Messi melepaskan sepakan terukur
ke pojok kanan bawah gawang Granada dari dalam kotak
penalti.

Di menit ke-23 Xavi mengirimkan bola ke Dani Alves dan
Alves kemudian meneruskan dengan sepakan keras yang masih menyasar
sisi kanan gawang Julio Cesar. Tak ada lagi peluang berbahaya tercipta
dan skor 2-0 tetap bertahan hingga turun minum.

Delapan menit
setelah restart Messi kembali membahayakan pertahanan Granada setelah
sepakannya masih menyamping di kanan gawang. Cuenca kembali
menginspirasikan serangan Barca.

Granada memperkecil kedudukan
di menit 55 lewat gol Mainz. Free kick Carlos Martins disundul Mainz
dan Victor Valdes tak mampu menghadangnya. Di menit 62 Granada bahkan
menyamakan kedudukan lewat penalti Siqueira menyusul pelanggaran Alves
kepada Daniel Benitez.

Barca berbalik unggul lagi di menit 68
setelah Alves melepaskan umpan lob dan diterima dengan baik oleh
Messi, sebelum mengakhiri dengan sebuah chip ke dalam gawang tanpa
bisa dihalau siapapun.

 Dengan dua golnya ini Messi pun
resmi jadi pencetak gol terbanyak sepanjang sejarah klub asal Catalan
itu dengan 233 gol, menggeser Cesar Rodriguez.

Di menit 82
Tello membuat Barca memimpin 4-2 setelah memaksimalkan bola rebound
hasil sepakan Messi yang ditepis oleh Cesar.

Messi! Empat menit
setelahnya penyerang asal Argentina itu membuat gol ketiganya di laga
ini sekaligus membawa Barca unggul 5-2. Umpan terobosan Alves digapai
Messi dan dengan tenang dikirimkan bola ke dalam jala.

Barca
harus bermain dengan 10 orang di menit 88 setelah Alves mendapat kartu
kuning keduanya karena handball. Wasit menghadiahi tendangan penalti
dan Siquiera sukses mengecoh Valdes.

 Skor 5-3 untuk
keunggulan Barca menutup pertandingan itu.

Susunan
pemain

Barcelona: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Adriano
(Mascherano 45'), Thiago (Iniesta 72'), Xavi, Keita, Sanchez, Messi,
Cuenca (Tello 72')

Granada: Cesar, Cortes, Mainz, Gomez,
Siqueira, Hurtado (Abel 70'), Rico, Jara (Uche 45'), Martins, Benitez,
Ighalo (Geijo 79')
(dtc/mrp) Sumber: detiksport

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Dutch Footmark in VOC Shipyard

Indonesia is a strategic country for sea trade routes since ancient
time. No wonder it made the Dutch was so eager to colonize Indonesia
in order to monopolize Indonesia’s spices trade. And to realize it,
they formed Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) or Dutch’s Trade
Union

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Dutch Footmark in VOC Shipyard

Indonesia is a strategic country for sea trade routes since ancient
time. No wonder it made the Dutch was so eager to colonize Indonesia
in order to monopolize Indonesia’s spices trade. And to realize it,
they formed Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) or Dutch’s Trade
Union

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Govt plan to retire incompetent staff questioned

Govt plan to retire incompetent staff questioned

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/21/2012 11:55 PM

A | A | A |

Rieke Dyah Pitaloka: (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)An expert and a lawmaker have questioned the Bureaucratic Reform Ministry’s plan to dismiss civil servants who fail the competency test by granting them early retirement packages.

“Many tax office employers are smart, meaning that they are likely to pass the competency test easily. But who is going to guarantee that these people will perform well as civil servants,” House manpower commission lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

She said that a stricter monitoring system and law enforcement should be applied as well.

Commenting on this, Siti Zuhroh from the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) said that the government should design follow-up programs for those who hadn’t passed the competency test and were granted early retirement.

“These people should be trained so that they are able to be financially independent or else they will become another problem later on,” she said.

Deputy Bureaucratic Reform Minister Eko Prasodjo earlier stated that the ministry intended to hold competency tests for civil servants. Those who passed the test would be rewarded with follow-up training to improve their skills, while those who didn’t would be granted early retirement packages.

The plan was a response to a survey that unveiled that 40 percent of the 4.6 million civil servants nationwide are incompetent.

 

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Ekspansi Terbaru WOW Rilis dalam Waktu Dekat

KABAR bahagia bagi Anda para pemain game multiplayer
World of Warcraft. Dalam waktu dekat, studio Blizzard segera
meluncurkan ekspansi terbaru berjudul Mists of Pandaria.

Gamers yang ingin bergabung dalam beta-testing Mists of
Pandaria dapat mendaftarkan diri melalui akun Battle.net. Mereka yang
terpilih untuk bermain, akan mendapat undangan eksklusif dari Blizzard
via surat elektronik atau email.

