Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hello
Lionel Richie
I've been alone with you inside my mind
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
Hello, is it me you're looking for?
I can see it in your eyes
I can see it in your smile
You're all I've ever wanted, (and) my arms are open wide
'Cause you know just what to say
And you know just what to do
And I want to tell you so much, I love you ...
I long to see the sunlight in your hair
And tell you time and time again how much I care
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow
Hello, I've just got to let you know
'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you?
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying, I love you ...
Hello, is it me you're looking for?
'Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you?
Tell me how to win your heart
For I haven't got a clue
But let me start by saying ... I love you
Lost in translation
Despite the importance of relations with Indonesia, the government is not backing up its Asia-literacy rhetoric with funds, writes Edward Aspinall
20 February 2009
IN JANUARY 2005, I attached myself as a volunteer to a team of over twenty Australian surgeons, paramedics, nurses and healthcare managers who had flown to Banda Aceh after the tsunami surged across Aceh’s coastal zones, killing around 160,000 people. The Australian team had set up in one of Banda Aceh’s private hospitals, and there they performed many life-saving operations. They brought a planeload of sophisticated medical equipment and supplies with them, and dazzled the local Indonesian staff with their skills, techniques and treatments.
But – at least when I joined them – no member of the team was able to speak more than a few words of Indonesian. Doctors doing their rounds had great difficulty asking patients basic questions like “Where does it hurt?,” let alone explaining complicated medical procedures or the treatments patients would need to follow after being discharged. Many of the patients and their relatives were distressed that they couldn’t ask the doctors what was wrong with them or about their prospects of recovery.
With no other practical skills of my own to help survivors, it was a great relief to be able to use my knowledge of Indonesian language to work as an interpreter for the Australian team. In doing so, I joined several other Australians – mostly exchange students, NGO workers and the like – who helped out in this way because they happened to be in Indonesia at the time. It was a moving experience to help, in a very minor way, this team of Australian health professionals working in the aftermath of an enormous tragedy. Many of the survivors had horrific lower-body injuries, caused by pieces of tin or other objects in the swirling waters. The doctors performed what seemed to me to be miraculous surgery, patching over gaping wounds and pulling people back from the edge of death. They also treated their patients with warmth and humanity. The memory of the assistance they rendered, and of the gratitude of those they helped, remains vivid.
But the lack of Indonesian speakers on the team struck a jarring note. Certainly, I do not mean to criticise in any way the team members who went to Banda Aceh and performed such great service. I don’t know whether it had proven impossible to find Australian health professionals who spoke Indonesian fluently, or whether doing so had been forgotten in the rush to put the team together. But the absence of Indonesian speakers seemed a sad reflection of the state of relations between Indonesia and Australia: at a moment of such great need, when the Australian government and some of its people were making a generous and life-saving gesture, a basic and serious communication gap remained.
LAST NIGHT, Kevin Rudd launched a major conference on Australia–Indonesia relations in Sydney. No doubt the conference will conclude with many fine-sounding statements about how relations between our two countries have never been closer. Government spokespeople will make much of Australia’s commitment to forging greater understanding of Indonesia.
My experiences in Banda Aceh suggest that in some ways the relations between Australia and Indonesia are much narrower and more fragile than they are often portrayed. But things could get worse still, as one of the unacknowledged foundations of good Australia–Indonesia relations is in crisis. The study of Indonesian society and language has never reached critical mass in the Australian education system. It would be unusual to find an Indonesian speaker in any randomly selected group of twenty Australian professionals in any field. But at least the study opportunity has been available for many years to most Australian university students who want it. Now, Indonesian studies at Australian universities is feeling the impact of a decade-long decline in funding and activity. It is approaching a terminal phase. And not only is the Rudd government doing nothing to save it, some of its policies are actually worsening the situation.
Kevin Rudd has said that promoting “Asia literacy” is a key goal of his government. In a speech in Singapore last August he declared that he was “committed to making Australia the most Asia-literate country in the collective West.” His vision, he said, was “for the next generation of Australian businessmen and women, economists, accountants, lawyers, architects, artists, film-makers and performers to develop language skills which open their region to them.” There are few signs that he has acted to make this happen.
For decades, Australia has been a leading centre for research and teaching about Indonesia. Australian universities have produced a large group of graduates who are fluent in the Indonesian language and understand the culture, history and politics of the country. These people are now a crucial part of the connective tissue at the heart of the Australia–Indonesia relationship. They populate the government departments, businesses, NGOs and the aid organisations that work in or on Indonesia, and they teach Australian school children. European, Japanese and American policy-makers and government officials who visit Indonesia often express amazement at the number of knowledgeable Australians they meet.
This cohort of Indonesia-savvy Australians is an invaluable resource for our country. They are one factor that elevates Australia’s relationship with Indonesia above that which that country shares with other Western countries. Yet the framework that produced this layer of people is now under threat. University after university has either closed its Indonesian program or is considering doing so. Indonesian experts who were trained and recruited in the heady days of the late 1960s and 1970s are retiring and not being replaced.
Less than a decade ago our largest city, Sydney, had Indonesian language and studies programs available at or through all five of its major universities (the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University and the University of Sydney), with full majors offered at three of them. Now a full program only survives at the University of Sydney and the only other university still teaching Indonesian, the University of NSW (which a decade ago had one of the most vibrant programs in the country) has this year replaced its major with a minor. In Perth, a city with an especially large Indonesian community only three hours flying time from Jakarta, Indonesian programs have either closed or are under threat in two of the three universities where they have traditionally been offered. Our third city, Brisbane, used to have three separate Indonesian programs, but these have now been replaced by a consortium arrangement that allows students from Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University to learn Indonesian through the University of Queensland. At Melbourne University, until a couple of years ago another major centre, most of the key staff have retired or resigned and not been replaced. At most universities, staff in Indonesian studies programs sense the axe swinging ever closer to their necks. Nationally, perhaps a third of all Indonesian language courses are under threat of closure in the next twelve months.
In part, the decline of Indonesian studies is a result of funding pressures in a tertiary sector now driven almost entirely by market forces. Long ago, in the 1960s and 1970s, Indonesian studies attracted large enrolments, but it has not done so for decades. Instead, a spread of small programs provided Australia with a steady stream, rather than a flood, of Indonesia-literate graduates. Over the past decade or so, student numbers have dwindled, as students get turned off by the economic, political and security problems in Indonesia.
When added together, though, these many small programs still make Australia the world leader (outside Indonesia itself) in advanced training and research about Indonesia. No other country has the breadth of tertiary sector expertise on Indonesia, and it is this breadth that provides depth for both our knowledge of Indonesia and our varied relationships with it.
But small programs cannot survive when the logic of the market dictates all. Deans in financially pressed faculties have to make hard decisions to balance their budgets. Having to justify to their staff which programs to close, they understandably target the smallest ones first, which means Indonesian studies is often in the firing line. Australia’s foreign policy priorities count for little in such decisions.
In the absence of national planning, Indonesian studies dies the death of a thousand cuts. Here and there, high-flying academics are able to win big grants and carve out temporary Indonesian studies fiefdoms. Others shelter under the protection of unusually sympathetic deans or directors. But they do so with few guarantees of long-term survival, and without the institutional continuity and ballast that has made Australia the pre-eminent country for Indonesian studies.
In this context, it is significant that arguably the only Australian university where Indonesian studies has maintained a major presence and has not declined or experienced significant threat over the last ten years is the Australian National University. The unparalleled depth of Indonesia expertise here is made possible by special federal funding that subsidises the ANU’s Institute of Advanced Studies, one section of which focuses on Asia and the Pacific. Without similar federal priority on a broader level it is hard to imagine a long term future for Indonesian studies at most Australian universities.
