Edisi 24 Mei 2013 | International Bali Post

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

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Friday, May 24, 4, 2013 201 20 011133

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff

Tradition meets modernism in German Wembley showdown

British Prime Minister seeks answers after soldier hacked to death

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Tourism activities affect coastal pollution Bali Post

DENPASAR - Coastal pollution in Bali is apparently caused by the impact of minimal attention given to the management of coastal tourism areas.

All this time, beaches in Bali have always become the target to perform a variety of activities, including the construction of hotels, harbor, recreation and marine tourism spot. A research conducted by the Center for Environmental Research (PPLH) of the Udayana University in 2007 taking samples on three beaches in Bali like Tanjung Benoa, Mertasari and Sanur Mertasari concluded that the quality of sea water in the regions was above the standard.

Of the 13 parameters, each of the water had been polluted by heavy metals such as Cadmium (0.0190.026 ppm), Chromium (0.018-0.019 ppm) and Plumbum or lead (0.028-0.034 ppm).

Continued on page 6

Coastal pollution in Bali is apparently caused by the impact of minimal attention given to the management of coastal tourism areas. All this time, beaches in Bali have always become the target to perform a variety of activities, including the construction of hotels, harbor, recreation and marine tourism spot.

IBP/File Photo

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International

Friday, May 24, 2013

Bali News Mobile bridge at Nusa Penida pier damaged Cars not transportable Semarapura (Bali Post)—

IBP/File

The quarry C activities at Angantiga village, Petang subdistrict, continue to be worked on

Lethal quarry at Angantiga still in operation

Crossing activities of Nusa Penida Pier to Padangbai Harbor in Karangasem was disturbed again. It happened because the mobile bridge of Nusa Penida Pier was damaged, so that cars could not be transported from Nusa Penida. Pier authority had anticipated the damage by using timbers, but those timbers could last longer.

The Head of Klungkung Transportation Agency, Nengah Sukasta, said on Wednesday (May 22) the damage had occurred since Friday (May 17). The damage to mobile bridge exactly occurred in the girder due to corrosion. According to Sukasta, since it was built in 2006, it had never been maintained. As a result, all cars could not be transported into the Nusa Jaya Abadi roro vessel. Meanwhile, motorcycles and other passengers could still be transported as usual.

Related to the damage, the technical unit of Transportation Agency in Nusa Penida held a meeting with the harbor master as the operator of the pier. Result of the meeting asked the Transportation Agency to repair the damaged mobile bridge. Otherwise, the harbor master would not serve the crossing. “We have been warned by

Public schools:

Prohibited from collecting education fee at initial academic year Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Mangupura (Bali Post)—

Lethal quarry C activities at Angantiga village, Petang subdistrict, remain to continue. To date, at the location are still seen some indications of quarrying activities against the local hill areas.

As field observation made on Wednesday afternoon (May 22), two units of heavy equipment were still visible at the quarrying location. A unit of heavy equipment was seen to be placed at higher area, while a number of workers also appeared around the quarrying area.

When confirmed this, the Badung Regent AA Gde Agung admitted to be surprised because the quarry C project that had kindled avalanche and claimed three casualties was still in operation. He also claimed to instruct again the Badung Human Settlements Agency (DCK) to immediately close the hill dredging operation. Not only that, Gde Agung also ordered the agency to stop the quarry activities.

From the reports received, the hill areas having been pockmarked would be utilized for farmland especially for paddy field. He asked relevant agencies such as the Human

Settlements Agency, Highways and Irrigation Agency, Agriculture, Forestry and Plantation Agency and Petang subdistrict head to immediately conduct a study related to the utilization of former quarry land into paddy field.

If it would be utilized for rice fields, then Gde Agung claimed to be ready to support because the damaged area would be functioned to support the agricultural security and increase the rice cultivation in Badung. Land conversion into farmland, according to him, could be realized because water sources could be found at the quarrying areas.

Further, he said that expansion of farmland in Badung remained to continue. Other than at the former quarrying areas, the Badung County also attempted to open a new water tunnel at Penikit village, Plaga. This tunnel was projected to irrigate approximately 150 hectares of land at local rice field. (kmb25)

the harbor master to fix it immediately because the use of timbers is only a temporary solution and cannot last longer,” he said.

Sukasta said his party promptly looked for five professional welders that usually repaired the damage to girders at Padangbai Harbor. He said the welders started working on Wednesday. Sukasta expected the repairs could be completed within next 2-3 days.

Previously, the maintenance for Nusa Penida pier had been budgeted this year as much as IDR 500 million. Since the damage had occurred and been in emergency, Regional Secretary of Klungkung, Ketut Janapria, said his party would amend the budget execution document (DPA) to allocate the repair against the pier damage whose value under IDR 200 million through direct procurement system.

Every day, the Nusa Jaya Abadi roro vessel carried six trucks, eight private cars and 42 motorcycles excluding the other passengers. Therefore, Janapria said the pier repair should be done immediately. Additionally, he also asked the Transportation Agency to prepare the budget plan carefully to avoid any mark up. (kmb31)

The Head of Bali Education Agency, AA Ngurah Gde Sujaya, affirmed that Bali government remained to enforce the circular No. 420/2787/Disdikpora. It meant, in the academic year 2013/2014 the public schools in Bali at all levels (elementary, secondary and high school/ vocational school) were not allowed to charge any investment fee or early education fee to parents and it was ascertained to go ahead.

“As long as the circular has not been revoked, public schools still have to comply with this provision. They are strictly prohibited from charging any early education fee to parents,” said Sujaya when contacted by Bali Post, Wednesday (May 22).

Sujaya did not deny if some circles wanted the circular not to longer apply. However, he said, public support to the enforcement of the circular was also equally considerable. Implementation of the circular was actually the manifestation of government commitment to ease the burden of education costs borne by parents. By doing so, the younger generation of all walks of life had a wider opportunity for a decent education. “Since it has a very clear purpose, we ensure the circular remains to apply. At least, until now there has

been no revocation to the circular,” he said.

So, what kind of sanction will be imposed on schools rejected the circular and still charge fees to parents? According to Sujaya, the circular prohibiting public schools from charging any fees at initial of academic year indeed did not specifically regulate the sanction for schools that did not comply with the provision. Nevertheless, he reminded that all public schools in Bali should come to heel the provision. “If wishing not to get into trouble later on, just comply with the provision contained in the circular,” he warned.

Although collecting education fee at the beginning of academic year was prohibited, he said, people’s participation in the education funding was still be possible. However, the form of participation through voluntary donation was not coercive. Since it was voluntary, then schools should not set any minimal amount of donation.

Most importantly, schools should not force parents that did not want to contribute.

“In essence, the amount of donation cannot be pegged or uniformed. For students’ parent wishing to give a donation to school, it’s welcomed. If they do not want to donate, it does not matter because everything is voluntary,” he said. (kmb13)

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Bali News

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Friday, May 24, 2013

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BAF needs to increase standard of comfort Bali Post

IBP/File Photo

Security for the recapitulation of gubernatorial election in Tabanan County was really made extra tight. Joint personnel of Tabanan Police and Military District Command blockaded the plenary venue in front of Pesiapan terminal, Tabanan, Wednesday (May 22).

Recapitulation of gubernatorial election

1,125 security personnel assigned to blockade plenary venue

DENPASAR - So far, the Bali Arts Festival (BAF) regularly organized every year still needs to be evaluated in relation to the standards of comfort of the artists as well as visitors. Little things like the convenience of toilet and backstage space are still expected to adequately meet the international standards.

“BAF has been internationally recognized. Even, it has become a part of the art creativity of the world, but the elements and supporting facilities of the BAF have not yet met the international standards,” said the artist I Ketut Suanda alias Cedil, Wednesday (May 22).

Since the BAF had become an annual international art event, he added, any preparation and organization should be displayed to the fullest and seriously. Even, Cedil said if the Bali government desired it could ask for international assistance because the BAF had become the event of international community. According to him, it could make the BAF implementation get international standards. In addition, the monotonous and slovenly impression as well as fair and various other impressions of BAF could be minimized.

He added that a number of issues should get attention such as the increase of standardization for toilet, backstage space for the comfort of the artists, firmness to make the BAF a different annual event, up to the arrangement of parking service and traders at the festival venue.

“Well, it is required a learning for each county/municipality to jointly create an elegant Bali Art Festival in accordance with the recognition of the world,” he said. (ina)

Bali Post

TABANAN - Security for the recapitulation of gubernatorial election in Tabanan County was really made extra tight. Joint personnel of Tabanan Police and Military District Command blockaded the plenary venue in front of Pesiapan terminal, Tabanan, Wednesday (May 22). The personnel searched every inch of the hotel, including clearing the venue. A total 1,125 personnel were assigned consisting of 948 police and mobile brigade personnel as well as 277 military personnel. Besides, they were also supported by a number of military personnel from the IX/Udayana military chief regiment alerted at headquarters and a tactical vehicle stationed at the venue.

The search action was accompanied with simulation of security processes, logistic escort, recapitulation of gubernatorial election vote and the alert of riot squad in front of the hotel. “This security is based on the standards and simulations planned. So, there is no excessive security,” said Chief of Tabanan Police, Dekananto Eko Purwono, accompanied by Commander of the 1619/Tabanan Military District Command, Rudi Hermawan, after leading the search.

