Paraphrasing

Technique of paraphrasing  :
1. Changing vocabulary by using synonyms
2. Changing word class
3. Changing word order Example : 1. The growth of the car industry parallels the development of modern capitalism. --- The rise of automobile industry matches the progress of contemporary capitalism. 2. In the 1920s Alfred Sloan’s management theories helped General Motors to become the world’s dominant car company. -- In the 1920s, with help from the managerial theories of Alfred Sloan, general motor dominated the world’s car companies. 3. At the same time, trade unions became increasingly militant in defence of their member job. -- At the same time, increasingly militant trade unions defended their member’s jobs.

Solution from Wealth Inequality

Inequitable wealth distribution is unequal distribution of assets among the citizen. Indonesia’s economic boom is further disadvantaging the millions of poor people in the country. The country's economy is growing at about 6 per cent, which is nearly double Australia's growth and second only to China. It shows a good stable economy, but it is not helping everyone. As with other developed countries, Indonesia is becoming gradually more and more unequal. The top 20 per cent hold 80 per cent of the country's wealth (refers to the Pareto Principle). The top 5% of the nation’s earners control half of its wealth, and the top 20% bring in 86% of capital income, including interest and stock market gains. Some scientists say that economic capitalism and new-age feudalism are widening the gap between the rich and poor. The rate of return for owned capital exceeds the overall rate of economic growth. Thus, families and individuals who control wealth will accumulate it at a faster rate than the economy can produce it and so will control a much larger portion of the economic pie. The rich get proportionally richer, and the poor get proportionally poorer. Unless something happens to alter the status quo, this trend will continue. There are many solutions to tackle this challenge. An economist, Thomas Piketty, offered a highly publicized solution: worldwide income redistribution. It is defined as the transfer of income, wealth or property from some individuals to others through social mechanisms, such as taxation, monetary policies, welfare, charity, divorce or tort law. He then espouses a stringent global wealth tax that would allow the government to manually smooth over the wealth gap. He recommends reinstating high tax rates on upper level incomes (progressive income tax system) and increasing inheritance taxes. Based on data, when top tax rates were high from 1933 to 1980, the bottom 99% incomes grew fast while the top 1% incomes grew slowly. In contrast, after 1980, when top tax rates were low, the bottom 99% incomes grew slowly while top 1% incomes grew fast.” Another economist, Joseph Blasi, suggested a corporate profit-sharing, employee stock ownership, and stock option plans in which employees own chunks of the company or take part in its earnings. He obtained his idea from America Founding Fathers’ original vision of widespread land ownership. Broad-based capital ownership, which today is formed in stock, real estate, and other investments, was necessary for the republic to exist. As modernization came, we had to find a way for citizens to have some ownership of the technologies of the future. Though it has been criticized for the risky business of stock, he suggest large government tax incentives for this corporate broad-based profit sharing. Two common types of governmental redistribution of wealth are subsidies and vouchers (such as food stamps). These "transfer payment" programs are funded through general taxation, but benefit the bottom earners, who pay fewer or no taxes. While the persons receiving transfers from such programs may prefer to be directly given cash, these programs may be more palatable to society, as it gives society some measure of control over how the funds are spent. Some other scientists also recommend reducing tariffs on commodities to cut the cost of living, as well as providing more jobs for society. In my opinion, Indonesia desperately needs to overcome the economic and social gap issues with various measures of distribution of wealth. It is argued that the most urgent action today is utilizing the subsidy mechanism to make it more effective and right on target. Apparently, the new elected president, Joko Widodo, made a good step when he insisted on reducing the ineffective petroleum subsidy which consumes about 40% of the state’s budget and always caused a deficit budget balance every year. He argued that the cars and trucks which are owned by the ultra-rich and middle-class have mostly benefited from this gasoline subsidy, instead of the bottom earners which is actually the targeted group of this subsidy. In this way, the money which is taken from the petroleum subsidy will be reallocated to food security subsidy (agriculture and fisheries sectors) and developing small-scale businesses, education, health, and infrastructure. Automatically, providing a bigger budget to those important sectors will encourage economic as well as social development through the provision of jobs for society. Moreover, a big subsidy for the agriculture and fisheries sector will support food self-sufficiency and encourage young people to be farmers, fishermen, or fish farmers, and thus they will be keen to develop their hometowns, instead of going to the city. However, the problems of wealth inequality in Indonesia are not only related to rich and poor people, but also linked with the western and eastern part. It is a fact that country’s development as well as population density is mainly concentrated on the western part, especially on Java as a centre of everywhere, added to a faster-growing Sumatra. As a consequence, circulation of money, jobs, and wealth are located in the western part. It has worsened with the reality that most of the money created from the exploitation of natural resources is abundant in the eastern part, such as oil, gas, and mining, and it is taken to the central government and the biggest part of the money is used for western part development and only a little slice remains for the easterners. As a result, there is a movement in Papua to separate from Indonesia because of this structural injustice. In the future, it will be the task of Joko Widodo’s administration to ensure more balanced development by enhancing the speed of eastern area development, especially in East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Papua, which recently have been significantly left behind compared to other parts. (LFN)