In the early 1990s, the Keating government backed its rhetorical commitment to Asia literacy by funding NALSAS, the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools Strategy. The Rudd government promised to revive this program but has so far only initiated NALSSP, a pale and parsimoniously funded imitation. In the Keating years, the study of Indonesia, and Asia more broadly, experienced a renaissance in Australian universities. So far, despite all the rhetoric, there have been no signs of equivalent leadership from the new government.
More than just sitting on its hands, the Rudd government has actively harmed Indonesian studies in Australia by issuing over-cautious travel warnings to Australian citizens who plan to visit Indonesia. Wishing to cover itself against any risk of criticism for not warning of possible threats, and responding to popular fears aroused by the 2002 Bali bombings, the government has consistently exaggerated the threat of further terrorist attacks. No independent expert on Indonesian terrorism or security issues gives credence to the government’s evaluation of the risks, and the Australian warnings have consistently been more alarmist than those of other countries.
The travel warnings have done great damage to Indonesian studies in Australia: parents forbid their children from studying Indonesian, schools cancel study tours and close language programs, universities ban or restrict their students and staff from visiting the country. The travel warnings mean that, despite all the feel-good talk about better relations and Asia literacy, a culture of fearfulness and risk aversion permeates all facets of the Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, from the top down.
As the Australia–Indonesia bilateral relations conference begins, I can’t help remembering my experiences in Banda Aceh, and Kevin Rudd’s aim of fostering Australian professionals – including health professionals, one would hope – who speak Asian languages. This week’s conference is a fitting time for the government to put flesh on the bones of its rhetorical commitment to Asia literacy. It is also an opportunity to move away from the obsession with terrorism and security that dominated the Howard government’s attitude to Indonesia. Revising the travel warnings would be a start. Putting real resources behind teaching and research about Asia in Australian schools and universities would be even more significant. •
Edward Aspinall researches Indonesian politics at the Australian National University and is the coordinating editor of Inside Indonesia magazine.
20 February 2009
IN JANUARY 2005, I attached myself as a volunteer to a team of over twenty Australian surgeons, paramedics, nurses and healthcare managers who had flown to Banda Aceh after the tsunami surged across Aceh’s coastal zones, killing around 160,000 people. The Australian team had set up in one of Banda Aceh’s private hospitals, and there they performed many life-saving operations. They brought a planeload of sophisticated medical equipment and supplies with them, and dazzled the local Indonesian staff with their skills, techniques and treatments.
But – at least when I joined them – no member of the team was able to speak more than a few words of Indonesian. Doctors doing their rounds had great difficulty asking patients basic questions like “Where does it hurt?,” let alone explaining complicated medical procedures or the treatments patients would need to follow after being discharged. Many of the patients and their relatives were distressed that they couldn’t ask the doctors what was wrong with them or about their prospects of recovery.
With no other practical skills of my own to help survivors, it was a great relief to be able to use my knowledge of Indonesian language to work as an interpreter for the Australian team. In doing so, I joined several other Australians – mostly exchange students, NGO workers and the like – who helped out in this way because they happened to be in Indonesia at the time. It was a moving experience to help, in a very minor way, this team of Australian health professionals working in the aftermath of an enormous tragedy. Many of the survivors had horrific lower-body injuries, caused by pieces of tin or other objects in the swirling waters. The doctors performed what seemed to me to be miraculous surgery, patching over gaping wounds and pulling people back from the edge of death. They also treated their patients with warmth and humanity. The memory of the assistance they rendered, and of the gratitude of those they helped, remains vivid.
But the lack of Indonesian speakers on the team struck a jarring note. Certainly, I do not mean to criticise in any way the team members who went to Banda Aceh and performed such great service. I don’t know whether it had proven impossible to find Australian health professionals who spoke Indonesian fluently, or whether doing so had been forgotten in the rush to put the team together. But the absence of Indonesian speakers seemed a sad reflection of the state of relations between Indonesia and Australia: at a moment of such great need, when the Australian government and some of its people were making a generous and life-saving gesture, a basic and serious communication gap remained.
LAST NIGHT, Kevin Rudd launched a major conference on Australia–Indonesia relations in Sydney. No doubt the conference will conclude with many fine-sounding statements about how relations between our two countries have never been closer. Government spokespeople will make much of Australia’s commitment to forging greater understanding of Indonesia.
My experiences in Banda Aceh suggest that in some ways the relations between Australia and Indonesia are much narrower and more fragile than they are often portrayed. But things could get worse still, as one of the unacknowledged foundations of good Australia–Indonesia relations is in crisis. The study of Indonesian society and language has never reached critical mass in the Australian education system. It would be unusual to find an Indonesian speaker in any randomly selected group of twenty Australian professionals in any field. But at least the study opportunity has been available for many years to most Australian university students who want it. Now, Indonesian studies at Australian universities is feeling the impact of a decade-long decline in funding and activity. It is approaching a terminal phase. And not only is the Rudd government doing nothing to save it, some of its policies are actually worsening the situation.
Kevin Rudd has said that promoting “Asia literacy” is a key goal of his government. In a speech in Singapore last August he declared that he was “committed to making Australia the most Asia-literate country in the collective West.” His vision, he said, was “for the next generation of Australian businessmen and women, economists, accountants, lawyers, architects, artists, film-makers and performers to develop language skills which open their region to them.” There are few signs that he has acted to make this happen.
For decades, Australia has been a leading centre for research and teaching about Indonesia. Australian universities have produced a large group of graduates who are fluent in the Indonesian language and understand the culture, history and politics of the country. These people are now a crucial part of the connective tissue at the heart of the Australia–Indonesia relationship. They populate the government departments, businesses, NGOs and the aid organisations that work in or on Indonesia, and they teach Australian school children. European, Japanese and American policy-makers and government officials who visit Indonesia often express amazement at the number of knowledgeable Australians they meet.
This cohort of Indonesia-savvy Australians is an invaluable resource for our country. They are one factor that elevates Australia’s relationship with Indonesia above that which that country shares with other Western countries. Yet the framework that produced this layer of people is now under threat. University after university has either closed its Indonesian program or is considering doing so. Indonesian experts who were trained and recruited in the heady days of the late 1960s and 1970s are retiring and not being replaced.
Less than a decade ago our largest city, Sydney, had Indonesian language and studies programs available at or through all five of its major universities (the University of New South Wales, the University of Western Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University and the University of Sydney), with full majors offered at three of them. Now a full program only survives at the University of Sydney and the only other university still teaching Indonesian, the University of NSW (which a decade ago had one of the most vibrant programs in the country) has this year replaced its major with a minor. In Perth, a city with an especially large Indonesian community only three hours flying time from Jakarta, Indonesian programs have either closed or are under threat in two of the three universities where they have traditionally been offered. Our third city, Brisbane, used to have three separate Indonesian programs, but these have now been replaced by a consortium arrangement that allows students from Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University to learn Indonesian through the University of Queensland. At Melbourne University, until a couple of years ago another major centre, most of the key staff have retired or resigned and not been replaced. At most universities, staff in Indonesian studies programs sense the axe swinging ever closer to their necks. Nationally, perhaps a third of all Indonesian language courses are under threat of closure in the next twelve months.
In part, the decline of Indonesian studies is a result of funding pressures in a tertiary sector now driven almost entirely by market forces. Long ago, in the 1960s and 1970s, Indonesian studies attracted large enrolments, but it has not done so for decades. Instead, a spread of small programs provided Australia with a steady stream, rather than a flood, of Indonesia-literate graduates. Over the past decade or so, student numbers have dwindled, as students get turned off by the economic, political and security problems in Indonesia.
