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Jerusalem hotel demolished for Israeli apartments

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

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A handout photo provided by the Iranian news agency IRNA shows firefighters and Red Crescent rescuers working near the wreckage of a state-run Iran Air Boeing 727 airliner late on January 9, 2011 near the northwestern city of Orumiyeh in the West Azerbaijan province. Iranian media reported on January 9 that the Iran Air plane crashed in bad weather and broke into pieces.

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Religion and Art important to develop tourism PAGE 8

AFP PHOTO/ IRNA/ ALIASQAR OFTADEH

‘True Grit’ rides tall with $15M and No. 1 finish

Up to 77 dead in Iran plane crash as toll rises Associated Press Writer

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TEHRAN, Iran – Authorities on Monday raised the death toll in a plane crash in northwest Iran to as many as 77 as investigators searched for clues to what caused the aircraft to attempt a disastrous emergency landing.

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The pilots of the Boeing-727, operated by Iran’s national airline, reported a technical failure to the control tower before trying to make the emergency landing in a snowstorm Sunday night, state-run TV reported. The IranAir aircraft broke into several pieces, but

Mahmoud Mozaffar, head of the rescue department of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, said there was no explosion or fire. Heavy snow hampered rescue efforts, the semiofficial Fars news agency cited the head of the state emergency center, Gholam Reza

Masoumi, as saying. That report also mentioned fog in the area. State TV aired footage showing rescue workers and local farmers searching for survivors Sunday night in parts of the wrecked plane under snowfall and in the darkness. State TV said the aircraft disappeared from radar and went down in farmland after making a second attempt to land. The nature of the technical failure was not clear. A provincial official, Javad Mahmoudi, said 77 people died and 27 were injured, some critically.

But Iran’s Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani said 105 passengers and crew were on board, 72 died and 33 were lightly hurt. There was no word on the fate of the two children he said were on board. Shortly after the crash, authorities said the plane was carrying 106 people and 71 died. The conflicting accounts could not be immediately explained. Some of the passengers were able to walk off the plane, said Abbas Mosayebi, a spokesman for the civil aviation authority. Continued on page 6

Flash floods kill 2 in water-weary NE Australia Associated Press Writer

BRISBANE, Australia – Flash floods swept through an Australian city Monday, killing at least two people, trapping others in cars and leaving some clinging to trees as relentless rains brought more misery to a region battling its worst flooding in decades. The raging torrent of muddy water picked up cars and tossed

them like toys, carried away furniture as it washed through stores and prompted scores of emergency calls as it swamped Toowoomba, a city of about 90,000 in Queensland state in the northeast. At least two people were killed, including one female pedestrian, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Assistant Commissioner Tom Dawson said. Continued on page 6

AP Photo/ABC

A man is rescued by emergency workers after he was stranded clinging to a tree on a flooded street in Toowoomba, Australia, during a flash flood Monday, Jan. 10, 2011.

International

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Bali News Heavy equipments are needed

For cleaning up debris of avalanche Tabanan, DenPost—

Bad things seemed to happen at the same time. This misfortune hit the residents of Munduk Temu Village, Pupuan Subdistrict. Just imagine, after being stricken by the recent landslides, the local residents were even asked for the charges of heavy equipment used to clean up the debris of avalanche. It was revealed by the Chief of Munduk Temu Village, Gusti Made Arsana, Sunday (Jan 9). He said after the landslide disaster causing damages to the connecting road of Kebon Sari, Anggasari and Munduk Temu along 30 meters on Thursday (Dec 31) last year, local residents then asked for the help of loader heavy equipment to the local government. Ironically, after the works accomplished, local residents were even charged as much as IDR 800,000 for such heavy equipment services. “We asked for the charges at IDR 800,000. It was said for the cost of diesel fuel and heavy equipment operator. And, we even have paid for it,” said Arsana. Admittedly, after the disaster occurred, a number of higher officials of Tabanan Regency, including the Secretary Nengah Judiana also came down to the scene, Friday (Jan 1). At that time, the officials witnessed the heavy equipment cleaning up the

materials of avalanche covering the road. “Some officials, including the Secretary had come to location of landslides. Ultimately, the debris of avalanche could be cleaned up and removed by the heavy equipment for two days,” he said. In addition, recognized Arsana, about 700 local residents also had to do community service to clean up the debris of landslides at 12 points of location. Even, the local residents also made concrete road at Kebon Jero, Anggasari and Munduk Temu Village with self-finance and donations from philanthropists. To raise funds and achieve agreement, his party organized a village meeting. It was decided that the fund was collected from each villager. For people having a two-wheeled vehicle was subject to a contribution of IDR 50,000 per vehicle, while for four-wheeled vehicle was charged at IDR 100,000 per vehicle and then six-wheeled vehicle was charged at

IDR 150,000. “From various contributions, we finally could collect the money amounting to IDR 13 million coming from local residents, donors and legislators including the Chief of Pupuan Subdistrict,” added Arsana. Meanwhile, when asked for separate confirmation, the Head of Tabanan Public Works, Wayan Sutamba, looked surprised. Even, Sutamba claimed the operational cost of the heavy equipment was not charged by his party. His party even deplored the attitude of the loader operator requesting for charges again. As a matter of fact, the operational costs, including the diesel fuel and operator service had been paid previously. “Everything has been paid and we do not have to charge the public. If the operator indeed charged any additional costs, we appeal the money should be refunded to the local residents,” he said. (122)

Rabies in Nusa Penida

Also feared to spread to cattle breeders Semarapura (Bali Post)—

Transmission of rabies is increasingly alarming in Nusa Penida. It was also feared to spread to cow breeders. Because, the wild dogs living in bushes, caves and hills had possibility to bite the cattle owned by residents. And so far, the cow of Nusa Penida was famous for its purity and resistance to various diseases that have been attacking cattle on the Bali mainland. Therefore, the people of Nusa Penida asked the government and all relevant parties to tighten the supervision against the entry of dogs having potential to be infected by the virus to Nusa Penida. If necessary, starting from now on it should be prevailed the

ban of bringing in pet animals that currently had become the carrier of rabies transmission such as monkeys, cats, dogs and others. “Indeed, up to these days the biggest concern of society is the spread of rabies from dogs to humans because there are many wild dogs still alive in Nusa Penida,” said the residents of Nusa Penida, Suryana, Sunday (Jan 9). In relation to the transmission to cows, a number of other people mentioned that the concerns of residents in the islands region clearly existed, though the current capacity remained small. When the rabies transmitted to the cattle, the history about the distinctive cows of Nusa Penida with high quality would come to an end. “Therefore, imme-

diate measures must be carried out by all parties to prevent further transmission of rabies in Nusa Penida,” said the residents. On the other hand, the Klungkung Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs (PPK) and officers of the Klungkung Health Services began to make intensive preparation. The PPK Office vaccinated and eliminated the wild dogs. Up to these days, at least 2,300 wild dogs had been eliminated in some villages whose transmission was the most severe such as at Batukandik, Bunga Mekar, Sakti and Batumadeg. Currently, at least 1,700 dosages of dog vaccine had been delivered to Nusa Penida. Meanwhile, the Klungkung Health Services provided vaccine for humans or victims of dog bite. (kmb20)

Loose security check in Gilimanuk Negara (Bali Post)—

Desire of the Secretary of Jembrana Regency, I Gede Suinaya, to review the security standard operating procedure in Gilimanuk especially in the examination of identity cards could be right. In some parts of the examination such as in the identity card and freight checkpoints remained to get away. Many supporting buildings and facilities were neglected. Therefore, Bali Provincial Government and Bali Police had to collectively think about the more effective security system at the entrance to Bali Island. Since the Bali bomb blast I and II, the examination system at the exit point of Gilimanuk was very strict. Some security personnel and relevant agencies like Mobile Brigade, Agricultural Quarantine, public order officers up to civil servants in charge of civil registry office were deployed for security. However, some constraints always appeared as problem such as the extortion and unpreparedness of the officers for the examination. Some supporting facilities were provided for inspection, but they recently have been unused or redundant. From observation made on Sunday (Jan 9), a number of facilities such as security door did not work and a permanent building used for identity card checkpoint was unused up to these

days. The security door deliberately placed for luggage check did not work and it was just intended for display. Humans or bus passengers were required to pass through the doors, but it did not work. The officers just checked them manually. Meanwhile, the new building used to support the identity card checkpoint was not functioned. Aside from being used to deceive the officers, the regional migrants bringing along no identity cards were accidentally asked to exit without passing through the security door but turning through the pedestrian entrance and then exited directly through the bus stop. The frequent escape of illegal migrants had also been revealed by the officials of Jembrana Regency. Last year, the Secretary of Jembrana Regency, I Gede Suinaya, admitted to see in person the act of the officer who let the bus passengers to Bali get away without passing through the identity card checkpoint. They were not only passengers of tourist buses, but also of the intercity bus that frequently entered Bali. Even, Suinaya had felt ashamed of the Bali Provincial Government because the budget had been extended for the examination. At that time, his party admitted to promptly evaluate whether the identity card check would be continued or discontinued. (kmb26)

AP3I: Three Solutions to Control Rats Tabanan, DenPost

There three ways of solutions to control rats which are raiding, feeding and whole Bali does niskala (microcosmos) ceremony as revealed by Head of Local Board of Education and Training Provider Association Indonesia (DPD AP3I) for Bali, Ir. Ketut Arsana Yasa, last Sunday (9/1). These were hoped to be also an interest of the government as to the man who’s friendly called Sadam, the raiding all these times only done locally and it’s not enough to pressurize these rat population, “If raiding was only done in one area or a specific subak (irrigation), then the rat population pres-

surize is only for that place. So other places still increases.” This altogether movement can increase the people’s awareness to capture rats. Sadam stated based on the survey done at 2008-2009 at Tabanan Region on its loss due to rats reached IDR 7,1 billion from over 270 hectares of paddy field there is. If raiding and feeding are done by the whole Bali, Sadam is sure that 200.000 rats can be destroyed, “Besides raiding and feeding, the niskala way can’t be ignored. I hope this concept can be thought of by the province also the regions especially for the farmers in Tabanan who have been disturbed by these rat beings.” (121)

z Founder : K.Nadha, z General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti z Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, 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,Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan,. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. 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. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Bali News

International

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Silver Shop Robbed, IDR 200 Million Gone Denpasar (Bali Post) –

