Sydneysiders should be glad it doesn't snow. The city has had enough problems coping with this week's rain.

The 80-millimetre dumping over the CBD in 30 hours triggered transport chaos, sparked an electrical fault that left thousands in the dark and even stopped RiverCat ferries from reaching Parramatta.

The NRMA responded to 1600 calls for help between 6am and 2pm yesterday. That was 500 more than normal.

In the 24 hours to 1pm the Roads and Traffic Authority logged scores of breakdowns, more than 70 accidents, 13 faulty traffic lights and more than a dozen problems caused by flooded roads or fallen branches.

CityRail trains ran up to 20 minutes late. Spokeswoman Jane Lavender explained that passengers huddling under cover on platforms took longer to board trains.

EnergyAustralia confessed that an overflowing downpipe at a Crows Nest substation was to blame for a power failure that left 5200 customers in the dark at 11pm on Tuesday, blacking out parts of Crows Nest and North Sydney. Electricity was not fully restored until midday yesterday.

RiverCat ferries terminated at Rydalmere because water flowing over a weir near Parramatta wharf whipped up turbulence, making it difficult to manoeuvre.

Rain even affected Sydney's law breakers, said police, who explained that crime generally fell in wet weather, probably because criminals stayed home. However, wet weekends often boosted domestic violence.

The Hunter Valley wine harvest stalled yesterday with half the grapes still on the vines.

Chris Barnes, Hunter-based president of the NSW Wine Industry Association, said: "We have had [10 centimetres] in the last 36 hours. It's so wet we can't drive tractors up and down the vine rows. If it continues, the condition of the grapes is going to suffer." Too much rain leads to the dilution of the grapes' flavour and bunch rot.

Mr Barnes said that with the clay soils "turning to butter", wineries might need to hand-pick the rest of the crop.

But on Goolang Creek, north-west of Coffs Harbour, it can't rain enough for Robert Delderfield.

The manager of the Nymboida Canoe Centre has had a torrid time in recent years because there has often not been enough water coming down the creek for canoeing.

Yesterday there were "a couple of hundred megs" flowing down the creek. A megalitre is a million litres. "We still need some heavy stuff," Mr Delderfield said.

In the 24 hours to midday yesterday about 40 millimetres fell over Sydney's water catchment areas.

The weather bureau's Julie Evans said the rain should start clearing today.

On Queensland's Gold Coast hinterland three people have been rescued from a tree swamped by floodwaters. Meanwhile, a search for another man spotted clinging to a bridge above another creek on Tuesday has been called off.

----

Australia 'Land of the draught and flooding' how ironic

iya nih gue juga vote ck_boy!!

Bandung - Nasib yang dialami para karyawan PT DI (Dirgantara Indonesia) memunculkan simpati dari serikat pekerja (SP) se-Indonesia. Karena itu, SP se-Indonesia akan melakukan mogok nasional pada Jumat (5/3/2004).

Rencana ini dibenarkan oleh Ketua Serikat Pekerja Forum Komunikasi Karyawan PT Dirgantara Indonesia (SP FKK PT DI) Arif Minardi. Menurut dia, aksi mogok nasional akan dilakukan secara serempak oleh gabungan SP se-Indonesia sebagai solidaritas terhadap nasib ribuan karyawan PT DI.

"Agendanya mogok nasional. Rencananya akan dilakukan Jumat. Aksi ini akan dilakukan kalau masalah eksekusi tidak beres-beres," kata Arif kepada wartawan saat ditemui di sela-sela aksi ribuan karyawan PT DI di Kompleks Gedung Sate, Jl. Diponegoro, Bandung, Senin (1/3/2004).

Arif menuturkan bahwa rencana tersebut diputuskan dalam rapat yang diselenggarakan oleh perwakilan serikat pekerja di suatu tempat di Jakarta. Rapat telah digelar pada Sabtu (28/2/2004) lalu. Rencananya, mogok nasional akan dilakukan oleh masing-masing anggota SP mogok melakukan kerja di tempatnya masing-masing.

