Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners
Widodo has pledged to bring reform to Indonesia

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has pleaded to Indonesia to stop the execution of prisoners on death row for drug crimes. AFP PHOTO

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person
The pope wrote that the principle of legitimate personal defense isn’t adequate justification to execute someone. Photograph: Zuma/Rex

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison   (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)
US President Barack Obama speaks as he tours the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, July 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)
Woman who spent 23 years on US death row cleared (Photo: dpa)



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.
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …

Friday, October 31, 2014

Minister Promises Bill to Protect Religious Minorities

Jakarta Globe, Adelia Anjani Putri, Oct 30, 2014

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin says all Indonesians should
 be allowed to follow and practice their own beliefs, free from persecution.
(Antara Photo/Mohamad Hamzah)

Jakarta. The lone minister to survive the cut to President Joko Widodo’s cabinet from the previous administration has unveiled plans to draft a bill that would afford unprecedented protection to religious minority groups, continuing where he left off in his battle against rising religious intolerance.

“Over the next six months, we will work on this bill to protect all religious groups, including those outside the six main religions of Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism,” Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, the minister for religious affairs, said at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“The bill will protect everyone’s religious right, especially the rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said. “First, the right to believe in whatever they choose to put their faith in. There should be a guarantee that everyone is free to choose their own religion or belief. Second, the independence for anyone to practice their belief.”

He added he hoped that “the bill can improve the quality of living in Indonesia.”

Lukman was inaugurated in June, in the twilight of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration, following the naming of the previous minister, Suryadharma Ali, as a graft suspect. In the short time since then he has shown a more conciliatory stance than his predecessors on engaging with minority religious groups, including Shiite and Ahmadi Muslims — with whom he held an unprecedented breaking of the fast during Ramadan in July.

Suryadharma, by contrast, was known for his hostility toward these groups, including a public call for the Ahmadis to recant their “heretical” beliefs.

Lukman said the new bill would target the closures and attacks on churches and Shiite and Ahmadiyah mosques, one of the most egregious symptoms of the quasi-institutional discrimination of religious minorities stemming from the near-impossible administrative requirements laid out in a 2006 joint decree from the Religious Affairs Ministry and Home Affairs Ministry for congregations of any faith seeking a permit to build a house of worship.

“The bill will have many implications, including in terms of the permit to build places of worship,” the minister said. “There should be a clearer and stronger regulation for this issue. Of course we need suggestions from the public so we can accommodate their needs and interests.”

One of the requirements stipulated in the joint decree is for applicants to get the signed approval for their house of worship from the heads of 60 neighboring households of a different faith. In Muslim majority Indonesia, Christian, Shiite and Ahmadi applicants have almost invariably failed to get the required number, while a few cases have been reported in parts of eastern Indonesia, which has a large Christian population, of Muslims not being allowed to build mosques.

Lukman also promised to address the long-running issue of Shiite and Ahmadi communities being driven from their homes by mobs of Sunni Muslims — often with the support of the local police.

“It’s a complex problem,” he conceded. “It involves things related to officials like the police, issues with local governments, problems within the local community, and admittedly, problems related to religious beliefs.

“The steps taken should be integrated and not partial. We’re working on it. Now we’re communicating intensively with local governments where refugees [of religious pogroms] are staying. Hopefully we can come up with the solutions,” Lukman said.

He added his ministry would also work with local Islamic clerics — who are often instrumental in inciting hostilities against minority groups — to get them to embrace religious tolerance.

“We’ll hold interfaith forums for religious teachers to make sure that everyone has the same standing,” he said. “Even though we have different beliefs, all religions teach the same lesson of promoting humanity — making humans human.”

Related Articles:


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration LecturesGod / CreatorReligions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version) 

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Puan: Indonesia Health Card and Smart Card Available Next Month

Jakarta Globe, Oct 28, 2014

A student rides a bicycle through an obstacle course during an agility test at a
school in Solo, Central Java, in this June 17, 2013, file photo. (JG Photo/Ali Luthfi)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s much-vaunted Indonesia Health Card and Indonesia Smart Card will be available next month.

Puan Maharani, the coordinating minister of human resources development and cultural affairs, said both cards would be launched “as early as next month,” according to Kompas.com.

The cards, which will be similar to the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and Jakarta Smart Card (JKP) implemented when Joko was governor of the capital, provide a number of benefits to holders. They provide free health insurance for the poor; guarantee 12 years free education and provide for students’ educational needs; the cards also guarantee free higher education for poor students who pass the university entrance exams.

