Sunday, March 19, 2017

Kendeng Mountains' Farmers Protest the Construction of Cement Factory by Leg Cast Action

Sunday, March 19, 2017 (23:54 WIB)

Kendeng Mountains' Farmers Protest the Construction of Cement Factory by Leg Cast Action


Kendeng Mountains' farmers want to request time to meet with the 4th President Megawati Soekarnoputri
They want to talk about the construction of cement factory around the Kendeng Mountains. Gunarti, a farmer from Pati, Central Java, this afternoon, Saturday (18/3/2017) came to Megawati's residence in Jalan Teuku Umar, Menteng, Central Jakarta. Together with Ranti, Marsih, Parni, and other Kendeng farmers, they asked whether the letter inquiring to meet Megawati has been received. The letter was sent on February 14, 2017 last.
A week after the letter was sent, Gunarti traveled to Jakarta to deliver a letter directly to Megawati's residence. At that time, Gunarti was requested to deliver a letter to the PDI-P. However, Gunarti did not do so. He wanted to know the fate of the first letter that was sent.
Suggestions to come to the PDI-P also appeared this afternoon. They were asked to meet with the Secretary General of the PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto. From Hasto, the desire to meet Megawati has been delivered. But they have not yet decided when it will come to it. Gunarti said that Megawati has an obligation to know the problems farmers are facing. Right now, they wish to protest the construction of the cement factory.
Friday (17/3/2017), is the fifth day of Kendeng farmers' actions of protesting and resisting the cement factory. The protest action is attended by 50 people. The previous day, 40 farmers have done the action of cementing their legs in casts first.
Last year, on October 5, 2016, the Supreme Court issued Reconsideration Decision No. 99 PK/TUN/2016 which was in favor of Kendeng farmers and revoked the Environmental and Mining Development Factory PT. Semen Indonesia Permit in Rembang regency.
Earlier on August 2, 2016 President Jokowi also received the Kendeng farmers and ordered the Presidential Staff Office with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to make a strategic environmental assessment and suspend all mining permits in Kendeng Mountains.
The strategic environmental assessment team has reached a conclusion which initially mentioned that Cakungan Groundwater White Watu Region in Kendeng is a karst area [a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves] that should be protected in the environment and may not be mined.
Although there was a court decision that is legally binding and a presidential order of memoratorium permission, but on February 23, 2017 Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo re-issued environmental permits. 

This action of leg cast second volume to protest the establishment of the cement factory is done in front of the Merdeka Palace. It is carried out by a number of farmerscitizens who are members of the Network of Concerned Citizens of Kendeng Mountains (JMPPK) from Kendeng Mountains, Central Java, since Tuesday, March 14, 2017. It has attracted the attention of Vice Chairman of the House Fadli Zon.
"I followed the actions taken by the Kendeng Mountains farmers. And I regretted the statement of Minister of SOEs which states that the President will soon inaugurate a cement factory in Rembang in April next year. I think the government has hurt the public's sense of justice," said Fadli via short messages, Sunday (19/03/2017).
Fadli remembered that President Jokowi has decided to suspend operations until the completion of a cement factory till Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is carried out by an independent team. This was done when the action of the foot cast which was first performed in April 2016, which then led to an invitation to the Palace on August 2, 2016. The study is expected to be completed within one year.
"It's a positive decision, given the litigants with PT Semen Indonesia. In a way, the results of the SEA can be completed by April 2017. So, would not take a year to get settled," said Fadli.
Surprisingly, said the Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement Party) politician, the Minister of State Enterprises seems to have been aware of the results that indicates that next month the President will soon inaugurate a cement factory in Rembang. While the results of the SEA hasn't gotten out yet.
"This could provoke mistrust of the government," said Fadli.
Moreover, on October 5, 2016, Fadli said, passing the Verdict Review (a.k.a. Peninjauan Kembali/PK), the Supreme Court (a.k.a. Mahkamah Agung) has ruled in favor of farmers of Apex and Foundation Forum for Environment (WALHI), which also canceled the environmental clearance of the cement factory in Rembang.
"The SOE Minister's statement had hurt Kendeng public's sense of justice," Fadli said.
Fadli asked the President to be cautious about taking decisions. Do not damage the principle of legal certainty by taking decisions that are not in sync with each other, let alone which is against the law. "Legal rights and social rights of people must be properly addressed. Do not let our law to be contrary to justice," said Fadli.
Looking ahead, Fadli asked any form of investment should no longer violate procedures and rules, as it will lead to controversy and conflict in society. Fadli requested the Government not to be 'minded investors' and underestimate the voice and rights of the community in the development process.
"The leg cast action is a form of frustration, because people no longer know how to draw the government's attention. Do not let the government be blind and deaf to ignore the voice and rights of farming communities of Kendeng in the name of development, "said Fadli.
References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/18/gagal-mengadu-ke-jokowi-petani-kendeng-ingin-temui-megawati

