September 30, 2002
Best British Blog Competition
And the winner is... a duck. A Scary Duck to be precise: Alistair Coleman's witty, irreverent blog has beaten 300 rivals to take the title of Best British Blog 2002 and claim the prize of £1,000.His blog features intelligent, confessional and entertaining rambles on everything from September 11, nuclear war and football hooliganism to the latest antics of a local dolphin nicknamed Randy.
It impressed the judges with its originality and personality: one described it as: "magnificent - well-written, focused and insightful". Another said: "The best writer of the bunch, the content is excellent."
He was closely followed by two highly commended efforts: IMakeContent.com, and GreenFairy, both of which contained excellent writing, design and links along with strong personalities.
---via Guardian Weblog
Post-communism: victory or lost illusions?
Democracy has succeeded communism – but so has the power of the state, says the key architect of post-1989 Czech politics. As liberal ideas retreat before various ‘new collectivisms’, has the unification of Europe itself become a process to strangle, rather than enlarge, freedom?
This past decade has been interesting, challenging, even rewarding for all of us. It has given us many important insights into what it means to build freedom, and free markets. We have learned some unforgettable lessons (especially regarding the organisation and sequencing of reform programmes); lessons that were not at all evident, clear, intuitively correct or indeed generally accepted, when we started dismantling communism.
........
Many misunderstandings ensue. Some of us know, from our own personal experience, what it means to live in a closed, inward-looking society, where any form of contact with the outside world is prohibited (or at least made very difficult). We are unlikely to be against the opening up of societies, or the elimination of all those barriers to the free exchange of ideas, people, goods and services, or money – over the continent or the whole world. As a result, we have been dreaming of being part of a European open society for many years.
But the current European unification process is not only, or not primarily, about such an opening up. It is about introducing massive regulation and protectionism; about imposing uniformity, laws and policies; about weakening standard democratic procedures; about the increasing bureaucratisation of life; about the enhanced power of the judicial authorities. This is not what we wanted, is it?
Posted at 02:25 PM | Perspective
September 28, 2002
MIT Open Courseware For Everyone!
Starting Sept. 30, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) will start offering its classes on-line, for free! "Over the next 10 years, MIT will move all its existing coursework on to the internet" including streaming videos of lectures. And courses range from Anthropology to Chemical Engineering. Don't miss it! It will be this Monday. There will be no online degrees for sale, however. Instead, it will offer thousands of pages of information, available to anyone around the globe at no cost, as well as hours and hours of streaming video lectures, seminars and experiments. Don't forget also to try another previously "unofficial" online learning course provide by BNUniversity.com
Posted at 04:04 PM | Technology
September 27, 2002
It is not Only Indonesian Myth
Tired of being read any news about terorism, i glad to let you know about another thing of Indonesia. It's a little part, but, (in my opinion) it seem had a great part to shape the thinking of any Indonesian ever after. It's about Indonesian myths.Surely, if you had read more articles about Indonesia, whatever it does, i guess you would be noticed about a thing that plenty clear of somewhat connected to a myths. Wherever, whatever, and whenever of you're talking about. It's never been measured though, but i really sure that anywhere you take you fingers pointing to Indonesian spot, they must be have a myths. Like how that place happened, how the people could talk in their recent language, etc. It's really beautiful to explore, and we had a beautiful thinking at all. So, i really ever been surprised if the outsider seemly looking Indonesian is uncivilised people. But we really don't (surely cause I Indonesian).
An example to be taken is a myth about Arok - Dedes. I had re-read a Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel titled by the same word, Arok Dedes, which has a part of stories of a myth. To shortly write, the myth told a story about Arok, an ordinary guy who convinced himself to take a role (and proved) to be a new Akuwu (district leader) by killing its former leader. The role of the myth (excluding its fact stories) is about the Keris which used by Arok in his coup de 'etat. The Keris, created by Mpu Gandring, a blacksmith that also has been killed by Arok, ever he has been cursed the Keris before his death. The Keris next greatly did the job by killed all seven soul (as written at the verses cursed by its creator before dead). The question come to mind is, which is comes first, is it the curse or the killing then the story about this cursed sword (keris)?
