Edisi 18 Januari 2011 | International Bali Post

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SKorea: Nuclear push could bring North’s collapse

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e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

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Bali‘s ornamental fish exports up 9.9 percent PAGE 8 AP Photo/Felipe Dana

Rescue workers get on a helicopter as they leave after searching for survivor and victims in an area affected by a landslide near Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011. Mudslides caused by days of steady rain have killed at least 600 in the area and left residents stranded in remote, stricken villages.

‘Social Network’ big winner at Golden Globes PAGE 12

Brazil slide rescues slowed, focus on housing Associated Press Writer

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil – Efforts to fly rescue helicopters to hundreds of people stranded by massive mudslides were slowed by renewed rains in a region north of Rio de Janeiro, as the death toll rose to 633 in a disaster that has left thousands more homeless.

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With rainy skies and low visibility in an area full of craggy, steep peaks, officials focused their attention on the survivors they could reach

more immediately, mapping out a plan to get people living in tents in the short term, and into safe, affordable housing in the coming months.

Mayor Jorge Mario Sedlacek of Teresopolis, one of the hardest-hit cities, said Sunday that more than 2,000 tents were being brought in, each capable of sheltering up to 10 people. Teresopolis has more than 3,000 people who were made homeless by the slides.

“They will give families shelter for up to six months while more permanent solutions can be developed,”

Sedlacek said. “These tents will at least re-establish the family units, which will bring some comfort to people living in communal shelters.”

That could come as good news to people like Magda Brito Silveira, who said she was near her breaking point trying to run her family of six children after five chaotic days in a crowded gymnasium-turned-shelter.

Continued on page 6

Egyptian ‘sets fire to himself outside parliament’ Agence France Presse

CAIRO – A man set himself alight outside parliament in Cairo on Monday, the official MENA agency said, in an apparent copycat replay of the self-immolation of a Tunisian graduate which sparked a popular revolt.

The man, who was identified as restaurant owner Abdo Abdelmoneim from Qantara, near the port town of Ismailiya, “stood in front the the parliament building in (downtown Cairo) and set fire to his body.” “He was imme-

diately taken to hospital to receive the necessary treatment,” MENA said. A parliamentary source said the man “stood outside the People’s Assembly, poured fuel on himself and set himself on fire.”

“A policeman who was close by managed to extinguish the fire and the man was quickly taken away by ambulance,” the source added.

MENA said the man was driven to set himself alight because “he did not receive the bread coupons for his restaurant.” It did not elaborate.

Continued on page 6

AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABED

Egyptian police stand guard at the entrance of Cairo’s Munira hospital on January 17, 2011.

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International

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Bali News

Early detection of depression in children and teenagers Late handling can lead to suicide Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Depression is not only experienced by adults. Children and teenagers can also go through depression. However, symptoms of depression in children and teenagers are not the same as that in adults. Depressions in adults are clearly visible, but in children and teenagers are very difficult to detect. This should get thorough attention because if not treated quickly and properly, children and teenagers may have a tendency to commit suicide.

A medical specialist in psychiatry, I Gusti Ayu Endah Ardjana, when met some time ago said that depression was rather difficult to identify in children because it was hard for them to express their feelings. On that account, parents should be wary if children or teenagers indicated deviations in behavior. For pre-school and school age children, physical symptoms of depression, according to Endang, were lack of spontaneous emotion and easily agitated. Negative attitude appearing could hurt them.

Meanwhile, for elementary school

children until the late teenage, the symptoms of depression could be seen from the signs of decreased academic performance, anxiety, aggressive and less good interpersonal relationship to friends. “They tend to hate themselves and sometimes tell that they are going to commit suicide,” said Endang.

Children and teenagers with depression also often experienced pain such as abdominal pain, vomiting up to headaches. “By and large, the pain arises if they have to go to where they feel depressed. For example, every time they want to go to school,

children continue to complain about dizziness. But, when they are at home, the symptoms disappear,” said Endang.

The factors causing children and teenagers to fall into depression were very dependent on the environment in which they were born to grow.

Children born from the background of depressed parents, according to Endah, had a greater prevalence to get depressed, too. She also added that a lot of factors could cause depression in children, such as the organic-biological and genetic factors.

The organic-biological factor

showed a volume reduction on the frontal lobe and increased volume of cerebral ventricles up to metabolic abnormalities of the growth hormone production and biogenic amine metabolites. Meanwhile, the genetic factors affected the family tree. If there was a history of depression in mother, so the children had around 60 percent of possibility of depression appearing in young adulthood.

Parents who experienced depression, their children would also experience depression by 30-60 times.

Endah added that treatment of children and teenagers with depression should be dealt with quickly and appropriately. Unfortunately, parents tended to cover up their children if they had depression and were not sent to the specialist of children mental health for fear of being labeled crazy. In Sanglah Hospital, for instance, depressed children were usu-

ally referred to the pediatric department.

“By and large, the cases of depression in children are found when parents check up their children to pediatric department. Most parents do not directly consult their children to psychiatrist as feeling ashamed that their children are considered crazy,” said Endang. She added that some cases on children and teenagers with depression ending with suicide occasionally were not handled completely.

Most parents no longer bring their children to have consultation. Yet, according to Endah, the handling of children with depression took at least 6 to 12 months. “Treatment should be comprehensive, and consist of psycho-pharma therapy, playing therapy, remedial and some others.

At least it takes 6-12 months,” she ended. (san)

Hit by rains and heavy winds

Area of Sekar Kencana Temple collapses Amlapura (Bali Post)—

IBP/Bud

The collapse Sekar Kencana temple which is located in Karangasem Regency.

The area of Sekar Kencana clan temple on the ridge of Asah Dulu Hamlet, Datah Village, Abang, Karangasem, collapsed two weeks ago due to hit by rains and heavy winds. Temple area of about 3 square meters fell down. Avalanche of the collapse struck the kitchen building beneath the temple so that it partially collapsed, too.

Priest of the local temple, Jro Mangku Nyoman Dharma, 55, at Asah Dulu on Sunday (Jan 16) said there were no casualties in the midnight landslide incident considering the settlement of dozens of Datah residents was far under the hill. However, the temple area in the form of compound wall avalanched. Meanwhile, the gate shrine (apit lawang) skewed because the foundation partially fell in an avalanche. Gamelan hall was also threatened to collapse, if the avalanched base and cracked compound wall were not overcome with more solid repairs on the foundation.

In the dining area as well as the tin-roofed hall kitchen were largely destroyed and collapsed. They were hit by landslide bringing along a few cubic of soil and stones. Jro Mangku Darma said that Chief of the temple supporting devotees, Nyoman Suar, had purchased a truck of sand. It would be used to accelerate the improvement of the temple car-

ried out independently by supporting devotees amounting to hundreds of families from the hamlet of Asah Dulu, Asah Teben and dozens of families from Bale Gede Hamlet.

Jro Mangku Darma said that the labor charge to convey the sand from the road to the temple was IDR 1.1 million. As known, the temple was nestled on the ridge and to reach it people had to climb hundreds of stairs.

On the rainy season, condition of the concrete steps was slippery. “Indeed, the labor cost of transporting the sand from the road to the temple is more expensive than the price of one truck of sand,” he said.

He could not yet ensure when the supporting devotees would commit mutual assistance to rebuild the collapsed temple located under the huge banyan tree. Aside from the rainy season, most devotees were still busy with various activities.

One of the supporting devotees of the local temple, who is also a legislator of Karangasem House, I Gede Suartama alias Boncel, said his party expected a help from the government to repair the temple. “Hopefully, at least there will be a help from the natural disaster preparedness budget. I would submit the aspiration of residents in order the mutual cooperation could also be helped with funds to ease the burden of residents dwelling the barren hills,” Boncel added. (013)

z Founder : K.Nadha, z General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti z Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Wirya, Yudi Winanto zDenpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subagiadnya, Subrata, Suentra, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali Putra Ariawan,Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan,. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. z Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. z Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Bali News

International

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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Drunk, Five Youths Attacked Canadian Tourist Mangupura, NusaBali

Arif (23), Sahal (24), Kadri (26), Rustam (20) and Hasan (34) coming from Makassar , had to delay their return as they were captured

by Kuta Police in being involved in an attack on Ricard Eskobar (40) from Canada who got injured all over his body.

The attacked happened in Ayu Hotel, Poppies I Street, Kuta, Badung last Wednesday (12/1) around 2.30 am local time. Before it occurred, they were having a drinking party in the hotel. Slowly getting drunk, their talks were uncontrollable causing one offended.

“The attackers were also the hotel’s guests. They were on holiday in Bali,” Head of Kuta Police, AKP I Gede Ganefo, SH, MH, stated last Sunday (16/1).

The tension came to a fight causing victim to fight back. Accused Arif then hit victim, followed by the

IBP/File

Children are wlaking after finishing their school. Transportation Agency and Education, Youth and Sports Agency of Denpasar City keeps continuing in studying the plan to change school time.

Continued, Changing School Time Denpasar (Bali Post) –

The plan to change school time to manage traffic jams proposed by the Denpasar Government a while ago was being refused by a number of sides. Even so, Transportation Agency and Education, Youth and Sports Agency of Denpasar City keeps continuing in studying the plan. It developed to two options: either quickens school time or later office time for civil workers.

Contacted on Sunday (16/1), Head of the Transportation Agency, I Gede Astika, confirmed the situation. Astika explained, the first option is to quicken the school times from 7.30 to 6.30 am local time and the second option would be later office time for civil workers from 8 becoming 9 am local time. This is to avoid clash between the start and end of school time and work time which have caused the traffics in the city, “At this time, both agencies are

studying these options. Yet it’s not known yet which one will be chosen.

It’s still on the process.”

Moreover, Astika admitted does not know when these studies will be finished. It is clarified that there are many things to think over in changing school time or work time, “We got many suggestions connecting to the school time change. Of course, all suggestions will be discussed.”

