Edisi 12 Februari 2010 | International Bali Post

16 Pages Number 30 2st Year

Record blizzards shut down Washington, New York PAGE 6

Price: Rp 3.000,-

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e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

Triggered by the Increasing Price of Rice PAGE 8

John Mayer apologizes for Playboy interview BP/doc

The police investigate the car where the German tourist was found dead. The Police is still investigating the case thoroughly.

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Police Investigate the Closest People Denpasar (Bali Post) —

There are still many unanswered questions surrounding the discovery of the decomposed body of a German citizen, Mario Arnold (40). The police have yet to determine the cause of death; it remains unclear whether the victim committed suicide or was killed. However, the police are now concentrating their efforts on the victim’s closest friends.

WEATHER FORECAST

The police are tracing the people who were last contacted by the victim via a still-active phone that was found, along with the body, in a Suzuki car (license plate no. DK 683 Q. “The police are still investigating whom the victim last

contacted,” said a police source on Wednesday (10 / 2). The source, who declined to reveal his name, explained that the victim’s mobile phone had received a call from a number – allegedly the victim’s girlfriend, initialed DN.

She was later questioned by police personnel. “She seemed to be a friend of the victim. The last call made by the victim was to DN’s number,” explained the source. The police also uncovered some other information surrounding the

CITY

TEMPERATURE OC

DENPASAR

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JAKARTA

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Chilling aerial photos of 9/11 attack released

BANDUNG

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Associated Press Writer

YOGYAKARTA

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SURABAYA

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NEW YORK – A trove of aerial photographs of the collapsing World Trade Center was widely released this week, offering a rare and chilling view from the heavens of the burning twin towers and the apocalyptic shroud of smoke and dust that settled over the city. The images were taken from a police helicopter — the only photographers allowed in the airspace near the skyscrapers on Sept. 11, 2001. They were obtained by ABC

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after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal agency that investigated the collapse. The chief curator of the planned Sept. 11 museum pronounced the pictures “a phenomenal body of work.” The photos are “absolutely core to understanding the visual phenomena of what was happening,” said Jan Ramirez of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. They are “some of the most exceptional images in the world, I

think, of this event.” In some of the pictures, the tops of the nearby Woolworth Building and other skyscrapers can just be seen above the enormous cloud of debris, gray against a clear blue sky. Gray clouds billow through the streets of the financial district and shroud the 16 acres where the towers had stood just moments before. Buildings can hardly be seen at all in one image — just dust clouds hanging over the Hudson River at the southern tip of Manhattan. Continued on page 6

victim’s death. He was known to have a lot of debt, including owing a hotel some 8 million rupiah. “His car lease payment had not been paid off. The victim apparently did not have anything,” added the source. Meanwhile, when asked for more information about the victim’s cause of death, South Denpasar Police Station head AKP I Gede Ganefo said there had been no meaningful progress, but his team is still investigating the case. Continued on page 6

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International

Friday, February 12, 2010

Bali News Sanur Beach Bali Introduce Pool Villa Club

Foreigner Captured After Stealing Luxury Car and Escaping Through Gilimanuk

Denpasar (Bali Post) -

A Dutch-Indonesian man, BK (26) was caught by the KP3 team Gilimanuk Post 1 at Port Gilimanuk on Wednesday (10 / 2) yesterday morning upon trying to leave Bali. BBK, who claimed to be a photographer, was driving a Toyota Camry belonging to a Badung car rental that was reported missing the day before. According to information compiled from KP3 Gilimanuk, the car was rented in Kelan village on Tuesday (9 / 2) at around 4 a.m. The car driver, Wayan Wiasa, was asked by the perpetrator to pick up a suitcase from a house. It transpired that the perpetrator had provided an incorrect address, and when Wiasa returned, the car was missing. “I called his cell phone but it was not active, then I realized the car had been taken away. Earlier, I drove him into Tanjung Benoa and lastly to Kelan,” explained Wiasa yesterday. He also claimed to have not seen the face of the perpetrator clearly as he was wearing a hat. This incident was immediately reported to the police. After conducting investigations, the police finally succeeded in securing the car at Gilimanuk. BBK admitted to the officer that he obtained the car from a friend (CV) that he met

Sanur Beach Hotel Bali introduced Pool Villa Club, a club with complete facilities with beach and tropical garden view. There is great hope that the villa will give amazing experiences to those who wanted to enjoy the beautiful nature of Sanur. Candy Juliani, the public relation of Sanur Beach Bali, said that the villas have many extra values. From inside the villas, the guest can enjoy the beautiful beach view. Each villa equip with private terraces and swimming pool. The villas also have majestic bed, private dining area, and well groomed garden. The guest will also receive newspapers every day and free wireless internet connection.

BP/ded

The picture shows the Pool Villa Club in Sanur Beach Hotel. “The facilities will make the tourists enjoy their stay in the villas,” she added. One of the most special attraction is the guest can have dinner in a gazebo while enjoying the view of the beach.

The direct access to the beach is also the extra value offer by Pool Villa Club. Candy said “the club is designed to make the guest as comfortable as possible. This will make their holiday in Bali very memorable.”(ded)

Dutchman Steals a Toyota Camry Uses Fake Vehicle Registration and Police Plate Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Thieves taking action in Bali, in fact are not only citizens of Indonesia, but also foreign nationals. The proof, the thief of Toyota Camry car with initial Bk claiming a Dutchman was eventually arrested when was about to take across the stolen goods at Gilimanuk Harbor, last Wednesday (Feb 10). The Camry car originally had police plate DK 228 DC and stolen in front of the office ofVillage Head of Tuban, Kuta. Quickly, Bk replaced the police plate into the DK 73 SI and prepared with fake vehicle registration having the same engine series number as the original one. “Father of the suspect is from the Netherlands, while his mother from Cimahi, West Java. He is good at speaking Javanese language but of Dutch citizen. Maybe he has lived for long time in Java,” said the officer of Denpasar Metro Police. About its modus operandi, last Tuesday (Feb 9) at dawn, Bk confessed that his friend named Ahmad hired a Camry car completed with driver to accompany an Australian guest Stepen Welas. The car worth IDR 250 million was then headed for the address where Bk stayed. He was

then escorted to Bualu area. After the transfer to that place, Bk asked to be taken to Kelan area, Tuban. When arriving in front of the office of Tuban’s Village Head, Bk asked the driver of such luxury car to take things at his friend’s house. Due to the trust, the driver did it whereas he was actually deceived by Bk. Once the driver has gone, Bk was desperate to carry off the rental car. Meanwhile the driver was in confusion looking for the address given by Bk. Having never met, the driver returned to the place where the car was parked previously. How surprised he was when the car belonging to his employer vanished from the previous place. This loss case was reported immediately to Denpasar Metro Police. “We then contacted our colleagues at the Gilimanuk and Padangbai Harbor, Karangasem, through the HT radio communication. We coordinated to catch the Camry car with the features that we provide. In fact, it worked with a success,” the police added. Apparently, Bk stole the car to be taken to Java. But unfortunately, thanks to the alertness and thorough-

ness of Port Police Officer of Gilimanuk, Bk was successfully arrested with the evidence of Camry car. Whereas, he was carrying a fake vehicle registration that was appropriate with the police plate mounted, engine series number and frame number. Allegedly, Bk was a member of a luxury car theft syndicate attempting to take action in Bali. The reason, he was able to quickly pocket the fake vehicle registration, series number of framework and engine equal to the original. “We still explore this case. Judging from the way he works, possibly he printed a false vehicle registration instantly and used sophisticated equipment,” said the policeman asking not to mention his identity on the newspaper. In a separate location, Chief of Gilimanuk Port Police (KP3), I Nyoman Suparta, accompanied by Chief of Detective Unit IGP Umaedi by permission of Chief of Jembrana Resort Police, R. Ahmad Nurwakhid said that his party could provide help just follow up the information to keep the Camry car along with the people who brought it. For further process, the case was submitted to Denpasar Metro Police. (by denpost)

Negara (Bali Post) –

at a club in Seminyak. He was offered the car for 36 thousand Euros or around 400 million rupiah. He refused because he did not have the money, and only intended to borrow it. BBK, who is fluent in Indonesian, Javanese and Balinese language, claimed that his intention was to go to Yogyakarta to see his pregnant wife. Officers also found the vehicle registration of the rented car with a value of 930 thousand rupiah per four-hour charge. The plate number of the vehicle that previously was DK 228 DC had been modified to read DK 73 SI. The mixed-race foreigner had asked to leave before the police finished checking. BBK, who is originally from Cimahi, Bandung, was threatening to call a former high official of Polda Bali and he also claimed to have been in the police force. The head of KP3 Gilimanuk, AKP Nyoman Suparta, was given permission by Jembrana Police Chief AKBP R Ahmad Nurwakhid to secure a Toyota Camry including its driver at around 4 a.m. However, because the case took place in Badung, they will be submitted to Denpasar Poltabes for further processing. “We were just told to secure them,” he explained, accompanied by Kanit Reskrim Ipda IGP Umaedi. (sur)

Landslide at Pura Dalem Padang Tunggal Amlapura (Bali Post) —

An landslide occurred on the land next to the Dalem Temple in Padang Tunggal village due to the heavy rains that hit several days ago, just days before a big ceremony called Ngusaba Dodol will be held in local temples. The landslide was 10 meters in length and reached a height of about three meters. Members of the Karangasem Parliament from the Gusti Agung Dwi Putra village yesterday asked the regional government of Karangasem immediately assist with temple improvements before the ceremony, which will be held on Monday (15 / 2). The local villagers have already begun prayers leading up to Ngusaba Dodol, and these prayers and ceremonies have been disrupted by the landslide, which damaged the fence

surrounding the temple as well as the stairs leading to it. The villagers, said Dwi Putra, were also worried about the possibility of more severe follow-up landslides that will strike the temple’s main building should the heavy rains return. This is because there are some cracked slopes on the hillside near the current landslide site. “Reinforced concrete should be used to create a stronger fence that can hold the load of the ground when it is raining,” said Dwi Putra. This is not the first landslide in the area. A few years ago, the temple fence holder on the banks of the provincial road on the Duda-Klungkung route fell and covered the road. Meanwhile, the Karangasem Department of Social Affairs planned to go down to the location to see the extent of the damage, on Friday (12 / 2). (013)

z Founder : K.Nadha, z Chief Editor: ABG Satria Naradha z Managing Editor: Wirata,Palgunadi z Editors: Alit Purnata, Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Darmasunu, Daniel Fajry, Diah Dewi, Martinaya, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Sutiawan, Wirya, Yudi Winanto zDenpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subagiadnya, Subrata, Suentra, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali Putra Ariawan, Tabanan: Surpi. Jakarta: Nikson, Suharto Olii, Indu P. Adi, Ahmadi Supriyanto, Achmad Nasrudin, Hardianto, Darmawan S. Sumardjo, Heru B Arifin, Asep Djamaluddin, Ade Irawan, Ipik Tanoyo. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani, Nur Haedin, Suyadnya. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. z Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. z Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publiser: PT Bali Post

