Earth Hour Aims for Hope in Darkened World

The full moon rises behind the statue of Mahathma Gandhi in Hyderabad on March 19, 2011. Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moons orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee). Nearby perigee moons are about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moons orbit. According to US Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. The full Moon of March 19 occurs less than one hour away from perigeea near-perfect coincidence that happens only 18 years or so.

Lights will go out around the world Saturday with hundreds of millions of people set to take part in the Earth Hour climate change campaign, which this year will also mark Japan’s earthquake and tsunami.
From across the Pacific, to Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, iconic landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, New York’s Empire State building and the Eiffel Tower in Paris will go dark.
“Earth Hour is like a New Year’s Eve,” Earth Hour co-founder and executive director Andy Ridley told AFP from the group’s Sydney office.
“It’s meant to be a celebration — it’s a bit different this year because of the Japan stuff — but it’s meant to be about hope and the future.”
Ridley said in Sydney and other cities, some Earth Hour events would hold a minute’s silence to mark the devastating 9.0-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Japan this month that left more than 25,000 people dead or missing.
The disaster followed a deadly earthquake in New Zealand’s Christchurch and massive floods in Australia in January, which devastated thousands of homes and ruined crops and infrastructure.
“It’s been a bad start to the year, and I guess it’s an opportunity to take a moment and think about that,” Ridley said, adding that the campaign had a different focus in every location and not all events would mention Japan’s catastrophe.
The Earth Hour movement, which aims to raise awareness about climate change by switching off lights for 60 minutes, hopes to bring people together to think about what they can do to reduce harmful carbon pollution blamed for rising temperatures.
Environmental group WWF International helped initiate Earth Hour in Sydney in 2007, and by 2010 the energy-saving event had grown to engage hundreds of millions of people in 4,616 cities and 128 countries and territories.
“We didn’t imagine right at the beginning... it would be on the scale that it is now,” said Ridley.
“And the fact that it is so cross-cultural, beyond borders and race and religion,” he added, saying the event would never have grown so successfully without social networking sites such as Facebook.
This year organisers are focussing on connecting people online so they can inspire each other to go beyond the hour and make commitments to help the environment in their daily lives.
To do this they have created an online platform connected to the 14 top social media sites around the world, including Facebook and Twitter, which people will be easily able to access from mobile phones. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week backed Earth Hour.
“Earth Hour has become a special symbol of the determination of so many people to make a difference,” said Gillard, who is facing stiff opposition to her plan to introduce a tax on carbon pollution in Australia.
Ridley said that despite the growth of the event, which organisers said was the largest voluntary action ever witnessed in 2010, the ideals of the global movement had not changed.
“When we first started this we were trying to effectively take the temperature, we were trying to prove or see whether, contrary to some commentators, whether or nor people cared (about climate change),” he said.
“I think there is a massive consensus for action, not just on climate change.
“The idea of this is not to engage in the ’why we can’t do anything’ debate but absolutely talk about what can be done.” The first lights going off Saturday will be in Fiji and New Zealand’s Chatham Islands, before cities and landmarks around the world follow suit.
Other iconic structures due to go dark include the Sydney Opera House, Indonesia’s National Monument, London’s Eye and Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue.

Indonesia Claims to be Ready to Deal with Coup

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government was prepared to deal with any party trying to stage a coup by military or non-military means.
"If a coup really happens, we are ready to cope with it with military power," Purnomo said on the sidelines of an international defense dialog here on Wednesday.
He said he had never received a report about a number of retired army generals seeking to topple the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with the help of an Islamic hardline group.
"We (the government) have never heard about it. We have never received reports about anybody planning a coup," he said.
But he also said the government would keep monitoring developments in the field and use its security apparatus to check the truth of the foreign media’s report. Purnomo said if the coup report was true, the government would deal with the plotters with military power.
"For now, the government will not take any action until all detailed data and information about the issue have been collected," he said.
Al-Jazeera television station recently reported that a number of retired three-star generals in Indonesia had been behind the recent anti-Ahmadiyah campaign and violence against followers of the small Islamic sect. It said the generals secretly supported the hardline group because they had the same goal, namely unseating President Yudhoyono from power.
"They have come just to give support," chief of the Islam Reform Movement, Chep Hernawan, said according to Al Jazeera on Tuesday. "They said the jihad must continue. We must not stop until the liar steps down," he said.
Chep said the retired generals approached him at the end of January or around a month before violence against Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten. He said the generals were fed up with all the lies President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s government had been telling the people.
"The three-star generals asked what issue would be used to topple President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Century case has failed. Perhaps the Ahmadiyah issue," he said.
Based on his confession,. Al Jazeera journalist Step Vassen said the generals supported the hardline Islamic group. They considered Yudhoyono to be too weak and reformist.