Financial Planning, Sooner or Later

Source: Indonesia Expat Magazine, Issue 122, August 2014, page 25 This is an article regarding the importance of financial planning lessons from the early age of childhood. At the beginning, the writer criticizes the action of parents and schools who are neglecting to teach money and personal finance lessons to their children. As a consequence, the kids, as they grow up to be consumers, do not understand anything about saving and spending. The writer then gives five tips to get kids to understand this issue. Firstly, the kids must be taught to save money to buy things they want. Stressing the importance of waiting for a favorite meal or toy can teach them how patience can be rewarded. Secondly, parents should take their children to shopping around in the market in order to compare prices. This will help them to choose essential products and services more carefully. Next, the children must be involved in decisions and choices of how a limited budget is spent. In this way, they learn whether certain products are necessities or luxuries. Moreover, as kids get older, they have to know what the negative impacts of credit cards are and which they should avoid to use it. For instance, parents can illustrate how compounding high interest can keep people trapped in debt. Finally, young adults must understand about the concept of tax. Since tax is inevitable and sometimes annoying, showing your kids the positive aspects of tax as public money can ease their disappointment. In my opinion, the writer brilliantly provides awareness for parents that their children should have the knowledge about financial management skills as soon as possible to prepare them for the real world. We definitely know that children in this modern day are different from children in previous times in terms of their needs. In former times, children didn’t have much desire for toys since traditional childhood games were still dominant as their main leisure activities, so parents did not need to spend as much money for children apart from their education costs. However, consumerism and the need of gadgets are two mainstream habits of children today. Parents have to expend extra money for their various children’s needs. Therefore, it has become the task of parents, schools, and even society, to teach our young generation how to save, invest, and spend money in an effective and efficient way. LFN

8 Billion Dollars in Food. Trashed

Source: www.abc.net.au/btn/story This is a documentary regarding the food wastage in Australia. Based on statistical data, Australians throw away 8 billion dollars of food annually and sadly, all that food is going to the garbage bins. Each year, the average home disposes of more than $1000 worth of food. The most heart-breaking fact is that 33 % of the junk food is still fresh, while 27% is derived from leftover food at restaurant. Apparently, the problem today is that much food, fruit, and vegetable that has small blemishes is not wanted by the consumer although it is still very good to eat. Fortunately, there is OzHarvest, an organization which claims to fix two issues at once- food wastage and poverty. They collect still-fresh food, fruit, and vegetable from supermarkets or dinner parties on a daily basis for free. Their mission is to grab as much of this good quality waste food, and deliver it to hungry people on the street or donate it to certain community centres. In my opinion, as in Australia, food wastage is also becoming an issue in Indonesia. The lifestyle of consumerism has made people ignore everything in their life. In reality, the more modern supermarkets and restaurants that exist in the country, the more fresh food is wasted and more money is unnecessarily discarded. This is a paradoxical situation as the majority of Indonesian citizens are still facing the problem of poverty and hunger, while at the same time, the rich and the middle class are wasting food for their own greed. It can be argued that the solution should come from each individual who must be aware of the importance of food by eating food only sufficient amounts or donating it to poor people if they have a surplus of food. LFN

Choking the Ocean with Plastic

By Charles J. Moore -New York Times, August 25, 2014 Plastics have awashed our world. Almost every product that we used contains them. We wrap food with plastic, bring our groceries home with plastic, and our furniture in our home is made from plastic. They have become important things in our lives and a key lubricant of globalization, however, choking our future and most of us are barely aware of that. A team of scientists have conducted six weeks research in the Great pacific Garbage Patch, which is one of the five major garbage patches drifting in the oceans north and south of the equator. They found the quantity of waste plastic has increased dramatically since the last trip in 2009. Various kinds of plastics were seen, from toothbrushes, tires, unidentifiable fragments to plastic buoys for oyster aquaculture. Plastics are now known as one of the most common pollutants of ocean waters worldwide. They are blown and pushed by winds, tides and waves; come to sea from other parts of the world. Ocean waters have become accumulation zones. Millions of sea creatures have been entangled and slowly killed by plastic debris, thinking plastic as their natural food. As a result, liver and stomach abnormalities cause starvation in fish and birds. A comprehensive way of recycling the plastic trash that covers our land and washes down to the sea has not been established. It is very hard to clean, melts at a low temperature, and so impurities are not vaporized. One of the ways to reduce the impact is changing the way we produce and consume plastics. Degradable plastic can reduce the time to degradation. (GP)