As told before, the plan to change

school times came up when Denpasar City Transportation Agency did some meeting with traffic victimized schools. From the meeting, there was an idea to change the school time to solve the traffic. This was then responded straight away by the Denpasar Government forming a team to plan it. Although, many sides including Denpasar House of Representatives refused the idea as it’s not the right solution. (kmb13)

other four, “Victim was attacked by the five of them. They punched him over and over again.”

Victim then had no strength, and only could avoid the hits. Luckily a resident stopped it then satisfied attackers went back to their room.

Meanwhile, blood covered victim went to Kuta Police to report the incident, “We received the complain then straight away investigated by sending some fast attack troops.”

The fast attack troops led by Head of Crime Research Unit, First Inspector I Gede Ardana, moved fast and the five attackers could be captured with no fight back, “If we’re late in responding it, accused could escape soon. Luckily they’re still in the hotel. For clarifying the motif of this incident, we are still investigating the five accused in the investigation room.” It is suspected the incident happen due to an unintended soffence. (kmb21)

Taman Ayun Wantilan Revitalized Being one of the tourist and culture objects in Bali, Taman Ayun Temple is planned to be arranged and revitalized. This was stated during a presentation done by Planning Consultant Team connected to arranging and revitalizing plan on Taman Ayun’s Wantilan in Kriya Gosana Meeting Room, Badung Government Center last Friday (14/ 1). The presentation was attended by Badung Regent A.A. Gde Agung, SH accompanied by Badung Secretary Kompyang R. Suwandika, SH, MH, Head of Creativity Agency Ir. Ni Luh Putu Dessy Dharmayanty, MT and all involved institutes.

There was also Head of Commission B Drs. I Putu Parwata, MK, MM representing Head of Badung House of Representatives.

Badung Regent A.A. Gde Agung, SH stated that this revitalization is to increase the density quality of tourism also to arrange Mangupura as Badung’s capital city. This presentation was a continuation to the 8th October 2010 presentation

where it’s stated, the wantilan physical building has shifted as a whole and will allocate reconstruction budget on this year’s budget. It is hoped the construction won’t lessen its historic value and always keep to its esthetics, architecture and ethics conservation.

The Regent also hoped that the construction won’t disturb tourism, business, public, culture or even religious activities and asked those who are responsible to protect the project and reach clean project also keeps coordinating with government officials. He asked not to make this project as some gambling to find profits which could decrease moral and physical responsibilities as this work is full of carefulness, detail and also micro cosmic connection.

Commission B Head Putu Parwata then stated to ask everyone involved in the project to prioritize quality and quantity and with the hope what is planned will give the best work for the people of Badung and Bali itself.

Lalanglinggah Tourist Development Board Formed Tabanan, DenPost

From the meeting of local figures of Lalanglinggah Village last Sunday (16/1), they formed a board for tourist development management professionally to develop the nyegara gunung (sea and mountain) concept tourism.

According to its Village Head, Putu Suantara, the background to the idea was seen from its potential tourist destinations. One motivation

was because of the many foreign tourists starting to visit and stayed building a villa as seen in Balian, Mejan and Petanahan Beaches which also became surfing areas.

Meanwhile around the mountains at Banjar Daren, Anyar and Beja have great scenery views, “With the topography being nyegara gunung, visitors started coming.”

The meeting also attended by local figure Made Sudana who agreed to the

first step of forming the Lalanglinggah Village Tourism Area Guide and Development Board. This board will have a team and holds a continuation meeting coming 19th January. “This team will plan what the development will be like for the future. For that it needs exchange studies to Tanah Lot, Alas Kedaton even Bedugul. We will learn from these locations to manage the ones in Lalanglinggah,” Suantara explained.(121)

IBP/File

Taman Ayun temple

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News

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

International

‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier back in Haiti after long exile Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Former Haitian dictator JeanClaude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned Sunday to Haiti nearly 25 years after a popular uprising against his brutal dictatorship forced him into exile, a surprising and perplexing move that comes as his country struggles with a political crisis and the stalled effort to recover from last year’s earthquake.

Duvalier, part of a father-andson dynasty that presided over one of the darkest chapters in Haitian history, arrived on an Air France jet in a jacket and tie to hugs from supporters at the Port-au-Prince airport. He was calm as he was led into the immigration office. He left the airport without making a statement to journalists, waving to a crowd of more than 200 supporters as he got into an SUV. “He is happy to be back in this country, back in his home,” said Mona Beruaveau, a candidate for Senate in a Duvalierist party who spoke to the former dictator inside the immigration office. “He is tired after a long trip.” Beruaveau said he would give a news conference on Monday.

In the fall of 2007, President Rene Preval told reporters that Duvalier could return to Haiti but would face justice for the deaths of thousands of people and the theft of millions of dollars. It was not immediately clear why the former dictator chose this tumultuous moment to return to Haiti.

There were no immediate protests in reaction to his return and very few people were even aware that the former dictator had come back to Haiti, where more than 1 million people are living in crowded, squalid tent encampments after their homes were destroyed from the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake. Half the people in the country are younger than 21, and weren’t alive during Duvalier’s rule.

At one of those camps, there was some enthusiasm for Duvalier’s return. “I don’t know

much about Jean-Claude Duvalier but I’ve heard he did good things for the country,” said 34-year-old Joel Pierre. “I hope he will do good things again.”

Nearby, 42-year-old Marline Joseph, living in the camp with her three kids, was also somewhat hopeful. “He’s here, that’s good.

Now, what is he going to do for the country.”

Haitians danced in the streets to celebrate the overthrow of Duvalier back in 1986, heckling the tubby, boyish tyrant as he drove to the airport and flown into exile in France. Most Haitians hoped the rapacious strongman had left for good, closing a dark chapter of terror and repression that began under his late father, Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier in 1957.

But a handful of loyalists have been campaigning to bring Duvalier home from exile in France, launching a foundation to improve the dictatorship’s image and reviving Baby Doc’s political party in the hopes that one day he can return to power democratically.

AP Photo/Hassene Dridi

Tunisians wait outside a bakery to buy bread in Tunis, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011. Tunisians in the capital scurried about for food as most shops remained closed Sunday and bread and milk were running short.

Gunbattles, food shortages temper Tunisians’ joy Associated Press Writer

TUNIS, Tunisia – Major gunbattles erupted outside the palace of Tunisia’s deposed president, in the center of the capital, in front of the main opposition party headquarters and elsewhere on Sunday as authorities struggled to restore order and the world waited to see if the North African nation would continue its first steps away from autocratic rule.

AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery

Haiti’s former dictator JeanClaude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, center, waves to supporters from a hotel balcony after his arrival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday Jan. 16, 2011.

Police arrested dozens of people, including the top presidential security chief, as tensions appeared to mount between Tunisians buoyant over Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s departure and loyalists in danger of losing major perks. There were cheers and smiles in much of Tunis, the capital, as residents tore down the massive portraits of Ben Ali, some of them several stories high, that hung from lampposts and billboards and were omnipresent during his 23-year reign.

Prime Minister Mohamed

Ghannouchi said on state TV that a new national unity government will “most certainly” be announced Monday “to open a new page in the history of Tunisia.” There are three legal opposition parties that could be included in the government Ghannouchi has been directed to form by the interim president, Fouad Mebazaa. Negotiations are advanced, Ghannouchi said Sunday night.

Worries among Tunisians, however, grew with the violence and worsening shortages of essentials such as milk, bread and fresh fish. “We’re starting to

feel it now,” said Imed Jaound at the Tunis port, which has been closed since Friday, when Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia.

A gunbattle broke out around the presidential palace late Sunday afternoon in Carthage on the Mediterranean shore, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Tunis. The army and members of the newly appointed presidential guard fought off attacks from militias loyal to Ben Ali, said a member of the new presidential guard. Helicopters were surveying the zone.

The militias emerged from a forest to charge, the guard member said by telephone. He told The Associated Press the militia are “numerous” and are using various kinds of arms but gave no further details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to be publicly named.

Explosion on bus in NW Pakistan kills 18 Associated Press Writer

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – An explosion ripped through a minibus traveling in a militant-infested area of northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing 18 people, police said. There were conflicting reports of whether the blast was caused by a bomb or by the gas cylinder used to power the vehicle.

The bus was traveling between the cities of Hangu and Kohat, which are located close to Pakistan’s lawless tribal region.

The explosion tore apart the vehicle, killing all 17 people on

board, and tipped over a second bus nearby, said Hangu police chief Abdur Rasheed. One person on the bus that tipped over was killed and 11 others were wounded, he said.

Rasheed said the blast occurred when the gas cylinder on board malfunctioned. But the top police official in the region said explosives were used to trigger the explosion. Islam-

ist militants frequently carry out attacks in the area against both civilians and security forces.

Local television footage showed the twisted carcass of the first bus laying beside the road with little left except its wheels and undercarriage.

The second bus was on its side with its windows blown out and blood splattered across the outside.

Rescue workers and police survey a school van damaged after a bomb explosion in Peshawar January 12, 2011. Two small roadside bombs hit a school van on the outskirts of northwestern Peshawar, killing two female teachers and wounding seven, including three children, police said.

REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

Activities

International

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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Cintya, of Novotel Bali Benoa, represents Indonesia BALI - The first international milestone for Bali’s Hotel Front Liners Association will happen when one of its members will travel to Christchurch, New Zealand, to represent Bali and Indonesia, for the first time, at the “International Receptionist of the Year” competition.

The “International Receptionist of The Year Competition” is conducted every year by the “Amicale Internationale des Sous Directeurs et Chefs de Réception des Grand Hôtels (AICR)” or “The International Association of Deputy Managers and Front Office Managers of Luxury Hotels”. The Competition’s main objective is to be a training tool for the younger generation, the future AICR and the Hospitality Industry, with the emphasis on “Amicale” (friendliness).