Why Sleep is The Key to Success

 It is one of our most basic functions, as important as the in and out of our breath. Our need for sleep is primal, yet the pace of life means it's often pushed to the periphery, sacrificed at the altar of work, friends, study and fun.
But now science is beginning to show that getting the right amount of sleep might be the key to making the rest of our lives run more smoothly.
Increasingly, research is indicating that the quality and quantity of our sleep affects every part of our lives, from success in work and school to our likelihood of developing problems such as obesity or mental illness.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Neurology last year, American researchers highlighted the growing body of research confirming that students who have insomnia, inadequate sleep, daytime sleepiness, irregular sleep patterns or poor sleep quality do not perform as well in school as others.
Many sleep researchers now advocate the introduction of staggered start times for older high-school students - one of the most under-slept groups in society after shift workers.
But the most cutting edge of sleep research is beginning to show it seems also to be linked to mental illness.
Nicholas Glozier is at the forefront of such research in his work as a professor of psychiatry and sleep research at the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney.
He says lack of sleep is one of the most common problems for which people seek help from GPs, with about one-third of women and one-quarter of men saying they have trouble falling or staying asleep.
The average Australian sleeps for about 8¼ hours a day - much less than that and you may not be getting enough. The average sleep period for a teenager is about seven hours. People who get six hours or less a night are at risk of illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorder.
Professor Glozier published research late last year that followed 20,000 people aged 17 to 24 for a year. It found those who slept less than five hours a night were three times more likely than normal sleepers to become psychologically distressed.
A big question for researchers is whether sleep deprivation is a cause or effect of mental illness.
"One of the real issues with sleep research at the moment is it is a bit like where psychiatry was 15 years ago," he says. "We really don't know whether [improving sleep] is going to impact on other health outcomes."
In the next 15 years - provided research is well funded by governments and universities - Glozier says we will be on our way to finding some of the answers.
One researcher who has conducted an Australian-first trial into sleep and teenagers is Amanda Gamble, a psychologist and research fellow with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
For many of the teenagers Dr Gamble sees, sleep has become a stressful part of life. It causes fights with parents and absences from school. One patient's parents were so desperate, they would spray their child with water in the mornings to force them up.
"For most of these teenagers, falling asleep and staying asleep has made them feel incredibly out of control and it's quite a frightening thing," she says. "If you can't control a basic bodily process that happens every single day, there's no escaping it."
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Her research, unpublished, has shown that through a four-session program using cognitive behavioural therapy, not only were patients getting to sleep earlier and sleeping longer, they also became less depressed and anxious. She is recruiting teenagers for a larger version of the study.
For some, sleep is as simple as rolling into bed and snoring within minutes. But those who lie awake for hours can attest to the way sleep deprivation can creep into every crevice of life. But now science is catching up and beginning to reveal the intricate connections between how we sleep and how we live.
INSOMNIA CAUSES:
Medical
* Obstructive sleep apnoea
* Narcolepsy
* Drug or alcohol addiction
* Restless legs syndrome
* Depression and anxiety disorders
* Neurological conditions — dementia, Parkinson's
* Hormone changes — menstruation, menopause
Behavioural or social
* Increased working hours
* Shift work
* Major life event — divorce, bereavement, job loss
* Jet lag
* Poor "sleep hygiene" — irregular sleeping times, caffeine before bed, inadequate exercise