After several times happening, a silver shop at South Denpasar was victimize again and this time was a shop owned by Jusda Usprianti at Danau Tamblingan Street No.1, Denpasar. A number of kind and shapes of silver wears were taken and causing the victim who lived at Jukti Sari Street No. 44, Denpasar loss IDR 200 million. The case has been reported to the police under No. LP/02/1/2011 dated 7th January 2011. According to a Denpasar Police Resort officer last Sunday (9/1) it is strongly suspected that the robbers were more than one. This was proven by the many items that were gone. It is also thought the robbers came in by breaking the ceiling, “After the crime scene was investigated, there were damages on the shop’s ceiling. We think it’s the robbers who have done it.” Chronologically, victim just knew it had happened at 2 pm local time. Victim was shocked the shop’s space was in a mess. More shockingly all the silver jewelries displayed were gone from its place,

“Those items (silver jewelries, red) were placed on the displaying place. All those silver wear were ready to be sold.” Victim then contacted the police straight away and a number of officers came to location also interviewed some witnesses. Even so, it’s still unknown who have done it. Officers suspected it has happened in the early morning as in the afternoon the place surrounding it is crowded. A number of fast attack troops have also been sent, “Police are still investigating it. Let’s pray the robber can be captured soon.” (kmb21)

A Problem, Roro Boat Passengers Overloaded Semarapura (Bali Post) –

The Roro Nusa Jaya Abadi ship with the Nusa Dua Pier is hard to be separated from problems. Besides having failed to fix the piers as workers were fired for being unprofessional, many other things happened in the roro’s operational. When all this time it was said to have less passengers, it was actually been overloaded by it. Also the incomes from these passengers’ tickets were unclear. A number of reports now have been given to the council as the people are asking the council to go through it so it won’t continue. Besides threatening passengers’ lives of being overloaded, it is also disadvantaging the government as the data report on its contribution to the region was not as conditioned as what happened on the field. “Yes, we have received the complain,” Head of Klungkung House of Representatives Commission A, Wayan Buda Parwata, stated last Sunday (9/1). Buda also asked the law institutes to go through it. He revealed some data with reports of overloaded passengers which was received from the public who saw the workers notes such as on 2nd August 2010, the roro with capacity 200 passen-

gers were overloaded to 337, 4th August reaching 329, 5th august reaching 397, 9th September reaching 495 and 10th September reaching 695. the worse was 11th September with 870. To Buda, this is very dangerous, “Moreover, those passengers bought tickets yet the ones given to the council were as the 200 capacity. Where did the rest go?” Head of Klungkung Transportation, Communication and Information, Nengah Sukasta, admitted the crossing from Nusa Penida-Padang Bai Harbor exceed its capacity. Yet that overload is at its maximum limit (20 percent), “The report we receive is always as the number of tickets sold. There are number to it and official sign from Income Agency. So it can’t be hidden.” Moreover, these overload passengers did not happen everyday, just on holidays or religious days, “The overloaded passengers problem have also been coordinated with harbor leader. If it’s permitted, then it will go.” Different from what’s said by Sukasta, Head of Nusa Penida Pier, Made Kastika, stated don’t let those roro overloaded by passengers, “If it’s overloaded, I would direct them to go on other boats or traditional boats.” (kmb20)

IBP/Ole

The damage road is planted by a tree by the local in Pakisan Village, Singaraja.

Damaged Road, Trees Planted Singaraja (Bali Post)

The damaged road at Pakisan Village, Kubutambahan seemed to annoy local residents and so they planted trees to where it was damaged. These were done to the ones in Dusun Samburni. The trees seemed to be planted by the resi-

dents during a work together of cleaning roads and drainages after raining several times, last Sunday (9/1). It was unknown who initiated to plant taro trees and bushes to the damaged points. A resident stated the road in this dusun has been damaged for a long

time yet the council still hasn’t fix it when actually this is an economy strategic route for the local people because it’s on the borders of Pakisan Village with Bebetin Village, “This road condition is very dangerous for motorcycle users as it is a steep road.” (kmb15)

Calonarang: The King, The Witch And The Priest At the beginning of 7th century, a Balinese prince becomes the king of Java, the great Erlangga. His mother, Mahendradatta, was a Javanese princess who ruled Bali with her Balinese husband, Dharmodayana, until the husband, suspecting her of practising evil magic, exiled her to the forest. When Erlangga’s father died, leaving Mahendradatta as a rangda or a widow, she conspired to use her band of pupils trained in the black arts to destroy Erlangga’s kingdom. Her chief grudge against Erlangga because of fancied insults to her beautiful daughter, Ratna Menggali – the noblemen of Daha had refused her in marriage for fear of her mother’s evil reputation. Calonarang (Erlangga’s mother who practicing evil magic) went with her pupils to the cemetery and they prayed and danced in honour of Begawati, the deity of black magic, to help them destroy Daha. The goddess appeared and danced with them, granting her permission, warning the witch, however, to preserve the center of

the kingdom untouched. The witches danced at the crossroads and soon people fell in great numbers. Discovering the cause of the epidemic, Erlangga ordered his soldiers to go and kill the witch. They stole into her house while she slept and stabbed her in the heart, but Calonarang awoke unhurt and consumed the daring soldiers with her own fire. The witch went once more into the cemetery and danced with her pupils, dug out corpses, cutting them into pieces, eating the members, drinking the blood, and wearing the entrails as necklaces. Begawati appeared again and joined in the bloody banquet, but warned Calonarang to be careful. The witches danced once more at the crossroads and the dreadful epidemic ravaged the land, the vassals of Erlangga died before they could even bury the corpses they bore to the cemeteries. The desperate king sent for Mpu Bharada, the holy man from Lemah Tulis, the only living being who could vanquish the witch. Mpu Bharada planned his campaign carefully. He sent Bahula,

his young assistant, to ask for the witch daughter ’s in marriage. Highly flattered, the mother gave her consent and after a happy and passionate honeymoon, Bahula learned from his wife the secret of Calonarang’s power. The possession of a little magic book which he stole and turned over to his master. The holy man copied it and had it returned before the disappearance could be noticed. The book was a manual of righteousness and had to be read backwards. The holy man was then able to restore life to those victims whose bodies had not yet decayed. Armed with the new knowledge, he accused the witch of her crimes, but she challenged him by setting an enormous Banyan tree on fire by a single look of her fiery eyes. Bharada foiled the enraged witch by restoring the tree, and she turned her fire against the holy man. Unmoved, he killed her with one of her own mantras, but she died in her monstrous form and Bharada, to absolve her of her crimes and enable her to atone for them, revived her, gave her human appearance, and then killed her again. (BTN/Doc)

News

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

International

US, China defense chiefs mend frayed military ties Associated Press Writer

BEIJING – The U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs took a step Monday toward mending frayed relations between their powerful militaries, though China warned ties could be cut again if Washington does not heed Beijing’s wishes. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, after a morning of talks, agreed to set up a working group to explore a more formal, regular dialogue on strategic issues. The agreement, along with Gates’ visit, marks the symbolic end to a rocky year in which Beijing cut off defense ties with the United States over arms sales to Taiwan, the democratic island China claims, and objected to U.S. naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea. Gates also extended an invitation to the chief of the People’s Liberation Army’s general staff to visit Washington in the first half of this year. “I come away from these meetings convinced that the PLA leadership is as committed to fulfilling the mandate of our two presidents as I am,” Gates said at a news briefing. But the step forward on strategic talks falls short of protecting ties between the militaries from further ruptures. Liang, who is a PLA general, refused to guarantee that Beijing would refrain from suspending military ties in the future, especially if there are future arms sales to Taiwan. Such arms sales “severely damage China’s core interests,” Liang told reporters after the talks. The U.S., he said, needs to pay more at-

tention to what China wants. Gates’ four-day trip to Beijing comes a week before Chinese President Hu Jintao goes to Washington, and both governments are trying to smooth over substantial friction over trade, North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programs and China’s generally more assertive diplomatic posture. A rapid build-up of the Chinese military has added to the tensions, fueling perceptions of an aggressively rising China, unnerving neighbors and causing Washington to insist that Beijing more clearly explain its intentions. China has made strides in building a new stealth fighter jet, and Washington is also concerned about a new ballistic missile that could theoretically explode a U.S. aircraft carrier nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) out to sea. China has also apparently beaten U.S. estimates to develop that weapon. Gates told reporters traveling with him to Asia on Sunday that China had the potential to “put some of our capabilities at risk.”

AP Photo/Larry Downing, Pool

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, left, and China’s Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie stand while they shake hands after answering questions at Bayi Building in Beijing, China, on Monday January 10, 2011.

“We have to pay attention to them. We have to respond appropriately with our own programs,” Gates said. At their news conference Monday,

Gates and Liang denied their governments are entering an arms race. Liang, dressed in his military uniform, animatedly defended China’s

growing capabilities, calling them “entirely appropriate and consistent with China’s rise as an economic and political power.”

Algeria vows punishment over deadly food riots Agence France Presse

AFP/File

Bangladeshi police personnel stand beside a fire set by angry investors in front of the Dhaka Stock Exchange

Police baton-charge Dhaka share protesters Agence France Presse

DHAKA – Police baton-charged protesters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Monday, witnesses said, as angry investors vented their fury after the stock market fell more than nine percent in an hour. Bangladesh’s Dhaka Stock Exchange halted trading after stocks tumbled a record 9.25 percent soon after opening. The main DGEN index rose 80 percent in 2010 but has suffered a series of falls in the past three weeks.

ALGIERS – Algerian authorities insisted the country had “turned the page” on nationwide food riots that left five people dead and vowed to punish those responsible. A day after the government imposed urgent cuts on import duties and taxes in a bid to curb soaring food prices, witnesses said calm appeared to return to all cities and towns that had been hit by rioting. “From our side, we consider that we have turned the page” on the riots, Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia told AFP in an interview. Ould Kablia said more than 800 people had been injured in the unrest, including 763 police, and that more than 1,000 protesters, many of them minors, had been arrested during the weekend disturbances. Protesters “involved in causing serious injuries and in attacks against citizens will be the responsibility of the criminal courts and will be judged”, he said. The rioting erupted amid deep anger at increases in prices for basic goods, some of which have risen by as much as 30 percent since January 1. The interior ministry has said three people were killed in the riots — one shot dead while trying to break into a police station, one found on the streets with head wounds and one found in a hotel burned down by rioters. A young man was also shot dead

while trying, along with his father, to protect their bar from rioters, several sources said. And a 65-year-old taxi driver died Sunday in hospital after having inhaled gas used by security forces against protesters, a hospital source said. Ould Kablia said the level of damage was “immense” and that rioters had targeted mainly banks, shops and public buildings. Stores nonetheless began to reopen in Algiers on Sunday and train services, interrupted since Thursday, resumed across the country.