Putu Cintya Purnama Sari, known to her friends as Cintya, has been voted the “National Best Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2009”, by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Hotel Front Liner Association and Indonesia Hospitality Alliance. This qualifies her to compete against 16 other del-

egates, from 16 different countries worldwide, to achieve the most prestigious Chef de Reception honor, the David Campbell Trophy.

A 23-year old from Bali, Cintya currently works for Novotel Bali Benoa as a receptionist. She took the honors earlier this year at the “National Receptionist of the Year 2009”. She won against six other finalists from 250 hotels that participated in the national event.

Cintya says, “I am humbled to have achieved this award. With the support from my colleagues, I will go to Christchurch and do my very best to bring home the David Campbell trophy. I want to make Bali and Indonesia proud!”

Mr. Olivier Moies-Delval, General Manager of Novotel Bali Benoa adds, “We are delighted with Cintya’s great performance in the recent competition and it does reflect on all of the team at Novotel Bali Benoa. Cintya has already reached an important achievement so it will be a greater pride for us when she wins at international level.”

Cyntia’s victory at “The National

Receptionist of The Year” was a prestigious award for Bali and is a great step forward for the Island’s Hotel Front Liners Association, which supported her prior, during and after the event. Hopefully, this win will be an encouragement to

other hotel front liners in Bali,” says Bali HFLA Chairman, I Nengah Widiasa.

Preparing for Christchurch will involve hours of practice to make sure that role-plays run smoothly and interviews are answered profession-

ally. Preparation is paramount for this international challenge; it is vital to ensure that Cyntia is confident in her endeavor. With the eyes of the world on this International Chef de Reception competition, it will be a highly intense challenge for all participants.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event forJanuary 3 through January 26, 2011 04 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main ritual of twelfth month commanced with temple annyversary celebration of Pura Accompanied by Gambang orchestra at 18.00 pm.

Temple anniversary celebration at Pura Dalem Puri,Pura Ulun Kulkul, Pura Kiduling Kreteg, Pura Benua Kawan,Besakih complex,districk of Rendang,Karangasem regency 05 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main Ceremony held at Pura Jero when the whole temple adherents go praying to the temple in their finest traditional dress while Gambang orchestra cheeras the atmosphere at 17.00 pm.

06 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Last ritual held at Pura Jero ended with procession of Deities back to Subak Pemaksan (the agricultural temple) at 18.00 pm. Followed by special event held for the elderly people of the village.

12 January Temple anniversary celebration at: * Pura Luhur Pucak Padang Dawa, Bangli village,distict of Baturiti, Tabanan Regency * Pura Silayukti,Padangbai village, district of manggis,Karangasem Regency * Pura Air Jeruk,South Beach of Sukawati Village,Gianyar Regency * Pura Dangin Pasar,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regensy

* Pura Desa Lembeng,Ketewel village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Penataran,Batuyang Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Budha Kliwon,Penatih Village, east of denpasar 19 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Ratu Pasek Besakih (the mother temple) complex,distric of Rendang, Karangasem Regency * Pura Dalem Batur Village, distric of kintamani,Bangli regency 22 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Dalem Tarukan,Bebalang village, South oe the town of bangli. * Pura Benua Kangin,Besakih (the mother temple complex)Karngasem Regensy * Pura Dalem,Pemuteran,Jelantik tojan Village,Klungkung regensy * Pura Pucak Sari,Gunung Sari Village,district of Penebel,Tabanan Regency.

26 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Bandesa Mas Kepisah,Pedungan village, south of denpasar * Pura Pasar agung,Kaba-kaba village, district of kediri,Tabanan regency * Pura Dalem Petinget, Kerobokan village, district of kuta,Badung regency * Pura Dalem Pulasari,samprangan village, district of blahbatuh,Gianyar regency * Pura Natih,Banjar kalan,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati,Gianyar regency

Balinese Temple Ceremony EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

News Egyptian...

From page 1 The incident comes after 26year-old Tunisian graduate Mohammed Bouazizi torched himself in Tunisia when police prevented him from selling fruit and vegetables to make a living.

The case of Bouazizi, who later died of his wounds, unleashed a wave of protests in Tunisia that eventually toppled the 23-year-old regime of President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. In Algeria, at least four attempted public suicides — all over jobs and housing — were reported this week after Bouazizi’s self-

immolation.

Egyptians have often voiced similar grievances to Tunisians.

They have long complained of economic hardships and Cairo has regularly come under criticism for failing to lift an emergency law in place for three decades. Close to half of Egypt’s 80 million people live below the poverty line of two dollars a day.

On Friday, dozens of Egyptians celebrated the ouster of the veteran president outside the Tunisian embassy in central Cairo.

Brazil...

From page 1

AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS

This undated picture released by North Korean Central News Agency on January 16, 2011 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il (C) inspecting the Taegwan Glass factory at Taegwan county in North Pyongan province.

SKorea: Nuclear push could bring North’s collapse Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea – Impoverished North Korea could bring its own collapse if it keeps pouring scarce national resources into its nuclear weapons program and military, a senior South Korean official warned in an interview to be broadcast Monday.

South Korean officials have used tough language against North Korea after two deadly attacks last year killed dozens of people. But it’s still rare for a top Seoul official to speak publicly on a potential North Korean collapse and shows the South’s growing impatience with its communist neighbor.

“I think they will come to the point where they can no longer sustain the burden of military expenditures,” Chun Yung-woo told “PBS NewsHour,” according to part of the interview posted on the U.S. public broadcaster’s website.

Chun is South Korea’s chief presidential adviser on national security and foreign affairs and once was the South’s top negotiator on now-stalled six-nation talks on the North’s nuclear weapons program.

“They are already suffering from misery ... I think they will be worse off,” Chun said. “I think their obsession with their military capabilities, especially weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons, chemical

weapons ... that would be a short-cut to their demise.” He said “the energy for changing” North Korea is growing but declined to predict when that change might happen.

North Korea’s state-controlled economy was devastated by natural disasters and mismanagement in the 1990s, and a botched 2009 currency reform and massive flooding last year are feared to have worsened it. However, experts say the North still devotes much of its scarce resources to its 1.2 million-member military under its “army-first” policy.

In November, the North unveiled a uranium enrichment facility that could give it a second way to make atomic bombs in addition to its known plutonium-based program. North Korea has deployed new types of tanks near the border with South Korea and boosted its special operations forces in recent years, according to an official South Korean defense document released late last month.

Tension on the peninsula spiked af-

ter North Korea unleashed artillery shells on a front-line South Korean island near their disputed sea border, killing four people. The shelling came eight months after a deadly warship sinking that South Korea and the U.S. have blamed on Pyongyang. The North has denied its responsibility for the sinking that killed 46 sailors, and it says the South provoked the island attack with nearby military drills. Chun said the attacks indicate how desperate North Korea is due to its economic crisis.

“I think North Korea’s behavior enabled us to see North Korea as it is, not as we want to see it,” Chun said.

“I am inclined to see it as an indication of their desperation.”

The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, denied Monday that Chun’s comments may indicate that South Korea is pushing for North Korea’s collapse.

Spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters South Korea still seeks substantial reconciliation with North Korea but also keeps a close eye on developments in the North.

“We have nowhere else to go, no resources,” she said. “I am trying to keep the children clean, to feed them, to make sure we’re all together. But I can’t hold on like this much longer.” A local business has offered land on which to set up the tents, and crews began working to level the ground, Sedlacek said. The city is also studying the option of erecting modular homes, which can be set up within a few days.

Even before the disaster struck, the city had requested federal funds to build affordable, safe housing, in a region notably lacking in both.

More than $72 million has since been approved for Teresopolis and will be used to build homes and shore up areas at risk for more slides, the mayor said. Two other towns hit by the disaster also won federal funding: $13 million for Petropolis, and $5 million for Nova Friburgo.

The federal government also offered to pay the rent of 2,500 families for an indeterminate period. Sign-ups for the program started Sunday, said Gen. Jose Elito, minister for national security. “We are removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and registering people to help them with long-term housing needs,” Elito said.

Authorities also will map out and evacuate high-risk areas where residents are holding on to their homes, said Sedlacek, the mayor. “We know there are communities that are at immediate risk. The government is planning to remove those residents and place them in shelters or tents,” he said.

Days after mudslides wiped out whole neighborhoods early Wednesday, many residents continued to live in homes in threatened areas, unwilling to join the thousands crowded into shelters despite the ever-present danger to their lives.

Rali Oliveira da Silva, 35,

spent several years building a home for his family in Cascata do Imbui, saving little by little for the cement, the bricks, the paint. The house was still standing Sunday, but its cement patio now hung precariously over a yawning precipice, the empty space left by a slide that killed most of his downhill neighbors.

Oliveira da Silva’s home could be next. But he said he has no money to rent another place, much less buy land elsewhere and start over, so he’s staying put for now. “There is no financing for someone like me, and I can’t afford to buy a home in town,” he said. “What am I supposed to do? Move my family to a shelter? And then what?”

On Sunday, municipal, state and federal officials set up a center to register missing persons; began distributing 35,000 free cell phones donated by a telecommunications company; and announced immediate plans to relocate some 2,500 people housed at the Teresopolis gym to 18 smaller, better organized shelters at churches, warehouses and other spaces.

A brief morning lull in the downpours allowed rescue helicopters to buzz around the emerald-green peaks in this area about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Rio de Janeiro, delivering desperately needed food and water to some of the most remote neighborhoods.

“The priority is the rescue of people who are still isolated,” said Alexandre Aragon, head of the Brazilian National Security Force, which is aiding in the recovery. “We have to take advantage of this break in the weather to help people in these remote, collapsed areas.”

Rio state’s Civil Defense department said on its website late Sunday that the death toll reached 633 between the cities of Teresopolis, Nova Friburgo, Petropolis and Sumidouro. The death toll has risen daily as more bodies are pulled from the mud.

International

Indonesia Today

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

7

President chairs limited cabinet meeting on Gayus case Antara

JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Monday chaired a limited cabinet meeting to discuss matters related to former tax official Gayus Tambunan.

