IELTS

This page is merely aimed to write down some frameworks and or summaries that absolutely help me before doing writing test for IELTS. All these frameworks and or summaries below are taken from many sources especially when I am doing something and reading news either on online news media or in newspapers.

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World Water Day celebrated on Surabaya River

Dozens of officials from tap water company Perum Jasa Tirta I and activists from environmental group Konsorsium Lingkungan Hidup (KLH) on Tuesday held tumpengan and ruwatan rituals on the banks of the Surabaya River to welcome World Water Day, which is celebrated every March 22.

Taufiqurahman of Perum Jasa Tirta I said the two Javanese rituals were held in the hope that people living along the banks of the Surabaya River would be made aware of the need to preserve the environment, and would stop throwing waste into the river.

“The tumpengan and ruwatan rituals are part of our efforts to ensure that all biota in the Surabaya River are preserved. It is hoped that everyone can be made aware of the importance of maintaining the Surabaya River, and have the willingness to protect it,” said Taufiqurahman.

Tumpengan is a Javanese tradition involving serving cone-shaped rice with various side-dishes to express gratitude for blessings received from God. Meanwhile, ruwatan is a ritual seeking divine blessings from God.At the event, the participants spread seeds of fish species endemic to the Surabaya River.

Compared with six years ago, the water condition in the Surabaya River is relatively clean, and endemic species are thriving, including rengkik, pangsius catfish or jendil and mystus or keting. In 2000, people could find only common snakeheads – locally known as sarkamut or gabus, a species resistant to water with a high level of pollution.

“Thanks to various efforts, the condition of the Surabaya River has improved. Various fish endemic to the Surabaya River such as rengkik, jendil and keting, which had once disappeared, can now be found easily by local anglers,” Taufiqurahman.

Meanwhile, KLH director Imam Rohani added that red worms were now quite difficult to find on the banks of the river. “The difficulty in finding red worms is an indicator that the quality of water in the Surabaya River is improving,” said Imam.

In the central area of the river, Imam said, authorities supported by environmental activists had continued to monitor the quality of the river water, especially its pollution level, while water patrols were intensified on the downstream side of the river to reduce potential pollution.

“We monitor it every month and report it to [East Java governor Tri Rismaharini],” said Imam. (ebf)

Source: http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/23/world-water-day-celebrated-surabaya-river.html#sthash.5bNcAgMf.dpuf

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By the Way … Clashing Culinary Ideas and Preferences

The delicious local dishes I’ve tasted across Indonesia are attributable to many factors — from seasonings, rich blends of spices and other flavor enhancers to oil — and time-consuming cooking methods like deep-frying or simmering over a low flame for hours.

“Even without meat, rice and seasonings alone are already delicious,” a Manadonese friend, Johanis Untung, once said of the food from his hometown in Minahasa, North Sulawesi.

The world-famous beef rendang of Padang, West Sumatra, for instance, is cooked for hours in coconut milk and a paste of over 10 ground spices seasoned with salt and sugar until it caramelizes.

“The peculiarity of a coconut milk-based Javanese vegetable soup called lodeh is that it gets more savory and tastier when reheated,” observed chef Lambon of Warung Pulau Kelapa, an Indonesian restaurant in Ubud, Bali.

For me, Johanis and Lambon‘s statements are common knowledge that I, as an Indonesian, am completely used to and take for granted. However, they were alarming in the eyes of a Belgian businessman with whom I recently had lunch.

He pointed out that Indonesians’ preferences for eating richly seasoned food, employing flavor-enhancing cooking methods like frying and marinating, as well as reheating food repeatedly, suggested their ignorance of the food’s real taste and a loss of nutritional value upon reheating.

Compromised hygiene is another issue, he added, especially with regard to local street food, which is often exposed to flies, dust, vehicle exhaust fumes and the unclean hands of sellers who double as cashiers.

His concern appeared genuine but he had a reason for it. He runs food stalls selling roast chicken lightly seasoned with European herbs and served with rice, and wants to outdo his street food competitors.

He wondered why people still opted for heavily seasoned, unhygienic street food rather than spending a few thousand rupiah more to buy his roast chicken.