There was no sign yet of the promised reduction in food prices, however. At the height of the crisis on Saturday, the government announced a temporary 41 percent cut in customs duties and taxes on sugar and food oils and said the effects of the cut should trickle down to consumers soon. “I paid 15 dinars (0.15 euros) for a croissant which I normally buy for 10 dinars and the baker explained that that this was because of the higher price of sugar,” said an electrician who identified himself only as Murad.

AP Photo

Youth face police forces in Algiers, Algeria Sunday Jan. 9, 2011, during the funeral ceremony of Abdelfattah Akriche, a 32 year old demonstrator who was killed during riots in Bousmail, south of Algiers. Youths in the North African nation have been rioting for days following sudden price hikes for staples including sugar, flour and oil.

International

Activities

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Favehotels Announces Its 4th Hotel in Bali IBP

KUTA -Aston International announced that the group has secured a management contract for its smart select service favehotel brand in Kuta, Bali. The favehotel Kuta will be a 100 room two star hotel within walking distance to central Kuta and its many shopping and entertainment options making it an ideal value proposition for travelers seeking quality budget accommodations in the heart of Kuta. To enhance the new favehotels attractiveness the hotel will also feature ample of parking space and an eclectic and trendy café shop. Set to open in October of 2011 the favehotel Kuta is the 4th favehotel Aston has announced for Bali with one in operation in Denpasar and two more in an advanced stage of construction in Legian and Seminyak. Aston Internationals Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Mr. Norbert Vas, said “The demand for branded and international standard select service hotels in Bali is sheer

endless and we are very confident that the new favehotel will become very popular and do extremely well. We do believe that there is room for more and are looking also into the possibility for a 150 room favehotel on Jalan Dianapura as well as sites on Jalan Dewi Sri, Sunset Road, Tuban and Singaraja. Besides Bali we are currently also developing a favehotel in Langkawi, Malaysia, two in Jakarta, two in Surabaya and others in destinations such as Solo, Solo Baru and Banjarmasin.” Favehotel is a new select service brand established by Aston International, one of Indonesia’s leading Hotel Groups, aiming to offer inexpensive, fresh, attractive and contemporary 2 star hotels to smart budget minded travelers. Since its inception in July 2009 favehotel has been on the forefront of the budget hotel sector redefining the industry’s standards for select service hotels thru imaginary design, mid market features such as high quality beddings and LCD televisions and a small environmental footprint.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event forJanuary 3 through January 26, 2011 04 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main ritual of twelfth month commanced with temple annyversary celebration of Pura Accompanied by Gambang orchestra at 18.00 pm. Temple anniversary celebration at Pura Dalem Puri,Pura Ulun Kulkul, Pura Kiduling Kreteg, Pura Benua Kawan,Besakih complex,districk of Rendang,Karangasem regency 05 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main Ceremony held at Pura Jero when the whole temple adherents go praying to the temple in their finest traditional dress while Gambang orchestra cheeras the atmosphere at 17.00 pm. 06 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Last ritual held at Pura Jero ended with procession of Deities back to Subak Pemaksan (the agricultural temple) at 18.00 pm. Followed by special event held for the elderly people of the village. 12 January Temple anniversary celebration at: * Pura Luhur Pucak Padang Dawa, Bangli village,distict of Baturiti, Tabanan Regency * Pura Silayukti,Padangbai village, district of manggis,Karangasem Regency * Pura Air Jeruk,South Beach of Sukawati Village,Gianyar Regency * Pura Dangin Pasar,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regensy

* Pura Desa Lembeng,Ketewel village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Penataran,Batuyang Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Budha Kliwon,Penatih Village, east of denpasar 19 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Ratu Pasek Besakih (the mother temple) complex,distric of Rendang, Karangasem Regency * Pura Dalem Batur Village, distric of kintamani,Bangli regency 22 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Dalem Tarukan,Bebalang village, South oe the town of bangli. * Pura Benua Kangin,Besakih (the mother temple complex)Karngasem Regensy * Pura Dalem,Pemuteran,Jelantik tojan Village,Klungkung regensy * Pura Pucak Sari,Gunung Sari Village,district of Penebel,Tabanan Regency. 26 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Bandesa Mas Kepisah,Pedungan village, south of denpasar * Pura Pasar agung,Kaba-kaba village, district of kediri,Tabanan regency * Pura Dalem Petinget, Kerobokan village, district of kuta,Badung regency * Pura Dalem Pulasari,samprangan village, district of blahbatuh,Gianyar regency * Pura Natih,Banjar kalan,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati,Gianyar regency

Balinese Temple Ceremony EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc. The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion. The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines. In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

News Israeli bulldozers demolish the Shepherd Hotel in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah

Jerusalem hotel demolished for Israeli apartments Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM – Israeli bulldozers demolished a vacant hotel in an Arab neighborhood of east Jerusalem on Sunday, clearing the way for a new Jewish housing development that has drawn heavy Palestinian and American condemnations. The planned construction, combined with a flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian violence, bodes poorly for a new U.S. attempt to restart peace talks later this week. The Palestinians accused Israel of “playing with fire” and undermining peace efforts. The dispute over east Jerusalem is the

most explosive issue in Israeli-Palestinian peace making. The conflicting claims to the area, captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians as their future capital, have periodically spilled over into violence. Early Sunday, construction crews knocked down the historic Shepherd Ho-

tel, built in the 1930s as the residence of the mufti of Jerusalem at the time, Haj Amin Husseini. Human rights activist Danny Seidemann clarified that while most of the hotel was set to be demolished, part of the historic facade will remain standing.

Sudan north-south border clashes kill 23: source Reuters

KHARTOUM – At least 23 people have died in clashes between tribespeople and Arab nomads near Sudan’s north-south border, leaders in the contested Abyei region said on Monday, on the second day of a week-long referendum on southern independence. Analysts cite the central region of Abyei as the most likely place for north-south tensions to erupt into violence during and after the vote, the climax of a troubled peace deal that ended decades of civil war. Southerners are expected to vote to split from the mostly Muslim north, depriving Khartoum of most of its oil reserves. President Barack Obama on Saturday warned both northern and southern leaders not to use proxy forces over the voting period, highlighting international concerns that both sides might be resorting to tactics used in past campaigns. Leading members of Abyei’s Dinka Ngok tribe, linked with the south, accused Khartoum of arming the area’s Arab Misseriya militias in clashes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and said they were expecting more attacks in days to come. In another sign of tension, southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said two men — a Ugandan and a northern army soldier — were arrested with four boxes holding 700 rounds of AK-47 ammunition in Juba on

Sunday night. Aguer earlier said the north was also backing renegade fighters involved in recent clashes in the southern oil- producing Unity state. The northern army’s spokesman, alSawarmi Khaled, on Monday denied any link to the ammunition or the clashes. PEACEFUL VOTING

Observers said thousands of voters queued up for a second day of voting that continued peacefully across other areas of the south. The final results are expected by February 15, with preliminary results some two weeks earlier. “Yesterday I tried my best but it was too much for me. Queues were too long. People were too emotional. Everyone wants to be first to decide his destiny,” said Salah Mohamed, waiting outside a booth on the outskirts of the southern capital Juba. “Today I could vote but still as you can see the crowds are still there ... I think the commission might need to extend the voting days.” A U.N. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there were reports Misseriya fighters were re-grouping in the settlement of Golih Langar on Monday, 25 km (16 miles) north of Abyei town, the headquarters of U.N. peacekeepers in the region and international aid groups. “A large number of Misseriya attacked

Maker village yesterday (Sunday), backed by government militia ... The first day one person died, the second day nine, yesterday 13 ... It will continue. If not Maker then will attack every other village,” said Charles Abyei, speaker of the Abyei administration. Residents of the central Abyei region were promised their own referendum on whether to join the north or the south but leaders could not agree on how to run the poll and the vote did not take place, as planned on January 9. Charles Abyei said the Misseriya attacked because they had heard false rumours the Dinka were about to unilaterally declare themselves part of the south. Misseriya leader Mokhtar Babo Nimr told Reuters 13 of his men had died on Sunday’s clash and accused southerners of starting the fighting. “They attacked us because they don’t want the Arabs to go south to water their herds but the cattle need water and they will go. If they continue to stop us going south this fighting will continue.” Southern army spokesman Philip Aguer said fighters captured after clashes with Galwak Gai’s militia in Unity state on the eve of the vote said they had been sent from Khartoum. “This is their last attempt to try to disrupt the voting process but they will not succeed,” Aguer said.

Up to 77... From page 1 The aircraft was headed from Tehran to Orumiyeh, capital of West Azerbaijan province, a distance of about 460 miles, or 700 kilometers. Iran has a history of frequent air accidents blamed on its aging aircraft and poor maintenance. Many of the Boeing aircraft in IranAir’s fleet were bought before the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which disrupted ties with the U.S. and Europe. Iranian airlines, including those run by the state, are chronically strapped for cash, and maintenance has suffered, experts say. U.S. sanctions prevent Iran from updating its 30year-old American aircraft and make it difficult to get European spare parts or planes as well. The country has come to rely on Russian aircraft, many of them Soviet-era planes that are harder to get parts for since the Soviet Union’s fall. In July 2009 a Russian-made jetliner crashed in northwest Iran shortly after taking off from the capital, killing all 168 on board. In February 2003 a Russian-made Ilyushin 76 carrying members of the Revolutionary Guard crashed in the mountains of southeastern Iran, killing 302 people aboard.

