'I'm slow-witted'

Yu, who describes himself as shy and introverted, said he would pore over
numbers with a calculator while he studied animal breeding at a
vocational school.
"I was extremely nervous during the presentation," Yu told CNN. "So
nervous that I wrote wrong numbers on the blackboard."
Yu only studies numbers in his free time and says he has never considered
full-time professional study. He attributed his talent to diligence and
solitude. He's also modest.
"I'm slow-witted," he says. "I need to spend far more time studying math
problems than others. Although I am sensitive to numbers, I barely have
any knowledge about calculus or geometry."
After local and national media reported on his findings, Yu has become a
local celebrity. A company that manufactures silk products has offered him
a less labor-intensive job to give him more time to study math.
Yu had never heard of the movie "Good Will Hunting," but says he's
curious to see it.
The 1997 drama, which stars Matt Damon and Robin Williams, tells the
fictional story of a maths genius who works as a janitor at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Slightly overwhelmed by his sudden fame, Yu said he is nevertheless
grateful for the new opportunities that hopefully lie ahead.
However, at age 33 and still single, he says his primary concern is to get
married.
"I want to have my own family first and then comes math."
Source : CNN NEWS February 16 ,
2015

Clear message'

While the German and French leaders have said the UK's vote to leave
must be respected and Britain must be given time to formulate its
negotiating strategy, both are facing re-election next year and under
domestic political pressure to drive a hard bargain.
They have suggested no special exceptions can be made for Britain in
terms of continued access to the EU's single market if, as Mrs May has
insisted, the UK absents itself from freedom of movement rules.
Image copyright AP Image caption The German chancellor is under
political pressure domestically with federal elections due to be held next
year
Ahead of the visit, Downing Street said Mrs May would underline the
importance of establishing strong personal relations with her European
counterparts and emphasise the value that the UK placed on its economic,
trading and security relationships with the two countries and its
commitment to continued strong ties outside the EU.
"These visits will be an opportunity to forge a strong working relationship
that we can build upon and which I hope to develop with more
leaders across the European Union in the weeks and months
ahead," she said.

"I do not under-estimate the challenge of negotiating our exit from the
European Union and I firmly believe that being able to talk frankly and
openly about the issues we face will be an important part of a successful
negotiation.
"I also want to deliver a very clear message about the importance we
attach to our bilateral relationship with our European partners, not just
now but also when we have left the European Union.
"These relationships have been vital in the past and they will be vital in
the future as we continue to work together to keep our people safe and to
support economic growth that benefits people across our countries."
The German government said the two leaders would also discuss the
refugee crisis in Europe and the political situation in Turkey following last
Friday's attempted coup.
Mrs Merkel was a strong ally in David Cameron's unsuccessful bid to
renegotiate the UK's membership as part of his goal of remaining in a
"reformed Europe", although French support for the former PM's effort to
secure a special status for the UK in the EU was more lukewarm.
The first time that Mrs May will face all 27 other EU leaders at the same
time will be at October's European Council meeting, by which point the
UK's strategy and the likely timeframe for talks should be much clearer.
Government lawyers told a court in London on Tuesday that Mrs May had
made clear she did not intend to deploy Article 50 before the end of 2016,
although Downing Street stressed that this was a decision for the
government to make.
Source : BBC NEWS April 26th 2013

Villas in bali
Sprawling villas are almost unheard of in Bali nowadays, thanks to the
regulations that the various levels of government have put in place. We
tink that it is very good that the District of Badung and the Municipality of
Denpasar now have Regent regulations (Perpub) and Mayorial regulations
(Perwali) governing villas, said head of the villas

Sprawling villas are almost unheard of in Bali nowadays, thanks to the

regulations that the various levels of government have put in place. We
tink that it is very good that the District of Badung and the Municipality of
Denpasar now have Regent regulations (Perpub) and Mayorial regulations
(Perwali) governing villas, said head of the Bali Villa Association (BVA)
Mangku Suteja, di Maca Villa & Spa, recently.
On the sidelines of BVAs anniversary celebrations, Mangku Suteja
emphasized that these regulations were set in place through mutual
efforts to ensure that villas as the second most common type of
accommodations after hotels, adhere to certain standards. IN this way the
quality of villas in Bali can continue to be improved upon. The heated