Joko and Kalla promised to introduce the cards to improve the nation’s health and education sectors during their presidential campaign.

Puan said she believed the cards were part of Joko’s “Mental Revolution,” as access good education and health services would improve the people’s quality of life.

A further ministerial meeting was planned to discuss details of the cards’ launch on Wednesday.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Indonesian Para-Swimmer Breaks World Record

Jakarta Globe, Oct 24, 2014

Indonesian para-swimmer Mulyana.
(JG Photo)
Jakarta. Indonesian swimmer Mulyana on Thursday broke the world record in the men’s 50 meters butterfly S4 event at the Asian Para Games.

Mulyana posted a record 39.44 seconds on the distance to win a gold medal at the games in Incheon, South Korea. He was 1.04 second faster than Slovenian Darko Duric at the London Paralympics in 2012.

The S4 category is for swimmers with coordination problems affecting all limbs but predominantly in the legs.

Thailand’s Somchai Doungkaew took second place with a time of 46.41 and third place was for China’s Jin Zhipeng (59.75).

Indonesian Steven Sualang Tangkilisan won silver in the men’s 100 meter backstroke S10 (below the elbow or below the knee amputees). He finished in 1 minute and 9.94 seconds. China’s Lin Furong took first place with 1:08.74 and Fraidden Dawan of Malaysia came in third with 1:10.63.

In the women’s -79kg powerlifting, paralympian Ni Nengah Widiasih lifted a total of 90 kilograms to bag a bronze. Taiwan’s Lin Tzu-Hui topped the standing by posting a total of 103kg to win gold. Jordanian Tharwh Tayseer Hamdan Alhajaj finished second with 108kg.

Indonesia has so far collected nine gold medals, nine silver, and 17 bronzes at this year’s Asian Para Games.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Indonesians Take to Social Media to Celebrate Jokowi’s Inauguration

Jakarta Globe, Oct 20, 2014

Indonesian President Joko Widowo, center, and first lady Ariana, and Vice President
Jusuf Kalla, fourth right, and his spouse Mufidah Kalla, third right, and former President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, second left, former first lady Ani Yudhoyono, left, former
 Vice President Boediono, second right, and his spouse Herawati, right, People's
 Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan, fourth left, and his spouse Futri
Zulya Safitry, third left, pose for photographers after the inauguration ceremony at the
House of Representative in Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2014. (AFP Photo/ Bay Ismoyo)

Jakarta. Indonesians took on their social media accounts to welcome the country’s seventh president, Joko Widodo, who was inaugurated on Monday.

The hashtag #PresidenJokowi has been the top trending topic on Twitter worldwide since Monday morning.

Social media users in Jakarta took to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Path to post pictures of the street celebrations taking place at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

For a while “Jalesveva Jayamahe”, the motto of the Indonesian Navy, also made it onto the worldwide trending topic list, after Joko cited the expression, which is Sanskrit for “In the sea we will triumph,” during his inauguration address to emphasize the importance of Indonesia becoming a global maritime axis.

Various versions of posters depicting Joko moments before his inauguration with quotations have been circulated all over the Internet as well.

Ade Mardiyanti, an Indonesian living in Sydney, posted a picture of her standing next to a television showing footage of Joko’s inauguration ceremony on her Facebook account.

“Chose to stay at home after I finished work only to witness the inauguration of Indonesia’s new president. Rocky road ahead for him. Good luck, Mr. President!” Ade wrote.

Renowned film director Joko Anwar also tweeted several pictures of the celebration.

“Rock n’Roll, Mr. President,” Joko said.

A music concert is scheduled to start at 4 p.m to celebrate the inauguration with a number of musicians including Indonesian rock band Slank and British band Arkarna scheduled to perform. Joko is famous for being a huge fan of heavy metal.

Tens of thousands are expected to attend a concert held to honor President 
Joko Widodo at the National Monument on Monday. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry)


From left to right: Kahiyang Ayu, Kaesang Pangarep, President Joko Widodo, First
 Lady Iriana Widodo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka appear at the Jakarta's governor
house on Oct. 20, 2014 before the presidential inauguration. (ID Photo/Emeral)

From the Social President, a Tweet for Forgiveness

Jakarta Globe, Oct 19, 2014

Photos posted by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday showed him
 and his wife at the start of his term in 2004, left, and heading away after 10 years in
office. (Photos courtesy of @SBYudhoyono)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marked his last day in office with a message to his more than five million followers on Twitter, apologizing for any offense he may have caused in his decade as head of state.