When added together, though, these many small programs still make Australia the world leader (outside Indonesia itself) in advanced training and research about Indonesia. No other country has the breadth of tertiary sector expertise on Indonesia, and it is this breadth that provides depth for both our knowledge of Indonesia and our varied relationships with it.
But small programs cannot survive when the logic of the market dictates all. Deans in financially pressed faculties have to make hard decisions to balance their budgets. Having to justify to their staff which programs to close, they understandably target the smallest ones first, which means Indonesian studies is often in the firing line. Australia’s foreign policy priorities count for little in such decisions.
In the absence of national planning, Indonesian studies dies the death of a thousand cuts. Here and there, high-flying academics are able to win big grants and carve out temporary Indonesian studies fiefdoms. Others shelter under the protection of unusually sympathetic deans or directors. But they do so with few guarantees of long-term survival, and without the institutional continuity and ballast that has made Australia the pre-eminent country for Indonesian studies.
In this context, it is significant that arguably the only Australian university where Indonesian studies has maintained a major presence and has not declined or experienced significant threat over the last ten years is the Australian National University. The unparalleled depth of Indonesia expertise here is made possible by special federal funding that subsidises the ANU’s Institute of Advanced Studies, one section of which focuses on Asia and the Pacific. Without similar federal priority on a broader level it is hard to imagine a long term future for Indonesian studies at most Australian universities.
In the early 1990s, the Keating government backed its rhetorical commitment to Asia literacy by funding NALSAS, the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools Strategy. The Rudd government promised to revive this program but has so far only initiated NALSSP, a pale and parsimoniously funded imitation. In the Keating years, the study of Indonesia, and Asia more broadly, experienced a renaissance in Australian universities. So far, despite all the rhetoric, there have been no signs of equivalent leadership from the new government.
More than just sitting on its hands, the Rudd government has actively harmed Indonesian studies in Australia by issuing over-cautious travel warnings to Australian citizens who plan to visit Indonesia. Wishing to cover itself against any risk of criticism for not warning of possible threats, and responding to popular fears aroused by the 2002 Bali bombings, the government has consistently exaggerated the threat of further terrorist attacks. No independent expert on Indonesian terrorism or security issues gives credence to the government’s evaluation of the risks, and the Australian warnings have consistently been more alarmist than those of other countries.
The travel warnings have done great damage to Indonesian studies in Australia: parents forbid their children from studying Indonesian, schools cancel study tours and close language programs, universities ban or restrict their students and staff from visiting the country. The travel warnings mean that, despite all the feel-good talk about better relations and Asia literacy, a culture of fearfulness and risk aversion permeates all facets of the Australia’s relationship with Indonesia, from the top down.
As the Australia–Indonesia bilateral relations conference begins, I can’t help remembering my experiences in Banda Aceh, and Kevin Rudd’s aim of fostering Australian professionals – including health professionals, one would hope – who speak Asian languages. This week’s conference is a fitting time for the government to put flesh on the bones of its rhetorical commitment to Asia literacy. It is also an opportunity to move away from the obsession with terrorism and security that dominated the Howard government’s attitude to Indonesia. Revising the travel warnings would be a start. Putting real resources behind teaching and research about Asia in Australian schools and universities would be even more significant. •
Edward Aspinall researches Indonesian politics at the Australian National University and is the coordinating editor of Inside Indonesia magazine.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Ponari: the Living Shaman
I believe that Indonesia is a country with rich phenomena one of which is the amazing little shaman from Jombang. It was believed that Muhammad Ponari, a 10-year boy from Jombang received a supernatural power when he found a stone. He brought that stone home and his grandmother threw it away. Believe it or not, the stone returned by itself everytime it being thrown away. Eversince, Ponari and his family were determined that the stone had a magic power. He got his astonishing fame when he helped his neighbour who suffering from tummy-ache. He used his 'instinct' to put the stone in the glass of water, and ordered her to drink. Amazingly, after drinking that water, she was healed. As a result, puff!!!! the news about his incridible power and the magic stone was spread evenly throughout the village.
It seems evident that the bottom problem of this phenomenon is actually the increasing poverty, under educated level of society, and distressed people by unsolved daily social and economical problems. They cannot afford to go to the hospital or buy the medicine. Our duty to enlighten the people and push the government to take into account the fate of Indonesian people.
`Jombang land for eccentric people'
Ridwan Max Sijabat, THE JAKARTA POST, SURABAYA
Nine-year-old child healer Ponari, who has become a phenomonon in Jombang for his professed ability to heal various illnesses, has sparked mixed reactions from newly sworn-in Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf, who has said that the regency is fertile land for eccentric people.
"Jombang is full of eccentric people. It has Gus Dur, it has Cak Nun, Cak Noer, Ryan and last but not least Ponari the child healer," he said in his address at the launch of a radio station at a hotel in Surabaya on Saturday.
Saifullah's joke was greeted with giggles from his audience.
He was referring to former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, cleric and intellectual Emha Ainun Nadjib, late muslim intellectual Noercholish Madjid and serial killer Very Idham Henyansyah alias Ryan.
Gus Dur, son of late Wahid Hasjim and co-founder of the largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, was born in Jombang and is known for making absurd statements; Emha gained populartity by making political statements through traditional Javanese art, while Noercholish was known for his moderate thoughts on Islam and failure to win the presidency in 2004.
Ryan, the self-confessed serial killer, is notorious for sadistically killing at least 11 people and burrying their bodies in the backyard of his parents' house in Bandar Kedungmulyo, which in the Jombang regency.
The latest eccentric is child healer, Ponari, who is believed and rumored to be able to heal numerous diseases using his miraculous stone. He has attracted thousands of sick people from remote regions and other provinces in search of healing.
Ponari's followers have idiosyncracies of their own. Last week, a group of sick visitors, who were disappointed to find that the authroties had closed Ponari's residence to visitors, left with the discarded bath water of the child healer, who is believed to possess magic powers.
Ponari and his miraculous stone are believed to be able to heal numerous diseases and its effectiveness is backed up by reports of the recovery of his patients; although these remain a rumor.
"The most important thing this [Ponari's healing abalities] depend on personal beliefs of the people. To me, the people are taking a short cut and so far no patients have given testimony on their recovery and the certain thing is Ponari's emergence has claimed four human lives," he said.
Previously, four people died from a lack of oxygen in rushes to Ponari's home, prompting the local police to deny access to Ponari's home in Balongsari vilage, Megaluh district in the regeny.
Despite the ban, thousands of people continued to wait in a long queue outside Ponari's home on Saturday, but they were dispersed, leaving four people unconscious from their illnesses.
It seems evident that the bottom problem of this phenomenon is actually the increasing poverty, under educated level of society, and distressed people by unsolved daily social and economical problems. They cannot afford to go to the hospital or buy the medicine. Our duty to enlighten the people and push the government to take into account the fate of Indonesian people.
`Jombang land for eccentric people'
Ridwan Max Sijabat, THE JAKARTA POST, SURABAYA
Nine-year-old child healer Ponari, who has become a phenomonon in Jombang for his professed ability to heal various illnesses, has sparked mixed reactions from newly sworn-in Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf, who has said that the regency is fertile land for eccentric people.
"Jombang is full of eccentric people. It has Gus Dur, it has Cak Nun, Cak Noer, Ryan and last but not least Ponari the child healer," he said in his address at the launch of a radio station at a hotel in Surabaya on Saturday.
Saifullah's joke was greeted with giggles from his audience.
He was referring to former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, cleric and intellectual Emha Ainun Nadjib, late muslim intellectual Noercholish Madjid and serial killer Very Idham Henyansyah alias Ryan.