The main focus is, Indonesian (in my humble thought), is a very great imaginator. Another word to say, Indonesian is very creative people. Even by lack of tools and applications, they geniously could create another way to solve the problem (generally). That is why, it still believed (it really not a myth) that only armed with elbowed bamboo, the patriots bravely fight with European riffleman in pre-freedom fighting. What a desperate stories huh? But it's really, it's not a myth anymore.
September 26, 2002
Indonesia and Terorism (Continued Stories)
This is the story that will not die. The press in Indonesia and many other locations are giving it lots of play. Here's a sampling:
- A Perilous Choice for the Presidents - FEER
- Gently Turning the Heat Up: American Officials Seek out Megawati - FEER
- Taking the Hard Road - Indonesia faces a tough choice: crack down on extremists and risk an Islamic backlash—or incur America's wrath - Time
- Indonesians Distrust Report by C.I.A. on Qaeda Suspect - NY Times
- Accused terrorist in Indonesia remains free, a hero for many poor Muslims - AP
- US Ambassador to Indonesia: Indonesian Muslims Are Not Terrorists - Tempo
- U.S. yet to link RI groups to int'l terrorist cells: Boyce - Jakarta Post
---via Joe
25 Pesantren Heads Take Part in Training in the US
The US government has invited 25 heads of Pesantren (Islamic Boarding School) in Indonesia to take part in a training program financed by the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program is intended to support the leaders to be effectives leader in their local environment.As participants in the program, the leaders will study the role of parents and society in education as well as the role of education in building an open US society. In addition, they will study religion, culture, government, democracy, tolerance, and the role of Islam in the US. The US government would also provide a grant for each of the participant to help develop the role of pesantrens in Indonesia.
September 25, 2002
Terrorism 101: A How-To Guide
In the year since the September 11 attacks, few more chilling documents have emerged than "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants," a how-to terrorism manual that investigators believe has been used by followers of Osama bin Laden.The 180-page volume, seized from the Manchester, England home of a bin Laden disciple, offers jihad members guidance on subjects such as assassination, forging documents, and preparing poisons in its 18 chapters. The terrorism manual was placed into evidence last year by prosecutors during the federal trial of four men accused of involvement in the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (the below English translation was also placed in evidence). All four defendants were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Posted at 02:20 AM | Perspective
September 24, 2002
Indonesians speak out against US "black propaganda"
I should say thanks to Mr. Joe who had compiled this such interesting materials on what a recently news about Indonesia on terrorism affair, here is the complete text from his web:Indonesians speak out against US "black propaganda"
All sorts of people are coming out against the US claims that Omar al-Faruq was an al Qaeda operative during his time in Indonesia. You've got to read the Time magazine article on al-Faruq to get the details on the US claims.
There is one thing that bothers me most as an American in Indonesia. I don't understand why so many Indonesians take the US claims of terrorist activity in Indonesia and receive that as a blanket condemnation of Muslims in Indonesia and/or of Indonesia as a whole. Isn't it possible that there are some bad apples that need to be dealt with?
Here are several interesting articles that will give you insight into the kinds of things that get said in the media here about the US.
Omar Al-Faruq Recruited by The CIA - Former head of Intelligence A.C. Manulang has said that Omar Al-Faruq, a terrorist suspect who was arrested in Bogor, West Java, on June 5, 2002 and handed over to the US three days later, is a CIA-recruited agent. This one is a MUST read. "Al Faruq was assigned [by the CIA] to infiltrate Islamic radical groups and recruit local agents within these groups....This kind of operation is aimed at starting conflicts in Indonesia and creating the image that Indonesia is a land of terrorists."
Government Acknowledges Faruq’s Arrest - "Therefore, the arrest was fully carried out by Indonesia. The government knows for sure about this,” Yudhoyono said in Bandung, West Java, on Friday (20/9)." There was much confusion in the press (as a result of statements by various political officials) as to whether any government body was involved in the arrest of al-Faruq.
National Police to Clarify Al-Farouq Case - This is regarding the arrest of a German citizen of Arab descent in connection to al-Faruq.