Chief of Tabanan Police added the tight security was not just related to the gubernatorial election. However, it was also made in the anticipation against any turbulence ahead of international meetings in Bali.

He explained the security of recapitulation was made in two rings.

In the first and second ring were assigned 400 joint personnel. Meanwhile, the remaining personnel were placed at 10 points throughout the subdistrict. According to him, invitee to the plenary was only limited to 68 people. All the invitees were obliged to come with identification card issued by the Electoral Commission.

“According to simulation, it’s only the invitee with identification card allowed to attend. After the plenary, we will escort the results of recap to Bali Electoral Commission,” affirmed the Tabanan Police Chief. During the plenary, the traffic flow at the location would be made one-way. This officer from Bojone-

goro, East Java, asked the elites of political party to control the security.

He also invited them to wait for the plenary results of the Bali Electoral Commission to ensure the winner.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Tabanan Electoral Commission, IB Kresna Dana, asserted the recapitulation was deliberately held at hotel because the Electoral Commission did not have a spacious room. Besides, it would also ease the security by police authority. “We have disseminated the invitation for the plenary recapitulation (Thursday— Ed),” said Kresna Dana. According to schedule, the plenary would be held at 10:00 a.m. and the result would be directly dispatched to Bali Electoral Commission. (kmb30)

IBP/Pujawan

Women troupe performed in Bangli during the preparation of Bali Arts Festival’s performance. So far, the Bali Arts Festival (BAF) regularly organized every year still needs to be evaluated in relation to the standards of comfort of the artists as well as visitors.

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Friday, May 24, 2013

Bali News

International

Dam repairs worked on by means of river materials Semarapura (Bali Post)— Repairs to the Unda River dam at Sampalan Klod, Klungkung, apparently took advantage of materials at local stream. It had been complained by local residents because the project implementers should use materials like stone and sand brought in from outside the region.

As monitoring made at the location, about 55 workers were seen carrying one by one of the project materials like stone to be installed on the damaged part. Some sand dunes were also visible around the project site.

Allegedly, the sand was obtained by dredging the body of the Unda River.

One of the workers, Nengah Kencik, claimed on Wednesday (May 22) that part of the dam materials was taken from the river.

Foreman of the project, Mangku Suparta, when met at the location said the dam repair project had started from April 28. However, the project location was hit by a nearly three-meter high flood on May 16. Suparta denied the accusation of residents if the project implementation only utilized the

materials of local river. He argued the materials taken from the river were the result of dredging the bottom of the dam. “We will install again the materials. Not all of the materials are taken from the river as we also brought in from Karangasem,” he explained.

The dam repair was carried out by Ministry of Public Works, Directorate General of Water Resources, BaliPenida River Office with a budget of IDR 1.418 billion. As planned, it would be implemented within a period of 150 days by CV Bulan Bintang.

The dam measured 27 meters long, 3.5 meters high and 5 meters wide at the upper part. Suparta added the construction had been completed about 3.5 percent and was scheduled to be accomplished late August. (kmb31)

IBP/File

The project of Unda River dam at Sampalan Klod, Klungkung.

BVA criticizes sluggish govt Unique Kulkul at performance to discipline illegal villas Sulahan Village

Mangupura (Bali Post)—

accommodation, but did not have a clear management and adequate security systems.

“I suggest the government to make a rule such as the making of zoning where people can and cannot build a villa.

However, the existing rules should not be toothless. We have reported illegal villas, but so far the government takes no action,” he said.

Existence of those private rented homes, recognized Suteja, also harmed the villa market share because the accommodation was offered to tourists at low price. Nevertheless, existence of the accommodation had not been touched byy the authorities.

The Bali Villa Association (BVA) criticized the sluggish government performance in disciplining illegal villas growing rampant on the Island of the Gods. It estimated that 25 percent to 30 percent of 1,000 villas spread across Bali, especially in Badung and Denpasar, had no license.

Such rampant illegal accommodation started to threaten the security of Bali because they became the target of crime.

Chairman of the BVA, Mangku Suteja, when met on Wednesday (May 22) said his party had attempted to report the unlicensed villas to related parties, public order officer and the local tourism office. Unfortunately, so far the report seemed negligible because there was no follow-up by the government.

“I hope the government reduces its time used to sit down in the office and allocate more to come down to the field. Perhaps, hot weather has made them more comfortable stay in the office and unwilling to make site inspection,” he criticized.

According to him, all this time the villas becoming the target of robbery were private homes rented to tourists. They were operated like villa One of the villa which violated the limit of the beach.

“Private homes claiming as villas also harm the market by offering low prices. We do hope such accommodation is imposed with criminal sanction or sealed because aside from harming the tourism image, they also harm the business climate in Bali,” he said.

He said that BVA had made coordination meeting with the government through the Badung Government Tourism Office, Public Order Officer, Badung Revenue Service, the Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Badung as well as Badung Police ranks. The effort was to prevent the growing criminal acts at villas in Bali.

“Currently, the Badung Police is designated as the leader to establish the task force consisting of police, villa owner and management, Badung County Government, PHRI and customary village in forming an integrated security system,” he said.

To support the program, his party hoped the Badung County government could increase the budget allocation of the Badung Government Tourism Office and encourage the villa entrepreneurs to take part IBP/File in making the program successful. (kmb27)

UNIQUE Kulkul at Sulahan VillageBangli is known to have many unique culture and religious communities.

Every corner of Bangli region is known to have a high magical power like the Sulahan village. There is something unique and rare at the village belonging to Susut subdistrict, Bangli. An intangible heritage in the form of kulkul or wooden split drum can grow bigger and longer like a living creature. As a result, local community then sanctified it and retained it in the Pajenengan Temple.

Chief of Sulahan customary village, Sang Putu Putra Yoga, explained the sanctified object was a half-century old denoting a gift from Kintamani. By local communities, such large object was then brought to Sulahan village through a relay procession.

“The sanctified object was carried by society alternately for four days,” he said. It was in the form of wooden split bell, added Putu Yoga. Then, it was made a sanctified object. “In general, the form of sanctified objects is kris dagger, stone, gem, ring and perforated coin. But, here the sanctified object is in the form of wooden kulkul,” he said. By nature, there are two kinds of sanctified object, namely the male with a length of 2.5 meter and female of 2.2 meters and the diameter is 40 cm. “Both of the sanctified objects can elongate and enlarge by degrees,” he explained.

According to him, many people had witnessed it.

When people were installing temple paraphernalia, they would observe the change in size. Besides, the sanctified object could also generate sound without being hit.

People believed the sound could mean a good or bad omen. Pajenengan Temple of Sulahan was supported by 176 families consisting of 95 main pilgrims and 81 auxiliary pilgrims, while the piodalan or anniversary of the Pajenengan Temple was conducted every six (6) months falling on Buda (Wednesday) Umanis Dukut, and the sanctified object would hit to generate sounds at the time of temple anniversary and ngusaba ritual. (BTN/015)

Bali News

International

Friday, May 24, 2013

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21 countries to exhibit during Apec Summit Antara JAKARTA - Indonesia will facilitate the 21 member countries of the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to exhibit their products during the APEC summit in Bali early September 2013, an official said.

“On the sidelines of the APEC summit, we will provide three booths to each participating country to show products of their small and medium scale entrepreneurs,” Neddy Rafinaldi Halim, deputy of marketing and busieness network division of Ministry for Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises said here on Wednesday.

ANTARA FOTO/Dhoni Setiawan

The exhibition will take place at Bali Nusa Dua Convention hall on September 4-7, he said, hoping that the participants of the exhibition will be able to engage business networks.

According to Neddy, trade exhibition is effective to promote products of the small and medium scale entrepreneurs (UKM), extend market as well as to seek trade partners for the UKM.

Two ministers, Gita Wirjawan and M.S Hidayat during the APEC CEO Summit in Jakarta, recently. Indonesia will facilitate the 21 member countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to exhibit their products during the APEC summit in Bali early September 2013, an official said.

Telkomsel’s ambition on 18th Anniversary (1)

“Polluting” Bali with broadband on yearend

by Diah Dewi According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, polluting derive from word “Pollute” that means to make air, water, soil etc dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use. But not all act of polluting is bad. At least for Telkomsel, polluting --quote and unquote-- means good.

This largest mobile operator wants to make everyone get easy access to data service. So in its 18th anniversary that celebrates on May 26, the mission starts in Bali. By yearend, Bali will be “polluting” with broadband.

Darma looks preoccupied with his computer tablet. Once in a while he flipping the thick textbook that sit on his lap. Darma who teach Android system in University of Informatics Management and Computer Technology (Stikom) Bali, have a project to develop android application to be presented in front of his students. He works this app during his spare time while he is not in the class.

The University Atmajaya Yogyakarta postgraduate said he use WiFi FlashZone that being installed in Stikom’s campus. Luckily, according to Darma, the WiFi that provide by the biggest cellular operator in Indonesia, Telkomsel, offers fast data access. “The download and upload of Telkomsel service on average are stable, I can search through internet any material that I need to finish my app and download it without any problem,” he explained.

