Soeharto’s Legacy for Indonesia (the late second former President of Indonesia)

Warisan Bp. Soeharto untuk Indonesia. Soeharto’s Legacy for Indonesia (the late second former President of Indonesia)

Seorang Mayor Jenderal yang menyandang gelar Bapak Pembangunan, namun sepetinya lebih tepat disebut sebagai Bapak Pertanian mengingat sepak terjangnya dalam meningkatkan industri agrikultur Indonesia dan beliau juga mendapatkan penghargaan dari FAO atas keberhasilan menggapai swasembada pangan (1985). 

Diluar “warisan dalam bentuk pembangunan dan pertanian” tersebut, berikut adalah “daftar warisan lainnya” dari almarhum mantan President ke II Indonesia, Bp. Haji Muhammad Soeharto yang beliau persembahkan untuk Indonesia ;

1. Swasembada Pangan
2. Keluarga Berencana
3. Ronda Malam
4. Transmigrasi
5. Palawija
6. Korupsi
7. Dsb.

** Diantara sekian pro dan kontra serta tuduhan propaganda, saya ingin mengucapkan terimakasih kepada almarhum Bapak (Mayor Jenderal) Soeharto dan almarhum Bapak (Jendral Besar Purnawirawan) A.H Nasution karena beliau-beliaulah yang telah berjasa merealisasikan mimpi almarhum Ayah saya untuk masuk ke akademi pendidikan ABRI di Jakarta, sehingga almarhum Ayah saya bisa menjadi seorang abdi Negara (Polisi).

Selamat Ulang Tahun Indonesia!

*  *  *

Untuk mengetahui lebih dalam tentang almarhum Bapak Soeharto silahkan membaca di website http://www.soehartocenter.com/

#!7Agustus #Soeharto #WarisanIndonesia #ProKontra #Terimakasih

2011, Sept 27-Oct 01. North America's largest Scandinavian Festival. North Dakota-U.S

North America's largest Scandinavian Festival, is celebrating its 34th year, starting the evening of September 27th 2011 and continuing through Saturday, October 1st. Tens of thousands of people attend the event annually to celebrate and partake in the Scandinavian culture and entertainment. 

Over 200 internationally recognized artisans, craftsmen and chefs participate. The experience is an eclectic array of contemporary and traditional. The cuisine as well as the clothes, art and jewelry are authentic, fine quality and exquisitely Nordic. 

Sept 27 & 28 : MARTINA MCBRIDE. 

Sept 28 & 29 : TRACE ADKINS. 

Sept 29 & 30 : THE JUDDS. 

Source: www.hostfest.com

#Festival #Event #Scandinavia #NorthDakota #Nordic #Norsk #Country

Gerakan 1 Hari Tanpa HP di Indonesia

*Pertanyaan Pertama; 

Berapakah jumlah orang di Indonesia dalam 1 hari yang pernah kecewa karena:

• SMS ga delivered? 
• Blackberry Messenger nge-hang? 
• Ga bisa update status penting / ga penting?
• Seharian HP ga ada sinyal?
• Dst, dst...

Apakah dari sekian kekecewaan itu ada solusi yang memuaskan 100%??. 

Menurut survey dari orang2 disekeliling gue, jawabannya adalah TIDAK, entah itu karena kita lupa atau justru malah ogah buat mencari tau penyebabnya atau karena sudah punya gambaran "bakal mentah kalo mo komplain/ nelpon nanya2 ke Customer Service, ngabisin pulsa pula..".

Seperti hal nya gerakan 1 hari tanpa kendaraan bermotor ; Alangkah baiknya apabila ada gerakan 1 hari tanpa Handphone (HP) di Indonesia sebagai wadah "rekoleksi" providers sekaligus upaya bargain para customer atas ketidaknyamanan moment pelayanan penyedia-penyedia layanan telephone seluler di Indonesia (providers) selama ini. 

Bisa dibayangkan berapa nominal kerugian providers "hanya" dalam hitungan 1 hari x berjuta-juta manusia Indonesia apabila hal itu sampai terjadi??. Banyak, man! (lebih dari cukup buat memperbaiki gizi anak-anak Indonesia yang kekurangan asupan gizi, nutrisi  atau membantu perekonomian keluarga-keluarga yang kurang beruntung, maupun pendidikan anak-anak putus sekolah. Apabila kontiniti setiap bulannya ada "gerakan keberuntungan kaum yang berkekurangan diatas kerugian kaum kapitalis", Insya Allah dalam jangka waktu 5-10 tahun sedikit-sedikit akan mampu mengikis kemiskinan dan kebodohan di Indonesia ; lebih banyak lagi yang "terpaksa" belajar memaknai rasa saling berbagi - khususnya pemerintah - demi keadilan sosial bagi seluruh rakyak Indonesia (sila ke 5 Pancasila)... Ujung-ujungnya ga ada yang merasa lebih kuat karena kaya atau minder karena miskin, setiap individu berani beropini tanpa takut bakal diintimidasi - mengerti hak, bertanggung jawab atas kewajiban masing-masing dan andaikan ga ada lagi yang berfikir untuk memperkaya diri sendiri secara ga adil atau sadar diri untuk berhenti korupsi). Andai...*ngelantur.

*Pertanyaan Kedua; 

Apakah kita sebagai customers sanggup menjalankannya, berpuasa atau rekoleksi menahan nafsu dunia dalam menggunakan HP??. Satu hari ajaaaaa...tenang tanpa HP, wong manusia kerja aja ada liburnya - mosok hape ga ada?.

