Madrid, Milan, Bayern advance in Champions League

Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich clinched their places in the next round of the Champions League on Tuesday.

The trio, European champions a total 20 times between them, advanced alongside CSKA Moscow after their final group matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to help record nine-time European champion Madrid win 3-1 at Marseille and take Group C from Milan, which needed a penalty by Ronaldinho to equalize for a 1-1 draw at FC Zurich.

Bayern advanced behind already-qualified Bordeaux in Group A with a 4-1 win at Juventus that eliminated the Italian side, while CSKA Moscow won 2-1 at Besiktas.

Michael Owen scored a hat trick to give Manchester United a 3-1 win at Wolfsburg to take first place in Group B from CSKA and knock out its opponent. But CSKA's place may be in doubt after UEFA said two of the Russian team's players failed doping tests after a 3-3 draw against Manchester United last month.

UEFA will announce the result of its investigation on Dec. 17, the day before the draw for the next stage.

Ronaldo put Madrid ahead in the fifth minute with a 30-meter (yard) free kick before Marseille playmaker Lucho Gonzalez leveled from close range in the 11th.

Madrid defender Raul Albiol scored in the 60th and Ronaldo rounded off the scoring 10 minutes before the end following a mistake by Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

Madrid finished with 13 points, four more than Milan, which trailed until the 64th minute in Switzerland.

Zurich dominated much of the first half and led through Milan Gajic's 29th-minute free kick from 25 yards (meters).

Milan was in real danger of missing out on the next round but Zurich defender Alain Rochat was sent of for a foul on Marco Borriello and Ronaldinho scored the resulting penalty.

Juventus looked to be on course for the next round when David Trezeguet put the Italian side ahead in the 19th, but Bayern got back in the match with a 30th-minute penalty by Joerg Butt - the goalkeeper's third in the Champions League.

Ivica Olic put Bayern ahead six minutes after halftime. Mario Gomez and substitute Anatoliy Tymoshchuk scored in the last seven minutes.

Bordeaux, which won 1-0 at Maccabi Haifa, won Group A with 16 points. Bayern was next with 10 points, while Juventus will play in the Europa League after finishing third with eight.

Maccabi Haifa became the first team to be eliminated from the Champions League without winning a point or scoring a goal.

Group D had already been settled before Tuesday.

First-place Chelsea conceded an 87th-minute equalizer to draw 2-2 with APOEL Nicosia, losing midfielder Michael Essien in the process to what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

FC Porto won 3-0 at Atletico Madrid, which ended even with APOEL on three points but advanced courtesy of the away goal in scored against the Cypriot side.

The final four places will be decided Wednesday. Barcelona, Inter Milan, Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev can all advance from Group F, Unirea Urziceni and Stuttgart are vying to advance from Group G alongside Sevilla, and Olympiakos and Standard Liege are fighting for second place in Group H behind Arsenal.

Fiorentina and Lyon have already secured the top two Group E spots, with the final positions to be decided Wednesday when Fiorentina goes to Europa League qualifier Liverpool and Lyon is at last-place Debrecen.

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Rp 4.5m in three days and still counting

Rahmat, an office boy at a private Jakarta company, was in high spirits collecting coins for Prita Mulyasari, the housewife on trial for defaming Omni International Hospital.

“He asks people for coins to support Prita from the workers in my office. He told me that he understood the pain of being a powerless person like Prita,” said Lia, one of the coordinators of Coins for Prita, in a phone interview Monday.

“I am a mother like Prita and I cannot stand to think of her daughter who needs breast-feeding.”
Coins for Prita is a fund-raising movement organized by sympathetic Internet community members.

Some members volunteered their places as posts to receive coin donations for Prita, who has recently been ordered by the Banten High Court to pay Rp 204 million (US$ 21,633) to compensate the hospital.

Prita is still seeking an appeal from the Supreme Court.

Samsul N.A., another coordinator, said the idea of donating coins for Prita’s cause came from members of a mailing list named Sehat Group.

“The group members, including me, decided donating coins would be a good idea because that way everyone could donate. We began to open the posts on Dec. 5.”

There are eight posts in Greater Jakarta and one post in Bandung. Samsul said five more posts would be opened in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Surabaya, and Medan. More information regarding the posts’ locations and point persons is available at www.koinkeadilan.com.

The posts’ coordinators said at least Rp 4.5 million had been gathered within two days.

“And many boxes in the posts have not been opened,” said Enda Nasution, the administrator for Facebook cause “Dukungan Bagi Ibu Prita” (Support for Prita).

Lia said the coordinators were discussing the coins’ management.

“We have not set a deadline for the fund-raising and are still confused how to transport the coins from cities outside Jakarta.”

Several media reported that the movement had become a grass roots fund-raiser with scavengers, students, housewives, expatriates and celebrities among the donors. Some donors had even donated coins along with their piggy banks.

Kompas.com reported Mundala, a trash picker, handed Rp 200,000 in coins collected from 100 scavengers in Srengseng Sawah, South Jakarta.

“We want to support a just cause,” Mundala said.

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Letter: Learning from `2012'

While many eyes of Indonesians have been startled by the ongoing news about the KPK case, another story made me raise my eyebrows: the recent call by clerics from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to ban the doomsday-themed movie 2012. In my humble opinion, the call to prohibit the movie only based on rumor is controversial. Although this is not the first time it has made controversial decisions.

Several days ago, my friend and I decided to watch the movie. Afterwards, we had different reviews: I was slightly bored by the use of "the end of days" related theme while my friend thought the movie was entertaining. However, we both agreed the movie had amazing special effects.

To put it briefly, the movie tells us the story of a situation in 2009 where scientists found a number of occurrences showing the end of the world was near. Before that, the Mayans had predicted that 2012 would be the last days of earth. The movie narrates how the people struggle to survive on the so-called doomsday.