It is one of our most basic functions, as important as the in and out of our breath. Our need for sleep is primal, yet the pace of life means it's often pushed to the periphery, sacrificed at the altar of work, friends, study and fun.
But now science is beginning to show that getting the right amount of sleep might be the key to making the rest of our lives run more smoothly.
Increasingly, research is indicating that the quality and quantity of our sleep affects every part of our lives, from success in work and school to our likelihood of developing problems such as obesity or mental illness.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Neurology last year, American researchers highlighted the growing body of research confirming that students who have insomnia, inadequate sleep, daytime sleepiness, irregular sleep patterns or poor sleep quality do not perform as well in school as others.
Many sleep researchers now advocate the introduction of staggered start times for older high-school students - one of the most under-slept groups in society after shift workers.
But the most cutting edge of sleep research is beginning to show it seems also to be linked to mental illness.
Nicholas Glozier is at the forefront of such research in his work as a professor of psychiatry and sleep research at the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney.
He says lack of sleep is one of the most common problems for which people seek help from GPs, with about one-third of women and one-quarter of men saying they have trouble falling or staying asleep.
The average Australian sleeps for about 8¼ hours a day - much less than that and you may not be getting enough. The average sleep period for a teenager is about seven hours. People who get six hours or less a night are at risk of illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorder.
Professor Glozier published research late last year that followed 20,000 people aged 17 to 24 for a year. It found those who slept less than five hours a night were three times more likely than normal sleepers to become psychologically distressed.
A big question for researchers is whether sleep deprivation is a cause or effect of mental illness.
"One of the real issues with sleep research at the moment is it is a bit like where psychiatry was 15 years ago," he says. "We really don't know whether [improving sleep] is going to impact on other health outcomes."
In the next 15 years - provided research is well funded by governments and universities - Glozier says we will be on our way to finding some of the answers.
One researcher who has conducted an Australian-first trial into sleep and teenagers is Amanda Gamble, a psychologist and research fellow with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
For many of the teenagers Dr Gamble sees, sleep has become a stressful part of life. It causes fights with parents and absences from school. One patient's parents were so desperate, they would spray their child with water in the mornings to force them up.
"For most of these teenagers, falling asleep and staying asleep has made them feel incredibly out of control and it's quite a frightening thing," she says. "If you can't control a basic bodily process that happens every single day, there's no escaping it."
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Her research, unpublished, has shown that through a four-session program using cognitive behavioural therapy, not only were patients getting to sleep earlier and sleeping longer, they also became less depressed and anxious. She is recruiting teenagers for a larger version of the study.
For some, sleep is as simple as rolling into bed and snoring within minutes. But those who lie awake for hours can attest to the way sleep deprivation can creep into every crevice of life. But now science is catching up and beginning to reveal the intricate connections between how we sleep and how we live.
INSOMNIA CAUSES:
Medical
* Obstructive sleep apnoea
* Narcolepsy
* Drug or alcohol addiction
* Restless legs syndrome
* Depression and anxiety disorders
* Neurological conditions — dementia, Parkinson's
* Hormone changes — menstruation, menopause
Behavioural or social
* Increased working hours
* Shift work
* Major life event — divorce, bereavement, job loss
* Jet lag
* Poor "sleep hygiene" — irregular sleeping times, caffeine before bed, inadequate exercise

Coup Attempt Masterminded by Indonesian Generals Denied

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said there was no such thing as a coup attempt, masterminded by several generals.
"I indeed have heard of the information since ten days ago but there is no such thing," he said here Wednesday on the sidelines of the Jakarta International Defense Dialog (JIDD).
Djoko said Indonesia has been within the corridors of democracy corridor. "It is not that we have already developed democracy in our country," he said.
He stated the stages of democracy had been determined and regulated in laws. According to agreements further stages would be done along with the House of Representatives through political platforms, he said.
"Let us just follow the stages. Our democracy is leading to maturity. So, if we still find shortcomings here and there that is a mere part of the process," he said.
"This means," Djoko said "there have been laws and political processes as stages of democracy that have agreed upon in the framework of reform. We all know it, so let us just follow it," he said.
Al Jazeera television station reported on Tuesday that a number of retired three-star generals had been behind campaign against Ahmadiyah and the violence against members of the small Islamic sect recently.
The generals had secretly supported a hard-line organization because of their common goal of toppling the present government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who they considered too weak and too reformist.

