Archive for October, 2008
Princeton students experiment with hypnosis
NEW JERSEY — At Princeton University, a new club offers another outlet for student experimentation. Peter Hummon, a first-year computer science graduate student, recently founded the Princeton University Hypnosis workshop, according to an article in The Daily Princetonian.
As president of the hypnosis club, Hummon often finds himself challenging the stigma that hypnosis is often associated with. For instance, when he tells people at parties that he’s a hypnotist, they often, “cover their eyes, change the subject or dash across the room,” he said.
Hummon explained that, contrary to the notion that “once someone is hypnotized, they lose control, they lose their free will, … a hypnotist could never force someone to do something they don’t want to do.”
Hypnosis, he said, makes the mind more alert and can help with habit formation, like breaking a cigarette addiction.
Hummon also noted that, while in a trance, people are able to get in touch with their subconscious, giving them a sharper memory and clearer insight.
In an interview with the Princetonian, Hummon talked about a client who worked in the movie industry and was dissatisfied with his job. After a hypnosis session conjured memories of his talent for media communications, he decided to pursue a degree in the subject. Now, he is much happier with his life.
“He is one of my biggest success stories,” Hummon said.
As far as practicing hypnosis on campus, Hummon said that college provides an ideal environment.
“When you are young in life and you are first in college and you first get to know yourself — you first kind of take those initial steps — you’re much more open-minded, you’re much more curious, you’re much more willing to take on things.”
Indonesian students host month-long culinary party
SUBRAYA — Students from Indonesia’s Ciputra University held a month-long food festival to develop their entrepreneurial skills and lure tourists with an appetite for exotic cuisine.
Departments ranging from visual design to psychology staffed food booths offering savory delicacies.
“This event is a good opportunity for students to exercise their entrepreneurship and show their skills in producing Surabaya’s unique food and snacks,” said Tony Antonio, the head of the university, at the fiesta’s opening ceremony.
Because of the rising demand for new jobs in the region, entrepreneurial classes are mandatory.
“The city is in need of skilled small and middle-scale enterprises to promote culinary tourism and generate new jobs to cope with the unemployment in the city,” Antonio said.
And what better way to combat unemployment than to throw a party?
Reach reporter Sara Grimes at news@dailyuw.com.
Source: http://dailyuw.com
October 31st, 2008
Selama ini orisinalitas kopi luwak sering diragukan. Namun, tidak ada yang meragukan kenikmatan kopi jenis arabica tersebut. Rollaas Cafe di City of Tomorrow menjadikan kopi asli Indonesia itu sebagai ikon. Menyambut Surabaya Hot Sale (SHS), kafe yang terkenal dengan keunggulan sajian menu minumannya tersebut memberikan diskon hingga 30 persen untuk seluruh jenis minuman.
Para pengguna Telkomsel, Simpati, bisa menikmati sajian kopi luwak yang dihidangkan spesial dengan coffee syphon hanya dengan membayar Rp 70 ribu dari harga normal Rp 100 ribu. Selain kopi luwak, para pengunjung bisa menikmati sajian minuman spesial lainnya. Di antaranya, cokelat, stroberi, teh, atau kopi.
Namun, para pengunjung selain pengguna Simpati tidak perlu khawatir. Hanya dengan membeli minimal Rp 100 ribu di anchor tenant Hypermart atau Matahari Department Store, para pengunjung bisa mendapatkan diskon 30 persen untuk seluruh jenis minuman.
Yang menyukai sajian minuman cokelat bisa mencoba menu cokelat andalan Rollaas Cafe, Ice Chocolate Malt. Terbuat dari campuran cokelat lokal pilihan berkualitas dengan cokelat impor dari Amerika, minuman cokelat tersebut dilengkapi topping whipped cream dengan saus cokelat yang menggoda. Sajian yang menjadi menu favorit anak muda itu bisa dinikmati hanya dengan membayar Rp 19.250 dari harga semula Rp 27.500.
Pencinta sajian minuman stroberi dijamin mendapatkan keaslian rasa stroberi dari rangkaian menu minuman stroberi ala Rollaas Cafe. Tidak hanya minuman dingin, minuman stroberi hangat tersedia. Salah satu menu yang pantas dicoba adalah Chocolate Hint Strawberry. Menu spesial itu terbuat dari cokelat dengan stroberi yang sudah diblender, kemudian dipanaskan. Minuman hangat dengan rasa manis itu hanya seharga Rp 21 ribu dari harga semula Rp 30 ribu.