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Doubtful, Commitment of Candidate to Save Environment By the Next Regional Election Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Commitment to save the environment is often uttered by candidates before the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) to come. However, its practice remains doubtful and questionable. Although in their vision the candidates often make the Tri Hita Karana concept as part of campaign materials, it is worth questioning whether those candidates truly understand about such the Tri Hita Karana. This was revealed in discussions entitled Socialization of Environmental Issues Mainstream in the Vision and Mission of Regional Head Candidates, organized last Wednesday (Feb 10). An environmental observer, AA Arwata, in his paper entitled the Portrait of Development Policy in Bali Province within a Past Decade declared if ones have talked about Tri Hita Karana it meant they have understood how to save the environment. The implementation was by allocating adequate budget, so the environment could be saved. “Unfortunately, no policy of the leaders in their respective region had touched the environmental sector. Even though some had done it, but the amount is relatively small,” said Arwata. Therefore, his party extremely agreed in the upcoming election of the regional head if environmental conservation issues would be included in the vision and mission of the candidates. The issue of saving the environment was important because the development of a region was inseparable from the environment itself. How far the issue of saving the environment would bring positive effects for a candidate in improving the acquisition of votes,

Arawata ensure it would have a significant impact. Meanwhile, the Head of Center for Environmental Management of Bali and Nusra Region, R. Sudirman, also doubted the commitment of the officials in saving the environment. All of those facts could be observed from the more and more increasing critical land in Bali. Critical land within the forest area reached 22.925 hectares, while outside the forest reached 32. 388 hectares. Similarly, water resources continued to decrease to 30 percent. The more worrying condition was the coastal abrasion reaching 91.070 km of the total 436.5 km of beaches throughout Bali. Similarly, the production of waste each day was just 70 percent discarded to final disposal site, while the rest remains scattered at several places. Up to these days, said Sudirman, there was only a pair of candidate from Karangasem who raised the issue of saving the environment as part of their vision and mission in the upcoming election. It was very much

expected, the other pairs of candidate should also voicing the same issue. “Through the delivery of vision and mission, its supporters will know how important the environment is,” said Sudirman. Chairman of Bali Electoral Commission, Lanang Prabawa, explained by the closing of registration for candidates in all regencies/ city throughout Bali his party recorded18 pairs of candidates had already enrolled. His party agreed if saving the environment issues included in the candidate’s vision and mission. Regency had 5 times of opportunity for debate. It was the time to propose the issue. Of course the party involved is indeed environmentalists,” he said. The Head of EPW of Bali Province, Wayan Suarna, said that it was the time for a leader to include environmental vision. In the regional autonomy, saving the environment became an obligatory concern so it was since the very beginning the candidates should highlight the environmental issues. (015)

Bali Prepared as AntiCorruption Zone Renon (DenpPost)—

Bali is prepared to become a zone of anti-corruption. At the moment, an observation is being performed by Bali Provincial Government with the regency/city government to minimize the corruption cases. This matter was revealed in the socialization of cooperation programs in order to realize good governance as an endeavor to prevent corruption in the ranks of the bureaucracy at the Wiswa Sabha Hall, Renon, last Wednesday (Feb10). Such socialization presented the Director of Education of Public Services, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Dedie A Rachim. The socialization was also attended by Governor Made Mangku Pastika, the ranks of the bureaucracy level such the head of services, bureau head and head of agency.

Dedie revealed, the current law enforcement and supervision were very critical to clean government being free from corruption. In addition to cleaning problems of bureaucracy, the Commission also mentioned a number of reports on the property belonging to Bali officials were still problematic. Given, the compliance of Bali Provincial Government officers to report their wealth was good enough. However, the officials of public enterprises were judged less good. Governor of Bali Made Mangku Pastika who led the event in person said that government of respective region was suggested by the Commission to have anti-corruption zone. “Today, with integrated service center in each region has not been enough. The Integrated Services Unit (UPT) in each area is defined as a zone of anti-corrup-

tion,” said Pastika. “We had just planned to make Bali as a zone of anti-corruption. The integrated licensing office could be used as example. Its nerve center lies in the permit. As a matter of fact, regency/city could also be invited, but we are not ready to involve them because it requires the approval of regents to determine the zone,” the governor said. Anticorruption zone referred to the service of bureaucracy, included services and good governance of which description was performance-based management. Eradication of corruption will also include the procurement of goods and services carried out by electronic technology, capacity increase of local governments, and reformation of public sector services and exchange of information. (259)

BP/doc

The bridge connecting the villages of Getasan and Banjar Buangga, Petang, Badung, collapsed on Wednesday (10 / 2). There were no casualties in the incident. However, transportation to Banjar Buangga was almost paralyzed because the bridge is the main connecting point between Banjar Buangga, Denpasar and Petang.

The House Expects Governors to Stay Consistent Refusing the Entry of Elephants into Bali Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Governor of Bali Made Mangku Pastika is expected to remain consistent in his policies of prohibiting or refusing the application for entry of elephants into Bali. Whatever the reason is, the existence of elephants is not suitable for the development of ecosystems in Bali. Thus the assertion revealed by Deputy Head of Commission IV of Bali House, Kariyasa Adnyana last Wednesday (Feb 10) when asked about his comment on the request from a number of tourist attractions to take elephants into Bali. As early policies, his party did not give support to any endeavor to incorporate animals whose habitat was not in Bali. Like the elephant, habitat of this proboscidian animal is in Sumatra and a few other areas. “Please do not do it for the reasons of tourism interests, so native habitat of the animal is not in Bali. Indeed, tourism should remain on track without interfering with the existing ecosystem,” said Kariyasa Adnyana. Kariyasa Adnyana stated the reason saying the elephant was greatly supporting the existence of a tourist attraction was ridiculous. The management should not only think about the condition of peak season of tourist visit only. Ideally, they should also think about when the tourists visit was in doldrums. “Where those elephants should be taken to? Will they be left just like that,” he said while remaining to expect the governor could reject the petition consistently against the entry of

elephants into Bali. A similar statement was made by the Head of Center for Environmental Management of Bali and Nusra Region, R. Sudirman. Speaking before the participants in the discussion entitled “Socialization of Environmental Issues Mainstream in the Vision and Mission of Regional Head Candidates” tourism should continue to support the environment. It would be strange if the environment was exploited in pursuit of income from the tourism sector. “The current number of 100 elephants is considered enough. The narrow Bali should no be crowded by the presence of elephants. Let the elephants live quietly in their own habitat,” he hoped. As previously reported, a number of tourist attractions in Bali proposed again to enter the elephants into Bali. The total number requested through Minister of Forestry was 59 elephants. Actually, previously there were about 110 elephants having enlivened the existence of such tourist attractions. Former Bureau Head of Economic Development, Dewa Punia said based on the evaluation, the Government of Bali Province had declared the stoppage of possibility of bringing elephants into Bali. Such policy was based on several considerations. Among them, Bali was not the native habitat to elephant. Meanwhile, Regional Secretary of Bali Provincial Government, Nyoman Yasa has not received a written request from the operators of tourist attraction. (015)

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News

Friday, February 12, 2010

South Africa: Mandela marks 20 years of freedom first all-race elections, making Mandela their first black president. Mandela stepped down after one five-year term, helping to entrench democracy in South Africa in contrast to elsewhere on the continent where politicians hung on to power through fraud and violence. Mandela also is beloved for championing racial reconciliation, ensuring a peaceful transition that spared South Africa the chaos and destruction of anti-colonial wars elsewhere in Africa. Since 1994, his ANC has reAP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam duced the number of people livA close up view of the statue of ing in poverty, built houses and former South African President delivered water, electricity and Nelson Mandela seen outside the Groot Drakenstein prison near the schools to blacks who had been town of Franschhoek, South Africa, without under apartheid. But needs remain great, and impaWednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. tience has grown along with a Associated Press Writer gap between the poor and the rich — among them new black entreDRAKENSTEIN, South Africa preneurs. – South Africans on Thursday celMvuso Mbali, 37, was in the ebrated the steps that sounded crowd Thursday and said he was apartheid’s death knell 20 years at the prison 20 years ago. “And I ago: Nelson Mandela walking to still remember vividly what hapfreedom after 27 years in prison. pened,” he said. Thousands gathered for comHe added, “Today we are reinmemorations near Cape Town at venting our freedom, and uniting what was known in 1990 as Victor our people to follow the values of Verster, the last prison where Mandela.” Mandela was held. The crowds But others at the prison on milled around a 3-meter (10-feet) Thursday said Mandela’s release high bronze statue erected at the — triumphant as it was — carried prison in 2008 depicting uncertainty, too. Mandela’s first steps as a free man. “When Mandela was released Exactly 20 years ago, Mandela we did not know what was going emerged from Victor Verster on happen,” said Nontuntuzelo Faku, foot, hand-in-hand with his then- who came to Thursday’s event. wife Winnie, fist raised, smiling Being at the prison 20 years, but resolute. later, she said, “makes me realize “We knew that his freedom how far the country has come.” meant that our freedom had also Mandela’s release was the cularrived,” Cyril Ramaphosa, a mination of an eventful few days leader in Mandela’s African Na- for South Africa. On Feb. 2, thentional Congress who headed a President F.W. de Klerk announced welcome committee for Mandela the unbanning of the ANC and in 1990, told the crowd at the other organizations. On Feb. 10, de prison Thursday. Klerk announced at a press conferJust four years after Mandela’s ence that Mandela would be rerelease, South Africans held their leased the next day.

International

File picture shows demonstrators holding a poster of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in January 1979, in Teheran, during a demonstration against the shah. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered Thursday at a Tehran square to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution amid tight security and reports of opposition protesters massing on the streets AFP/File

Huge rally and protests mark Iran revolution Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Hundreds of thousands of government supporters massed Thursday in central Tehran to mark the anniversary of the revolution that created Iran’s Islamic republic, while a heavy security force that fanned across the city moved quickly to snuff out counterprotests by the opposition. Police clashed with protesters in several sites around Tehran, firing tear gas to disperse them and paintballs to mark them for arrest, opposition Web sites reported. Dozens of hard-liners with batons and pepper spray attacked the convoy of a senior opposition leader, Mahdi Karroubi, as he tried to join the protests, his son Hossein Karroubi told The Associated Press. The attackers — believed to be members of the Basij civilian militia — damaged several cars and smashed windows on Karroubi’s car, though he escaped unharmed, he said. Khatami attack. Security forces also briefly detained the granddaughter of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution,

and her husband, who are both senior pro-reform politicians, according to the couple’s son, Ali. The granddaughter, Zahra Eshraghi, and her husband Mohammad Reza Khatami, who is the brother of a former pro-reform president, were held for less than an hour before being released, his son told the AP. Tehran residents also reported Internet speeds dropping dramatically and e-mail services such as Gmail being blocked in a common government tactic to foil opposition attempts to organize. Heavy numbers of riot police, members of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militiamen deployed at key squares and major avenues in the capital to prevent the opposition protests

from marring the annual mass rallies for the revolution’s anniversary. The celebrations were an opportunity for Iran’s clerical regime to tout its power in the face of the opposition movement, which has persisted in holding mass street protests since disputed presidential elections in June despite months of a fierce security crackdown. State television showed images of thousands upon thousands carrying often identical banners marching along the city’s broad avenues toward the central Azadi, or Freedom, Square. There, the massive crowds waved Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state, and his successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Australia urges ‘transparent’ Rio Tinto trial in China AFP

AFP/Rio Tinto/File

A reclaimer at work at the Parker Point operations in Dampier in remote Australia. Australia has urged Beijing to hold an open and speedy trial for four Rio Tinto staff accused of bribery and industrial espionage in a case that has revived jitters about foreign companies doing business with China.