Hadir dalam rapat tersebut, kata Arif, perwakilan SP, antara lain SPSI, SBSI, Gasperindo, Serikat Pekerja Pertamina, Dokojabahari (pekerja galangan kapal), PPMI, serta Federasi SP BUMN. Dalam rapat tersbut, menurut Arif, dibicarakan mengenai rencana mogok nasional.

"Perwakilan SP dari Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) rencananya akan mematikan listrik di seluruh Indonesia. Ketuanya yang mengatakan itu," kata Arif. Namun, dirinya tidak bisa memastikan hal itu.

Mengenai jadi tidaknya melakukan mogok nasional tersebut, Arif sendiri tidak yakin kendati rapat di Jakarta tersebut menyepakati dilaksanakannya mogok nasional. "Sulit untuk menggerakkan buruh sekarang ini," katanya.

"Tapi apakah perintah para Ketua Serikat Pekerja itu (mogok nasional) dituruti oleh anggotanya atau tidak kita tidak tahu. Juga apakah para ketua serikat pekerja yang ikut rapat itu telah memerintahkan mogok nasional pada anggotanya," imbuh Arif. (asy)
Sumber: detikcom

Ini ga headline, tapi menarik aja..
Must be gerakan bawah tanahnya Kai Pang !!

http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/02china.htm

Beggars get online in China

March 02, 2004 12:32 IST
Last Updated: March 02, 2004 14:14 IST

Beggars in southwest China's Sichuan province have found a novel way to solicit money -- by making their appeals on the Internet.

Known as 'web beggars', they stay off the streets, go online, concoct sob stories, then write emails asking for money, The Beijing News said on Tuesday.
Zhang, from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, recently received an email and forwarded it to the media.

It said: 'I am a Chengdu local. Dad died when I was a kid and mom is seriously ill. My girlfriend has just dumped me. I am so depressed that I cannot leave my home. Would you please help me with 10 yuan ($1.2) for a meal?"

The sender left the name Li Dan and a bank account number.

The reporter later found Li through QQ, a Chinese Internet chat service. He confirmed that he was 21 and had recently dropped out of the college.

"I started begging via the Internet last December, just for fun," he said. "But when I got the first deposit of 10 yuan in January, I decided to become a full-time web beggar."

Li said he knew about 10 other web beggars in Chengdu.

They all stayed at home to write emails and could probably send over 1,000 per day. They would exchange experiences and thoughts through QQ or websites for beggars.

Li has collected 168 yuan ($20) this month from all around the country.

"Nonprescription Drugs Could Pose Risk in Pregnancy"
Doctors raise concerns amid rising use of OTC pills by expectant mothers.
...... most over-the-counter drugs contain warnings advising pregnant women to consult a doctor before using them..........

..................................from the Wall Street Journal....March 2 , 2004

Indonesian Offering Makes a Splash

Indonesia returned to international capital market with a bang as the government's $1 billion 10-year global bond was devoured by investors.

Indonesia's bond "was something a lot of people wanted".......,pointing to the country's improving economy........

.......once the bonds started trading in the secondary market, they strengthened about 75% ..........The yield on the deal, which carried a 6.75% coupon and spread of 2.77 percentage points over U.S. Treasury.........

....Indonesia's credit rating remained four notches below "investment grade," the major ratings companies have upgraded the country's debt.............

From the Wall Street Journal - Thursday, March 4, 2004

Please be informed that starting from 11 Mar until 01
> April 2004, there will be campaigns from 22 parties for
> Indonesia Election.