Well, I guess he knows the answer because he told me his chocolate mousse sells very well. He must have noticed that Indonesians love not only richly seasoned and spicy food but also sweet and savory food.

His European gourmet ideals had two sides. One side prizes a minimalist approach to original, natural tastes and is thus rather at odds with prevailing local preferences.

The other flaunts decadent sweetness, usually with savory undertones, and thus perfectly fits the local palate.

On the other hand, people who eat traditional, cheaper street food are normally those on a tight budget or those who have grown accustomed to it, who come from where the food originates or share a similar culinary culture and ideals. Thus they regard it as part of their culinary comfort zone and are ignorant of or unbothered by new, foreign tastes and foods no matter how healthy or hygienic.

Then he brought up another issue. The chocolate used to make the mousse, he said, was Belgian-made using ingredients of Indonesian origin. “Indonesia has no know-how on to make top-quality chocolate from the cacao trees grown in its own backyard. All your country’s best beverage crops, be it cacao, coffee or tea, are exported. The ones left for your domestic markets are of lesser quality,” he said.

For him, the industrial, mass-produced, well-known local coffee he served me, for instance, was just “brown-colored water smelling like coffee with no real [coffee] character”, which needed to be covered up by adding flavor-enhancing ingredients, such as sugar and creamer.

However, the heavy seasonings and time-consuming cooking of some foods, such as rendang and dry gudeg (young jackfruit stew), were initially meant to keep them edible for longer in the absence of refrigeration.

Eating goes beyond the need to be full, even among the poor who, in my hometown in Central Java, for instance, eat rice with sweet soy sauce in the absence of other foods.

Other examples are rice with lard and sweet soy sauce, which one of my ethnic Chinese friends often ate as a child, and rice with MSG, which one of my grandmother’s friends ate as part of fasting during Lent.

People’s attempts to make their food taste better are a universal endeavor to maximize enjoyment, which corresponds to their budget, taste, habits, idiosyncrasies, ideals, comfort zones and levels of culinary and nutritional knowledge.

Some like their food as close as possible to its naked state. Some like to dress it as richly as they see fit. Either way, they are actualizing their own version of deliciousness.

– Arif Suryobuwono

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/13/by-way-clashing-culinary-ideals-and-preferences.html

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ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and Congested Labor Mobility

By Mohammad Faisal on The Jakarta Post, Monday, 18 January 2016

Causes:

• The target of creating a free flow of skilled labor has actually not been achieved;
• Within the last ten years, MRAs (Mutual Recognition Arrangements) were signed for eight professions, starting with engineers in 2005 and followed by nurses, architects, geospatial surveyors, accountants, medical and dental practitioners and tourism professionals. However, these eight professions represent only 1.5% of a total ASEAN workforce of over 300 million, dominated by un-skilled and low-skilled workers;
• Ironically, the ASEAN MRAs thus for have not included the vast majority of the ASEAN workforces, despite the high demand for the mobility of these workers in a number of industries;
• The implementation progress of the eight MRAs also varies greatly from one to the other. Engineering and architecture have achieved well-established competency standards and registration system both at the national and regional levels. On the other hand, nursing, medical and dental services have not established a regional registration system and the implementation of these MRAs has been dependent on national regulatory adjustments. Since national regulations relating to the health sector in most ASEAN countries restrict foreign professionals, the free flow of health professionals in the region is unlikely to materialize in the near future;
• The only ASEAN MRA that has made speedy progress is the one on tourism professionals;
• While low and un-skilled labor dominates the ASEAN labor force, much of the skilled labor does not meet international competency standards and are often uncertified. In Indonesia, for example, less than five percent of the total workforce attended certified job training workshops every year in the last decade. Even for those with certificates and sufficient technical skills, many are lacking in soft skills such as managerial, interpersonal and English language skills, which are essential if they have to compete with workers from other countries.

Effects:

• Therefore, opening domestic job markets for foreign professionals, despite potentially bringing some benefits to some domestic industries, may well increase unemployment among skilled and educated workers. This may also lead to social and political instability in the country.