Atau justru enggan karena tidak terbayangkan hidup tanpa HP tercinta atau gengsi karena haree geenee ga pake bebe / hape (beli kreditan toh juga ga ada yang tau)? atau karena kita yang terlalu manja setelah sekian lama diperbudak salah satu benda sekunder ini?? (SELAMAT YA!! karena kelemahan-kelemahan manusia Indonesia inilah yang dijadikan senjata oleh para kapitalis untuk strategi mengeruk duit para homo hedonism consumer Indonesian-is). *tepuk tangan. 

*Pertanyaan Ketiga; 

Diluar batere habis, pernah ga sih loe sengaja matiin hape total 1 hari?

*Pertanyaan Keempat;

Apakah kita akan mati apabila hidup tanpa HP??. Buat gue tentu aja jawabannya "kagak lah...gue udah ngerasain 3 minggu lebih ga pake hape bae-bae aja...mang nyawa gue disimpen di hape?!".  Yeah right.

Yuk bareng-bareng bikin 1 hari tenang tanpa HP.


#handphone #technology # social #consumer #provider #Indonesia #gerakan #HidupTanpaHP

Solar Flare Activity Today (Russian spacecraft CORONAS-PHOTON)

Космическая погода     

August 1, 2011

Diagram of the solar flare activity

X-ray emission of the Sun from 31.07.2011 to 01.08.2011 (GOES-15)

Вспышки на Солнце: 01.08.2011

Diagram of the solar flare activity 

Solar flares today

Today, 2 solar flares were observed:

Active region  Begin, UT       Max, UT          End, UT

            Flare of class C1.0      0          00:03:00          00:07:00          00:25:00

            Flare of class C2.1      1263    00:39:00          00:47:00          01:11:00

Solar flares yesterday

Yesterday, 9 solar flares were observed:

Active region  Begin, UT       Max, UT          End, UT

            Flare of class C1.0      0          01:43:00          01:47:00          01:49:00

            Flare of class C3.8      1261    02:46:00          02:54:00          03:02:00

            Flare of class C1.1      1263    17:57:00          18:01:00          18:03:00

            Flare of class C1.4      1263    18:43:00          18:50:00          18:52:00

            Flare of class C1.7      1265    19:01:00          19:09:00          19:17:00

            Flare of class C1.9      1263    20:41:00          20:47:00          20:50:00

            Flare of class C1.8      1261    21:48:00          22:04:00          22:11:00

            Flare of class C1.5      0          22:46:00          22:54:00          22:57:00

            Flare of class C1.0      1263    23:36:00          23:40:00          23:44:00

Last updated: August 1, 2011 06:00 UT

The TESIS is a set of solar imaging instruments developed by the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, and launched aboard the Russian spacecraft CORONAS-PHOTON in January 30, 2009. The main goal of the TESIS is to provide complex observations of solar active phenomena from the transition region to the inner and outer solar corona with high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution in the EUV and Soft X-ray spectral bands.


The TESIS includes five unique space instruments to observe the inner and outer solar corona from 0.2 to 4 solar radii in spectral band 290-320 A. With the advanced capabilities of its instruments, the TESIS will help better understand the physics of solar flares and high-energy phenomena and provide new data on parameters of solar plasma in the temperature range 10⁵ - 10⁷ K.


The TESIS experiment started in the deep minimun between the 23rd and the 24th cycles of solar activity and planned to continue through all the razing phase of new cycle till 2012-1013.

Solar EUV Coronograph (SEC)

For more details please check http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru

© TESIS: www.tesis.lebedev.ru

  © 1953-2011 Laboratory of X-ray astronomy of the Sun, LPI RAS, Russia

 Source: http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru/en/sun_flares.html
#Tesis #Solar #Russia #Sun #X-Ray #CoronasPHOTON #Space #Astronomy 

Children Drug War [1.300 Killed]

A stuffed bear lies over a child's grave at the children section of the San Rafael cemetery in Ciudad Juarez, July 17, 2011. Photo by Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters.

By Miguel Angel Gutierrez (July2011)

MEXICO CITY – Once largely spectators to the deaths of hitmen, police and innocent bystanders, children are increasingly in the firing line of Mexico’s drug war.

Minors initially made up a small proportion of the casualties in the conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives in 4 1/2 years, but the child death toll has risen sharply in recent months, as killing became more indiscriminate.

Well over a quarter of Mexico’s 112 million population is under 18, and economists say the country risks squandering its future if President Felipe Calderon’s government is unable to arrest the creeping slide of young people into the violence.

“This life is a disaster,” said Agustina Carrillo, whose 17-year-old son was shot dead by a young drug dealer in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, epicenter of the drug violence and a key smuggling point for drugs into the United States.

Little official data is available on child killings, though government figures showed the number of murders of 16-20 year-olds in Chihuahua state — home to Ciudad Juarez — more than doubled to 386 in 2010 from 136 in 2008.

Grieving parents have used the media to pillory Calderon and his conservative National Action Party (PAN), which was hammered in a key state election this month..

Many joined a peace march that crossed much of the nation in June, urging the president to end the army-led conflict he launched soon after taking office in December 2006.

The United Nations this year urged Mexico’s government to do more to investigate crimes against minors and improve scope for prosecution, notably against the army, which has also been blamed for killings.

Though he remains more popular than his party, Calderon’s approval ratings have hit record lows, and last month he met victims of the drug war to apologize, only to be berated live on television by distraught mothers.