Article

Bad Boy Bieber Source: CNN News 1 July 2014 This is a conversation between a reporter, a psychologist, and teenager observer discussing the world-wide famous young singer, Justin Bieber (aged 19 years old) who has transformed himself from the “baby” to become the “bad boy”. As early as 2010, Bieber began to show signs of stress. One of Justin's wildest nights went down at a Miami strip club. Then Justin was arrested for drag racing in a rented Lamborghini. The two experts believe that Justin’s wild behaviours are the result of him trying to impress his father Jeremy who is a bad influence on him. It is also the result of taking steroids, alcohol, and smoking marijuana. In my opinion, nowadays there is a shifting trend in the world, that teenage artists, aged from 13-20 years old, are become more famous rather than the adult ones, either in films or in the music industry. The globalization of communication and the internet is the key factor. Everyone has a smart-phone and they can easily connect to social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc. In the process, teenage artists are more engaged with it rather than the older generation. It is the media through which they can actualize themselves to their fans, mostly to the teenage fans who usually form fan groups, e.g. Justin Bieber’s fan group which is called the Beliebers. Then the Beliebers will imitate and follow all the behaviour conducted by Justin Bieber, whether it is good or bad. Thus, the effects are very dangerous not only for the artist specifically, but also for society in general. The “bad boy” attitudes, such as drinking alcohol, free sex, consuming illegal drugs, etc, are become common in society. Moreover, if parents allow this situation, they can no longer control their own children. Omens of Apocalypse Source: National Geographic Channel, 1 July 2014 On New Year's Eve 2011, thousands of red wings blackbirds fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas. Nearby, fish and more birds perished. Then, a wave of unsettling animal deaths seemed to sweep around the globe. Next, the narrator questions whether those deaths are the omens of an apocalypse. Later, many assumptions suggested by various scientists are examined. Firstly, it can be one of a conspiracy theory that these effects are a result of a project being carried out by the USA government called HAARP (High-Frequency Active Aurora Research Program) which is causing climate change in the atmosphere. In the meantime, some space scientists believes that these deaths are the effect of “vagina of outer space”, in which the sun and planets in the solar system are in a parallel position, and this can disrupt the balance of the system. While, another theory is based on a biblical statement that God will create disasters if humans are no longer following a righteous path and continuously performing many great sins. However, the narrator makes the final conclusion that those deaths are just coincidences in nature. In my opinion, the narrator is just simplifying the problems. Although these can be coincidences in nature, I believe that there must be a reason why something is happening. In other words, these sudden and massive number of animal deaths are mostly caused by a dramatic change in nature. Actually, I am more interested in discussing about the apocalypse (or Judgement Day) which is an intriguing topic because there are many debates regarding when that time will come. I will try to answer it from a natural and religious perspective. I believe that everything has to come to an end someday. Rationally, the earth is growing older now, so in the near future the earth must be destroyed, like an old human is going to die. There are many signs which could indicate this, such as, world-wide natural disasters, sudden animal deaths, climate change, the melting of the polar ice-caps, etc. Next in the Islamic perspective, the apocalypse is inevitable. I believe that God will destroy the universe including the humans living on it. After that, Judgement Day will come. Then God will raise all humans and retaliating their good or bad conduct during their time in the world. Lastly, the good people will go to heaven, and the bad people will go to hell.