SYDNEY – Australia on Thursday urged China to hold an open and speedy trial for four Rio Tinto staff accused of bribery and industrial espionage in a case that has revived jitters about foreign companies doing business with Beijing. Rio Tinto, the Anglo Australian mining giant, voiced its concern about the charges against Australian executive Stern Hu and three Chinese colleagues who were arrested seven months ago. Beijing insisted the case would be handled by the book and that it would “fully guarantee” the rights of the employees. Their detention in July came during fractious, and ultimately unresolved, iron ore contract talks and

just weeks after Rio Tinto walked away from a major cash injection from a state-run Chinese company. Analysts said business leaders would keep a close eye on the proceedings to gauge the pitfalls of engaging with China, the world’s top exporter whose breakneck growth defied the global slowdown. “We are very concerned about the nature of these charges, however, as this is part of an ongoing legal process, it is inappropriate to comment any further,” Rio Tinto’s iron ore division chief Sam Walsh said in a statement, calling for “transparent and expeditious” resolution of the case. Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest iron ore producers, has previously said it was not aware of any wrongdoing by its employees. Related ar-

ticle: Rio profits soar 33% No trial date has been announced but a Chinese court official said the case could begin by the end of the month at the earliest. “We continue to emphasise to the Chinese authorities the need for the case to be handled transparently and expeditiously,” said a spokesman for Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. The four are accused of using their “positions to obtain benefits for others and on many occasions solicited or accepted bribes,” China’s state Xinhua news agency said late Wednesday. Xinhua said they had also “on many occasions obtained the trade secrets of Chinese steel companies, leading to serious consequences for the relevant steel companies”.

International IMIGRATION Australian Consulate General Jalan Tantular 32 Renon Denpasar Phone: +62 361 241118 Fax: +62 361 221195 (General) +62 361 241120 (Immigration)

General Info

Friday, February 12, 2010

HOSPITAL Denpasar There are 4 major hospitals usually used by foreigners Denpasar General Hospital (RSUP Sanglah), Kasih Ibu Hospital, Rumah Sakit Wongaya and Rumah Sakit Dharma Husada.

HOSPITAL Bangli Bangli General Hospital Jl. Kesumayuda 27, Bangli Phone : +62 366 91521 Gianyar

Royal Danish & Norwegian Mimpi Resort Jimbaran, Bali Phone +62.361.701 070 The Czech Republic Jalan Pengembak No. 17 Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.286 465 France Consulate Agency Jalan Merta Sari Gang II No. 8 Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.285 485 The Federal Republic of Germany Jalan Pantai Karang No 17 Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.288 535 The Republic of Hungary Jalan By Pass No 219 Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.287 701 Italian Consulate Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai Jimbaran, Bali Phone +62.361.701 005 Honorary Consulate of Mexico Jalan Mohamad Yamin 1 A, Renon, Denpasar, Bali Phone +62.361.223 266 Honorary Consulate of The Netherlands Jalan Raya Kuta 127, Bali Phone +62.361.761 506 Honorary Consulate of Spain Komplek Istana Kuta Galleria Blok Vallet 2 No 11. Jalan Patih Jelantik Kuta, Bali Phone +62.361.769 286 USA Consulate Agency Jalan Hayam Wuruk No. 188 Denpasar, Bali Phone +62.361.222 426 Consulate General of Japan Jalan Raya Puputan No. 170 Renon, Denpasar, Bali Phone +62.361.227 628 Honorary Consulate of British Jalan Tirta Nadi No. 20 Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.270 601 Swiss and Austria Consulate Jalan Patih Jelantik, Komplek Pertokoan Istana Galleria Phone +62.361.751 735 Honorary Consulate of Brazil Jalan Legian No. 186, Bali Phone +62.361.757 775 Honorary Consulate of Thailand Jalan Raya Puputan Renon 81, Denpasar, Bali Phone +62.361.263 310 Embassy of India Jalan Raya Puputan Renon 42-44, Denpasar, Bali Phone +62.361.241 978 Honorary Consulate of Sweden anf Finland Segara Village Hotel, Jalan Segara Ayu, Sanur, Bali Phone +62.361.282 223 Honorary Consulate of Malaysia Alam Kulkul Boutique Resort, Jalan Pantai Kuta, Bali Phone +62.361.752 520

RSUP Sanglah is the main provincial public hospital. Its facilities have improved since the emergency ward had been built in 1991. Difficult/critical cases would not become a problem anymore since it has complete equipments. It is located on Jl. Kesehatan Selatan 1 Sanglah Denpasar with : Phone : 227 911 – 15 Fax : 226 363 Kasih Ibu Hospital is a private hospital which caters for less serious cases such as diarrhea, intestinal disorders, anemia, asthma and minor accidents. Kasih Ibu is also equipped to care for pregnant women. This hospital is located on Jl. Teuku Umar 120 Denpasar. Phone : 223 036 Fax : 268 690. Rumah Sakit Wongaya (Public Hospital; Psychiatric Unit) Jl. Kartini, Denpasar. Phone : 222 142. Rumah Sakit Dharma Husada , (Private) Jl. Sudirman No 50, Denpasar Phone : 227 560, 234 824 In relating with health, Bali also has insurance and medical evacuation company, that is: AEA International - SOS Assistance Bali. PT Abhaya Eka Astiti, Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai No. 24X, Kuta 80361. Phone : 755 768 Fax : 755 768 One thing that should be noted by tourists here is that the Blood Bank in Bali normally carries no stock of Rhesus (Rh) Negative blood. Badung Bali Medical Clinics There are some medical clinics that are well known by foreigners in Bali. Some of them are western owned and operated : Bali International Medical Center (BIMC) Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC) provides excellent Primary Health Care & Emeregency Medical Services for tourists, traveler, and expatriate living in Bali. Emeregency Room, Ambulance, Clinic Services, Insurance & Medical Evacuations also available. Open 24 hours Phone : 761 2631. Located Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai No.100X, Kuta, Bali 80361 - Indonesia. http://www.bimcbali.com International SOS Clinic Bali Opened in 1999, offers International SOS members and visitors to Bali comprehensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency medical service. Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai 505X, Kuta 80361, Bali - Indonesia Phone : 720 100 Fax : 721 919 E-mail : info@sos-bali.com ttp ://www.sos-bali.com Bali Nusa Dua Emergency Clinic Jl Pratama No. 81 Phone : 771 324 Kuta Clinic Jl. Raya Kuta Phone : 753 268 Dental Clinic Dr Indra Guizot, Jl. Patimura 19, Denpasar Phone : 222 445, 234 375 DDS. Ritjie Rihartinah, Jl Pratama No. 81 Nusa Dua Phone : 771 324 Retno W. Agung, Jln. Bypass Ngurah Rai No.4A Br. Tamansari – Sanur Phone : 288 501

Clinic Mas Jl. Raya Mas, Ubud Phone : +62 361 974573 Toyo Clinic Jl. Pengosekan, Ubud Phone : +62 361 978078 Permata Bunda Clinic Jl. Patih Jelantik 50 X, Gianyar Phone : +62 361 942082 Ubud Clinic Jl Raya Ubud No.36 Campuhan, Ubud Phone : +62 361 974911 Gianyar General Hospital Jl. Ciung Wanara 2, Gianyar Phone : +62 361 943049 Karangasem Karangasem General Hospital Jl. Ngurah Rai, Karangasem Phone : +62 363 21001 Klungkung Klungkung General Hospital Jl. Flamboyan 40-4, Klungkung Phone : +62 366 21371 Negara Negara General Hospital Jl. Gelar, Negara Phone : +62 365 41006 Tabanan Laboratorium Clinic Jl. Gunung semeru No. 8, Tabanan Phone : +62 361 819260 Mengwi Clinic Jl. I Gusti Ngurah Rai 46, Tabanan Phone : +62 361 880550 Darma Kerti Hospital Jl. Teratai 16, Tabanan Phone : +62 361 812359 Tabanan General Hospital Jl. Pahlawan 14, Tabanan Phone : +62 361 811027 Singaraja Prodia Clinic Jl. RA Kartini 12, Singaraja Bali 0362 - 24-516 Singaraja Hospital Jl. Ngurah Rai 30, Singaraja Bali 0362 - 22-573 Pet Clinics Kayumas: (0361) 226934 Sayang Binatang: (0361) 483121 Satwa Kertha Husada: (0361) 263018 Pantai Sindhu: (0361) 287518 Sidakarya: (0361) 724492 Pedungan: (0361) 720026

TAXIS Praja Taxi : (0361) 289090 Bali Taxi : (0361) 701111 Ngurah Rai Taxi : (0361) 724724 Pan Wirthi Taxi : (0361) 723366 Komotra Taxi : (0361) 758855

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Friday, February 12, 2010

News Police... From page 1 “We do not dare cease investigations yet. Please wait for the results later,” he said to reporters yesterday. Ganefo also explained that his team has examined eight witnesses so far, including the person that first found the body and people who worked in nearby fields, hotels and rental car owners. “We are still in the dark. We have no leads so far,” explained the former head of Gianyar’s Police Intelligence while asking for patience. As mentioned earlier, the victim Mario was found dead and in a partial state of decomposition in a car on Monday (8 / 2) afternoon. He was found in the Bali Turtle Island Development (BTID) area, north of the Shooting Field, Serangan, South Denpasar. The first person who found the victim was a citizen who happened to be passing the scene. It remains uncertain whether the death was a suicide or if the victim was murdered. (kmb21)

Chilling... From page 1

(AFP/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

A police cruiser sits parked in the plaza in front of the Capitol during a powerful winter storm in Washington, DC. Record blizzards that dumped several feet of snow, paralyzed much of the eastern United States, trapping millions in their homes and shutting down the federal government for a fourth day.