Gus Dur, son of late Wahid Hasjim and co-founder of the largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, was born in Jombang and is known for making absurd statements; Emha gained populartity by making political statements through traditional Javanese art, while Noercholish was known for his moderate thoughts on Islam and failure to win the presidency in 2004.
Ryan, the self-confessed serial killer, is notorious for sadistically killing at least 11 people and burrying their bodies in the backyard of his parents' house in Bandar Kedungmulyo, which in the Jombang regency.
The latest eccentric is child healer, Ponari, who is believed and rumored to be able to heal numerous diseases using his miraculous stone. He has attracted thousands of sick people from remote regions and other provinces in search of healing.
Ponari's followers have idiosyncracies of their own. Last week, a group of sick visitors, who were disappointed to find that the authroties had closed Ponari's residence to visitors, left with the discarded bath water of the child healer, who is believed to possess magic powers.
Ponari and his miraculous stone are believed to be able to heal numerous diseases and its effectiveness is backed up by reports of the recovery of his patients; although these remain a rumor.
"The most important thing this [Ponari's healing abalities] depend on personal beliefs of the people. To me, the people are taking a short cut and so far no patients have given testimony on their recovery and the certain thing is Ponari's emergence has claimed four human lives," he said.
Previously, four people died from a lack of oxygen in rushes to Ponari's home, prompting the local police to deny access to Ponari's home in Balongsari vilage, Megaluh district in the regeny.
Despite the ban, thousands of people continued to wait in a long queue outside Ponari's home on Saturday, but they were dispersed, leaving four people unconscious from their illnesses.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The History of Valentine's Day
14 February has long been known as the month of love. Many couples around the world celebrate this day by expressing their love to the beloved ones. Flowers and lovely ambience are tokens of 14 February. To know more about Valentine's day, just click or just read the article below:
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
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The History of Saint Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.
The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.
Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.
The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.
St. Valentine's Story
Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!
Valentine Traditions
Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:
Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine ---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.
In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.
Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!
Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.
If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.
--
Video: Who is St. Valentine? Why do we celebrate on February 14? Watch the HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DAY.Video: From the first mail-posted Valentine on record in 1806 to some of the precursors to today's Valentines, Watch VALENTINE'S CARDS on history.
Video: He's a 3,000 year-old baby with wings, he shoots love-tipped arrows into unsuspecting people, and his name is Cupid: The God of Love.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Darwin's evolving genius
The first published copy of Charles Darwin's 'On The Origin Of The Species'on display at Down House, where Darwin lived, on Sunday in Orpington, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Darwin's evolving genius
By Nicholas Wade Published: February 9, 2009
NEW YORK: Darwin's theory of evolution has become the bedrock of modern biology. But for most of the theory's existence since 1859, even biologists have ignored or vigorously opposed it, in whole or in part.
It is a testament to Darwin's extraordinary insight that it took almost a century for biologists to understand the essential correctness of his views.
Biologists quickly accepted the idea of evolution, but for decades they rejected natural selection, the mechanism Darwin proposed for the evolutionary process. Until the mid-20th century they largely ignored sexual selection, a special aspect of natural selection that Darwin proposed to account for male ornaments like the peacock's tail.
Biologists are still arguing about group-level selection, the idea that natural selection can operate at the level of groups as well as on individuals. Darwin proposed group selection - or something like it; scholars differ as to what he meant - to account for castes in ant societies and morality in people.
Feb. 12 is the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. How did he come to be so in advance of his time? Why were biologists so slow to understand that Darwin had provided the correct answer on so many central issues? Historians of science have noted several distinctive features of Darwin's approach to science that, besides genius, help account for his insights. They also point to several nonscientific criteria that stood as mental blocks in the way of biologists accepting Darwin's ideas.
One of Darwin's advantages was that he did not have to write grant proposals or publish 15 articles a year. He thought deeply about every detail of his theory for more than 20 years before publishing "The Origin of Species" in 1859, and for 12 years more before its sequel, "The Descent of Man," which explored how his theory applied to people.
He brought several intellectual virtues to the task at hand. Instead of brushing off objections to his theory, he thought about them obsessively until he had found a solution. Showy male ornaments like the peacock's tail appeared hard to explain by natural selection because they seemed more of a handicap than an aid to survival.
"The sight of a feather in a peacock's tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick," Darwin wrote. But from worrying about this problem, he developed the idea of sexual selection, that females chose males with the best ornaments, and hence elegant peacocks have the most offspring.
Darwin also had the intellectual toughness to stick with the deeply discomfiting consequences of his theory, that natural selection has no goal or purpose. Alfred Wallace, who independently thought of natural selection, later lost faith in the power of the idea and turned to spiritualism to explain the human mind. "Darwin had the courage to face the implications of what he had done, but poor Wallace couldn't bear it," says William Provine, a historian at Cornell University.
Darwin's thinking about evolution was not only deep, but also very broad. He was interested in fossils, animal breeding, geographical distribution, anatomy and plants. "That very comprehensive view allowed him to see things that others perhaps didn't," says Robert Richards, a historian at the University of Chicago. "He was so sure of his central ideas - the transmutation of species and natural selection - that he had to find a way to make it all work together."
From the perspective of 2009, Darwin's principal ideas are substantially correct. He did not get everything right. Because he did not know about plate tectonics, Darwin's comments on the distribution of species are not very useful. His theory of inheritance, since he had no knowledge of genes or DNA, is beside the point.
But his central concepts of natural selection and sexual selection were correct. He also presented a form of group-level selection that was long dismissed but now has leading advocates like the biologists E.O. Wilson and David Sloan Wilson.
Not only was Darwin correct on the central premises of his theory, but in several other still-open issues, his views also seem quite likely to prevail. His idea of how new species form was long eclipsed by Ernst Mayr's view that a reproductive barrier like a mountain forces a species to split. But a number of biologists are now returning to Darwin's idea that speciation occurs most often through competition in open spaces, Richards says.
Darwin believed there was a continuity between humans and other species, which led him to think of human morality as related to the sympathy seen among social animals. This long-disdained idea was resurrected only recently by researchers like the primatologist Frans de Waal. Darwin "never felt that morality was our own invention, but was a product of evolution, a position we are now seeing grow in popularity under the influence of what we know about animal behavior," De Waal says. "In fact, we've now returned to the original Darwinian position."
It is somewhat remarkable that a man who died in 1882 should still be influencing discussion among biologists. It is perhaps equally strange that so many biologists failed for so many decades to accept ideas that Darwin expressed in clear and beautiful English.
The rejection was in part because a substantial amount of science, including the two new fields of Mendelian genetics and population genetics, needed to be developed before other, more enticing mechanisms of selection could be excluded. But there were also a series of nonscientific considerations that affected biologists' judgment.
In the 19th century, biologists accepted evolution, in part because it implied progress. "The general idea of evolution, particularly if you took it to be progressive and purposeful, fitted the ideology of the age," says Peter Bowler, a historian of science at Queen's University in Belfast.
But that made it all the harder to accept that something as purposeless as natural selection could be the shaping force of evolution. "Origin of Species" and its central idea were largely ignored and did not come back into vogue until the 1930s. By that time the population geneticist R.A. Fisher and others had shown that Mendelian genetics was compatible with the idea of natural selection working on small variations.
"If you think of the 150 years since the publication of 'Origin of Species,' it had half that time in the wilderness and half at the center, and even at the center it's often been not more than marginal," says Helena Cronin, a philosopher of science at the London School of Economics. "That's a pretty comprehensive rejection of Darwin."
Darwin is still far from being fully accepted in sciences outside biology. "People say natural selection is O.K. for human bodies but not for brain or behavior," Cronin says. "But making an exception for one species is to deny Darwin's tenet of understanding all living things. This includes almost the whole of social studies - that's quite an influential body that's still rejecting Darwinism."