Source: The Monthly Magazine, edition May 2014 Page 18-23 Throughout Australia’s history, Tony Abbott is the first Prime Minister who has restrained the progress of Australian women. It began a day after Abbott’s victory in the election, when he announced a 19-member cabinet with just one woman, the lowest level of female representation since 2001. Subsequently, in January 2014, Dame Quentin Bryce, the 25th Governor General of Australia and the first woman to hold the position, was replaced by former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Sir Peter Cosgrove. In my opinion, the Gender issue is such a complex discourse not only in Australia, but also in all countries today. Gender equality in education, politics, employment, and health are still just? concepts and are not seriously implemented by the government. The United Nations has forced all its member states to make responsive-gender programs their national priority. However, just a few countries do so. For example in Indonesia, there is a regulation of 30% female representation in the legislative house and a responsive-gender program has been implemented in the national budget allocation since 2009, but it is just an obligation with little real action, although I found there has been a gradual development of gender equality during the last few years and perhaps it will be continued by the new elected president. When we talk about gender topics in Australia, in fact, there is a reduction of gender equality enforcement in this country. It is proved by the World Economic Forum Report 2013 which puts Australia in 24th position on the gender gap index, slipping ten spots from its 2006 position. Even though Australia receives a first place in education ranking, it comes at 69th for health and 43rd for political empowerment. Two women were once at the top of the state hierarchy, i.e. Julia Gillard as Prime Minister and Quentin Bryce as Governor General, but this was no help at all in improving the gender gap. Australia is left behind by the Scandinavian States, neighboring-state New Zealand, and even by several Asian and African countries. The Abbott Government is likely to continue this ignorant gender policy, and Abbott has been heavily criticized for appointing just one female, Julie Bishop, to his ministry. LFN

Money Politics

Money Politics Source: Indonesian Expat Magazine, Edition May 2014, Page 21 Indonesia’s Legislative Election on the 9 April 2014 showed countless fraudulence reports of legislative candidates who had tried to buy their way into power by giving a number of bribes to some officers of the Local Election Commission in return for which they ensured the candidate’s victory. Meanwhile, some candidates were also vote buying, which is a risky business especially for those who failed to be elected and can’t repay their debts. Consequently, they end up in psychiatric treatment or are arrested. In my opinion, it is common in the direct election system, especially in the relatively younger democratic states like Indonesia, that every legislative candidate will do everything to be elected. They tend to choose manipulative ways, such as vote buying and giving bribes to officials, rather than following? engaging in? the right conduct, such as promoting their vision and program to their voters. They take a big risk by providing such big money, approximately 3 to 6 billion rupiahs per candidate, by selling their assets or borrowing money from banks. Consequently, this condition makes political costs become huge. They hope they can reclaim their investment if they receive a victory. The problems come out when they fail to be elected and some candidates become furious and insane. I argue that there are three reasons why this happens: firstly, less confident candidates, secondly, the low mentality of the voters, and last, the deceitful behaviour of the officials. LFN

Extraordinary Development of Online Education

Extraordinary Development of Online Education Source: Bloomberg Indonesia News, 24 June 2014, 10.30 am This is a conversation between a reporter and a commentator about a topic regarding the extraordinary development of online education. The commentator is predicting that the advance of internet technology over the next 5 years will influence significantly the shift in education systems, from the traditional education to online education. In my opinion, I still believe that traditional or in-class education is the best way to receive comprehensive knowledge from an interactive lesson between a lecturer and the students. I understand that full-time workers, hospitalized individuals, and others who are unable to attend traditional or in-class sessions can benefit greatly from the flexibility of online courses. In addition, to be successful in an online school, students must be able to work independently, or else they will fail. Consequently, the drop-out rates are higher for students enrolled in online courses than for students in traditional face-to-face courses. On the other hand, it is a fact that the quality of education one receives at an online school can be more mediocre in comparison to the quality of education one receives at a traditional school. Moreover, the majority of big companies or public sector institutions are more attracted to recruiting graduates from a formal university rather than one who has graduated from online education. Actually, in the next few years, I predict that a combination of face-to-face and online courses (especially e-mail based education) will be the most popular because students are expected to be more independent and responsible. LFN