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/19/fadli-zon-minta-pemerintah-jangan-cederai-rasa-keadilan-masyarakat-kendeng

Historical Events on this Day!

March 19, 2011: The moon appears 30% brighter and 14% larger than its furthest point; it reaches its closest point to Earth since 1993.

March 19, 1997: Supreme Court hears Internet indecency arguments.

March 19, 1977: France performs nuclear test on Muruora Island.

March 19, 1965: Indonesia nationalises all foreign oil companies.

March 19, 1958: Britain's 1st planetarium opens at Madame Tussaud's in London.

March 19, 1918: S. Potter becomes 1st U.S. pilot to shoot down a German seaplane.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

De-radicalisation Against Perpetrators of Terrorism Must be Enhanced, says Khairul Ghazali

Saturday, March 18, 2017 (16:06 WIB)

De-radicalisation Against Perpetrators of Terrorism Must be Enhanced, says Khairul Ghazali

9 Arrested in Sulawesi Suspected to Plan Terror Attack to Police and Military HQ

Monday, March 13, 2017 (15:38 WIB)


9 Arrested in Sulawesi Suspected to Plan Terror Attack to Police and Military HQ


Densus 88 (Special Detachment 88) anti-terror police arrested 9 people in Tolitoli and Moutong Parigi, Central Sulawesi, Friday, (10/3/2017). Syamsuardi et. al was detected to be planning a terror attack to the police and the military HQ.

"9 people who were arrested are still in the web. However, this is a surveillance and early detection on terror attack movements towards the headquarters of the police and military in Sulawesi," Head of Public Relations of Police, Inspector General of Police Boy Rafli Amar, at Police Headquarters, Jakarta, Monday (13/03/2017).

Those 9 were suspected to be a new group in Sulawesi whom are affiliated with ISIS. So far, there is no proof of relation between this group's movement with the Santoso in Poso (one of the most hunted terrorist in Southeast Asia). Santoso, a.k.a. Abu Wardah, is in allegiance with ISIS, and in addition to having a special grudge agains the police force, Santoso also did not hesitate to challenge the personnel of the Special Detachment (Densus) 88 by sending a letter:

"We as Mujahidin Indonesia East task force challenge Detachment 88 Anti-Terror to fight openly and manly! Let us fight as men! Don't you just dare to shoot, arresting our members who were not armed! If you are really a group of men, then face us! Don't you win only through TV! "Santoso wrote (14/10/2012).

Two of the 9 involved are under aged children, as stated by Boy on Monday (13/3/2017).

According to Boy, as well as Law No. 15 of 2003 on Combating Criminal Acts of Terrorism, it has 7 days to conduct post-arrest interrogation.
"We are waiting for the result of the team Densus 88 related to the role and involvement of one by one of them. For some of them were under age. Approximately two people. We still have four days to determine their status," said Boy.
References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/13/9-orang-ditangkap-di-sulteng-diduga-akan-serang-markas-tni-dan-polri

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/13/dua-dari-sembilan-terduga-teroris-di-sulteng-masih-anak-anak

http://www.rappler.com/indonesia/140180-hal-yang-perlu-kamu-ketahui-soal-santoso

Historical Events on this Day!