There is one scene that many believed initiated the MUI's decision to ban the movie: the scene that showed a mosque destroyed by an earthquake. Furthermore, MUI chief KH Mahmud Zubaidi in Malang mentioned that doomsday is something that "no man could predict" and "the movie is not appropriate because it could affect people's way of thinking."

In my opinion, however, this is not the case. The call by MUI has officially underestimated Muslims in Indonesia who can differentiate between fact and fiction. The movie itself was enjoyable and there are many things we can learn from the movie. Yes, there are no people who can predict the end of the world. The movie nonetheless did not explicitly mean to tell us when the end of the world is. It is only to show us what may occur if doomsday arrives.

The Mayans arguably never predicted anything about the doomsday. The speculation arises because their calendar stops at 2012. Therefore, the reckoning appears due to a loose interpretation about the calendar rather than the Mayans' prophecy. Ironically, the council's verdict has provided the movie with free publicizing. For instance, Twitter has mentioned many times that MUI should not ban the movie. Many Tweets (a post on Twitter) even ridiculed MUI by saying that they should focus on other issues rather than ban the Hollywood movie.

Finally, I think it is time for MUI to start believing in the ability of Indonesian Muslims to decipher fact from fiction. The fact is that MUI's actions lead society to see them negatively. The problem that needs to be solved is not banning the movie. What we should understand more is how society sees the movie.

Perhaps, we feel insecure about entering judgment day due to the many terrible things we have done in the past. Thus, the case is not about what movie says, but how we see ourselves reflected in the movie's plot.

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Case closed but Woods scrutiny continues

Tiger Woods didn't have to say a word to get Florida troopers off his case. The same strategy may be harder to pull off when it comes to the tabloid media probing his private life.

The police inquiry into the early morning car crash involving one of the world's most famous athletes came to a close Tuesday, even though Woods refused to talk to the Florida Highway Patrol. Woods was charged with careless driving, which carries a US$164 fine and four points on his driving record.


That good news for Woods was tempered by the cover story of Us Weekly magazine, which hits newsstands Wednesday, alleging that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer.

Jaimee Grubbs told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters - two months before Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, gave birth to their first child. Grubbs claims to have proof in 300 text messages.

On Wednesday, the magazine published what it said was a voicemail provided by Grubbs that she said was left by Woods on Nov. 24, three days before his early morning car crash. In the voicemail, a man says to Grubbs:

"Hey, it's, uh, it's Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, and what do you call it just have it as a number on the voicemail, just have it as your telephone number. That's it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye."

The Associated Press could not confirm Woods was the caller.

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Police: Tiger Woods' wife helped after accident

Tiger Woods was injured in a car accident early Friday outside his Florida mansion, and a local police chief said his wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and help get the world's No. 1 golfer out of the SUV.

Woods was treated and released from a hospital in good condition, his spokesman said. The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods' vehicle hit a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor's yard as he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m.

Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press that officers found the 33-year-old PGA star laying in the street with his wife, Elin, hovering over him.

She told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and "came out and broke the back window with a golf club."

Woods had lacerations to his upper and lower lips, and he had blood in his mouth, Saylor said.

The chief said Woods was in and out of consciousness when his two officers arrived. He said the officers held Woods to the ground and "when he woke up, he tried to get up and lost consciousness."

He said officers treated Woods for 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived.

The Florida Highway Patrol said Woods was alone in his 2009 Cadillac when he pulled out of his driveway from his mansion at Isleworth, a gated waterfront community just outside Orlando.

The patrol reported Woods' injuries as serious, although Woods spokesman Glenn Greenspan issued a statement that Woods was treated and released.

The patrol said alcohol was not involved, although the accident remains under investigation and charges could be filed.

Left unanswered was where Woods was going at that hour. Greenspan and agent Mark Steinberg said there would be no comment beyond the short statement of the accident on Woods' Web site.

Woods, coming off a two-week trip to China and Australia earlier this month, is host of the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, California, which starts Thursday. He is scheduled to have his press conference Tuesday afternoon at Sherwood Country Club. Steinberg said he did not know if Woods planned to play next week.

The accident report was not released until nearly 12 hours after Woods was injured. Patrol spokesman Kim Montes said the accident did not meet the criteria of a serious crash, and the FHP only put out a press release because of inquiries from local media.

Montes said the patrol reports injuries as serious if they require more than minor medical attention.

Air bags in the SUV did not deploy.

Investigators still have not had a chance to speak to Woods, but when they do, "we will ask him everything," Montes said. "We just haven't had a chance to do so because he was being medically treated."

Montes said charges could be filed if there was a clear traffic violation, although troopers still do not know what caused Woods' SUV to hit the hydrant and the tree.

Woods' $2.4 million home is part of an exclusive subdivision near Orlando, a community set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes. The neighborhood, which is fortified with high brick walls and has its own security force, is home to CEOs and other sports stars such as the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that an orange and white barricade sat on top of a hole in front of Woods' home. About 10 feet away, there was a tire track near an oak tree in his neighbor's yard. The tree had a few scuff marks but was largely unscathed.

Woods, who has won 82 times around the world and 14 majors, attended the Stanford-Cal football game last Saturday, where he tossed the coin at the start of the game and was inducted into Stanford's sports Hall of Fame at halftime.

He won six times this year after missing eight months recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Even though he failed to win a major, Woods said he considered this a successful year because he did not know how his knee would respond.

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Barack Obama: A Pocket Biography of Our 44th President

Oxford University Press, 80 pages
The American people's admiration for and perhaps pride in their 44th president is nothing new, and has resulted in a plethora of articles and books, not to mention the introduction of such terms as "Obamanomics".
Adding to this collection is this practical pocket book, handy for easy reading while traveling. Despite its size, it contains all the important information on the current US president.