Flash floods... From page 1 Video taken at the scene shows a man clutching a tree as the gushing water sweeps down a street, pushing vehicles off the road, into each other and flinging one van into trees. One small sedan was tossed about in murky brown rapids. “We’ve had multiple calls requesting urgent assistance from people caught in vehicles, caught on the street, caught in flood ways,” said Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart, adding that the flash flood happened with no warning. It was the latest drama for water-weary Queensland, which has been devastated by weeks of pounding rains and overflowing rivers. Twelve people have died since late November and about 200,000 have been affected by the floods. Roads and rail lines have been cut, Queensland’s big-exporting coal mine industry has virtually shut down, and cattle ranching and farming across a large part of the state are at a standstill. Dawson said his group recorded 90 emergency calls from people in conditions that were considered the be life-threatening. Several people were rescued, and officials were still struggling to respond to all of the calls. The waters disappeared almost as fast as they arrived, leaving debris strewn throughout downtown Toowoomba and — in one place — cars piled atop one another. Video from Toowoomba showed the rescue of one man hanging onto a tree amid the churning waters. Others were stranded on the roof of a building, and on the roof of a submerged car. Toowoomba resident Sarah Gordon said she saw at least 15 cars washed away by the floodwaters. “A lot of cars got swept down the road ... right down the creek,” she said. “A few people were trapped, but they luckily got out.” The water also gushed into city businesses. “The water was lapping at our office door and was just leaking through,” said Emily Hart, who works in a real estate office. “It all happened within a matter of an hour. It was a massive amount of water.” Muddy waters also flowed through the main street in the city of Gympie, one of more than 40 Queensland communities to be drenched by overflowing rivers. Gympie residents were frantically sandbagging buildings, but about a dozen businesses were inundated by Monday and dozens more were at risk as the Mary River burst its banks and kept rising. The flooding in Gympie, home to 16,000 people, was not as bad as that elsewhere in recent weeks, when entire towns were submerged beneath an inland sea the size of France and Germany combined. But it was a sign the ground has little capacity left to soak up any more moisture, so any new rain is likely to make matters worse, officials said. Queensland officials have said the price of rebuilding homes, businesses and infrastructure, coupled with economic losses, could be as high as $5 billion.

International

Indonesia Today

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Mt. Merapi’s cold lava floods paralyze village roads Antara

BOYOLALI - Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods had paralyzed access roads linking Jarak Kidul hamlet and Sepi hamlet in Jrakah village, Selo subdistrict, Central Java district of Boyolali, on Sunday evening. Head of Jrakah village, Tumar, said the roads were covered with landslides so that road traffic became totally disrupted following the volcano’s lava floods. “The landslides occurred on Sunday at 05.50 PM local time. Since then, locals are afraid of going out of Sepi hamlet,” he said. The lava floods hit various areas near Mount Merapi’s slopes amid the rains that kept falling from Sunday afternoon till evening at 11.00 PM local time, he said. Despite the serious landslides and lava floods, there were no reports of fatalities so far, Tumar said. “We cannot yet check the real condition on the ground due to the rain. The information that we have so far was about certain parts of water pipes in Jarak Kidul hamlet that have been destroyed by the lava floods,” he said. According to a rescue worker from Jalin Merapi, Sinam Sutarno, the lava floods broke out on Saturday caused two bridges to collapse in Klakah village. The bridges linked the areas of Wonolelo village, Sawangan

subdistsrict, Magelang district, to Klakah village in Boyolali district, he said. Last December, Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods also paralyzed access roads to Tlogolele village, Selo subdistrict, Boyolali district. Mount Merapi had erupted repeatedly in the past two or three weeks but its most fatal eruptions occurred on October 26 and November 5. As a result of the eruptions, at least 259 people had perished and many others sustained serious burns and became displaced. Mount Merapi, on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java. The volcano’s eruptions spewed hot clouds of ash and lava into the air and sent lava down its many slopes. Besides killing and injuring several hundred people, eruptions had also damaged 867 hectares of forested land on the volcano’s slopes in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, with material losses estimated at Rp33 billion. The damaged forested areas included the Merapi National Park, community forests and local people’s plantations. Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have regularly been detected since 1548.

FOTO ANTARA/Anis Efizudin

A biker get help from his friend on because the bridge was inundated by vulcanic material. Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods had paralyzed access roads linking Jarak Kidul hamlet and Sepi hamlet in Jrakah village, Selo subdistrict, Central Java district of Boyolali, on Sunday evening.

Beware of global issues affecting RI’s economy Antara

JAKARTA - Indonesians have been warned to beware of global crisis issues that could have a serious impact on its economic growth, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said. “We have to beware of three crises that could trigger disputes among global countries. They are food supply, energy and water,” the President said here when opening a Governors’ Meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center Monday. Floods that hit Australia the size of Germany and France recently is a sign of climate change. It af-

fected agriculture, mining, and other economic sectors in Australia and also have a serious impact on the global economy, Yudhoyono said. Although water seemed so abundant, but some areas and countries were now undergoing water shortages, he said. According to him, besides the

three crises, some global issues that might have an impact on the global economy are world peace and security, global poverty, terrorism and extremism, climate change, and natural disasters. “Of 6.8 billion of the world population, around 2 billion are poor people,” he said, adding that the issues were faced globally. These issues were the challenges facing Indonesia. However, there were always opportunities for Indonesia from this global situation, he said. “We live in a dynamic world.

Therefore, we should be keen in anticipating, gaining opportunities, and facing challenges and obstacles,” he said. Developed countries wanted to cooperate with emerging economies or developing countries that had values and commitments to economic and technology benefit, he said International cooperation in defense systems and overcoming climate change were some examples of cooperation prompted by global issues, Yudhoyono said, adding that we should be more sensitive and keen on the hidden potentials of glo-

bal issues. The meeting was attended by ministers, governors from all Indonesia’s provinces, and also district and municipality heads, was officially opened at 9 am. The Gubernatorial Working Meeting has been held four times since Yudhoyono’s took office in 2009. The theme of this 2011 meeting is ‘Fair and Just Economic Growth Acceleration Supported by Determination on Management and Synergy between Central and Regional Governments.

Samosir to be environmentallyGovernment to reduce base tourism destination unemployment rate by 0.5 percent Antara

JAKARTA - The government has set itself the target of reducing the unemployment rate by 0.5 percent from 7.5 percent in 2010 to 7 percent this year. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the statement when giving the targets of national development in the 2011 government plan of action before all cabinet ministers, governors, district heads, and mayors at a working meeting here on Monday. Besides reducing the unemploy-

ment rate, President Yudhoyono said the government would also reduce the poverty rate from 13 percent to about 12.5 or 11.5 percent this year. “That is our target, to achieve it we should certainly have financial resources in our state budget,” the president said. In connection with financial resources, the head of state said 2011 state budget rose by 9.2 percent from the last year’s budget to Rp1,229.6 trillion this year. But the president added that the rise of state budget was balanced by

an increase in state revenue. “Our state revenue rises 11.3 percent from that in the previous year and it can reduce budget deficit,” the president said. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said early this year that budget deficit in 2010 state budget reached only Rp39.5 trillion or 0.62 percent from previous estimation of Rp133 trillion or 2.1 percent. He also said the remaining budget financing (SILPA 2010) was Rp47 trillion and corrected a prediction of Rp23.2 trillion that he made a week ago.

Antara

SAMOSIR - Samosir district government in North Sumatra continues to develop every potential to make the area an environmentally-based tourism destination. “To make the tourism industry a dominant sector here, the environmentally-based development should be strengthened,” Samosir district Culture and Tourism Office spokesperson Melani Butarbutar said here on Monday. She said various sectoral development programs would be carried out

to make Samosir an innovative environmentally-based tourism objects in an effort to make Visit Samosir 2011 a success. According to her, a solid economic foundation with an adequate infrastructure support would facilitate investment opportunity in the tourism industry in Samosir district, North Sumatra. To attract more tourists to visit Samosir, Melani said infrastructure development should be improved and supported by good services to satisfy the guests.

Internationa

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Bali Today Balinese Architectural Style: From Bale, Bade to Villa

http://balitouristguide.com

Balinese women carrying offering on their head. Art culture and religion have strategic role in developing Indonesian tourism.

Religion and Art important to develop tourism Antara

Denpasar – Art, culture and religion have important and strategic role in developing tourism in Indonesia in the future. Those important factors must be highly considered by the government. The head of Tour Guide Department in Denpasar Hindu Institute (IHDN), said “religion and culture could give support, provide a way and motivation in order to make tourism has its own appeal.” He added that in developing tourism in Indonesia, the stake holder must follow the guidelines on the country basic line of purpose (GBHN) which is further describe in the local rules in each province. In Bali for example, the government published the rule number 3 in 1974 and then renewed by the rule number 3 in 1991 about the cultural tourism. The rule once again perfected in the city plan regulation (TRWP) which is ap-

proved by Indonesia Home Affair Minister, Gamawan Fauzi in October 24, 2009. “If all of the rules can be obeyed, the culture and religion of the society can be developed in balance and it will support each other,” Sumadi said. However, currently, the culture and religion often become the tools to gain control of other and it also lead to the weak social control on the religious practice. This is because the blurry symbolic boundaries in the society. Sumadi said that the problem needs special attention from everyone. There mustn’t any deteritorialisasi which is the process of disappearance of the boundaries of the culture emerge in the society.

For that reason, the effort to control the domination of political power have to be done continuously because politic often develop tourism only by considering the market. It could make the religion and culture lose their original meaning. Sumadi said that religion and culture must be understood and practiced in the daily life in terms of social interaction in the tourism culture so the ideology of market tourism will not affect the local people. He thinks that in the future, the need to preserve the morality need to be emphasized especially regarding the idea to develop tourism without overlapping the culture and the religion of the locals in the country.

Each community around the globe has its own characteristic related to convenient housing in accordance with its surroundings. If Eskimos have unique dome-like igloo in polar zone, Balinese people have a house called bale or pavilion. Designed for two seasons, it is thatched to generate warmth or coolness. The ones in original design remain to be found almost everywhere in Bali. Bangli Regency, for instance, has Penglipuran traditional village. It resembles a living showcase of Balinese compounds designed based on traditional architectural concept. Zonal arrangement is made in such a way where sanctum lies at upper stream or higher place, then residential area at the lower and followed by cemetery at the end. Similarly, the structure and affixing ornaments in use goes along with the local concept. Another ancient pavilion can be observed at Kertha Gosa Hall of Justice in Klungkung. This pavilion was formerly used as courtroom during the reign of Klungkung kingdom. These two destinations are visited by many tourists every day. Traces of written source left regarding to Balinese architecture retains in the manuscripts like the Asta Bumi and Asta Kosala Kosali. Students of architecture in Bali are, at least, also given introduction to this subject. Though original manuscripts are difficult to find, its transliterated version are widely sold at most bookstores in Denpasar. Both manuscripts are referred in designing various sanctum and traditional pavilion. By nature, Asta Bumi highlights about the basic measurements of sanctum building, house, geomancy and selection of good wood used for each building. Meanwhile, Asta Kosala Kosali also contains some standard measurements used for making bale building and its attached bed’s structure. In addition, it also alludes the making of bade tower used in cremation ceremony. The latter is explained from the materials required until the initiation rites and mantra chanted before the tower is used for the cremation. Let us be back to Balinese bale.