The carnival will start from
> Governor's office at 07:00 until 16:00. Each day, it will
> be 3-5 parties making a carnival.
> Therefore, we kindly ask you to prepare some more time for
> your trip on the way to Soekarno-Hatta airport to avoid
> heavy traffic jam. This info is received from KPU (Komisi
> Pemilihan Umum - Commission for General Election)
>
> Carnival routes:
>
> Central Jakarta area
> start from Governor's office - Jl. Thamrin - Jl.Sudirman
> (Hotel Indonesia)
> - Semanggi - Jl.Sudirman (Hotel Indonesia) - Jl.Imam
> Bonjol - Jl.Diponegoro
> - RSCM hospital (turn right) - St.Carolus hospital -
> Pramuka - Jl.Achmad Yani - Jl.Letjen Soeprapto - Senen -
> Banteng square (next to Gatot Subroto
> hospital) - Pejambon - Jl.Medan Merdeka Timur - Jl.Medan
> Merdeka Utara - East Jakarta Mayor's office (finish)
>
> North Jakarta area
> start from Governor's office - Jl.Thamrin - Semanggi -
> Jl.Gatot Subroto - Jl.MT Haryono - University of Christian
> Indonesia (UKI) - by pass - Jl.Ahmad Yani - Jl.Yos Sudarso
> - Enggano - Tanjung Priok Terminal
> - Enggano - Sulawesi - Jl.Raya Cilincing - Jaya - Jl.Raya
> Cilincing - Sulawesi - Jl.Yos Sudarso - North Jakarta
> Mayor's office (finish)
>
> West Jakarta area
> start from Governor's office - Jl.Thamrin - Jl.Sudirman
> (Hotel Indonesia) - Semanggi - Jl.Prof Dr Latumenten -
> Jl.P.Tubagus Angke (turn right) - Daan Mogot - Pesing
> (turn left) - Jl.Panjang - Relasi (turn right) -
> Jl.Lap.Bola
> - Jl.Meruya Ilir (turn right) - Jl.Pesanggrahan (turn
> left) - Jl.Puri Indah
> - East Jakarta Mayor's office (finish)
>
> South Jakarta area
> start from Governor's office - Jl.Thamrin - Semanggi -
> Jl.Sudirman - Jl.Sisingamangaraja - Panglima Polim -
> Fatmawati - TB Simatupang - Jl.P.Antasari - Prapanca -
> South Jakarta Mayor's office (finish)
>
> East Jakarta area
> start from Governor's office - Jl.Thamrin - Jl.Sudirman -
> Semanggi - Jl.Gatot Subroto - Jl.MT Haryono - Jl.Dewi
> Sartika - Condet Raya - TB Simatupang - Jl.Raya Bogor
> (Kramatjati) - Jl.Letjend Sutoyo - Jl.MT Haryono
> - Jl.Otista - Matraman - Pramuka - Jl.Pemuda Bekasi Timur
> - Jl.Basuki Rahmat
> - turn arround Terminal Kampung Melayu - By pass -
> Prumpung - Jl.I Gusti Ngurah Rai - Pondok Kopi - East
> Timor Mayor's office (finish)

Not so shocking news, but definitely embarassing..
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3567745.stm

Suharto tops corruption rankings

Former President Suharto of Indonesia tops the all-time corruption league table, an anti-graft group says.

Transparency International(TI), in its Global Corruption Report, uses the list to show how political corruption and private bribery hurt development.

Suharto's alleged haul of $15-$35bn in 31 years of rule, TI said, demonstrated how abuse of power "undermines the hopes... of developing countries".

Close behind is Zaire's Mobuto Sese Seko, who allegedly looted $5bn.

His haul, said TI, was particularly high in a country with an average GDP of just $100 a person.

It amounted to 40% of the $12bn in aid Zaire - now the Democratic Republic of Congo - received during his 32-year rule.

"The abuse of political power for private gain deprives the most needy of vital public services, creating a level of despair that breeds conflict and violence," said TI's founder and chairman Peter Eigen.

Repatriation

In producing this year's report TI has focused on political corruption, partly to highlight new conventions which it hopes will help the fight against graft.

GRAFT TOP TEN
Suharto: $15-35bn
(Indonesia, 1967-98)
Ferdinand Marcos: $5-10bn
(Philippines, 1972-86)
Mobuto Sese Seko: $5bn
(Zaire, 1965-97)
Sani Abacha: $2-5bn
(Nigeria, 1993-98)
Slobodan Milosevic: $1bn
(Yugoslavia, 1989-2000)
J-C Duvalier: $300-800m
(Haiti, 1971-86)
Alberto Fujimori: $600m
(Peru, 1990-2000)
Pavlo Lazarenko: $114-200m
(Ukraine, 1996-7)
Arnoldo Aleman: $100m
(Nicaragua, 1997-2002)
Joseph Estrada: $78-80m
(Philippines, 1998-2001)
Source: Transparency International.
All sums are estimates of alleged embezzlement

The United Nations Convention against Corruption was completed on 9 December last year, while the African Union's own convention came out in July 2003.

