Today's Headlines News

• Libya troops advance east; powers want Gaddafi out
• Syria mobilizes thousands for pro-Assad marches
• France, U.S. to help Japan in nuclear crisis
• At least 53 dead as Iraqi forces end gunmen's siege
• Britain, Qatar give message of support to Libyans
• Venezuela's Chavez wins journalism school prize
• Carter and Castro discuss U.S.-Cuba relations
• Yemenis fume over bloodshed, indirect talks start
• Ouattara forces push south in Ivory Coast
• Journalist for Reuters killed in Iraq attack

Federal Reserve: U.S. Headed for Insolvency

« William Dudley, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, maintains inflation is not a problem in the U.S.
(Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

March 29, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

Fed presidents Fisher and Dudley offer two very different opinions on the economy. By Robert Morley

 

A voting member of the Federal Reserve Bank just told an audience in Germany that America is heading toward insolvency and that the Fed has printed too much money. Another member told an audience in Queens that things are good and that the cost of living really isn’t rising. Which is it?

Iranian Propaganda Film Claims Jerusalem Is About to Be Conquered

« Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad supports a new Iranian film showing the conquering of Jerusalem, which he has advocated throughout his political career.
(Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

March 29, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

 

A feature-length documentary film produced by a top adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims that the current unrest in the Middle East is a signal that the Mahdi—or Islamic messiah—is about to appear. Former Revolutionary Guards officer Reza Kahlili, who defected to the West after spying on behalf of the cia inside Iran for more than a decade, obtained a bootleg copy of this new film and turned it over to Western media sources.

Angela Merkel’s Government Rattled … Again

« German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a meeting of the CDU in Berlin on March 28.
(Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

March 29, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

The defeat of the chancellor’s party in Baden-Württemberg is the latest of several blows Germany’s current leadership has sustained.

 

Listen to This! Kesha - Blow Remix

Today's Headlines News

• Rebels push west before Libya crisis talks
• Syrian forces fired warning shots in Deraa
• Japan finds plutonium at stricken nuclear plant
• Mother "offered cash" if Libya woman changes story
• Egypt plans September ballot, shortens curfew
• Yemen handover talks stall but deal within reach
• Leading race, Humala further softens tone in Peru
• Israel eases steps to revoke citizenship
• Ouattara's forces open fronts across Ivory Coast
• Bahrain opposition says 250 detained, 44 missing

Falklands Conflict Continues to Simmer

« Argentine President Cristina Kirchner continues to defy Britain and lay claim to the Falkland Islands.
(Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images)

March 28, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

 

The Argentine Senate on March 16 unanimously approved a bill designed to prevent Argentine companies from cooperating with oil exploration around the Falkland Islands.

The following week, Rockhopper Exploration announced that oil drilling around the Islands would likely be commercially viable.

Portuguese Prime Minister Resigns

« Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigns over struggles with parliament to rein in Portugal’s debt.
(Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP/Getty Images)

March 28, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

Europe’s economic crisis continues.

 

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigned on March 23 after parliament rejected his austerity package. “The defeat is likely to trigger a bailout similar to the rescue packages Greece and the Republic of Ireland had to accept last year,” reports the bbc.

UK: Death by Debt

« Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne arrives at the Treasury on March 23, in London, England. Osborne implemented further measures to tackle the UK’s deficit.
(Getty Images)

March 28, 2011 | From theTrumpet.com

The collapse of the UK accelerates. By Robert Morley

 

The UK chancellor of the exchequer has issued some grim news. The economy is growing slower than hoped, and the budget is in worse shape than expected. However, George Osborne has a solution. Unfortunately, it is just more of the same thinking that got Britain into trouble in the first place.