The yearning to see purpose in evolution and the doubt that it really applied to people were two nonscientific criteria that led scientists to reject the essence of Darwin's theory.
A third, in terms of group selection, may be people's tendency to think of themselves as individuals rather than as units of a group.
"More and more I'm beginning to think about individualism as our own cultural bias that more or less explains why group selection was rejected so forcefully and why it is still so controversial, " says David Sloan Wilson, a biologist at Binghamton University.
Historians who are aware of the long eclipse endured by Darwin's ideas perhaps have a clearer idea of his extraordinary contribution than do biologists, many of whom assume Darwin's theory has always been seen to offer, as now, a grand explanatory framework for all biology.
The historian Robert Richards recalls that a biologist colleague "had occasion to read the 'Origin' for the first time - most biologists have never read the 'Origin' - because of a class he was teaching. We met on the street and he remarked, 'You know, Bob, Darwin really knew a lot of biology."'
Darwin knew a lot of biology: more than any of his contemporaries, more than a surprising number of his successors. From prolonged thought and study, he was able to intuit how evolution worked without having access to all the subsequent scientific knowledge that others required to be convinced of natural selection.
He had the objectivity to put aside criteria with powerful emotional resonance, like the conviction that evolution should be purposeful. As a result, he saw deep into the strange workings of the evolutionary mechanism, an insight not really exceeded until a century after his great work of synthesis.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Kawan
Berteriaklah penghuni neraka, "Tuhan, kami tak memiliki kawan dekat di bumi!"
Mereka menahan pedih dari jilat yang tak terperi
Membakar semua kulit, daging dan sumsum yang dibungkus tulang
Mereka berteriak karena mereka tak memiliki kawan sejati
Kawan seiring yang mengajarkan kebaikan
Kawan yang menceritakan tentang nestapa hidup
bila jauh dari jalan Sang Kuasa..
Mudah mencari kawan dalam keburukan
menghina Tuhan dan mencaci nikmat
membuang umur di hampar maksiat
doa dan ibadah bukan bagian jiwa mereka
Namun nafsu dan syaitan
hadir dalam nafas hidupnya
Bukan mereka yang kami rindu
tapi....
Mereka yang menggiring arah kami
Menajamkan mata batin
yang terselubung
untuk mengenal-Mu
Sadar atas keberadaan-Mu
yang menembus segala halang
Tuhan...
atas nama kasih-Mu
temukan kami dengan kawan sejati
yang berbagi duka dan nestapa
bukan bahagia semu yang melalai nurani
bukan gelak tawa yang membuang waktu
Tapi kawan yang tahu
bahwa ia akan selalu berjalan
di atas shirat dunia menuju muara ukhrawi
berenang di atas samudra makrifat
merasakan hangat nur Muhammad
Melbourne, 10/02/09
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Death toll rises from bushfires
The most tragic event in the history of Victoria will be the most remembered occurence in the future.
A bushfire rages out of control from the Bunyip State Park towards the townships of Labortouche and Tonimbuk.
Mex Cooper, Larissa Ham
Eighty-four people are confirmed dead in Victoria's bushfires, far surpassing the state's toll of 47 in the 1983 Ash Wednesday blazes.
The number of dead is likely to rise even further as blazes continue to ravage the state with almost 312,000 hectares affected. At least 700 homes have been destroyed - 550 of those in Kinglake and surrounding areas.
The Kinglake complex fires north-east of Melbourne are now at least 80 kilometres wide and 220,000 hectares in size, after several fires merged. The fire stretches from Broadford all the way to Taggerty.
More than 70,000 hectares have been burnt in Gippsland, and last week's fire in the Delburn area has again raised its head.
The Red Cross has about 20 relief centres operating, with 3700 people now registered as evacuated.
Police have confirmed that people were killed in fires in the following areas:
Kinglake 12, Kinglake West 10, St Andrews 12, Humevale 6, Wandong 4, Bendigo 1, Strathewen 1, Callignee 4, Upper Callignee 1, Hazelwood 3, Jeealang 1, Long Gully 1, Flowerdale 5, Yea 1 (died in hospital), Hazeldene 2, Taggerty 3, Marysville 2, Whittlesea 3, Mudgegonga 2, Steels Creek 7, Arthurs Creek 3, Yarra Glen 1.
Stories from victims recount the horror of the blazes as they ravaged towns surrounding Melbourne and other parts of Victoria.
A Kinglake real estate agent who lost his home last night said the region would regain its strength despite the devastation.
"I can't explain anything other than that it was like a sustained bombing attack, that what it was like with the noise,'' said Moray Sharp.
"Kinglake's ceased to exist for all intents and purposes,'' he said.
"The shops in Kinglake survived, but we would have had 50 per cent housing loss.''
Mr Sharp is gathered with a couple of hundred residents in the centre of town, and they will be transported to the Whittlesea Showgrounds at 5pm.
He said while a few people had understandably gone to pieces, most people were trying to stay strong.
"We will come back as a community I'm sure,'' Mr Sharp said.
Friends and family of victims of the Kinglake fire broke down sobbing outside the Whittlesea community activity centre upon learning of the fate of at least 12 residents who perished in the blaze, including six people who were killed in one car.
Marie Jones from Canberra, who was visiting a friend at Kinglake yesterday, said a badly-burnt man had arrived at the property where she was staying with his infant daughter, and told her his wife and other child had been killed.
Authorities began the grim search for bodies this morning following Saturday's devastating bushfires.
The CFA expects hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Among the properties destroyed were the Marysville and Kinglake police stations.
Both Marysville and Kinglake townships have been nearly wiped out by the fires, with Marysville residents evacuated in a convoy this morning from the area.
CFA spokesman Paul Swan said firefighters still battling nearby blazes.
The Marysville fire is part of the Murrindindi blaze, which has now merged with the Kilmore fires. About 100,000 hectares is now burning in that area.
Police said they did not know if the age of those killed in the fires but expect some children are among the dead.
Police suspect some fires were deliberately lit yesterday despite warnings that it was the worst day in Victoria's history for fire conditions.
A police spokeswoman said investigators would not be able to establish how many of the fires were arson-related until they could survey the scenes and establish the origin of the blazes.
Ten people remain in a critical condition in hospital after being burnt in the state's bushfires.
A spokesman from The Alfred hospital said 10 patients were in a critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. A further 10 were in a stable condition.
The hospital had received two new patients from the Austin Hospital on Sunday, the spokesman said.
He said no one at The Alfred had died from the fire.
An emotional John Brumby has warned Victorians not to underestimate the danger of fires continuing to burn throughout Victoria, saying that despite cooler temperatures it will be days before the crisis is over.
The Premier twice had to choke back tears as he described the impact of yesterday's "devastating" fires that have so far claimed at least 25 lives.
"We pray there's no more loss of life over the next few days," Mr Brumby said at a press conference at the CFA station in Kilmore, north of Melbourne.
"The Kilmore fire is now impacting on the Glenburn area, in particular Glenburn and settlements to the North and North East along the Melba Highway and Yea River Valley towards Murrindindi,'' the CFA said.
"There is now active fire around the Glenburn area and residents can expect thick smoke and ember attack. All residents in these areas are advised to activate their fire plans immediately and to remain on high alert.''
"Residents cannot rely on fire-fighting resources being able to get to their property. It is very dangerous to leave late with a
The fire is burning in a south easterly direction and is estimated to be more than 20,000 hectares in size.
"The communities of Bruarong, Glen Creek, Dederang, Running Creek, Myrtleford, Ovens, Barwidgee Creek are no longer under direct threat from this fire, but still need to remain alert due to a high level of fire activity still in the area,'' the CFA said.
"These communities may come under new attack tomorrow as weather conditions worsen.''