Summary:

• In this context, the slow progress of ASEAN integration and the hindered mobility of labor could be a blessing in disguise, in the sense that it will provide more time for ASEAN countries to breath and improve the quality of their workforce before the free flow of labor mobility materializes in the region;
• As slow as it may, it is certain that regional economic integration will keep moving. ASEAN countries should make the most of the lengthy process by quickly preparing their workforce to become more competitive and more responsive to this increasingly dynamic region.

Source: The Jakarta Post issued on Monday, 18 January 2016
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Hobby: Swimming

How to Learn Swimming:

• Learning by individual using a tire’s inner tube in a pond, a river or a pool;
• Taking swimming lessons;

The Benefits of Swimming:

• The health benefits of swimming are numerous. It trains the cardiovascular system, is a low-impact exercise and a great whole body workout;
• There are also several psychological benefits of swimming. A swim session at the pool relaxes the mind, uplifts the spirit and is also often an occasion for social contacts;
• Besides this, swimming is also a recreational activity to have with friends and when it is hot outside;
• Being able to swim opens up a lot of recreational possibilities that would not be safe to practice otherwise: surfing, kayaking, boat fishing, etc.

Popular Swimming Strokes:

• The Freestyle Stroke: Also known a front crawl, this is the fastest and most efficient of all swim strokes. Because of this is the favorite of many fitness swimmers and triathletes;
• The Breaststroke: This is often the first of the competitive swim strokes taught to beginners. The advantage of the breasstroke is that in the beginning the head can be kept out of the water, which avoids breathing issues;
• The Backstroke: This is the sole competitive swim stroke swum on the back. Slower than butterfly but faster than breaststroke, it is often prescribed by doctors to patients that suffer from back pain;
• The Butterfly Stroke: This is the second fastest and most exhausting of all swim strokes. However, swimming a few lengths of butterfly is a lot of fun because its movements are unlike any other stroke. Plus when you do swim butterfly you always get a lot of attention.

Source: http://www.enjoy-swimming.com

Taken: Saturday, 30 January 2016

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Tuning In: A Brief Guide on Choosing The Best Headphones to Match Your Lifestyle

For music lovers, sports enthusiasts, or even office workers, headphones have become an important accsessory for daily life. How to choose the most suitable headphones, here are the recaps:

• Know the Specs

To find quality headphones, look for a model’s specifications on the box or check out the brand’s website. Note how the phones perform on the big three factors: Frequency response, sound pressure level (SPL) and impedance.

• Know Your Place

Previously, conventional wisdom recommended choosing headphones based on your musical taste. That does not always hold true these days, since in-ear headphones can reproduce higher frequencies and most over-ear headphones have great bass, too. So think about where you will use your headphones. Commuters, for example, should pick in-ear or on-ear headphones, since they are compact. For home or office use, over-ear is always better, since they have the most comfort when used for a longer period.

• Know Your Taste

Sound quality could be maxed by using headphones suited to your musical taste. For example, over-ear headphones are better at reproducing a concert-like feel, or when listening to jazz. In-ear headphones are better for listening to rock, with its electric bass and guitar rhythms. In the middle are on-ear headphones, which are better for electronic music, which typically has no bass.

• Know Your Limit

Wireless technology has seen the rise of tangle-free headphones that can easily be paired with smart devices or home entertainment systems. If you do not want to be limited by cables when listening to music on the go, wireless headphones are the answer.

Source: JPlus by The Jakarta Post issued on Sunday, 10 January 2016

Taken: Sunday, 17 January 2016

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Women and The Creative Economy