Residential zone in Balinese compound is filled with a series of traditional houses having different functions. Each building is called bale. It is generally filled with bale delod (southern pavilion for organizing ritual), bale daja (northern pavilion for bedroom), bale dauh (western pavilion for hosting guests), kitchen and rice granary. Afterwards, each has fixed measurement, number of beam, ornament pursuant to its type and distance from one another and from sanctum and kitchen. Failing to meet these standards, it is believed to result disharmony in the dwellers. Marked characteristics of bale lay on its base, beam (6, 8, 9 and 12), roof and other structures. In the past, bale always used alang-alang or thatch roof. The alang-alang grass itself can give warmth during the rainy season and coolness during the dry season. Then, the wall applied the mixture of refined soil, husk of rice and reinforced by bamboo bars. Today, some elements like foundation, wall and roof have been replaced with modern materials. However, its design and structure remain the same. In keeping with the development of tourism industry, the bale architectural style has much widely inspired the design of tourism property across the island. It does not only give new style to the property itself, but also preserves the indigenous traditional concept. Based on this inspiration, creative undagi (traditional architect) have produced a wide variety of gazebo for hotel, villa or spa outlets. Interestingly, bale has now been made in mass production in the form of wooden knockdown. It shores up the emerging trend of eco-friendly property both at home and overseas. It is good to install at coastal and chill area. At the beginning, the bale was used for private living by Balinese people. Later, this concept is applied to tourist accommodations like cottage and villa. Tourists visiting Bali can now rejoice in the comfort and tranquility of the bale as the Balinese do. Even, they can now bring it home in order they could feel the comfort longer. (BTN/punia)

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Balinese architecture

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Balinese Culture 17.32 percent of provincial roads damaged Bali Post

DENPASAR - Damage to road facilities in fact does not only occur in the road section with the status of regency/city roads. Spans of the provincial road or many roads under the phase of maintenance, repair and quality improvement belonging to the responsibility of Bali Provincial Government are also in severe damage. Out of 883.07 km of provincial roads, along 152.92 km (17.32 percent) of them are categorized into damaged. On that account, they need repairing urgently. The Head of Bali Public Works, Dewa Putu Punia Asa, revealed the matter to Bali Post on Sunday (Jan 9). According to Punia Asa, the Bali Provincial Government allocated a budget of about IDR 80 billion in the 2011 Bali Regional Budget to repair the damaged road sections. It increased quite sharply if compared to the budget in last fiscal year 2010 only coming to IDR 53.8 billion more. Nevertheless, this official from Gianyar emphasized that such amount of budget would not be sufficient for improving the 17.32 percent of the damaged provincial roads. To repair the 10 percent of the damaged provincial roads was required a budget approximately IDR 200 billion. “It is the problem. We do have a limited budget to repair all damaged roads within a single fiscal year. Thus, the repair of damaged roads should apply priority scale,” he said. Though the Bali Provincial Government was only responsible for maintaining and improving the provincial road, he said, his party had also set aside a budget for the activities of improving the quality of

road and bridge in the regencies. It included the provision of funds for the self-managed asphalt procurement, non-status road improvements (roads having no status of national, provincial and regency—Ed) and the like. In other words, such a very limited budget should be set aside again to repair the roads beyond the responsibility of the Bali Provincial Government. “For example, in the budget plan of 2010, at least the Bali Provincial Government should participate in funding the activities of some18 regency road repairs. The budget amount of each activity ranged from IDR 500 million to IDR 2.07 billion more,” he said. To deal with the restricted amount of budget occurred almost every year, the Bali Provincial Government took the initiative to submit a proposal to central government in order the status of a number of main roads in Bali could be changed into national road. The road section proposed to get status change from pro-

vincial to national road amounted to some 10 km. Such proposed national roads included the Jalan Diponegoro, Denpasar and Jalan Tampaksiring leading to the Tampaksiring Palace, Gianyar. “Until now, the proposal submitted had not received an answer from the central government. We have confidence the central government also has limited budget for the purpose,” he said in powerless mood. In details, Punia Asa said that the length of road spans throughout Bali reached 6,809.73 km. It consisted of national road (535.23 km), provincial road (883.07 km) and regency road (5391.43 km). Out of 883.07 km of roads under the responsibility of Bali Provincial Government, along 432.57 km (48.98 percent) was in good condition, 297.58 km (33.70 percent) in medium and 152.92 km (17.32 percent) in damaged condition. The existing data showed the provincial roads in good condition were less than 50 percent. (kmb13)

http://stephenlangitan.com

Bikers drive on the road in Bali island. Damage to road facilities in fact does not only occur in the road section with the status of regency/city roads.

C.045 ibp

Sate Be Pasih:

Blissful Flavor from the Sea Delicacy of seafood can conjure up your appetite to ask for again and again. Armed with excellent ingredient and blended with appropriate proportion of spices, it will make the serving more glorious and special. When you plan to travel to Bali, probably one thing comes to your mind, what good food the region offers. Each region has its own typical nature and unique tradition of cuisine. Balinese people known as religious community have a variety of food related to their rituals. One of them is satay. To fill in their oblation in the ritual activities, they prepare twisted satay with minced meat or skewer satay with sliced meat. In terms of its ingredient, the common satay used to fill in the oblation is that made of fork and chicken. Meanwhile, satay for consumption is not only made of chicken and fork. However, they creatively keep on finding out some other new ingredients. Up to these days, there are satays made of shrimp, snail, gourami and tuna. In harmony with the passage of time, local people progressively like the seafood (tuna) satay. Vendors of this satay can be found at roadsides, traditional markets and outermost courtyards or parking lots of temple during the temple anniversary. Even, in socio-religious activities like wedding or tooth filing ceremony, this satay is served to enrich the choice of the existing menus. This tuna satay delicacy takes advantage of the Balinese complete spices. They comprise 8 cloves of shallot, 3 cloves of garlic, small chili (2), large chili (1), grounded lemongrass (1 stalk), candlenut (2), pepper (1/ 2 tsp), coriander (1/2 tsp), ginger, galangal and turmeric (respectively 1 slice), palm sugar (1 tbsp), salt (1 tsp), squeeze of lime (1 tbsp) and 10 stalks of lemongrass for skewer. First of all, cleanse thoroughly the tuna flesh and then smear it by the squeeze of lime. Afterward, take aside for some 10 minutes and then grind it until tender. Secondly, prepare the spices by grinding them well, too. Take the tender tuna flesh, ground spices, salt, palm sugar and then mix them together evenly. Thirdly, take a stalk of lemongrass and some flesh batter. Twist the batter around the lemongrass skewer while pressing. Do the same until the batter runs out. Ultimately, cook the satay by grilling over a hot fire or charcoal embers. Attempt to make it cooked at all sides. Do not leave them unattended! In order to look nice, serve them on a garnished plate. For garnish you can apply the slices of rape mango and flesh of pomelo. (BTN/punia)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Destinations

International

Penglipuran Village IBP

http://image03.webshots.com

Penglipuran Village is a traditional countryside owning unique characteristic life, socializing and culture. It is located in Kubu Village, Bangli Sub district and Bangli Regency. The natural nature and environments of countryside is designating the pittance touch of modernization influence. This countryside is supported by cool atmosphere because it is located on the height land about 700 m above sea level and according to history of all old doyens that this countryside is taken away from the word Pengeling Pura what its meaning remember to ancestor, but there is also telling that the word of Penglipur mean the entertainer. It is said that at former empire era, all king often use this area as a place to amuse themselves, because its nature is beautiful and can give the peacefulness and inspiration at the time of experiencing a problem. The houses exist in this countryside from north to the south is look very beautiful in particular the Balinese traditional entrance gate which are made similar each other. When we step down to this village, we will meet the Balinese houses are oriented northeastwards to Mount Agung which is located in north-east of Bali Island . The structure of house building between one house and others are equal in particular to condition, form, size and function from the building except building of family bed room

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Jln. Buluh Indah No. 23 Denpasar Telp. (0361) 2764411-088802911054 C.492248-elk

C.492607-rpa

is freeform. The family temple building is places the same direction to the Agung Mount, kitchen is located in upstate from the lawn and the building of Bale Sakaenem is the six beamed building which its function for ceremony place. The place for look after the livestock and the place to plant assorted vegetable are referred as non irrigated dry field which is called Teba. Its Construction material is made from wood except family residence. It is predominated by substance from bamboo because around this countryside is bamboo producer. The countryside is lead by a leader which is Bendesa or Kelian or Penyarikan or Patengan and he/she is assisted by Sinoman. The social system is recognized by the 12 group terms that are number 1 until 12 as member of Pemerincik that is commissioned member converse the problem or plan and its result is submitted to the member. They are very trusting of 12 groups and have represented the tradition in heritage away back. The Consanguinity System in this countryside is Patrilinial system that is according to father lineage. This countryside religion leader is called as Jero Bayan which is consisted of 3 Jero Bayans that is a Jero Bayan Mucuk and 2 people of Jero Bayan Nyoman. The specific cultural potential like pattern of building architecture remains to be traditional, the beautiful nature and environment with cool atmosphere, hence this countryside is the ideal place to visit during your vacation in Bali.

Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

BUSINESS China’s December exports up amid tensions Associated Press Writer

Chrysler hopes iconic Jeep will boost global sales Agence France-Presse

BEIJING – China’s December exports rose by double digits, possibly fueling tension with Washington ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s U.S. visit next week. Exports rose 17.9 percent, producing a $13.1 billion trade surplus, though growth was down from November’s 34.9 percent surge, customs data showed Monday. Imports gained 25.6 percent over a year earlier, down from the previous month’s 37.7 percent growth but reflecting China’s relatively strong economic growth. Hu meets President Barack Obama on Jan. 19 and the White House says Obama will press him over currency controls that critics say are swelling China’s trade surplus and wiping out jobs abroad. Some American lawmakers want sanctions on Chinese goods if Beijing fails to ease controls that they say keep its yuan undervalued. “Surely the ongoing Chinese surplus with the U.S. and the world will be a point of contention” during Hu’s visit, said economist David Cohen at Action Economics in Singapore. December exports of $154.1 billion might be the highest monthly level ever for China, which overtook Germany in 2009 as the world’s biggest exporter, according to Cohen. Imports were $141 billion. The trade surplus was the third-lowest monthly level in 2010 and down sharply from November’s $22.9 billion. The decline from November’s sharp trade growth

was in line with forecasts by economists who said the jump was temporary and Christmas-related. December export growth was below the 20 percent forecast by many analysts but still reflected reviving global demand. “Growth probably will be under 20 percent going forward, but something in this range is sustainable if the global recovery continues,” said Cohen. China’s full-year trade surplus in 2010 was $190 billion, according to customs data, down 3 percent from 2009’s $196.1 billion. Exports rose 31.3 percent over 2009 to $1.58 trillion, while imports gained 38.7 percent to $1.39 trillion, the government reported. Beijing faces complaints that its rapid rebound from the global crisis has come partly at the expense of its trading partners, which are struggling to support economic growth. Critics say the undervalued yuan gives China’s exporters an unfair price advantage and hurts foreign competitors by making their goods more expensive in the Chinese market. “The narrowing trade surplus last month is unlikely to subdue U.S. policymaker criticism of China’s proexports policies,” said Moody’s Analytics economist Matt Robinson in

a report. Beijing promised more exchange rate flexibility in June and the yuan has risen by about 3.5 percent against the U.S. dollar since then. Analysts expect the currency to rise by about 5 percent this year, but that is too little for critics who say the yuan is undervalued by up to 40 percent. Beijing also faces criticism that it is hampering access to its finance industries and is improperly supporting its fledgling producers of solar, wind and other renewable energy technology by shutting foreign suppliers out of government-financed projects. In a move possibly timed to mollify American critics ahead of Hu’s visit, the Chinese government announced last week that two U.S. investment banks, Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan, will be allowed to set up securities joint ventures in China. But other Chinese moves also might aggravate criticism of its trade strategy. Chinese state media reported last week that the government plans to build a complex near Bangkok to house thousands of Chinese exporters. An official of a Thai trade association said passing Chinese exports through Thailand might result in lower U.S. and European tariffs.