Darma is not the only one who satisfy with the service that provide

by Telkomsel, especially when talking about WiFi access. According to one of participants of Seamless Photowalk that conducted by

Telkomsel, Afit Husni K, he really glad being a witness of WiFi seamless trial in Bali. The active blogger from Yogyakarta said that he was able to upload his photos that he took during the photowalk in 20Mbps to 30Mbps speed. “That is quite amazing performance, especially when you want to put your big size photo or video into your blog or social network site,” he testified in his blog.

WiFi deployment across Bali now has become the target of Telkomsel. In addition that Bali will host the APEC High Level Meeting, Bali is considered as a potential area to promote the success of Telkomsel in the development of broadband data services. This statement was made by Hasan Kurdi, Head of Sales & Customer Care Telkomsel Regional Bali Nusra, recently.

Hasan said that with its tourism industry and foreign tourists arrival, Bali can be a good example on how excellent Telkomsel service, especially when talking about data service. Until now, around 1 million Telkomsel’s subscribers in Bali using data service. Data services revenue around 14 percent of total

revenue that collected by Telkomsel in Bali.

Even, Seamless FlashZone that performance has been tested in April; the installation only done in 2 cities, namely Jakarta and Bali.

Bali island dubbed the Island of Gods have the honor to deployed the WiFi service with speeds up to 20 Mbps.

Synergy with Telkom, Telkomsel has deployed more than 4,000 access points Flashzone Seamless scattered in various locations at the center of community activities in Bali. Namely, Ngurah Rai Airport, among others, Gilimanuk Port, Port of Benoa, shopping malls such as Mall Bali Galeria and Discovery, as well as schools, colleges, restaurants, cafes, hotels, hospitals, government offices, and amusement parks. By the end of year, Bali will have around 20,000 access points.

Seamless Flashzone solution can connect 2G/3G network with Wi-Fi as an additional cellular network to gain access to high-speed data services. Wi-Fi is another form of data access to mobile networks Telkomsel at base transceiver stations (BTS) 2G and 3G which allows customers to make the transition from 2G/3G network connection to Wi-Fi automatically so that customers can feel the experience of accessing data services through a network of WiFi with high speed up to 20 Mbps.

Customers who have subscribed to data plans Telkomsel can enjoy Flashzone Seamless service for free, using smartphone or tablet computer that supports Seamless

Wi-Fi technology or EAP-SIM (Extensible Authentication Protocol-Subscriber Identity Module), among others, the BlackBerry OS 5 to the OS 7, iPhone, iPad, and Samsung Galaxy Tab, Note, and S3.

According to the Delivery and Customer Service Manager Telkom Bali, AAN Bagus Segara, Telkomsel and Telkom wanted to “pollute” Bali with WiFi. Pollution in question is certainly a positive thing,

which is installing WiFi services at many points in Bali so Telkomsel subscribers in Bali can use it, even when they’re on the street. “This is a big dream for the Telkom Group to makes Bali as Broadband Island.

We desire to make Bali like Britain, where people can take advantage of the free WiFi service even when they are walking or driving on streets,” said Bagus Segara. (continued…)

BP/File Photo

Telkomsel’s customers trying FlashZone Seamless WiFi in Jagadnatha Temple recently.

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International

RLD

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart Associated Press Writer

AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, Pool

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 file photo, workers in protective suits and masks wait to enter the emergency operation center at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station in Okuma, Japan.

Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff

Tourism activities...

From page 1

Associated Press Writer

TOKYO — Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant’s operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decadeslong effort to safely decommission it.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that runs the Fukushima Daiichi plant that melted down in March 2011 after being hit by a tsunami, is finding that it can barely meet the headcount of workers required to keep the three broken reactors cool while fighting power outages and leaks of tons of radiated water, said current and former nuclear plant workers and others familiar with the situation at Fukushima.

Construction jobs are already plentiful in the area due to rebuilding of tsunami ravaged towns and cities.

Other public works spending planned by the government, under the “Abenomics” stimulus programs of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is likely to make well-paying construction jobs more abundant. And less risky, better paid decontamination projects in the region irradiated by the Fukushima meltdown are another draw.

Some Fukushima veterans are quitting as their cumulative radiation exposure approaches levels risky to health, said two long-time Fukushima nuclear workers who spoke to The Associated Press. They requested anonymity because their

JERUSALEM — The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s two-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

As they met in Jerusalem, Kerry praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “seriousness” with which he is looking at ways to revitalize peace hopes. Kerry expressed optimism without outlining any concrete strategy for ending a stalemate between the two sides that has seen them hardly negotiate one-on-one at all over the last 4½ years.

“I know this region well enough to know there is skepticism, in some quarters there is cynicism and there are reasons for it,” Kerry told reporters. “There have been bitter years of disappointment. It is our hope that by being methodical, careful, patient — but detailed and tenacious — that we can lay on a path ahead that can conceivably surprise people and certainly exhaust the possibilities of peace.”

“That’s what we’re working towards,” said Kerry, who was to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later Thursday in Ramallah.

Netanyahu said his conversation with the top American diplomat would touch on mutual concerns about Iran and Syria.

“But above all,” he said, “what we want to do is restart the peace talks with the Palestinians.”

“It’s something I want, it’s something you want,” Netanyahu told Kerry. “It’s something I hope the Palestinians want as well and we ought to be successful for a simple reason: When there’s a will, we’ll find a way.”

speaking to the media is a breach of their employers’ policy and they say being publicly identified will get them fired.

TEPCO spokesman Ryo Shimizu denied any shortage of workers, and said the decommissioning is progressing fine.

“We have been able to acquire workers, and there is no shortage.

We plan to add workers as needed,” he said.

The discrepancy may stem from the system of contracting prevalent in Japan’s nuclear industry. Plant operators farm out the running of their facilities to contractors, who in turn find the workers, and also rely on lower-level contractors to do some of their work, resulting in as many as five layers of contractors.

Utilities such as TEPCO know the final headcount — 3,000 people now at Fukushima Dai-ichi — but not the difficulties in meeting it.

TEPCO does not release a pay scale at Fukushima Dai-ichi or give numbers of workers forced to leave because of radiation exposure. It does not keep close tabs on contracting arrangements for its workers. A

December 2012 survey of workers that the company released found 48 percent were from companies not signed as contractors with the utility and the workers were falsely registered under companies that weren’t employing them. It is not clear if any laws were broken, but the government and TEPCO issued warnings to contractors to correct the situation.

Hiroyuki Watanabe, a city assemblyman for Iwaki in Fukushima, who talks often to Fukushima Daiichi workers, believes the labor shortage is only likely to worsen.

“They are scrounging around, barely able to clear the numbers,” he said. “Why would anyone want to work at a nuclear plant, of all places, when other work is available?”

According to Watanabe, a nuclear worker generally earns about 10,000 yen ($100) a day. In contrast, decontamination work outside the plant, generally involving less exposure to radiation, is paid for by the environment ministry, and with bonuses for working a job officially categorized as dangerous, totals about 16,000 yen ($160) a day, he said.

“If the coastal pollution is categorized to exceed the standards, it means that the beach is no longer safe for our interest based on the norms as it is not appropriate with the designation,” said I Wayan Arthana, Director of the PPLH of Udayana University, Denpasar.

Among the heavy metals, the content of Cadmium (Cd) should be looked out and given serious attention because Cadmium was a toxic heavy metal. “We worry about the heavy metals because Cadmium, for instance, can lead to malformed baby if it is accumulated in biota, such as shellfish and fish that will be consumed by humans,” he said.

Allegedly, the source of Cadmium on several beaches was brought by sewage runoff of hospital and other waste containing cadmium such as batteries, electronic equipment, lubricants, textiles and plastics carried away by the flow of river.

Meanwhile, the content of Chromium was widely caused by printing business and leather tanning. Plumbum or lead content was mostly caused by waste of workshop services and fuel of speed boats.

He added that indications of pollution occurred on a number of beaches in Bali were caused by a number of factors. They could be resulted in by the activities in the upstream and along the stream where the river water eventually emptied out into the sea as well as the activities on the beach itself.

He pointed out that pollution occurred as the result of coastal activities could be seen on Tanjung Benoa Beach. He said one of the most alarming beaches in Bali was the Tanjung Benoa Beach.

Large number of marine tourist arrival exceeding capacity would affect the quality of sea water on coastal area. “Condition of the Tanjung Benoa is apprehensive due to very crowded marine tourism activities. Without extra care and if the capacity exceed, in terms of the elimination, we are afraid of oil pollution,” he said. According to him, oil pollution could be caused by sewage of hotels, restaurants and runoff activities of vessels at Benoa Harbor.

Pollution happening to a number of beaches in Bali was not only harmful to humans, but also to the underwater ecosystem. If the pollution persistently took place without any awareness with regular treatment, the presence of marine ecosystems would also be threatened. (ina)

Sports

International

Friday, May 24, 2013

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Heat beats Pacers in overtime thriller in Game 1 Associated Press Writer MIAMI — Miami’s LeBron James made a buzzer-beating layup in overtime as the Heat narrowly escaped a shock loss on their home court and beat the Indiana Pacers 103-102 in Wednesday’s opening game of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

AP Photo/Miami Herald, C.W. Griffin

LeBron James goes in for the game winner in overtime as the Miami Heat host the Indiana Pacers for game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida May 22, 2013.