AFP PHOTO / HO / DEPLU

In this handout photo taken and released by DEPLU on January 16, 2011, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa releasees a baby turtle to the sea during a ceremony at the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) retreat in Lombok island. Indonesia has voiced support for East Timor’s bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

23 houses in West Sulawesi destroyed by flash floods Antara

MAMUJU - A total of 23 houses in Tampalang village, Tapalang subdistrict, Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi province, had been seriously damaged by flash floods rising as high as three meters.

The Tampalang villagers did not suspect they would be once again struck by flash floods after in the last two days a similar flash flood attack had struck them causing about 10 houses practically razed to the ground in the area on January 13.

An earlier flash flood caused the

displacement of 37 families in Tampalang and was currently staying in temporary shelters near the coast.

The victims not only needed food like rice, noodle and canned fish, but the government also needs to immediately repair and rebuild the damaged and broken embankments.

Mt. Merapi disaster victims need counseling services Antara

MAGELANG - The Mount Merapi’s cold lava flooding had traumatized a number people living along the river banks in Magelang district, Central Java, a social worker said.

The traumatic condition that the cold lava floods’ victims was similar to that of the survivors of Mount Merapi’s eruptions, Agung Suhartoyo of the ministry of social welfare said here Sunday.

The impacts of the Mount Merapi’s cold lava disaster were apparently bigger than those of the volcano’s eruptions last year, he said.

Therefore, that situation could potentially affect the victims mentally. “Some have even undergone a change of attitude, especially children,” he said.

Those children were wakened at night and asked to save themselves from the coming floods, Agung said.

The children did need counseling services so that they could cope with their trauma, he said.

In another development, Chief of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) Jusuf Kalla said the regional governments should not always rely on the central government in handling natural disasters.

“We have central and regional governments. But, in handling such natural disasters as the Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods, the district and subdistrict governments are enough,” he said.

Therefore, the subdistrict and district governments should not always rely on the central government, the former vice president said.

Similar to the PMI, the impacts of Mount Merapi’s cold lava floods were just handled by PMI personnel from Magelang district, Central Java province, he said.

Speaking to newsmen after visiting the cold lava disaster zone in Sirahan village, Salam subdistrict, Magelang district, he said the government had warned residents of being cautious with the cold lava floods.

The authorities were asked to pre-

pare sites for the disaster’s evacuees.

“None can stop the natural disasters. What we can do is just maintaining our alertness and taking anticipatory measures to avoid fatalities,” he said.

Mount Merapi had erupted repeatedly for several weeks but its most fatal eruptions occurred on October 26 and November 5, 2010.

As a result of the eruptions, at least 259 people had perished and many others sustained serious burns and became displaced.

Mount Merapi, on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java.

Besides killing and injuring several hundred people, eruptions had also damaged 867 hectares of forested land on the volcano’s slopes in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, with material losses estimated at Rp33 billion. Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have regularly been detected since 1548.

At the meeting that was also attended by Vice President Boediono, the president was to receive reports on the latest developments in the legal process against tax fraud and corruption defendant Gayus Tambunan from Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo, Attorney General Basrief Arief, and Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar.

“In the cabinet meeting, I will ask the concerned officials to report and explain the legal measures which have been taken, what has and what has not been achieved, what problems and challenges are being faced, and how to address the problems,” the president said.

Yudhoyono said on his view, the public had not yet received sufficient explanations on the legal process against Gayus Tambunan. The explanation to the public should be carried out effectively so that the

public could follow the legal measures taken by the authorities on the Gayus case.

The president stated that the case must be given special attention and handled very seriously because the case has involved various misconducts, such as court crimes, tax mafia, and immigration crimes.

He said that he would not intervene the legal process, but as the head of state he would still be involved in the case handling by making sure that all legal enforcement institutions and knots under his authorities work properly and effectively.

“I know the limit when I have to respect and when I have to personally handle it for good intention, such as when there was a controversy regarding Bibit Chandra case,” he said. Gayus Tambunan, a low-level dodgy tax official, was arrested in Singapore in March 2010 on the tax evasion fraud involving big companies.

25 percent of industrial subscribers enjoy capping Antara

JAKARTA - State power firm PT PLN said that only 9,711 or 25 percent of the 38,449 industrial subscribers enjoyed the capping of not more than 18 pct of the power price hike.

“Only 25 percent of the industrial subscribers enjoyed the capping,” PLN’s business and risk management director Murtaqi Syamsuddin said here Sunday.

He said PLN was facing a dilemma in the capping issue of the industries.

He said the energy and mineral resources minister has warned PLN to respect the agreement reached between the government and House VII of the House of Representatives in their meeting on July 19, 2010, on the capping of capping 18 percent for industrial subscribers.

“The capping decision had caused a disparity between industrial subscribers when it comes to

the price of power which must be paid,” he said.

Murtaqi said in facing the dilemma PLN is referring back the the positive law in the country.

“PLN needs security and certainty in policy which if carried out would not affect the law. PLN also hoped the policy in place will maintain the favorable investment climate and sound business competition,” he said. Murtaqi said PLN had already consulted with the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) and sent a letter on January 11, 2011. He said PLN wished to be sure with regard to KPPU, whether to eliminate the price disparity by with full enforcement of the power price according to the regulation of the energy minister No 7 of 2010 and Law 5 of 1999.

Murtaqi hoped for an earliest KPPU decision so that PLN would have a certain legal basis, and to end the issues and problems on the elimination of capping.

8

Internationa

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Bali Today Balinese script: A key to open the asset of Bali

IBP/FILE

Bali province‘s ornamental fish exports in the January-November 2010 period rose 9.99 percent to US$1.02 million from the same period the year before.

Bali‘s ornamental fish exports up 9.9 percent Antara

DENPASAR - Bali province‘s ornamental fish exports in the January-November 2010 period rose 9.99 percent to US$1.02 million from the same period the year before.

“The ornamental fish exports fell 0.22 percent by volume compared to the same period in the previous year when 785,202 heads of ornamental fish were shipped,” Head of the Bali Provincial Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office Gusti Putu Nuriatha said here on Sunday.

The drop in the volume of ornamental fish exports was among others the result of unfavorable climate that caused difficulties to fishermen

to catch ornamental fish, he said.

After all, the province still had a chance to increase ornamental fish exports in 2011 and the upcoming years, he said.

The ornamental fish was exported to Japan, the United States, Australia and Europe.

Ornamental fish is one of Bali‘s 11 aquatic products which have so far penetrated the international market. The province earned US$107.15

million from aquatic product exports in the January-November 2010 period, a 13.28 percent increase compared to the same period the year before when the figure was US$94.59 million.

Gusti Nuriatha said the Bali waters was rich in a wide variety of ornamental fish. Fishermen catch the fish of high economic value near the province‘s beaches using very simple instrument.

Except for oral tradition, Balinese community also has written traditions. It is inseparable from the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia during the ninth to tenth centuries. At the time Devanagari and Pallawa script were widely used to perform written inscriptions immortalizing important events.

Thanks to these two scripts that implanted important basic in the origin of Balinese script. At a glance, Japanese scripts (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) have similarity to Balinese script in terms of its functions. Balinese script has three types involving the wreastra (to inscribe common words), swalalita (borrowing words from Old Javanese and Sanskrit), and modre (holy syllables). Departing from this similarity, Bali should be able to take a spirit to develop itself. If Japanese language can play important role in the regions most visited by its tourists, Bali ideally should be able to play the role at least at home.

JATA Ecotourism Handbook mentions some important points regarding to ecotourism namely the principle of treasuring and preserving irreplaceable nature and precious cultural assets (including language and script); and the guidelines including to value and respect cultural assets and historical sites and to try to communicate in the local languages. On seeing these, language and script denote important cultural asset in ecotourism development.

Except for oral tradition, Balinese community also has written traditions. It is inseparable from the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism in Indonesia during the ninth to tenth centuries. At the time Devanagari and Pallawa script were widely used to perform written inscriptions immortalizing important events.

Thanks to these two scripts that implanted important basic in the origin of Balinese script. At a glance, Japanese scripts (Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji) have similarity to Balinese script in terms of its functions. Balinese script has three types involving the wreastra (to inscribe common words), swalalita (borrowing words from Old Javanese and Sanskrit), and modre (holy syllables). Departing from this similarity, Bali should be able to take a spirit to develop itself. If Japanese language can play important role in the regions most visited by its tourists, Bali ideally should be able to play the role at least at home.

JATA Ecotourism Handbook mentions some important points regarding to ecotourism namely the principle of treasuring and preserving irreplaceable nature and precious cultural assets (including language and script); and the guidelines including to value and respect cultural

assets and historical sites and to try to communicate in the local languages. On seeing these, language and script denote important cultural asset in ecotourism development.

A friend of the writer, an expert in Balinese language, once told that in Leiden, the lontars manuscript are stored in a very secure room. In order to see (read) it; one should pass through at least three security layers. Then, another point is an important lontar was once handed over to the former President Megawati by the Queen of the Netherlands in person. These indicate that how important assets the lontar manuscripts are.

Have the Balinese given the same attention to theirs? Probably, only some have done it, while some others prefer to leave theirs obsolete at home without knowing what subject matter it contains.

As a tourist destination Bali has a great potential to introduce this asset to visitors. Moreover, script as a medium to record important thinking, ancient tradition and literary works is worth giving serious attention. The problem is that how to make the preservation go hand in hand with the ‘business.’ It needs a business touch packaging the leisure travel and study on the native language of the destination. And more specifically, how to make the publication written in Balinese language and script that can attract others (beyond Balinese community) to know and read it? Of course, it should feature something beneficial for them.