Belum diketahui berapa banyak
gamers yang akan diundang dalam beta-testing. Yang jelas, Blizzard
memprioritaskan pemain yang mempunyai kartu WOW Annual Pass.

Mists of Pandaria adalah ekspansi keempat WOW. Sebelumnya,
Blizzard telah mengeluarkan The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the
Lich King (2008), dan Cataclysm (2010). Ekspansi terbaru bertempat di
kontinen Pandaria dan memfokuskan cerita pada tokoh Pandaren dan
karakter kelas monk. Mists of Pandaria menambah batas level karakter
pemain menjadi 90.(gamespot/wtr6)

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Green Grid Forum: new standards, tools, and documentation to improve the datacenter

At their annual Forum and member Meeting event, the Green Grid announced the availability of additional tools, standard documentation, and educational course targeted at building more efficient and effective datacenters. The Green Grid Academy also provides coursework to develop a standard level of knowledge among operational employees of datacenter providers.

The announcements include the release of white papers, policy analysis, survey results, the Data Center Maturity Model Tool, and presentations from their conference. Unlike many organizations this type, much of the information presented at their conference is now available online and can be downloaded by non-members. This is despite the fact that they have recently introduced a lower price individual membership which gets the user access to everything and access to their annual conference.

Two of the most interesting forum presentations available online are the Data Center Design Guide and the Data Center Life Cycle Analysis. The Design Guide is described as "a guide for the standardization and evolution of key capabilities" and is based on five core tenants:

• Fully Scalable:

All systems/subsystems scale energy consumption and performance to use the minimal energy required to accomplish workload.

• Fully Instrumented:

All systems/subsystems within the datacenter are instrumented and provide real time operating power and performance data through standardized management interfaces.

• Fully Announced:

All systems/subsystems are discoverable and report minimum and maximum energy used, performance level capabilities, and location.

• Enhanced Management Infrastructure:

Compute, network, storage, power, cooling, and facilities utilize standardized management/interoperability interfaces and language.

• Policy Driven:

Operations are automated at all levels via policies set through management infrastructure.

• Standardized Metrics/Measurements:

Energy efficiency is monitored at all levels within the datacenter from individual subsystems to complete datacenter and is reported using standardized metrics during operation.

Using these five core principles for datacenter design seems to cover the majority of the issues encountered when creating good datacenter operations.

The Life Cycle Analysis Study presentation offers a fairly comprehensive outline of a datacenter lifecycle analysis and provides a good reference point for organizations looking to perfrom this same type of study.

Lots of well presented, useful information continues to become available of the Green Grid website, on a regular basis

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Central Jakarta KB Office Targets 55,419 New KB Acceptors

Jakarta Provincial Government is continuously trying to press population growth in the city by conducting various efforts such as getting as many as family planning (KB) acceptors. In Central Jakarta, local KB office is targeting 55,419 new KB acceptors this year. This amount is decreasing compared to last year’s amount which reached 57,320 new acceptors

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Australia plans $28m subsidy for General Motors

Australia plans $28m subsidy for General Motors

Associated Press, Canberra | Thu, 03/22/2012 9:48 AM

A | A | A |

The government announced Thursday a 275 million Australian dollar ($288 million) subsidy for General Motors Co. to guarantee it continues to manufacture cars in Australia for another decade through its subsidiary Holden Lt.

As part of the deal, U.S.-based GM said in a statement it has agreed to invest more than $1 billion in car manufacturing at its Melbourne and Adelaide plants until at least 2022.

Holden will use the government assistance to design and build two new cars for the global market after 2015, the statement said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said GM had considered closing its entire design and manufacturing operations in Australia.

Australian manufacturers including Holden have been losing exports due to the strong Australian dollar, which has been bolstered by record Chinese industrial demand for minerals and energy.

Holden is one of seven global GM operations that designs, builds and sells vehicles for domestic and international markets.

The federal government will provide AU$215 million while the Victoria and South Australia state government will provide the remainder.

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Great Debate: Windows 8 slate beats iPad, but Microsoft has lots of work to do

While the majority of readers and Larry gave me the win in the latest ZDNet Great Debate I have to say I think the road to success may be harder for Microsoft than for Apple. The new iPad is simply gorgeous and the excitement generated by Apple’s quality products will be tough for Microsoft to overcome. Apple is working to get apps and services that support the enterprise and since they already have the majority of the tablet market that seems easier to accomplish than Microsoft introducing a new operating system.

As pointed out in detail by Adrian Windows 8 has a lot of work to do before release. Microsoft needs to have a consistent user interface and also show us why the Metro UI is better than Windows XP and Windows 7 that already both work well in the office.

I won the debate, primarily based on the fact that you still have to compromise with an iPad at the office, but I bought a new iPad and am going to have to see a lot more reasons from Microsoft and their hardware partners before I buy a Windows 8 computer.