China’s Shaolin Temple builds business empire Agence France-Presse

BEIJING – China’s famed Shaolin Temple has set up over 40 companies overseas as it hopes to spread Buddhist-inspired martial arts around the globe, state press reported. But the announcement of a vast business plan to send the temple’s famed warrior monks abroad has been met with criticism over the commercialisation of Buddhism, the Global Times said on Monday. “We currently operate over 40 companies in cities across the world, such as Berlin and London,” the paper quoted Shi Yongxin, the temple’s abbot, as saying at a Beijing culture forum. “The Shaolin Temple is also participating in the operation of some other companies related to the same industry,” he said, adding that the companies have bought land and property overseas. Shi, the first Chinese monk to

earn a master’s degree in business administration, denied the businesses were profit-motivated, insisting that the temple was fulfilling an overseas infatuation with “Shaolin culture”, it said. The temple, which was established in 495 AD, is known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese kung fu. Shaolin warrior monks have held legendary status for centuries throughout Asia, while over the last 50 years films and television have spread their reputation worldwide. Besides teaching martial arts around the world, the Shaolin centres also include Zen meditation workshops and Chinese language training, Shi said. The temple has nearly 130 martial arts clubs in the United States alone, while Shaolin monks are already capable of teaching in English, German and Spanish, he said. Shi, known as the “CEO of Shaolin” since taking over the temple

a decade ago, has developed commercial ventures such as kung fu shows, film production and online merchandise sales. Last year he denied the temple planned to participate in an initial public offering with a Hong Kong travel company, while a Beijing court turned down an application to put a Shaolin trademark on consumer goods like instant noodles. Shi’s business efforts have been widely criticised as a naked attempt to commercialise Buddhism, the report said. “To many people, a temple is a reclusive place outside the bustles of the material world,” but “when a monk like Shi travels frequently by plane to promote his businesses, secular society cannot keep up,” the paper said in an editorial. “While spreading ideas has been the traditional theme of most religions, Shaolin’s ventures abroad also help China spread its traditional culture and thinking, and gain more understanding through a civil channel.”

DETROIT – Chrysler has its eye on China and is counting on its iconic Jeep brand to boost global sales and help return the US automaker to profitability after a government-backed bankruptcy. The first boatload of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee exported from Detroit is expected to reach China soon and Chrysler is also preparing to expand sales in South America, Eastern Europe and Russia, officials said. The push coincides with the brand’s 70th anniversary, which Chrysler will be celebrating Monday at the Detroit auto show. “Jeep is one of the best known brands in world - it’s as recognizable as Coca Cola,” said Mike Manley, president of the Jeep brand who noted that in many parts of the world, driving a Jeep is a status symbol. “Since they were first produced in 1941, Jeep vehicles have been the authentic benchmark for off-road capability, having mastered more terrain, led more adventures and provided drivers more freedom than any other vehicle before or since.” Part of Jeep’s fame reaches back to the legendary vehicles built exclusively for the American military during World War II. Relatively few of the original Jeeps, which remained in production for more than 40 years, ever came back to the United States and wound up on roads and rugged trails across the globe. “We left free samples all over the world,” Manley said recently. In fact, Jeep has become so synonymous with four-wheeldrive vehicles that Chrysler’s lawyers regularly file suit against companies misappropriating the trademarked name. The new Grand Cherokee has earned a host of honors from the automotive press and the Jeep brand led Chrysler’S recovery in its home market. Overall, Jeep sale increased 26 percent in 2010 to 291,138 units, and accounted for a quarter Chrysler’s US sales, even though the Grand Cherokee was

available for only half the year. Sales in China also surged as Chrysler, with Fiat’s help, restart Asian sales. In 2010, Jeep sales increased 10 percent at 149,000 vehicles. “The Jeep brand continues to be the best thing Chrysler has going,” said Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Karl Brauer. Chrysler has yet to come close to tapping Jeep’s potential in overseas markets, said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for TrueCar.com “It’s substantial,” he said. Jeep is also working to boost its reputation among US consumers, who considered the original Grand Cherokee a luxury vehicle when it first appeared in the mid1990s. “We want to recapture that and we think we can,” Manley said, noting that a significant number of Grand Cherokee customers are now trading in luxury cars like Lexuses and BMWs at dealerships in California. Jeep’s reputation in its home market suffered greatly in recent years as product design and quality were neglected amid the internal turbulence. It began in 2007 with the Chrysler ’s divorce from Mercedes, followed by two years of inept management by private equity group Cerberus. After seeking billions in federal aid after the 2008 financial crisis, Chrysler entered bankruptcy protection in June 2009 and emerged a month later under the management of Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne. Fiat gained a 20 percent stake in Chrysler in exchange for sharing technology, and Marchionne instigated a major product revamp, introducing 16 new or revised vehicles last year. Chrysler is expected to show a profit on an operating basis in 2010 and return a net profit in 2011. It is expected to launch an initial public stock offering in the second half of 2011. Marchionne said earlier this month that Fiat may boost its holding to 51 percent before the IPO which will help the US government wind down it eight percent stake in Chrysler. Marchionne has set ambitious targets for the two companies, saying they should produce six million vehicles combined by 2014.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Entertainment

International

‘True Grit’ rides tall with $15M and No. 1 finish Associated Press Wrter

LOS ANGELES – “True Grit” seized the reins at the weekend box office with $15 million, taking the No. 1 spot and becoming the first Western to top the $100 million mark since the 1990s, according to studio estimates released Sunday. The Paramount release starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon bumped off Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller’s comedy “Little Fockers,” which was No. 1 for the previous two weekends. Released by Universal, “Little Fockers” slipped to second with $13.8 million, raising its total to $124 million. “True Grit,” which was directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, lifted its total to $110.4 million. Among newcomers, Nicolas Cage’s supernatural thriller “Season of the Witch” opened at No. 3 with $10.7 million. Distributed by Relativity Media, the movie stars Cage as a knight in the Middle Ages escorting a suspected witch to her trial. Gwyneth Paltrow’s country-music drama “Country Strong” premiered at No. 6 with $7.3 million. The Sony Screen Gems release casts Paltrow as a boozy singer trying to get her act straight after rehab. True Grit” is a new take on Charles Portis’ novel, previously adapted in a 1969 version that earned John Wayne an Academy Award. Bridges stars as lawman Rooster Cogburn, hired by a 14-year-old girl to track down her

father’s killer. In Wayne’s day, Westerns were a fixture in Hollywood, but the genre fell out of favor over the last 40 years. There was a small surge of $100 million Western hits in the 1990s, including Oscar best-picture winners “Dances With Wolves” and “Unforgiven.” The past decade brought the cowboy romance “Brokeback Mountain” and the modestly successful Westerns “Open Range” and “3:10 to Yuma,” but none approached the earnings of “True Grit,” which also is the first $100 million hit for the Coen brothers. While “True Grit” rides high, Hollywood’s overall revenues continued a slide that persisted through the fall and holiday season. Ticket sales this weekend totaled $112 million, down 30 percent compared to the same period last year, when the sci-fi sensation “Avatar” led with $50.3 million. The post-holiday period typically is a quiet time at movie theaters, but “Avatar” did blockbuster business last January, backed by such hits as “Sherlock Holmes” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.” “This time

AP Photo/Paramount Pictures

In this undated film publicity image released by Paramount Pictures, Jeff Bridges, left, and Hailee Steinfeld are shown in a scene from “True Grit.”

a year ago, that little film called `Avatar’ was just pumping up the box office in a huge way and a totally unexpected way for January,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for

Hollywood.com. Even the No. 4 movie from the same weekend last year, the vampire tale “Daybreakers,” did $15.1 million, more than this weekend’s No. 1 film.

Hollywood may get a box-office jolt this coming weekend with Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz’s action tale “The Green Hornet” and Vince Vaughn and Kevin James’ comedy “The Dilemma.”

Kardashian sisters sued over debit card debacle Associated Press Writer

REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

Singer Rihanna arrives at the 2010 American Music Awards in Los Angeles November 21, 2010.

Rihanna equals Elvis record with 5th UK No. 1 Reuters

LONDON – R&B singer Rihanna took the pop music charts by storm this week with a No. 1 single, album and two other songs in the charts. The Official Charts Company said on Sunday the Barbadian singer had rewritten the record books becoming first female solo artist in chart history to achieve five number one singles in consecutive years with “What’s My

Name.” The only other solo artist to equal this achievement was Elvis Presley in the 1950s, it said. The 22 year-old singer knocked X Factor champion Matt Cardle’s “When We Collide” from the top spot to number two after three weeks at number one. Her Album “Loud” held on to its number one slot beating off competition from British rapper Plan B’s “The Defamation of Strickland Banks” which had been ahead in the race for pole position last week.