Most victims are between 18 and 35, though the lobby group Network for the Rights of Childhood in Mexico (REDIM) says some 1,300 minors have also been killed since Calderon’s war began.

A REDIM report at the start of 2011 showed the violence killed 994 children until last November, or around 21 every month. In the eight months since, REDIM calculated about 300 more have died — at an average of nearly 38 per month.

NO PUNISHMENT

What particularly alarms analysts is that while many killings were once accidental, atrocities like dismemberment are now deliberately being carried out against children.

“A distinct trend is observable: at the start of 2010 many deaths were due to crossfire,” said REDIM director Martin Perez. “Since then we can see organized crime has started to kill boys and girls to send messages to other cartels.”

Many children fall victim to violence due to ties to family members mixed up in the narcotics trade, which is estimated to generate around US$40-billion in revenues every year.

The chaos has left thousands of orphans struggling to survive across Mexico.

It has also drawn more and more minors into the killing, with girls as young as 16 now being trained as assassins by gangs.

According to REDIM, roughly 30,000 minors have been recruited by drug gangs, whose promise of easy cash has helped fill a gap in the job market for young people, rising numbers of whom lack proper schooling or regular work.

Javier Oliva, a security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said the increasing exposure of children to drug dealing and violence showed cartels were becoming more brazen and corrupt in their pursuit of profit.

“This is the level of violence you get for control of the drug market,” Oliva said. “What I see here is a clear demonstration of impunity. They can do these things because there is no punishment,” he added.

The government has pledged to improve Mexico’s failing justice system, and the Supreme Court last week ruled soldiers accused of abuses could face trials in civil courts instead of closed-door military tribunals.

The changes came too late for Cinthia Salazar, who accuses the army of shooting dead her two sons Bryan, 5, and Martin, 9, at a checkpoint in northeastern Mexico last year.

“They took two of my children,” she said. “Who’s going to give them back to me? Nobody. I told them (the soldiers) not to shoot us because there were kids, but they ignored me.”

© Thomson Reuters 2011

Source: http://news.nationalpost.com
#Children #War #Drug #Mexico-U.S #Cartels #U.N #Calderon

Children during the Holocaust

by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C

Children were especially vulnerable in the era of the Holocaust. The Nazis advocated killing children of “unwanted” or “dangerous” groups in accordance with their ideological views, either as part of the “racial struggle” or as a measure of preventative security. The Germans and their collaborators killed children both for these ideological reasons and in retaliation for real or alleged partisan attacks.

The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children, including over a million Jewish children and tens of thousands of Romani (Gypsy) children, German children with physical and mental disabilities living in institutions, Polish children, and children residing in the occupied Soviet Union. The chances for survival for Jewish and some non-Jewish adolescents (13-18 years old) were greater, as they could be deployed at forced labor.

The fate of Jewish and non-Jewish children can be categorized in the following way: 1) children killed when they arrived in killing centers; 2) children killed immediately after birth or in institutions; 3) children born in ghettos and camps who survived because prisoners hid them; 4) children, usually over age 12, who were used as laborers and as subjects of medical experiments; and 5) those children killed during reprisal operations or so-called anti-partisan operations.

In the ghettos, Jewish children died from starvation and exposure as well as lack of adequate clothing and shelter. The German authorities were indifferent to this mass death because they considered most of the younger ghetto children to be unproductive and hence “useless eaters.” Because children were generally too young to be deployed at forced labor, German authorities generally selected them, along with the elderly, ill, and disabled, for the first deportations to killing centers, or as the first victims led to mass graves to be shot.

Upon arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau and other killing centers, the camp authorities sent the majority of children directly to the gas chambers. SS and police forces in German-occupied Poland and the occupied Soviet Union shot thousands of children at the edge of mass graves. Sometimes the selection of children to fill the first transports to the killing centers or to provide the first victims of shooting operations resulted from the agonizing and controversial decisions of Jewish council (Judenrat) chairmen. The decision by the Judenrat in Lodz in September 1942 to deport children to the Chelmno killing center was an example of the tragic choices made by adults when faced with German demands. Janusz Korczak, director of an orphanage in the Warsaw ghetto, however, refused to abandon the children under his care when they were selected for deportation. He accompanied them on the transport to the Treblinka killing center and into the gas chambers, sharing their fate.

Non-Jewish children from certain targeted groups were not spared. Examples include Romani (Gypsy) children killed in Auschwitz concentration camp; 5,000 to 7,000 children killed as victims of the “euthanasia” program; children murdered in reprisals, including most of the children of Lidice; and children in villages in the occupied Soviet Union who were killed with their parents.

The German authorities also incarcerated a number of children in concentration camps and transit camps. SS physicians and medical researchers used a number of children, including twins, in concentration camps for medical experiments that often resulted in the deaths of the children. Concentration camp authorities deployed adolescents, particularly Jewish adolescents, at forced labor in the concentration camps, where many died because of conditions. The German authorities held other children under appalling conditions in transit camps, such as the case of Anne Frank and her sister in Bergen-Belsen, and non-Jewish orphaned children whose parents the German military and police units had killed in so-called anti-partisan operations. Some of these orphans were held temporarily in the Lublin/Majdanek concentration camp and other detention camps.

In their "search to retrieve 'Aryan blood,'" SS race experts ordered hundreds of children in occupied Poland and the occupied Soviet Union to be kidnapped and transferred to the Reich to be adopted by racially suitable German families. Although the basis for these decisions was "race-scientific," often blond hair, blue eyes, or fair skin was sufficient to merit the "opportunity" to be "Germanized." On the other hand, female Poles and Soviet civilians who had been deported to Germany for forced labor and who had had sexual relations with a German man -- often under duress -- resulting in pregnancy were forced to have abortions or to bear their children under conditions that would ensure the infant's death, if the "race experts" determined that the child would have insufficient German blood.