Today's Headlines News

• NATO to police Libya no-fly zone
• Injured workers exposed to 10,000 times safe radiation: Japan
• Thousands in Syria chant "freedom" despite reform offer
• Brazil's housing carnival stokes bubble worries
• Australia's ruling Labor headed for state election "bloodbath"
• Chinese dissident gets 10 years for subversion
• Quake kills 50 in Myanmar, aftershock rattles Thai north
• Gaza rockets strike deeper inside Israel
• Gaddafi's entourage sends out secret peace feelers
• Yemeni opposition says No to Saleh's new offer

Today's Headlines News

• Western air strikes fail to dislodge Gaddafi armor
• Radiation scare leaves Tokyo short of bottled water
• Bombing near Jerusalem bus stop kills woman, 30 hurt
• Yemen's Saleh offers elections as pressure mounts
• Rebels say 16 dead in Misrata, hospital attacked
• Syrian forces shoot protesters, kill 6 in mosque
• West bombs Libyan targets in Jafar: Libya state TV
• Cuba frees last of prisoners from 2003 crackdown
• NATO still split on taking over Libya operation
• Egypt lifts curbs on politics in post-Mubarak era

Listen to This! Jennifer Lopez - On the Floor (Rocwell S & Volkan Saki Remix)

Today's Headlines News

• West will end in "dustbin of history," Gaddafi says
• IAEA tracks radiation leaks at Japan's crippled plant
• No-fly zone cost could hit $1 billion in months: analysts
• Yemen president warns of civil war, U.S. concerned
• Clinton: Gaddafi, allies may be seeking way out: report
• Gunfire heard around protest venue in Syrian city
• Israeli tank shell hits Gaza home, five hurt: medics
• China says talks are way forward on Iran nuclear issue
• Bahrain bans Lebanon travel, sectarian tension rises
• Japan sees quake damage reaching up to $300 billion: report

Today's Headlines News

• Strikes on Libya set to slow, stalemate feared
• Smoke at Japan's stricken plant, radiation anxiety
• Top Yemeni generals back democracy protesters
• Allies desert Yemeni leader, Syria protests spread
• Observers praise Haiti vote, urge transparent count
• Syria protests spread, authorities pull back
• Pro-Gbagbo youth answer Ivorian army call
• Israeli air strikes wound 19 in Gaza Strip
• World divided days after U.N. backs Libya action
• Explosions, anti-aircraft rounds rock Tripoli

Today's Headlines News

• Arab League criticizes West's strikes on Libya
• Egypt approves reforms in historic referendum
• Some progress at Japan reactors as disaster toll rises
• Second Iranian plane forced to land in Turkey: report
• Wave of unrest shakes Syria, crowds torch party HQ
• Sarkozy suffers poll setback as far-right closes in
• Ivorians flee Abidjan violence in their thousands
• Merkel party set to hold onto German state
• Haitians vote for president to lead reconstruction
• Yemen president sacks cabinet, protesters bury deadto

I Got This

I got quite a handful of phone calls from either mom or my eldest sister in the past couple of weeks. Things are not really pretty there, each of them would give me the (heartbreaking) news. Here are a few things that I've missed while I was caught up with my own life on this island:

Someone broke onto the house and stole mom's mobile.

• Mom visited her older sister's at a hospital in Medan for two nites. She is at the early stage of Stroke.
• Nenny, my second older sister, is still on medication for her feet.
• A few (more) deaths updates.

It must be very devastating for her, having such a close and strong bond with her older sister, mom said on the phone that she feels like betraying her for having to leave her at the hospital for taking care things back home in Sibolga.

"She's literally not herself," mom explains on the phone two nights ago, "Once she was not aware she is at a hospital and blurted out sentences in a sad way. I cannot make out the words she tried to say. She gets easily angry."

"What should I say to your grandma, oh.." she trailed off then senses my worry, "hope she will get thru this, Jerry. The doc said she doesnt get any internal bleeding on her temple."

For the next two nights after that phone call, I couldn't get myself to sleep well. The idea of more death in the family is kind of unbearable.


Renata called me last nite, this time she didn't get anything much to deliver, "I got bored with the TV and just talked with mom. She was not talkative. They're on the bus and will be home by tomorrow morning."

She was not that talkative that evening either. She went silence sometimes while I gave him a please-hold-on-this-ain't-take-that-long smile. I was sitting on a lobby of a German-Jewish friend last nite, the cottage looked nice in the evening and it was our first meeting since our previous messages on the phone.

"Mom will be Okay, hopefully," I said on the phone in Bahasa with a thick Sibolgan accent, "maybe she just doesnt want to talk much about anything at the moment. Give her sometime."