March 13, 2015: Scientists have concluded that a large ocean exists beneath the icy surface of Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter; the discovery was made by using the Hubble Space Telescope to observe aurora movements at the moon's poles

March 13, 2012: A Harvard Medical School study claims that red meat increases the risk of death and has additional negative health implications

March 13, 1969: Apollo 9 returns to Earth

March 13, 1963: Indonesia and Netherlands recover diplomatic relations

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Sunday, March 12, 2017 (15:59 WIB)

Accepting 3.000 Complaints on Public Services Ombudsman Campaign on Car Free Day

On Car Free Day (12/3/17) at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Ombudsman Indonesia urges public service providers to continue to improve their utilities.

This is related to the 3.000 complaints they have received due to poor public services that have been received by the Ombudsman from the beginning of this year until the beginning of March 2017. 






Ombudsman Indonesia's Commissioner, Ninik Rahayu mentioned the issue of health care, education and the judiciary is the aspects society complained about the most.


To Prevent Foreign Claim, President Joko Widodo Established 111 Minor Outlying Islands of Indonesia

Saturday, March 11, 2017 (20:58 WIB)

To Prevent Foreign Claim, President Joko Widodo Established 111 Minor Outlying Islands of Indonesia

President Joko Widodo established 111 minor islands as the outlying islands of Indonesia. These minor outlying islands are located in 22 provinces, and mostly came from the Riau provincewhich amounted to 23 minor outlying islands. It was established in the Presidential Decree No. 6 year 2017 that President Joko Widodo signed in the second of March, 2017As quoted from the official website of the Cabinet Secretariat.

This is based on the consideration of Government Regulation (PP) No. 38 of 2002 on List Baselines of Indonesia as amended by Regulation No. 37 Year 2008 that has changes of the number of minor outlying islands of Indonesia.
Previously, according to the Presidential Decree No. 78 year 2005 on the Management of Minor Outlying Islands, the small outlying islands of Indonesia amounted to only 92 islands. You can read what this decree has established in this link.
The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudjiastuti said that adding those outlying islands of Indonesia has a goal of national importance. 
"The establishment of these islands is to prevent the issue of occupational or claim ownership of the island by citizens of other countries," she said in a press statement, Jakarta, Saturday (11/04/2017).
They will oversee the 111 islands from any illegal activity. For example, drug smuggling, slavery, or illegal fishing. In addition, she hopes that the natural resources of the 111 minor outlying islands can be utilized for the benefit of the government and society around.
With the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 6 year 2017, the Presidential Regulation No. 78 year 2005 Article 1 paragraph (2) of the Management of Minor Outlying islands is revoked and declared invalid.

References:
http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/11/presiden-joko-widodo-tetapkan-111-pulau-kecil-terluar-indonesia
http://www.hukumonline.com/berita/baca/lt58be4bfe820f8/melalui-keppres--jokowi-tetapkan-111-pulau-kecil-terluar
Extras:

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Suicide Attempt: Failed to Drown, Succeeded to Float

Friday, March 10, 2017 (WIB)

Suicide Attempt: Failed to Drown, Succeeded to Float


A woman of an unknown identity had tried to commit suicide by drowning herself into a river in Guangdong city, Zhongsan (27/2/2017). [See the video]

But whoever could have guessed that instead of drowning, this woman actually floats in the middle of the river. 



Experts say she failed to drown because her fat percentage in her body was too high, in an unusual term.

She was eventually saved manually, meaning that she was pulled by both of her hands up onto a boat. The manual route was used because apparently, the safety belt that was usually used for evacuation didn't fit her.

She was then taken to a hospital by an ambulance and it is still not known as to why she attempt to off her life.





References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/internasional/2017/03/10/coba-bunuh-diri-lompat-ke-sungai-bukan-tenggelam-malah-mengambang

http://shanghaiist.com/2017/02/27/too-fat-to-drown.php

Extras:

Should you encounter someone who's dramatic enough to jump off a building because they want to quit life...

You: “I’m not stopping you. It’s just that if you jump, blood will splatter everywhere and it will be a huge pain in the ass to clean it up later. Besides… your body will be retrieved by the police and stripped naked.”

Whoever who want to suicide: “N-naked?!”