FRESNO, Calif. – The Kardashian sisters have been sued by a California company that created a prepaid debit card endorsed the reality show starlets. The Fresno Bee reports that Revenue Resource Group LLC filed suit in Fresno County Superior Court last week against Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian. The sisters pulled out of the endorsement deal in November under criticism over the card’s fees. The company’s lawsuit claims they broke their contract and cost company at

least $75 million in losses. The sisters’ mother, Kris Kardashian Jenner, and their company, Dash Dolls LLC, are also named in the suit. The sisters cut ties to the card three weeks after the product launched following a warning from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal that the card’s fees were “predatory.” The Kardashians star in a series of namesake reality shows following their lives. From left, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, and Kourtney Kardashian.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Salma Hayek, ABC developing a “Wicked” miniseries Reuters

LOS ANGELES – Salma Hayek and ABC are developing an eighthour miniseries adaptation of the book “Wicked” that spawned the Broadway play. Hayek and her partner Jose Tamez will produce via their Ventanarosa Productions. with ABC Studios. The project is in the early stages of development, so it’s unclear whether Hayek will also appear in “Wicked.” The miniseries genre is all but dead on broadcast TV, but ABC has kept that fire burning with periodic longform projects including the Oprah Winfrey-produced “A Raisin in the Sun” with Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad.

Hayek’s “Wicked” will be based on the Gregory Maguire best-seller “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which led to the Broadway musical. But the miniseries will not be a musical, sources said. Erik Jendersen, who was a producer on HBO’s miniseries “Band of Brothers,” is writing the script. Hayek has had a successful relationship with ABC, having produced “Ugly Betty” for the network. She currently has another telenovela adaptation in development at ABC Studios; “Los Roldan” is based on the Argentinian telenovela about a working-class man who saves a woman’s life. To reward him, she gives him a job running her company, despite the disapproval of her family.

Life Style

International

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Study: Love music? Thank a substance in your brain Associated Press Writer

AFP/Robyn Beck

Sifteo wireless game cubes are displayed at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show, on January 8, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sifteo cubes are digital interactive tiles or blocks with full-color screens that respond to motion and to each other wirelessly. CES, the world’s largest annual consumer technology tradeshow, ended on Sunday.

Balls, blocks, cars among high-tech toys at CES Agence France Presse

LAS VEGAS – Balls, blocks and miniature cars with a high-tech twist were among the toys at the Consumer Electronics Show — although at prices only adults who are still children at heart may be able to afford. Among the playthings which attracted attention during the show which ended on Sunday were Mattel’s classic Hot Wheels cars, the zippy little metal racers which fly down an orange plastic track at high speeds. These Hot Wheels, however, are equipped with a video camera on the front of the car which records their stunts. The underside of the car features a tiny video screen and the videos can be downloaded to a computer using a USB connection for viewing. Children who are too old to play on the floor with toy cars anymore can mount them on a helmet or a skateboard and record their exploits for their Facebook friends. The camera-equipped Hot Wheels will be available in time for Christmas next year and cost 60 dollars.

Another toy — a finalist for a “Best of CES” award — is even more high-tech than the new Hot Wheels cars — a glowing robotic ball that is controlled by an Apple iPhone or an Android smartphone. Sphero, as the ball is called, rolls around the floor on command, stopping, starting, turning and navigating around objects. “The gaming options are endless,” said Jim Booth, vice president of business development for Orbotix, the Boulder, Coloradobased firm behind Sphero, which has

a light inside and is about the same size as a tennis ball. “You can get simple driving apps to more complex multiplayer games,” Booth said. “Office golf — we’ve had hundreds of ideas.” Sphero will go on sale in the United States in late 2011 and will cost under 100 dollars — smartphone not included. Orbotix also plans to open up the Sphero platform to other developers so they can make their own games. Building blocks have also been reinvented for the digital age by a pair of former students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the prestigious engineering school located in Boston. Sifteo cubes feature a color screen and can be combined like dominoes in various ways to play games or solve puzzles and equations. In one game, for example, the tiles rapidly flash commands to a player who earns points by responding correctly.

NEW YORK – Whether it’s the Beatles or Beethoven, people like music for the same reason they like eating or having sex: It makes the brain release a chemical that gives pleasure, a new study says. The brain substance is involved both in anticipating a particularly thrilling musical moment and in feeling the rush from it, researchers found. Previous work had already suggested a role for dopamine, a substance brain cells release to communicate with each other. But the new work, which scanned people’s brains as they listened to music, shows it happening directly. While dopamine normally helps us feel the pleasure of eating or having sex, it also helps produce euphoria from illegal drugs. It’s active in particular circuits of the brain. The tie to dopamine helps explain why music is so widely popular across cultures, Robert Zatorre and Valorie Salimpoor of McGill University in Montreal write in an article posted online Sunday by the journal Nature Neuroscience. The study used only instrumental music, showing that voices aren’t necessary to produce the dopamine response, Salimpoor said. It will take further work to study how voices might contribute to the pleasure effect, she said. The researchers described brain-scanning experiments with

eight volunteers who were chosen because they reliably felt chills from particular moments in some favorite pieces of music. That characteristic let the experimenters study how the brain handles both anticipation and arrival of a musical rush. Results suggested that people who enjoy music but don’t feel chills are also experiencing dopamine’s effects, Zatorre said. PET scans showed the participants’ brains pumped out more dopamine in a region called the striatum when listening to favorite pieces of music than when hearing other pieces. Functional MRI scans showed where and when those releases happened. Dopamine surged in one part of the striatum during the 15 seconds leading up to a thrilling moment, and a different part when that musical highlight finally arrived. Zatorre said that makes sense: The area linked to anticipation connects with parts of the brain involved with making predictions and responding to the environment, while the area reacting to the peak moment itself is linked to the brain’s limbic system, which is involved in emotion. The study volunteers chose a wide range of music — from classical and jazz to punk, tango and even bagpipes. The most popular were Barber’s Adagio for Strings, the second movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Debussy’s Claire de Lune.

IBP/ist

Children are palying music.

Facebook denies shutdown rumors to calm all users Agence France Presse

LAS VEGAS – A rumor Facebook was shutting down wafted over the Web, forcing the hugely popular social network to deny it had any intention of closing.

AFP/Nicholas Kamm

The rumor was started by a satirical online website whose other news flashes include such items as “Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011” and “George Clooney Running for President.” As unlikely as it would seem that the

A rumor Facebook was shutting down wafted over the Web, forcing the hugely popular social network to deny it had any intention of closing.

social network with more than 500 million members would shut down, the rumor spread rapidly on Twitter and on Facebook itself. Facebook denied it was shutting down in a statement posted on... Facebook. “We didn’t get the memo about shutting down, so we’ll keep working away like always. We aren’t going anywhere; we’re just getting started,” it said.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sport

International

Two Brazil clubs drop talks for Ronaldinho Agence France Presse

SAO PAULO - Two Brazilian clubs, Gremio and Palmeiras, have dropped out of negotiations for AC Milan player Ronaldinho, who now looks likely to go to sole remaining suitor Flamengo, according to reports Sunday. The president of Palmeiras, Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, said in a statement that the club was officially giving up on talks to secure Ronaldinho’s transfer. He blamed Ronaldinho’s brother and manager, Roberto de Assis, for reneging on a January 2 deal he said they had sealed by trying to come back with a higher demand while pursuing talks with other clubs. Gremio on Saturday leveled similar accusations against Assis as it, too, abandoned talks for

Ronaldinho. That left only one bidder in the race: Rio club Flamengo, whose president Patricia Amorim Saturday held talks with AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani. Galliani told media afterwards that there was a “99.9% chance” that Ronaldinho would sign with Flamengo. The player’s lawyers had only to go through the contract on offer, with the final details to be resolved “by Monday or Tuesday,” he said. The sporting daily Lance, however, said Assis cast some doubt on that deal, telling a Brazilian broadcaster that, so far, only Flamengo and Milan had spoken with each other. “Flamengo hasn’t spoken directly with us.... Ronaldo hasn’t accepted anything, nothing,” he said.

‘Sloppy’ Milan could throw title away, warns Gattuso AP Photo/Sang Tan

Chelsea’s John Terry, left, competes with Ipswich Town’s Tamas Priskin during their English FA Cup third round soccer match at Stamford Bridge, London, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011.

Ancelotti issues Chelsea warning after Cup rout Agence France Presse

Agence France Presse

ROME – Combative midfielder Gennaro Gattuso believes Milan risk throwing away the Serie A title after fighting back three times to snatch a 4-4 draw at home to Udinese. Milan trailed 1-0 and 3-1 before also heading into injury time 4-3 down but they kept fighting back to eventually earn a hard-earned point. “If we don’t win the title this year we won’t win it again,” he said after the San Siro encounter. “It’s true we had a number of players missing but our weakness showed in the goals we conceded, we have to give more.” Milan have twice had the potential to open up big leads with a home victory, but have taken only one point from their last two home games. They lost 1-0 to Roma at the end of December and looked for much of Sunday’s game as if

they were heading for defeat again. Their one saving grace is that none of their closest rivals have been taking advantage. Lazio lost at home to lowly Lecce on Sunday, Juventus lost at home to Parma on Thursday while Napoli lost at Inter Milan that same day. In fact if champions Inter, who are now 11 points behind Milan, were to win their two games in hand, they could become Milan’s closest rivals. “There’s work to do because if Inter win their two games they’ll be five points back and that’s what worries me,” added Gattuso. “We know they’re a great team, with or without (new coach and former Milan boss) Leonardo.” However, one reason for confidence according to Gattuso is new signing Antonio Cassano who set up Milan’s last two goals after coming off the bench, adding to the winner he created against Cagliari in midweek.

LONDON – Carlo Ancelotti has told FA Cup holders Chelsea their 7-0 third round thrashing of Ipswich Town will “count for nothing” if they cannot transfer their form into the Premier League. English champions Chelsea, who did the ‘double’ last season, are currently fifth in the table — nine points behind leaders Manchester United having played one game more than the table-toppers. That has led to speculation about Chelsea manager Ancelotti’s position at Stamford Bridge and, while the rout of second division Ipswich was a welcome distraction from league duty, the Italian knows the pressure will be back on if the Londoners lose to topflight rivals Blackburn next weekend. “We need to have this kind of performance,” he said. “The result was good and we did a lot of things well in this game. “But we don’t have to be excited. We have to give the same performance next week against Blackburn. But, obviously, with this victory, our confidence will improve and we can prepare the game well. “We have to wait to say everything is OK. We have some things we can do better, but it was important to play well today (Sunday).” Ancelotti challenged Daniel Sturridge to increase the competition on first choice striker Didier Drogba after the youngster scored twice against Ipswich. Sturridge was included in the starting line-

up after Drogba suffered a minor knock in training two days before Chelsea began their bid to lift the FA Cup for a third successive season. “Every player has to be ready when the moment arrives,” Ancelotti said. “For Daniel, he scored a lot of goals in his last game for the reserves. He deserved to play. He played well, scored, is a good player and a good striker, very dangerous. “In the future he’ll have opportunities,” Ancelotti added of the England Under-21 international. “We have a lot of games in this period coming up. I think he has to fight with the other strikers, but everyone has to fight. There are a lot of players in competition up front.” He added: I have to check game by game, but I think that they are in competition and I have to choose the best player for the squad when I do the line-up.” Goals from Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka, two from Frank Lampard and an own-goal from Carlos Edwards completed the victory against managerless Ipswich who lie 19th in the Championship.