Army Chief: Don’t Compare Radical Islam Groups with Al Qaeda - "Ryacudu said that he has doubts regarding the existence of an Al Qaeda network in Indonesia"
Rumors Disseminated by CIA Are Like Rumors Disseminated Prior to the anti-communist purges of 1965 - President Megawati's sister, Rachmawati, (the head of new political party) is quoted as saying “The days before September 30, 1965, were similar to recent conditions as regards CIA methods." Sukarno, Megawati and Rachmawati's father who was the first president of Indonesia, was thrown out of office during the events of that year. He had stood strong against US intervention in SE Asia and wasn't too fond of the CIA.
Rachmawati according to the article went on to say, “I think that the US wants to corner Islamic groups and our Moslem brothers by labeling them terrorists,” According to her, Megawati’s administration tends to agree with the super power country, as shown by President Megawati’s visit to Washington D.C. after the September 11 tragedy last year. In addition, the US Minister of Defense Collin Powel has visited Indonesia. “This already indicates that Indonesia is under US control,” said Rachmawati.
--see the original version
Argentina: life after bankruptcy
The Argentine government has acknowledged that it does not have the funds to do anything about a ruling of the country's supreme court that a 13% cut in state pensions and civil servants' salaries was unconstitutional. The people, angry and energised, are ready to continue fighting.Reporters Find New Outlet, and Concerns, in Web Logs
Mr. Alterman, who is also a media columnist for The Nation, and other print and television journalists are discovering the freedom of Web logs, or "blogs," online soapboxes that typically consist of frequent entries with pithy commentary and links to other Web sites. But that freedom can also have some unpleasant consequences.
Some journalists have already run into trouble with their employers over the contents of their personal sites, with one — a reporter for The Houston Chronicle — having been fired for his efforts. And news media companies may be opening themselves to questions of liability when they set up Web logs on their sites.
September 21, 2002
Happy Birthday Mr. Smileys :-)
On September 10, 2002 Jeff Baird retrieved Scott Fahlman's original post that introduced the world to the emoticon as we know it.
It took some digging and Baird's team had to hunt up a lot of old information and equipment to look through the backup tapes of the old spice vax(cmu-750x). But their search through old BB system posts provides us with an interesting history to the introduction of the smiley emoticon.
A personal account of the creation of the smiley by Scott Fahlman sheds some light on the time of creation and the distinct need for such a device.
Baird and Fahlman gave an interview on NPR's All things Considered on September 18th 2002.
Emoticons have certianaly come a long way in twenty years. There is now an ASCII expression for almost anything you can think of. Many people have also opted to leave behind the days of plain ASCII emoticons for small graphics Most commonly called Smileys. There seems to be a smiley for -every- thought and emotion.
I would like to be the first to wish a happy birthday to Mr. :-)
--taken from kuro5hin
Blame assignment for 9-11 intelligence failure
by Eric OlsenA Clevelander's chronology of what went wrong. Well worth re-reading.
Five ways to lose an arguement about Iraq
by Kuro5hin:- Shoot yourself in the foot by insisting that there's never any justification for invading a sovereign nation.
- Quote Scott Ritter as a definitive source of accurate information.
- Argue that we have nothing to fear from Saddam's weapons
- But we didn't object when Pakistan and India got the bomb, and they're more likely to use it than Saddam is. Why don't we (US) change their regimes?
- Everything the US does is bad
--via sassafras
September 20, 2002
Indonesia vs Terorism
I interested to share and comment recently Suara Pembaruan reports about my lovely Indonesia vis a vis terrorism, in global perspective. Dealing with war with terrorism, i think we should be careful to put one things and others, in the mean not to offend others (especially the oppose statement). This is about the CIA report regarding the testimony of Omar Al Faruq, who once planned to murder President Megawati Soekarnoputri in mid-1999, when she was a presidential candidate.I agree with the Nahdlatul Ulama's chairman KH. Hasyim Muzadi that he confirmed to be careful with those report in concern that, if that is a secret report, why CIA published it on public papers. The second, according to Muzadi, Al Qaeda will too risky to have a network in Indonesia because the tradition and religion culture of Indonesian will possibly cirstalized to the militan and/or fundamentalists. Nahdlatul Ulama is the largest Islamic organization who famously known has openly thinking and more tolerant of estimately its 40 milion members.
Another testimony came from a young Islamic thinker cum open-religion activist Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, he said, "Those tendentious thinking even affected to recently global news whichever connecting any crime and terror with Islamic Terorism. It differs if the suspect was other religion, Buddhist, Hindi, or Christian." He gave an example in the case of Oklahoma bombing, there aren't even told as a 'Christian Terorism'. He added, "This bias even been much felt on global news".