• Indonesia has a great market for creative products. Local players, however, have not been able to capitalize on the market, because most Indonesias still prefer imported goods to locally-manufactured ones. Which is a shame, because most of the time, the imported products use materials from Indonesia.  Their only advantage is that they have better design and packaging. This is our challenge now to make our fashion products number 1 in their hometown instead of becoming guests in their own country. To accomplish this, designers need to really learn how to design and package their products professionally. We need to force ourselves to fight in this area, with the help of lots of different sectors. By Novita Yunus, founder ad CEO of Batik Chic.
• The creative economy provides a huge opportunity to Indonesian women, since it is a wide and diverse sector. Women, however, need to have a solid team to create a viable business, polishing their management, business and networking skills. They need to view creativity as something more than just selfexpression, but also as a means to create and manage business. Sound business skills are also essential: The ability to understand one’s competitors and their strategies. Women’s feminine qualities, however, could be their competitive advantage in doing business. Their ability to multi-task efficiently, their mental agility and flexibility, as well as excellent negotiation skills can help them to achieve success. By Uti Rahardjo, founder of Creative Center Indonesia.
• Others: women are supposed to have sufficient understanding of branding and marketing strategies, ability to calculate cost efficiency.

Source: JPlus by The Jakarta Post issued on Sunday, 10 January 2016

Taken: Sunday, 17 January 2016

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About Home (for Speaking Test, Part 3)

• What type of home do you live in? –> A terraced house, a detached house, a bungalow, a cottage, a flat.
• Where is your home located? –> In the country, in the suburbs, on the ground/first/top floor, withing walking distance of the shops, in a good/bad/rough neighborhood.
• Does your home have … ? –> A garage, a study room, an en-suite bathroom, a balcony, a fitted kitchen.

A suburb: An area where people live outside the centre of a city.

Rough: A rough area is a place where there is a lot of violence and crime.

Neighbourhood: A part of a town or city where people live.

An en-suite bathroom: A bathroom that is directly connected to a bedroom.

A fitted kitchen: A kitchen where the cupboards, cooker, etc. fit exactly into the space.

Source: A Poster at IELC Solo (also can be taken on http://www.cambridge.org/elt/face2face

Taken: Saturday, 16 January 2016

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Internet Protection Solutions

Purposes:

• To protect against unwanted internet content;
• To control online activity and usage;
• To manage applications used on mobil devices.

Net Nanny (Consumen Product) Benefits

• Visibility and Awareness: Net Nanny helps parents gain insight to their kids’ data activity and usage;
• Control for A Safer Experience: Net Nanny enables parents to control and manage what their kids access online, creating a safer digital experience for everyone;
• Peace of Mind: Net Nanny gives parents and guardians the assurance that their loved ones are safe online, and the confidence that they are making the best decisions for their families.

ContentWatch (Business Product) Benefits

• Detailed Visibility: ContentWatch gives organizations enhanced visibility into endpoint device usage. This allows then to take ownership of their information;
• Control: We allow businesses to take control of how different endpoints are being used. This reduces liability and improves security;
• Improved Business Operations: With the visibility and control we offer, businesses can improve employee productivity and efficiency and increase profitability.

Features:

• Internet Filter: Be in control of your internet. Set filtering for 18 categories of online content to either block, warn, or allow for view;
• Block Pornography: Warn or block access to pornography and other adult content;
• Time Management: Set the total number of internet hours in a day or set specific times of the day when your child can be online;
• Mask Profanity: View a web page without being bombarded by vulgar language;
• Social Media Monitoring: Help protect kids from online threats and monitors activities related to your child “friends,” cyberbullying, sexual predators, privacy concerns, and reputation-damaging pictures or videos;
• Alerts and Reporting: Receive reparts and mail alerts about your child’s online activity;
• Remote Admin: Check usage reports, change your child’s profile settings, and much more, from any computer with an internet connection;
• User Profiles: Use preset user profiles or customize settings for each family member; unlimited user profiles for each computer.

Source: http://www.netnanny.com

Taken: Friday, 15 January 2015

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Why Should You Not Take Technology Away from Kids?

• The True Solution

Parents shouldn’t really discipline kids by taking away technology. Instead, they should take away certain activities, which is really what is affecting a lot of kids nowadays. What I mean is, don’t stop them from using their computers, tablets or whatever they may own. Stop them from using social networks and games for hours on end.
Your kids are born into a very important era, please recognize how unable to compete they will become if they are taken away the tools that put the world at their very fingertips. Information is valuable, and it is necessary.
Parents shouldn’t really discipline kids by taking away technology. Instead, they should take away certain activities, which is really what is affecting a lot of kids nowadays. What I mean is, don’t stop them from using their computers, tablets or whatever they may own. Stop them from using social networks and games for hours on end.
Learn to see tablets, computers, smartphones and the like as what they are. These are amazing tools, and like any other tool it has its negative sides. You could use a computer to hack and terrorize people, just like you can use it to figure out the cure for cancer. The device is not the important factor here, it is the person and how he or she uses it.