Decree on Sunda Strait Bridge Project Expected in April

A presidential decree on the Sunda Strait bridge project is expected to be issued in April, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said.
"It is hoped the decree will be finalized next month," he said at the presidential office here on Wednesday after accompanying President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a meeting with board members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).
He stated the draft decree had long been discussed and passed the stages of discussion and therefore it was hoped it could be finished soon.
"If the draft is finished we will then harmonize it with the ministry of justice and then it will be referred to the President. Unless corrections are needed the draft after that will be considered final," he said. According to Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, ministers had been asked to discuss the draft for a week.
"Hopefully, in the next two weeks it will be signed. The instruction just now is that it must be done quickly. The Presidential decree among others regulates the executing authorities and methods for appointing the management later or investors," he said.
The construction of the bridge is scheduled to be started in 2014 and finished in less than 10 years.

The Korean Company to Invest in Indonesia's Petrochemical Industry

South Korean retail company Lotte Group plans to invest around US$5 billion in the Indonesian petrochemical industry, a minister said. The company was currently looking for a suitable location for its production facility to produce raw materials for petrochemical industry, Mohamad Suleman Hidayat said here on Wednesday.
"It is in the process of choosing Merak (Banten) or Tuban (East Java) as the location (for its production facility)," he said.
He said if the company realized its investment plan in Indonesia this year, the country would have naphta and condensate plants in the next five years. According to him, the government was making an effort to attract investors to build oil refineries capable of producing raw materials for the petrochemical industry such as naphta and condensate to meet rising demand from the chemical industry.
Lotte Group consists of over 60 business units employing 60,000 people engaged in such diverse industries as candy manufacturing, beverages, hotels, fast food, retail, financial services, heavy chemicals, electronics, information technology, construction, publishing, and entertainment.
Lotte has major operations by Shin Kyuk-Ho’s family located in Japan and South Korea with businesses in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, the United States, Russia, the Philippines and Poland.

Indonesia MUST Learn This from Japan

Now you see it...: This stretch of the Great Kanto highway was wrecked by deep chasms in the March 11 earthquake - but was repaired in just six days

It's a great concern for Jakartans if they find damaged highways or even toll roads because of poor construction that they need to be repaired over and over using people's tax.

A great lesson offered by Japan to the world is they can survive from the recent catastrophe as they realize a good will is always needed to develop its people before they develop their country - a precious lesson that Indonesia should take to combat corruption rattling and hampering its development.
The picture of gaping chasms in a Japanese highway demonstrated the power of the March 11 earthquake. Now the astonishing speed of reconstruction is being used to highlight the nation’s ability to get back on its feet.
Work began on March 17 and six days later the cratered section of the Great Kanto Highway in Naka was as good as new. It was ready to re-open to traffic last night.
Many workers returned to their jobs the day after the quake and subsequent tsunami and some businesses in the worst-hit regions have already reopened.
The Japanese recovery has prompted some investors, including American Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, to declare that the disaster which has left 23,000 dead or missing represents a ‘buying opportunity’ in the money markets.
Meanwhile, mothers in Tokyo were warned yesterday not to give tap water to their babies.
Cars with loudspeakers toured the streets of the capital after levels of radiation from the damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima, nearly 150 miles away, reached more than twice the safety level for children aged a year or less.
Supermarkets were quickly emptied of bottled water in many parts of the city. Parents were also told to ensure that milk was not from cows in the Fukushima district.
Tokyo residents said they had growing concerns about radiation.
‘If they’re saying it’s harmful for children because their bodies are smaller and dangerous iodine can accumulate in their thyroid glands, we can understand that,’ said 29-year-old department store worker Yasuke Harade.
‘But can we really believe it when they say that it’s OK for adults to drink the water? Can we cook our rice in tap water, can we drink tea, coffee? They’re telling us we can, but what is the truth?’
To add to the fears, two strong earthquakes shook the devastated east coast yesterday, and black smoke billowed once again from the crippled plant. The ‘Fukushima Fifty’, the team of courageous employees working inside the plant, and firemen spraying water on the complex were ordered to evacuate immediately.
It was not known when efforts to restore the plant’s cooling mechanism would be restarted. The scare followed reports that small amounts of radiation had travelled as far as Iceland.