“Please forgive me if in the 10 years of my leading this beloved country, I have said/done anything that hasn’t pleased you, the people of Indonesia,” he wrote on his account, @SBYudhoyono. The message was signed *SBY*, indicating it came from the president himself and not his social media team.

“In truth, with all our flaws, we wanted to do the best for the people and the country,” he added, signing off “with love.”


The tweets were preceded by a picture of Yudhoyono and his wife, Kristiani, arriving at the State Palace exactly 10 years ago tomorrow, and followed by another picture, undated, of the first couple walking hand in hand away from the camera.

The hashtag #MakasihSBY (ThanksSBY) was the third-highest trending topic on Twitter in Indonesia, with more than 30,000 tweets using the hashtag.

Also on Sunday, thousands of members and supporters of Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party marched from the National Monument (Monas) to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta in a show of appreciation for the outgoing president.

Yudhoyono, the first directly elected president in Indonesia’s history, will be replaced tomorrow by Joko Widodo, the winner of the July 9 election.

Related Article:


President Joko Widodo, left, waves with former President Susilo Bambang
 Yudhoyono at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Oct. 20, 2014. (Reuters
Photo/Mast Irham/Pool)

Friday, October 17, 2014

Jokowi and Prabowo Meet, Pledge to Maintain Stability in Govt

Jakarta Globe, Adelia Anjani Putri & Basten Gokkon, Oct 17, 2014

This file picture taken in Jakarta on July 20, 2014 shows Prabowo Subianto, left,
gesturing next to President-elect Joko Widodo, right, at the presidential palace in
Jakarta. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

Jakarta. President-elect Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, meeting for the first time in about three months, said that they would work together to maintain stability in government.

“[Prabowo] said to me that, in the future, should there be anything to be criticized in our administration, I’m ready because stability in state management is very important,” said Joko, who went to Prabowo’s house in South Jakarta on Friday morning.

“There’s the doer, the controller, and then there’s the criticizer. I think that’s a good thing, and I’d like to thank Prabowo for that,” Joko said.

Prabowo said that he will ask his supporters to support Joko’s presidency. Prabowo’s Red-White coalition has the majority of the seats in legislature.

“I ask my party and supporters to support Joko and the government. We will criticize him should there be policies harming the people’s interest.”

He also asked his supporters to reconcile, despite political differences between his supporters and those of Joko’s.

“I will tell my supporters that political competition is a normal thing but in the end, all that we do is to achieve the nation’s prosperity and progress,” Prabowo said. “I hope the supporters don’t see the differences and competition between us as a reason to divide the people. We must stay united as one Indonesia at all times.”

“In this friendly meeting, I congratulate Joko who will be sworn in and inaugurated as the president on Oct. 20,” Prabowo said. “I believe that he is a patriot and deep down we have the same intention to guard Indonesia’s unity and its constitution.”

Regarding Joko’s inauguration on Monday, Prabowo said he would to try his best to attend the ceremony.

“I heard the invitation will come at 3 p.m. today. It’s the norm that if one is invited, he should fulfill it. I have to go abroad tonight or tomorrow morning, but if I’m done by Sunday night, I promise to do my best to attend the ceremony,” he said. “If I can’t make it, Pak Joko already knows the reason.”


Indonesia's losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, left, gestures as he
 stands beside Indonesia's President-elect Joko Widodo after a meeting in Jakarta on
Oct. 17, 2014. Prabowo said on Friday his party would support Widodo, but would not
hesitate to criticize any of his policies that they opposed. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)


SBY’s Decade in Power

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, center, gestures to presidential
 candidates Joko Widodo, left, and Prabowo Subianto, right, prior to a prayer at the
 presidential palace in Jakarta on July 20, 2014. Jakarta governor Joko Widodo is
expected to be declared the winner of Indonesia's disputed presidential election this
 week but his rival, ex-general Prabowo Subianto, is likely to mount a legal challenge
that will prolong the political deadlock. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Jokowi Makes Time’s Front Cover in ‘A New Hope’

Jakarta Globe, Oct 16, 2014

 (Photo courtesy of Time)

Jakarta. Man of the Year?