• Tech, from The Eyes of A Millenial

Generation Y saw the birth of this new era. One in which technology becomes an essential part of our everyday life, and we can no longer live without it. We also saw the world before consumer technology as we know it took off. Our lives are divided by both eras and I believe our input is very important for parents trying to adapt to this change, which no one understands better than us.
I was lucky enough to have very reasonable parents growing up. We had great communication and they didn’t simply order me around as a kid. Instead, I would try to reason with them about what I should and shouldn’t be doing. It was more like coming to agreements or verbal contracts.
They came to understand that I wasn’t slacking off because of that computer I begged them for, but instead it was that new game that I installed in it. They would ask me not to play the game if I hadn’t finished my homework, but I could certainly use the computer to research on that topic I had to write my paper about.
Likewise, my parents required that I read and learn (aside from what school demanded from me) for a certain amount of time a day. I came to terms with them, proving that I could read a book, the newspaper, and also a sea of information that was granted to me thanks to the power of the internet and that same computer I sometimes used to simply waste hours gaming.
Here’s the real kicker: they would even allow me to replace some of that time with gaming… but not just any gaming. I was an avid fan of the Final Fantasy games, a series of RPG titles that was (and is) very popular. Some of you may not know this, but back then Final Fantasy games didn’t have voices – you had to read the entire dialog.
And we are talking about games in which you would spend many hours to beat. The story was of great importance too, making you read thousands and thousands of words. In a way, it was like reading a fantasy novel. I can honestly tell you my reading passion and skills wouldn’t have grown as much without the Final Fantasy series. Ironically, now I am making a living out of technology.
Furthermore, gaming has been proven to be good in healthy doses. Gaming can make your kids better problem solvers, as well as less willingly to give up when they don’t accomplish their goals. Responsible gamers are said to be hard workers of very strong character. So long as they don’t let it get out of hand, of course.
Be reasonable with your kids, they are smart. Smarter than ever, in this generation where technology has taken away the limits that we once faced. Your kids can learn anything they want, and accomplish great things – all thanks to those machines that many of you want to take away from them.

• How Can We Make Sure Kids are Using Tech The Right Way?

With all of that in mind, you still want to monitor the little ones. Don’t push your kids back into your era, instead, adapt to theirs. We were all kids, and we know they will be mischievous and often try to get away with things. There is no set solution for this, but you can monitor them using many tools and techniques.
I often recommend a service called Net Nanny. This is available for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, covering most devices people use nowadays. It’s also simple to use and brings you all the parental control features you could ever ask for. You can do things like block sites, manage usage times, monitor social media/chatting, mask profanity and more.

Source: http://www.mobilegeeks.com/kids-technology/

Taken: Thrusday, 14 January 2016

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Kids and Gadgets

How to confirm a kid is gadget addicted

• Most of the time child watching TV, playing video games on TV, mobiles or tablets;
• Get angry or cry if you ask him to stop watching TV or playing video games;
• Try to butter polish your spouse;
• Start doing emotional blackmailing;
• If it is at severe level, he or she may start beating you or throw gadgets.

Side effects of too much gadgets used by kids

• Less concentration on study and other educational activities;
• Highly affect their eye vision and get eye power glasses soon;
• No much physical activity leads to obesity in kids;
• Sometimes, child becomes too much short tempered, get angry if you call them while they are busy with gadgets;
• Kids suffering from gadget addiction are not much social;

Common reasons why kids become gadget addicted

• Most common reason is they feel lonely and not getting required friends’ or parents’ time;
• They are not getting much interest in study and want to spend their time with something else;
• Parents are busy with their own work or friends and kids are not geeting much attention;
• Less friends and less physical activities or games leading kids to use gadgets for time pass;