In spite of their acute vulnerability, many children discovered ways to survive. Children smuggled food and medicines into the ghettos, after smuggling personal possessions to trade for them out of the ghettos. Children in youth movements later participated in underground resistance activities. Many children escaped with parents or other relatives -- and sometimes on their own -- to family camps run by Jewish partisans.

Between 1938 and 1940, the Kindertransport (Children's Transport) was the informal name of a rescue effort which brought thousands of refugee Jewish children (without their parents) to safety in Great Britain from Nazi Germany and German-occupied territories. Some non-Jews hid Jewish children and sometimes, as in the case of Anne Frank, hid other family members as well. In France, almost the entire Protestant population of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, as well as many Catholic priests, nuns, and lay Catholics, hid Jewish children in the town from 1942 to 1944. In Italy and Belgium, many children survived in hiding.

After the surrender of Nazi Germany, ending World War II, refugees and displaced persons searched throughout Europe for missing children. Thousands of orphaned children were in displaced persons camps. Many surviving Jewish children fled eastern Europe as part of the mass exodus (Brihah) to the western zones of occupied Germany, en route to the Yishuv (the Jewish settlement in Palestine). Through Youth Aliyah (Youth Immigration), thousands migrated to the Yishuv, and then to the state of Israel after its establishment in 1948.

Source: http://www.ushmm.org 

Finally, Hollywood Movies "May" Back to Indonesia

Elisabeth Oktofani & Dion Bisara | July 15, 2011 

In the clearest sign of hope yet, Indonesian officials signaled on Thursday that Hollywood blockbusters — including the last Harry Potter film — could be back on screens within a fortnight.

Djonny Sjafruddin, head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), told the Jakarta Globe that almost all film importation issues were now solved.

“Particularly the ones related to customs, royalties and income tax,” he said. “We’re now only dealing with technical issues.”

This meant Hollywood films might arrive here in as little as 10 days, he said. “It will still take time for the films to go through customs, censors and adding the subtitles,” he explained.

A key priority is getting “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” he said, which premiered in London last week and began showing in Asia this week, to the chagrin of Indonesian fans.

The turn of events on Thursday was made possible by the Customs and Excise Office clearing newly registered film importer Omega Film to bring in movies.

Susiwiyono, the director of customs and excise information, confirmed the news in a text message but did not explain why.

Omega was given a film import license on May 3, but a freeze was imposed as officials sought to clarify its relationship with Indonesian film giant Cineplex 21.

Cineplex 21 is affiliated with Camila and Satrya, two major film importers banned by the Finance Ministry pending payment of Rp 22 billion ($2.6 million) in back taxes and interest.

Omega was the only company given an import license among the six that applied, as four appeared to have the same address as Omega. It was not clear why the fifth was rejected.

Syamsul Lussa, head of the film department at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, explained that companies in the film industry were not allowed to have businesses that could create “vertical integration, whether directly or indirectly.”

Vertical integration refers to a company going into businesses that form part of its supply chain or production path.

“So, if there is dodgy data about Omega Film, we are going to investigate it and revoke its business permit if necessary,” he said.

Tourism Minister Jero Wacik has said that the Motion Picture Association of America, the umbrella group for six major Hollywood studios that boycotted Indonesia from February over a royalty dispute, only wants to deal with importers it is familiar with, understood to mean Camila and Satrya and the Cineplex group.

In the clearest sign of hope yet, Indonesian officials signaled on Thursday that Hollywood blockbusters — including the last Harry Potter film — could be back on screens within a fortnight.

Djonny Sjafruddin, head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), told the Jakarta Globe that almost all film importation issues were now solved.



“Particularly the ones related to customs, royalties and income tax,” he said. “We’re now only dealing with technical issues.”

This meant Hollywood films might arrive here in as little as 10 days, he said. “It will still take time for the films to go through customs, censors and adding the subtitles,” he explained.

A key priority is getting “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” he said, which premiered in London last week and began showing in Asia this week, to the chagrin of Indonesian fans.

The turn of events on Thursday was made possible by the Customs and Excise Office clearing newly registered film importer Omega Film to bring in movies.

Susiwiyono, the director of customs and excise information, confirmed the news in a text message but did not explain why.

Omega was given a film import license on May 3, but a freeze was imposed as officials sought to clarify its relationship with Indonesian film giant Cineplex 21.

Cineplex 21 is affiliated with Camila and Satrya, two major film importers banned by the Finance Ministry pending payment of Rp 22 billion ($2.6 million) in back taxes and interest.

Omega was the only company given an import license among the six that applied, as four appeared to have the same address as Omega. It was not clear why the fifth was rejected.

Syamsul Lussa, head of the film department at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, explained that companies in the film industry were not allowed to have businesses that could create “vertical integration, whether directly or indirectly.”

Vertical integration refers to a company going into businesses that form part of its supply chain or production path.

“So, if there is dodgy data about Omega Film, we are going to investigate it and revoke its business permit if necessary,” he said.

Tourism Minister Jero Wacik has said that the Motion Picture Association of America, the umbrella group for six major Hollywood studios that boycotted Indonesia from February over a royalty dispute, only wants to deal with importers it is familiar with, understood to mean Camila and Satrya and the Cineplex group.