Hajj-Way Robbery

Hajj-Way Robbery Source: Tempo English Magazine, edition 2-8 June 2014 Page 14 Religious Affairs Minister Mr. Suryadharma Ali became suspected of corruption in the hajj pilgrimage funds case. He is suspected of being involved in the markup of the pilgrims expenses. The Commission of Corruption Eradication (KPK) found Rp. 84,4 trillion hajj funds had been accumulated and deposited in 27 banks since 2004. That cash is believed to have been a source of personal gain for officials of this ministry. In my religion, the hajj / pilgrimage to the Islamic holy land, Mecca, is compulsory if we have the finance and physical capability to do so. The Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Religious Affairs must assure the airfare, accommodation, and living cost of all pilgrims. But the fact is a huge number of hajj funds paid by pilgrims went into numerous bank accounts of ministry officials. It is a new style of robbery. I think that this case is an example of the most immoral conduct carried out by government institutions who should set the standard of religious morals in this country. I hope the truth will come out soon and the guilty party must be jailed for a long time due to his manipulative and corrupt conduct behind this holy religious event. LFN Impact of Hosting The World Cup 2014 on Brazil’s Economy CNBC News, 24 June 2014, 9.30 am This is a conversation between a reporter and a commentator about a topic regarding the impact of hosting the World Cup 2014 on Brazil’s economy. The commentator concludes that The World Cup 2014 has not had any positive impact on Brazil’s economy whatsoever, which is currently collapsing into a multi-dimensional crisis within its society. In my opinion, I mostly agree with the conclusion by the commentator, especially when the country which is hosting big sport events like the World Cup or Olympic Games does not have strong economic power. In this case, Brazil, which is acknowledged as having one of the most corrupted governments and is a relatively poor country, looks not ready to host the World Cup for three reasons. First, technically, several stadiums were not ready just a few days before the kick-off time. Meanwhile, socially, there were wide-spread public demonstrations and protests against the government starting from 2010, when Brazil won the hosting bid, until now. The public says that hosting the World Cup will increase distress for the majority of poor Brazilian people who are experiencing poverty due to the economic crisis. In addition, economically, the World Cup will burden the state budget because it needs millions of dollars spent on infrastructure construction, stadium renovations, to beautify the city, and prepare modern public transportation. It can be concluded that these negative multi-dimensional impacts of the World Cup are much bigger than its benefits. LFN

Successful Language Learner The topic of the lecture focuses on the factors that make a language learner successful. The lecturer says that there are four factors which make a language learner achieve their goal faster, such as: (i) motivation to study a foreign language hard; (ii) Socialization with a community using the foreign language; (iii) curious personality; and (iv) age. In my opinion, a curious personality is the most dominant factor. As we know, language learning is such a complex process, so a learner needs a willingness to experiment and take risks as well as not to be afraid to try speaking in the foreign language as much as possible, whether the grammar or structure is still wrong. You just have to try and try and you will become accustomed to it. In addition, we have to learn grammar and structure at the same time. If you do so, I believe that you will be the faster learner. LFN <b>The Massacre of the Chinese in Batavia on 1740 Source: Jakarta Expat Magazine Edition May Page 8 A dark tragedy of a massacre of the Chinese people living in Batavia happened in October 1740. The Chinese, who dominated the sugar industry both as the landlord and laborers, were the target of a brutal mass assassination carried out by the Dutch Government who were afraid of the growing development of the Chinese political position and by local descendents who did not like the Chinese economic domination in their homeland. Consequently, around 10.000 Chinese died in this tragedy. In my opinion, massacre of another race or other nations is very cruel and unforgivable conduct. This is because God has created human with the same opportunity to live well in this world, so they are prohibited from killing somebody else. In my religion, assassination is the greatest sin. If you kill one innocent person you are considered to have killed all human beings. Conflict always exists in human society and it has the potential to become a big tragedy if everyone does not keep calm. However, there will always be a solution if all parties are willing to sit down together to discuss the problem. They have to stop any prejudice toward each other and thus negotiate a win-win solution which is accepted by all parties. LFN

Task 2

Some people say that universities should be concerned with educating people so that they will have wide general knowledge and be able to consider important matters from an informed viewpoint. Othe peole say that universities should simply train students to do the jobs required by society, and not concern themselves with broader issues. What do you think?

 Universities originally were places of learning in a more general sense, teaching people to be able to think about a variety of issues with sound background base of knowledge. Nowadays, however, with the pressure of having to make money like business, universities have moved more toward preparing students to enter the job market and to do specific types of work that society needs. This development is good, as in today’s world, without economic development, assisted by well prepared university graduates able to perform specific functions in the economy, the world’s economies would not function at their optimal best, and poverty would result. 

 Some argue that giving students a broad general knowledge so that they can talk about issues of importance from an informed base is important, but what good is talking? Talking does not put food on the table, or money in the pocket. When students go to university the days, they do not have rich parents or sponsors to look after them their whole lives while they merely think about things and talk away in coffee shops. Students these days have to go out and work once they leave university. University cost them, or their parents, a lot of money. They have to get a return on that investment. They need to bee able to support themselves, with a university education that prepares them properly to do a specific type of work when they enter the highly competitive job market. 