Read more detail on the original report (Indonesian). Please note, we are respect and support war against terorism. But please don't uses any ways of blaming game.
September 19, 2002
We Consumes 4 Tons Drugs A Day
Revised: I remember to recall the Friday Kompas' report that said, 4 tons drugs and narcotics consumed by Indonesian people in just a day. What a wonderful stories ever heard. A chairman of Granat, an anti-drugs and narcotics organization Henry Yosodiningrat told, Indonesia has estimately has four milion drugs and/or narcotics users. So, if every users uses a gram drugs everyday, just 24 hour there are four milion gram (4 tons) drugs and narcotics has been totally consumed by my lovely Indonesian people.The main concern is, how that such illegal things could be moved to our country? In a raw calculation, if there are 4 ton drugs has been used a day, it could be assumed that there are more than 120 tons drugs illegally submitted to Indonesia. How do they do that?
Indonesian Government Paying Serious Attention to CIA Report
The Indonesian government is paying serious attention to a CIA report regarding the testimony of Omar Al Faruq, who once planned to murder President Megawati Soekarnoputri in mid-1999, when she was a presidential candidate.--via Joe
For MovableType Users
Hey, if you are a MovableType users, here I just found a couple of website (from MT external resources) that give you wide perspective on how to enhance your weblog. I had tried a few, like Related Entries and much more powerful tools. Here is the lists:* Brad Choate's MT Tips and Tricks
* David Gagne's Works in Progress
* Girlie's Tips and Tricks
* MovableBlog
* Phil Ringnalda's MT Hacks
* ScriptyGoddess
September 17, 2002
An Americanism?
Anti-Americanism is an emotion substituting for an analysis, a morality, an ideal, even an idea about what to do. When the hatred of foreign policies sputters into a hatred of an entire people and their civilization, then thinking is dead and demonology lives. When complexity of thought devolves into caricature -- and all broad-brush hatred of any nation, whatever its occasions, is caricature -- intellect is on its way to reconciling itself to mass murder.
Posted at 03:22 AM | Perspective
September 16, 2002
Conspiracy Theory
I don't know why I very likes with conspiracy. Last weekend, a friend just bought a new VCD, a 1997 Warner Bros motion pictures, Conspiracy Theory. Starred by Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts (both are my favourite stars). Sure, we turn on the TV without long time to wait.Though the first scene seem dull, it's too many Mel's jokes (but it's really funny), it's too far from the idea of conspiracy. Fortunately, the next scenes goes well, and we see a real conspiracy game when Jerry (Mel), an ordinary people who trained and programmed by a MK Ultra program by CIA in order to become a perfect murder. Nevertheless, when the job has comes, Jerry failed. The reason is, he can't kill the target because he fall in loves with the daughter of the victim. From this point, the stories run.
Many people distrusting whether there is a kind of world which by this film or not. As far as I know, from any theories of conspiracy and espionage, this film must be given two thumbs up by what they had done picturing the world of conspiracy (and the theories). Every bit of scenes was really managed well, and reasonable. Like what Jerry said, "Every good conspiracy will never been proved!" So, for sure, every conspiracy seem unbelieveable. Do you believe there are a world like this? If you interested, i prefer you watch it!
September 14, 2002
Were we hijacked on 9/11?
Some of us spoke out for the United States after 9/11. Have we been taken for a ride? Al-Qaida and the Bush regime share a language. Our survival depends on a different, global identity prevailing.Flush from its cold-war victory, the mighty US military machine had diligently searched for new enemies. At best, success was partial. Condoleezza Rice’s Foreign Affairs article from 2000 begins with this declaration: ‘The United States has found it exceedingly difficult to define its “national interest” in the absence of Soviet power.’ Her frustration was understandable. Imagine yourself at the Pentagon with thousands of bombers, fighters, missiles and ships at your command. You also have twelve aircraft carrier groups, each a floating garrison city built for dealing massive death and destruction in any part of the globe. Surrounded by cruisers, submarines and supply ships, they are indestructible by the forces of all countries of the world put together. But, apart from taking potshots at Iraqi targets, there was little for them to do. These super-juggernauts had a clear mission – to safeguard the Empire and its lines of supply. But extended inaction had made their frightful power fade from the world’s consciousness.