Del Potro pulls out of French Open Reuters PARIS - World number seven Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina has pulled out of next week’s French Open tennis after failing to recover from a virus, organisers said on Wednesday. Del Potro, who reached the quarter-finals at the claycourt grand-slam event last year, flew home after losing to Frenchman Benoit Paire in the Rome Masters last 16 last week.

“He has withdrawn,” a French Federation spokesman told Reuters, confirming Argentine media reports.

“I am sad to miss such an important tournament, one that you always dream of winning,” Del Potro was quoted as saying by the daily Ultima Hora’s website (www. ultimahora.com).

Del Potro is the second top-10 player to withdraw from the French Open, which starts on Sunday at Roland Garros, after Briton Andy Murray announced he would miss the tournament because of a back injury.

Former world number seven Mardy Fish, 41st in the ATP rankings, and his fellow American Brian Baker, 71st, have also pulled out.

James finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat — his ninth postseason triple-double.

All that mattered was the last shot, which simply saved the Heat after a thrilling contest in which there were 18 ties and 17 lead changes, the last two of those coming in the final 2.2 seconds. “Two teams fought hard,” James said. “We were able to make one more play.”

Paul George made three free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the extra period to give the Pacers the lead, having earlier forced overtime with a miracle 3-pointer. George pumped his fist gently after the third free throw, then extended his index finger skyward as the teams retreated to their benches to get ready for the final play.

He just left James too much time, and the Pacers left their best shotblocking option on the bench. Roy Hibbert wasn’t on the floor for the final play, and without a 7-foot-2 barrier to contest him, James slipped

down a lane and made the winner look easy.

“Two great teams just throwing punch for punch,” Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. “Our spirit is very high, very confident. We know we can play with this basketball team.”

Vogel said he left Hibbert off the floor for the final play out of concern of what defending champion Miami would do with Chris Bosh in that scenario. Afterward, he acknowledged he might have different thinking next time.

“I would say we would probably have him in next time,” Vogel said.

Game 2 is Friday night in Miami.

Officials reviewed James’ play at the end, though it was clear he beat the clock, and the Pacers walked slowly toward their locker room, lamenting one that got away — by no fault of George’s. “Gut-wrenching,” Hibbert said.

George was fouled by Dwyane Wade on the play where the Pacers had to think they had stolen the series

opener. Referee Jason Phillips said Wade hit George, and the Pacers’ star made all three free throws for the 16th lead change of the night. The final lead change came moments later.

“Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Back and forth the whole way.” Wade scored 19 points, Bosh had 17 and Chris Andersen had 16 on 7-for-7 shooting for Miami.

George scored 27 for the Pacers, who got 26 from David West and 19 from Hibbert. The Pacers have won only two series in NBA franchise history after dropping a Game 1. “It just felt like everything was in our favor,” George said. The final few seconds of regulation were stunning, with Ray Allen — the sixth-best free-throw shooter in NBA history — missing one that proved big, and George making a miracle happen.

Trailing by two with 17.7 seconds left, the Pacers had to foul Allen, who surely would have been their last choice. But he missed one of the two free throws, and it remained a one-possession game. Indiana brought the ball into the frontcourt, called time, and then seemed to have nothing really working as the final seconds of regulation ticked away.

Vettel insists Red Bull not a lone critic of F1 tyres SEBASTIAN Vettel insists that Red Bull is not alone in being unhappy about Pirelli’s tyres, and thinks it unfair his team are being singled out as whiners.

Rivals have criticised Red Bull’s outspoken views on the impact of more aggressive tyres this year, even though it is leading the constructors’ championship and Vettel is on top of the drivers’ standings.

The team’s stance was further questioned after the Spanish Grand Prix when owner Dietrich Mateschitz suggested F1 was no longer ‘racing’ because Vettel stopped four times - even though he adopted a similar tactic to win the race in 2011.

Vettel is aware of the views against his team, but reckons that unhappiness about Pirelli’s products expands well beyond his outfit.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Vettel said: “It is because [between] quoting Red Bull or quoting Marussia, you guys prefer to quote Red Bull. So it looks like we are complaining.

“But I think generally, I hear the drivers’ voices in the meetings we have together.

Even if you pinpoint Lotus and say they have the best car for these tyres and these conditions, still their drivers complain.

Sebastian Vettel Red Bull F1 2013”They have the same problem as us, just to a lesser

extent. That doesn’t mean no one else is complaining.”

Vettel reckons that the 2013 tyres are having a huge impact on the way drivers are going racing this year, likening the situation

to skiers being forced to suddenly adopt wooden skis.

“These days the skis allow the skier to go really, really quick around the corners,” he said.

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany poses as he steers a new Renault Twizy Sport F1 car at Renault test center outside Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, May 13, 2013.

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Friday, May 24, 2013

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Tradition meets modernism in German Wembley showdown Reuters

BERLIN - The all-German Champions League final on Saturday pits traditional powerhouses Bayern Munich against modernists Borussia Dortmund at London’s Wembley Stadium (1845 GMT) with more at stake than Europe’s premier club trophy.

Bayern, four-times European champions, are Germany’s richest and most successful club, while rejuvenated Borussia Dortmund won the trophy in 1997 but came to the brink of financial ruin in 2005.

The Ruhr valley club have recovered on a sporting level under coach Juergen Klopp, challenging Bayern’s dominance in the past two seasons before the Munich club reclaimed the league title last month in record-breaking fashion.

The Bavarians, in the first allGerman Champions League final, are desperate to erase memories of two lost finals in 2010 and 2012 and reclaim their top spot by beating the team that forced them to go two

seasons without any domestic silverware.

L a s t s e a s o n ’s Champions League final defeat in Munich to Chelsea on penalties has been especially bitter to swallow for Bayern but now Jupp Heynckes’ team stands before an unprecedented treble for a German club.

Heynckes, who has announced an end to his long Bundesliga career and will be replaced by former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola at the end of the season, could l e a v e after completing a trio of t i t l e s including the German C u p ,

12 months after what for other teams could have been a back-breaking defeat.

“To be able to rise again after such a final defeat last year shows that my players are carved out of special wood,” said Heynckes, who looks set to retire from football.

“That is why I am convinced that we will lift the trophy. We have incredible mental strength, we cannot be pushed over.”

Mario Mandzukic

LOSER TAG

For several Bayern players, the final could be the last chance for a major international trophy that has been eluding them with both club and country.

Bayern playmaker Bastian Schweinsteiger and captain Philipp Lahm have enjoyed hugely successful footballing careers but, both in their late 20s, they are running out of chances for a big trophy.

France international Franck Ribery and Dutch winger Arjen Robben have also had enough runners-up titles in their careers and are eager to avoid being stuck with a loser tag at the third attempt in four seasons.

For Dortmund, who lost only one game in the entire competition - 2-0 at Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg - it is the culmination of a sensational three-year spell. They won the German league in 2011, the league and Cup double in 2012 and now get a shot at the Champions League title.

This success has come at a

price with Dortmund players, including top scorer Robert Lewandowski, on the wish list of almost every major European club The achievement of Klopp’s young team, characterised by its counter-punching and offensive style that at times is mesmerising, has even surprised some of his own players.

“If someone had told me before the season that we would be playing in the final, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski.

“For us, the players and the whole club, it is a great event. Not many of us have had the chance to play in a final like this. This is the culmination of our good season in the Champions League,” said one of three Poland internationals in the team.

Enthusiasm has slightly been dampened for 45-year-old Klopp’s team, with hugely gifted Mario Goetze, who will join Bayern next season, missing out on the final due to a muscle injury.

The offensive midfielder, for whom Bayern paid a reported 37 million euros ($47.63 million), was

injured in the second leg of the semi against Real.

Dortmund central defender Mats Hummels is nursing an ankle injury but should be fit on Saturday.

Probable teams: Borussia Dortmund: 1-Roman Weidenfeller; 26-Lukasz Piszczek, 4-Neven Subotic, 15-Mats Hummels, 29-Marcel Schmelzer; 8-Ilkay Gundogan, 5-Sebastian Kehl, 16-Jakub Blaszczykowski, 19Kevin Grosskreutz, 11-Marco Reus; 9-Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich: 1-Manuel Neuer; 21-Philipp Lahm, 17-Jerome Boateng, 4-Dante, 27-David Alaba; 31-Bastian Schweinsteiger, 8-Javi Martinez; 10-Arjen Robben, 25-Thomas Mueller, 7-Franck Ribery; 9-Mario Mandzukic

Robert Lewandowski

International

Friday, May 24, 2013

REUTERS/Staff/Files

File photo of (R) supporters of German soccer champions Borussia Dortmund celebrating their team during a parade through the streets of Dortmund, May 13, 2012, and (L) Bayern Munich supporters waving flags while waiting for the Bayern team with the German soccer championship trophy during a reception at Munich’s townhall May 11, 2013.

German Bundesliga soccer clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will play in the Champions League final at Wembley in London on May 25, 2013.

File photo of (L) the Bayern Munich squad celebrating with the European Cup after the Champions League final at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, May 23, 2001, and (R) Borussia Dortmund celebrating after winning the Champions league final soccer match against Juventus Turin 3-1, in Munich’s Olympic stadium, May 28, 1997. German Bundesliga soccer clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will play in the Champions League final at Wembley in London on May 25, 2013.