Reasons why we shoud ban kids from gadgets

• Rapid brain growth and nature: Early brain develpoment is determined by environmental stimuli or lack thereof. Kids need to experience the outdoors – they need to spend time in “green” spaces or their brains are not going to grow the way they should;
• Delayed development: Using technology restricts our movement. Movement and play are essential not only for child development and learning, but also for survival. Not moving can lead to delayed movement;
• Aggression: Violance is a learned behavior. Children who are exposed to violent content may act out aggresively, physically, and sexually toward their peers;
• Mental health: Connection to technology is actually disconnecting children from self, others, nature, and spirit. “The result?” Addiction to Facebook, video games, pornography to name few;
• Digital dementia: Children who overuse technology are experiencing a variety of problems: memory loss, distraction, obesity, anxiety, loneliness, child depression, and the inability to concentrate.

How to get kids away from using gadgets

• Encourage outdoor activities: Ask your children to spend time in the outdoors. This will make them mentally and physically fit, especially if they can play with peer groups. Also, this will help then divert their minds instead of sitting idle or a couch with gadgets;
• Set a time table: Older children need some screen time nowadays for their studies and projects. It is better to set a daily routine time table for your kids with specific time for using gadgets. But, make sure that they are not spending time simply watching cartoons, chatting or playing games;
• Replace gadget games: If you wonder what to do if your kids get addicted to gadgets and gizmos, here is an interesting idea. If they love playing cards or chess on the computer screen, introduce the real games to them and play with them. This will divert their interest fron the screen to reality with more excitement;
• Develop a hobby: Getting free time is the major reason why children spend more time with gadgets. One interesting idea to change this habit is to develop some hobbies, no matter how simple  and silly they are. You can encourage them to try stamp collection, coin collection, or gardening;
• Teach a skill: Learning something new is the best idea to keep their brain active and engaged. So, give an opportunity for your kids to learn something new like swimming or a new sport, a new language, magic, musical instruments, or ever dance;
• Outings: Take your kids for picnic or treckking whenever time permits. Allow your kids to spend time in nature; this will be a great idea to bring your kids to the real world. A park or a beach can make your kids more active than an enclosed home filled with gadgets.

Source:

• http://www.boldsky.com/pregnancy-parenting/kids/2015/tips-to-get-kids-away-from-using-gadgets-092319.html
• http://www.techtiptricks.com/save-kids-from-gadget-addiction-child-using-mobile-computer-tablets/
• http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/3112014-ban-kids-from-handheld-devices-electronics/

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7 Alasan Anak Harus Main di Luar, Bukan Main Gadget!

• Penurunan perkembangan otak

Pada lima tahun pertama hidupnya, otak anak berkembang sangat pesat. Studi menunjukkan bahwa terlalu banyak gadget akan memengaruhi fungsi otak dan menyebabkan anak menjadi kurang perhatian terhadap lingkungan sekitar. Anak juga akan mengalami keterlambatan kognitif, gangguan proses belajar, peningkatan impulsif, dan penurunan kemampuan mengontrol diri. Ahli parenting menyarankan orang tua untuk mengajak anak bernyanyi, membaca, dan berbicara dengan anak-anak mereka daripada membiarkannya bermain gadget atau menonton televisi.

• Radiasi

Menurut laporan dari WHO (Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia) pada 2011, ponsel dan perangkat nirkabel lainnya masuk dalam kategori 2B karena risiko emisi radiasi yang dihasilkannya. Pada Desember 2013, Dr. Anthony Miller dari University of Toronto School of Public Health mengungkapkan bahwa paparan frekuensi radio merupakan ancaman nyata bagi anak-anak. Penelitian yang dilakukan Universitas Leeds di Nottingham dan Universitas Manchester and Institute of Cancer Research di London, Inggris, menyatakan bahwa syaraf anak masih berkembang dan tengkorak tipis membuat anak rentan terserang radiasi dari ponsel. Penggunaan telepon genggam di dekat kepala anak dikhawatirkan akan menghancurkan sel otak balita.