You: “Of course. They’ll need to perform an autopsy to investigate the cause of death and everything will be exposed. It doesn’t stop there… If you don’t die, you will remain in a vegetative state, bound to a bed, until the end of your life.”

Whoever who want to suicide: “W-What!! Are you threatening me?!”


You: “I’m just telling senpai that things won’t happen the way you expect them to.”

Direct quotes from the manga Battle Rabbit by Yuki Amemiya who also created 07-Ghost.

Today marks the day of my little sister's tenth birthday, and my golden retriever's death day after 9 years of living. I had known that he was going to die soon when he started coughing up a lot on New Year's Eve, but he managed to live till March. The news came unexpectedly, even though technically I was expecting it. But his death somehow feels worse now that I just found out that he died not because he couldn't fight to live, but because my Grandpa fed him fish.

I hate fish. Now I loathe it. (Aside from Finding Nemo/Dory)
Thursday, March 9, 2017 (20:56 WIB)
Oikumene's Church's Bomber Spends Time Jogging 

Juhanda (33 years old), the bomber of Oikumene's Church yard, which is located on Cipto Mangunkusumo Road, Samarinda Seberang, is judged by the local residents as a closed off person.
Oddly, several weeks before Juhanda bombed the Church's yard locals witnessed that he took up jogging regularly, running along the road near the mosque nearby this bomber's house.
"Every evening we'd see him (Juhanda) jogging, for a far way's off, and he did it routinely right before he started the bombing," said one of the locals, Alvin Aspianur (16 years old), Thursday (9/3/2017).
Other than jogging, Juhanda also spends his time swimming along the Mahakam river, even through the area where the water runs deep and too fast.
"Maybe it's preparation for the bombing. Out of the blue he started to work out regularly, and he was so strong in swimming when Mahakam river's current is quite deadly," Alvin said.
References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/regional/2017/03/09/sebelum-mengebom-halaman-gereja-oikumen-pelaku-rajin-joging

Extras:

How to Prepare for a Terrorist Attack --> http://www.nationalterroralert.com/default/

What We Need to Prepare for a Nuclear Event --> http://theconversation.com/what-if-it-happened-again-what-we-need-to-do-to-prepare-for-a-nuclear-event-45564

Fairytale: Princess Kaca Mayang

Fairytale: Princess Kaca Mayang

A TALE OF THE ORIGIN OF THE CITY OF PEKANBARU IN RIAU PROVINCE

"Tell me," General Gimpam, the mightiest warrior of the Kingdom of Gasib that stands on the banks of Siak River, stood with his shoulders squared and his muscled hands on his hips. "What do you intend by bringing two platoon of armed men of Aceh?"

Gimpam was asking the two men of the Aceh Kingdom who are kneeling before him. It was only due to their forwarded message and humble air that Gimpam did not immediately respond with his own army. A platoon only consist of 16 to 50 men, so at most, there are only one hundred armed men standing on order. Gimpam spoke up again, "Are you two perhaps each platoon's First Lieutenant?"

"No, General Gimpam," the blond man answered. "The First Lieutenants are with each platoons."

"We are envoys sent by our King," the other blond man answered. This one had a beard and moustache. He tore his eyes from the stare of the General of Gasib Kingdom, and instead looked into the eyes of King Gasib. "We mean no harm, Your Majesty."

"Our intent is to convey the arrival of our King's proposal."

"Our King wishes to woo your daughter, Princess Kaca Mayang, Your Majesty."

General Gimpam's face remained stoic, and it took every fiber of his control for King Gasib to not seethe in anger. He knew of his fellow King. King Aceh was an arrogant, greedy, bloated goat of a man! Who does he think he is, to come up near his Kingdom out of the blue to ask for his beloved daughter's hand?! 

Granted, it was the first time someone proposed for her hand. The first time someone was brave enough to do so. General Gimpam strikes fear towards all the other lands. He is a hero to the people of Gasib, and the reincarnation of the very devil to other kingdom's peoples. His presence was enough to discourage any other king from daring to ask for her hand. 

His daughter, Princess Kaca Mayang, was blessed with angelic beauty and was famous to various countries since Kaca Mayang was a child, and he will only agree to the courting of someone who Kaca Mayang  approved of. He will not stand for the courting of other kings who never met Kaca Mayang and has only heard of her beauty and none else.