Up to these days, Balinese characters are only widely used in the writing of lontar (palm-leaf) manuscripts. Meanwhile, for commercial book, magazine or publication for public consumption is almost unavailable. Ideally, there are regular publications using the native language (basa Bali) and Balinese script (aksara Bali). By doing so, both can be used to express Balinese culture and accommodate the needs of modern community. Through the media, both can feature relevant subject matter to modern living. On that account, the preservation will not stop at the competition of lontar inscription, writing of labels like the names of street in Denpasar, shop (along Jalan Gajah Mada), and board sign of government’s office, but keeps on meeting the demand of the users’ life.

In short, Balinese scripts (along with Balinese language) should be able to accommodate the needs of its users today. They are becoming both an icon of Balinese community and a medium to express the users’ mind, emotion and communication in wider context as other languages and scripts do. Therefore, they should go hand in hand with time and make them not be left behind by its users! (BTN/w punia)

al

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Balinese Culture Again, investor promises investment in Nusa Penida Semarapura (Bali Post)—

There have been many people claiming themselves as investors came to Klungkung, including to Nusa Penida, one after another since a few years ago during the reign of the Regent of Klungkung, Wayan Candra. There are both domestic and foreign investors such as from Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and others. However, none of them invests capital in Klungkung today.

Uniquely, they only come once and then disappear. Today, another investor comes and promises a huge investment in Nusa Penida. “This one (investor—Ed) has given its confirmation,” said the Regent of Klungkung, Wayan Candra, Sunday (Jan 16).

According to Candra, at least four to five hectares of land were released for the benefit of that investment. However, the stocky regent from Pikat Village, Dawan, did not mention in details in which area of the Nusa Penida was wanted by investors. According to him, many corners of Nusa Penida became new tourist attractions in addition to Nusa Lembongan and Jungutbatu.

Among them, they comprised the Penida Beach, Pasih Uug, Pasih Andus, Atuh area and others. “Obviously, four to five hectares of land had been released for the need of villa development,” he said.

What happens if the coming investor is just a broker? In response to that assumption, the regent who had led for the second tenure added that his party did not distinguish those who came. According to Candra, when coming and claiming as investor, they would be certainly

welcomed. He realized the (Klungkung) regency he ruled did require investors for the progress of development and economic improvement. “I will take them anywhere as they want both on the Klungkung mainland and Nusa Penida,” he said.

What about the prejudice of some components of the community suspecting that lacking of investors investing their capital in Klungkung was due to the demand for excessive percentage? When asked for such question, Candra replied it by a smile. Instead, he admitted he often spent their own money to entertain the coming in-

vestors to Klungkung, mainly for the crossings, consumption and accommodation when paying a visit to Nusa Penida. “Occasionally, there are some activities that are not including in the program budget.

Since it is for the sake of Klungkung, willy-nilly I have to expend my personal budget,” he said.

Meanwhile, for investment in Klungkung Regency, the expected investors were those for development of estuary dams and water supply to serve the regions of Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan (Sarbagita) and several other development programs. (kmb20)

Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) OVERVIEW: Yellow, one of the four sacred colors makes this festive rice dish strikingly different from the normal, everyday steamed rice. The rice is cooked in lightly seasoned coconut milk and chicken stock for extra flavor, while the touch of oil in the coconut milk gives it a glistening appearance and keeps each grain separate.

INGREDIENTS: 1½ cups long grain rice, washed and drained 2½ cups coconut milk ¾ cup chicken stock IBP/File

The beautiful view of Nusa Penida Island which located in Klungkung Regency

1 salam leaf 1 pandan leaf 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised 2 tbsp turmeric water 2 cm laos cut in 4 lengthwise slices 1 tbsp salt

PREPARATION: Combine all ingredients in rice cooker or heavy stockpot and simmer, covered until don.

Helpful hints: if your are not using a rice cooker, cook the rice over high heat until the liquid comes to the bowl, then lower heat and cook gently so that the coconut milk does not catch and burn on the bottom of the pan.

Remove the lemon grass and Laos before serving.

C.045 ibp

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Destinations

International

Yeh Pulu Relief:

Description of Life in Bali Ancient Kingdom BALI is a bijou island, but the content of traditional values, arts, history and culture is not as small as the area. Artistic heritage, history and culture almost spread throughout the nine regencies and city existing on the Island of the Gods. The search on the heritage, arts and cultural relics of this time is to Yeh Pulu Relief.

Relief of the ancient rock stone is located at the Bedulu (Bedahulu) Village, Blahbatuh Subdistrict, Gianyar Regency. Location to Tampaksiring and Kintamani is only about 40 minutes drive from Denpasar City. The entrance to the tourist attraction of holy water is not far from the main road east of Goa Gajah Temple, to the right, into the village street. Visitors should be careful because there are many road junctions without a clue heading for the object of Yeh Pulu Relief, or ask the way to local residents.

The monument in the form of relief becoming the main attraction to tourists, especially foreign tourists,

was discovered in 1925 by a courtier or Ubud Royal family. The name was taken from the barrel (or container of rice in the past) located at the central axis of purified water nestling in the west of the relief. The word yeh in Balinese language means water and pulu means a barrel.

The appeal of this monument is not only because of the uniqueness of relief sculpture immortalized on the rock stone wall of the hill, but also due to the spread of rice field view along the two-hundred-meters and the sound of clinking water on the left-right path to location is always neatly trimmed and maintained sustainably, emanating a natural beauty.

With such a natural atmosphere, the clear and the sharpness of splashing water are always flowing along the trench making the ambience around this object really peaceful and enchanting. On that account, it is not mistaken if the niches (caves) in southern relief suspected as the hermitage of the last Balinese an-

cient King before the collapse of Bali to Majapahit administration in 1343.

Relief with magical nuance and meaningful is 25 meters long and 2 meters high. Many researches conducted by experts from home and overseas to recognize the implicit meaning behind the wall relief of the rock cliffs on the hills. As consequence, it drove many commentaries and analysis to uncover the mystery behind the veil of the true meaning of the relief. Overall, the theme of this story recounts the life in the forest atmosphere and daily life in the ancient kingdom of Bali. In addition to the Balinese classical carvings, this monument also has niches of Bedahulu Royal Hermitage before his death against the army of the Majapahit kingdom in 1343 AD. Yeh Pulu Relief poses one of the many historical classical monuments of Bali originating in ancient Bali (14th century AD) retaining full knowledge of art, which until now is still sustainable and be cared by the members of Subak, as one of the

International Bali Post Classifieds BALI CENTRAL CANOPY

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

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visit this object first should purchase admission ticket of the object, at IDR 6,000 for adult and IDR 3,000 for child. (BTN/014)

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classical organizations that in particular organizes farmers and manage all aspects of rice field cultivation. For tourists who would like to

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

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

11

BUSINESS Trichet urges enhanced Europe standby fund Reuters

PARIS - European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet urged Ireland and Greece to live up to commitments made in return for financial help and said a broader European safety fund should be beefed up.

Trichet was speaking on a French talk show on the eve of a regular meeting of euro zone finance ministers which was set to discuss an increase in the effective lending capacity of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

“The feeling among governors of the European Central Bank is that this fund, taken as it stands at the moment we speak, needs to be enhanced, qualitatively and quantitatively,” Trichet said on the show, hosted by French RTL radio, LCI television and newspaper Le Figaro.

“We know what quantity means.

On quality, that means in terms of how it is used, which must be with

as much flexibility and agility as possible,” he said.

The EFSF fund can borrow money on the market with euro zone government guarantees of up to 440 billion euros but because it wants to have a triple A credit rating, the effective amount it can lend to countries in need is only around 250 billion euros.

Potential bids for help from Portugal and Spain would stretch its resources to the limit.

The European Commission and the ECB called last week for boosting the effective capacity of the EFSF as well as expanding its scope of operations. Germany, the biggest euro zone economy, is key to any agreement on changes.

South Korean firms eye fresh gains at US auto show Agence France-Presse

DETROIT - South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia made a strong showing at this year’s Detroit auto show, turning heads with new models and vowing to build on last year’s gains.

Both Kia and Hyundai — which share manufacturing and engineering facilities but sell their vehicles separately in the United States — are looking for more growth this year after setting sales records in 2010, with Hyundai having finished the year with a 24-percent sales increase.

“Today, customers do not believe that expensive cars with unnecessary technology are premium,” Hyundai Vice Chairman Eui Sun Chung said in a speech at the conference.

“Instead, they want their core needs fulfilled at an accessible price and with a car that exceeds their expectations,” he added.

Hyundai is considering building another US assembly plant to keep pace with rising demand, its US president and chief executive officer John Krafcik said in an interview with Au-

tomotive News, a trade publication.

In the meantime Kia has scooped up a series of awards, with Cars.com voting its Optima the “Best of 2011.”

“The new Kia Optima enters the most competitive segment in the industry and tops it with a lot of value, good looks and a solid ride,” said Cars.com Editor-in-Chief Patrick Olsen.

Kia Motors America (KMA) was also ranked the “most improved” automotive brand in customer loyalty in 2010 by the R.L. Polk Company and was honored with one of three nominations for best concept vehicle in the “EyesOn Design” competition held in Detroit.

“Kia Motors continues to build a brand that is attracting new consumers daily,” said KMA Vice President of Sales Tom Loveless.

He added that Kia’s market share has increased for the 16th consecutive year, reaching an all-time high of 3.1 percent.

The two companies together sold nearly 900,000 vehicles in the United States last year, placing just behind Nissan, which sold more than 908,000.

AFP PHOTO

This photo taken n January 16, 2011 shows a bank teller counting stacks of US dollars and Chinese 100-yuan notes at a bank in Hefei, east China’s Anhui province.

Dampening the U.S.-China fireworks Reuters

WASHINGTON - Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Washington this week may be the calm after the storm when it comes to economic relations between the world’s two biggest economies.

The last time Hu and President Barack Obama met face-to-face was at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Seoul in November, when Washington was on the defensive because of widespread criticism over the Federal Reserve’s $600 billion bond-buying program.

Instead of pressuring China to allow its yuan currency to rise more rapidly, Obama found himself trying to convince allies that the United States was not intentionally devaluing the dollar to gain a trade advantage.