Diskon tersebut bisa bertambah jika para pengunjung membeli senilai Rp 500 ribu di Hypermart atau Matahari. “Diskon yang diberikan bertambah menjadi 50 persen untuk seluruh jenis minuman,” ujar Anton Sukamto, store manager Rollaas Cafe. (ken/kum)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
October 31st, 2008
Traces of Admiral Cheng Ho’s journey through this country hundreds of years ago are still remembered even today.
After three years of painstaking efforts, Muhammad Cheng Ho Sriwijaya Mosque now stands proudly in the Jakabaring neighborhood in South Sumatra’s capital city Palembang.
Strategically located near the Jakabaring marketplace, this mosque is always packed with worshipers, even though the construction project is not entirely finished.
Ahmad Afandi, regional coordinator for South Sumatra’s Pembina Iman Tauhid Islam organization, said the idea to build the mosque in Palembang was first broached following a visit to the Cheng Ho mosque in Surabaya, East Java, several years ago.
“At first, the idea was hard to put into action. Limited funds and unavailable land were the main obstacles,” he said.
Historical accounts describe how the Ming Dynasty legend Cheng Ho, also known as Zheng He, embarked with an entourage of 30,000 soldiers, officials, accountants, merchants, healers, fortunetellers and interpreters on a world voyage to advance trade, exploration, diplomacy and exchange of scientific and cultural knowledge.
The devout Muslim set out on seven missions of exploration all told, reaching Sri Lanka, India, the Middle East, Africa and many parts of this country.
The Palembang mosque, originally planned for the Simpang Patal area, ended up in Jakabaring when a Muslim of Chinese descent granted his plot of land for the purpose.
The mosque, large enough to accommodate 2,000 people, has a unique architectural design with touches of Palembang, Islam, China and the Middle East.
Its main dome resembles the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina whereas its 17-meter minarets employ a Chinese pagoda style with octagonal perimeters.
Rooms for ritual ablutions are located on both sides of the main building. That symmetry is reinforced by the exterior stairways on the left and right sides.
The mosque gate is topped with a typical Palembang pyramidal roof.
“The mosque’s architecture is designed to symbolize the unity and harmony of the Muslim community,” Ahmad said.
Muhammad Cheng Ho Sriwijaya Mosque is larger than Surabaya’s Cheng Ho mosque.
Built on a plot of 4,995 square meters, its structure measures 625 square meters with four small domes framing its corners.
“It followed the concept of Cheng Ho in Surabaya but ours has more varied colors,” Ahmad said.
The combination of red as China’s distinct color and green which invokes Islam is prominently featured in the mosque, which construction started in June 2005 to commemorate the centenary of commander Cheng Ho’s arrival in the country.
Its main dome is 12 meters in diameter and about six meters high. The tip of the dome will later be decorated with the transparent word “Allah”, through which light from inside can escape, illuminating the night sky.
With construction ongoing, the mosque will also have an office, a multipurpose room and a library.
“We wish to see this mosque provide more than just a place of worship and serve other religious and social activities. We hope it will be a religious center for those interested in deepening their knowledge of Islam,” Ahmad said.
– Khairul Saleh
Source: The Jakarta Post
October 30th, 2008
Students from different universities in Jakarta joined forces Monday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Youth Pledge with an exhibition showcasing the finest of Indonesian batik.
Having decked out Atmajaya University in South Jakarta as a big kampung, the Kampoeng 80, the students presented 80 pieces of fine batik from various parts of the country.
“We chose to observe the historical Youth Pledge with batik because Indonesia has many kinds of batik from all across the country. It represents the diversity of Indonesia,” said Indah, a member of the event’s organizing committee.
The Youth Pledge marks a milestone in Indonesian history. On Oct. 28, 1928, youths from various cultures and areas gathered together to pledge their allegiance to “one country, one nation, one language: Indonesia”.
Under the theme of Reborn Indonesia, students from Atmajaya University, the University of Indonesia and Al Azhar University will showcase Indonesian music, cuisine and batik, from Oct. 24 to 28.
The highlight of the celebrations will be the unfurling Tuesday of a giant batik banner with the Youth Pledge printed on it, over the tallest building on the Atmajaya campus.
Most of the batik displayed Monday originated in Surakarta, Central Java, and are said to be very old and steeped in legend. Their owners, mostly descendants of the Javanese nobility, lent them out for the occasion.
