“WHO estimates that dengue fever affects more than fifty million people every year”
In February 2007, countries in South America received more rain than usual and the weather was also warmer. In Bali and almost everywhere in Indonesia, rain comes everyday recently.
Those situations make the mosquito population increase. Many of them carry the disease dengue fever. Here in Indoensia (and other tropical countries), Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (Demam berdarah dengue/DBD) has taken thousands of lives and left families in deep sadness.
Mosquitoes spread dengue fever. If this small insect drinks human blood which carries disease and it bites another person, the disease will release to the new victim. Dengue fever spreads quickly and hits a vast area especially in rainy season when the growth of mosquitoes reaches their peak.
In all people, the virus causes a fever after enter a person’s blood system. It also makes a severe pain in the joints and muscles in the arms and legs. The worst news is Dengue Fever is not just painful, but also can be deadly. The fever can become very high, up to 41 degree Celcius! When the situation gets worse, the victim begins to haemorrhage and his/her organs may bleed. This threatens their lives. At the end of July 2007, WHO said that areas in Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia could face the worst case of dengue fever seen in many years.
This disease is hardly recognized in the beginning of attack. At first, dengue fever seems like a common sickness. People think they are getting influenza or a normal fever. But, when the problem lasts longer, they know it is more serious. Something happened. They will suffer a dangerous problem if appropriate medical treatment doesn’t take place immediately.
The fact that there is no cure for dengue fever is another problem. To stop the disease, we must stop the mosquitoes, and the best time to block them is when they in larvae form. We can add certain chemicals to water, to kill the mosquito larvae. People also can remove any still water and anything that collects water, such as used cans, old car wheels, pots, and pans. Good drainage is highly important. Those efforts will help to alleviate the spread of dengue fever.
This mosquito can live any place, anywhere. Community members must work together to reduce the mosquito population and prevent them from spreading the disease. Here in Indonesia, people along with government should take continuous action to tackle this health problem. Families and friends should work together and care for each other a.s.a.p. if someone gets dengue fever. In this case, lateness is agony. We able to stop dengue fever if we all work together.
Have you done something in your neighborhood to stop dengue fever?
Sources: www.spotlightradio.net & http://id.wikipedia.org/
Monday 24 November 2008
This Bug Really Bugz Us : Dengue Fever
Thursday 20 November 2008
For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn
Six Words Story
By Made Suryantara
I think everyone has their own story. Regardless of the quality, I also think that anybody can make the story of their own life. How about you? Can you establish a biography? Maybe. Can you write a story of your life? Sure, You can. What do you say if someone asks you to make your story only in six words? No way!
One of my friend said that it was impossible to tell a whole story only in six words. One day, by accident, I heard broadcasting at BBC which told about story about life in a rather unusual way. In 1920s Ernest Hemingway, an American writer, bet that he can make a complete story in only 6 words. He wrote “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn”. So powerful isn’t it? He won his bet.
Well, perhaps only a few people have a quality to write a great six words story like Hemingway. However, one of American Online Magazine, SMITH, urged its readers to write a story about their life in six words. They got around 15.000 stories and collected them in a book called Not Quite Sure What I was Planning. Larry Smith, SMITH editor, was surprised by so many powerful sentences he gained. He expected a lot of funny and happy story, but he got a heap of poignant narrative instead. Announcers at that program have said some examples, such as: “After Harvard, Had Baby with Crackhead”, “Find True Love, Merried Someone Else”,”I Never Should Bought that Ring”, “Any Chance I Could Start It Again?”.
I admit those story are funny yet full of sadness and the idea that call people sum up their live in just a few words is a brilliant idea. It must be challenging. So, last week I sent email and called some friends to tell me their whole life in six words. Like Larry Smith, I didn’t hope their story will be full of distress. In just three days, I collected tens of interesting stories successfully. Here some of them. “It’s a journey to achieve, enjoy, and rejoice” (Eka, 23 years old, living in Denpasar), “Marriage is Just a Door, Enter and Enjoy the Heaven” (Agus, 31 years old, Balikpapan), “I’m a Responsible Ambitious, Inspiring Housewife” (Puji, 30 years old, Tangerang), “Honestly I Try, I Try Honestly” (Christ, 25 years old, Berlin). Almost all of story I had received are containing happy and optimist statement. Maybe, all of my friend is a happy people. Lucky me.
Readers, why don’t you send me the story of yours? Try to challenge yourself and sum up your whole life in six words! For the beginning, this is my story, “Always Try Look on Bright Side of Life”.
Boys, 21 Signs that You Have to Do Something Else
By Made Suryantara
1. Three years in English Courses and your IELTS score is still 4.5.
2. You watch Indonesian Opera Soap (Sinetron) each and every single day.
3. Hoping 1 USD = Rp 8,000.00.
4. You look at your watch during every class at school. Either you try to love your subject or stop wearing that ugly watch!