• Mengurangi kemampuan interaksi sosial

Dengan tablet, anak bisa bermain seorang sendiri. Dalam sebuah artikel yang diterbitkan di The New York Times, penulis buku iBrain:Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind dan Direktur Longevity Center di Universitas California, Dr Gary Small mengatakan anak-anak yang menghabiskan terlalu banyak waktu dengan teknologi, akan mengurangi interaksi dan mengganggu keterampilan komunikasi.

• Temperamental

Coba sesekali perhatikan perilaku anak yang berinteraksi dengan gadget berjam-jam lamanya. Apakah anak Anda menjadi agresif? Tantrum adalah bentuk paling umum dari agresivitas di kalangan balita. Sikap agresif dan tantrum merupakan akibat dari paparan gadget. Saat mereka tumbuh dewasa, anak-anak yang kecanduan game lebih mungkin untuk tidak mematuhi orang tuanya.

• Obesitas

Anak-anak yang mengandalkan waktu bermain mereka di depan layar gadget daripada di taman bermain, tidak dapat membakar kalori di tubuhnya. Satu dari tiga anak Amerika mengalami obesitas yang dapat menyebabkan komplikasi penyakit seperti diabetes, serangan jantung, dan stroke. Orang tua harus mendorong anak-anak mereka untuk bermain di luar rumah. Orang tua harus memahami bahwa ada banyak manfaat bermain seperti berjalan, berlari, dan melompat.

• Merusak penglihatan

Kontak yang terlalu lama di layar komputer dapat merusak mata. Para ahli mengatakan, penglihatan yang baik diperoleh jika menatap benda dari jarak yang bervariasi. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa anak-anak yang kecanduan bermain game komputer lebih mungkin mengalami gangguan pada mata mereka.

• Kurang minat bermain di alam terbuka

Gadget ‘membunuh’ perkembangan anak. Sudah seharusnya anak keluar rumah, berjalan di taman, dan bersosialisasi dengan anak-anak lain. Bukan hanya tinggal di rumah dan bermain dengan gadget. Beberapa orang tua tidak menyadari bahwa anak mereka terasing dari alam, tumbuhan, hewan, danau, dan langit. Balita harus mampu melempar bola, melompat, berlari, dan bernyanyi. Intinya, anak harus aktif bergerak untuk merangsang perkembangan saraf motorik.

Source: 7 Alasan Anak Harus Main di Luar, Bukan Main Gadget! by Rosa Anggreati on http://rona.metrotvnews.com/read/2015/12/30/206528/7-alasan-anak-harus-main-di-luar-bukan-main-gadget

Taken: Thrusday, 7 January 2016

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Technology Innovations

The waning year’s advances in computer hardware and software, mechanical devices, sensors and artificial intelligence brought the world another step closer to the robotic future.

Electric cars were a big hit in 2015. Most large manufactures introduced higher mileage models; some such as Honda, pushed for alternate energy sources, viz. hydrogen power.

• 3-D Printing Ideas Abound

On another front, 3-D printing technology has emerged as a cheaper way of manufacturing almost anything – from pastries to cars. For example, Divergent Microfactories in California rolled out a 3-D printed chassis that weights only 102 pounds and has the same strength and safety protection as a frame made out of steel.

• Robots Step Forward

Robots also gained new ground, serving as human-like receptionists and robotic barmen  or providing exoskeletons that help paralyzed people walk again. Another, mind controlled prostheses continue to promise great help for amputees.

• High-flying Drones

Drones also made a big mark in 2015. Pilotless floating and flying vehicles have started exploring marine hydrology and biology, fighting big-game poachers in Africa, helping farmers survey and analyze their crops, and even inspecting large aircraft for possible damage.

• Others

1) Software developers are finding more and more practical uses for smartphones. 2) Samuel K. Sia from Columbia University helped develop an inexpensive accessory that can detect several infectious disease markers from a droplet of blood in just 15 minutes. 3) A pilot model is being used to test for sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and syphilis. 4)  Virtual reality, the most exciting technology in the industry right now, also made big splash in the gaming industry and beyond with sophisticated headsets that transport users to different worlds.