The book comprises four chapters: an introduction, acquaintance with Barack Obama during the campaign, a bibliography, and Obama's full speech on his official nomination by the Democratic Party.
For readers in Indonesia, the most appealing account is in Chapter 2 where little Barry describes the muezzin's call to dusk prayer from a mosque near his home in Menteng "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset".
However, the author pointedly notes that Obama did not attend a madrassa (Islamic school).
Obama's memories of Indonesia certainly generate a special impression in the hearts of Indonesian citizens, particularly residents of Jakarta.
In his speech accepting his presidential candidacy before the Democratic Party convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March. 18, 2008, Obama said he had ".lived in one of the world's poorest nations" - none other than Indonesia. Therefore, Obama is not only the first black president of America, but also the first to have spent part of his childhood in another country, let alone in Southeast Asia.
The book Barack Obama : A Pocket Biography of Our 44th President is capable of serving as an inspiring traveling companion. In addition to its popular and digestible style of writing, Obama's speech is worthy of study.
Furthermore, the final part of his message in the Democratic Party convention seems to be an illustration of his mother, Ann Dunham, who promoted the empowerment of women through micro credit programs, in the same way as Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, a social justice fighter and friend of the grass-roots movement is an
idol of Barack Hussein Obama Jr, present president of the United States

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Kimi Raikkonen Gabung Red Bull Citroen Junior Arungi WRC Musim 2010

Gabung Citroen, Tampil 12 Seri

PARIS - Kimi Raikkonen sudah memberikan kepastian cuti setahun dari Formula 1 (F1). Pembalap Finlandia tersebut memantapkan itu dengan banting setir ke arena reli. Raikkonen akan memperkuat tim Red Bull Citroen Junior untuk mengarungi WRC (World Rally Championship) pada musim 2010.

Raikkonen akan jadi pendamping bagi juara WRC Junior musim lalu Sebastien Ogier. Ogier tampil memukau pada tahun pertamanya di even tersebut.

Citroen mengonfirmasikan bahwa Raikkonen dan Ogier akan mengikuti 12 di antara 13 seri WRC 2010. Satu-satunya seri yang tak diikuti tim itu adalah Reli Selandia Baru pada Mei 2010.

Beberapa tahun terakhir, juara F1 2007 itu memang menyatakan ingin menjajal reli setelah F1. Pada Juni 2009, Raikkonen sempat berpartisipasi dalam WRC seri Finlandia dengan mengendarai Fiat Grande Punto Abarth S2000. Keputusannya mengikuti WRC semakin nyata setelah Raikkonen mengumumkan bahwa dirinya tidak akan turun dalam balapan F1 2010.

''Saya selalu ingin mengikuti reli, terutama WRC. Saya sangat berterima kasih atas kesempatan mengemudikan Citroen C4 yang diberikan Red Bull,'' tutur Raikkonen seperti dikutip Autosport.

Bergabungnya Raikkonen ke tim Citroen menimbulkan spekulasi baru bahwa pembalap Finlandia itu akan kembali ke ajang F1 2011 bersama tim Red Bull. Raikkonen menyatakan bahwa kontrak dirinya dengan Citroen hanya untuk 2010.

''Saat ini kami hanya memiliki kontrak untuk setahun. Ke depan, kami akan melihat seluruh perkembangan,'' ujar Raikkonen.

Fakta bahwa Red Bull menjadi penyokong Raikkonen di reli bisa menjadi batu loncatan. Meskipun, perusahaan minuman berenergi tersebut mengatakan bahwa ikatan yang terjalin di antara mereka tidak ada hubungannya dengan masa depan dan ambisinya di F1.

''Ini tidak ada hubungan sama sekali dengan karier Kimi di F1,'' ungkap seorang sumber dari Red Bull kepada Autosport. ''Ini bukan berarti dia akan menggantikan seorang pembalap Red Bull F1 di tim kami untuk musim 2011,'' imbuhnya.

Bos tim Citroen Olivier Quesnel mengatakan gembira atas komitmen Red Bull. Quesnel juga menyambut baik bergabungnya Raikkonen dan Ogier di bagian junior selain pereli Sebastien Loeb yang baru saja meraih gelar keenam secara beruntun di WRC serta Dani Sordo di tim utama. ''Komitmen Red Bull merupakan sokongan luar biasa bagi perusahaan kami,'' ujar Quesnel.

Dia menegaskan, timnya akan berusaha mempertahankan gelar pada 2010 dengan memacu semangat Loeb dan Sordo. Dia juga merasa bangga bahwa Raikkonen memilih Citroen.

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Juve Kalahkan Inter 2-1, Perebutan Scudetto Makin Menarik

2 Juventus v Inter Milan 1

TURIN - Bentrok Juventus kontra Inter Milan kemarin dini hari WIB (6/12) di Stadion Olimpico, Turin, benar-benar menghibur. Selain sama-sama mencetak gol, pemain kedua tim menyajikan "hiburan" yang lain. Beberapa kali terjadi benturan antar pemain yang memaksa wasit Massimiliano Saccani mengeluarkan delapan kartu kuning dan satu kartu merah.

Insiden paling seru terjadi pada menit ke-87. Kejadian bermula dari tindakan kasar pemain Juve Felipe Melo yang mengasari penyerang Inter Mario Balotelli. Peristiwa tersebut memancing emosi pemain lain.

Kiper Juve Gianluigi Buffon bersitegang dengan gelandang Inter Thiago Motta. Perseteruan itu juga melibatkan Martin Caceres (Juve) dan Walter Samuel (Inter).