 Both from an individual perspective, the poor student who need to get a job once leaving university, and the perspective of the country as a whole, which requires well-prepared graduates able to fit into and contribute to the continued working of the economy, a university graduation which trains students to perform specific functions within the economy will be the one which really contributes to well-being of all in society.(MH) 

 Note : In conlusion 1. chosen side 2. opinion 3. reason

Against Market Trends

Yogyakarta’s Beringaharjo traditional market has changed, becoming more clean.   The floor is still wet, and the market springs out of small rows in narrow corridors.  But not long time ago, this traditional market had dirt floor and the sky for the roof, before it was re- located to the building in order to make  it clean and organized. 

The traditional market is a real life picture of people struggling to generate income with their own resources, without a helping hand from the government.   Outside the market, many poor, disabled and very old people sit around waiting for money.

Different areas and floors are designed for different products.  Unlike in supermarkets, where the price is fixed and the staff are paid, in traditional market you can bargain for what you think is a fair price for the products. 

In Beringharjo Market, sometimes it is not easy to find imported fruit like fat Chinese apples, juicy Hawaiian pineapples or flawless Washington apples.  Instead, you find the mango, soursops, guava, star fruits, limes, avocado and a variety of local fruits not sold in the supermarket because they are blemished. This fruit does not keep as well as their genetically modified cousins in supermarket. 

Now days more supermarkets are being built, with the product prices not much different, the owner invisible, with young people as sellers not sunburnt aging women with crooked teeth. What would these people do, where would they go if the supermarket replaces all the traditional ones? (FH)

Summary from www.desinawar.blogspot.com

MAny dinners finish with dessert, and very often, ice cream is part of that. So popular is ice cream, that many consider it the perfect item for dessert. Although there

ISIS Crisis, Yazidis Refugees Fleeing North to Syria

This is news of the Yazidis Tribes of Iraq who are fleeing to Syria due to a threat of genocide by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Yazidis are among the quarter of a million Christian minorities who fled their homes after “convert or die” ultimatums from the ISIS militants. At a bridge connecting Iraq and Syria, they crossed over with their families, children and few belongings. They were then trapped in sweltering conditions in the exposed mountain region, many of them surviving without food or water for days. In response to this, the United Nations has warned that a mass genocide of refugees in the Mount Sinjar region of northern Iraq could still happen “within days or hours”. Moreover, a draft UN report has cited that women are being executed, captured, branded as slaves, and sexually assaulted. The world therefore urgently needs to recognize the severity of the humanitarian crisis. Fortunately, the mission of dropping essential supplies to the refugees has now taken place. More are being planned for the rest of this week and beyond. The Department for International Development (DfID) said that the latest missions involved dropping over 3,100 reusable water purification containers and 800 solar lamps that can be used to charge mobile phones that would aid direct communication with the refugees. In my opinion, the brutality of ISIS is unacceptable and beyond the limits, though I am a Muslim who also aspires to live in a pure Islamic state. Nevertheless, a Khilafah (Islamic State) establishment is not imposed in a violence way. Later, the Indonesian Government responded quickly by rejecting the ISIS’s ideology as well as blocking their spread inside our society. In line with the government position, most Indonesian citizens are condemning ISIS conduct because this country is characterized with more moderate Islam which embraces the diversity of its people. Unity thus is something that we must maintain for a long time. (LFN)

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Maintains Status Quo in 2015 Budget