...
......
Americans will have to accept that their triumphalism and disdain for international law are creating enemies everywhere, not just among Muslims. They must become less arrogant and more like other peoples of this world. American people must resist the temptation to define the world in terms of their own narrow interests – a better world is worth it even if they have to pay a little more for gas in their SUVs.
September 13, 2002
US in action?
Has anyone thought there is a connection between the closing of US embassies in many countries (like in Indonesia and Hongkong) with US' plan to attack Iraq? I think, they will had do it soon. And, according to a chat with my friend, US will have do it by what they had do with Japan in Pearl Harbor followed by US miliatry action to Japan (WW II). I think, they will do it by the same way by provocate Iraq in hope that Iraq will did a same mistake, so US (and their fellows) could blame the bad Saddam. Boom! Yuhaaa! Duuuhaaa! PS: Dont't be serious with me, i'm not a political scholar, just a geek who very like to tell what he thoughtUpdate: I just remember to recall my January post titled "Remembering Pearl Harbor". There i concludes the fact about FDR and Pearl Harbor from a book authored by Robert B. Stinnett, an American WW II veteran who wrote it on his book titled Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor. Here an excerpt from Amazon:
It was not long after the first Japanese bombs fell on the American naval ships at Pearl Harbor that conspiracy theories began to circulate, charging that Franklin Roosevelt and his chief military advisors knew of the impending attack well in advance. Robert Stinnett, who served in the U.S. Navy with distinction during World War II, examines recently declassified American documents and concludes that, far more than merely knowing of the Japanese plan to bomb Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt deliberately steered Japan into war with America.
Stinnett's argument draws on both circumstantial evidence--the fact, for example, that in September 1940 Roosevelt signed into law a measure providing for a two-ocean navy that would number 100 aircraft carriers--and, more importantly, on American governmental documents that offer apparently incontrovertible proof that Roosevelt knowingly sacrificed American lives in order to enter the war on the side of England. Although obviously troubled by his discovery of a systematic plan of deception on the part of the American government, Stinnett does not take deep issue with its outcome. Roosevelt, he writes, faced powerful opposition from isolationist forces, and, against them, the Pearl Harbor attack was "something that had to be endured in order to stop a greater evil--the Nazi invaders in Europe who had begun the Holocaust and were poised to invade England." Sure to excite discussion, Stinnett's book offers what may be the final word on the terrible matter of Pearl Harbor. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
September 12, 2002
Arus Balik
What Pramoedya Ananta Toer has done with Arus Balik is really incredible work. Though i had bought it for a month ago, i still didn't touch until 4 days ago when i feel very relax and I get no attention of any workload. Yeah, I'm independent now, I had as much as time I need, as well as the money which independently came either :)The book told the Indonesian history at 15-16 century. It fully readable with wide details of Indonesian (and generally global) maritime when the world comes to the era of colonialization. The expedition of Portuegese ship which starting to reach the Javanese island to conquer global trading route versus major Javanese kingdom. The stories told that ex Majapahit state, the State of Tuban and/versus the Islamic kingdom Demak fighting with Portuegese who had affiliated with Padjajaran and Blambangan who played a safe game. It also has a wonderful love story that a role character Wiranggaleng (famously known as Hang Wira) who loves beautiful dancer Idayu (which means beautiful). Because I still didn't knew any English version of this book, I can only suggested for English reader to request this book in English publishing.
September 11, 2002
New Poets
Day goes, day clears, and days still bored. I'm very bored recently, i don't know how it could be. All days goes as long as I could. All days creates its niche colors, all I only could just take it fully responsible, and i still believe it. One has comes are these new poets. I glad to publish it now after taken a long time revised and made it as beauty as I could. Sorry, it only available in Indonesian. If you interested to see all my poets, go to this pagePagi HijrahTelah maghrib kumencari
Seluruh pelosok negeri tlah kudaki
Hanya gelegar sabda menggema
Bisakah kita bertanya tentang ketakbisaan hamba?