Di luar lapangan, situasi ikut panas. Bahkan, pelatih Inter Jose Mourinho harus meninggalkan bangku cadangan karena diganjar kartu merah. Bentrok dua tim terbaik di Italia tersebut akhirnya dimenangi Juve dengan skor 2-1.

Melo membawa tuan rumah unggul dulu lewat golnya pada menit ke-20. Tapi, Inter membalas melalui tandukan Samuel Eto'o hanya enam menit berselang. Kemenangan Nyonya Tua -julukan Juventus- ditentukan oleh aksi Claudio Marchisio pada menit ke-58.

Kemenangan itu menjadi modal penting Juve untuk meladeni Bayern Munchen pada matchday keenam Liga Champions (9/12). "Kemenangan selalu menyenangkan. Ini hasil yang sangat penting sebelum kami bertanding dengan Bayern. Tapi, kami harus tetap waspada dan rendah hati," tutur Alessandro Del Piero, bintang Juve, seperti dilansir Sky Sport Italia.

"Permainan yang sangat ketat. Anda tidak bisa memenanginya dengan mudah. Kami telah melalui pertandingan yang sulit dan sempat dua kali kalah. Reaksi yang bagus dari para pemain," ujar Ciro Ferrara, pelatih Juve, seperti dilansir Reuters.

Bagi Marchisio, penentu kemenangan Juve, golnya ke gawang Julio Cesar sangat berarti. "Saya bekerja keras agar pulih dari cedera. Gol ini lahir atas kerja keras semua pemain," katanya.

Kekalahan Inter membuat peta persaingan scudetto semakin menarik. Nerazzurri -julukan Inter- memang masih berkuasa di puncak klasemen. Tapi, mereka kini hanya terpisah empat poin dengan AC Milan yang terus mengancam. Juve pun tak bisa dipandang remeh karena hanya berselisih satu poin dengan Rossoneri, julukan Milan.

"Kompetisi belum akan berakhir. Perjalanan masih panjang. Milan sekarang tampil baik dan terus merebut poin penting. Sampai akhir musim kami akan terus bertarung untuk mempertahankan gelar," tegas Javier Zanetti, kapten Inter.
sumber; Jawapos

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Ruma Maida Borong 11 Nomine dalam Festival Film Indonesia 2009

BATU - Lima film nasional terbaik masuk nomine Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) 2009. Lima film itu adalah Identitas, Jamila dan Sang Presiden, Mereka Bilang Saya Monyet, Perempuan Berkalung Surban, dan Ruma Maida.

Unggulan film terbaik itu diumumkan di areal parkir Museum Satwa, Kota Batu, Jawa Timur, kemarin. Film-film tersebut menyisihkan 42 film yang ikut serta dalam FFI 2009.

Diumumkan pula lima nomine pemeran utama pria terbaik. Mereka adalah Tio Pakusadewo (dalam film Identitas), Emir Mahiri (Garuda di Dadaku), Reza Rahardian (Emak Ingin Naik Haji), Vino G. Bastian (Serigala Terakhir), dan Yama Carlos (Ruma Maida).

Sementara itu, nomine pemeran utama wanita terbaik adalah Atiqah Hasiholan (Ruma Maida), Aty Kanser (Emak Ingin Naik Haji), Leony (Identitas), Revalina S. Temat (Perempuan Berkalung Surban), dan Titi Sjuman (Mereka Bilang Saya Monyet).

Ruma Maida menjadi film cerita yang paling banyak masuk nomine. Film yang disutradarai Teddy Soeriatmadja itu masuk dalam 11 nomine di antara 13 unggulan.

Selain masuk unggulan film terbaik, Ruma Maida masuk nomine penyutradaraan (Teddy Soeriatmadja), skenario cerita asli (Ayu Utami), tata sinematografi (Ical Tanjung), tata artistik (Indra Tamoron Musu), penyuntingan (Waluyo Ichwandiardono), tata suara (Shaft Daultsyah dan Khikmawan Santosa), tata musik (Bobby Surjadi dan Didit), pemeran utama pria (Yama Carlos), pemeran utama wanita (Atiqah Hasiholan), dan pemeran pendukung pria (Frans Tumbuan dan Verdi Solaeman).

Menurut Ketua Dewan Juri FFI 2009 Franki Raden, penilaian 42 film itu dilaksanakan 11-20 November 2009 di Studio 4 Hollywood Kartika Chandra, Jakarta. ''Seluruh nominasi ditetapkan di sini (Batu),'' kata Franki.

Menurut dia, sembilan juri telibat dalam penilaian semua film itu. Pengumuman pemenang FFI akan dilaksanakan di Jakarta pada 16 Desember.

Pembacaan unggulan FFI 2009 tidak hanya dilakukan artis-artis undangan seperti Arumi Bachsin, Manohara, Atiqah Hasiholan, dan Anwar Fuadi, tetapi juga oleh Wali Kota Batu Eddy Rumpoko. Dia membacakan nomine kategori penyutradaraan terbaik. Presenter acara Luna Maya sempat menggoda penampilan Eddy. ''Pak Wali Kota Batu ternyata masih muda, ya. Ganteng lagi orangnya!'' seru Luna yang langsung disambut tepuk tangan penonton acara bertajuk Dahsyatnya Nominasi FFI 2009 itu.

Sebelum pembacaan unggulan FFI 2009, rangkaian acara diawali kirab puluhan artis dan suguhan karnaval bunga. Puncaknya dengan hiburan musik. Puluhan artis dikirab dari Balai Kota Batu menuju Museum Satwa. Kehadiran para artis di Kota Apel itu disambut ribuan masyarakat yang sejak pagi memadati jalur yang digunakan untuk pawai. Para artis itu diarak menggunakan mobil jip terbuka.