The article narrates the proposed 2015 state budget which appears to indicate an attempt to maintain the status quo. In the draft state budget, the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) who is heading into the succession process in October 2014, has proposed no plans to reduce spending on subsidies, despite energy subsidies swallowing 15 percent of the state budget of Rp 2,020 trillion (US$172 billion). SBY instead raised the allocation for energy subsidies to Rp 363.5 trillion from the Rp 350.3 trillion in the 2014 budget. In addition, inefficient state spending was also reflected by the fact that SBY has maintained the current status quo in terms of distributing funds to ministries. Soon after it is published, the president-elect, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, complained that the fuel subsidy is still too big and insisted that there is so much spending that could be more efficient which would provide greater fiscal room for reforms. In other words, the lack of fiscal room for development and growth-generating programs means that Jokowi’s campaign pledge to increase economic growth to 7 % within five years may not be achieved. He actually hopes that fund allocations for development programs grow over time, instead of seeing the enlargement of growth by mandatory and subsidy spending. In my opinion, a conservative 2015 state budget proposal will have both positive and negative impacts. The current government is apparently acting carefully and giving much consideration of the unstable condition of the world economy today. It means that the baseline of budget allocation is based on conservative macro economic assumptions. In detail, there are variables which are taken into consideration, such as: (i) economic growth stipulated at 5,6 percent; (ii) the inflation set at 4.4%; (iii) Rupiah’s exchange rate to the US Dollar upheld at 11,900 with a 6% interest rate; (iv) Indonesian crude oil price established at US$ 105 per barrel; (v) lifting target of oil and natural gas fixed at 2.1 million barrels per day. By doing this, it can be seen that the priority of the SBY administration right now is political and economic stability, instead of a drastic budget change, after a volatile presidential election. I think it is the right measure to ensure that the succession process will run in smooth way. However, the conservative budget allocation has been the subject of criticism toward SBY that he performs lacks program innovation. It can be viewed from the spending of ministries which is formed on the same pattern every year. The latest budget’s structure also shows that there is no ‘performance-based mechanism’ applied there, as some ministries with questionable track records in budget management are still able to receive higher funding. Moreover, funding for the Public Works Ministry which is responsible for growth-generating infrastructure projects, will stand at Rp 74.2 trillion next year, or Rp 300 billion less than was earmarked for 2014. This is in contrast to the increased allocation for the Defense Ministry, which will receive Rp 95 trillion, or Rp 11.7 trillion more than this year. SBY also maintained high allocations for ministries frequently under the spotlight for their poor budget disbursement and corruption, such as the Religious Affairs Ministry, which has been earmarked Rp 50.4 trillion, the fourth-largest fund allocation of any ministry. Although government officials have described the budget as a “baseline”, meaning it will offer ample space for the new government to revise it, I argued that any drastic alterations would not be possible. In practice, major changes in mandatory spending will be very difficult to implement. This will lock in the new government if they want to push for reforms. Next year, any chance of spurring economic growth would only come through a brave move to hike fuel prices and allocate the funds to sectors considered as productive in having a multiplier effect on the economy, such as infrastructure and tax incentives. I believe that the growth target can be reached if Jokowi is brave enough to cut the fuel subsidies, which are painful in the short-term, but attractive for the medium-term to long-term. (LFN)

“I’m dying”, Steve Irwin’s final words revealed by cameraman

The article narrates a revelation of the underwater cameramen, Justin Lyons, who shot the fatal last scene of the Australian popular wild-life presenter, Steve Irwin. Irwin died back in 5 September 2006 when he was stabbed by a stingray. The cameraman was the only person to witness Irwin’s final moment in “Crocodile Hunter”. Lyons said that Irwin swam behind a stingray as he was trying to get a shot of it swimming away. Lyons saw with his own eyes when Irwin’s chest was stabbed wildly by the stingray’s jagged, sharp and venomous tail like a hot knife through butter. At that moment, Irwin was upright in a huge pool of blood and he was in extreme pain when Lyons dragged him above the water. He had a two-inch injury over his heart with blood coming out of it. While Irwin fought for his life, he just calmly looked up at Lyons and said “I’m dying”. That was the last thing he said. Then the medics who came in the next hour pronounced that he died. In my opinion, it’s a very sad day for animal-lovers that their “brave hero” had died in such a tragic way. In Indonesia, Steve Irwin is a very famous Australian, indicated from the survey with the question of ‘what do you thinking when you hear about Australia’, immediately the respondents will answer: Steve Irwin. Apparently, this is not surprising because “Crocodile Hunter”, the documentary program about wild-life animals hosted by Irwin, had a high rating in Indonesian TV show programs. He was adored by Indonesian TV viewers because of his bravery when documenting various wild and dangerous animals, such as crocodiles, snakes, and numerous species of big fish. He, therefore, was considered as a die-hard man having 9 lives in his pocket. So we were very shocked when we heard that he had died because of a stingray. For most people, he was a genuine animal-lover and a responsible man in his job, insisting that the cameras must always stay rolling regardless of any accident. Finally, memories with Steve Irwin are immortal and last forever.( LFN)

Ebola Virus Strikes Western Africa, the WHO says the use of experimental treatment is ethical