Stanley, Mudgeegonga, Rosewhite, Kancoona and Kancoona South remain under threat with CFA strike-teams continuing to work on asset protection.
A recent wind change had begun pushing a fire at Bunyip Ridge, north of Drouin, in a north-easterly direction towards the towns of Labertouche, Tarago, Jindivick West, Jindivick North, Neerim South, Neerim East, Neerim North, Whites Corner, Noogee, Tonimbuk and Robin Hood.
Firefighers have managed to control a fire in Coleraine that burnt nearly 1000 hectares.
with AAP
A bushfire rages out of control from the Bunyip State Park towards the townships of Labortouche and Tonimbuk.Mex Cooper, Larissa Ham
Eighty-four people are confirmed dead in Victoria's bushfires, far surpassing the state's toll of 47 in the 1983 Ash Wednesday blazes.
The number of dead is likely to rise even further as blazes continue to ravage the state with almost 312,000 hectares affected. At least 700 homes have been destroyed - 550 of those in Kinglake and surrounding areas.
The Kinglake complex fires north-east of Melbourne are now at least 80 kilometres wide and 220,000 hectares in size, after several fires merged. The fire stretches from Broadford all the way to Taggerty.
More than 70,000 hectares have been burnt in Gippsland, and last week's fire in the Delburn area has again raised its head.
The Red Cross has about 20 relief centres operating, with 3700 people now registered as evacuated.
Police have confirmed that people were killed in fires in the following areas:
Kinglake 12, Kinglake West 10, St Andrews 12, Humevale 6, Wandong 4, Bendigo 1, Strathewen 1, Callignee 4, Upper Callignee 1, Hazelwood 3, Jeealang 1, Long Gully 1, Flowerdale 5, Yea 1 (died in hospital), Hazeldene 2, Taggerty 3, Marysville 2, Whittlesea 3, Mudgegonga 2, Steels Creek 7, Arthurs Creek 3, Yarra Glen 1.
Stories from victims recount the horror of the blazes as they ravaged towns surrounding Melbourne and other parts of Victoria.
A Kinglake real estate agent who lost his home last night said the region would regain its strength despite the devastation.
"I can't explain anything other than that it was like a sustained bombing attack, that what it was like with the noise,'' said Moray Sharp.
"Kinglake's ceased to exist for all intents and purposes,'' he said.
"The shops in Kinglake survived, but we would have had 50 per cent housing loss.''
Mr Sharp is gathered with a couple of hundred residents in the centre of town, and they will be transported to the Whittlesea Showgrounds at 5pm.
He said while a few people had understandably gone to pieces, most people were trying to stay strong.
"We will come back as a community I'm sure,'' Mr Sharp said.
Friends and family of victims of the Kinglake fire broke down sobbing outside the Whittlesea community activity centre upon learning of the fate of at least 12 residents who perished in the blaze, including six people who were killed in one car.
Marie Jones from Canberra, who was visiting a friend at Kinglake yesterday, said a badly-burnt man had arrived at the property where she was staying with his infant daughter, and told her his wife and other child had been killed.
Authorities began the grim search for bodies this morning following Saturday's devastating bushfires.
The CFA expects hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Among the properties destroyed were the Marysville and Kinglake police stations.
Both Marysville and Kinglake townships have been nearly wiped out by the fires, with Marysville residents evacuated in a convoy this morning from the area.
CFA spokesman Paul Swan said firefighters still battling nearby blazes.
The Marysville fire is part of the Murrindindi blaze, which has now merged with the Kilmore fires. About 100,000 hectares is now burning in that area.
Police said they did not know if the age of those killed in the fires but expect some children are among the dead.
Police suspect some fires were deliberately lit yesterday despite warnings that it was the worst day in Victoria's history for fire conditions.
A police spokeswoman said investigators would not be able to establish how many of the fires were arson-related until they could survey the scenes and establish the origin of the blazes.
Ten people remain in a critical condition in hospital after being burnt in the state's bushfires.
A spokesman from The Alfred hospital said 10 patients were in a critical condition in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. A further 10 were in a stable condition.
The hospital had received two new patients from the Austin Hospital on Sunday, the spokesman said.
He said no one at The Alfred had died from the fire.
An emotional John Brumby has warned Victorians not to underestimate the danger of fires continuing to burn throughout Victoria, saying that despite cooler temperatures it will be days before the crisis is over.
The Premier twice had to choke back tears as he described the impact of yesterday's "devastating" fires that have so far claimed at least 25 lives.
"We pray there's no more loss of life over the next few days," Mr Brumby said at a press conference at the CFA station in Kilmore, north of Melbourne.
"The Kilmore fire is now impacting on the Glenburn area, in particular Glenburn and settlements to the North and North East along the Melba Highway and Yea River Valley towards Murrindindi,'' the CFA said.
"There is now active fire around the Glenburn area and residents can expect thick smoke and ember attack. All residents in these areas are advised to activate their fire plans immediately and to remain on high alert.''
"Residents cannot rely on fire-fighting resources being able to get to their property. It is very dangerous to leave late with a
The fire is burning in a south easterly direction and is estimated to be more than 20,000 hectares in size.
"The communities of Bruarong, Glen Creek, Dederang, Running Creek, Myrtleford, Ovens, Barwidgee Creek are no longer under direct threat from this fire, but still need to remain alert due to a high level of fire activity still in the area,'' the CFA said.
"These communities may come under new attack tomorrow as weather conditions worsen.''
Stanley, Mudgeegonga, Rosewhite, Kancoona and Kancoona South remain under threat with CFA strike-teams continuing to work on asset protection.
A recent wind change had begun pushing a fire at Bunyip Ridge, north of Drouin, in a north-easterly direction towards the towns of Labertouche, Tarago, Jindivick West, Jindivick North, Neerim South, Neerim East, Neerim North, Whites Corner, Noogee, Tonimbuk and Robin Hood.
Firefighers have managed to control a fire in Coleraine that burnt nearly 1000 hectares.
with AAP
'Worse than Ash Wednesday'
Devestation and loss came suddenly when the inferno took place in some regions in Victoria. The Victoria's bushfire claimed 87 cassualties and hundreds of people lost their property and lands of full memories.
A firefighter stands in the debris as a bushfire rages in the Bunyip area. Picture: Jason South.
Larissa Ham
Former Channel Nine newsreader Brian Naylor's wife has reportedly been killed in Victoria's devastating bushfires.
Naylor, whose son died last year after a light plane crash near Kinglake, is also believed to be unaccounted for, Sky News reports.
Sky News reports Naylor's wife, Moiree, has been found deceased.
Hundreds of Victorians are returning to towns to find their homes razed by the bushfires that blazed across the state yesterday.
Raylene Kincaide, a resident of Narbethong, northeast of Melbourne, said her home had been destroyed and there was little left of the town.
"Everyone we know has lost everything they had - it's not nice," she told ABC Radio.
"I've been in Ash Wednesday but this is probably worse."
Murrindindi Shire mayor Lyn Gunter is at an airport in Queensland waiting to come home, and fears her house in Flowerdale, like most of the rest of the town, has been lost.
"We think it's gone. Our son he lives two houses away from us, he left at 9 o'clock last night when it got so bad he just had to get out. The back of his place was on fire, the house between us and him was ablaze,'' she said.
Mrs Gunter, who has lived in the area with her husband for 30 years, said she believed most of Flowerdale, and areas nearby including Kinglake and Marysville, had gone.
"I think probably like everybody else we're fairly much in shellshock,'' she said
"What we've seen (on the TV news) is just horrendous.
"We're just grateful our family is okay, I'm just really, really concerned about the community and those that have lost their loved ones.
"The support that they are going to need is just huge.''