REUTERS/Staff/Files

European Cup final results 2000 Paris 2001 Milan

Real Madrid 3 Valencia Bayern Munich 1 Valencia (Bayern won 5-4 on penalties)

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0 1

2002 Glasgow Real Madrid 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1 2003 Manchester AC Milan 0 Juventus 0 (AC Milan won 3-2 on penalties) 2004 Gelsenkirchen Porto 3 Monaco 2005 Istanbul Liverpool 3 AC Milan (Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)

0 3

2006 Paris Barcelona 2 Arsenal 2007 Athens AC Milan 2 Liverpool 2008 Moscow Manchester United 1 Chelsea (Manchester United won 6-5 on penalties)

1 1 1

2009 Rome Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0 2010 Madrid Inter Milan 2 Bayern Munich 0 2011 London Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1 2012 Munich Chelsea 1 Bayern Munich 1 (Chelsea won 4-3 on penalties) -The following clubs have won the European Cup: 9 - Real Madrid 7 - AC Milan 5 - Liverpool 4 - Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam 3 - Manchester United, Inter Milan 2 - Benfica, Juventus, Nottingham Forest, Porto 1 - Celtic, Hamburg SV, Steaua Bucharest, Olympique Marseille, Feyenoord, Aston Villa, PSV Eindhoven, Red Star Belgrade, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea * Competition became the Champions League in 1992

Chelsea players ready for Mourinho return Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS — Chelsea players seem pleased Jose Mourinho appears headed back for a second stint as manager, even after he failed with Real Madrid. Midfielder Juan Mata said Wednesday prior to the first of two U.S. friendlies against Manchester City that the 50-year-old Mourinho is among the best coaches in the game.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen but if he comes he’s welcome because he’s one of the best,” Mata said. “Chelsea always wants to be a top squad and if he comes we’re going to be happy to have him.”

Mourinho was officially removed as Madrid manager on Monday, and while a move back to Chelsea is widely expected, there has been no official announcement. Mata wasn’t about to judge Mourinho’s shortcomings with Real Madrid. He won the 2011 Copa del Rey and the 2012 league championship, but couldn’t deliver the European Cup trophy the club craved.

“You have to be there to understand everything,” said former Valencia player Mata. “What I know is Madrid is a massive club and there’s a lot of pressure, and it

FILE - This is a Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. file photo of Real Madrid’s coach Jose Mourinho from Portugal as he gestures during a news conference in Madrid, Spain.

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File

shouldn’t be easy. All I can say is if he comes, we’re going to try to do our best with him or with whoever to win the title.”

Defender Branislav Ivanovic — who headed in the goal that won the Europa League final last week — said “for every player it’s a big challenge to play for the big managers and to do everything, but all these things are with one aim — for Chelsea to be one of the best teams.”

The St. Louis Cardinals baseball club anticipates standing-room attendance of about 46,000 at Busch

Stadium for Thursday night’s match and the conversion process from a baseball to football field got the seal of approval from the Chelsea groundskeeper. The second game is Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Manchester City, who will arrive in St. Louis on game day Thursday, is also in the midst of a management change. Roberto Mancini was fired one season after winning the English league title.

Malaga — and former Real Madrid — coach Manuel Pellegrini is a strong favorite to take the job.

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Destination

Friday, May 24, 2013

International

Trekking at Kemenuh Village IBP Want to have a promenade without significant challenge? Try to enjoy the trekking path at Kemenuh cultural tourism village in Gianyar.

The village being rich in the arts and culture has two soft trekking paths. They are suitable for beginner adventurers or old people.

Both trekking paths are very unique and each has its own advantages. One of the trekking paths is located at Tengkulak hamlet offering natural scenery and historical value associated with the ancient kingdom of Bali. Both trekking paths at Kemenuh village have historical value related to the name of Kemenuh village and Tegenungan

waterfall.

Trekking path at Tengkulak hamlet starts from crossing rice field area. In the field, participants can see the irrigation system of Bali commonly known as subak. Local culture remains to be preserved.

Meanwhile, the activities of local farmers that can be seen such as manual plowing, planting rice,

planting vegetables, sweet potatoes and other plants.

Their activities turn very beautiful because they are accompanied with butterfly, lizard, eel, dragonflies, birds and other wildlife. Wild plants grow rampant so that they engender a beautiful nature. Having a promenade along the rice field will give you a refreshing ambience and

IBP/BTN Doc

relaxing breeze. The journey will also increasingly be comfortable as being accompanied by the voice of animals.

After arriving at the Dalem Ki Patih Pasung Grigis Temple, the trekking is paused for a while to feel the aura of the temple. It retains historical values of Bali and even Indonesia. Pasung Grigis is chief minister to Bedahulu Kingdom (Bali) known to be very tough and invincible. In the meantime, the subak temple venerated by Subak Gandalangu group has heritages of statue, so that they exude a very strong energy of the past.

When continuing the journey, participants can watch the activities of local people taking a shower in the river. After that, all the participants enter the territory of local village to witness the local culture like how people prepare their offering, cooking, sculpture /carving and then visit a Balinese original house and the other unique local activities.

After having a closer look at the native house compound, all the participants are taken to enter into rice field of Subak Batugaing.

Here, they are invited to see a demonstration of farmers in climbing coconut tree. The young coconut picked is then given to tourists for refreshment drink. Ultimately, all the participants arrive at finish point at the outermost courtyard of Batugaing Temple.

International

Friday, May 24, 2013

Police nab two terrorist suspects Antara

JAKARTA - The anti terror squad last Wednesday (May 22) nabbed two terrorist suspects in two different locations namely in Tanjung Priok area (North Jakarta) and Tangerang (Banten), spokesman to the National Police Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said here on Thursday.

“The two suspects namely Sigit and Rohadi have been on our search list for their alleged involvement in planning a bomb attack in front of Myanmar ’s Embassy in Jakarta awhile ago,” he said.

Boy explained police had found

materials to make bomb inside Rohadi’s home in Tangerang.

“There are one kilogram of fertilizer, sulfur, cable, steel pipes with diameter of 1.5 inch and black powder,” he said.

Up till now the police are still investigating the case.

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Forestry ministry sets hotspot reduction target Antara

JAKARTA - The forestry ministry has set a target for reducing hotspots of forest and plantation fires in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Sulawesi by 59.2 percent in 2013 from the average number of hotspots during 2005-2009.

If the total number of hotspots during the 20052009 period was 58,890, so the reduction target will be 24,027, the forestry ministry said in a press statement here on Thursday.

Based on the monitoring by the ministry’s fire control directorate, the number of forest fire hotspots on Kalimantan, Sumatra and Sulawesi Islands occurring from January 1 to march 31, 2013, totaled 2,672 hotspots.

During January to March 2013, 929 hotspots were detected on Kalimantan Island(443 hotspots were

found in West Kalimantan Province, 210 in Central Kalimantan), 35 in South Kalimantan, and 241 in East Kalimantan).

On Sumatra Island, 151 hotspots were found in Aceh Province, 163 in North Sumatra, 84 in West Sumatra, 666 in Riau, 29 in Riau Islands, 216 in Jambi, 161 in South Sumatra, 61 in Bangka Belitung, 39 in Bengkulu, and 34 in Lampung.

On Sulawesi Island, there were 139 hotspots, namely in Gorontalo Province (one hotspot), North Sulawesi (two), Central Sulawesi (38), West Sulawesi (21), South Sulawesi (63), and Southeast Sulawesi (14).

Some 664 hotspots or 23.9 percent were found inside forest areas, and the remaining 2,113 hotspots or 76.1 percent were in plantation and public garden areas.

Indonesian ‘Hijabers’ buy into an Islamic economy driven by the fast expansion of the middle class as Southeast Asia’s top economy booms, notching up growth of more than six percent annually in recent years.

Annual per capita income has steadily risen in Indonesia from $890 in 2003 to around $3,000 in 2011, World Bank figures show -although millions still live in abject poverty.

Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA - Indonesian event organiser Risti Rahmadi wears an Islamic headscarf, uses halal lipstick and knows that it’s time to pray when an app on her BlackBerry emits Koranic verses five times a day.

The 37-year-old, who in her 20s would save up for the latest Guess clothes and Revlon make-up, now strictly buys products that show she is a proud Indonesian Muslim -- and she hopes to persuade others to do the same.

She is a member of the “Hijabers Community”, an Islamic all-women business network which is part of a Muslim consumer boom jostling for market share with Western firms keen to take advantage of Indonesia’s strong growth.

“I think Indonesia has become too Western,” said Rahmadi, who says her business has increasingly won clients who want to host Islamic events since she joined the Hijabers.

“Younger Indonesians spend most of their time hanging out at malls, and they forget to pray.”

Many now share Rahmadi’s view that persuading a new class of consumers to buy Islamic is about more than just shopping habits -- it is about combating a rising tide of Western influence that threatens to erode traditional Muslim values.

They see Western consumerism as inextricably linked to a rash of imported social ills, from greater sexual promiscuity to increased alcohol consumption, and believe

A shift towards conservatism

AFP PHOTO / ADEK BERRY

This photo taken in Jakarta on May 2, 2013 shows Indonesian jewellery designer Reni Feby inserting a broach at her outlet in Jakarta. As many in the burgeoning middle class spend their new-found wealth on Western brands, a backlash is growing among others who also have money but fear Indonesian Muslim culture is drowning in a sea of Starbucks and Coke.

Islamic consumerism can be a counterweight.