AP Photo/Luca Bruno

AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, of Sweden, scores during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Udinese at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Sunday , Jan. 9, 2011. The match ended 4-4.

Sport

International

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wawrinka wins Chennai Open title Agence France Presse

CHENNAI - Third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka overcame Xavier Malisse in three sets to start the new season by winning the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open title on Sunday. The Swiss world number 21 survived a mid-match lapse in concentration to outclass the 60th-ranked Belgian 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and 14 minutes at the Nungambakkam Tennis stadium. Wawrinka’s third career title earned him $68,000 and 250 points as he made amends for the loss to Marin Cilic of Croatia in last year’s final in the southern Indian city. It was a disappointing result for Malisse, who appeared to touch good form through the week but faltered at the last hurdle to remain without a title since February, 2007. Wawrinka, the number two Swiss player behind Roger Federer, served and volleyed superbly, taking advantage of his rival’s hesitant backhand play. “Of course I am happy to start the year well and win after losing in the final last year,” the 25-year-old said. “I had a good match against Berdych and again today. I have played better as the tournament went on and this will give me confidence for the Australian Open.” The opening game lasted nine minutes as Wawrinka saved three break points

before conceding the lead, but Malisse negated the advantage after being broken in the eighth game to make it 4-4. Wawrinka, who stunned top seed and world number six Tomas Berdych in the semi-final on Saturday, broke the Belgian again in the 12th game to take the first set in an hour and three minutes. Wawrinka served four aces in the second set, but still allowed Malisse to crawl back into the match with just one break in the third game. The final turned Wawrinka’s way when he broke Malisse in the second game of the third set, and again in the sixth game, to run up a 5-1 lead, before serving out the match. “This is the perfect start, but it is difficult to predict how I will play in Australia. Everyone plays well in a Grand Slam and I want to be ready for that,” he said. “I am leaving for Australia tonight and will have a

week of good practice before the Open starts.” Malisse said he was disappointed to lose the final after playing well the whole week. “The difference today was that he served better than me,” the pony-tailed Belgian said. “I think I have had a good tournament, but these thing happen and I have to take it in my stride.” Malisse said he was due to play in Auckland this week in preparation for the season’s first Grand Slam, which starts in Melbourne on January 17.

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka holds the trophy after winning the ATP Chennai Open tennis event, in Chennai, India, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011.Wawrinka defeated Belgium’s Xavier Malisse in three sets 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

AP Photo

Kobe and Lakers blow out Knicks on home floor Japan narrowly escape defeat to Jordan Reuters

AP Photo/Alex Gallardo

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) dunks the ball against the New York Knicks during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, in Los Angeles. Lakers won the game 109-87.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers shut down the high-energy New York Knicks to power to their fourth straight victory in a 109-87 triumph on Sunday. Kobe Bryant had 27 points and 10 rebounds while Pau Gasol added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers (27-11), who held New York to its second lowest point total of the season. The Knicks, who entered the game averaging a league-best 108.1 points per game, shot just 36 percent from the field as they had their three-game win streak snapped. “We played good team defense and took them out of their comfort zones,” Lakers forward Lamar Odom told reporters after finishing with 13 points and 18 rebounds. “We just tried to play hard tonight and play a tough game. We were able to do that and get the win.” Los Angeles led by six points at halftime but stretched its lead to 16 in the third quarter, where Bryant began things with consecutive three-pointers. The Knicks trimmed the lead to eight early in the fourth but went long stretches without scoring in the final period where they tallied just 17 points and fell far behind. Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 10 rebounds, but made just 7 of 24 shots, and Wilson Chandler added 19 for New York (21-15). The Knicks were playing the second of a four-game Western Conference road trip and had demolished Phoenix 121-96 on Friday. New York has emerged as a threat this season after signing Stoudemire in the summer but they still have not beaten the Lakers since 2007. Los Angeles dominated inside with a 61-42 rebounding advantage and controlled a physical and sometimes testy contest. Lakers center Andrew Bynum scored 18 points before he was ejected with two quick technical fouls early in the fourth where he protested a foul call. “I have no idea (why I was ejected). I guess he felt like I showed him up and he T’d me up,” said Bynum, who is showing continued improvement since returning last month following knee surgery. “I’m getting back in a rhythm and feeling pretty good.”

Agence France Presse

DOHA - A 91st minute goal by Maya Yoshida saved three-time champions Japan from a shock defeat at the hands of underdogs Jordan as the two sides drew 1-1 in their opening Asian Cup Group B match Sunday. Hasan Abdel Fattah opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time for Jordan before VVV Venlo defender Yoshida headed home the equaliser as the clock ticked into stoppage time. Japan, who are looking for a record fourth continental title after losing to Saudi Arabia in the 2007 semi-finals, controlled the game early on but could not penatrate Jordan’s determined defence. In front of halffilled stands at the 12,500-seat Qatar Sports Club Stadium, they had the best of the chances with an angled shot from Borussia Dortmund rookie Shinji Kagawa punched away by Jordan keeper Amer Shafi in the 23rd minute. Three minutes later, Yoshida found the net on the rebound off a Makoto Hasebe shot but it was ruled offside. Jordan slowly geared themselves into the offensive and almost drew first blood on the half-hour when Fatth trapped the ball in front of the net but his shot went straight into Eiji Kawashima’s hands. Then on 38 minutes defender

Basem Fathi’s header from a corner swerved off the far post. Kagawa, who has scored eight Bundesliga goals this season after moving to Germany when he failed to make the World Cup squad, squandered another chance two minutes later when he failed to beat Shafi one-on-one at the goalmouth. CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda, who scored two goals in South Africa, was clipped down by Jordan captain Hatem Aqel in the 43rd minute but his 30-metre free kick went too wide. It was Jordan who opening their scoring, with Fattah’s strike coming in the 45th minute when he picked up a cross from the left by fellow midfielder Amer Deeb just outside the box, cleverly dodged a defender and shot. The ball ricocheted off Yoshida’s left foot and Kawashima could not respond in time. Jordan almost doubled the score three minutes after the interval when striker Odai Al Saify’s header on a Deeb cross went wide. The Blue Samurai fought back but Honda missed two more free kicks before the hour mark as his left foot packed power but lacked precision. In the 62nd minute, Japan captain and Wolfsburg midfielder Makoto Hasebe latched onto a cross from Shinji Okazaki with a dive but his sharp right-foot shot could not find the back of the net.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Sport

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

Al-Attiyah closes in with stage win Nasser Al-Attiyah cut his Volkswagen team-mate Carlos Sainz’s lead in half by winning stage seven of the Dakar Rally, while VW’s main rival Stephane Peterhansel lost further ground. The gap between Sainz and AlAttiyah in the outright standings is now down to 1m22s after the latter won today’s Arica to Antofagasta stage by 1m20s. The stage was reduced to 252 kilometres of competitive running to give the field a slightly easier start to the second week of the gruelling event. Peterhansel had been getting closer to Sainz until a series of punctures on Friday, and today started with further tyre trouble for the X-Raid BMW driver. He drove more cautiously thereafter, and ended up losing seven minutes to the leaders, leaving him 21 minutes behind in third overall. That has increased VW’s chances of a top three sweep, with Giniel de Villiers now within 11m34s of Peterhansel having

taken five minutes out of the Dakar legend’s advantage today. Peterhansel’s team-mate Krzysztof Holowczyc also had punctures today, but with the pursuing VW of Mark Miller losing time when time with both a puncture and struggling to find a way point after an excursion, Holowczyc remains fifth. However fellow X-Raid man Orlando Terranova, who had been Argentina’s top representative in seventh, is out after crashing heavily 200km into the stage. That made it two accident retirements in as many days for XRaid, which lost its new Mini Countryman yesterday after Guerlain Chicherit had a multiple roll while doing some practice mileage during the rest day.

Stage seven results: AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

Volkswagen’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, of Qatar, and co-driver Timo Gottschalk, of Germany, race in the seventh stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally between Arica and Antofagasta, Chile, Sunday Jan. 9, 2011.

F1 has gone back 20 years - Trulli JARNO Trulli believes Formula 1 has gone back 20 years in the way so many teams view a drivers’ funding as more important than his talent. With the sport no longer dominated by manufacturers - following Honda, BMW and Toyota’s departure in recent seasons – F1 has seen a resurgence of independent outfits. But rather than that being good for the sport, veteran Trulli reckons it has been a detrimental step because the struggle to finance a team means money can speak louder than talent. “In the last couple of years F1 has taken an ugly turn: contracts are worth less and less, the only thing that interests is the big money brought by various ‘little’ drivers,” Trulli told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Only four teams can guarantee excellent drivers; as for the rest the level is extremely poor. “When I started there was a lot of quality because many constructors aimed at having winning drivers. Nowadays many teams’ budgets are made of the money brought by the drivers. “Lotus is the most serious team among the newest entries, but in the event of financial troubles they too would need to find money. Serious as it is, our organisation is small, the marketing department isn’t what you’d find in a top team, it’s hard to keep going. F1 has gone back 20 years: many small teams and a few

constructors.” With the future of Vitantonio Liuzzi uncertain, amid speculation that Force India could drop him for 2011, there is a chance that Trulli could be the only Italian on the grid this year. Trulli said such an event would be bad for his country – but blames the Italian economy and the fact that Ferrari is dominant in people’s psy-

ches as the main issues. “The CSAI [Italian Motor Racing Commission] can’t do so much,” he said. “The problems are most of all down to the economy, to our mentality and to Ferrari. Italians only care about Ferrari. Outside Italy, drivers find sponsors in their countries – [Vitaly] Petrov is the latest example - while at home it’s a huge struggle.”

Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Stephane Peterhansel Krzysztof Holowczyc

Car Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen BMW BMW

Time/Gap 2h40m57s + 1m20s + 2m56s + 7m40s + 17m00s

Car Volkswagen Volkswagen BMW Volkswagen BMW

Time/Gap 23h21m58s + 1m22s + 21m11s + 32m45s + 1h28m59s

Overall standings: Pos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Driver Carlos Sainz Nasser Al-Attiyah Stephane Peterhansel Giniel de Villiers Krzysztof Holowczyc