Source: Robotics, 3-D Printing, Drones Lead 2015 Technology Innovations by George Putic on VOA Apps

Taken: Sunday, 3 January 2016

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Summary: The Original Sin

Problems:

• In Karl Marx’s words, it is the “original sin” that begot capitalism, when the would-be capitalists exploited all avenues to amass wealth as capital for future business, through graft and massive corruption, extortion, tax evasion, transfer pricing, expropriation of lands, plundering of natural resources, looting of public assets, policy capture, etc.
• It sounds comparable to the massive corruption at the apex of the Constitutional Court; to the way the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is paralyzed by collusion between political grandees, the police and legislators; to the scandal of Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI); to the link between roguish palm-oil industries and annual forest fires; to the business-brokering ruckus implicating the House speaker; and to the warring parties within the Jokowi government.
• The list could go on, and the pattern is clear. The raging plunder is the work of all parties: state ministers and officials, politically wired grandees, business magnates, judges, politicians, police officers, ex-generals, governors, legislators, etc. Dig deeper into their political ventures, and we will find that their financial bases mainly come from their connection with the plunder of Indonesia’s natural resources like coal, oil and palm-oil. No wonder, at the height of the raging forest fires a few months ago, a state minister threatened environmental activists that he deemed to be disrupting the palm-oil industry. The reason was plain: he has strong financial ties to these businesses. Of course, most business groups now controlling this country’s economy behaved similarly during the Soeharto rule. The difference is, the actors are now much more numerous and gangster-like.
• Where does all this lead us? The sort of economic system we have is not just a rentier capitalism but sheer gangsterism. It is politically paralyzing, economically debilitating and culturally stupefying. The paradox is that for the Jokowi government to succeed, those primitive accumulators around him must move away from the formula that has served them viciously well so far.

Source: Waiting for A Spark of Leadership: A National Vocation? by B Herry – Priyono on http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/waiting-a-spark-leadership-a-national-vocation.html

Taken: Saturday, 2 January 2016

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Facing ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Challenge: How will Indonesia face the AEC that begins at the start of 2016

Problems:

• The benefits of the AEC are likely to be concentrated on skilled workers. In fact, the vast majority of Indonesia workers are unskilled and half of them in low paid and precarious working conditions.
• A lot of issues of income inequality, non-productive jobs, job protection and social insecurity.
• Reflecting back inn 2015, we can see that if issues related to labor market institutions are not tackled properly, the problems of industrial relations will more or less persist.

Solutions: To further boost economic growth and to create quality jobs, these span of that the government:

• Has to be able to craft and implement policies that not only support investment but also job creations and equitable outcomes for all.
• Needs to pay attention relating to improving competitiveness of the Indonesian Economy. Labor has been identified as one of the key challenges herein.
• Is supposed to have well-designed labor maker policies agreed by employes, workers and the government. This is key for preventing widening inequality that would ultimately reduce the competitiveness of the economy.
• Ought to provide a space of constructive social dialogue between stakeholders – the government, employers and workers. Take an example, the government must involve Trade Unions, a key stakeholder, in minumum-wage policy formuation as well as in the employment policy decision making processes. Trade Unions are responsible for representing worker voices and concerns.
• Should invest in skills of the labor not only “hard skills” but also “soft skills”. This includes the need of workers to be equipped with skills in communication, negotiation, and team work.

Source: Getting Industrial Relations Back on Track by Tauvik M Soeherman on http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/getting-industrial-relations-back-track.html

Taken: Saturday, 2 January 2016

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Five Ways to Celebrate A Digital Christmas

• Log on to a virtual church and talk about Star Wars. Everyday church online runs virtual services every Sunday for a net-based congregation from around the world. Everyone is invited to log on and chat while a recorded sermon is streamed.
• Carry out a christmas mission in a virtual world. Using free-to-play fantasy games available on Android, iPhone, and Kindle platforms to give religious values. For example, special content created for christmas includes two new Bible-themed guests in which players find the birth of the baby Jesus.
• Make a viral nativity video
• Meet the manga messiah
• Get on social media

Source: BBC News by Zoe Kleinman on http://www.BBC.com

Taken: Friday, 25 December 2015

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