Source : www.thejakartaglobe.com/15July2011/hollywoodmoviesmaysoonbebackonscreen

AP Exclusive: Nike faces new worker abuse claims

By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press – 7 hours ago 

SUKABUMI, Indonesia (AP) — Workers making Converse sneakers in Indonesia say supervisors throw shoes at them, slap them in the face and call them dogs and pigs. Nike, the brand's owner, admits that such abuse has occurred among the contractors that make its hip high-tops but says there was little it could do to stop it.

Dozens of workers interviewed by The Associated Press and a document released by Nike show that the footwear and athletic apparel giant has far to go to meet the standards it set for itself a decade ago to end its reliance on sweatshop labor.

That does not appear to explain abuses that workers allege at the Pou Chen Group factory in Sukabumi, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Jakarta — it didn't start making Converse products until four years after Nike bought Converse. One worker there said she was kicked by a supervisor last year after making a mistake while cutting rubber for soles.

"We're powerless," said the woman, who like several others interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. "Our only choice is to stay and suffer, or speak out and be fired."

The 10,000 mostly female workers at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant make around 50 cents an hour. That's enough, for food and bunkhouse-type lodging, but little else. Some workers interviewed by the AP in March and April described being hit or scratched in the arm — one man until he bled. Others said they were fired after filing complaints.

"They throw shoes and other things at us" said a 23-year-old woman in the embroidery division. "They growl and slap us when they get angry.

"It's part of our daily bread."

Mira Agustina, 30, said she was fired in 2009 for taking sick leave, even though she produced a doctor's note.

"It was a horrible job," she said. "Our bosses pointed their feet at us, calling us names like dog, pig or monkey." All are major insults to Muslims. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.

At the PT Amara Footwear factory located just outside Jakarta, where another Taiwanese contractor makes Converse shoes, a supervisor ordered six female workers to stand in the blazing sun after they failed to meet their target of completing 60 dozen pairs of shoes on time.

"They were crying and allowed to continue their job only after two hours under the sun," said Ujang Suhendi, 47, a worker at a warehouse in the factory. The women's supervisor received a warning letter for the May incident after complaints from unionized workers.

The company's own inquiries also found workers at the two factories were subjected to "serious and egregious" physical and verbal abuse, including the punishment of forcing workers to stand in the sun, said Hannah Jones, a Nike executive who oversees the company's efforts to improve working conditions.

"We do see other issues of that similar nature coming up across the supply chain but not on a frequent level," she said. "We see issues of working conditions on a less egregious nature across the board."

Nike, which came under heavy criticism a decade ago for its use of foreign sweatshops and child labor, has taken steps since then to improve conditions at its 1,000 overseas factories. But the progress it has made at factories producing gear with its premier "swoosh" logo is not fully reflected in those making Converse products.

An internal report Nike released to the AP after it inquired about the abuse show that nearly two-thirds of 168 factories making Converse products worldwide fail to meet Nike's own standards for contract manufacturers.

Twelve are in the most serious category, indicating problems that could range from illegally long work hours to denying access to Nike inspectors. A Nike spokeswoman said the company was not aware of physical abuse occurring at those factories. Another 97 are in a category defined as making no progress in improving problems ranging from isolated verbal harassment to paying less than minimum wage. A further six factories had not been audited by Nike.

Nike blames problems on pre-existing licenses to produce Converse goods that it says prevent the parent company from inspecting factories or introducing its own code of conduct.

Read full story & view pics : www.google.com/hostednews/AP/Nike/14July2011

Wright reported from Jakarta, Indonesia. http://www.twitter.com/stephenwrightAP
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

#Labor #Factory #Women #Indonesia 

AGAIN..Web Traffic Virus Attacked!

These past 2 days my laptop got rapid propagation infected host. My Internet traffic was running very very very slow, the bandwidth totally dying!. 

I thought the wireless BTS was down temporary or my browsers got crashed or else wrong. So I've decided to uninstall, install few programs and updated antivirus. After scanning, detecting, checking the software certificates status and so on, so on...dang! finally this morning I've found out I've been attacked by worm-well known as SQL slammer (I remember the 1st time heard about slammer was around 2001).  I was infected with this worm via the Internet and then connected to a network via a VPN (Virtual Private Network).  The routers network processing lead my Internet bandwidth to the end of the traffic, I couldn't even loading any Beta data (90% of all vulnerable machines were infected within 10 minutes).  

Where the worm came from? Well you know, from one of the Windows 'Installer' (one of the supporting download software program that compatible with my laptop's Windows) it need to be install before setting MS antivirus updates. Reality the Setup.exe file is a 'boot-strapper' of the Msiexec.exe file that also sets an error level on return that corresponds to the Microsoft Win32 error codes. I wasn't quite sure to accomplish this, It says it must use a higher level setup launcher (not Windows Installer based) that wraps both the custom application and the stand-alone MSDE, and then opens them independent of each other.  

BUT...I've also just found out that Microsoft no longer offers support for this software program and will no longer be updated. Man..   

  

I'm glad, after my laptop got numerous collapse and crashed of routers under the burden of extremely high bombardment traffic (also removed from routing table), now it clean again. 

So, guys...here some tips : 

1. Take care your PC and Update it regular or you can setting the updates automatically (setting - control panel -  automatic updates). 

2. Check the Certificates Expiry & Authorize of any programs you download (setting via Tools - Internet Option). 

3. After download - Scan your file before you extract the file.

3. If something goes wrong with PC, just disconnect the Internet - Restart - Run the antivirus. 

4. When you find the Troubleshoot File - Uninstall them - Delete the shortcut - Scan - Restart again. 

If you have spare time (especially for you, Ladies), please learn & get to know about your own PC ; learn about the Internet codes - Threads type, how to edit the configuration, learn how to get source & read HTML, to use the Socket Layers properly, etc. So you could fix your own PC :). 