Manohara dan Krisdayanti -yang lahir di Batu- adalah artis yang paling dielukan-elukan. Para penonton yang kebanyakan perempuan itu memanggil-manggil nama dua artis tersebut. Mereka yang berada di depan berebut berjabat tangan. ''Waduh, tangane aluse rek... (Wah, tangannya halus),'' ujar Sirtanti, seorang ibu yang menjabat tangan Manohara.

Selain dua artis tersebut, artis yang ikut kirab adalah Niniek L. Karim, Anwar Fuadi, Chaerul Umam, Pong Harjatmo, Kholidi Asadil Anam, dan Anna Althofunnisa (pemain dalam film Ketika Cinta Bertasbih), Ari Lasso, dan sejumlah artis ibu kota lainnya.

Wakil Gubernur Jatim Syaifullah Yusuf yang hadir dalam acara itu menyatakan gembira dengan keberhasilan Pemkot Batu menyelenggarakan rangkaian FFI. Dia pun mengatakan, ke depan pemprov berniat memboyong penyelenggaraan FFI di Jatim. ''Acara puncaknya di Surabaya, rangkaiannya bisa di daerah-daerah,'' ujar pria yang akrab disapa Gus Ipul itu.
Sumber: Jawapos

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Kenali Plastik Sebelum Makan

Kelebihan plastik yang ringan,simple, trendi dan fleksible begitu menarik perhatian konsumen. Barangkali itu merupakan salah satu alasan kenapa rantang dan barang pecah belah mulai ditinggalkan.

Hal ini tidak menjadi masalah apabila kita mengetahui secara benar penggunaannya berdasarkan kode plastik resin yang biasanya tertera pada botol tersebut.

Dari beberapa material berbahan dasar plastik yang saat ini marak digunakan adalah Styrofoam. Bahan ini bisa dibentuk apa saja sesuai kebutuhan. Styrofoam terbuat dari polystyrene yang dicampur bahan khusus ( blowing agent ). Polystyrene dihasilkan dari proses polimerisasi styrene monomer. Styrene monomer inilah yang menyita perhatian bertahun-tahun dari konsumen sampai peneliti.

Ketika digunakan sebagai pengemas makanan pada suhu tinggi ( panas) dan lemak bahan kimia monomer dapat bermigrasi ke dalam makanan dan sangat beresiko bagi kesehatan. Terakumulasi di dalam tubuh dalam jumlah besar sangat membahayakan konsumen.

Pada binatang percobaan akumulasi zat-zat aditif yang bermigrasi dari plastik ke dalam makanan menyebabkan kanker, perubahan hormon dan kelahiran baru berkelamin ganda. Bagaimana hal ini jika terjadi dalam tubuh manusia ?

Dari bermacam kode plastik resin yang ada saat ini :

1. Kode 1 ( PET) dari Polyetylene Terephthalate
2. Kode 2 ( HDPE ) dari High Density Polyethylene
3. Kode 3 ( Vinyl )
4. Kode 4 ( LDPE ) dari Low Density Polyethylene
5. Kode 5 ( PP ) dari Polypropylene
6. Kode 6 ( PS ) dari Polystyrene
7. Kode 7 ( Other ) dari Acrylic, Nylon, Fiberglass, dll

Rekomendasi untuk kode 4 dan kode 5 relatif aman digunakan lebih sekali sedangkan kode plastik resin yang lain hanya direkomendasikan sekali pakai.

Ada beberapa cara menghindari bahaya kemasan plastik pada kesehatan manusia. Prinsipnya gunakan produk plastik yang terdaftar sesuai peruntukannya.

Hindari memasukkan makanan panas dalam plastik atau syrofoam.

Dalam kehidupan sehari-hari kita seringkali melihat penggunaan plastik yang tidak semestinya misalkan plastik termasuk tas kresek ) masih digunakan untuk membungkus gorengan, bakso dan soto yang masih panas. Bahkan masih sering dijumpai ember plastik untuk menampung sayur panas dalam jumlah besar.

Produk plastik memang simple dan murah tapi dampaknya tidak sesederhana penggunaannya.

Lebih baik mencegah sebelum terlambat.

( sumber. Harian Kompas )

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Norway in a nutshell

Aurlandsfjord 

"You're so lucky!" a fellow traveler from Bergen, Norway, told me moments before the train that was to take me and my companion entered the station of Myrdal to start my "Norway in a nutshell" adventure.

"The weather was really bad yesterday. There was a rainstorm so we couldn't go anywhere. But now the sun is shining and the sky so clear," said the woman, pointing at the panorama over the railcar window pane.

Upon hearing that, I couldn't help but smile. Jokingly, I responded to her and her two friends, "Our presence makes the sun shine." My comment set them off laughing. "Yes, yes... now you can see our beautiful landscape. I hope you'll enjoy it. Have a nice trip!" she remarked.

Our chat had to be cut short, as we were rushing for another train that would carry us to Flam, a town famous for its picturesque railway line. Out in the sunny, yet brisk pre-winter day, we sought information about our next train.

After being notified by station officers that the Flam-bound train was departing within 15 minutes, we hurriedly boarded one of the dark green carriages.

Not long after that, the series of coaches began to move ahead. Around a hundred passengers, mostly comprising tourists, were in high spirits despite the fact that some of them, like us, had just done the five-hours train journey from Oslo.

Over the train's loudspeaker, a woman began describing the stunning landscape along the trip from Myrdal to Flam. Sadly, much of what was said was indiscernible among the steady rumble of train engines.

In no more than five minutes, the passengers leapt from their bright red seats to line the carriage windows. All eyes gazed down from the height of 886 meters above sea level, onto a magnificent vista of steep valleys, snowcapped mountains and rocky waterfalls.