Not exactly. But President-elect Joko Widodo made Time’s cover in the Oct. 27 issue, which was posted on the magazine’s website on Thursday.

Titled “A New Hope” by journalist Hannah Beech, Time’s coverage highlights the importance of progress in Indonesia’s democratic movement in the world’s fourth most populous nation.

Joko’s inauguration as the nation’s seventh president takes place on Monday, and he succeeds President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose second five-year term will end.

All presidents of Indonesia have made the cover of Time.

Related Article:


Monday, October 13, 2014

Jokowi Meets with Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg

Jakarta Globe, Deti Mega Purnamasari, Oct 13, 2014

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, right, accompanied by President-Elect
Joko Widodo talks to journalists after their meeting in Jakarta, on Monday. (EPA
Photo/Adi Weda)

Jakarta. President-Elect Joko Widodo on Monday received Facbeook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the Jakarta City Hall, where he is currently serving his final days as governor of the capital.

“We talked about how we can utilize Facebook for the benefit of the people and how it can be useful in supporting micro businesses,” Joko said during a press conference. “He [Zuckerberg] will be working with us in addressing the two issues.”

Joko added that he also discussed issues related to internet taxes and access, and talked about the utilization of the social network in the recent general elections.

“We also talked a lot about the use of Facebook during the [presidential election] campaign. Indonesia has a population of 240 million, while Facebook has approximately 70 million users. This is a potential market for him,” Joko said.

Zuckerberg, traveling to Indonesia for an Internet.org meeting, said he was glad to have had the opportunity to visit the country and meet with Joko.

“I’m glad I am able to talk to Joko. I’m also glad to see growing internet access among millions of Indonesians, as well as the growth of businesses,” he said, speaking in the same press conference.

Internet.org is a partnership between Facebook and five other technology companies aimed to improve internet access in parts of the world that remain largely unconnected.

“The program is aimed at eliminating barriers that hamper internet access, so that more Indonesians can be connected to the internet,” said Maria Tiurma, a commissioner of Owen Strategik Media, which organized Zuckerberg’s visit.

Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, right, and Indonesian President-elect
Joko Widodo, left, visiting Tanah Abang market after their meeting in Jakarta,
Indonesia, Oct. 13, 2014. (SP Photo/Joanito De Saojoao)

Related Articles:


Sunday, October 12, 2014

Sunrise at Borobudur for Facebook CEO Zuckerberg

Jakarta Globe, Oct 12, 2014

Mark Zuckerberg at the Borobudur 
temple in Magelang, Central Java, on
 Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Facebook)
Jakarta. In Indonesia for an Internet.org meeting on Monday, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday first took some time off to visit the Borobudur temple, a Unesco World Heritage Site in Magelang, Central Java.

The chief executive officer of the Internet giant posted a picture on Facebook of himself sitting at the famous Buddhist shrine, explaining: “I just arrived in Indonesia and hiked up Borobudur to watch the sunrise. Tomorrow for Internet.org I’m looking forward to meeting with developers, operator partners and government leaders in Jakarta.”

Internet.org is a partnership of Facebook and five technology companies that aims to increase Internet access in parts of the world that have remained largely unconnected. One of the challenges in countries like Indonesia is how to use data and networks more efficiently, which is one of the issues that will be discussed at the meeting Zuckerberg attends on Monday.

President-Elect Joko Widodo on Sunday also said he may be meeting with Zuckerberg on Monday.

“Tomorrow [I will meet Zuckerberg],” Joko was quoted as saying by news portal Kompas.com, disclosing no further details.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Slumber in Colonial Opulence at Surabaya’s Hotel Majapahit

Jakarta Globe, Basten Gokkon, Oct 11, 2014

The lush gardens, plush decor and heavy ambiance of colonial luxury at Surabaya’s
 Hotel Majapahit offer visitors a rare glimpse into the world of wealth and royalty of
the early 20th century. (Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)

Named after the single most enduring kingdom in ancient Indonesia, the Kingdom of Majapahit, the five-star hotel stands proudly — with its facade reflecting the typical European extravagance of white-colored pilasters and giant pillars — on Jalan Tunjungan, a Surabaya business district.

Hotel Majapahit may be Indonesia’s most historically relevant, having witnessed the country’s independence from both Dutch colonialism and Japanese occupation.