King Gasib took a deep breath to calm himself. "Messengers.... My apologies. My daughter is not willing to be married just yet. Do convey my apology to your King."

General Gimpam immediately escorted the two envoys to their platoons, and drove them out.

True to King Gasib's assessment, King Aceh was a hot-headed man. He blew up in rage when he heard of King Gasib's refusal from his messengers. Taking it to be an insult, King Aceh wasted no time in ordering his men to begin the attack on Kingdom of Gasib.

It was predictable. King Gasib had already sent General Gimpam to lead guard in Kuala Gasib, the area around the Siak River. What King Gasib did not manage to predict was that King Aceh would kidnap one of his own people and torture them for information on how to get into the Kingdom of Gasib that does not go through the Siak River. King Gasib was mistaken to think that King Aceh would attack an army with an army. Instead, King Aceh and his troops sneaked into the kingdom and devastated the civilian population.

When soldiers stormed the courtyard of the palace, King Gasib finally realized that an army had invaded his kingdom, but he was too late. All the palace guards were quickly killed by Aceh's daggers. King Gasib could only watch - beaten up as he was - as King Aceh gloatingly kidnapped Princess Kaca Mayang and make a run for it before General Gimpam receive any report.

By the time General Gimpam and his battalion came back, there were only corpses of the Gasib people - guards, palace royals, peasants - to be found. Only King Gasib and the very few that managed to hide were alive to tell the tale that Princess Kaca Mayang was brought to Aceh.

Gimpam vowed to avenge the defeat of the Kingdom of Gasib and promised his King that he will bring Princess Kaca Mayang back.

You might expect there will be a mighty battle where General Gimpam wins and bring the Princess back. Or where General Gimpam end in a hero's death. But no army awaits him. King Aceh only set up two large elephants to block Gimpam at the Kingdom of Aceh's Palace gate. Instead of killing them, Gimpam tamed the elephants and rode on one elephant into the Palace. Shocked and amazed at his courage to come in all by himself, King Aceh lets him bring Princess Kaca Mayang back to King Gasib.

However, Princess Kaca Mayang was sick. Her sickness was obvious and it got worse as the two made their way home. The wind was so strong it made the Princess difficult to breathe. The journey was a quiet one, so General Gimpam jolted in surprise when the Princess cried out, "General! I can no longer hold this pain. Please say hello to my family."

He did not have time to reply as she exhaled her last breath.

Overcame with deep sorrow and guilt, General Gimpam continued his journey with the Princess' corpse to King Gasib.

All the survivors in the Kingdom of Gasib noticed their conspicuous General and the body he carries. Every single one of them mourned.

Since the loss of Princess Kaca Mayang, King Gasib drowned in his sadness and became lonely. It may have been days, or months, or years, but eventually, the king decided to escape his daughter's shadow and left - he retired to Ledang Mount in Malacca. For some time, the royal government was held by Gimpam. But not long after, he left the remains of Kingdom of Gasib too. He departed and opened a new settlement which he called Pekanbaru.


Gimpam's tomb can still be seen in the Upper Sail, about 20 km from the city of Pekanbaru.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Grandma Nasikah Sells Crackers to Buy Medicine for Husband

Tuesday, March 7, 2017 (18:48 WIB)

Grandma Nasikah Sells Crackers to Buy Medicine for Husband




Grandma Nasikah (87 years old) was seen exhaustingly walking around under the heat of the sun holding her crackers. The sun was particularly bright that day in Nunukan Regency, Northern Borneo (7/3/2017).



Although she is frail, she was forced to sell around crackers and vegetables in order to eat and buy medicine for her husband. "Well, I just have to keep going and be strong walking. If I don't sell what will we eat?" She said.

All this time, Grandma Nasikah has lived with her husband, Paimin (84 years old) in a rented house in RT 1 East of Nunukan. They do not have any children. To make a living, the old woman has to work very hard because Grandma Nasikah's husband cannot afford to after contracting acute Tuberculosis. 