Hingga lima menit capai tertoreh
Bumi sejarahku pun menegakkannya
Langkah panjang dalamku
tumbuh tinggi jadi tiang yang disanggah luka
Dalam keheningan hati tak ramai
Dalam kesunyian sesungguhnya kini
Dalam kepekatan pencarian berhenti
Dalam kenistaan sesungguhnya hati
Kukata cinta tapi kau bisu
Kubisukan hati kau tetap merayu
Namun, daya rayu musnah
Tertiup angin cemburu dan dusta
Hanya mencari
mencari
cari
Kututupkan mimpi pagi
Maghrib Petojo, 9 September 2002
Sang PenyairDalam suara ia hidup
dalam tarian ia menyanyi
dalam nyanyian ia hidangkan
puncak rahasia Adam dan HawaSampai ujung jalan itu ia menoleh
ada jalan lain yang menarik hatinya
lari ia melompat lintas setajam pedang
terampas dunia dalam genggaman sabetan kekalahannyaTiada seandainya dalam setiap tembang yang dicipta
demikian langkahnya
Tiada ketetapan sesungguhnya manusia berdendang
demikian hidupnyaPutik, kuncup, wangi itu semua memberi takut padanya
dunia itu masih berkelok jauh curam bertepi
sumbang surgakah mereka?Dalam bingung dan dendam duga
ia melihat cahaya-cahaya
bersinar lembut bertahta
terciptakahDemikian ia bertetap
mengada
menjadi
mencari
Kedoya, 14 Mei 2002 3:11 WIB
Posted at 09:26 PM | Me and Myself
September 09, 2002
Males Warning :)
These are a list of demands from women that arose from discussions at a recent statewide gender liberation conference held for the activist community. Men should read this list carefully, reflect on how items on it may correspond to our own sexist behavior, become aware of when we engage in those behaviors and work to eliminate them from our relationships with women in our everyday lives and in the activist community.--via sassafras
Posted at 01:42 AM | Entertainment
Chomsky Interview on Iraq
Various questions are circulating among people worried about war. On Sept 1, 2002, Michael Albert put a dozen of these to Noam Chomsky, via email. Here are the first three questions and his responses...the whole interview will appear in the October issue of Z Magazine.September 06, 2002
The Crimes of 'Intcom'
An essay by Noam Chomsky, an institute professor and professor of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of, most recently, 9-11 (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2001). A collection of his essays and lectures is available in Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky (New York: New Press, 2002), edited by Peter R. Mitchell and John Schoeffel.Adopting that suggestion, one regularly discovers that terms of political discourse are used with a doctrinal meaning that is crucially different from the literal one. The term “terrorism,” for example, is not used in accord with the official definition but is restricted to terrorism (as officially defined) carried out by them against us and our clients. Similar conventions hold for “war crime,” “defense,” “peace process,” and other standard terms.
One such term is “the international community.” The literal sense is reasonably clear; the U.N. General Assembly, or a substantial majority of it, is a fair first approximation. But the term is regularly used in a technical sense to describe the United States joined by some allies and clients. (Henceforth, I will use the term “Intcom,” in this technical sense.) Accordingly, it is a logical impossibility for the United States to defy the international community. These conventions are illustrated well enough by cases of current concern.
Posted at 09:01 PM |
September 05, 2002
FOR HIRE
This is not an ordinary post, but i need to do it. I would like to inform all of you that I'm a freelance worker since this day. So, by this post, i would very glad if there will an available job that match with my experience, please inform me directly.I'm a web application developer. I've been working for five years in internet industry from portal website through e-commerce and intelligent media. I'm a Microsoft Certified Professional in Visual InterDev and also Brainbench certified. I mostly proficient of ASP, ASP.NET, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, DHTML, and SQL. My new discovery is a XML data exchange technology (including XSLT, SOAP and XML-RPC) and also the great open source PHP and MySQL. I was also an amatir but lovely digital designer, i've design a lot of website and many others digital works.
If you need any sort of work done on web and/or database project, I'm available to hire. If you would like to discuss specifics about your project or talk rates, drop me your inquiries. For more information about me, just check my profile. Thanks to read.
Posted at 01:43 PM | Me and Myself
US still hasn't got the message
A YEAR ago this month, the world stood still as it watched horrific images of America's iconic buildings on fire. Among the clichés that rolled off the tongues of pundits was that the world had changed forever.