Through the course of more than a century, Hotel Majapahit’s history traced back to when Lucas Martin Sarkies, a high-profile hospitality businessman, purchased a 1,000 square meter block of land in 1900 on the aforementioned street to follow his father’s legacy in developing a luxury hotel.

He then commissioned Regent Alfred John Bidwell, a renowned designer at the time, to develop a Dutch colonial art nouveau hotel named Oranje Hotel, after the Dutch royal family. The luxury accommodation started catering to its top-class clientele in 1911.

In 1936, the management expanded on the structure to include an Art Deco style lobby extension. The inauguration was made by a royal party of Crown Prince Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Belgium and the famous silent movie star Charlie Chaplin, accompanied by American actress Paulette Goddard and writer Joseph Conrad.

Apart from hosting famous global personas, the hotel also served as a historical venue for a five-year armed struggle against the colonial powers. In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Forces took over the Oranje Hotel and renamed it Hotel Yamato, turning the building into their headquarters in East Java and also as a camp for Dutch prisoners of war.

At the end of World War II, English and Dutch country section officers returned to Surabaya and stormed room 33, where the Dutch occupation had set its temporary headquarters and demanded an explanation about the raising of the Dutch flag on the hotel roof’s mast.

As Indonesia declared independence on Aug. 17, 1945, the anticolonial group “Arek-Arek Suroboyo” refused to see their newly independent country return to colonialism. They rushed to the hotel roof and tore off the bottom blue strip of the Dutch flag to retain the red and white parts, identifying the merah-putih (red-white) colors of the current Indonesian flag.

The hotel was renamed to Hotel Merdeka (Independence Hotel).

However, the building received yet another moniker one year later, when famed Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, returned to manage the hotel and changed the name L.M.S. Hotel as a tribute to its founding father Lucas Martin Sarkies.

However, more rebranding efforts followed from 1969 to 2003 as the hotel changed hands from one owner to another. With the each new proprietor also came renovations, which eventually turned the old Dutch structure into a five-star, deluxe hotel.

In 2006, it was finally dubbed with its current name of Hotel Majapahit under CCM Group, one of Indonesia’s leading conglomerate companies.

(Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)
Allowing visitors to stay overnight

Now 104 years old, the hotel’s management has worked to preserve its heritage and the historical remnants housed within its walls, all of which have ostensibly become a distinctive attraction to travelers who wish to experience the majestic atmosphere of the hotel.

“We think [the hotel] can [continue to] survive, because we have some features that others don’t. Our North Garden, for example, has become our mascot of sorts,” Emiliana Ayundra, marketing communications supervisor of the hotel, said.

Hotel Majapahit aims to serve travelers as one of Surabaya’s must-see destinations with entire rooms that provide a glimpse of colonial elegance and extravagance; rooms that house huge, layered chandeliers hung from high ceiling; grand wooden doors carved with European flowers; and plush Arabian carpets.

With 143 rooms — each decorated to match the hotel’s historical angle — to choose from, including executive suites, garden terrace rooms and Majapahit suites, Hotel Majapahit promises an oasis of personalized calm, classic colonial elegance and chic simplicity.

To indulge its clientele’s appetite, the Sarkies Restaurant — certainly named after the hotel’s founding father as an honor — offers discerning travelers a wide selection of Asian and Western dishes in colonial surroundings.

Meanwhile, the hotel also pampers visitors with spa facilities that offer luxurious traditional treatments using local beauty products sponsored by internationally acclaimed Indonesian brand Martha Tilaar.

Hotel Majapahit is also fully equipped with a gymnasium, tennis court, Jacuzzi, sauna, a 25-meter swimming pool as well as a children’s pool, all completing the accommodation’s luxurious antiquated-meets-modern ambiance.

“We can say that most of our clientele come from high-class communities, such as diplomats, businessmen and celebrities,” Emiliana said.

“We attract these kinds of clients with the interesting history behind the hotel, the authentic structure — which is very different from other hotels in Surabaya — and our wonderful gardens.”

Hotel Majapahit, a landmark colonial hotel exuding heritage and class, has received several awards, including the National Geographic Traveler award in architecture and design in 2009, the 2012 Favorite Hotel in Indonesia award by the Tourism Awards of Indonesia, and the Certificate of Excellence by travel website TripAdvisor from 2012 to 2014.