Back then, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said “they owe us an explanation” over the Fed’s bond buying, and admonished the U.S. central bank to “consider the impacts on other countries in the world when they make their decisions, not just their own economy.”

The circumstances will look a little different when Hu visits the White House on Wednesday.

Currency tensions have cooled somewhat. China’s high inflation means the yuan has appreciated in real terms considerably more than the nominal exchange rate shows.

Republican party gains in Congress suggest there may be less pressure coming from lawmakers to label China a currency manipulator or impose stiff new tariffs.

“There isn’t the unified sense that

there was before the mid-term elections that the U.S. needs to go after China,” said Eswar Prasad, a Brookings Institution economist and former International Monetary Fund official.

As for those fears about the Fed inflicting dollar damage, the dollar has actually strengthened against a basket of currencies since the central bank announced its bond-buying plan in early November.

Hu will also be able to point to China’s latest trade data showing December exports were not as strong as most economists expected.

Comparable U.S. data is not yet available, but figures for November showed exports to China hit a record high of $9.5 billion, bolstering China’s argument that it is doing its part to rebalance global growth.

Cui, the vice finance minister, once again spoke out ahead of this week’s summit, but his tone was softer than in November. His most pointed comment was that Beijing would welcome assurances its financial assets in the United States were safe.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner shrugged that off as nothing more than “the kind of things that you typically see ... foreign ministry people say in the run-up to these meetings. It’s the typical pattern, nothing exceptional or interesting in this.”

To be sure, there are still plenty of trade frictions.

The U.S. trade deficit with China swelled to $252.4 billion through November, up 21 percent from the same period a year earlier. China’s foreign exchange reserves climbed

to $2.85 trillion in December, much of it held in dollar-denominated assets, making China Washington’s largest creditor.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke called for “more equitable” trade with China in a speech last week and said China does not always follow through on its promises.

Obama will no doubt press Hu to make good on pledges to enforce intellectual property protections and open the doors a bit wider to U.S. businesses, which have long complained about unequal access.

And yes, Obama will renew an oftrepeated call for China to allow the yuan to rise even more rapidly.

Many economists expect that plea to receive a somewhat more favorable reception now because China is struggling to tamp down inflation, and a stronger yuan would be a useful tool.

By tying a rise to domestic needs rather than foreign demands, China could do what Washington wants without appearing to bow to outside pressure.

Chinese inflation data, scheduled for release the day after Hu’s White House visit, is expected to show a 4.4 percent year-over-year rise in the consumer price index. That would be a modest cool-down from November’s 5.1 percent reading, but still uncomfortably high.

Prasad, the Brookings economist, said thanks to the political shift in Congress and the inflation-driven rise in the yuan’s real effective exchange rate, both sides feel less pressure now.

“This creates a little bit of space in the short term for them to back off from a confrontation stance and focus on long-term strategic issues,” he said.

12

Entertainment

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

International

Ricky Gervais too funny for Hollywood Reuters

LOS ANGELES – “I warned them.” Returning Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais did indeed let it be known that he wasn’t going to hold back in skewering Hollywood’s most famous celebrities. And, in what will undoubtedly be his last hosting gig for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (and, who knows, maybe any Stateside awards) he didn’t disappoint.

But in the process of making searingly funny jokes at more than just the obvious targets (Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, the HFPA itself), the heat he put into the punch lines might have made him more of the story than the actual winners.

And yet, it made for compelling — if sometimes wince-inducing — television. Given the staid lameness of most awards shows — hello, Emmys — at least he kept those who are not in the industry laughing uproariously. (His “I warned them” line came after a particularly funny joke about Hugh Hefner’s new fiancee, complete with physical comedy and facial expressions).

Gervais’ biting lines were scattered at various stars (and movies like The Tourist), with not everyone taking kindly to the treatment. Bruce

Willis seemed miffed to be called the father of Ashton Kutcher, Robert Downey Jr. seemed to take slight umbrage about his rehab past (before going into his own salacious and super speech), etc. Even when the jokes weren’t directed at them, some stars took gentle swipes back, as when Tom Hanks, who just received a rave recitation of his career achievement from Gervais, protected Tim Allen, who received none.

Gervais’s jokes were so incendiary that when he went missing during the second half of the show, the Twitterverse lit up with suggestions that he’d been fired backstage. Clearly, Gervais had done so much damage entertaining the viewers at home (or appalling them, depending on their belief in decorum), that he became the story of the night.

But so what? The Globes are considered one of the best, if not the best, awards show on television because of this feeling that anything goes and Champagne-fueled winners and presenters could say just about anything. Adding Gervais into the mix last year was exactly the kind of tone that seemed to fit the primetime party and as funny as he was this year, there’s little doubt many in the industry will think he went too far.

REUTERS/Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Host Ricky Gervais speaks at the 68th annual Golden Globes Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 16, 2011.

Producers of “The Social Network,” from left to right, Kevin Spacey, Cean Chaffin, Dana Brunetti, Scott Rudin and Michael De Luca pose backstage after winning Best Motion Picture - Drama during the Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

‘Social Network’ big winner at Golden Globes Associated Press Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Host Ricky Gervas humorously insulted nearly every A-lister in the room at the Golden Globes, while the big winner was “The Social Network” — a movie about a guy who riles up everyone on campus with his new and invasive website.

It all seemed fitting Sunday night.

Besides best drama, “The Social Network,” about the founding of Facebook, won for David Fincher’s direction, Aaron Sorkin’s script and the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. After receiving top honors from critics groups coast to coast, this resounding victory positions the film as the front-runner at the Academy Awards.

Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 25, with the ceremony itself set for Feb. 27. Until then, we have the Globes to feast on. It’s a loose, boozy dinner anyway, but Gervais, returning for the second straight year, infused it with an even more subversive vibe than usual. He

took jabs at Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr., Mel Gibson, Scientologists, several of the nominated films and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association itself, which hands out the Globes.

Last week, the HFPA was hit with a $2 million lawsuit from its former publicist, who alleged that the 90-member group engages in payola schemes for nominations and awards.

That was only the beginning of the fodder for Gervais, who also made fun of some of the flimsier nominees — like the critically savaged Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp romp “The Tourist.”

“It must be good ‘cause it’s

nominated, so shut up,” Gervais cracked in the show’s opening monologue. “I’d like to quash this ridiculous rumor going around that the only reason ‘The Tourist’ was nominated was so the Hollywood Foreign Press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie,” he continued. “That is rubbish. That is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes.”

The movie itself was shut out of honors despite receiving three nominations in musical or comedy categories. Even Robert De Niro, recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement — and a notoriously reticent public speaker — got in on the act, joking about HFPA’s reputation for shmoozing celebrities.

“The important thing is we are all in this together,” De Niro said. “The filmmakers who make the movies and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association members who in turn pose for pictures with the movie stars. ...

‘Green Hornet’ stings box office with $34M debut Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – “The Green Hornet” is buzzing away with the top spot at the weekend box office.

The tongue-in-cheek superhero film starring Seth Rogen as a playboyturned-crimefighter earned $34 million during its opening weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday. Sony Screen Gems’ “Green Hornet,” which was directed by indie auteur Michel Gondry, shot down Paramount’s “True Grit,” the Western that reigned supreme the previous weekend.

“As we moved down the road, it got a lot of love, the love that it deserved,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s

president of worldwide distribution.

“I think everything worked really well for the film: the timing, the release date, the marketing, and, most importantly, the film itself. It all gelled in a terrific way. We’re very pleased with the results.”

The weekend’s other major new release, Universal’s “The Dilemma,” opened in the No. 2 spot. The comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as partners at an automobile design firm earned $17.4 million. Despite driving away with the top two spots at the box office, Hollywood’s first major new releases of the year didn’t help to rev up ticket sales.

Hollywood’s overall revenues this weekend continued the slump that’s

persisted through the fall and holiday season. Ticket sales this weekend totaled $115.2 million, down 25 percent compared to the same period last year, when the sci-fi epic “Avatar” continued to dominate at the box office with $42.7 million.

Attendance was also down by 27 percent.

Potential Oscar contenders “True Grit,” “The King’s Speech” and “Black Swan” respectively followed behind “Green Hornet” and “The Dilemma.” Both the royal saga “King’s Speech” and ballet thriller “Black Swan” are up for several awards, including best drama motion picture and best supporting actress, at Sunday’s 68th annual

Golden Globes ceremony.

“I think the lack of an ‘Avatar’ this season has given an opportunity to films like ‘True Grit,’ ‘King’s Speech’ and ‘Black Swan’ to draw audiences to the theater who are looking for something that’s getting great reviews and who are maybe wanting to watch the Oscars or the Golden Globes with an informed mind,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Actor Jay Chou arrives for the premiere of “The Green Hornet” January 10, 2011 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California.

AFP PHOTO / Robyn Beck

Science

International

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

13

Even blindfolded, dolphins are masters of imitation Reuters

REUTERS/Svebor Kranjc

The snow-covered landscape is seen in an aerial photo near the town of Uummannaq in western Greenland March 17, 2010.

Thaw of Earth’s icy sunshade may stoke warming Reuters

OSLO – Shrinking ice and snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is reflecting ever less sunshine back into space in a previously underestimated mechanism that could add to global warming, a study showed. Satellite data indicated that Arctic sea ice, glaciers, winter snow and Greenland’s ice were bouncing less energy back to space from 1979 to 2008. The dwindling white sunshade exposes ground or water, both of which are darker and absorb more heat.

The study estimated that ice and snow in the Northern Hemisphere were now reflecting on average 3.3 watts per square meter of solar energy back to the upper atmosphere, a reduction of 0.45 watt per square meter since the late 1970s. “The cooling effect is reduced and this is increasing the amount of solar energy that the planet absorbs,” Mark Flanner, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study, told Reuters.