Nevermind about medication, they rarely eat full meals because the crackers she sells belongs to someone else. For decades, Grandma Nasikah and her husband migrated to Malaysia, and eventually settled in Nunukan. Since settling in Nunukan, they did not ever have a national ID card. 

Chief Police of Nunukan City, AKP Muhammad Sholeh Wahidi assisted to make the ID cards for them both. At first, the regency office where they stayed refused to make the ID cards because the two did not have an official letter of their domicile transfer.

"But thanks to the help of the Regency Head of Northern Nunukan the old couple finally have their ID cards. They live in Eastern Nunukan, but their ID cards are Northern Nunukan," Sholeh Wahidi stated. He hoped that with the ID cards, they can finally be admitted to medication help.



Their BPJS card (Social Security Administrator card) was made in early January. However, Paimin will  have to be patient because the BPJS card pursued by the Nunukan City Police through the Police Social Responsibility (PSR) program can only be used for treatment in March. "Today, the new BPJS card can be activated. The rule says that they were supposed to wait until 2 months after registration."

Aside from working on the medication through BPJS, the PSR program also helps with Nasikah's family's economy.

Until March, there are now more than 20 people of Nunukan that are helped with acquiring their BPJS cards. On average, they are from poor families whom lack ID cards of their residency.

References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/07/berjalan-tertatih-tatih-nenek-nasikah-keliling-jualan-kerupuk-demi-obati-suaminya-yang-kena-tbc

https://www.bpjs-kesehatan.go.id/bpjs/

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPJS_Kesehatan

Monday, March 6, 2017

PE Coach Assaulted Student in Bathroom

Monday, March 6, 2017 (22:22 WIB)

PE Coach Assaulted Student in Bathroom

Being a teacher required a lot of patience. You need to make sure to not snap at your students whenever they question things that is common sense to you... or your authority. If you're too emotional with no control, you might end up like this teacher of a vocational high school in Waru Sidoarjo.

According to the Chief Police of Sidoarjo Public Relations, Samsul Hadi, the incident happened at February 21st. His emotions ignited by his student, who did not wear his gym uniform. The teacher didn't allow him to attend the class, and insisted that he be allowed to. It was when he started yelling insults and asking for a fight that M Hefri (27) dragged his student into the bathroom and immediately gave his student a shiner. He punched the student repeatedly to the point it drove the student begging for him to stop. After the beating, the student's parents reported to the police and the teacher was cooperative when Samsul picked him up. 

According to Hefri, he lost control not because of being challenged, but because an educated student was spouting uncouth words. He refused to reveal what the words were.

References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/regional/2017/03/06/terpancing-makian-guru-olahraga-aniaya-murid-di-kamar-mandi




Missing Person: Farhany's Confession

Sunday, March 5, 2017 (12:24 WIB)


Missing Person: Farhany's Confession



Chief Police of Bogor, Suyudi Ario Seto reported that the missing high school girl who had been missing for a while in Bogor, Farhany Ramadhina Abdillah (17 years old), made a confession that she had been "escorted" by three boys and a mysterious woman.


She confessed that she met those four after she hitched on a ride twice to go home from her course. Farhany said that she had been left in a Dark Room.

"She did not know where she was, all that she remembered was the Dark Room and being alone," Suyudi said when called, Saturday (4/3/2017).



After she escaped the room, Farhany claimed that she walked around Kemang, Bogor, and had a chance to rest in a mushala where she was given some money to buy food. After that, she headed to a station in Bogor and boarded a train to Manggarai all by herself.


"When she arrived at the station, she hitched a ride towards the police office on the Northern Bogor. At least she thinks she did, she wasn't very certain," he said.

Suyudi confessed that he could not confirm the truth of Farhany's statements. He could not make sure that the kidnapping incident really had happened as had been reported. Farhany was reported missing since Thursday night (2/3/2017). Phone signal tracking showed that Farhany had been in a commercial place in Tebet.


The girl was found nearby her school, SMA Plus Yayasan Persaudaraan Haji Bogor (YHPB) around 7 o'clock at night. She was found all alone, in healthy condition. Currently, she is going through medical check-up and psychological tests. After the interrogation process is done, she will be returned to her family by the night.