“It’s all very tasteful indeed, with colonnaded courtyards, fountains, verdant greenery and a gorgeous pool area,” popular travel guide Lonely Planet writes in its review of the hotel.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Asian cave paintings challenge Europe as cradle of art

Yahoo – AFP, Mariette Le Roux, 8 Oct 2014

This handout picture released by the journal Nature, on October 8, 2014, shows a 
hand stencil found on a cave wall in Maros karsts on the Indonesian island of 
Sulawesi (AFP Photo/Kinez Riza)

The silhouette of a hand on a cave wall in Indonesia is 40,000 years old, showing that Europe was not the birthplace of art as long believed, researchers said on Wednesday.

Created by spraying reddish paint around an open hand pressed against rock, the stencil was made about the same time -- and possibly before -- early humans were leaving artwork on cave walls around Europe that was long thought to be the first in the world.

In the same cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a painting of a pig was dated to about 35,000 years ago, the Indonesian and Australian team reported in the journal Nature.

The discovery, they said, throws up two theories, both of which challenge the conventional wisdom around the history of human artistic expression.

Art either arose independently but simultaneously in different parts of the world -- or was brought by Homo sapiens when he left Africa for a worldwide odyssey.

"Europeans can't exclusively claim to be the first to develop an abstract mind anymore," Anthony Dosseto of Australia's University of Wollongong said in a statement.

"They need to share this, at least, with the early inhabitants of Indonesia."

Anthropologists consider rock art to be an indicator of the onset of abstract thinking -- the ability to reflect on ideas and events.

Recasting human evolution

Dosseto and a team dated 12 hand stencils and two animal likenesses found at seven cave sites on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The ancient images were discovered more than 50 years ago, but had never been accurately dated.

This handout picture released by the journal Nature, on October 8, 2014, shows
 hand stencils marking a cave wall in Maros karsts on the Indonesian island of
 Sulawesi (AFP Photo/Kinez Riza)

It had been widely assumed that anything older than 10,000 years would have eroded away in the tropical climate.

The team measured the radioactive decay of trace amounts of uranium found in small stalactite-like calcite growths called "cave popcorn" that had formed a layer less than 10 millimetres (0.38 inches) thick over the art.

The method produced minimum estimates for the works' ages, and the pieces could in fact be much older, said the team.

The stencil is now officially the oldest known specimen of the hand silhouette art form, they reported.

And the depiction of a fat-bellied babirusa "pig deer", its four legs, head, tail and lines of hair still clearly visible, is one of the earliest known depictions of an animal, "if not the earliest".

"It can now be demonstrated that humans were producing rock art about 40,000 years ago at opposite ends of the Pleistocene Eurasian world," the team wrote.

The previous oldest cave art was from El Castillo cave in northern Spain, including a hand stencil dated 37,300 years ago, according to Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University, who wrote a comment on the study.

The oldest known animal painting was of a charcoal rhino in the Chauvet Cave in France, dated to 35,300-38,827 years ago. Traces of red paint about 36,000-41,000 years old were found in Fumane, Italy.

Chris Stringer, a palaeontologist at Britain's Natural History Museum, said the new data suggested that early humans were already artists when they spread out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

"I think some of the art in Australia will also eventually be dated to this very early time," he said in a video distributed by Nature.

The findings "stress the great relevance of Asia, and especially southeast Asia, for the study of human evolution," added Roebroeks.

"Compared with Europe, Asia has seen little fieldwork, and new finds will keep on challenging what we think we know about human evolution."

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Several hundred thousand years ago, Humans began to form into the Human that you recognize today. That's just yesterday. Don't confuse this with Human development. You have had that going on for a very long time. But the DNA that is within your body is not the DNA that developed naturally on the planet. Yours is outside of the system of Earth-based evolutionary processes, and the scientists are starting to see this. The "missing link" that they speak of is not Human.

So again, we tell you that the ones who came to help seed you approximately 100,000 to 200,000 Earth years ago were the Pleiadians who had gone into graduate status and who had changed consciousness. They had become quantum with free choice, and you have parts of their DNA within you.

New information for you: The seeding process was not a one-time event. This is why we give you these large sections of time where the Pleiadians worked with you. It was done over time and in many places. It was not all simultaneous, and this was for reasons that will remain unknown to you for now, but will later explain why you will find other Human types that now are extinct. Now you only have one Human type, and that is counterintuitive to all mammal development on the planet. This was a design, and it took more than 100,000 years to create this for humanity as you know it.