Successful Islamic products range from celebrity preachers raking in money with live shows to RomantISLAM, a text-message service that gives relationship advice with Koranic references.

Designers are increasingly coming up with clothing and jewellery with an Islamic twist, including pieces that rival high-end, imported goods from the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

In an affluent south Jakarta suburb, jewellery designer and “Hijaber” Reny Feby displays glit-

tering $500 (385-euro) brooches that women can pin to their headscarves, and also has more expensive items such as a diamond ring for $50,000.

“Fifteen years ago, no one wanted to buy my jewellery because it was seen as too Muslim, and I used ‘proudly made in Indonesia’ as my tagline,” said the 42-yearold, wearing orange beads and an electric-blue headscarf.

“But now Indonesians are proud to buy local and Islamic fashions, and the elite who buy my pieces use them as status symbols.”

The rise in consumption is

As people’s spending power grows, they are literally “consuming” their Muslim faith “in a very tangible way”, according to Greg Fealy, an Indonesia expert at Australian National University in Canberra.

“A lot of the pious Muslims in the middle class want to show to the people around them they’re living pious lifestyles -- through their clothes, schools, the shopping they do and the books they read,” he said.

While there was undoubtedly already a desire for products with a Muslim flavour, groups such as the 3,000-strong Hijabers hope to increase this trend.

The nationwide organisation, which takes its name from the traditional Islamic headscarf, promotes products such as Islamic jewellery and halal beauty products.

They are in the vanguard of the campaign against Western consumerism, most visible in the ubiquitous shopping malls and chains such as Starbucks.

The Hijabers protested this year against Valentine’s Day, which they

believe is encouraging Muslim couples to be more physically affectionate in public.

Inspired by a Pakistani movement to rename it Hijab Day, they handed out pamphlets in several cities instructing women on covering up.

Some of the Islamic consumption clearly fits with a shift towards a more conservative form of Islam that has been growing in Indonesia since the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998.

Nevertheless, the overall picture remains complex and contradictory in a sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.

Even as more people buy Islamic products, there has also been an explosion in the popularity of “dangdut” music, an Indonesian fusion of Arabic, Malay, Indian and Western pop notorious for its lewd lyrics and raunchy dance moves.

On the other hand, people are buying up properties in an Islamic housing complex just one kilometre (0.6 miles) from a concert venue on Jakarta’s outskirts, where pop stars such as Kylie Minogue and Justin Bieber have performed sold-out shows.

The Bukit Az-Zikra complex, built around a mosque and study centre funded by slain Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, is a tobaccoand alcohol-free zone and those who live there must dress according to Islamic law.

It aims to “compensate for modern life, business and routines that often make people indifferent and inattentive to religious values”, according to its website.

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International

Friday, May 24, 2013

BUSINESS Ford to halt car production in Australia in 2016 Agence France-Presse MELBOURNE - Ford announced Thursday it would stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, ending an era that began in 1925 with the legendary Model T.

AFP PHOTO / Mal Fairclough

Signage is displayed at Ford Australia’s head office in Melbourne on May 23, 2013, as Ford announced it would cease making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants in 2016 and axe 1,200 jobs, ending an era that began in 1925 with the firm’s first local car.

Ford Australia chief executive Bob Graziano made the announcement as he revealed losses of Aus$141 million (US$136 million) after tax in the last financial year and Aus$600 million over the last five years.

Graziano said the decision was the result of local manufacturing being “driven by increasingly challenging market conditions -- including market fragmentation and the high cost of manufacturing”.

Australia has annual sales of about 1.1 million new vehicles, and customers have access to some 65 brands and 365 models, with Holden, a General Motors subsidiary, and Toyota the other key manufacturers.

Graziano said this made Australia one of the most competitive and crowded automotive markets in the world, and a strong currency was making it harder for domestic carmakers to compete with cheap imports.

“Given the fragmented marketplace and the low model volumes that result, we decided that manufacturing locally is no longer viable,” he said, adding that all alternatives had been considered.

“Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four times Ford in Asia.

“The business case simply did not stack up, leading us to the conclusion manufacturing is not viable for Ford in Australia in the long-term.”

The jobs will go at Ford’s Broadmeadows and Geelong factories in Victoria state, which will close. While manufacturing will stop, Ford will remain in Australia as an importer and dealer, employing some 1,500

people.

The government said it had spoken with the chief executives of Holden and Toyota and been assured that both were committed to manufacturing in Australia, but concerns remain.

Last month Ford’s former global president Jac Nasser, now chairman at BHP Billiton, said the demise of Australian car manufacturing was inevitable if one or more producers closed down.

“Let’s assume one of the three decide to exit Australia in terms of manufacturing, then you end up potentially with a sub-scale supplier infrastructure and, once that happens, I think it’s a domino effect,” he said.

“It would be a very sad day for Australia, but unfortunately it looks like it could be inevitable.”

The automaking sector employs more than 50,000 people in Australia with another 250,000 jobs in associated industries.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national president Paul Bastian said the Ford news was a “disaster” and voiced concern at the effect in the wider auto parts industry.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard pledged Aus$39 million to help the Geelong and Broadmeadows communities deal with the job losses, and demanded Ford make its own contribution.

Australia’s auto industry is struggling with the effects of the high local dollar, which has traded near or above parity with the greenback for almost two years, squeezing exports and compounding rising production costs.

IMF says Britain ‘a long way’ from recovery Agence France-Presse LONDON - The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that Britain was a long way from a “sustainable recovery”, and called for the government to boost infrastructure spending in order to accelerate economic growth and offset austerity.

“Recent data suggest some improvement in economic and financial conditions,” the IMF said in a statement published at the conclusion of its latest mission to London, highlighting recent figures that indicated an uptick in economic activity.

“The UK is, however, still a long way from a strong and sustainable recovery,” it added, noting that capi-

tal investment as a share of GDP was at a postwar low, while youth unemployment was high.

The IMF repeated its call for British finance minister George Osborne to ease the coalition government’s austerity drive, despite the minister’s pledge last week to stick by his deficit-slashing measures.

“The key risk is that persistent slow growth could permanently damage medium-term growth prospects,” the IMF said.

“After five years of relatively weak activity, additional measures are needed to raise long-term expectations of potential growth, while rebalancing necessitates a transformation to a high-investment and more export-oriented economy.”

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government insists that its austerity measures are needed to drive down the record budget deficit inherited from the previous Labour administration in 2010.

David Lipton, the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director, said during a news conference in London that ongoing austerity would hurt growth.

“Our view of the fiscal situation is that the discretionary fiscal measures that are planned for this year will likely impart a drag on the economy and it would be desirable to try and offset that drag by bringing forward infrastructure spending and undertaking some tax measures,” Lipton told reporters.

He said infrastructure spending would give the economy a “significant kick”.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne, speaking at the conference,agreed with the need to prioritise infrastructure investment “where we can.”

“That’s why we are investing more in capital than my predecessor planned; That’s why I’ve added in the last two years to those plans,” Osborne said.

He added: “It’s a hard road to recovery, but we are making progress. Of course there is further to go -- and we have to go on confronting the difficult choices to help our economy heal.”

The British economy shrank by

0.3 percent in the final three months of 2012, hit by state austerity and ongoing fallout from the eurozone debt crisis.

However, it grew by 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2013, according to preliminary estimates, leaving the economy essentially flat over the past six months.

The Office for National Statistics was due on Thursday to give its second official estimate of British gross domestic product (GDP) for Q1.

In addition, the IMF also called on the government to adopt a “clear” plan to sell its stakes in state-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, and warned that they might need more state funds.

International

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Friday, May 24, 2013

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Building materials blamed in Bangladesh disaster Associated Press Writer

Police and forensic officers near the scene of an attack which has left one man confirmed dead and two people injured near Woolwich barracks in London Wednesday, May, 22, 2013.

AP Photo/Alastair Grant

British Prime Minister seeks answers after soldier hacked to death Reuters LONDON - Prime Minister David Cameron convened an emergency meeting of his intelligence chiefs on Thursday after two Islamists hacked a soldier to death with meat cleavers on a south London street. A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after Wednesday’s killing showed a man with hands covered in blood shouting Islamic slogans and promising revenge on Britain for its participation in wars in the Muslim world.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.

The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” the black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a wool jacket and jeans and speaking with a local accent, shouted in the footage obtained by Britain’s ITV news channel.

“This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” The

attack, just a month after the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon and the first apparent Islamist killing in London since suicide bombers struck in July 2005, revived fears of so-called “lone wolves” who might have had no direct contact with al Qaeda.

Chilling images of a bloodsoaked killer urging Britons to overthrow their government or risk having their children face a fate

similar to a dead soldier lying just yards away were splashed across the front pages of newspapers.

Police shot the two suspects while trying to arrest them, and the wounded men were taken into custody. No information was immediately released about the identity of the suspects, but two sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters authorities were investigating a possible link to Nigeria.

“I apologize that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing.

You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you,” the man said in the video before crossing the street and speaking casually to the other attacker.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — A government investigation found that “extremely” poor quality construction materials and a series of violations caused the collapse of a garment factory building in Bangladesh that has been called the worst garmentindustry disaster in history, the committee head said Thursday.