Ratification of these conventions, said TI UK chief Laurence Cockcroft, would help root out corrupt politicians and - just as importantly - get the stolen cash back home.

The UN Convention, he said, "provides a formal framework for mult-lateral action" by law enforcement.

"And it greatly improves the scope for repatriation of assets by cutting through the legal obscurantism of the past."

That could - for example - help Nigeria recover the $2bn-$5bn estimated to have been stolen by late President Sani Abacha.

Switzerland has promised to hand back more than $500m in its banks, but less progress is being made on the $1bn-plus held in London.

Still in office

TI is not alone in looking into corruption in public life.

Of particular interest in recent months has been the energy and minerals industry.

While TI's list focuses on politicians who are either dead or under investigation, others - such as resource exploitation specialists Global Witness - have gone further.

In a recent report, Global Witness accused several current leaders of looting their own treasuries.

Among them are:

# Angola's President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, whom it says keeps large sums in bank accounts abroad
# Equatorial Guinea, whose President Teodoro Obiang calls oil revenues a "state secret" but is accused of keeping oil companies' payments in a bank in Washington DC under his own name
# Kazakhstan, where a bungled attempt to smear a rival led to President Nursultan Nazarbayev inadvertently revealing $1bn in state funds placed abroad "for the good of the country".[/url]

BEST SCHOOLS IN US
.....from U.S. News...

School of Business
1. Harvard
2. Stanford
3. U of Penn
4. MIT
5. Northwestern

School of Engineering
1. MIT
2. Stanford
3. UC Berkeley
4. U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
5. Georgia Institute of Tech

School of Law
1. Yale
2. Harvard
3. Stanford
4. Columbia
5. NYU

School of Medicine
1. Harvard
2. Washington U. in St Louis
3. John Hopkins
4. Duke & UPenn
6. UCSF

Reading this really freaks me out.. I don't want anyone to stick anything in my eye!! Waaay too much of a risk!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3610379.stm

Fears raised over 'eye jewellery'

A new technique where jewellery can be inserted into the eye, could be dangerous and should be avoided, say British ophthalmic experts

The procedure to insert a tiny platinum jewel stud into the eyeball has been performed in The Netherlands.

The technique is harmless and carries no side effects, say its Dutch pioneers.

UK eye specialists disagree and say it could be dangerous and may cause scarring and bleeding.

Specially developed jewellery is inserted into the eye's mucous membrane under a local anaesthetic eye drop, at a cost of about £330.

It involves inserting a 3.5mm-wide piece of platinum - that the eye will accept - and includes designs such as a glittering half-moon or heart.

Without doing any harm to the eye we can implant a jewel in the conjunctiva
Gerrit Melles, eye jewellery pioneer
The procedure has been carried out on six women and one man by a team from the Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery in Rotterdam (NIIOC).

The piece of jewellery is inserted in the conjunctiva - the mucous membrane lining the inner surface of the eyelids and front of the eyeball - in sterile conditions using an operating microscope in a procedure taking about 15 minutes.

NIIOC director Gerrit Melles said: "Without doing any harm to the eye we can implant a jewel in the conjunctiva.

"So far we have not seen any side effects or complications and we don't expect any in the future.

"In my view it is a little more subtle than (body) piercing.

"It is a bit of a fun thing and a very personal thing for people.

British eye experts disagree and fear cosmetic invasive surgery could harm the eye.

To carry out surgery to improve eyesight is one thing, but we are opposed it purely for cosmetic enhancement
Eyecare Trust spokesman
John Dart, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, said this type of surgery could irritate the eye.

"The stud is quite likely to move around and migrate because the tissue in the conjunctiva is quite loose," he said.

"Any movement is likely to cause inflammation. If it moves, there will be some scar tissue and you could get some bleeding."

An Eyecare Trust spokesman said anything inserted beneath the cornea is "potentially dangerous".