It's your Human bias that has the creation story of the knowledge of light and dark being given to Humans in one day in a garden involving a talking snake and other mythology. Spiritual logic should tell you that these stories are simply metaphors of a real truth, that indeed there was a major shift of consciousness, but over a longer period of time and not instantly. The same mythology has the earth created in seven days. However, this only represents a numerological truth [7 is the number of divinity], meaning that there was a divine design in the creation of the planet. It's time to start using spiritual logic within the teachings you have about spiritual history, for the revelations will be wonderful and lead to fuller understanding.

Now, what really is in your DNA? It's the Pleiadians' code, and it's the ones before them, and even the ones before them. You can't remember it, for that is not the set-up. The system is that your Akashic record is only from Earth, but your "divine remembrance" will take you back to the beginning, where system after system after system created that which you see as the divinity within the galaxy and the Universe.

Who are they? They're your "divine" parents. They're the seed divinity in you and they visit here. They're not all Pleiadians, did you know that? Instead, they're from all over the galaxy. You see, they also represent the seeds of the Pleiadians, and they keep you safe. You wouldn't have it any other way, would you? "Safe from what?" you might ask. ….”


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Jakarta to Speed Up Kota Tua Revitalization for 2018 Asian Games

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, Oct 08, 2014

Visitors at Fatahillah square, the heart of the old town known locally known
as Kota Tua. (AFP photo/ Romeo Gacad)

Jakarta.  Revitalization of Jakarta’s historic town center Kota Tua will be fast tracked in order to be ready for the 2018 Asian Games, the company charged with organizing the renovation said on Wednesday.

Lin Che Wei, the CEO of Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation, a consortium handling the revitalization, said the company had obtained consent from some building owners and had already started working on the project.

“The revitalization of Kota Tua has started. We are optimistic it will be completed within a relatively short time so that when we host the 2018 Asian Games, Kota Tua is a selling point for the tourism sector,” Lin said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Indonesia was approved to host the Asian Games (Asiad) last month after Vietnam said in April that it could no longer afford to stage them.

Already Lin said he had requested that the Jakarta City Council (DPRD) help regulate street vendors in the area.

“Hawkers will still be allowed, but only those who are registered,” Lin said, “this needs to be done so they won’t get bigger in numbers and are still orderly.”

Kota Tua, once revered as the “Queen of the East”, is now a crumbling relic and many of its heritage buildings are in a critical state of disrepair.

The DPRD has pushed for revitalization of the area in the hope it will become a tourist attraction, and this year it gave property owners a two-year deadline to restore buildings or face severe sanctions.

Of the 134 colonial-era buildings in Kota Tua, only five of them — including the Jakarta History Museum — are owned by the Jakarta Government.

Sarwo Handayani, Jakarta’s deputy for spatial planning and environmental protection, said acting governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama had contacted owners, including a number of state-owned enterprises.

Head of Jakarta Tourism Agency Arief Budhiman said the revitalization would not change the authentic design of the buildings. Restoration would adjust the function of the buildings by adding more facilities, such as parking lots and parks, he said.

“The design will stay the same because those buildings are the city’s heritage,” Arief said.

Other prominent buildings such as Gedung Cipta and Kerta Niaga would be renovated in 2015.

“These historical buildings will be returned to their original facade, however, there will many new activities inside. One of them is aimed to facilitate the hawkers,” Arie said.

Friday, October 3, 2014

SBY Signs Presidential Decree to Replace Regional Elections Law

Jakarta Globe, SP/Novianti Setuningsih, Oct 03, 2014

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,left, is accompanied by Vice President Boediono
as he signs a special presidential order late on Thursday in an attempt to cancel out the
much-criticized regional elections law, which was passed last week by the House
 of Representatives. (Rumgapres Photo/Abror Rizki)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a special presidential order late on Thursday in an attempt to cancel out the much-criticized regional elections law, which was passed last week by the House of Representatives.

Deputy Justice and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana said the president signed the regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on Thursday.

“President Yudhoyono wants the regional elections to be better than the previous one and therefore the substance of this Perppu is the answer to all the criticism … that has been voiced by many people,” Denny said on Friday.

Denny said the Perppu canceled out the regional elections law, which removed direct elections for mayors, district heads and governors and placed their appointment in the hands of regional legislative councils.

The law was criticized as a major step back for Indonesian democracy, but it was unclear on Friday whether the Perppu would stand because the House could still veto the president’s last-minute intervention.

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