Rumini, 64, the owner of one old batik cloth displaying a Sekar Jagad motif, said her father wore that piece at his 1948 inauguration as district head of Pacitan, East Java.
“The handmade motif belongs to our family… My father was so handsome in it,” she recalled with a smile.
Rumini is also the keeper of a 108-year-old piece inherited from her parents.
“I am the fourth generation (entrusted with the batik) and I will give it to my daughter who deserves to have it,” said Rumini, who runs a batik home industry.
She said a Malaysian national had asked her to sell him the batik for his private collection, but she refused, despite the high price offered.
“I will keep it because it belongs to my family; also I do not want outsiders stealing the motifs,” she said.
Monday’s exhibition also featured a workshop on making batik using canting (a small brass receptacle for pouring liquid wax onto cloth) and wax.
“It’s exciting,” one visitor said. “I tried making batik with the canting and it was quite difficult.”
Besides small-scale batik traders from outside Jakarta, major batik producers such as Danar Hadi and Batik Semar also took part in the exhibition. (naf)
Source: The Jakarta Post
October 29th, 2008
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
Around 350 students from Ciputra University conducted a sparkling monthlong food fiesta at the Citraland township to exercise their entrepreneurial skills and promote culinary tourism in the city.
Students from the schools of International Business Management, Tourism and Hotel Management, Information Technology, Interior Design, Visual Communication Design and Psychology have set up their own stands at a food court, selling various delicious dishes and snacks at competitive prices.
“This event is a good opportunity for students to exercise their entrepreneurship and show their skills in producing Surabaya’s unique food and snacks,” university rector Tony Antonio said at the fiesta’s opening ceremony.
“Students are expected to draw some good lessons from the monthlong food fiesta to improve their entrepreneurial spirit.”
Tony said all students from all of the university’s schools had to study entrepreneurialism.
“Entrepreneurship lectures are obligatory for all students for the first three years to produce graduates with strong entrepreneurial skills because of the increasing demand for innovative entrepreneurs,” he said, adding that most graduates were expected not to seek jobs but to generate jobs themselves through their own enterprises.
Surabaya deputy mayor Arif Afandi praised the food fiesta, which he said would help the city administration promote Surabaya’s unique food and its developing culinary tourism.
“The city is in need of skilled small and middle-scale enterprises to promote culinary tourism and generate new jobs to cope with the unemployment in the city,” he said.
The number of tourists to the city from other provinces and other ASEAN countries has increased over the past three years because of the development of the property sector and culinary tourism and ecotourism, he added.
Chairman of the city’s tourism promotions board Haryono Gondosuwito asked the university to enhance its cooperation with the city authorities to promote the culinary tourism industry, which he said had attracted a lot of interest among an increasing number of domestic and foreign tourists.
Source: The Jakarta Post
October 28th, 2008
Regional regulations about a non-smoking zone and limited-smoking area were finally approved yesterday by the Surabaya City Council.
Head of the special committee for drafting the regulation Retna Wangsa Bawana said the regulation includes 14 Articles determining non-smoking and limited smoking areas.
It has been defined that a non-smoking zone is an area prohibited for producing, selling, promoting and/or using cigarettes. The area covers health facilities, places of worship, teaching places, children’s playground, and public transportation.
She explained smoking is only allowed at certain places. “Government offices should provide a place for smoking,” she said.
Retna said sanctions will be imposed for anybody violating the laws. The sanctions includes a warning and a fine.
Anybody smoking in a non-smoking area will be sentenced to a maximum of three months in prison or a fine up to Rp50 million.
Surabaya mayor’s deputy Arif Affandi said the regulation is to protect citizens who do not smoke. “We will apply the regulation immediately,” he said. The Surabaya government will publicize which areas are allowed for smoking and those that are prohibited.
Arif said that special police units will supervise the bill’s application. “They will find any possible violation and submit it to the court,” he said.
DINI MAWUNTYAS | ROHMAN TAUFIQ
Source: http://www.tempointeractive.com/
October 27th, 2008
SURABAYA-Museum Rekor Indonesia (Muri) kembali mencatat rekor baru di dunia wedding tanah air. Kali ini menyangkut dekorasi pengantin tertinggi dengan konstruksi tiga level karya Arie Sugiarto dari Arie Florist Decoration & Cake Surabaya. Pengukuhan rekor baru itu dilakukan tadi malam pukul 20.20 oleh Manajer Muri Paulus Pangka di tengah pesta pernikahan pasangan David Sunarto dan Wenny Anggraini di hall A lantai 5 The Empire Palace.