Some of the phalanx of amateur photographers opened their windows to get a better picture, without those annoying pane reflections. The clickity-clack of the train's wheels over the tracks created a distinctive ambience adding to my enjoyment of the awe-inspiring natural beauty.

The train slowed several times as we passed particularly gorgeous scenes. It was then, it seemed, that one side of the carriage was standing room only as camera shutters whirred and clicked, forever capturing the remarkable scenery.

 

As the train crept along near the Kjosfossen falls at the height of 93 meters, it was announced that we were allowed to get off and feel the cool spray that rose from the base of the falls as a fine mist, and settled on our faces.

The journey passes through a number of tunnels, and each time the train would burst into the light, revealing amazing views to be relished by the travelers who had been kept in darkened suspense.

After an hour, the 20-kilometer Myrdal - Flam scenic route was over. Once in Flam, we were guided to the conveniently located (adjacent) port and onto a waiting ship to cruise along Norway's famous fjords.

Aurlandsfjord & Naerofjord

Most of the passengers chose the outdoor seats aboard the vessel, Skagastol, to watch the marine panoramas as we cruised through the fjords. Some struggled to secure their best places for the rare spectacle.

The ship soon left Flam for Gudvangen. On its way, this boat was coasting along Aurlandsfjord and Naerofjord, which are the pride of Norwegian people. They constitute a conservation zone and have been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2005.

A fjord is formed when a glacier retreats after carving its typical U-shaped valley allowing the sea to fill the valley floor. This forms a narrow, steep sided inlet (sometimes deeper than 1,300 meters) connected to the sea.

Slicing through the turquoise seawater, the cold wind numbed our faces. Protected by my thick wind breaker I managed two hours out on the deck, snapping the splendid features of marine beauty comparable to the ice kingdoms of fairy tales, my mind began to wander back to the days of Vikings and the Ice Age.

The fjord, at times, soared to dizzying heights either side of us, dwarfing our ship and making me feel rather insignificant. The coral mountains, hundreds of meters high, were colored a mottled gray, and partially covered by greenery.

At certain places snow was trapped in crevices. Waterfalls carved into the sides of the fjords over thousands of years gushed down spectacularly. I began to wonder where the water pouring through steep coral mountain slopes had come from.

Away from the fjords, I noticed very neatly arranged housing units of simple architecture, reflecting harmony between rural settlements and their natural environment. But in the several villages we sailed past, I could hardly see any people around.

At Aurlandsfjord port with hundreds of houses in its vicinity, I only spotted three people: a boat passenger and two port officers. Probably due to Norway's small population of 4.5 million, coupled with the approaching winter, keeping people indoors.

The fascinating scenery stretching throughout the journey along the fjords, where the Vikings once roamed, ended in Gudvangen.

 

A view from Stalheimskleiva

Stalheimskleiva Road

Voss was our final destination, and we took the bus. Pressed by time, we had to hurry.

Punctual is the most appropriate word to describe the public transport here. It's praiseworthy although the interval is short, no more than 15 minutes, forcing visitors to rush before it's too late. I chose to sit on the front seat.

Full to capacity, the bus began the trip to Voss. It plied the route via the valley of Naeroydalen. The sightseeing tour gave a heart-pounding experience as the bus was passing Stalheimskleiva, known for its extremely steep road (as if it was sloping by almost 40 degrees!) with 13 hairpin bends.

Unsurprisingly, this is lauded as one of the steepest stretches of road in Northern Europe.

"Wooowww...!" was the humming cry of several passengers. Nearly all those on the bus were looking ahead with their hands gripping the seats in front. I just smiled at their reflex movements, squeezing the seats as if trying to apply the brakes.

It requires a lot of skill and prime vehicle conditions to pass the road. It's scary to think what would have happened if any of the requirements were not met, but I managed to shunt that thought out of my mind.

The bus crept slowly along the narrow asphalt road. In spite of the strong heartbeats induced, the surrounding landscape was too wonderful to miss. The bus also paused for a while before Sivlefossen and Stalheimsfossen waterfalls, allowing us to steady our hearts.

This is only open from May to September. During the winter months buses between Gudvangen and Voss have to take another way.

I was reminded of what the woman from Bergen said in the beginning of this journey. I was lucky to be able to make the trip by mid-October so I could experience the sensation of this well known road.

After about an hour and a half, we arrived at Voss railway station. And we only had about 15 minutes to board the train that would take us back to Oslo.

I spent the little time left to go to a restaurant where I bought a salmon sandwich to relieve my hunger.

After everything was ready we all got on the train bound for the capital of the country boasting its slogan "See this small, but great country!"

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/11/norway-a-nutshell.html

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Before night falls in Roppongi

Mostly known for its eminent nightlife, Roppongi in Tokyo’s Minato district also bursts with life during the day.

After just a few walks in its parks, a handful of shopping bags and a couple of great museums, the vicinity proves equally fascinating even before the late night drinks and club hopping kick-in.

If you arrive in the city on a late afternoon, there’s no better choice to start the day than getting into
Roppongi Hills’ Tokyo City View. A 360-degree panorama from a 250-meter high observation deck
in Mori Tower is breathtaking, especially at dusk when the capital sparkles. Between Mount Fuji and
other skyscrapers, visitor will be rewarded with a beautiful snapshot of Tokyo Tower, the city’s Eiffel
Tower-esqe landmark.

During our visit, we were lucky enough to experience the Sky Aquarium, an impressive display of water creatures accompanied by a dazzling lightshow. Imagine drifts of jellyfi sh swimming while colorful laser lights fall on their bodies and tentacles. Simply mesmerizing. Do note though that this showcase is
temporary and is set to change in due course.

The recently opened Skydeck in the same tower is hard to miss. Here, the observation deck is brought to a new level, the rooftop. Atop the 52-fl oor Mori Tower, the Skydeck is popular with visitors trying to get a breezy air outdoor and closer to the sky.