Record blizzards shut down Washington, New York Agence France Presse

WASHINGTON – Record blizzards that dumped several feet of snow, paralyzed much of the eastern United States, trapping millions in their homes and shutting down the federal government for a fourth day. Nearly 6,000 flights in airports between Washington and New York were canceled at the height of the storms Wednesday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and hitting flights across the country, officials said. The latest snowfalls made the 20092010 winter the worst on record for the US capital. Conditions were so perilous that driving was banned for several hours in Baltimore. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered schools closed for a rare “snow day” and the United Nations headquarters closed, but the worst of the weather was in the WashingtonBaltimore area, home to some eight million people. Residents had barely dug themselves out from an avalanche of weekend snow when fresh blizzards struck, this time with Arctic winds of up to 55 miles (88 kilometers) per hour that made even the shortest trip hazardous. “I urge all residents to heed the warnings of local officials and prioritize safety by staying off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said. One person was killed and another injured in a pile-up in central Pennsylvania, and several were injured in a 50car pileup in Virginia, but most people avoided driving.

“You will risk your life and, potentially, the lives of others if you get stuck on highways or any road,” warned Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania state. The season’s snowfall total in Washington DC reached 54.9 inches, the National Weather Service said, breaking “the previous all-time seasonal snowfall record ... of 54.4 inches set in the winter of 1898-99.” The NWS said its weather data goes back to 1884. Residents in Maryland and Virginia and the US capital faced more long days trying to entertain stir-crazy kids, some families still battling without power almost a week after the first storm barreled in. “It’s not easy to be cooped up inside with children,” Virginia resident Maria Abousleiman told AFP.”They can’t even go outside and enjoy the snow because it’s too windy and very cold. The roads are plowed but in our area, it’s really bad because they only plowed once. Our street isn’t given priority because it’s a smaller street.” Snow plows in Baltimore were diverted to the port to pick up emergency shipments of salt to grit roads. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ordered all vehicles except emergency vehicles off the roads Wednesday, saying it was the worst two-day blizzard to strike the area since 1922. Initially dubbed “Snowmageddon” by the media, the humor darkened as the

novelty of the winter storm wore off. “Snoverkill” and “Say it ain’t Snow” are the latest monikers used by Washingtonians. “Every time my husband tried to get out, the car was stuck,” said Abousleiman. “Every time you try to go out, there’s an issue on the road, either a car stuck or one you have to push.” In the Washington area, most of the 230,000 federal employees were given an unprecedented fourth snow day off on Thursday, at a cost of some 100 million dollars a day in lost productivity. Although plows removed snow and salted the roads around the clock, transport remains crippled by snow and icecovered roads. Washington’s public transportation system will be barely work Thursday, officials said, with few bus routes scheduled to operate and above ground subway stations closed. At the White House ghostly silhouettes could be made out on the roof clearing packs of snow. Few offices were operational and secret Service personnel abandoned their usual posts to hunker down in cars. Washington, Virginia and Maryland have all declared emergencies, allowing them to mobilize the National Guard. Maryland was already relying on National Guard humvees to help out and answer some emergency calls.

One close-up shows orange flames and black smoke pouring from the upper floors of the north tower, the first hit by a hijacked plane. “I almost didn’t realize what I was seeing that day,” Greg Semendinger, the former New York Police Department detective who took the pictures posted on ABC’s site, told The Associated Press. “Looking at it now it’s amazing I took those pictures. The images are ... stunning.” The attack and the collapse of the World Trade Center were well documented on live TV and amateur video. But more than eight years after the nation’s deadliest terror attack, the images still had the power to shock and disturb. They were an instant sensation on the Internet. “Some survivors may find these pictures too painful to look at,” said Richard Zimbler, president of the WTC Survivors Network. “But they are an important part of the historical record.” ABC said NIST gave the network 2,779 pictures on nine CDs. The network posted 12 pictures on its Web site Monday and an additional 12 on Wednesday, including another close-up of the burning north tower and photos of rescue boats and commuter ferries docking in the Hudson River to pick up survivors. ABC initially said some of the photographs posted had never been seen before, but later backed off that assertion. Semendinger — who took all the photos posted by ABC — said Wednesday that he had previously e-mailed some of the pictures to friends who later posted them on the Internet. Also, nine of the images were published in a book called “Above Hallowed Ground: A Photographic Record of Sept. 11” without his consent. The book was a tribute to the officers who were killed that day. Semendinger was first in the air in a search for survivors on the rooftop. He said he and his pilot watched the second plane hit the south tower from the helicopter. “We didn’t find one single person. It was surreal,” he said. “There was no sound. No sound whatsoever, but the noise of the radio and the helicopter. I just kept taking pictures.” He took three rolls of film with his Minolta camera, plus 245 digital shots. Semendinger said that he gave the digital images to the 9/11 Commission that investigated the attack, and that the commission evidently released the pictures to NIST. Glenn Corbett, a fire science expert who sat on an advisory committee during the NIST probe, said the photos did not yield any new information for investigators. “I don’t see anything here that’s new,” he said. “These are common photos. ... It just reinforces things we know, that debris spread over a large area and the resultant dispersion of toxins and human remains.” Ramirez said the museum, slated to open in 2012, saw a selection of the photos at police headquarters several years ago. They are extremely important because the NYPD helicopter had the clearance to be up in the air in lower Manhattan only moments after the first tower was hit, and stayed in the area for the remainder of the day, she said. The museum hopes to get a complete set of the photos. “We’ve had our sights set on this body of visual evidence for several years,” Ramirez said.

Indonesia Today

International

Friday, February 12, 2010

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Indonesian graft fighter given 18 years for murder Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA - The sacked chief of Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission was sentenced to 18 years’ jail for murder on Thursday after a trial dismissed as a sham by his supporters. “The defendant has been found guilty of involvement in a premeditated murder,” chief judge Herri Swantoro told the South Jakarta District Court at the end of the fourmonth trial. Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Antasari Azhar, 56, showed little emotion as the verdict was read out, and immediately announced to the court that he would appeal the ruling. “I respect today’s verdict but as a citizen and law-enforcer we are going to appeal,” he told the judging panel to cheers from his supporters

in the public gallery. Prosecutors also said they would consider appealing the verdict, which was lighter than the death penalty sought by the state. The case has gripped Indonesia since Azhar’s arrest on May 4 for allegedly organising the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen,

his alleged rival for the affections of 22-year-old golf caddy Rhani Juliani. The former prosecutor who led a series of successful investigations into corrupt officials and lawmakers has maintained that he is being framed in a bid to destroy the KPK and sabotage anti-graft efforts. Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world and the case has cast a shadow over President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s oft-repeated commitment to clean government.

Former chief of Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission Antasari Azhar, who was accused of masterminding the murder of the head of a state-owned company, sits on the defendant’s chair during his trial at South Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010.

SMEs offer tips to face competitive market Antara

JAKARTA - Regus Global CEO, Mark Dixon, has offered seven tips on how small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) can learn from previous years and pick themselves up to ride on the wave of recovery, it was reported here Thursday. The Regus Group is the world’s leading provider of innovative workplace solutions, operating a global network of more than 1,000 business centers in 450 cities and 78 countries. Dixon believes that SMEs have strong prospects ahead if they take steps now to become smarter, greener and more successful. The seven tips are what every SME should think about when they go back to work after the Chinese New Year. “Businesses need to learn from the lows of 2008 and 2009 and make changes to their future strategies and operations. They also need to do it before the recovery happens, rather than waiting.” Dixon said. The first tip is to think small. Businesses of all sizes could learn from the example of small businesses. The Regus Business Tracker Study showed that companies with fewer than 50 employees are more bullish about 2010 than their larger counterparts, suggesting the economic recovery will be led by them. The second tip is to take a trip. When it comes to focusing externally, businesses shouldn’t let international

AFP PHOTO / BAY ISMOYO

A sales person briefs a visitor during a property exhibition in Jakarta on February 11, 2010. Regus Global CEO, Mark Dixon, has offered seven tips on how small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) can learn from previous years and pick themselves up to ride on the wave of recovery, it was reported here Thursday.

boundaries stand in their way; China, India and other emerging economies have huge potential for future growth. With communication technologies becoming ever more advanced and ever cheaper, doing business abroad can fuel future growth prospects, according to Mark, adding that a word of warning, though: research into new markets is key, as is finding the right international partners otherwise costs can begin to spiral out of control He pointed out that the third tip is to work smarter. Businesses all over the world are looking at the cost of headcount, but many neglect to look at other fixed costs. For the majority of businesses, property is the second biggest fixed overhead. Even so, 95% of businesses fail to identify it as an area where they could make major savings, he noted. Instead of locking themselves into costly, fixed-term property arrangements, they should look at more flexible arrangements, such as short- or medium-term leases, or virtual working. Flexible working can reduce a company’s property costs by up to 60% whilst creating a more motivated workforce. The fourth tip is to go green. Take the opportunity to benefit from more energy efficient technologies. Cost-saving, green technologies like energy monitors, and zonal air-conditioning and lighting can significantly cut utility bills. He said organizations like the Minister of Environment can give advice on energy-efficient technologies and grants. In addition virtual and flexible working can reduce a company’s travel costs, as well as cutting employees’ carbon footprints. According to him, tip 5 is to look around. Recovery or no recovery, some sectors have been thriving even during the recession. Telecoms, for example, are strong globally, with many developing countries installing new mobile technology. Sustainable technology is also doing well, thanks to strong investment in the sector. Businesses of all sizes should look for ways to benefit from the opportunities in thriving sectors, and never get so trapped by day-to-day management that they fail to spot new openings. Tip 6 is outsourcing, he said, adding that companies should focus on revenue-generating activities and outsource the rest. Property, administration and support services can all be handled by other people, allowing businesses to concentrate on the activities they do best. The seventh tip is networking. Love it or hate it, networking is vital for meeting new customers and contacts, and gathering information and advice. It’s one of the easiest ways to generate new business, he added. If a silver lining can be found in the dark cloud of the economic crisis, it could be that SMEs will enter the next decade leaner, more nimble and better prepared to the weather in the next storm, he said.

AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Century inquiry committee focusing on 11 ‘mysterious’ accounts Antara

JAKARTA - The House Bank Century Inquiry Committee is to gather more information on the profiles of 11 “mysterious” Bank Century clients whose accounts the bank’s management had kept secret, a spokesman said. “We are suspicious of 11 mysterious account holders at Bank Century because they very frequently made transactions in huge amounts,” Committee member Hendrawan Supratikno said at the parliament building here Wednesday. The committee was also suspicious because the bank’s management appeared to have tried to keep the 11 customers’ accounts secret by not listing them in its recapitulation reports to Bank Indonesia (central bank) and the National Police’s criminal investigation department (Bareskrim), Hendrawan said. The owners of the mysterious accounts included individuals whose initials were JH, DS, and MT, and a legal entity named PT AJP. “We have asked the State Audit Board (BPK) and the Transaction Analyses and Reporting Center (PPATK) to gather more information on the profiles of the owners of the 11 bank accounts,” said Hendrawan, a member of the Indonesian Democracy Party-Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House. The Committee had given the BPK a few days to come up with more data on the mysterious account holders before its various party factions formulate their final conclusions next week. Another Committee member, Andi Rahmat of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction, said the owners of the 11 bank accounts had transacted very intensively, namely at a rate of up to tens of times within a month’s time with single amounts reaching up to Rp Rp1.9 trillion. “These were very large amounts but neither BI nor the police had detected them because the bank’s management had never reported them,” he said. BPK Chief Hadi Purnomo had said at a consultative meeting with the House Committee on Tuesday (Feb 9) BPK would immediately take follow-up action in response to the Committee’s request to collect more data on the owners of the 11 suspicious bank accounts.