Tatanan dekorasi mempelai dengan gaya klasik Eropa tersebut berdiri megah. Konstruksinya memiliki tiga tingkat. Masing-masing tingkat dihubungkan dengan tangga yang terbuat dari besi berukir. Kursi mempelai berada di tingkat 2, lalu di atasnya dibuat sebuah balkon.
Dekorasi tersebut memiliki panjang 25 m, tinggi 12 m, dan lebar 12,5 m. Rangka dalamnya disusun dengan kerangka besi. Bagian dindingnya dibuat dari tripleks. Pilar-pilarnya terbuat dari kayu, sedangkan ukiran-ukiran yang menghiasi dekorasi terbuat dari styrofoam. ”Sejak lama, saya ingin membuat dekorasi seperti ini,” kata Arie.
Selain megah, dekorasi tersebut penuh bunga. Tiap tingkat dihiasi rangkaian bunga segar beraneka jenis dan warna. Ada bunga lili casablanca, lili star gayser, calalely, mawar holland, dan hydrangea. Di depan dekorasi itu, terbentang karpet putih yang ditempeli bunga berwarna merah.
Undangan tidak hanya disuguhi keindahan dekorasi, tapi juga sebuah pertunjukan kejutan. Setelah memotong wedding cake, pengantin naik ke lantai dua. Mereka masuk ke dalam tirai berwarna merah. Para undangan mulai bertanya-tanya ke mana gerangan perginya mereka. Tiba-tiba, David dan Wenny muncul di balkon lantai tiga, lalu melakukan wedding kiss. Hidrolis yang membantu mereka muncul tiba-tiba di lantai 3. ”Momen ini menjadi sangat spesial buat kami berdua,” kata David. David adalah putra keluarga Eddy Sunarto, sedangkan Wenny merupakan putri keluarga Teddy Irawan. (jan/ari)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
October 27th, 2008
Senin Yang Murah Siomay, Rabu Bakso Sapi
Melancong ke Food City di ITC Surabaya Mega Grosir selama even Surabaya Hot Sale (SHS) 2008 sangat menyenangkan. Banyak gerai yang memberikan promosi menarik.
Wajah Nurita Aditarini, 23, berbinar-binar saat meninggalkan gerai Resto Bintang di Food City Surabaya Mega Grosir. Rupanya, setelah melahap nasi kebuli, menu favoritnya, uang di dompetnya cuma berkurang sedikit. Gerai makanan yang didatanginya itu memberikan penawaran menarik. Untuk setiap pembelian menu nasi kebuli, diberikan gratis satu menu nasi kebuli. ”Lumayan, niatnya nraktir teman, eh ternyata saya hanya harus bayar satu porsi,” ujar wanita berlesung pipit itu.
Ya, momen Surabaya Hot Sale (SHS) 2008 ini memang menjadikan Food City bak surga makanan murah. Memang, di hari-hari lainnya, pusat makanan ITC Surabaya Mega Grosir itu sudah mematok harga ramah dompet. Namun, di even SHS 2008 ini, promosinya lebih besar lagi.
”Hampir setiap gerai minimum memberikan potongan harga 10 persen. Ada juga yang sampai 25 persen,” kata Avy Chujnijah, supervisor promosi ITC Surabaya Mega Grosir. Bisa dibayangkan, betapa murah harga beragam penganan di pusat makanan seluas 2.000 meter persegi itu.
Salah satu gerai makanan yang memangkas drastis menu makanannya adalah Orchid Hongkong Dimsum. Biasanya, untuk setiap paket dimsum, dijajakan Rp 9.500. Memeriahkan SHS 2008, menu dimsum itu kini bisa dinikmati hanya dengan Rp 6.000. ”Menu promosi ini bergantian setiap hari,” ujar Sumaryono, chef de party Orchid Hongkong Dimsum.
Pada hari Senin misalnya, promo berlaku untuk siomay ayam. Selasa, giliran kaki ayam yang mendapat harga murah. Rabu, promo bakso sapi, Kamis untuk kecha, dan Jumat diskon besar aneka bubur.