Mrs Gunter said they had been lucky to escape the 1982 fires that ripped through the area.
"Like everybody that's there, you go there to enjoy the environment and you realise there is a risk of bushfire but I don't think anyone could have predicted anything like this at all.''
Jim Scott, a resident of Kinglake for 22 years, said the loss of life was devastating.
"This horrific wind came through and just took the roof off our house, our shed," he told the Nine Network.
"I've never seen anything like it, it was horrific.
"This is devastating, the loss of life."
Sue Aldred, another resident of the Kinglake area, said she lost a couple of sheds on the family property, but saved their house.
"All of a sudden we were in a raging inferno, there was coloured smoke and the noise was indescribable," she told the Nine Network.
"It was terrifying.
"I did fear for my life at one point, there was a horrible moment of indecision where I just thought ... I'm going to stay here and beat this flame back, and where do I hide? ... which building do I hide in?
"It was horrible."
Bruce Morrow, who owns an accommodation booking service in Marysville, said he and his family had been left devastated by yesterday's fires.
"It's a life-changing event, our lives will never be the same again, not only have we lost our own house, we've lost our business. The children don't have a primary school to go to,'' he said.
They have also lost several other homes. None were insured.
"We don't have any money, I wasn't wearing my wallet and neither was my wife. No credit cards, no licence, no cash, no nothing. We have lost everything,'' Mr Morrow said.
The family is currently staying with family in Melbourne and say it is hard to get information because all phone lines, including mobiles, are not working.
Mr Morrow said he believed at least five Marysville residents had died after staying behind to try and defend their homes.
"The couple that live next door, they decided to stay and they've passed away,'' he said.
Mr Morrow said the sound of the fire approaching about 6pm yesterday was intense and sudden.
"It really just sounded like a train, that sound is horrific,'' he said.
"When you're confronted by that sound and then there's a burst of smoke then you head out of there very, very quickly. There's no way you're going to stand there and face that kind of fire.''
"We know two single men who decided to stay and somehow they've actually managed to save their houses, they're still alive and telling the story.''
Mr Morrow said he was expecting a flood of phone calls from people who had booked accommodation in Marysville for Valentine's Day as they heard out about the extent of the fires.
with AAP
A firefighter stands in the debris as a bushfire rages in the Bunyip area. Picture: Jason South.
Larissa Ham
Former Channel Nine newsreader Brian Naylor's wife has reportedly been killed in Victoria's devastating bushfires.
Naylor, whose son died last year after a light plane crash near Kinglake, is also believed to be unaccounted for, Sky News reports.
Sky News reports Naylor's wife, Moiree, has been found deceased.
Hundreds of Victorians are returning to towns to find their homes razed by the bushfires that blazed across the state yesterday.
Raylene Kincaide, a resident of Narbethong, northeast of Melbourne, said her home had been destroyed and there was little left of the town.
"Everyone we know has lost everything they had - it's not nice," she told ABC Radio.
"I've been in Ash Wednesday but this is probably worse."
Murrindindi Shire mayor Lyn Gunter is at an airport in Queensland waiting to come home, and fears her house in Flowerdale, like most of the rest of the town, has been lost.
"We think it's gone. Our son he lives two houses away from us, he left at 9 o'clock last night when it got so bad he just had to get out. The back of his place was on fire, the house between us and him was ablaze,'' she said.
Mrs Gunter, who has lived in the area with her husband for 30 years, said she believed most of Flowerdale, and areas nearby including Kinglake and Marysville, had gone.
"I think probably like everybody else we're fairly much in shellshock,'' she said
"What we've seen (on the TV news) is just horrendous.
"We're just grateful our family is okay, I'm just really, really concerned about the community and those that have lost their loved ones.
"The support that they are going to need is just huge.''
Mrs Gunter said they had been lucky to escape the 1982 fires that ripped through the area.
"Like everybody that's there, you go there to enjoy the environment and you realise there is a risk of bushfire but I don't think anyone could have predicted anything like this at all.''
Jim Scott, a resident of Kinglake for 22 years, said the loss of life was devastating.
"This horrific wind came through and just took the roof off our house, our shed," he told the Nine Network.
"I've never seen anything like it, it was horrific.
"This is devastating, the loss of life."
Sue Aldred, another resident of the Kinglake area, said she lost a couple of sheds on the family property, but saved their house.
"All of a sudden we were in a raging inferno, there was coloured smoke and the noise was indescribable," she told the Nine Network.
"It was terrifying.
"I did fear for my life at one point, there was a horrible moment of indecision where I just thought ... I'm going to stay here and beat this flame back, and where do I hide? ... which building do I hide in?
"It was horrible."
Bruce Morrow, who owns an accommodation booking service in Marysville, said he and his family had been left devastated by yesterday's fires.
"It's a life-changing event, our lives will never be the same again, not only have we lost our own house, we've lost our business. The children don't have a primary school to go to,'' he said.
They have also lost several other homes. None were insured.
"We don't have any money, I wasn't wearing my wallet and neither was my wife. No credit cards, no licence, no cash, no nothing. We have lost everything,'' Mr Morrow said.
The family is currently staying with family in Melbourne and say it is hard to get information because all phone lines, including mobiles, are not working.
Mr Morrow said he believed at least five Marysville residents had died after staying behind to try and defend their homes.
"The couple that live next door, they decided to stay and they've passed away,'' he said.
Mr Morrow said the sound of the fire approaching about 6pm yesterday was intense and sudden.
"It really just sounded like a train, that sound is horrific,'' he said.
"When you're confronted by that sound and then there's a burst of smoke then you head out of there very, very quickly. There's no way you're going to stand there and face that kind of fire.''
"We know two single men who decided to stay and somehow they've actually managed to save their houses, they're still alive and telling the story.''
Mr Morrow said he was expecting a flood of phone calls from people who had booked accommodation in Marysville for Valentine's Day as they heard out about the extent of the fires.
with AAP
Friday, February 06, 2009
Victorians warned to keep cool
It has been a sizzling season in southern Australia including Adelaide and Melbourne. Heatwave is terrible for some people. One thing we can learn from this most disliked phenomenon is that we are reminded by the breezing autumn and the chilly winter. Every season has its own beauty. It depends on how we show our gratitude to God for His amazing creativity.
The warning is out: Saturday in Victoria is going to be a stinker and emergency services will have their hands full coping with casualties from the heat.
Victorian ambulance crews are on their second highest level of emergency response as the state faces searing weekend heat.
The elderly, frail and sick, young hospitality workers and even racehorses are among those identified as vulnerable to heat stress with the mercury forecast to soar to 43 degrees in Melbourne and 46 in the state's north.
Ambulance Victoria Operations Manager Paul Holman urged Victorians, particularly the frail or elderly, to stay indoors on Saturday unless absolutely necessary.
"Tomorrow, if you don't need to travel stay indoors," Mr Holman said.
He said extra crews had been rostered on in addition to more staff at the ambulance communication centre to handle an expected rise in calls for assistance.
He said ambulance services had a huge increase in callouts during last week's heatwave, much of it due to people being alone.
Victoria's chief health officer John Carnie urged communities and carers to check on vulnerable people.
"Those most at risk are people over 65 years, particularly those living alone without air conditioning, infants, pregnant women and nursing mothers, people who are unwell, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure and people on medications for mental illness," Dr Carnie said in a statement.
"Evidence has shown that excess mortality amongst the elderly population occurs when extremely hot days are followed by high overnight temperatures."
Effects of heat-related illnesses can range from mild conditions such as a rash or cramp to serious conditions such as heat stroke which can kill, he said.
People should limit outdoor activity to morning or evening hours, protect themselves from the sun and stay hydrated.
WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said employers had a legal responsibility to monitor the health of their workers, some of whom included young workers who comprised a high proportion of the weekend workforce and who may attempt to "tough it out".
"In difficult conditions like extremes of heat, these characteristics can lead to serious health problems," he added.
Work may have to be rescheduled, longer or more frequent breaks may be necessary and access to drinking water is essential, he said.
Victorians were also warned to watch their water use after daily consumption rose to 241 litres per person during last week's heatwave, but Water Minister Tim Holding urged people to make health their priority.
Mr Holding said the weather caused a massive jump from the average 172 litres used since the state government's Target 155 campaign was launched in November.
Saturday's forecast hit horseracing in Victoria, with meetings at Caulfield and Bendigo postponed to Sunday which is expected to be much cooler.
Source
The warning is out: Saturday in Victoria is going to be a stinker and emergency services will have their hands full coping with casualties from the heat.
Victorian ambulance crews are on their second highest level of emergency response as the state faces searing weekend heat.
The elderly, frail and sick, young hospitality workers and even racehorses are among those identified as vulnerable to heat stress with the mercury forecast to soar to 43 degrees in Melbourne and 46 in the state's north.
Ambulance Victoria Operations Manager Paul Holman urged Victorians, particularly the frail or elderly, to stay indoors on Saturday unless absolutely necessary.
"Tomorrow, if you don't need to travel stay indoors," Mr Holman said.
He said extra crews had been rostered on in addition to more staff at the ambulance communication centre to handle an expected rise in calls for assistance.
He said ambulance services had a huge increase in callouts during last week's heatwave, much of it due to people being alone.
Victoria's chief health officer John Carnie urged communities and carers to check on vulnerable people.
"Those most at risk are people over 65 years, particularly those living alone without air conditioning, infants, pregnant women and nursing mothers, people who are unwell, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure and people on medications for mental illness," Dr Carnie said in a statement.
"Evidence has shown that excess mortality amongst the elderly population occurs when extremely hot days are followed by high overnight temperatures."
Effects of heat-related illnesses can range from mild conditions such as a rash or cramp to serious conditions such as heat stroke which can kill, he said.
People should limit outdoor activity to morning or evening hours, protect themselves from the sun and stay hydrated.
WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said employers had a legal responsibility to monitor the health of their workers, some of whom included young workers who comprised a high proportion of the weekend workforce and who may attempt to "tough it out".
"In difficult conditions like extremes of heat, these characteristics can lead to serious health problems," he added.
Work may have to be rescheduled, longer or more frequent breaks may be necessary and access to drinking water is essential, he said.
Victorians were also warned to watch their water use after daily consumption rose to 241 litres per person during last week's heatwave, but Water Minister Tim Holding urged people to make health their priority.
Mr Holding said the weather caused a massive jump from the average 172 litres used since the state government's Target 155 campaign was launched in November.
Saturday's forecast hit horseracing in Victoria, with meetings at Caulfield and Bendigo postponed to Sunday which is expected to be much cooler.
Source
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Divorce rate up 10 fold since the reform era
"Happily ever after" is the end of many classical children books when telling the end of love story between two lovers. Back then, my imagination was full of two happy couples enjoying the life without a problem. Be that as it may, life is too whimsical to apprehend. Couples choose to divorce and their relationships turn ugly after years of marriage. Love has suddenly gone and life is dramatically done. Children as evidence of sacred relations become victims of parents' egoism. It is little bit odd if we read the article below where a resource said that political moods and privilege in education are among the reasons. Divorce is like an emergency door that is opened only at the time of extraordinary situation. What will Indonesia look like if the young generations are raised in the broken home families? will their faith in the sacredness of marriage will vanish? Or, will they adopt a culture of indulgence and a fancy love?
The Jakarta Post
The Religious Affairs Ministry revealed Tuesday that the number of divorces per year in Indonesia has increased 10 fold since the end of the new order era in 1998, and that political differences between husbands and wives is being cited more frequently as a cause.
During the late Soeharto's new order era, which crumbled in 1998, there was an average of 20,000 divorce cases per year, but the rate has shot up to more than 200,000 per year.
“The number of divorce cases is increasing every year and I don’t know why. It’s probably because women now have a greater awareness of women’s rights,” Director General for Islamic guidance at the Religious Affairs Ministry Nasaruddin Umar told journalists in Jakarta with a laugh.
“About 2 million couples get married every year, and more than 200,000 couples get divorced for various reasons,” he said, adding that divorces were most common in Semarang, Central Java, Bandung, West Java, Medan, North Sumatera and Surabaya in East Java.
He said an increasingly common reason for divorce was a clash of political views.
“Believe it or not, some couples decide to divorce because the husband and wife have different takes on political issues. This has never happened before,” he said.
In 2005, 105 couples divorced citing a conflict over political issues. The figure increased to 502 couples in 2006. The ministry has not determined the figures for 2007 and 2008.
“I am sure the number could climb higher and higher every year, especially in 2009,” Nasaruddin said.
Other common given reasons for divorce are economic factors, unfaithful spouse, ethnic differences and religious differences.
“Many couples insist on marrying even if they are of different religions, and 90 percent of those marriages end with divorce,” Nasaruddin said.
The most frequent reason cited in religious courts for divorce is polygamy.
“Data from 2006 shows that as many as 879 couples divorced because of [polygamy],” he said.
He said that he believed women were becoming increasingly aware of their rights thanks to the efforts of NGOs and women activists, which have run campaigns against polygamy.
Scholars and activists have welcomed the development, saying it shows women are becoming more independent economically and that more women are receiving higher education.
According to recent reports, polygamy is on the rise in Indonesia. The Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice received 87 reports of polygamy last year, up from 16 in 2007. (naf)
The Jakarta Post
The Religious Affairs Ministry revealed Tuesday that the number of divorces per year in Indonesia has increased 10 fold since the end of the new order era in 1998, and that political differences between husbands and wives is being cited more frequently as a cause.
During the late Soeharto's new order era, which crumbled in 1998, there was an average of 20,000 divorce cases per year, but the rate has shot up to more than 200,000 per year.
“The number of divorce cases is increasing every year and I don’t know why. It’s probably because women now have a greater awareness of women’s rights,” Director General for Islamic guidance at the Religious Affairs Ministry Nasaruddin Umar told journalists in Jakarta with a laugh.
“About 2 million couples get married every year, and more than 200,000 couples get divorced for various reasons,” he said, adding that divorces were most common in Semarang, Central Java, Bandung, West Java, Medan, North Sumatera and Surabaya in East Java.
He said an increasingly common reason for divorce was a clash of political views.
“Believe it or not, some couples decide to divorce because the husband and wife have different takes on political issues. This has never happened before,” he said.
In 2005, 105 couples divorced citing a conflict over political issues. The figure increased to 502 couples in 2006. The ministry has not determined the figures for 2007 and 2008.
“I am sure the number could climb higher and higher every year, especially in 2009,” Nasaruddin said.
Other common given reasons for divorce are economic factors, unfaithful spouse, ethnic differences and religious differences.
“Many couples insist on marrying even if they are of different religions, and 90 percent of those marriages end with divorce,” Nasaruddin said.
The most frequent reason cited in religious courts for divorce is polygamy.
“Data from 2006 shows that as many as 879 couples divorced because of [polygamy],” he said.
He said that he believed women were becoming increasingly aware of their rights thanks to the efforts of NGOs and women activists, which have run campaigns against polygamy.
Scholars and activists have welcomed the development, saying it shows women are becoming more independent economically and that more women are receiving higher education.
According to recent reports, polygamy is on the rise in Indonesia. The Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice received 87 reports of polygamy last year, up from 16 in 2007. (naf)
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
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