References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/regional/2017/03/05/pengakuan-mengejutkan-farhany-siswa-sma-di-bogor-yang-sempat-menghilang

http://smayphb.sch.id

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Minister of Education Wishes Us to Read to Improve Character

Saturday, March 4, 2017 (19:48 WIB)

Minister of Education Wishes Us to Read to Improve Character


Indonesia's Minister of Education and Culture a.k.a. Mendikbud in Bahasa Indonesia, Muhadjir Effendy, encourages youngster to take a liking in reading.



A motion I can get under! I tried Pottermore and became a Ravenclaw, mind you, so of course I am biased. But in general terms, we do not live in the Wizarding World. We live in a place ruled by politicians and scientists... or rather, science laws.

See, on Saturday (4/3/2017) in Blambangan Park, Banyuwangi, East Java, the Minister opened the "Discovery 4, Banyuwangi's Reading Movement" Event by urging teachers and parents to give guidance to children in reading to build their characters. He addressed this in front of 16.500 elementary school and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) students whom attended the event.

It was acknowledged that adults do urges children to read and guide them to understand the books, however, the context is almost always given as an order, of a sort. Urging the children to read on the basis of 'If you study, you will succeed' makes reading seem like a necessity, and consequently, a chore in the long run. The minister wishes for us all to make reading associated with the word fun. And after a short run, children will view summarizing what they have read as something fun too.

The minister asked what kind of books do the children prefer. Erwin, a 5th grader, answered that he liked reading story books at home, school books at the school. Firdaus, a 3rd grader, prefers to read children stories. A fellow 3rd grader named Aldo spends his time at home reading school books that have a lot of stories. Tuti, a 4th grader, stated that she spends her time reading stories about friendship. Then the most interesting thing happened. A 5th grader named Aza answered that he liked stories about the history of Indonesia, and could recite the entire tale of how Banyuwangi came to be.

Personally, I always think it's fun to summarize what I learn from reading a novel, a chapter, a journal, or lecture... when it's about science. When the same assignment is applied to politics, the word 'boring' and expression 'ugh' is the first thing that crossed my mind. 

The ambition - this speech to urge us to make reading as fun - is not something new. I think, the challenge is how we will be maintaining that status as 'Fun', because once the children develop their reading preferences, their non-preferences will be left to gather dust.



References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/tribunners/2017/03/04/mendikbud-gerakan-membaca-wujud-penguatan-pendidikan-karakter


Friday, March 3, 2017

Don't Spontaneously Joke About Bombs on Garuda Airport

Friday, March 3, 2017 (18:28 WIB)

Don't Spontaneously Joke About Bombs on Garuda Airport



Dr. HI (name is omitted) is a passenger of GA 611 (with the destination Makassar-Jakarta) who actually joked about having a bomb on Garuda Airport. 




The resident of Kodam Mt. Sari Cokonuri Complex Number 64 RT/RW 04/17 Rappocini District, Makassar made that spontaneous joke with the intention for the other passenger to move their belongings.

The stewardess told the Professor's joke to the Garuda Plane's pilot, Marzaina Anwar. Marzaini immediately informed the Garuda Security (Good thing he doesn't ignore it) and had the stewardess to pull all passengers out along with their bags.

From thorough inspection, no bomb was discovered. Though obviously, the whole thing made people annoyed and angry. Out of 209 passengers (184 economic passengers and 25 business passengers), 19 people decided to switch planes.

The entire thing was a false alarm born from a spontaneous joke made by a Professor from Negeri Makassar University (UNM). Reminds you of the Boy Who Cried Wolf, except that this is genuinely a misfortune and not a deliberate attempt to raise our horses. So, fellow scary sarcasm-lover, please refrain from making any jokes about bombs!

References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/03/bergurau-ada-bom-di-pesawat-garuda-dosen-bergelar-doktor-di-makassar-diamankan-di-bandara

https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/id/index.page?


Kendeng Mountains' Farmers Protest the Construction of Cement Factory by Leg Cast Action

Sunday, March 19, 2017 (23:54 WIB) Kendeng Mountains' Farmers Protest the Construction of Cement Factory by Leg Cast Action ...