Beberapa gerai makanan memberikan penawaran berbeda. Resto Bintang misalnya. Tempat makan yang dikelola Esiyati tersebut menawarkan buy one get two untuk pembelian menu nasi kebuli. Normalnya, untuk dua posri nasi kebuli, pengunjung dipatok Rp 30 ribu. Karena ada promosi ini, pengunjung hanya membayar Rp 15 ribu untuk dua porsi nasi kebuli. Bila di hitung, tiap porsi nasi dijajakan Rp 7.500.
Selain untuk menikmati ragam makanan murah, Food City merupakan jujugan menyenangkan untuk bersantai. Memanjakan pengunjungnya, pusat makanan yang terletak di lantai 3 tersebut dilengkapi delapan titik hot spot. Ada juga hiburan live music dan karaoke yang bisa dinikmati untuk umum. (ign/kum)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
October 24th, 2008
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Thirty-five kings from across the country will gather in Yogyakarta on Oct. 28 to consider Sultan Hamengkubuwono X’s bid for the presidency, the event’s organizer said Wednesday.
“Based on the statement from chairman of the Indonesian Nusantara Palaces Network Forum, Ida Cokorda Denpasar IX Ida Cokorda Ngurah Jambe Pamecutan, who is also a Balinese king, 35 kings will attend the pisowanan agung (great meeting),” said Meth Kusumohadi, chairman of the meeting’s committee.
He added the kings considered Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono a charismatic leader, and wished to hear directly about his political ambitions.
Thousands of Yogyakarta residents will also be in attendance, grouped into 21 social hierarchies, including farmers, fishermen, traders, legislative council members and university rectors.
Other dignitaries will include representatives from the neighboring provinces of Central Java and East Java.
Hamengkubuwono has repeatedly said he has no ambition to be president, and has instead dedicated much of his time serving the people of Yogyakarta. Now, however, speculation is swirling over whether he is on the verge of being nominated as president.
Hamengkubuwono was hailed as one of the strongest presidential candidates from the Golkar Party, the country’s largest, during the party’s national leadership meeting that ended in Jakarta last Sunday.
Recent surveys put the Yogyakarta governor in prime position over Vice President and Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla.
Several party executives have voiced their support for Hamengkubuwono, following Kalla’s hinting he would likely run again as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s running mate in next year’s election.
While Golkar loyalists are predicting a win in the legislative election — as indicated in most surveys — the party’s presidential candidates, especially Kalla, are faring far poorer than other parties’ candidates, particularly the Democratic Party’s Yudhoyono and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri.
The pisowanan committee’s Bondan Nusantara of Merti Yogyakarta said the mass gathering would be a civilized political event.
“From Yogyakarta for Indonesia: That’s the theme of the pisowanan agung on Oct. 28,” Bondan said.
He said the gathering would inspire other regions to conduct politics in a cultured way and be respectful of differences and diversity.
As a cultural political gathering, he went on, the meeting would also feature various art performances, including angguk, reog, barongsai, hadrah and jathilan.
Several popular artists, including Trie Utami, Franki Sahilatua, Katon Bagaskara, as well as bands such as Kilimanjaro Band and Kyai Kanjeng, will also be on hand to liven up the gathering.
“Yes, the gathering is a political meeting. But we want to show that politics in Yogyakarta, a cultural city, is about gentility and peace,” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
October 24th, 2008
SURABAYA - Setelah tahun lalu sukses, Taman Budaya Jawa Timur (TBJT) kembali menggelar Festival Kesenian Pesisir Utara (FKPU) mulai hari ini (23/10) hingga 26 Oktober mendatang. Kali ini dipusatkan di Pantai Wisata Idola Bentar, Kecamatan Genting, Kabupaten Probolinggo.
Festival akan diikuti duta seni dari 14 kabupaten/kota di wilayah pesisir utara. Yakni Surabaya, Tuban, Lamongan, Gresik, Sidoarjo, Kota/kabupaten Pasuruan, Kota/Kabupaten Probolinggo, Situbondo, Bangkalan, Sampang, Sumenep, dan Pamekasan. Mereka akan menyajikan kesenian tradisi masing-masing yang semakin langka.
”Festival kali kedua ini dikemas dalam warna, suasana, dan nuansa yang berbeda,” kata Kepala TBJT Drs Pribadi Agus Santoso MM.
Sebagai rangkaian acara pendukung akan diselenggarakan Festival Ronjengan Agoyang dan Festival Seni Pertunjukan yang merupakan agenda rutin kesenian bagi seniman dan masyarakat Kabupaten Probolinggo.(jan/ari)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
October 23rd, 2008
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