“This reduction in reflected solar energy through warming is greater than simulated by the current crop of climate models,” he said of the findings by a team of U.S.-

based researchers and published in the journal Nature Geoscience Sunday. “The conclusion is that the cryosphere (areas of ice and snow) is both responding more sensitively to, and also driving, stronger climate change than thought,” he said.

As ever more ground and water is exposed to sunlight, the absorbed heat in turn speeds the melting of snow and ice nearby. Arctic sea ice, for instance, has shrunk in recent decades in a trend that the United Nations panel of climate scientists blames mainly on greenhouse gases from mankind’s burning of fossil fuels in factories, power plants and cars.

Many studies project that Arctic

sea ice could vanish in summers later this century in a trend that would undermine the hunting cultures of indigenous peoples and threaten polar bears and other animals, as well as adding to global climate change.

MIAMI – Even blindfolded, a 7-year-old bottlenose dolphin named Tanner was able to mimic another dolphin’s behavior — proof, according to Florida researchers, that dolphins are masters of imitation second only to humans.

When his sight was blocked, Tanner used other senses to figure out what the other dolphin was doing and copy it, the researchers at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys said in a study published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology.

Researchers at the non-profit center hope to conduct further studies to “map the dolphin mind” in order to learn more about the evolution of human cognition.

“Looking at an animal (which is) so far removed from us and yet shares some cognitive abilities, tells us something about us,” said Dr. Kelly Jaakkola, the center’s research director.

The ability to imitate is rare in animals. Primates such chimpanzees can sometimes do it but only humans and dolphins are proficient, said Jaakkola, one of the study’s authors.

“Most people think, ‘Monkey see, monkey do.’ It’s a complete myth. Dolphins are really good at it. Aside from humans, they’re the best at it,” Jaakkola said on Thursday.

Like other dolphins at the center, Tanner had already been trained to do a list of tricks such as sinking underwater and blowing bubbles, retrieving an object from the lagoon, making a noise like a seagull, and rising and offering a fin to “shake hands” with a person kneeling on the dock.

CLICKS AND WHISTLES

In their test, the researchers gave Tanner a familiar hand signal asking him to imitate another dolphin, then covered his eyes with soft latex eyecups to block his sight. Then they used hand signals to ask the partner dolphin to do a specific trick, and within seconds, Tanner imitated the other dolphin.

They tested him repeatedly on 31 different behaviors in sessions spread over 11 weeks. In some sessions he was blindfolded and in others he was not. In both cases, he was able to imitate the other dolphin’s behavior far more often than would be expected by chance, the researchers said.

ICE SHRINKS

But Flanner said that it was impossible to draw conclusions from the study about the rate of future melting, for instance of Arctic sea ice, since it was based on only 30 years of data. “There are a lot of other things that determine climate ... this is just one of them,” he said.

Other factors include whether there will be more clouds in a warmer world — whose white tops also reflect sunlight. Or there could be more water vapor that traps heat in the atmosphere.

The study estimated that each degree Celsius (1.8 degree Fahrenheit) rise in temperatures would mean a decline in solar energy reflected out to space of between 0.3 and 1.1 watts per square meter from the Northern Hemisphere’s snow and ice.

REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

A wild dolphin swims in the ocean near Mikura island, 200km south of Tokyo, August 3, 2008.

Scientists make chickens that don’t spread bird flu Reuters

LONDON – British scientists have developed genetically modified (GM) chickens that cannot transmit bird flu infections — a step that in future could reduce the risk of avian flu spreading and causing deadly epidemics in humans. Scientists from Cambridge and Edinburgh universities said that while the transgenic chickens still got sick and died when they were exposed to H5N1 bird flu, they didn’t transmit the virus to other chickens they came into contact with.

“Preventing virus transmission in

chickens should reduce the economic impact of the disease and reduce the risk posed to people,” said Laurence Tiley, of Cambridge’s department of veterinary medicine, one of the lead researchers on the study.

H5N1 bird flu has been circulating in Asia and the Middle East, with occasional outbreaks in Europe, since 2003 and has killed or forced the destruction of hundreds of millions of birds, according to the world animal health organization OIE. It rarely infects people but when it does it is deadly: the World Health Organization has documented 516

cases in people since 2003 and the virus has killed 306 of them. Experts say the danger is that the virus will evolve into a form that people can easily catch and pass to one another, causing the transmission rate to soar and producing a pandemic in which millions of people could die.

ECONOMIC AND FOOD SECURITY THREAT

In Southeast Asia, China and parts of Africa, bird flu is already a major economic and food security issue, and also poses a constant threat of being transmitted to humans. South Korea, already battling an outbreak of foot-

and-mouth disease, said this week it was raising its bird flu alert level after detecting H5N1 bird flu at poultry farms.

Helen Sang from the Roslin Institute at Edinburgh University, who worked with Tiley, told a joint briefing the GM chickens could offer a way to improve economic and food security in parts of the world where bird flu is a major threat, but said using them would probably add slightly to farming costs.

“Countries like China are interested in the possibility of genetic modification to protect their poultry stocks and people,” she said. “It will inevitably

be more expensive because you’d have to use the products of breeding companies to stock the producers.” At the same time, the need for vaccination and losses from whole flocks being infected should be reduced.

While large poultry producers could benefit from this early type of transgenic bird, smaller “backyard” farmers would need to wait until scientists create birds that can be bred on small farms. “That would be a means of ensuring that the birds these small farmers bred themselves still carried the protective transgene,” Tiley said.

14

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Sport

International

Barca open four-point gap, Real held by Almeria Associated Press Writer

AFP PHOTO/GLYN KIRK

Tottenham Hotspur’s Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart (R) vies with Manchester United’s French defender Patrice Evra (L) during their English Premier League football match Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United at White Hart Lane in London, on January 16, 2011.

Ferguson expects United to hold nerve in title race Agence France Presse

LONDON – Sir Alex Ferguson believes 10-man Manchester United’s defiant 0-0 draw against Tottenham proves they have the mental strength to hold their nerve and win the Premier League title race. Ferguson’s side returned to the top of the table, on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, after extending their unbeaten league run to 21 games despite Rafael da Silva’s second half red card at White Hart Lane.

United had to play the last 16 minutes down to 10 men but the leaders’ back-four, superbly marshalled by Nemanja Vidic, held firm to grind out a hard-fought point. While United once again lacked any real fluency going forward, Ferguson took heart from the way his players dug in to frustrate one of the most attacking teams in the top-flight.

With games in hand at Chelsea and Blackpool to come later in the season, the United boss believes his team are in pole position to regain the title if they keep displaying that kind of composure under pressure. “As I said some weeks back it could be a real thrilling end to the season. All five teams have chances and Tottenham are not out of it. It is about winning games and keeping your nerve,” Ferguson said.

“We have got to win those two games in hand. We have to go to

Chelsea on March 1 which will be a massive game. We have to go to Blackpool, who are in great form at the moment. “Defensively we kept our nerve here. They never really troubled us and considering the goals they have scored and the performances they have shown at home I think we take really good credit from that.

“It’s a decent point although we were a bit careless with the ball, particularly before half-time and in periods of the second half.” Rafael’s red card and his subsequent foulmouthed tirade at referee Mike Dean could have been the catalyst for United’s first league defeat since last season.

The Brazilian right-back was slightly fortunate only to be booked for a wild lunge on Wilson Palacios in the first half, but he was unlucky to earn a second yellow card after making minimal contact with Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the 74th minute.

Ferguson made it clear he was unhappy with Dean’s decision but stopped short of lambasting the official. “I do not need to discuss that.

You can see it for yourself. I’m not even going to discuss the referee,” Ferguson added. Even Spurs boss Harry Redknapp agreed Rafael was unlucky to see red.

“It was a harsh sending off. He has not stuck his leg out. He was running and has just clipped his heels.

What can you do about that?”

Redknapp said. Fifth-placed Spurs had marginally the better chances and went close when Peter Crouch got in front of Rio Ferdinand and met the ball with a flicked volley but his effort flashed just wide from closerange.

Rafael van der Vaart also threatened when he headed into the side-netting from Gareth Bale’s cross. Spurs had only one real chance to steal the points after Rafael’s dismissal but Van der Vaart’s curled his shot over.

MADRID – Barcelona opened up a four-point gap at the top of the Spanish first division on Sunday when they staged another sensational display of attacking football to sweep aside Malaga 4-1. Motivated by Real Madrid’s shock 11 draw at bottom side Almeria earlier in the day, Barcelona were quickly out of the blocks and Andres Iniesta scored the opening goal after just seven minutes.

World Player of the Year Lionel Messi was running circles around the Malaga defence and the little Argentine set up David Villa to double the advantage, while Pedro Rodriguez added a third before the break. Malaga had more possession in the second half and they pulled a goal back through a fine Duda free-kick.

But Barcelona raised their level again, and Villa latched onto a Xavi Hernandez pass to notch up his second of the night.

“It is ridiculous to talk about a four-point gap at this stage of the season as it is nothing. There is a long way to go and we can drop points,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

“We will continue to take risks and play our style our football. It is important for us to keep working and concentrating on our own situation.” Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini admitted that his side were well beaten. “It is difficult to take anything positive from a 4-1 defeat. The match was hard for us as Barcelona went ahead very quickly and then after that it was

always going to be an uphill battle,” he said.

An Esteban Granero strike rescued a point for misfiring Real Madrid against Almeria. In stark contrast to Barcelona, the talk in recent weeks has been over Real’s lack of fire-power following an injury to Gonzalo Higuain and although they saw plenty of the ball in midfield they were unable to create any clear chances in the first half.

Karim Benzema was brought on for Kaka after the break but it was Almeria who broke the deadlock on the hour mark against the run of play through Jose Ulloa. Substitute Granero fired Real level in the 77th minute and in an action-packed finish Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post for the visitors with a freekick.

“We dropped two points but looking at the first half of the season as a whole then we have done well,” said Real coach Jose Mourinho. “I also want to say that we want to win the title and not just have good results so we will have to wait and see what happens from here on.”