debates that had been going on regarding villas in Bali can be put to rest
with these regulations and pour quality villas can become a thing of the
past. Only villas that adhere to these regulations can become members
of the BVA, added Suteja.
At the moment there are 400 villas in Bali that are official members of the
BVA. Even before the new regulations, there was region bylaw (Permen
Parekraf No. 29 Tahun 2014) and yet there are still villas that do not
adhere to the standards. We hope that other areas of Bali create
their own regional bylaws that will push villa owners to adhere to
higher standards, he said.
Head of the Badung chapter of the BVA, Gede Nik Sukarta explained that
most of Bali,s villas are in fact located in Badung the richest district in
Bali. SO for villa owners in Badung the problem is the intense
comepetition that comes from the unregulated number of accommodation
available in this area. Badung alone has 95 thousand rooms and as a
result not only has the competition gotten out of control but this is bound
to have negative consequences for Bali including matters related to
infrastructure, this areas ability to support so many rooms, and other
issues stated Sukarta.
Agus Made Yoga Iswara also spoke of the fact that 2016 is bound to see
further issues arising with the effects of the AEC being felt including on
such matters as the short term marketing strategies so common in ASEAN
member countries. Now this new type of marketing will necessarily have
to be adopted by villa managers as will they have to target specific
markets, added Iswara.
Therefore, next month, the BVA will be hosting key speakers as part of
their anniversary celebrations. These speakers will include such
knowledgeable people as marketing expert Hermawan Kertajaya, the
Minister of Tourism and Mr. Joger. This event will be based on the concept
of Tri Hita Karana, as it there will be praye s, environmentally friendly
acitivities, and an educational seminar about human resources,
concluded Iswara. (BTN/015)
Source : BALI TRAVEL NEWS July 17th
2015

A hope for the voiceless and

defenseless
Kupang | Sat, May 14 2016 | 07:29 am

At my age it is thoroughly understandable that all these complications

arise; I am totally aware of that []. Elderly patients often say this when
seeking my health advice. This expression acts as a psychological
remedy for different conditions such as visual impairment,
neurodegenerative disease and other chronic diseases such as arthritis,
hypertension and heart problems. But embracing their condition often
means rejecting curative options.

The curse of old age does not stop there, as this portion of the
community, who have partially or completely retired and depend on
pension benefits, are often considered a burden on their families and
society. They are often marked as highly vulnerable to mental health
problems, mainly as a result of loneliness, low social interaction and
untreated depression.
This is truly alarming given an estimated 36 million older people in
Indonesia by the end of 2025. Such a huge demographic expansion as a
result of increased life expectancy in developing countries such as
Indonesia will be a true challenge for authorities.
The absence of appropriate geriatric management will amplify healthcare
costs, though Indonesia has gradually laid the stepping stones for
securing better health care for the elderly. A focus on health care for the
elderly has been gaining increased governmental attention since 1998
after the inauguration of Posyandu Lansia (integrated health service posts
for the elderly). In 2004, the government institutionalized the National
Commission on the Elderly (KNLU). This state institution is responsible for
managing cross-sectoral programs related to the elderly.
These initiatives aim to provide special healthcare for the elderly at the
rural level. However, several bottlenecks now impede these programs.
Firstly, inefficient bureaucracy and absence of comprehensive guidelines
result in a disproportionate distribution of patients among local health
service centers, i.e. community health center (puskesmas), posyandu and
public hospitals.
Instead of being properly ministered at smaller level healthcare providers,
untreated patients end up queuing endlessly at hospital receptions.
Unbalanced allocation of government funds often causes inadequate
numbers of paramedics and medication at community level health
providers. Typically, patients face delayed services, increased waiting
times and inadequate treatment quality.
Secondly, several factors related to the elderly are thought to exacerbate
the problems. Lack of awareness, partly because of ineffective health
promotion, insufficient funds and external factors, i.e. cultural perceptions
and stigma, contribute to restrictions among the elderly on maintaining
their health. This contributes to inefficient early monitoring of health and
assessment of preventive and curative treatments.

Therefore it is urgent to reform health care for the elderly in Indonesia.