Regards

#internet, anti virus, slammer, worm, SQL, Internet down, routers, troubleshoot, engine, computer 

Ferret = animal (Animal = wild creature)

If we talking about animals, of course it's all about wild - about instinct. Owners of any kind of pets should know the risks before decide to take care animal as pet. 

Still couldn't believe for what happened with the children whose got bitten by Ferret, as parents we supposed to be wise and never leave our kids alone with animals ever (even with fishes in the aquarium).  

It is ALWAYS be our fault  + our stupidity when  it comes to animals because the animals are belong into the wilderness - not inside the house, that's the fact. -N.G-

First Posted: 06/16/11 02:53 PM ET Updated: 06/16/11 02:53 PM ET 

The parents of a 4-month-old Missouri boy who lost seven fingers during a pet ferret attack have been charged with first-degree child endangerment for the January incident.

Ryan Waldo, 33, and his wife, Carrie Waldo, 25, told investigators in Grain Valley that they awoke hearing the screams of their child, who was left with just his thumbs and a pinky following the attack.

Ryan claimed he picked up the pet ferret -- which was a Christmas present to his older children -- and hurled it against the dishwasher, killing it. The couple also said the ferret had never bitten anyone before.

But prosecutors claim they have evidence that the ferret had already bitten the infant twice, CBS3 reports.

Before the incident, the couple's landlord had reportedly helped them get in touch with a ferret rescue group due to animal's tendency to bite. 

However the family decided to keep the ferret in the home, according to a text message sent from the boy's mother to the ferret rescue group that was obtained by the station.

"Kids voting no right now but it probably won't be long before he nips baby again and they get over it," Carrie allegedly wrote. "Not sure if we wanna get rid of him yet. The kids r cryin bout it so we'll let u know."

Based on cellphone records, investigators believe the parents might have left the kids home alone while the attack occurred.

The couple surrendered on the felony charge on Wednesday, The Kansas City Star reports. They were released on bond, but ordered to stay away from their children, who are now in a grandparent's custody.

Source : weirdnews.aol.com

FACTS ABOUT FERRET (info taken from many sources)

Bob Church said in www.ferretcentral.org : What evidence is there that ferrets are carnivores? I have read authoritative accounts indicating ferrets should be fed "sops" (milk and bread) or cooked cereals, and they survived. But it is not an optimum diet, nor does it promise the healthiest and best possible life for the animal. Additionally, starving animals will consume just about anything to survive. Under these circumstances, many people would claim the ferret was an omnivore, but that would be incorrect. Ferrets are strict carnivores; that is, they are biologically adapted to eat [only] meat. 

Ferret's skull is long and flat for several reasons. First, it makes for a powerful biting force, proportionately one of the strongest in mammals, which is very useful in killing animals near your size having teeth that can bite through a pencil (hey, imagine a giant beaver snapping at your nose, with incisors as thick as your middle finger).

Arm bones: The ferret clavicle is a tiny little ossification in the muscle where the clavicle should be, and is not always found, but the scapula, humerus, radis, and ulna are about the same as ours. Their elbow has an extension on the end of it to make their arms very strong for digging. The wrist bones (carpals), the hand bones (metacarpals), and the finger bones (phalanges) are almost the same, except for the 3rd phalanx which has a claw-like process on the end to support the nail. As far as I know, all members of the mustelid family have all five digits front and back. Ferrets have more carpal-metacarpal sesamoids than we usually do, which are tiny bones within the tendons where they pass over joints. Most of us have 1 or 2 of them at our thumbs, but ferrets generally have 2 for every digit. Oh, the thumb has 2 phalanges and the fingers have 3 for both humans and ferrets. The thumb in the ferret is like a finger. Just imagine what a ferret could do with a human thumb.

From www.knowswhy.com : Why are ferrets illegal in California?

In 1933, importation and possession of domestic ferrets, as well as wild animals, was restricted in California. The California Department of Fish and Game, on March 25th 1994, expressed its views regarding the ferrets as:

1. Ferrets may bite or scratch children, as well as adults.

2. Ferrets also carry rabies, and there is no proper vaccine against the rabies which attacks it.

3. Ferrets can also threaten native wildlife. 

Ferrets are considered to be illegal as they may breed in the wild, and pose a threat to agriculture and native species. Ferrets are also believed to be roaming and killing more chicken than that are necessary for its consumption. It is also believed that ferrets are a threat to birds, amphibians and reptiles. Wildlife that are considered to be at risk of extinction due to ferrets are burrowing owls, California ground squirrels and mountain beavers.

Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D. for www.library.ca.gov  May 30, 1997 : Ferrets are permitted as pets in all states of the continental U.S. except California, and some observers estimate that there are from 100,000 to 500,000 domestic ferrets kept as pets in California despite the prohibition. A Michigan official noted that Michigan went from zero ferrets (officially, as they were prohibited) to 200,000 overnight when they were legalized a few years ago, and “they did not all just come in over the state line that day.”

Rabies vaccination should be required for domestic ferrets, just as it is for domestic cats and dogs. Ferrets sold at or after 12 weeks of age should be vaccinated before sale. For those sold at the typical 6 to 7 weeks, it is vital that owners be advised of the requirement to have the animals vaccinated at 12 weeks.