Mourinho was furious with the referee who turned down a succession of penalty appeals. “I hope that Perez Lasa does not referee our games again and also those of Barcelona. I do not complain about referees and I prefer to talk positively about them.

However, I have known Mr Lasa since 1996 and the Lasa of 2011 is exactly the same.”

Valencia beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 and their fourth consecutive victory means they remain two points behind thirdplaced Villarreal.

AFP PHOTO/ LLUIS GENE

Barcelona’s forward David Villa celebrates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Malaga CF on January 16, 2011 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

Sport

International

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

15

Sharapova gets Australian Open started with win Associated Press Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia – Maria Sharapova won for the first time at Melbourne Park since taking the 2008 Australian Open title, beating Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-3 on Monday in the opening match on center court.

Sharapova, the former topranked player who missed the 2009 tournament because of a shoulder injury and was ousted in the first round last year by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, struggled with her serve and was inconsistent in the second set. After losing the opening service game at love, Sharapova won seven straight games to take a 6-1, 1-0 lead.

The 33-year-old Tamarine, clearly not in peak physical condition, rallied and had a game point on serve for a 4-1 lead, but 14thseeded Sharapova broke back and regained momentum, winning the last five games.

Even when she was winning, though, Sharapova had trouble finding range with her serve. She had 10 double-faults and five aces.

Nerves had a role in that.

“I definitely felt that in the beginning. I knew I had an early exit last year and didn’t want that to happen this year,” said Sharapova, who has the goal in Australia of “staying aggressive and little by little trying to get my game better, maybe to where it was a few years ago and maybe better than that.”

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone had a couple of stutters before advancing with a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain The sixth-seeded Schiavone had a chance to serve for the match at 5-3 in the third but was broken. The

Italian player recovered quickly, breaking Parra Santonja’s service in the next game to take the match.

In other women’s first-round matches, No. 20 Kaia Kanepi of Estona beat Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 and No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia advanced 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 over Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

The first men through to the second round were Robin Haase of the Netherlands, who beat Argentina’s 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (5), and Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine.

Julien Benneteau of France withdrew before his first-round match because of an infected finger on his right hand. The 29-year-old Benneteau, a right-hander, was scheduled to play 26th-seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina. Benneteau’s spot in the draw was given to lucky loser Simon Greul of Germany.

Roger Federer didn’t waste any time Monday at the Australian Open, winning his opening match by playing like a man who doesn’t want his remarkable 7 1/2-year run of success in Grand Slams to end.

Federer was rarely troubled in beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 61, 6-1, 6-3 in 84 minutes on the first day at Melbourne Park, barely waiting for ballboys and ballgirls to get back to their positions before serving. The victory came at Rod Laver Arena, a stadium named after the player who Federer’s main rival here — Rafael Nadal — is trying to emu-

late.

Nadal has won three majors in a row — last year’s French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. So unless Federer can win the final on Jan. 30, it will be the first time since winning Wimbledon in 2003 that the Swiss star hasn’t held at least one major title.

His 24-year-old Spanish rival is trying to make it four in a row and complete his “Rafa Slam.” Laver won all four in 1969, a true calendar year Grand Slam.

“I tried to play offensive from the start and see where it takes me,” Federer said after his easy victory over Lacko. “I was able to keep on pressing, put him on the back foot. I was really happy I chose that tactic early on to pressure him.”

Andy Roddick was rarely under pressure in his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic. The eighth-seeded American is trying to end a Grand Slam drought. His one and only major came at the 2003 U.S. Open.

“I had a good off season,” Roddick said. “I feel healthy and strong for the first time in a while. I certainly feel like I’m prepared.”

Two other American men had contrasting fortunes in five-setters — No. 18 Sam Querrey lost to Lukasz Kubot of Poland 5-7, 6-2, 36, 6-1, 8-6, while 16th-seeded Mardy Fish came back from two sets down to beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3.

AFP PHOTO/Greg Wood

Maria Sharapova of Russia serves during her women’s singles match against Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand on the first day of the Australian Open tennis tournament. in Melbourne on January 17, 2011. Sharapova won 6-1, 6-3.

Clippers show their grit by ousting the Lakers Reuters

LOS ANGELES – The revitalized Los Angeles Clippers showed their grit by staging a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-92 on Sunday in a testy game that featured four late ejections. Rookie Blake Griffin scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to shake off a slow start, and Eric Gordon recorded a game-high 30 as the Clippers (14-25) overcame a seven-point deficit midway through

AP Photo/Gus Ruelas

Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon (10) passes the ball after being stopped by Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol (16), of Spain, and Lakers center Andrew Bynum (17) in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in Los Angeles.

the final period.

The high-flying Griffin had managed just two points in the first half, but came on strong to help the Clippers outscore the Lakers 31-21 in the final quarter to snap a seven-game win streak for the two-time defending champions.

“It helped so much that my team mates were playing well in the first half,” Griffin told reporters after grabbing 15 rebounds to reach double-digits in points and rebounds for a team-record 26th straight game.

“Eric Gordon had an unbelievable game. This was a great team win.”

The victory ended with things getting ugly between the rivals in the final seconds when Lakers forwards Lamar Odom and Ron Artest were ejected alongside Griffin and Clippers guard Baron Davis after a scuffle broke out under the basket.

Odom and Griffin began tussling for position with five seconds to go and it quickly escalated with both

teams pushing and exchanging words.

“I saw Lamar grabbed (Blake) and pushed him, and I was telling him to back up,” said Davis, who had 14 points and eight assists. “(Teams) take cheap shots at Blake and it’s not fair. They’ve been doing it all year.”

Kobe Bryant had 14 of his team-high 27 points in the third quarter when the Lakers (30-12) led by as much as 12 but could not hold on.

The Lakers were up 77-70 with seven minutes left but the Clippers seized the advantage in a threeminute span. Andrew Bynum finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.

The Lakers had beaten the Clippers in their previous meeting, 8786 on December 8, when Derek Fisher make a buzzer-beating shot.But behind young players Griffin and Gordon, the Clippers have made strides and won nine of their last 13.

16

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

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

Sport

Uzbeks hold China to reach Asian Cup last eight Agence France Presse

DOHA – Uzbekistan reached the Asian Cup quarter-finals after drawing 2-2 with China in a topsy-turvy and fiercely contested final Group A game at the Al Gharafa Stadium here on Sunday.

Having fallen behind early on, Uzbekistan equalised and then went ahead early in the second period through a fine long-distance effort from one-time CSKA Moscow forward Alexander Geynrikh.

AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI

Uzbekistan’s players celebrate after forward Alexander Geynrikh scored his team’s second goal against China during their 2011 Asian Cup group A football match at the Al-Gharafa Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on January 16, 2011.

Davidson: 2011 rules tough for drivers FORMULA 1 drivers will have a ‘tricky’ time getting their heads around complex cockpit controls in 2011 - especially when it comes to dealing with moveable rear wings and KERS. That is the view of former grand prix driver and current BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Anthony Davidson, who says that the number of buttons that drivers will have to operate in 2011 is going to make things very hard.

Davidson has good knowledge of the difficulties that drivers will face, having conducted early tests in Mercedes GP’s simulator at its Brackley factory.

“It is going to be tricky for drivers to get their head around, and it is a bit of a one-man band [show] in the car,” Davidson said on stage at the AUTOSPORT International Show. “We saw last year with the F-duct, drivers taking their hands off the wheel to vent off the ducting. Now there is going to be a switch or button somewhere, either on the steering wheel or somewhere on the car, to do the same sort of thing [with the moveable rear wing].

“You are pretty much going to be able to use it wherever you want [in practice and qualifying] and it is going to gain you anything up to 15km/h on the straights - so there is going to be a huge discrepancy of speed.”

As well as dealing with the

moveable rear wing, drivers are going to have to carefully control the powering up and application of KERS - as well as their other more normal tweaks like brake balance and differential settings.

Fernando Alonso said at the Ferrari media camp last week that although he was happy the new rules

would help the racing he did have concerns about the complexities of pushing so many buttons.

“I am confident that it will work, the only difficulty will be buttons on the steering wheel and a very short time you have to make some decisions, to react to buttons and still drive the car,” he said.

Schalke midfielder Hao Junmin brought the East Asian champions level with a magnificent free-kick but despite sustained pressure China could not find a winner that would have brought qualification down to head-to-head records. Yu Hai had given China the lead in the sixth minute, in front of a disappointing crowd of just 3,529, with Odil Akhmedov replying for Uzbekistan.

“It’s destiny,” said Uzbek coach Vadim Abramov, whose side beat Kuwait and hosts Qatar in their first two matches. “I want to thank my players because they played very well against Kuwait, Qatar and China and have tried to do their best at all times.

“I don’t want to talk about our defensive play today, but we knew what result we wanted.” Abramov’s team finish top of Group A and will play the runners-up in Group B — one of Japan, Jordan or Syria.

“I have to say that today was a great match,” said China assistant coach Fu Bo, who attended the postmatch press conference after coach Gao Hongbo was sent from the touchline for dissent in the dying

stages. “They did very well today — you can see that all the players tried their best. We were unlucky. It was minor details that cost us victory.”

Asked about the reason for Gao’s remonstrations, Fu replied: “Maybe you should ask the referee.” An open start saw both sides threaten, with veteran Uzbek striker Maksim Shatskikh shinning over from six yards and Li Xuepeng drawing a brilliant reaction save from Ignatiy Nesterov at the other end with a glancing header.

From the ensuing corner China took the lead. Yang Hao whipped the ball in from the Chinese left and Yu Hai’s flicked header at the near post took a slight deflection off Akhmedov’s arm that bamboozled Nesterov.

Uzbekistan sought an immediate reply, with China goalkeeper Yang Zhi forced into a flying one-handed save to repel Server Djeparov’s freekick. China had several chances to extend their lead and came close to a glorious second goal when a swerving 25-yard effort from midfielder Zhao Xuri slammed against the bar.