Ineffective bureaucracy is the central problem. This can be remedied by
revitalizing community health centers role through healthcare training
and education, and improving remuneration for health professionals.
Reforming health care for the elderly should also include a comprehensive
yet concise set of guidelines on how health professionals work, interact
and address step-by-step care procedures. This would include early
screening and post-screening treatments by relevant care givers.
Again, the solution needs to be holistically designed for better geriatric
management in Indonesia,negating pessimistic stereotypes about aging.
Older people are an integral part of the community.
As such, powerful support from the whole community, as well as the
government, for better participation and post-retirement transition for the
elderly is needed.
The wise say, Treat others as you want to be treated.
This counsel needs to be repeatedly echoed as a moral underpinning to
properly manage health care for the elderly. I hope our good deeds will
be paid back when we our self retire.
________________________________
The writer is a medical doctor.
Source : THE JAKARTA POST May 14th
2016

Pacto Ltd. and PT Bali Prima Holidays Do

Social Actions

Pacto Ltd. and PT Bali Prima Holidays Do Social Actions Pacto Ltd. and PT.
Baliprima Holidays celebrated charity day 2016, Saturday (Jan. 9). These
two DMCs in Bali that belong to the same group of company brought the
theme Giving back to the community for this initiative.They carried out
the social action in three different
Pacto Ltd. and PT. Baliprima Holidays celebrated charity day 2016,
Saturday (Jan. 9).
These two DMCs in Bali that belong to the same group of company
brought the theme Giving back to the community for this initiative.They
carried out the social action in three different places: Tenganan village
Karangasem, Tirta Empul Temple in Tampaksiring and Cahaya Mutiara
Foundation Ubud, an organization who are taking care of people with
disabilities.
In Tenganan, they planted frangipani trees and handed over 12 garbage
bins to the chief of the cultural community. The same action was also
carried out in Tirta Empul Temple, donating the garbage bins to the
temples management to be placed around this tourist attraction.
Meanwhile in Cahaya Mutiara Foundation, they brought daily needs for the
less fortunate children who live under the care of this organization.
Rika Larasati, the General Manager of PT Baliprima Holidays said that the
charity day is a continuous program as a form of the companies concern
for the environment in Bali. We live in Bali and we earn our living from
tourism, so it is our responsibility to preserve Bali itself. Hopefully, this
aid can be utilized properly, she said when giving a short speech
at the Tenganan customary village. Besides, Rika also hoped that
Tenganan village will remain beautiful, comfortable and is still
attractive to be visited by domestic and foreign travelers as well
as it can become a favorite tourism village.

In the same occasion, A.A. Ngurah Rai Sapta Wibawa, the Finance and
Administration Manager of Pacto Ltd. said that in accordance with the
theme of the charity day, Pacto and Baliprima are trying to return what
has been obtained from the society or environment. In Tirta Empul, for
instance, since it is a tourist attraction and we bring tourists here, we then
give a donation in the form of dustbin to maintain the cleanliness of this
area. he added.
I Made Mawi Arnata, the Chief of Manukaya Let customary village who is
also the official management of Tirta Empul Temple accompanied by A.A.
Istri Raka Kesumawati, the coordinator of Tirta Empul tourist attraction
from the Gianyar Tourism Office attended the event and received the
donation. He expressed his gratitude for the contribution of the Pacto Ltd.
and PT Baliprima Holidays for their concern of sanitation in Tirta Empul
Temple. This is the first time we receive donation in the form of cleaning
tools. We hope that this initiative of Pacto Ltd. and PT Baliprima
Holidays can encourage and stimulate other travel agencies to
participate in maintaining the existence and sustainability of Tirta
Empul. added Made Mawi.
In addition, Pacto Ltd. has also pioneered in promoting and selling the
malukat or purification ritual tour package. Previously, the malukat was
only performed by local people, but with the existence of the program,
foreign travelers can also join this activity. Made Mawi hoped the
program can be continued.
The Chief Operating Officer of Pacto Ltd. Inbound Mr. Umberto Cadamuro
said that the charity day is an annual program that is not only held in Bali,
but also in all Pacto offices throughout Indonesia. It has become a
commitment of Pacto Ltd., a company engaged in the tourism industry
with a vision of 360 degrees. The vision of the Pacto Ltd. is to make the
company bigger and better every year while make the employees also get
the benefits.
Nevertheless, the environment and society where the profits of the
company are come from should not be forgotten. In other words, we want
the company to go forward, we want the staff to go forward and all the
employees can live better, but we also have the vision to always
remember the society because many fellows, places and the environment
still need for a help, he said. Pacto Ltd. as the first travel agency in
Indonesia said to have led the way in every activity, not only oriented on
profit, but also on the health of the company, employees as well as the
environment. (BTN/014)

Source : BALI TRAVEL NEWS Saturday January 9th , 2014