This is news regarding the updated situation of the Ebola outbreak in four West African nations, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. The WHO report said that the death toll from this virus-caused-disease in those countries had reached 1,013 since February 2014 with a total of 1,848 cases having been reported. Fear over the spread of the virus has continued to cripple West Africa. In the near future, the problems will become “catastrophic” because of the shortage of medication and limited number of doctors in the region. To tackle this problem, the use of unproven, experimental vaccines is suggested. Despite these currently being no vaccine for Ebola, the WHO agreed that the use of experimental treatments for the disease is ethical. The vaccine, named ZMapp, has been developed by Mapp Pharmaceutical San Diego. Before this, the vaccine had never been tested on humans. Its first use on two U.S. citizens, who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia, succeeded in improving their condition, despite the role of this medication still being unclear. As the outbreak worsens, U.S. officials have said they intend to fast-track development of an Ebola vaccine and could begin human trials next month. The potential vaccine has shown encouraging results in non-human primates, and if human testing goes well it could be available in limited amounts next year. In my opinion, it is a fast and quick response of the WHO to halt the spread of the Ebola disease. In the meantime, it is important to consider the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency which needs international concern because it has been spreading across nations and cannot be controlled yet. With this status, tackling efforts are maximized through international aid. The most important is that the awareness of the danger of this disease is increased, so all countries can strengthen their own health management to control its spread. In the case of the use of experimental drugs or vaccines, the WHO should take this measure in a careful manner, realizing that anything can go wrong to the patient, but we move nowhere if we do not take a chance. The WHO, however, has to strictly monitor the company who produce the vaccine in order to ensure that it does not contain dangerous substances. The distribution of this limited number of vaccine has to be guarded, hoping that there is no discrimination to either the rich or poor patients. LFN

Idiom

1. Curiosity killed the cat
2. Neccesity is the mother of invention .
3.  Let sleeping dog lie . 
4. Every dog has its day . 
5. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush . 
6. Don’t beat around the bush . 
7. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth . 
8. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drin
9. Abang Kopaja drives like a bat out of hell
10. He’s as blind as a bat 
11. 11. He’s like a fish out of water 
12. 12. His handshake is like a limp fish 
13. 13. He swallowed it hook line and sinker
14. Variety is the spice of life Just googling the meaning peeps 

Writing

Electronic cigarettes pose a threat to adolescents and should not be sold to minors, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, in a long-awaited report that calls for strict regulation of the devices. In the 13-page report, which will be debated by member states at a meeting in October in Moscow, the United Nations health agency also voiced concern at the concentration of the $3 billion market in the hands of transnational tobacco companies. The WHO declared war on “Big Tobacco” a decade ago, clinching the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the world’s first public health treaty that has been ratified by 179 states since entering into tobacco in 2005. Marching in unions makes men feel powerful Synchronised movement such as military parades makes men feel more powerful and intimidates opponents, a new study suggests. The findings are published today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters. Social animals such as humans have had to evolve ways of quickly deciding whether to fight or run when confronted by an opponent, says anthropologist, Professor Daniel Fessler, of the University of California, Los Angles. Fighting when you have a good chance of losing, and negotiating when that’s the most successful approach is likely to improve your chance of survival. While two lizards might just decide on the basis of individual size, other more complex animals use a range of factors to form a mind’s eye image of the threat posed by their opponents, says Fessler and Colleague Colin Holbrook. Lake Argyle in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley suggested for future second capital There has long been talk of the need more densely populate Australia’s north, and Lake Argyle, on the border of Western Australia and the North Territory, has been earmarked by an architecture company as the ideal location. Apart from centers like Cairns and Darwin, much of the top end remains empty, with the isolation and climate proving a difficult sell. Lake Argyle in the East Kimberley, near Kununurra, is currently home to 20,000 crocodiles and less than a dozen people. The enormous waterway, created by damming of the Ord River in the 1960s, has been identified as the perfect site for a second hypothetical national capital. Landscape architecture company Ecoscape said a new northern capital on the shores of Lake Argyle could sustain a population of 150,000 people. The plans include an

task 2 analysis

Synonim

recovered = got over talked it over = discussed was really enthuasistic = jumped out cancelled = call off dawned on = realised brought up = rised went toward = made for visited = called on stand for = symbolize began = launched into

Canning Process IELTS Task 1

The flow chart illustrates the various stages in the fruit canning process. The process can be divided into 3 main stages, the outside when the fruit is collected, inside the factory where the processing takes place, and outside again whwn the canned fruit is distributed for sale and use. First, the fruit needs to be grown. Once the fruit is ripe, it is harvested and then transported to the processing plant, where it is either rejected as being of inferior quality or accepted. After grading, the good fruit is put in cold storage and washed. Following this, it is peeled, cored, and halved or sliced. Next, the cut fruit is blanched, after which it goes into cans and syrup or juice is added. Once the cans haave been filled, the cans are sealed and then cooked. After being cooked, the cans are cooled and put into storage, then labeled, and only now are the cans of fruit ready for dispatching to wherever they are supposed to go. (175 words)