And the world did indeed change. The US became more arrogant and went about conducting foreign policy as if nobody else existed. Combating terrorism suddenly became the most pressing issue on the world agenda. Xenophobia was legitimised as a security measure. Rogue states were invited back into the mainstream fold, so long as they threw their weight behind the "war on terrorism". And multilateral institutions such as the UN and international protocols on human rights and the conduct of war were thrown out the window as the US took charge of Planet Earth.
September 04, 2002
Whose Tragedy Is It Anyway?
This is a very great post by my friend, Farid:Some say every American is a Sept. 11 victim. Sue Mladenik doesn't buy it.This latest issue should answer the common question "Why 9/11 is so important?", "Why do people say that the world will never be the same again as they eat their fast food?".
Far from the scarred earth and public shrines, the Mladeniks had become a living link to a day that – the TV anchors promised – would Change America Forever. Sue hated it – hated not only the fact of her family's devastation, but its publicness. The way everybody suddenly seemed to know her. The way Jeff died daily on the covers of newspapers and magazines.
Let put it in context of the death and destruction that occurs on a daily basis. Put it in context of past events where a massive number of people have been killed. Of course 9/11 is big, but not as big as, say, the holocaust or Hiroshima. So why is it so important? I think what makes it different is that it happened to Americans. Mass media and American govt seem to manage it in a hyperbole way. I mean, look at what American govt had done after 9/11?
They (American govt) should see how they had managed other countries that made some of them did those kind of 'rebel'. Look at how they had managed to endure the slow disintegration of Bosnia. They had simply filed it, along with the events in Rwanda and Chechnya and Sierra Leone, under the rubric "Bad Things That Occur to People Who Are Not Americans." They should stop their arrogancies and stop dictating other countries to do their way, as we currently can see to Palestine and Iraq. This is strengthened by news on Detikcom and International Herald Tribune, that the world now see that U.S. policies played a significant role in that 9/11 attacks.
Indonesians tried for insulting president
This news may be too late, but it still important for everybody to know:Two Indonesian demonstrators have gone on trial on charges of insulting the president under a law that has not been used since the resignation of President Suharto four years ago.
The two men were arrested for trampling on pictures of President Megawati Sukarnoputri and the Vice President, Hamzah Haz, and pouring rotten food on the photos during an anti-government protest.
If convicted of the criminal offence of insulting the president, the two defendants face a maximum of six years in prison.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
--via Joe
September 03, 2002
Maktub
If you are one of Paulo Coelho's reader, i think you must be be loved this news. Paulo Coelho is not only one of the most widely read but also one the most influential authors writting today. To date a total of 210 translations have been sold with sales totalling almost 37 million copies. In 56 languages and published in 140 countries of the world. In 1986 Paulo Coelho walked along the Road of Santiago, the ancient Spanish pilgrimage. He would later describe this experience in ‘The Pilgrimage’, published in 1987. The following year, with his second book ‘The Alchemist’, established his worldwide fame. The book is an authentic phenomenon, one of the best book I ever read.The good news is, now you may download free the full version of Paulo Coelho's "Maktub", a collection of 110 short stories (published in several Brazilian newspapers) translated by Alan R. Clarke. "Maktub" means "It is written." The Arabs feel that "It is written" is not really a good translation, because, although everything is already written, God is compassionate, and wrote it all down just to help us.
Questioning the Hate
Hate still be a dominant matter of our everday life. Matt Hale, America's scariest hatemonger (registration required), got off to a rocky start. He recalled an incident in childhood that first led him to regard nonwhites as vermin: At a dance, he saw white girls "betraying their race" by kissing black boys. "I felt nauseous," he said solemnly. "Interracial marriage is against nature. It's a form of bestiality."He has become the key figure in America's hate community, revitalizing racism by recruiting women, children and convicts into a high-tech, energetic organization whose followers show a pattern of random brutality toward blacks and other "enemies." It would be flattering Mr. Hale too much to call his group America's Al Qaeda, but the scary thing is that I think the comparison would leave him feeling flattered.
After 9/11 I interviewed Muslim hatemongers abroad, and I wanted to confront our own religious extremists. They are not a threat to national stability, the way they are in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, but they are every bit as loony as Al Qaeda and they have been enmeshed in violence. That's particularly true of Mr. Hale's group, the World Church of the Creator, whose followers have shot, knifed or beaten blacks, Jews and Asian-Americans in several states.