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Internationa

Friday, February 12, 2009

Bali Today Highest Inflation in Denpasar in January 2010

Triggered by the Increasing Price of Rice Bali Post

DENPASAR — Inflation in Denpasar City during January 2010 reached 0.95 percent. It was higher than the national inflation rate namely 0.84 percent. This is the highest monthly inflation rate for January 2009 to December 2009. In the meantime, the total inflation from January 2009 through January 2010 reached 5.57 percent. “Inflation of this January is the highest within the past one year and the graph is indeed a bit steep,” said the Head of the Bali Central Bureau of Statistics Ida Komang Wisnu, last Wednesday (Feb 10) at Renon. The highest inflation was mainly driven by foodstuff groups, especially rice contributing inflation reaching to 1.67 percent. If in the last month the price of rice belonging to IR 64 and Putri Sejati was at IDR 5,600/kg now it has approached the price of IDR 7,000, exactly IDR 6,900/kg. Fluctuations in the price of rice were caused by scarcity of supplies due to entering the planting season of rice. “Today, rice becomes a product of the most sensitive to inflation because of all people consume rice,” he said. Other than rice, food stuff group experiencing the rice of price were garlic, chili, refined sugar, sugar, cooking oil and young jackfruit. The second highest contributor to inflation was housing, water and electricity namely 12.3 per-

cent. Starting from January 2010, the rent/ contract cost of homes, motorcycles and wages of household maid increased. Then, they were followed by processed food such as cigarettes and tobacco contributing inflation to 1.15%, and then the transport, communication and financial services reaching 0.43 percent. “Telephone pulse has now become a primary need, other than rice and cooking oil,” he said. Meanwhile, the product group undergoing decreasing index were clothing by 0.41 percent and group of education, sports and recreation by 0.10 percent. Afterward, food stuff with decline of prices comprised hybrid chicken, papaya, watermelon, banana, tuna, squid, coconut, pork and gold. It was also added out of 66 cities in Indonesia, the highest inflation occurred in Maumere namely 3.56 percent, and the lowest in Sorong namely 0.12 percent. If sorted in, Denpasar inflation of 0.95 percent ranked the 26th out of 66 cities undergoing inflation. (029)

http://media.vivanews.com

The photo shows men unloading sacks of rice from the warehouse. Inflation in Denpasar City during January 2010 reached 0.95 percent. It was higher than the national inflation rate namely 0.84 percent. The highest inflation was mainly driven by foodstuff groups, especially rice contributing inflation reaching to 1.67 percent.

Fishermen hesitate to go to sea Antara

GIANYAR – Most of the fishermen working on the southern part of Bali are still hesitated to go to the sea because the weather is unpredictable. Big waves often happen without any notice before. Made Sudana, a fisherman in Lebih beach, Gianyar, said “even though the waves are quite small now but we are quite concern because the big waves can emerge anytime.” More than 2 meters waves occurred in the sea few days ago and it made most of the fishermen afraid to go to the sea. “Only two or three people who are going to the sea and they are only on the beach area. They are afraid to go to the middle of the sea,” Sudana said. Boats can be seen placed on the beach because not many fishermen went to the sea.

The similar condition is seen on Kusamba beach in Klungkung. Most of the fishermen chose to place their boat on the beach while waiting for the weather to improve. The visitors are also reluctant to swim. They are just sitting around on the beach. However, in Sanur and Kuta, the visitors are never afraid to swim or surf on the beach. Many tourists enjoy playing with the waves on the beaches. In order to prevent any incidents, the rescue teams (Balawista) always stay on guard throughout the beaches. The Balawista has 12 posts on the both beaches. Currently, the number of tourists visited the beach is keep decreasing because the beaches filled with garbage. The garbage is brought by the big waves which happen in the past few days. The garbage made the condition is very dirty and it also crates bad smell.

Fisherman preparing his boat to go sailing. Most of the fishermen working on the southern part of Bali are still hesitated to go to the sea because the weather is unpredictable. Big waves often happen without any notice before. Bali Post/Eka

Recovery Momentum Continues for Asia Pacific Travel and Tourism Preliminary figures from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show that the numbers of international visitors to the Asia Pacific region grew by three percent year-on-year in November 2009. All the sub-regions, with the exception of the Americas, recorded growth in arrivals for the month. Southeast Asia led the Asia Pacific region’s recovery with a 15 percent increase in arrivals, boosted by eleven percent growth to Malaysia and strong rebounds in Singapore (+8 percent), Thailand (+26 percent) and Vietnam (+37 percent). In Northeast Asia, arrivals to China (PRC) fell by two percent but Chinese Taipei (+25 percent), Korea (ROK) (+11 percent), Hong Kong SAR (+8 percent), Macau SAR (+3 percent) and Japan (+2 percent) all reported growth. Significantly, the two percent growth registered by Japan was the first since July 2008. Overall, growth in international arrivals to Northeast Asia averaged two percent for the month. In South Asia, the Maldives (+7 percent), Nepal (+8 percent) and Sri Lanka (+20 percent) all reported strong growth. But arrivals to India fell by one percent, limiting the sub-region’s over-

all arrivals growth to just two percent in November. The Pacific recorded a modest one percent growth for the month on sluggish (but positive) growth in arrivals to Australia (+3 percent), New Zealand (+0.3 percent) and Guam (+2 percent); the US state of Hawaii however, recorded a decline of one percent over the same period. The Americas also saw an aggregate decline for the month with a three percent drop in arrivals driven in part by an eleven percent drop in inbound numbers to Canada. Kris Lim, Director of PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre (SIC), says, “We are regaining some of the lost ground as travel demand continues to pick up in the last few months of 2009. The year-to-date rate of decline in international visitor arrivals to the region has now eased to a loss of just three percent over the January-to-November period. Based on the latest available results for December 2009 the recovery momentum in arrivals remains strong for many destinations in the region. This is very encouraging and we may look with greater confidence to the year ahead.” (BTN/TDN-international.com)

al

Friday, February 12, 2009

Balinese Culture

Foreign tourists to Bali increase 14% Antara

DENPASAR – The number of foreign tourists visited Bali in 2009 was 2.38 million people, the number increase 14% compare to the previous year which was 2.08 million tourists. Ida Komang Wisnu, the head of Bali Statistics Department, said “in December 2009, the number of foreigners visited Bali was 222,546 people increase 20% compared to in November 2009.” Most of the tourists were coming through Ngurah Rai Airport, only 5,298 tourists were coming using sea transport. From the top countries on the list, six countries increased significantly and the other decreased. The decreased was happening to the tourists from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Germany. While the increase was happened on the number of tourists from Australia as much as 42%, followed by China and Malaysia. Wisnu said “the increase is affected the tourism industry in Bali. Most of the people in Bali are depending their income from the tourism so there is great hope that the number of tourists visited Bali will keep increasing in the future.”

Australian tourists

The number of Australian tourists to Bali in 2009 reached 446,570, a 42.62 pct increase compared to the the 313,111 in 2008. “The Australian tourists are on the top of the list of the tourists from ten countries to Bali,” Ida Komang Wisnu said. He said most of them arrived in Bali at Ngurah Rai airport straight from their country and only

1,259 arrived by yacht. “Many Australians have considered Bali their second home,” Ida Komang Wisnu said. Second on the list are Japanese tourists, she added. The other foreign tourists who often spent their holiday in the tourist resort came from China, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, France, the UK, Holland and Germany, Wisnu said.

Tourists crowded at Kuta Beach. The number of foreign tourists visited Bali in 2009 was 2.38 million people, the number increase 14% compare to the previous year which was 2.08 million tourists.

Bali Post/Doc

Udang pantung kuning (Lobster in Yellow Sauce) Overview: A real gourmet treat from Bali, this could also be made with huge prawns. In Bali, coconut chunks are roasted directly on charcoal, then the charred skin scrapped off and the flesh grated for making the coconut milk. Ingredients: 4 sml lobsters, weighing about 500 gr each or 1 kg large prawns 5 cups water 2 lemongrass, bruised 2 fragrant lime leaves 4 cups coconut milk few drops white vinegar fried shallots to garnish Spice paste: 5 red chilies, seeded and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 7 shallots, peeled and chopped 5 cm fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped 5 cm ginger, peeled and chopped 4 candlenuts 1 ½ tsp coriander ½ tsp dried shrimp paste toasted 1 sml tomato, peeled and seeded 2 tbsp oil 1 ½ tbsp tamarind pulp 1 salam leaf 1 lemon grass, bruised

Preparation: Prepare spice paste by grinding or blending all ingredients except oil, tamarind, salam leaf and lemongrass. Heat oil; add spice paste and all other ingredients. Cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, then cool. Wash lobsters and leave whole. Bring water to the boil, add lobsters and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lobsters, plunge in iced water for 1 minutes, then drain and remove meat. Return shells to the pot of water, keeping lobster meat aside. Add spice paste, lemongrass, lime leaves and vinegar to the water with the shells and simmer until 4 cups of stock remain. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain stock and return to pan. Add lobster and simmer for 1 minute. Serve garnished with fried shallots and accompanied by white rice.

BP/doc

A farmer inspects his rose garden. The demand for flowers is increasing near Valentine day. People usually give flower to those they love

Helpful hints: if using prawns instead of lobster, peel the raw prawns and put prawns shells 4 cups of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then combine this stock with coconut milk, prawns and all other ingredients, simmering until cooked. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Destinations

Exploring Nusa Ceningan Island

http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com

International Bali Post Classifieds

C.500357-rpa

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corals and fish. What to do in Nusa Ceningan?