5. Cheating at examination. High grade may take you to the top, but good personality is needed to stay there.
6. Search a formula to eradicate the rampant corruption in Indonesia by year 2010.
7. Five dates. No kiss.
8. It’s 16th times You are in bench. Today is the 16th match of your soccer school team this year.
9. Seven dates. Still no kiss (I’ve told you!).
10. They tell you who really has killed JFK.
11. Register to Fortune-Teller-via Mobile Phone-Service, type “bla-bla-bla”, send to 7977. It’s all about money, man….
12. Once a week, you go to the cinema for Indonesian Horror Movie.
13. Two semesters in Chemistry 101 Class and you still assume that CO2 is equal to 2 CO.
14. Read all of English grammar book four hours a day. Hey, what’s the point of remembering all those tenses if you don’t get out once a while and speak up?
15. Your diets for six pack: 100 sit-up a day and a large size of beef-with-macaroni-and-cheese-pizza. It’s a bad combination! First attempt will hurt your back and second attempt will hurt the wallet at your back pocket.
16. Crazy about Loch Ness Monster.
17. Three credit cards (of course, from your parent). Whereas, the most expensive thing you can afford is that silly Rp 100,000 pants which was bought at traditional market.
18. You read all advertising in some local newspapers, looking for a man who crazy enough to exchange his new DVD player for your silly pants!
19. Searching for Indonesian politicians who as mature as Barack Obama and John McCain.
20. Then pray to God so Barack Obama will move and hold Indonesian passport.
21. At Google, you type “find a beautiful girl, long straight hair, smart, fair complexion, pointed nose, charming smile, humble, witty, attentive, 170 cm tall, vegetarian, pet lover, sporty, feminism, technology savvy, love all of Mel Gibson movie, crazy about soccer, Harley Davidson and Bon Jovi, under 20 years old, and still single”.
Tuesday 4 November 2008
This victory belongs to you
A speech by the new president-elect of the United States of America, Barack Obama
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/05/uselections2008-barackobama
Obama sweeps to victory as first black president
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation's first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. "Change has come," he declared to a huge throng of cheering supporters.
The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more.
On a night for Democrats to savor, they not only elected Obama the nation's 44th president but padded their majorities in the House and Senate, and come January will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.
Obama's election capped a meteoric rise — from mere state senator to president-elect in four years.
In his first speech as victor, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. "The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century."
He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face."
McCain called his former rival to concede defeat — and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. "The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly," McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona.
President Bush added his congratulations from the White House.
In his speech, Obama invoked the words of Lincoln and echoed John F. Kennedy.
"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder," he said.
He and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.
Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.
The popular vote was close — 51.3 percent to 47.5 percent with 73 percent of all U.S. precincts counted — but not the count in the Electoral College, where it mattered most.
There, Obama's audacious decision to contest McCain in states that hadn't gone Democratic in years paid rich dividends.
Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to tackle the economy. He has also pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months.
http://news.yahoo.com
Sunday 2 November 2008
Hamilton claims title glory in remarkable finish
Lewis Hamilton became formula one's youngest champion after an astonishing finale to the Brazilian grand prix.
Hamilton, needing only a fifth-place finish to become Britain's first champion since Damon Hill in 1996, pulled it off after entering the last lap in sixth.
With the title seemingly slipping away for the second year in a row, he had Toyota's Timo Glock to thank after Glock stayed out on dry tyres when the heavens opened.
Hamilton powered past for fifth place as the final corner approached. "Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable," he said. "My tyres were a little bit shot so I was struggling to keep the pace up but I was able to stay ahead of Vettel.
"Then it started to drizzle and I didn't want to take any risks and he [Vettel] passed me, and I was told I had to get in front of him. I couldn't believe it and at the last corner I managed to get past Glock - and I can only thank God."
Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Hamilton's sole title rival, won his home race for the second time in three years to chalk up a record 16th constructors' title for Ferrari, but was understandly disappointed with the result.
"I'm so proud about the race, the team, the people around who support me more than ever," he said. "That is a really emotional day for me because you have almost done everything perfectly. I saw Lewis pass Glock and that really mixed a lot of emotion. Unfortunately we missed [out] by one point but that's racing - we need to be proud of our job, our race, our championship. I know how to win, I know how to lose, we are going to learn a lot with these days."
Hamilton, who missed out by a single point to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in Brazil last season, ended the 18-race season one point clear of Massa. But that table does not tell half the story of the most dramatic climax in formula one history.
Britain's last world champion, Damon Hill, told Sky News: "I send my heartfelt congratulations to the Hamilton family - it will have to go down as one of the most exciting formula one races ever. It's a momentous day. We're here celebrating another British world champion and I'm really pleased. He will go on and win more championships. He's been through the biggest, toughest test you can possibly go through and he's bringing the cup home here."
Renault's Fernando Alonso finished the race in second place and Raikkonen came home third.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/nov/02/formulaone-lewishamilton1