He added: "Jewellery is fine, but not in the eye.

"To carry out surgery to improve eyesight is one thing, but we are opposed it purely for cosmetic enhancement."

The NIIOC, which develops new ocular surgical techniques in corneal, cataract and retinal surgery, has patented the jewellery and the surgical procedure.

The institute, which carries out the procedure in co-operation with an eye clinic near the city of Utrecht, said it has a waiting list for people who wanted the implant.

Hmmm... since when do Indonesia impose travel warnings??
Ayo pada rame2 ke UK

Indonesia cautions on travel to UK

Sunday, April 11, 2004 Posted: 10:57 PM EDT (0257 GMT)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Britain due to fears of possible terror attacks following the recent bombings in Spain.

"The terrorism threat is moving to Great Britain, particularly to cities," said a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy in London that was received Saturday.

Indonesians are advised to "postpone nonessential travel" to Britain and those already in the country should avoid hotels, entertainment centers, subway and bus stations, the statement said.

Phones rang unanswered Saturday at the British embassy in Jakarta.

British police have stepped up raids on alleged terrorists after bombs exploded on four commuter trains in Spain on March 11, killing 191 people.

The recent arrests of nine British men in anti-terrorist raids in southeast England have spurred media speculation about a plot to bomb civilian targets in Britain.

In the past, Jakarta has complained of the many terror warnings issued by Britain and the U.S. following a spate of attacks in Indonesia blamed on the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Hold your breath: Jakarta's air was healthy for only one week last year

Jakarta (AFP) - from Yahoo

Don't breathe too deeply in Jakarta.
Air quality in the chaotic capital was in the healthy range for only seven days last year, William Frej, Indonesian mission director for the US Agency for International Development, said.

Last year was even worse than 2002 when the air was healthy for 22 days, he said at an embassy ceremony marking Earth Day.

"As we all know from travelling the streets of Jakarta each day, air pollution is a very, very serious problem," he said.

Skies over the capital of more than eight million are often hazy and many buses belch smoky black exhaust.

Frej said air pollution affects the health of more than 70 percent of the urban population, while respiratory inflammations account for almost 13 percent of deaths in Jakarta.

Indonesia has taken some anti-pollution steps. It has phased out leaded fuel over the past three years in Jakarta and other areas accounting for 40 percent of the national gasoline market.