After you have enjoyed your time in the eastern part of Nusa Ceningan Island, you can continue your adventure to the southern part of the island, where you will find the Bakung Temple. In this old temple, you will be able to see the cockfighting which is the trademark of the Bakung Temple. And then, late in the evening, or during the sunset time, you need to go to the western part of Nusa Ceningan Island. In this part of the island, you will see the cave of the nesting swallows. During the sunset is a perfect time to see these swallows darting out and in to the cave. If you love surfing, then you need to head to the southwest coast of Nusa Ceningan Island, where the waves are perfect for surfing. To many of beautiful places to visit in Nusa Ceningan Island, the most unique attraction will be the underworld life. You may not find too many octopi at the underworld of Nusa Ceningan Island’s sea, but you will find lots of seaweed farming all around the island. If you want to have a different adventure, you can rent a small canoe exploring the seaweed plantation in very clear water beneath. (http://balitropic.blogspot.com)

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NUSA Islands which are located 20 km away from Bali to the southeast coast consist of three islands named as Nusa Penida Island, Nusa Lembongan Island and Nusa Ceningan Island. Compared to the other two islands, Nusa Ceningan Island is the smallest one. Going to Nusa Ceningan Island can be traveled by using a boat departed from Sanur, or if you are already in Nusa Lembongan Island, you can just use the bridge that is connecting these two islands. Similar to the other two islands, Nusa Ceningan Island’s climate is also dry and hot. The problem faced by the locals is also the same, which is always about the water supply. However, the nature of Nusa Ceningan Island is a spectacular one. Since the Nusa Ceningan Island is not a big island, you can explore every inch of this spectacular beauty within a short period of time. To heat up your day in Nusa Ceningan Island, you can start your journey from the eastern part of the island where you will find an amazing coral reef. In this location, you can spoil yourself by swimming, surfing and also snorkeling. This is a perfect place to enjoy the clear water and to see a great variety of underworld creatures, such as the

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Friday, February 12, 2010

11

BUSINESS Japan Inc troubles mirror nation’s economic malaise Agence France-Presse

TOKYO - Japan’s corporate titans once seemed unstoppable, but now Toyota is in crisis, Japan Airlines is bankrupt and a host of other companies are in trouble, adding to the nation’s long economic malaise. Its top two automakers, Toyota and Honda, are both reeling from massive safety recalls and another Japanese manufacturer has admitted to faking safety data for 150,000 aircraft seats. The myriad problems have prompted observers to question just what happened to Japan’s technological prowess. Japan’s economic juggernaut began sputtering long ago and is widely expected soon to be overtaken by China, but until recently at least the Japanese could still take pride in the worldwide success of their major companies. “For many Japanese, JAL going bankrupt was already unimaginable. Now Toyota comes as a second shock,” said Tatsuya Mizuno, an analyst at Mizuno Credit Advisory. Japan Airlines last month filed for bankruptcy with 26 billion dollars of debt in what is one of Japan’s biggestever corporate failures. Hobbled by years of poor management and heavy costs stretching back to its days as a state-owned flag carrier, it is now undergoing radical restructuring, slashing more than 15,000 jobs and axing loss-making routes. Toyota is recalling more than eight million vehicles around the world owing to an array of safety problems with accelerator and brake systems that have

severely tarnished its once-impeccable reputation. “Japan equals technological excellence, and Toyota was seen as being at top of that technological mountain,” said Noriko Hama, an economist and professor at Doshisha Business School in Kyoto. “The Japanese economy’s image is bound to suffer quite significantly as a result” of the auto giant’s woes, she warned. Japan’s corporate troubles come as the deflation-ridden economy looks set to be unseated by China as the world’s number two economy, a position it has held since the late 1960s. “They are all a symptom of a system which is a victim of its own past successes,” Hama said. Japan developed its own ways of doing things during its post-war economic boom and was unprepared for the “global jungle”, she said. The nation enjoyed an era of extraordinary opulence during the 1980s, with a booming stock market, soaring property prices and low interest rates which fuelled a corporate shopping spree abroad. But the bubble burst at the end of 1989 and the stock market is still only worth about a quarter of its all-time peak, with the nation facing an ageing population and the prospect of a de-

clining domestic consumer market. Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said last week that Toyota’s troubles were “a problem for the whole of the Japanese auto industry” and also risked damaging trust in Japanese products. Toyota is not the only Japanese carmaker hit by safety troubles. Honda on Wednesday recalled more than 400,000 vehicles to fix airbags that it said can explode and spray out potentially deadly metal shards. That move comes on top of a global recall by Honda last month of about 646,000 cars due to a fire risk involving the power-window switches. Honda has warned the safety problems could put people off buying Japanese vehicles. “We are certainly concerned that the recalls could damage consumer confidence in Japanese cars,” Honda vice president Koichi Kondo said last week. And in yet another blow to corporate Japan’s reputation for safety, Koito Industries admitted to fabricating safety data for seats in more than 1,000 aircraft used by 32 carriers. The seat maker is a subsidiary of Koito Manufacturing, an auto parts maker affiliated with Toyota, although the auto giant has no direct equity stake.

AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

A woman walks by a Toyota Motor Corp. dealership in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010. Japan’s corporate titans once seemed unstoppable, but now Toyota is in crisis, Japan Airlines is bankrupt and a host of other companies are in trouble, adding to the nation’s long economic malaise.

US trade deficit surges as recovery boosts global flows Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit rose to its highest level in a year in December, official data showed Wednesday in a report signaling reviving global trade with a mixed impact on the US economy. The US international gap in goods and services trade widened sharply in December to a seasonally adjusted 40.2 billion dollars, capping a year that saw a massive drop in the trade deficit, the Commerce Department reported. The world’s largest economy exported goods and services of 142.7 billion dollars in the final month of 2009, and took in imports of 182.9 billion dollars, the report said. “We may be selling more overseas but the economic recovery is pushing up our demand for foreign products even faster,” said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors.

The trade deficit was up about 10 percent from a revised 36.39 billion dollars in November. The November reading was originally reported at 36.4 billion dollars. It was the third consecutive rise in the trade gap and the biggest deficit since December 2008, surprising most analysts who had projected the gap would narrow to 35.8 billion dollars. Petroleum imports led the increase, leaping 17.9 percent from November to 23.46 billion dollars. “Most of the unexpectedly big increase in the deficit reflects a surge in oil imports, up 3.6 billion dollars from November,” said Ian Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics, noting that imported oil prices had rebounded over the past year amid resurgent demand. Most analysts predicted the December trade gap would reduce the gross domestic product (GDP) growth

estimate for the fourth quarter, which is due for revision later this month. The economy grew at a robust 5.7 percent annual pace in the final quarter, accelerating from 2.2 percent growth in the prior quarter after four quarters of contraction amid the worst recession in decades, officially begun in December 2007. “It is true that the wider deficit will shave a couple of tenths off GDP growth, but it is hard to describe the trade figures as bad news, since they show a continuing robust rebound in world trade,” said Nigel Gault, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight. “Over the second half of 2009, US goods export volumes rose 15.5 percent, while goods import volumes rose 17.7 percent,” he said. For the full year, the US trade imbalance with the rest of the world improved considerably from the end of 2008, when the global financial crisis

was accelerating and plunging the world economy into the worst recession since World War II. The 2009 trade gap fell 45 percent from a year earlier to 380.7 billion dollars, representing 2.9 percent of gross domestic product, a broad measure of the country’s goods and services output. In 2008, the trade gap amounted to 4.8 percent of GDP. In December, US exports rose 4.6 billion dollars from the prior month, while imports were up 8.4 billion dollars. Exports of goods rose to 99.1 billion dollars, an increase of 4.6 billion dollars from November. Goods imports climbed a hefty 8.1 billion dollars to 150.9 billion dollars. Exports of services were virtually unchanged at 43.6 billion dollars, and imports of services increased 0.3 billion dollars to 31.9 billion dollars, the

department said. The trade gap with Canada, the United States’s largest trading partner, more than doubled to 3.004 billion dollars, according to unadjusted data in the report. With Mexico, the number two US partner, the deficit rose slightly to 5.229 billion dollars. The politically sensitive trade gap with China, by far the largest US deficit with any country or region, eased to 18.138 billion dollars from 20.224 billion dollars in November. Rising trade tensions with China have exacerbated long-standing criticism in the US and Europe that alleges Beijing keeping its yuan currency undervalued for an unfair trade advantage. The US trade gap with Japan shrank 15 percent to 4.609 billion dollars. With the 16-nation eurozone, the gap rose to 5.452 billion dollars from 4.963 billion.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Entertainment

Angelina Jolie Meets With President Of Dominican Republic ANGELINA Jolie has met with the president of the Dominican Republic to discuss the country’s aid efforts to help the people of the nation’s earthquake-ravaged neighbor Haiti. The Hollywood actress flew to Santo Domingo earlier this week to visit patients at

Dario Contrera Hospital, where dozens of survivors of the January 12 disaster are receiving medical treatment. Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, turned her charity trip into a power meeting when she sat down for talks with President Leonel Fernandez on Monday evening. The pair discussed the work officials from the Dominican Republic are currently doing to help the relief efforts in neighboring Haiti, while Fernandez also took the opportunity to praise the actress for her tireless humanitarian work. Jolie made her way to Haiti on Tuesday so she could witness firsthand the devastation caused by the 7.0-magnitude tremors, which plunged the nation into chaos. The superstar and her partner Brad Pitt are among a host of generous celebrities who have all given huge cash sums to aid those affected by the Haiti earthquake. The couple donated $1 million to the relief effort from its charity foundation.

Lil Wayne NY sentencing put off for dental surgery AFTER rap star Lil Wayne spent months bidding farewell to his fans and his freedom, what loomed for him Tuesday was a dental chair, not a house of detention. His sentencing in a weapons case was postponed so he could have dental surgery before going to jail. Lil Wayne, one of music’s biggest sellers and rap’s hottest stars, is now due to be sentenced on March 2. His plea deal calls for a one-year term in a city jail, though good behavior could shave that to about eight months. The rapper — who once told TV interviewer Jimmy Kimmel that his jewel-encrusted teeth had cost him $150,000 — said nothing at a brief court session. He left in a black SUV, flanked by fellow rapper Birdman and others. Defense lawyer Stacey Richman

AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano

Rapper Lil Wayne enters Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, in New York. Sentencing in the hip-hop artist’s 2007 gun-possession case was postponed until March 2 due to his need for oral surgery.

said Lil Wayne was headed home to Miami for dental work Friday. She declined to specify his malady. “It is a medical situation that, like (it would for) any of us, has to be addressed,” she said outside court. She said the rapper had planned to take care of it before Tuesday but his dentist had been out of the country doing charitable work. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon didn’t fight the rapper’s request to push back his sentencing, saying she had spoken to the dentist. Lil Wayne, 27, pleaded guilty in October to a charge of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, admitting he illegally had a loaded .40caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus in July 2007. Police found the weapon when they stopped the bus after a Manhattan concert. The sentence comes at the peak of the rapper’s career, which netted him the best-selling album of 2008, “Tha Carter III,” a nod to his real name, Dwayne Carter. He reinforced his place in rap’s pantheon with a commanding performance at the Grammy Awards ceremony Jan. 31. His latest album, “Rebirth,” was released two days later and was the top-selling album on iTunes last week. He has been publicly girding for his incarceration with a series of goodbyes, including what he called a farewell tour in recent months and a recent Rolling Stone cover story in which he said he considered jail “an experience that I need to have if God’s putting me through it.”He issued what appeared to be a final shout-out to fans in an online video hours before his court appearance Tuesday, imploring them: “Do not forget about me.” Meanwhile, he was preparing himself privately for jail, his lawyer said.