CASES

1998 February 22 : Police say ferret bit baby at least 50 times; parents charged  
By AP (Cleveland) via Globe News. 
A 5-week-old girl was in stable condition after being bitten at least 50 times by a pet ferret, and police charged her parents with felony child endangering. 

Samantha M. Grabski was bitten on the face and chest while she lay between her parents, who had fallen asleep after drinking beer late Wednesday, police said. She required about 100 stitches and was in stable condition Sunday at MetroHealth Medical Center.Her mother, Olga Torres, told officers she did not know the baby had been attacked until she woke up Thursday morning. 

Torres, 21, and John B. Grabski, 22, were in custody Sunday pending a bail hearing scheduled for Monday.

Police Sgt. Mark Hastings said prosecutors filed felony charges against Grabski and Torres because the injuries were related to their use of alcohol. 

Four other children, all under age 7, were placed with relatives, Hastings said. The ferret was taken to the city kennel for rabies tests.© Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company

2000 June 28 : Pet ferrets inflicted 10-day-old girl more than 100 scratches  
By Meg Jones Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

A 10-day-old girl lying in her crib was attacked by two pet ferrets that may have been attracted by milk on the child's breath, Eau Claire police said Wednesday.

 

The ferrets inflicted more than 100 scratches, gashes and bite marks on the baby's face before the family dog jumped in to save the infant, who is expected to recover completely, police said. Please read for more in http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2000/ferret_attacks_baby.html

Judy Vowell, shelter director for Ferret Fanciers of Greater Milwaukee said : "It's not an attack animal. It reacts out of instinct but not a destructive instinct," Vowell said. "It was probably after the milk and unknown scents. This was probably a new scent for the ferret, as well - a new baby in the house."

Just remind : No matter how cute and how hard you train your animal, they still and always stayed as animals ;-)

2011 June 8-19 "Sydney Film Festival"

Dendy Awards For Australian Short Films

Sydney Film Festival's first Australian short film awards were presented in 1970, and the festival has been showcasing the best local short film productions in competition ever since.

The awards presented to Dendy competition films are the Dendy Live Action Short Award, the Yoram Gross Animation Award and the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director.

Official Competition

Twelve features are selected for Official Competition, SFF's flagship program, on the basis that they demonstrate `emotional power and resonance; are audacious, cutting-edge, courageous; and go beyond the usual treatment of the subject matter'.

Short Films

The festival's line-up of short films, which screen before features throughout the festival, are often funny, frequently lewd, sometimes shocking and often heartbreaking. It's lot to pack into a few minutes, so arrive early - these cinematic appetisers deserve your full viewing attention.

Sounds On Screen

Music and film are inseparable dance partners, and films about music make for some of the most compelling cinema created. Feel the big screen rocking, grooving, or growling the blues with this medley of movies that will set your toes tapping and make your heart sing.

Source : www.sff.org.au

2011 June 15-19 "Gardeners World Live" The Royal Horticultural Society

Live demonstrations from all favourites gardening experts including Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh , beautiful and inspirational Show Gardens, unbeatable plants in the RHS Floral Marquee sponsored by Renault and great shopping too!
15 - 19 June 2011
NEC Birbingham 
Tickets book online here or call our ticket hotline on 0844 581 1340.
Source : www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com

Sovereignty for Iraq & World Peace Plan Proposal

 #WorldPeace #Tolerance #Iraq #SaudiArabia #Kuwait #Congo #SouthKorea #NorthKorea #Cyprus #Lebanon #UN #ProposalPlan #SaddamHussein #Bush #US Economy

(taken from www.oneworldgov.org/iraq)

We are making it possible for the governments of the world to stop wasting money on war, and using the money instead to make their own country prosper. 

Step by step, we are introducing a plan to enable the war in Iraq to end, one that will carry Iraq all the way forward to its sovereignty. Because the war did not stand on the intent of the U.N. Charter to prevent invasions and occupations, the United States is responsible for rebuilding Iraq, but with the present global economic crisis, stabilizing the region and then rebuilding Iraq would bankrupt the United States. Our plan enables everyone to function on a higher level, including the surrounding nations in the Middle East and the Coalition countries.

The people who have been killed, injured and traumatized do not have to have suffered in vain. Out of the crisis have been planted the seeds for world peace, and they are growing.

Your voice is important to the process. Please be sure to read our proposal to Iraq, and answer our survey. (This proposal is the original offered to Saddam Hussein, through the Iraqi embassy in Washington, DC, prior to the war, but there was no time to stop the conflict. An amended version was re-submitted after the death of Saddam Hussein. It was much more detailed, and was sent to all the ambassadors in Washington, DC. It calls for mediation between the highest ranking lieutenant of the Baath Party under Saddam Hussein and President George W. Bush to end the conflict. The mediation sets the stage for the creation of a legitimate international court system to ends disputes between nations.

Here is the link of The World Peace Plan Proposal

June 19, 2011 "UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Hosts Survivor Beach"

#Event #Cancer #Donation #SurvivorBeach #Surfers #SanDiego #UC - UniversityOfCalifornia

For the fifth year, survivors, surfers and friends will attempt to form record-breaking line of surfboards, showing support for cancer survivors and research at UC San Diego

More than 250 lined up last year in the support of a cure for cancer at Survivor Beach.