Last month’s disaster killed more than 1,100 workers and highlighted the hazardous working conditions in Bangladesh’s $20 billion garment industry and the lack of safety for millions of workers who are paid as low as $38 a month.

“The owner used extremely poor quality iron rods and cement,” committee head Khandker Mainuddin Ahmed told The Associated Press a day after submitting the report to the government. “There were a series of irregularities.”

The report found that building owner Sohel Rana had permission to build a six-story structure and added two floors illegally so he could rent them out to garment factories. Past statements from authorities said the owner had permission for a five-story structure and added three floors

illegally.

The report also said the building was not built for industrial use and the weight of the heavy garment factory machinery and their vibrations contributed to the building collapse. Those factors had previously been cited.

The ground on which the building was built was not fit for a multi-story building, the report said. “A portion of the building was constructed on land which had been a body of water before and was filled with rubbish,” Ahmed said.

The committee recommended that Rana and the owners of the garment factories be sentenced to life in jail if they are found guilty of violating building codes. Rana, three engineers and four factory owners have been arrested.

The building was shut down briefly after workers spotted cracks in its walls and pillars a day before the April 24 collapse.

But the garment factory workers were called back to work, many of them forcefully.

More than 2,500 people were rescued shortly after the disaster.

The committee urged the government to ensure that all those injured receive free medical treatment.

AP Photo/Ismail Ferdous, File

FILE - In this Sunday, May 12, 2013 file photo, Bangladeshi soldiers stand amid the rubble of the garment factory building that collapsed on April 24 as they continue search operation in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Malaysia police arrest opposition figures in crackdown Reuters KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police arrested several opposition politicians and activists on Thursday, launching a crackdown on dissent three weeks after an election exposed deep divisions in the country and sparked a series of opposition protest rallies.

Police also raided the offices of opposition newspapers and seized thou-

sands of copies of their publications, according to online media reports.

The arrests of at least one member of parliament and the charging of a student activist under the country’s tough Sedition Act signal a hardening stance by the government after the disputed May 5 election.

The long-ruling Barisan Nasional lost the popular vote for the first time in 44 years in its worst electoral performance, but still won

60 percent of parliamentary seats.

Conservatives in the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) have urged Prime Minister Najib Razak to take a firm line against “dissent” as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim staged a series of big rallies to protest the result.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohamed Salleh confirmed to Reuters that opposition member of parliament Tian Chua, who is

vice president of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance), and pro-opposition activists Haris Ibrahim and Tamrin Ghafar, had been arrested for offences under the Sedition Act. He would not say if there would be further arrests.

Tian Chua said on his Twitter page that he had been picked up by police as he was about to board a flight at Kuala Lumpur’s budget air terminal.

Earlier, 24-year-old activist Adam Adli was charged under the Sedition Act, which human rights group Amnesty International said this week should be abolished as it posed a “chilling effect” on freedom of expression.

Adli was charged for a speech he made at a forum on May 13. Other people who had attended that forum were also arrested on Thursday, online media sites reported.

14

Fashion

Friday, May 24, 2013

Gold becomes a theme at glitzy Cannes amfAR gala Associated Press Writer

There’s always glitz and glamour at Cannes, France, during its annual film festival, and it’s no different this year. But there’s still a heavy infusion of gold to come this week at Thursday’s amfAR gala, which will treat its celebrity guests to 40 of the world’s top models in “The Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show,” curated by Carine Roitfeld.

It’s the 20th edition of the or gala, which raises money for AIDS research, and the “ultimate” e” show builds on a smaller one that hat launched last year. This time, me, Karlie Kloss, Karolina Kurkova, va, Angela Lindvall and Alessandra dra Ambrosio will be dripping in gold old jewelry and wearing gleaming ng gowns by Giorgio Armani, Alexxander Wang, Marchesa and Louis uis Vuitton, among others.

“It was really hard to choose se a dress for this,” said Eva Cavvalli, who is donating a mermaid, id, sequin-covered gown from the Roberto Cavalli archive that Kurkova va will wear to open the show.

“Gold for Cavalli is THE color: or: the color of sun, positivity, warmth, th, joy,” said Cavalli, Roberto’s wife ife and design partner. “But it was as hard to choose for this. I also so thought of gold leather, but I was as thinking that I wanted to give ve something really special, and this is is one of the most beautiful piecess we ever did.”

Charity catwalks such as thiss add a little sense of competition n among designers, she said, butt “only because everyone wantss to do more, give more and bee involved more, but in a friendly dly way.”

She bought a Valentino red gown wn at another amfAR event. “I’ve ve never worn it, but it looks good and nd maybe I will wear it someday.”

Years ago, fashion wasn’t a big part of the event — or even the film lm festival, Roitfeld said, but there ere were so many beautiful dresses es and so many beautiful faces thatt it was ripe to make a big, bold style yle statement. “It’s so glamorous and nd generous at amfAR. Why not?”

Roitfeld, who usually has a uniform of black or khaki, said aid she’ll wear gold, “which is a big deal for me.”

She’ll be mingling with Sharon on Stone, Heidi Klum, Jessica Chastain ain and Harvey Weinstein, among oththers, and scheduled performers innclude Duran Duran, Shirley Bassey, ey, Ellie Goulding and Hot Chelle Rae. ae.

The event will stream live at the h Lovegold.com website.

“We had to make it more fun than other fashion shows. It’s not all journalists and the people who go to fashion shows at Cannes. We have to entertain. ... It’s more like

a Victoria’s Secret show, where they create the dream of women to have wings on their back. We’re doing the same thing w i t h o u r girls,” Roit-

feld said. “We’re not there to sell the dress. The models are there more to flirt with the audience.” She added: “Charity is always a good excuse to mix people with models.”

AP Photo/Armani, Lula

This computer-generated image released by Armani shows animated images in the likeness of actors Richard Burton, left, and Elizabeth Taylor, in a gold Armani gown. There will be more gold to come this week at Thursday’s amfAR gala, at the Cannes Film Festival which will showcase 40 of the world’s top models in “The Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show,” curated by Carine Roitfeld.

International

Dior presents cruise fashions amid stars in Monaco Associated Press Writer

MONACO — The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior’s colorful, sexy cruise fashion show.

With the Mediterranean Sea the picturesque backdrop, Dior showcased its 2014 collection on Saturday night. It was a wet, cold and generally miserable outside the white stage, but Raf Simons’ designs provided the shimmering summery lift for the evening.

Among those on hand were Oscar-winner and Dior spokeswoman Marion Cotillard, actresses Ruth Wilson and Jessica Biel, and Prince Albert of Monaco, along with his fashionable wife, Princess Charlene.

Before the show, Biel called Dior’s fashions beautiful, saying she also appreciated them because they were made for real woman. If that was the case, such women are dynamic gazelles who even in their downtime have multiple multip agendas.

There were sheer lace la cover-ups, brightly colored dresses, and jackets wool. and coats made of wo In press materials pprovided at the show, Simons explained his inspiration to prominently feature lace in the collection.

“I never worked with wi lace before,” he said. “It was about transforming the meaning of the material; not romantic, not historical, not old, to something light, playful, playf colorful and modern — with energy.”

Many of the pieces had an effervescent feel, like the metallic blended with sheer lace and a strip of a coral floral print in one dress; a wool jacket and pants were made vibrant with bright red color.

But there were other oth outfits that had a more traditional look, like a flowing spaghetti-strap red dress that hit mid-calf at the front but draped back, and the one-piece bathing suits that harkened near the floor in the ba glamour — particularly a brilliant blue back to old-style Hollywood Hol piece with ruching in the back.

After an enthusiastic enthusiast ovation for the show, guests such as Liv Tyler Oceanographic Museum nearby as Prince Albert were shuttled to the O and his wife threw a rreception that showcased some of the fashions — including Dior — worn wor by his late mother, Princess Grace.

Emmy Rossum attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit celebrating “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” on Monday May 6, 2013 in New York.

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Activities

International

Friday, May 24, 2013

15

Waka di Ume Resort and Spa IBP

Who does not know the Island of Gods or Bali? It’s the bijou island offering all the natural beauties and intriguing sublime cultures. People who never pay a visit can tell much about the island, let alone those knowing it just in a dream.

Bali is situated east of Java Island having access within easy reach, either by land, sea, or air. With such an easy access, this island is then popularly chosen as a favorite tourist destination. Aside from several amazing beaches, Balinese culture can also be taken advantage as an endless tourist attraction because many temples retain very high cultural values. In addition, Bali is also delighted to offer natural attractions in the form of mountain and terraced rice fields resembling a verdant overlay of rug.

One of the convenient locations situating among the rice field, jungle and mountainous gorges is Ubud. It is an appropriate sojourn and destination located in the region of Gianyar Regency. Here you can find a unique resort offering the indigenous Balinese concept highlighting the harmonious relationship of human to

environment, fellow humans and the Creator, namely the Waka di Ume Resort and Spa. Many fascinating attractions can be encountered here, ranging from relishing the natural atmosphere up to learning the native cultures.

“Here, we also invite our guests to appreciate the natural environment, cultural and social life of the Ubud community,” said I Wayan Duartha, General Manager of the Waka di Ume Resort and Spa. With such various activities, many tourists were attracted to stay at Waka.