International

John Mayer apologizes for Playboy interview JOHN Mayer is apologizing for his mouth. The Grammy-winner took to his Twitter page to make amends for his latest inflammatory comments — this time, in the March edition of Playboy. In it, he calls former girlfriend Jessica Simpson “sexual napalm” and says Jennifer Aniston is a technophobe who wishes she could go back to her career prime in 1998. He also uses the N-word. On Twitter Wednesday afternoon, he apologized for the racial epithet and said he has to stop “trying to be so raw in interviews.” “It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it’s gotten out of hand and I’ve created somewhat of a monster,” Mayer tweeted. “I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don’t have the stomach for it.” There were plenty who didn’t have the stomach for his remarks in Playboy, in which he talked about Simpson’s sexuality, his problems with Aniston, his love of porn, why he doesn’t date black women and being beloved by the black community. “Someone asked me the other day, ‘What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?’ And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass,’” he said, then added: “But I said, ‘I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’” Mayer said he should have never have used the N-word in any context and will never say it again. “And it’s such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there’s no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged,” he said. The racial comments were hardly the only explosive comments in the interview. He said he still loved Aniston, but then noting their age difference (she just turned 41), he said: “I can’t change the fact that I need to be 32.” He also said she didn’t appreciate new technology: “The brunt of her success came before TMZ and Twitter. I think she’s still hoping it goes back to 1998. She saw my involvement in technology as courting distraction. And I always said, ‘These are the new rules,’” he said. Of Simpson, he talked about her sexual ability, and said: “That girl, for me, is a drug ... That girl is like crack cocaine to me.” In the interview, he also explained why he didn’t date black women, comparing his genitals to “a white supremacist.” Mayer — known for his loose tongue — has made a habit out of outlandish comments. AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file Last month, he gave an interview with Rolling Stone where Musician John Mayer performs at the 2009 Z100 he talked openly about his love life, including sex with other Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New women — and himself. York.

Celine Dion Returning To Vegas CELINE Dion has signed a multi-million dollar deal to return to Las Vegas - the singer will begin a new three-year residency in 2011. The “My Heart Will Go On” hit-

maker previously performed in Sin City between 2003 and 2007, with her “A New Day...” show playing to more than three million fans and grossing more than $400 million.

Dion wrapped up the concerts at the end of 2007 before embarking on her “Taking Chances World Tour” which finished last year. She’s now confirmed she will be heading back to Las Vegas to launch her new performance at the Caesars Palace theater, which was originally built for her “A New Day...” shows. The three-year contract will see Dion perform 70 shows a year and will kick off on March 15, 2011. Dion’s husband Rene Angelil, says. “We’re very happy to return to the Las Vegas stage. The schedule will be human for Celine, to avoid tiring her out. This second show in Las Vegas will be as amazing as the first adventure, with ‘A New Day...’” The news of Dion’s return to Las Vegas comes just a day after superstar Barbra Streisand reportedly turned down a massive $100 million offer to take up a Sin City residency.

Life Style

International

Professor Eske Willerslev , left, and Morten Rasmussen at the Zoological museum in Copenhagen, Denmark Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010. The two Scientists are the first in the world to discover a technique which makes it possible to recreate all the genes from an ancient man from an extinct culture. Their discovery will be published in the prestigious British Science Magazine Nature. AP PHOTO/POLFOTO, Jens Dresling

DNA suggests even ancient man had baldness issues Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK – Scientists have pieced together most of the DNA of a man who lived in Greenland about 4,000 years ago, a pioneering feat that revealed hints about his appearance and even an increased risk of baldness. It’s the first genome from an ancient human, showing the potential for what one expert called a time machine for learning about the biology of ancient people. Analysis suggests the Greenland man probably had type A-positive blood, brown eyes, darker skin than most Europeans, dry earwax, a boosted chance of going bald and several biological adaptations for weathering a cold climate, researchers report in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature. The DNA also indicated the man had dark, thick hair — a trait the scientists observed directly, since that’s where the genetic material came from. More importantly, comparisons of his DNA with that of presentday Arctic peoples shed light on the mysterious origins of the man’s cultural group, the Saqqaq, the earliest known culture to settle in

Greenland. Results suggest his ancestors migrated from Siberia some 5,500 years ago. It’s not clear how or why they migrated, said Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, an author of the paper. The analysis shows the now extinct Saqqaq were not direct ancestors of today’s Inuits or Native Americans, he said. The researchers nicknamed the man Inuk, which is Greenlandic for “human” or “man.” The DNA was recovered from a tuft of hair that had been excavated in 1986 from permafrost on Greenland’s west coast, north of the Arctic Circle. The thousands of years in a deep freeze was key to preserving the genetic mate-

rial. But most ancient human remains come from warmer places with less potential for preservation, and scientists said it’s not clear how often DNA from such samples would allow for constructing a genome. Willerslev said he believes many hair samples from around the world, perhaps from South American mummies or in collections, probably would be usable. “I won’t say it will become routine,” he told reporters, but “I think it will be something we will see much more in the coming five years.” Over the past few years, scientists have reconstructed at least draft versions of genomes of other species from much older DNA.

Friday, February 12, 2010

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Want Passionate Kids? Leave ‘em Alone PARENTS who want their children to discover a passion for music, sports, or other hobbies should follow a simple plan: Don’t pressure them. By allowing kids to explore activities on their own, parents not only help children pinpoint the pursuit that fits them best, but they can also prevent young minds from obsessing over an activity, a new study finds. “Passion comes from a special fit between an activity and a person,” said Geneviève Mageau, a psychology professor at the University of Montreal. “You can’t force that fit; it has to be found.” The study focused on what psychologists call autonomy, the basic need to feel like you’re acting based on your own values and desires, not those of others. Controlling parents chip away at their child’s autonomy, by pushing them into a hobby, the researchers say. So when the kid picks up his clarinet it’s not out of a desire to play music, but due to a sense of obligation or a fear of disappointing his parents, according to Mageau. To connect passion to autonomy, Mageau and colleagues performed three studies in which they surveyed hundreds of athletes and musicians ages 6 to 38 with different skill levels. The surveys asked questions about the subjects’ level of passion, such as how often they practiced a hobby or how much they loved it. The psychologists then measured how much volunteers agreed with statements such as, “I have a tough time controlling my need to do this activity” to determine if their passion was obsessive and interfering with other aspects of their lives. To measure autonomy, the researchers also asked participants whether they agreed with statements such as, “I have a say in what happens and can voice my opinions regarding my activity.” In one study, the researchers followed 196 middle-school students as they picked up a musical instrument for the first time. After five months, the psychologists found that one major variable that predicted whether children developed

a passion for music was if their parents allowed them the freedom to practice on their own schedule. The passionate kids on average scored 9 percent greater on the autonomy scale than the non-passionate kids, which is a big effect in a psychology study, Mageau said. The two other studies also showed that children who had little autonomy but did develop a passion for an activity were more likely than others to take it too far, becoming obsessed with the hobby. Not only could these children miss out on truly enjoying their hobby, the result could grate on their self-esteem, according to the researchers. Obsessively passionate people attach their self-esteem to the pastime: If they play the clarinet flawlessly one night, they feel great, but if they miss a note, they can get depressed.

AP Photo/Steve Nesius

Arlandrya Alford, 11, tries out her new ballet shoes during a dance class ‘at the YMCA Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 in Tampa, Fla. Dozens of ballet shoes were donated to Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School students after a Patel Conservatory ballet student noticed many of the kids were dancing in their stocking feet.

Activision has loss; buyback, dividend help stock Associated Press Writer

AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

Copies of Activision Blizzard Inc.’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are seen on display at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Monday, Feb. 8, 2010. Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. reports fourth-quarter results Wednesday.

NEW YORK – Shares of Activision Blizzard Inc. shot higher Wednesday after the maker of “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft” posted fourth-quarter results above expectations and said it would pay its first dividend. Investors focused on these bright spots even though the company said it remains cautious about the economy and its 2010 forecast fell below analyst expectations. “We are in a great position as a company,” said CEO Bobby Kotick. Shares rose 61 cents, or 6.1 percent, to $10.70 in after-hours trading. For the last three months of the year, Activision posted a loss of $286 million, or 23 cents per share. This compares with a loss of $72 million, or 5

cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue fell 5 percent to $1.56 billion. But the company beat Wall Street’s expectations with its adjusted results, driven by record-breaking sales of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” over the holidays. Those results exclude one-time charges and account for deferred revenue on games whose online components reap sales over an extended period. On this basis, Activision earned $632 million, up 47 percent from a year earlier. Its adjusted profit of 49 cents per share was above the 43 cents that analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were expecting. Adjusted revenue was $2.5 billion, beating analysts’ expectations for $2.23 billion and up 7 percent from a year earlier. The company, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif., and majority owned by French conglomerate

Vivendi SA, has been able to weather the economic downturn better than many other video game companies, such as Electronic Arts Inc. In addition to strong sales of “Call of Duty,” monthly fees from 11.5 million “World of Warcraft” subscribers helped Activision boost profits. Kotick said in an interview that loyal players who spend dozens of hours on games, even in a difficult economy, continue to be Activision Blizzard’s “principal market opportunity.” “It’s that consumer that’s allowed us, for 20 years, to be successful,” Kotick said. Meanwhile music games like “Guitar Hero” have been less reliable for the company because they are aimed at more casual players, for whom video games are discretionary spending, not a must-have.

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Sport

Friday, February 12, 2010

International

Roddick eases through to advance at San Jose Reuters -

SAN JOSE - Andy Roddick brushed off a second set fightback to defeat qualifier Ryler DeHeart 6-1 7-6 and advance to the second round of the San Jose Open on Wednesday. After breezing through the first set, the big-serving American was broken early to trail 3-0 in the second. Fellow American DeHeart served for the set at 5-3 but could not close it out as Roddick fought back to force a tie-breaker, then sealed it 7-1 with a forehand winner. Playing in his first match since the Australian Open, Roddick finished with 11 aces and will next meet Leonardo Mayer in the second round. Earlier, Czech Radek Stepanek became the first defending champion to lose in the tournament’s first round in 20 years when he was ousted by Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-3 6-4. German fourth seed Tommy Haas was also eliminated, falling 7-6 6-2 to Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in the second round of the $531,000

hardcourt tournament. Third seed Stepanek had four break points against Malisse, but it was the Belgian who made the most of his chances, breaking once in each set to upset the world number 14. “It’s always tough to play the champion of the previous year because obviously they felt pretty good here, and everybody likes the winner of last year,” Malisse told reporters. “I’ve been injured for a while, so this time I had no pressure on me ... There was nothing to lose.” The victory was the former top 20 player’s first on tour since June. Stepanek had beaten American Mardy Fish for the title last year and was a losing finalist to Andy Roddick in 2008. Haas failed to convert five

break point chances in the opening set against Istomin, who will play sixth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarter-finals after the German thrashed Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-2 6-0. Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych also made the quarter-finals, posting a 63 6-2 victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen.

Andy Roddick follows through on a serve to Ryler DeHeart at the SAP Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, in San Jose, Calif. Roddick beat DeHeart 6-1, 7-6 (1). (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

Lakers beat Jazz to win third without Bryant UEFA confirm Mutu ineligible for Champions League Reuters -

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah The Los Angeles Lakers continued to thrive in the absence of All-Star Kobe Bryant, beating the Utah Jazz 96-81 on Thursday.