Mori Art Museum features contemporary works from around the world. JP/Kenny Santana

Adjacent to Tokyo City View is Mori Art Museum, dedicated to the contemporary art scene. Until November, the museum is displaying art works from Ai Weiwei, a Beijing-based artist. Grab a free audio guide and be enthralled by Ai Weiwei’s philosophy behind his innovative creations.

Moving 1 kilometer away from Roppongi Hills, Midtown is the latest breed of composite city consisting of six buildings and lush greenery. On the backside of the Midtown Tower, people often spend their afternoon in the garden accompanied by the free-to-borrow books and vinyl mats available from
Midpark Project. With a caravan selling nibbles and a cuppa, some sun during a fi ne day and a few
friends, it’s a perfect little getaway tucked behind the Tokyo skyscrapers.

Don’t miss a visit to 21_21 Design Sight situated next to the park. The Issey Miyake-curated gallery is
dedicated to becoming a forum in examining how design impacts our daily lives. Exhibitions are held free of charge, where visitors can ponder on extraordinary design objects for hours. A must.

One of Roppongi’s great shopping destinations, Midtown’s Galleria is a four-storey arcade with many stores and food outlets to go gaga for.

Midtown Tower’s impressive-looking roof construction. JP/Kenny Santana

We loved browsing on the third floor where its interior shops are the perfect source of fi nding
goodies for loved ones back home.

In Style Meets People we found message-engraved plant seeds in a can that grows into a tree after a
few days of watering. Also stop by Idee where they sell everything chic from sofa to ties. A café inside the store is a favorite haunt for many trendy locals.

In the basement, visitors get their caffeine fix at Dean & Deluca, while some with more time to spare can take cooking lessons in English at ABC Cooking Studio. And like any other Japanese department stores, Midtown basement’s food hall has many scrumptious dining options to choose from, including sushi, katsu, tempura and ramen. Those who prefer an al fresco-style long lunch, often book a seat in Union Square Café facing the park.

Take time to browse Muji, a brandless fashion and lifestyle store (soon to open in Jakarta) that’s a hit
for Japanese and travelers alike for its affordable, simple-but-stylish goodies. From snacks to shoes,
aromatherapy to wallets, anything you need or you think you need can be found here at a steal.

In Roppongi Hills, four towers are fi lled with over 200 shops and food outlets. Once your hands are
fi lled with shopping bags from the likes of Anna Sui, Pepe Jeans or Kapital, grab some delicious omelet rice in a bento box from Omtrak Pit and have it in one of the open-area squares, followed by a trip to the nearby swanky Toho cinema, where most movies are presented in original language with English/Japanese subtitles.

Audience is participating in Blue Man show by transporting paper rolls into the stage. Courtesy of Ken Howard

For a two-hour blast, catch the worldwide sensation avant-garde theater of Blue Man Group (www.
blueman.jp) in Roppongi Hills. If you caught a glimpse of them in the Intel ad a few years back, trust us – the real deal is much better.

Three hairless and earless men in blue face-paint make for a rollicking good time, despite only making gestures with no verbal communications. Daily activities from a dinner norm to rock concert movements are stirred by the Blue Man Group with live percussion music, broad comedy and physical activities involving the spectators.

At the performance we attended, they dragged a clueless audience member backstage, and had him
recorded while being hung upside down and splattered with buckets of paint; we were jolted in our
seats. Also imagine our disbelief [and laughter] when they placed a wired mini camera into an audience member’s mouth and went straight inside his colon to be projected on the big TV screen. Was it real or not? That’s the cheeky part.

Audience members in the few front rows were also given ponchos to avoid getting splattered with paints from the stage. While in the fi nale, everyone will get a Blue Man experience by participating in transporting paper rolls from the back of the room to the stage creating somewhat an installation form. At this point, everyone felt they were part of this great show, which really rocks.

GETTING THERE

We flew from Jakarta to Osaka via Manila, with low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air.
For tickets and schedule click www.cebupacificair.com
Osaka and Tokyo are 2.5 hours away by the fast train Shinkansen. To save cost on Shinkansen tickets, buy a Japan Rail Pass before leaving for Japan, available from JaLan Tour (www.jalan-tour.com)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/channel/travel

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Planting carrots? Get the tips