Related ZDNet coverage

• Great Debate: Windows 8 slate or new iPad?
• Windows 8 beta: What works, what still needs work
• Is there a Plan B if Windows 8’s Metro fails?
• Here’s what’s wrong with Windows 8
• Microsoft: What’s new in IE10 in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview

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Strong Wind Hit Jakarta, 11 Trees Collapsed

A number of trees in various Jakarta areas were collapsed caused by
strong wind and heavy rain which occurred since early morning until
this morning, Monday (3/19). Luckily, no casualties are reported in
this incident

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Depok minivan rapist given light sentence of 10 years

Depok minivan rapist given light sentence of 10 years

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 03/20/2012 8:55 AM

A | A | A |

The Depok District Court on Monday sentenced M. Saat Dalimunte, the defendant of a public minivan rape case, to 10 years in prison.

Johanes Brian Richo and Deden Rosadi, the other two defendants in the case, are still waiting for their verdicts.

Presiding judge Wahyu Fitria said that Dalimunte, 19, was found guilty for raping RS, a vegetable vendor, and forcefully taking her earrings. Dalimunte was also guilty of driving the vehicle, which was used on the Bekasi–Kampung Melayu route, without a license.

Dalimunte said that he was still considering filing an appeal.

The prosecutors previously demanded 11 years for Dalimunte, eight years for Johanes and six years for Deden. The three were charged for allegedly breaching the Criminal Code’s Article 365 on armed robbery and Article 285 on rape.

Johanes and Deden, both 18 years old, were taken to the same trial as the judges considered their young age.

The three defendants allegedly assaulted RS, who was on her way to a traditional market in Depok at 3 a.m. on Dec. 14 last year.

RS reportedly had been beaten and suffered substantial injuries to both her genitalia and her forehead.

The rapists also took her earrings and Rp 500,000 (US$55) she was carrying before dumping her on Jl. Alternatif Cibubur, 2 kilometers from the Cikeas precinct post. RS was found by patrol police officers.

Less than two weeks after the incident, the City Police, along with the Depok Police, arrested Johanes and Deden in Bandung, West Java.

The two had moved to several places to avoid arrest, including to Bekasi, Cikampek and Bogor. Dalimunte was caught in Medan, North Sumatra, few days later.

Police said that the three had robbed on numerous occasions before the incident with RS, who was their seventh victim.

Another trial on public minivan rape is taking place at the West Jakarta District Court.

Four men accused of raping and killing Livia Pavita Soelistiyo, a student of Bina Nusantara (Binus) University who was found dead in August last year, stood at their first trial in December.

Irwan Soleh, 22, Rohman Setiawan, 20, Muhammad Fahri, 19, and Apriyadi, 22, allegedly robbed Livia, gang-raped her and killed her on board a M24 public minivan plying the Srengseng to Kebon Jeruk route before dumping her body in Cisauk, Tangerang, on Aug. 16.

Prosecutors said the suspects breached Criminal Code Articles 340 and 338 on premeditated murder and Article 365 on armed robbery.

The defendants may face anything from 20 years in prison to life.

Rampant rape cases on public minivans prompted the Jakarta Transportation Agency to strengthen strict regulations on public transportation drivers.

The city administration started to enforce a 2003 Transportation Ministry decree on public transportation on Jan. 9 in an effort to curb crimes on public minivans. The agency also sanctioned public minivan drivers without identity cards.

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Google taking $453M loss with sale of Clearwire stake

Turn the clock back to 2008: Google solidified its high-profile partnership with wireless Internet provider Clearwire with an investment of $500 million. But on Friday, citing changing market conditions, Google has announced that it’s seeking to sell its 6.5 percent stake in Clearwire for about $47 million - a discount of 94 percent, representing a $453 loss for the search giant.

“Google periodically rebalances its investments based on its goals and its evaluation of market conditions,” Google said in its filing. No other explanation was given.

The search giant is giving other Clearwire investors - including Time Warner, Intel, Comcast and especially Sprint, which holds a 49 percent voting share in the company - the chance to purchase its 29.4 million shares at that discounted price before offering them up to the general public (at less of a discount, thus lowering the potential loss).

It’s not hard to see why Google might be trying to escape its obligations to Clearwire - the nine-year-old company has warned that it may need to acquire more capital to continue operations into 2013, even as it harbors ambitions to build a 4G LTE mobile broadband network of its own. Sprint reportedly owes Clearwire $600 million for unlimited access to its WiMax network.

WiMax never caught on in the way Clearwire hoped, and while I don’t know for sure, it sounds like Google doesn’t have much faith in the company’s transition to 4G. With the Google Fiber project underway, the search giant may find that it has enough ISP problems to worry about.

If I’m right, this move is a risky bet on Google’s part, as its essentially hedging $453 million against Clearwire failing to successfully make the transition to LTE. If Google is wrong, that would be a costly mistake. But if Google is right, well, it could have lost a lot more than $453 million.

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