Lamar Odom had 25 points and 11 rebounds while Pau Gasol put up 22 points and 19 boards as the Lakers won their third straight without Bryant since he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Also playing their second in a

(AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton (4) works to keep control of the ball as Utah Jazz guard Wesley Mathews (23) takes a swat at it during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, in Salt Lake City. The Lakers beat the Jazz 96-81.

row without starting center Andrew Bynum, out with a hip injury, the NBA champions displayed the depth in their roster by halting a nine-game winning streak for the red-hot Jazz. “This just shows the depth of the team no matter who is hurt,” Gasol told reporters after his second straight 19-rebound effort. “The last three games have been pretty outstanding. We have guys working hard and we’re having fun.” Los Angeles (41-13) ended the first quarter on a 12-0 run to build a 13-point lead and never looked back. Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points to lead Utah (32-19) which pulled within 12 points midway through the fourth before Lakers guard Jordan Farmar drained a three-pointer to push the lead back to 15 and put the game away. The Jazz entered the game as favourites after winning 13 of their last 14, but appeared weary having played the Los Angeles Clippers the night before. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer both had 11 points and added 10 assists and 10 boards respectively. Bryant remains in doubt for Sunday’s All-Star Game. “I want (Kobe) to do what’s right for him,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. “If he’s 100 percent then play, if not he shouldn’t. He could’ve (played today) but why? He has a period of almost a week to rest.” Gasol, who has also been named for the All-Star Game, added five blocks and four assists to his totals. Odom carried a sore foot into the game but appeared unaffected by it and added three steals. Farmar also chipped in with 18 off the bench for Los Angeles.

Reuters -

BERNE - European soccer’s governing body UEFA confirmed on Wednesday that Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu is ineligible for next week’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich after he was banned by Italian authorities for failing a doping test. “This follows the decision rendered by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on Feb. 3 to extend the ban on the player to have a worldwide effect for the duration of the provisional suspension imposed by the association,” said UEFA in a statement. The Italian Olympic Committee

(CONI), which acts as the country’s anti-doping agency, provisionally suspended Mutu last month, saying he had tested positive for the appetite suppressant sibutramine following the Serie A match against Bari on Jan. 10. The Romanian was sacked by English Premier League club Chelsea in 2004 after using cocaine. Last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected his appeal against a ruling that he must pay Chelsea 17.17 million euros ($23.58 million) in damages. Mutu appealed again to a Swiss federal court and the situation is now on hold. Fiorentina visit the Bundesliga side on Feb. 17 for their first knockout round, first leg tie.

- European soccer’s governing body UEFA confirmed on Wednesday that Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu is ineligible for next week’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich

Sport

International

Friday, February 12, 2010

15

Wenger insists Arsenal are back in title hunt Agence France - Presse

LONDON – Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s title challenge is back on track after his side reduced the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to six points with a 1-0 win over Liverpool. The Gunners had been widely written off after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, which followed a heavy home loss to Manchester United. But Wenger was delighted with his side’s response as they ended a run of three games without a win thanks to Abou Diaby’s 72nd minute header at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Diaby’s winner ensured the Gunners took advantage of Chelsea’s loss at Everton, while second-placed United dropped two points at Aston Villa. Arsenal’s runin is, on paper, less daunting than their rivals and they face only two of the current top seven, Manchester City and Tottenham, in their 12 remaining games - giving Wenger hope of a renewed title bid. “Nobody realises what it is to play United, Chelsea and Liverpool on the trot is hard physically and mentally, especially after two massive disappointments. This win shows the team are solid,” Wenger said. “We have shown good togetherness and good discipline. It was a massive result for us. Let’s be consistent and try to win our next game. I believe we will fight until the last second of the season. We did that against Liverpool. That’s what we continue to do. We believe in our chances. You could see that Chelsea

again lost, United dropped points. So it is open for everybody. I don’t see any mathematical reason why we shouldn’t believe (we can win it). At the moment, it’s more important for us to focus on our next game rather than speak about titles. We had a big shock in our last two games, but it was important to come back and win.” Wenger’s delight was slightly tempered by injuries to Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri, although neither player is expected to face a lengthy lay-off. “Arshavin has a hamstring problem and Nasri has a knock on his head,” Wenger said. “I didn’t want to take a chance. He wanted to stay on, but he felt like vomiting so I didn’t want to take a chance. We will scan Arshavin on Thursday.” Liverpool remain fourth after a loss that ended their run of seven league games without defeat, but the Reds are now level on points with

fifth-placed Manchester City, who have played two games less. Rafael Benitez was frustrated his side had been denied a last minute penalty when Cesc Fabrgeas appeared to handle Steven Gerrard’s free kick but insisted the battle to finish in the top four would go to the wire. Aston Villa’s draw with United and Tottenham’s defeat at Wolves meant two of their rivals for fourth spot were unable to take full advantage of the Merseysiders’ slip. Benitez said: “When you lose after so many games unbeaten, you have to be disappointed. So now it’s about thinking for the future, about the next games. The race for third position will go to the end. “Always, when you lose, you’re disappointed. It was difficult playing against Arsenal who have so much possession. We defended well and had some chances, and could have scored at the end. Also, I’m really disappointed with the handball decision.”

(AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)

Arsenal’s players celebrate with their teammate Abou Diaby, bottom center, after Diaby scored against Liverpool during their Premier League soccer match at the Emirates stadium, in London, Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010.

Palop leads Sevilla to King’s Cup final Reuters -

(AP Photo/Paul White)

The referee pushes Getafe’s Roberto Soldado away during the second leg of a semi-final soccer match against Sevilla at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium in Getafe, Spain Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010. Getafe won 1-0 but Sevilla go through to the final with a 2-1 win on aggregate.

MADRID - Sevilla lost 1-0 away to Getafe but hung on to qualify for the King’s Cup final 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday, thanks to the heroics of their goalkeeper Andres Palop. The 36-year-old Sevilla captain held his side together and was only beaten once as Getafe completely dominated at the Coliseum. “That’s what we’re there for, to make saves. I was only doing my job,” Palop told reporters. “In all honesty we suffered too much, I don’t like that, I prefer to enjoy games more. Getafe played a great tie and they have to be congratulated, but we’re the ones in the final.” Their opponents will be known on Thursday when Atletico Madrid travel to Racing Santander to defend a 4-0 semi-final first-leg advantage. The final is in May with the date and venue yet to be confirmed. Getafe, finalists in 2007 and 2008, made a spirited effort to overturn the deficit hitting the crossbar early on. Sevilla were barely in the game and as tempers flared their coach Manolo Jimenez was sent to the stands for protesting a refereeing decision. The home side’s pressure finally paid dividends when Robert Soldado’s diving header snuck inside the far post after 52 minutes. But Palop was in outstanding form in the visiting goal and as Getafe tired the Andalusians started to threaten on the break. Soldado, Francisco Casquero and Derek Boateng almost forced extra-time in the closing stages, but the 2007 winners Sevilla went through to the final.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Sport

Rosberg tops wet first day at Jerez Jerez -

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the rain-hit first day of the second pre-season Formula 1 test at Jerez. The 24-yearold was fastest during the first hour before the rain, setting a best time of 1m20.927s to shade Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi by just 0.104s. Despite topping the times, his day ended badly as he brought out the red flag with 10 minutes remaining after stopping on track on his 58th lap.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg topped the rain-hit first day of the second pre-season Formula 1 test at Jerez. The 24-year-old was fastest during the first hour before the rain, setting a best time of 1m20.927s

Webber upbeat after first Red Bull test Jerez -

Mark Webber has given Red Bull Racing’s new RB6 an instant thumbs up after its first day of testing - and reckons the team has delivered exactly what it needed to for this season. Despite losing track time at Jerez through a precautionary engine change, and rain affecting the day’s running, Webber was upbeat about his early impressions of the car. “It was a pretty positive feeling actually,” said the Australian. “It wasn’t exactly a clean day of testing with the changeable conditions but that is the same with everyone. Then we had an unfortunate, pretty basic oil leak that turned into a bit more of a palaver than that. It was unfortunate that with hindsight we probably could have handled it a little bit better, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. We haven’t done the track time that we should have, but in the end we still got 50 laps on the car. Hopefully tomorrow it is dry so we can get more information.” Although almost the entire day was wet, the conditions were good enough for Webber to feel that the car was doing what he hoped it would. “Everything felt as we targeted and expected,” he said. “On a normal wet, slippery day at Jerez it felt fine. There were no real vices in the car. We still have to understand a few things with it, but now it is shaken down we can start to do a bit of work tomorrow. Then in the back part of the month we can start to look at lap times.” “It’s impossible [to judge the speed exactly] because you’ve got people out there who are one minute flying and the next minute not flying, so it’s hard to say who is doing what.” And although some have expressed sur-

prise that the RB6 is just an evolution of last year’s successful RB5, Webber is convinced enough by the work that technical chief Adrian Newey has done as the team targets world title glory in 2010. “I saw the car months ago so I knew what it was like,” he said. “Everyone copied his ideas from last year, which is a real credit to Adrian, but there is only so much the guy can do. You don’t know what he might come

up with and you might think it is going to be strange or different, but he has generally done a good job of designing F1 cars for regulation changes. We are very confident that this is a strong evolution of what we had last year and we hope it stands us in good stead. But hoping and wishing doesn’t get you anywhere. We know what we are up against and we are respectful of the opposition. We’ve done enough, that’s all you can do.”

But Rosberg was still content at the end of the session, having felt much more comfortable in the car than he had at Valencia last week. “The car felt very good today,” he said. “Compared to Valencia where I was sitting too low which affected my visibility and the set-up wasn’t perfect, today I felt really comfortable and I could push so it was an enjoyable day and a good start to the test for me.” Because of the bad weather, drivers’ fastest lap times were all set in the first hour, with the new Red Bull RB6 ending near the foot of the times because Mark Webber’s lap was posted while the car was still going through the installation process. The Australian completed 47 laps before being forced to stop on track with an oil leak, and was only able to rejoin the session in the final 15 minutes as the problem meant an engine change was required. However, the late red flag meant that he could only man-

age another three laps. “It’s frustrating that a problem with a simple component late morning forced an engine change later in the day, as it cost us quite a lot of time,” said the team’s head of race engineering Ian Morgan. “However, the most disappointing thing today was the weather - it’s good to have a test in the wet, but it’s not ideal when it’s your first. We’re hoping for better conditions tomorrow when we will continue working through the new car system checks.” The Force India VJM03 also ran in public for the first time, with Vitantonio Liuzzi driving the car that Adrian Sutil shook down at Silverstone. The Italian was seventh fastest, four seconds off Rosberg’s mark, but like Webber the time was set while the car was completing installation laps after missing last week’s Valencia test. “In the dry, the balance felt good,” said Liuzzi.