June 10, 2011 By Jade Griffin

Hundreds of surfers, cancer survivors and friends will gather together, with surfboards in hand, on La Jolla Shores Sunday, June 19 for an annual San Diego tradition: Survivor Beach. Attendees will place surfboards along the edge of the shore, nose-to-tail, from Scripps Pier down La Jolla Shores, with the goal of forming a record-breaking line of several hundred surfboards. Now in its fifth year, Survivor Beach provides a stunning visual demonstration of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center’s commitment to finding a cure for cancer and supporting those who have fought the devastating disease. 

Sponsored by biotechnology company Genentech, Survivor Beach is free and open to the public. This one-of-a-kind event will take place from 8-10 a.m. and is a precursor to the 18th annual Luau and Longboard Invitational, which is slated for August 21. The goal of both events is to raise awareness and critical funds for research, patient care, and outreach and educational programs at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, the region’s only Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated by the National Cancer Center Institute. 

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, and it is estimated that one in three people will fight cancer at some point in their lives.

“Survivor Beach is a dynamic illustration of the breadth and depth of San Diego’s support for the quest to find a cure for cancer,” said Dennis Carson, MD, director of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “Thanks to the backing of our local community and friends, we are able to make incredible scientific breakthroughs which have real impact in the battle against cancer. Each day, we come closer to conquering this disease.” 

At last year’s event, more than 250 people joined forces to create a surfboard line of more than 1,425 feet or almost five football fields. This year organizers of Survivor Beach hope to top that length. 

Terry Ash is co-chairing this year’s Survivor Beach. As one of the original founders of the annual Luau and Longboard Invitational fundraiser and a past member of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Board of Directors, Ash is a passionate advocate for the research and care provided by the Cancer Center. But it wasn’t until two and a half years ago when Ash was diagnosed with head and neck cancer that the cause became truly personal. 

Since that time, he has undergone 100 treatments including radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Ash remains optimistic and hopes to share his positive outlook with those who may need it on June 19.

“Survivor Beach can encourage existing patients that they can beat this,” said Ash. “I hope we can reach out to the survivors, as well as the people who are equally touched and have sacrificed so much: the caregivers. In many ways, family members are true survivors, too.”

Jessica Yingling, co-chair and founder of Survivor Beach agrees: “This is a tangible way that individuals can show their support in the quest for a cancer cure and pay tribute to those who have battled the disease.”

She continued: “Private donations and financial support from the community are key for the Cancer Center to continue to pursue groundbreaking research and innovative programs for our fight against cancer.” 

The person to bring the most surfboards for the line-up will receive a special prize. In addition to the spectacular surfboard display, local musician Christopher Dale will entertain the crowd with live music and Heali’I’s Polynesian Revue will perform authentic dances. Survivor Beach participants will receive commemorative souvenirs and have a chance to win a pair of tickets to the annual UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Luau and Longboard Invitational, which will take place Sunday, August 21.

Celebrating 18 years of surfing for a cure, the Luau and Longboard Invitational has raised more than $5 million to fund groundbreaking cancer research at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.  For more information about sponsorship opportunities, team entries and tickets for the Luau and Longboard Invitational, contact the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center at (858) 534-6797 or visit www.longboardluau.org. 

Survivor Beach registration starts at 8 a.m. on June 19 on the beach by Scripps Pier.  

For more information and directions, please visit www.longboardluau.org/survivorbeach.html.

Media Contact:
Jade Griffin, 858-822-5309, or jadegriffin@ucsd.edu
Laura Margoni, 858-822-2485, or lmargoni@ucsd.edu

Source : www.ucsdnews.ucsd.edu

Wirjawan Says Indonesia's Fiscal Health (another 'non-crucial priority' issue)

I don't think Indonesian citizens really could buy what Gita Wirjawan said : "country's fiscal health and government's efforts to reduce corruption".. (like it could lower credit rating when it comes to Public Finance *coughing) and how local governments are benefiting from using Fiscal Health diagnostic *coughing again. How it could reduce the corruption then? How about it's another way to create corruption while using Indonesian citizen's money? We are talking about prioritization budgeting here, unless the government take responsibility by in charge to cover up the whole expenses. 

As PBB Center mentions : The process also (supposed to) brings together government finance officers, civic leaders, and community citizens to make decisions that better align the community's resources with what the community and its leaders value the most. Accomplish this and you've attained Fiscal Health and Wellness©. 

* I'm not sure how this 'could work' in Indonesia? ; but if this 'non-crucial priority' issue being progress, may the government leaders 'allow' community citizens to get involve.  

Anyway either we're talking about non profit organization or profitable one, whatever government says about 'for the sake of Indonesia' is I really don't buy it. 

-N.G- 

June 13 (Bloomberg) -- Gita Wirjawan, chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, talks about the country's fiscal health and government's efforts to reduce corruption. Wirjawan speaks from Jakarta with Susan Li on Bloomberg Television's "First Up."  
(Source: Bloomberg via www.washingtonpost.com)

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear

Fukushima I and II Nuclear Accidents Overview Map showing evacuation and other zone progression and selected radiation levels.

Click image for larger view. Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fukushima_accidents_overview_map.svg

*  *  *

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

Satellite image on 16 March of the four damaged reactor buildings
Date	11 March 2011 (2011-03-11)–ongoing
Time	14:46 JST (05:46 UTC)
Location	Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan
Coordinates	37°25′17″N 141°1′57″E / 37.42139°N 141.0325°E / 37.42139; 141.0325
Outcome	INES Level 7 (ratings by Japanese authorities as of 11 April)[1][2]
Reported injuries	37 with physical injuries,[3] 2 workers taken to hospital for radiation exposure[4]
Reported death(s)	1 (heart attack)[5]
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_Nuclear_power_plants_map.gif