A variety of facilities have been provided to support the comfort and satisfaction of every single guest. Waka di Ume Resort and Spa established on November 5, 1995 has 18 rooms, consisting of 3-bedroom Wapa Villa with private pool, 2-bedroom Family Villa with private pool, Villa with Pool, Di Ume Suite,

Terrace Villa and the smallest one is the Lanai Terrace. Room rates of the Waka di Ume Resort and Spa ranges from USD 244 to USD 655. Such rates have included government tax, service and breakfast.

More interestingly, the Waka di Ume Resort and Spa lies very close to the natural and cultural attractions. Among others, they are monkey forest, art museums, Goa Gajah, Ceking rice terrace, Tirta Empul temple at Tampaksiring, Tampaksiring Presidential Palace, and Petulu village becoming the native and convenient home to thousands of white egrets.

One day, if you want to make a visit to the island, especially when would like to luxuriate in the countryside ambience with five star facilities, look no further and decide on the Waka di Ume Resort and Spa as your serene sojourn on the island.

Calendar Event for May 1 through June 19, 2013 1 May Buda Kliwon Pahang Pura Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Desa Bangli Baturiti Pura Silayukti Padang Bai Karangasem Pura Aer Jeruk Sukawati Pura Dangin Pasar Batuan Sukawati Pura Penataran - Batuyang Batubulan Pura Desa Lembeng Ketewel Sukawati Pura Pasek Bendesa Dukuh Kediri Tabanan Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar Pura Kresek Banyuning Buleleng Pura Puseh Bebandem Karangasem Pura Sad Khayangan Batu Medahu Desa Swana Nusa Penida Pura Buda Kliwon Penatih Denpasar Pura Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem Pura pasek Bendesa Tagtag Peguyangan Pure Pulesari - Bantas Kelod Desa Sibang Gede Abiansemal Pura Batur Sari Ubud Pura Penataran Agung Sukawati Pura Panti - Kucupin Ketewel Ketewel 6 May Kajeng Kliwon Uwudan Pura Pasek Gelgel Kekeran Dlod Yeh Mengwi Merajan Pasek Subadra Kramas Gianyar 9 May Tilem Sasih Jiyestha Pura Bujangga Waisnawa Gumbrih Jembrana Pura Dalem Desa celuk 11May Tumpek Klurut Pura Pasek Gelgel Banjar Tengah Buleleng Pura Dalem Pemuteran Desa Jelantik Tojan Klungkung Pura Pedarman bujangga Waisnawa Besakih Pura Taman Sari Desa Gunung Sari Penebel tabanan Pura Dalem Tarukan - Bebalang Bangli Pura Benua Kangin Besakih Pura Merajan Kangin (Ida Betara Empu Baradah) Besakih

12 May R edite Umanis Merakih Pura Parangan Tengah Ceningan Kangin Lembongan Nusa Penida Pura Desa Ubud 15 May Buda Wage Merakih Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah Pedungan Pura Natih Banjar Kalah Batubulan Pura Desa lan Puseh Silakarang Singapadu Pura Dalem Petitenget Kerobokan Kuta Pura Dalem Pulasari Samplangan Gianyar Pura Kubayan - Kepisah Pedungan Denpasar Selatan Pura Pasek Gelgel - Tanah Pegat Tabanan Pura Paibon lan Pura Bengkel Sumerta Denpasar Pura Pasek Lumintang Denpasar Pura Panti Penyarikan Medahan Sanding Tampak Siring Pura Pasar Agung Banjar Dauh Peken Kaba Kaba Pura Dadia Buda Cemeng Pulasari Batuan Sukawati 21 May Anggar Kasih Tambir Pura Dalem Puri Batuan Sukawati Pura Dalem kediri Silakarang Singapadu Pura Dalem Sukawati Pura Dalem Lembeng Ketewel Sukawati Pura Paibon Pasek Tangkas Peliatan Ubud Pura Puseh Ngukuhin Kramas Gianyar Pura Pamerajan Agung Ki Telabah Tuakilang Tabanan Pura Karang Buncing Blahbatuh Pura Dalem Bubunan Seririt Buleleng Pura Desa Badung Kota Denpasar Pura Luhur Pedenganan Bedha Bongan Tabanan Pura Pucak Payogan - Lungsiakan Kedewatan Ubud Gianyar Pura Tanah Kilap “Griya Anyar” Suwung Kauh Denpasar Selatan

Pura Selukat Keramas Blahbatuh Gianyar Pura Dalem Tampuagan Peninjoan Tembuku Bangli Pura Waturenggong Desa Taro Pura Dalem Bentuyung Desa Ubud Pura Puseh Ubud Pura Dalem Puri Peliatan Ubud Pura Batur Hyang Bulan Muntig Karangasem 22 May Buda Umanis Tambir Pura Sari Banjar Titih Kapal Pura Gulamanikan Bendesa Manik Mas Serongga Gianyar 24 May Purnama Sasih Sadha Pura Amrta Sari Rempoa Jakarta Selatan Pura Maospahit Banjar Grenceng Denpasar 5 Jun Buda Kliwon Matal Pura Puseh lan Desa Sukawati Pura Pasek Gelgel Bebetin Sawan Buleleng Pura Maspahit Sesetan Denpasar Selatan Pura Pasek Bendesa Manik Mas Dukuh Kendran Tegallalang Pura Panti Pasek Gaduh Sesetan Pura Pedharaman Arya Kanuruhan Besakih 15 Jun Pura Puseh lan Desa Kota Gianyar Pura Luhur Dalem Segening Kediri Tabanan Pura Sang Hyang Tegal (TARO) Tegallalang 19 Jun Buda Cemeng Menail Pura Dalem Tarukan Cemenggaon Sukawati Pura Penataran Dalem Ketut Pejeng Kaja Gianyar Pura Puseh Manakaji Peninjoan Bangli Pura Kawitan Gusti Celuk Baler Pura Sada Pemebetan Kapal Mengwi Pemerajan Agung Ubud Pura Taman Limut Pengosekan Mas Ubud

IBP/File Photo

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 “umbulumbul”, 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.

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

Entertainment

Friday, May 24, 2013

Douglas, Damon dramatize a steamy showbiz affair Associated Press Writer NEW YORK — The idea of Michael Douglas playing Liberace might seem nearly as outrageous as Liberace himself.

Liberace, forever hailed as Mr. Showmanship, was the excess-to-the-max pianist-personality whose onstage and offstage extravagance were legendary and who wowed audiences in Las Vegas and worldwide to become the best-paid entertainer on the planet during his heyday from the 1950s to the 1970s.

He was the forerunner of flashy, gender-bender entertainers like Elton John, David Bowie, Madonna and Lady Gaga even as he kept a tight lid on his gay

private life, which he feared could have ended his career had it come out. (His fans never seemed to get wise.)

By contrast, Michael Douglas is a 68year-old movie star known for he-man performances and morally ambiguous roles. And he was no piano player.

But Douglas now dazzles as Liberace in the new HBO film “Behind the Candelabra,” including lavish musical numbers in which he tinkles the ivories and flourishes his jewel-and-ermine finery. The film (executive-produced by showbiz veteran Jerry Weintraub, a Liberace friend) premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT. Douglas’ co-star is Matt Damon, who, in a casting choice almost as counterin-

tuitive, plays Scott Thorson, a dreamy, strapping teen who in 1977 met Liberace in his Vegas dressing room and almost instantly became his personal assistant, live-in companion and top-secret lover.

“Candelabra” (whose title cites the trademark prop ornamenting Liberace’s onstage piano) also features Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, Paul Reiser, Debbie Reynolds and a hilarious turn by Rob Lowe as Liberace’s on-call plastic surgeon.

It was the film’s director, Steven Soderbergh, who brought together the two lead actors, helped shape their splendid performances and masterminded this portrait of a loving but bizarre and tempestuous affair.

AP Photo/HBO, Claudette Barius

This film image released by HBO shows Michael Douglas, right, as Liberace, and Matt Damon, as Scott Thorson in a scene from “Behind the Candelabra,” premiering Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.

Obama honors Carole King at White House concert Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama saluted Carole King’s five decades as an award-winning singer-songwriter, calling her a “living legend.”

Obama presented King with this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, an award given by the Library of Congress. She is the first woman so honored and joins a list of recipients that includes Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. “I can’t say it enough. I am so excited,” the 71-year-old King said.

She accepted the honor on behalf of the co-writers who worked on some of

her songs, a massive portfolio that includes such hits as “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Several friends from King’s decades in the music business performed in her honor, including Gloria Estefan, Billy Joel, Jesse McCartney, Emeli Sande, James Taylor and Trisha Yearwood.

King’s breakout 1971 album “Tap-

estry” remains one of the best-selling records of all time. It is the first female solo album to reach Diamond status, surpassing 10 million copies sold. The album included No. 1s “It’s Too Late” and “I Feel the Earth Move,” as well as “You’ve Got a Friend” recorded by Taylor.

It was the first album by a female artist to win all the top Grammy awards — for record, song and album of the year, along with the Grammy for best pop vocal performance.

“And as one of the best-selling albums of all-time, it cemented Carole’s status as one of the most influential singersongwriters that America has ever seen,” Obama said.

More than 1,000 artists have recorded hundreds of King’s songs, including The Beatles, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand and many others. In 1990, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Singer-songwriter Carole King smiles before performing after President Barack Obama, seated, presented her with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during an East Room concert honoring King on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at the White House in Washington.