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Posted at 04:18 PM | Perspective
Rememorizing the Tradegy
In Jakarta area, every geek must be knew that Monday is the special day to see movies because the ticket price has been cutted down. So, yesterday i decided to see movies. Although I hadn't seen movies for a long time (more than a month), i get very bored of Hollywood movies. Then, I decided to buy a ticket of local documentary movies titled, Student Movement in Indonesia (indonesian). Yes, this film is kindly like a news spot captured by journalist. In fact, this is the story of a big part of Indonesian democracy movement. So, this is really important event to see.This film documented the student movement four years ago when they get the real fight with the military to declare May 1998 revolution which ended by President Suharto falls after ruled for about 32 years in this country. The tradegy which entitled as Trisakti Tragedy and Semanggi Tragedy marked this revolution movement which characterized this main event of this documentary. Marked with the death of students, hundreds has been wounded, and also civilians, the Indonesia must be remember the young people is the martyr that symbolized our existence. So, we should be ashamed if we fill in the recent life without acting against any wrong ruled goverment that seemly still plays in corruption.
Please note that, this film is the first Indonesian documentary film comes to public cinema. It was Tino Saroengallo, a journalist, photographer cum cameraman who ever worked in a Jakarta magazine that created this documentary. After taken all the moments for about 50 hours, he should wait for fund to make it possible shows in public cinema. This film formerly titled as The Army Forced Them to be Violence. Update: For you who interested to know more about Indonesia, i prefer you should watch this movies (before its going off from cinema). And, don't worry, it's mainly English speaking film too.
September 02, 2002
Seriously without Joke, SatireWire is Over!
I started the site (originally called The FNwire) back in December of 1999, at the height of the Internet boom. It was a great creative outlet, and it was a marvelous way for me to get a wider audience for my writing. That first month, for those first few stories, I think I had about 400 visitors. Last month, in July of 2002, the site had about 1 million visitors reading about 5 million stories. So, oddly enough...Sadly, this website is my favourite for a while. One of its stories appeared on this site is Does Young American Know the Country they Attacked? (in July 2002 post), a provocating question about American young perspective. So, pretty clear, i really hope (surely you), there will be any website like that, more genius and laughing.
It's not about the money. The site actually makes money — through advertising, through the book "Economy of Errors," and (primarily) through selling pieces from the site to publications like, say, the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, or the National Post in Canada. Nice little setup, actually. I've been very lucky. But the bottom line is, it has ceased to be fun. My heart is not in it. My head is not in it. (And please, no emails saying, "Yeah, lately we could kinda tell." Like I need to hear that.)
The thing is, SatireWire, successful as it has been, is also suffocating. I work best tangentially, meaning I work best when I let ideas just come at me, flitting about my head like confetti as I marvel at all the pretty colors, the way they turned in the wind. I would pick out the ones I liked, put them together, make a story. But the confetti no longer falls. It's all on the ground now. The parade is over. I'm just sweeping up ideas off the pavement. And that's not good enough.
Computers that Can't be Hacked
Tired of battling hackers, two former Motorola engineers developed a new Web server that's touted as a more secure, reliable machine.The reason their computer cannot be hacked (registration required) and won't break down, said Hauk, is its utter simplicity. It doesn't have an operating system--the millions of lines of code that run most Internet computers--but relies instead upon a "kernel" of just 4 kilobytes of code.
The computer is stripped of bells and whistles, relinquishing some flexibility to enhance reliability. Bodacion's philosophy of "less is more" is a radical departure from the other computers that support the Internet.
Posted at 05:20 PM | Technology
Rolling Back Radical Islam
While I was recently in Indonesia, Miss Spears got far more air-time than Osama did, which made me wonder whether Mr. bin Laden doesn’t have a point concerning the cultural brutality of the West. Now, hard-headed politicos may dismiss the Cult of Britney (and of bare-midriff blondes in general, for whom one cannot help feeling a certain admiration), but a society in which the girls and women have been watching Christina Aguilera’s displays of life-affirming exuberance on video is unlikely ever to sign up for the whole fundamentalist package. Indeed, when confronted with the word "fundamentalist," the young women of Indonesia tend to concentrate on the first three letters.
Posted at 03:29 PM | Perspective