White-collar females cling to trendy single status

Shanghai. BEIJING, April 26,(Xinhuanet)-- Liu Li, 29, is a Doctor of Law. She works at China's highest academic organization, and has a tight daily schedule: revising essays, reading, providing legal consultancy for companies and translating books. In order to get a state scholarship for studying abroad next year, she must pass the Public English Test System(PETS) exam.
Liu's boyfriend of five years works for a lawyer's office and earns a good salary. Wanting to end their marathon courtship, he proposed to Liu recently. After some heartsearching, she broke up with him."I have so many things to do, and I am happy with my single life. There's no need to talk about marriage," she told him.
Looking back five or ten years into China's past, such a phenomenon is unimaginable. But in today's Chinese metropolitan areas like Beijing and Shanghai, a large number of well-educated and well-paid white-collar female workers are enjoying a comfortable single life.
Economic Independence and Social Tolerance
Family ethics have always been paramount in China. Being a wife is traditionally considered a woman's main role and the quality of marriage is closely connected with happiness. In the past, single and divorced women were societally snubbed, but this has begun to change.
Single females make cash donations to the community. In Beijing in 1990, the number of single people between 30 and 50 was estimated at 100,000; in 2003, the number jumped to 500,000. Single females constitute 60 percent of all singles, and according to a Horizon Research Group survey conducted in six Chinese cities, 89.94 percent of well-educated females prefer the single life.
Experts interpret the emergence of a single female group as an indicator of Chinese women's increased social and economic independence. Societal development has given way to a friendly environment to pluralistic values, different lifestyles and individual freedom.
Social transition is another important factor at work. Under the planned economy, constraints like the household registration system(hukou) made single life difficult. The welfare housing system stated clearly that only married couples qualified for government allocated housing. Regardless of age, singles could only stay in small dormitories shared by several people. To qualify for benefits, some married hastily, promptly divorced and kept the house. Today, the commodity housing system has replaced welfare housing, but there is still a certain percentage of low and medium income females who get married for the sake of apartment.
"Being single is a way of life that brings high expectations on quality of life," says Professor Yan Hong, PhD."Some women don't want to be constrained by family burdens and children-- I am one of them." Yan, 33, is a single university professor and views marriage rationally:"Everything has two sides, and single and married life are no exceptions. No matter which life you choose, there are inevitable problems. My marital status will in no way influence my happiness and confidence."
Obstructions
Single females in big cities are characteristically very well educated, possessing a bachelor's degree at least, have an average annual salary of above 50,000 yuan and either work in high profit industries or hold executive positions.
Parties are a good way to make friends. Confucius, the ancient Chinese sage, once said, "Ignorance is a woman's virtue." Ironically, intelligence and high positions can be obstacles for women seeking marriage partners. Within Chinese philosophy, men are superior to women, so Chinese men want to marry women intellectually inferior to them. A current example is the rumored difficulty women doctors experience when looking for a spouse, a hot topic in today's society.
Since China resumed the postgraduate enrolment system in 1978, many women have received academic credentials. With the enlarged enrolment in recent years, the year 2003 saw a total of 100,000 students studying for a doctorate degree, 20 to 25 percent of them female. Women holding high academic credentials are popularly assumed to be unattractive and arrogant. For the majority of Chinese men, therefore, women doctors are not a popular choice.
In southern China's Nanjing City, Ai Hua, 28, is studying for a doctorate. Pressured by family members, she went to a matrimonial agency for help and gave false information about her academic credentials."I do not care if my boyfriend's academic credentials are lower than mine," she says."But Chinese men feel shamed if their girlfriends are better educated than they are."
Duan Mei, a well-known journalist for a famous Chinese newspaper, is in her forties. Because her journalism career has broadened her horizons, she is reluctant to marry just any man. But as the men she considers her intellectual and social equal are generally married, she prefers to stay single."I would rather remain single than lower my standards."
Age is another barrier. Single women that dedicate their youth to career development find that when they are ready for marriage, society doesn't look kindly on older brides. In China, marriage is a difficult problem for women over 30; it is widely accepted for men to be older than their wives, but the opposite has not yet become a popular phenomenon.
"I've received pressure from my family and friends, but I don't think it's a enough reason to marry," says Yan Hong. Her unmarried state is a headache for her, and an embarrassment to her family. To escape endless nagging and save face for her parents, Yan did not go home at Spring Festival.
A Trendy Life
Free of family burdens, single women have a high disposable income, and tend to be impulse buyers. Susceptible to advertising, entertainment, and media aimed directly at them, this group has triggered the"single woman economy."
In China's metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai, there are many chic single females in well-furnished office buildings, shopping malls, salons, bars, and gymnasiums-- they represent the driving force of trendy consumption. The single woman economy has aroused general concern, and lured by lucrative market prospects, various international brands have staked out the Chinese market for a piece of the action.
A single woman's home is a key indicator of her economic strength. In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf said that a room and enough money were prerequisite to a woman who wants to write. Nowadays, single females are striving for their own apartments, which provide personal space, a sense of security and are a good investment.
In the first half of 2001, the number of female apartment buyers increased by 52 percent over the same period in 2000. Based on this market information, shrewd real estate developers promoted mini apartments for the niche market, and made special discounts. With a successful market orientation, Men Vs Women, a mini apartment project designed for singles, was a huge hit in 2003; on April 20, 300 flats were sold shortly after sales began. At 7,000-9,000 yuan per square meter, they were far more expensive than the average apartment, but this did not deter buyers, many of whom were women.

sumber: sina.com - http://english.sina.com/news/life/6270278.shtml

Udah gua buatin 'Articles Section' buat tulis headline news ato informasi lain.

5 artikel paling baru akan muncul full di home page, 10 terakhir di latests articles (bareng ama latest reviews, translations, fictions).

Category: Indonesia, World, Business, Entertainment, Health, Sports, Technology. Bilang yah kalo kurang.