Nokia has got it right. Although, as I see it, the leader in mobile handsets has always been ahead on the technology curve, it must have seen that its market share has been eroded by Research in Motion, Apple and a growing number of Chinese manufacturers.
So, a couple of years ago, the Finnish company decided to strengthen its service business to support its handset sales. So far, it has worked well. According to them, Indonesia, along with India, has the largest number of Ovi Mail users. Ovi, as you know, is the mainstay of Nokia’s Internet-based services.
Now, combining their capability in mobile services and their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda, Nokia is going to launch a range of services called Nokia Life Tools in December. The targets? People living in non-urban areas.
“We are pooling together a number of parties to provide only relevant information and tips to these people,” said Jawahar Kanjilal, global head of Nokia Life Tools, Emerging Markets.
The services were first launched in India, and were considered a success. Over there, the users have benefited from important information sent directly to their cell phones.
“These are services designed by us in the Emerging Markets and are primarily intended for emerging markets, although they can be provided anywhere in the world,” said Jawahar in our interview.
These services will be replicated next in Indonesia and perhaps Vietnam. In Indonesia, Nokia’s information and tips can help farmers plan their crops according to the weather, find out selling prices of their harvests so that middlemen can no longer take advantage of information asymmetry to cheat them, and no less importantly, get tips on how to grow their crops.
Advice may be about what fertilizer to use, how much and how long it should be used for to prevent toxic contamination, for example.
When a farmer subscribes to a Nokia Life Tools service, he or she will be asked to provide some information, such as what crop will be planted.
As the accompanying picture of the Nokia Life Tools-ready Nokia 2690 illustrates, the farmer will be able to choose the crop he or she wants to grow — corns, potatoes, cabbages, carrots, bananas, mangoes, etc.
The system, which already knows the location of the farmer from the cell phone number — whether in North Sumatra or in Sumbawa, will send text messages to the handset pertaining to the crop chosen. There will be at least one SMS in Indonesian each day.
Nokia provides the SMS server, while participating content providers work together with content
aggregators and mobile operators to create and send the content to subscribers.
“Nokia helps decide what information to send them, so that they will only get the tips and news they can use,” said Jawahar.
For example, although two farmers — one in Dieng, East Java, and another in Kabanjahe, North Sumatra — are planning to grow potatoes, the tips they will receive may be different. This is because different geographical locations may have different weather patterns.
Nokia Life Tools are not only for farmers. A user can subscribe to the entertainment and education content, too. A student living in a rural area, who wants to get additional lessons in English because he dreams of studying abroad after high school, can subscribe to English lessons. Or, if preparing for university entrance exams, he or she can subscribe to tutorials in various subjects such as physics, math and chemistry. Those who want the latest information can subscribe to detik.com, the number one online news portal in Indonesia.
Who else besides detik.com has joined the bandwagon? The directorate general of processing and marketing of agricultural products under the ministry of agriculture and Synovate have collaborated to provide planting tips and updated market prices for agricultural commodities, while the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics will provide weather forecasts. PT Balai Pustaka (Persero), ELTI — an established English Course, SSCIntersolusi — a private study aid provider, and Grasindo — a subsidiary of the Kompas-Gramedia Group, are providing educational content.
During the showcase of Nokia Life Tools in Indonesia last week, Nokia also announced five new handsets with built-in support
for the service — Nokia 1280, 1616 1800, 2220 Slide and 2690. These are very affordable handsets with prices starting from US$30 for the simplest model.
Access to Nokia Life Tools is now through the handset menu, but in the future, there will be models
with special shortcut buttons.
Three existing models that already support Nokia Life Tools are the 2323 Classic, the 2330 Classic and the 2700 Classic.
One great feature of these low-cost cell phones is their long battery life. Nokia claims the standby time can be up to 22 days, an important feature in places where electricity is still scarce.
Nokia Life Tools for farmers will first be available to subscribers in Java and Sumatra, while entertainment and education will be accessible nationwide. Of course, more content can be provided if the market wants it.
The messages sent by the service may contain icons, tables and graphical elements. I had some concern they would clutter or even fill up the subscribers’ inbox. It turns out these messages will be collected in a separate folder and be easy to retrieve if the users cannot read them right away.
Many efforts to alleviate the digital gaps between the rural and urban population have been made in the past. The implementation of community telecenters, for example, is aimed at giving farmers the opportunity to get online and share information with fellow farmers.
The beauty of Nokia Life Tools is that no searching is required. The services are accessible anywhere and at any time.

The content is relevant, and the services are easier to use, as the farmers are very likely to be familiar with Nokia’s user interface.

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House OKs Century inquiry team

On Tuesday the House of Representatives endorsed an inquiry committee into the Bank Century scandal, with the Golkar Party likely to lead the committee and to emerge as the real winner, politically speaking.

The committee, will have full legal rights to investigate the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$710 million) bailout scandal and call witnesses including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani.

As many as 30 legislators will be involved, with Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, the biggest in the House, having eight legislators in the committee, Golkar six, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) five and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) three.

Now that the committee is endorsed, the next item on its agenda is to fill its leadership position. The Democratic Party is likely to throw its support behind Golkar to chair the committee rather than opening up opportunities for the opposition bloc led by the PDI-P.

Golkar, a late comer in Yudhoyono’s coalition, indicated after the endorsement that the party’s secretary-general Idrus Marham will probably chair the committee.

This possibility became clear after Ruhut Sitompul from the Democratic Party said that his party would have no problem with any of the Golkar candidates for the post of chairman, especially with Idrus Marham, who is Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie’s most trusted aide.

“Pak Idrus is a good capable man to chair the committee,” he said.

A number of experts agreed that Golkar would very likely be given the committee chairman post due to its status as the “middle party” in the House and the understanding by the Democratic Party, accused of possibly receiving Bank Century bailout funds, of resistance against it taking the post of chairman.

“The Democratic Party and the PDI-P are standing on two opposite sides in the committee. Golkar, as another party with significant power, becomes the middle party that is acceptable by the two other parties,” an expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Lili Romli, told The Jakarta Post.

Yudhoyono’s coalition in the House, also includes the PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP), and the National Awakening Party (PKB), which would tend to be allied to the Democratic Party.

Experts have said that by letting the chairmanship go to Golkar, the Democratic Party could seek a compromise and push the committee not to summon Yudhoyono or to make any move to endanger the President and his family members, increasing Golkar’s bargaining position vis a vis the government.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) said that he believed Aburizal would gain most in terms of both political and economic advantages by the end of the day.

“There is the possibility for Golkar to be given more ministerial posts during any reshuffle by President Yudhoyono as a bargain for the party’s crucial position at the committee,” he said.

Burhanuddin doubted, however, that Aburizal had a chance to replace Boediono, who is accused of being responsible for the decision to bail out the bank.

He said that having Idrus in the chairmanship would mean that Aburizal could have major influence in determining the committee’s agenda.

However, a number of legislators from other parties doubted Idrus.

“Who is Idrus Marham? What statement has he ever voiced?,” Desmon Mahesa from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) said.

Mukhammad Misbakhun from the PKS said that he would rather have the committee led by anyone from the PDI-P to maintain its soul.

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