It was thirty seven minutes past ten and our conversation with Jeff about Yoga and stuffs got interrupted with helpless yawns from each of us. S, my housemate who drove me there, paid a full attention with a puzzled look on his face tried to make out what we were talking about. The small group of White ladies got up from their wooden chairs and said nitey nite to each other and threw us kind smiles.

"She's from the mainland (USA) while the other three are Australians," he voluntarily explained, "how's your day?" he asked to the tall Blondie  woman in white attire.

He's pretty well-acquainted with some, er, most of other guests. He invited me over to see his rehearsal with his Yoga partner/student of whom he sent out from Hawaii to perform Yoga+Acrobatic dance for the upcoming Bali Spirit Festival.

"I guess I should let you take some rest before your rehearsal tomorrow morning," I said and smiled at him. It is going to be a long day for him and I might bump into him on the last two days of the festival when we'd do some coverage. He was kind enough to offer me a free pass.


It has been a slow yet long week at work. The washing machine was broken and is still at the repair shop for almost a week now so last nite before I throw myself to the bed, I promised would handwash the piled-up undies.


I also told myself that when all sucks and things taste funny in my tongue, it's about the damn right time to recount what small things I should smile about. Sitting tight on the backseat of the scooter on the way to work this morning, I had a hard time to be really in the moment and take in all the beauty of a sunny fresh morning air along the way through the villages. Nevertheless, I tried to smile, once.

And keep on wearing that tiny little line of forced warmth smile until I finally able to feel it.

Listen to This! Britney Spears feat. Michael Jackson - Criminal (Remix)

Today's Headlines News

• Japan hopes to restore power at two crippled reactors
• U.N. okays military action on Libya; Gaddafi warns
• Bahrain arrests opposition leaders
• Gaddafi tells Benghazi his army is coming tonight
• Airbus under investigation over Rio-Paris crash
• India's Congress paid for votes in '08: U.S. cable
• Japan quake survivors too shocked to contemplate the future
• Israel's Netanyahu says rethinking nuclear power
• Peru's presidential field split over mining taxes
• Gbagbo forces kill at least 25 in Abidjan attacks: U.N.

Listen to This! Jennifer Hudson - I Remember Me

Today's Headlines News

• Workers abandon Japan nuclear reactor due to radiation risk
• Gaddafi forces push towards rebels, no U.N. move yet
• Japan government losing public trust as nuclear crisis worsens
• Bahrain declares martial law, violence flares
• Assange: Wikileaks' cables spurred Arab uprisings
• Radiation poses only slight risk to nervous Tokyo: U.S. experts
• Libya no-fly zone draft resolution circulated at U.N.
• Uruguay recognizes Palestinian state
• Poll sees Strauss Khan-Le Pen in France 2012 vote
• Rare political protest held in Syria: witnesses

Today's Headlines News

• Radiation leaps after Japan plant blasts
• Radiation fears spark panic buying, evacuations in Tokyo
• Gaddafi forces press rebels, no-fly diplomacy crawls
• Saudi sends troops, Bahrain Shi'ites call it "war"
• North Korea says willing to discuss uranium enrichment
• France pushing for swift G8 agreement on Libya
• Europe split over nuclear safety amid Japan crisis
• Violent protests across Yemen, 3 soldiers dead
• Ivorian gunmen move close to central Abidjan
• Battle for runoff spot heats up in Peru election

Today's Headlines News

• Japan grapples with nuclear crisis after tsunami
• Special Report: Can Japan find "New Deal" after triple whammy?
• France steps up efforts for Libya no-fly zone
• Neighbors sending troops, anger Bahrain Shi'ites
• Suicide attack on Afghan army center kills at least 37
• Pakistan court dodges decision on CIA contractor's
• Settlement killings inhuman, Abbas tells Israel
• Yemen protests erupt into clashes, 3 soldiers dead
• More than 42 fighters dead in raid on S.Sudan town
• Somali pirates free Bangladesh ship with crew

Today's Headlines News

• Gaddafi threatens offensive and ignores diplomatic moves
• Saudi police fire in air to disperse protest
• Yemen president vows reform as protests continue
• Ivory Coast's Ouattara says AU panel confirms he won
• Somali Islamists could grab tankers for attacks: PM
• Egypt apologizes for security police "violations": report
• Libya plans full offensive against rebels: Gaddafi son
• Dalai Lama plans to quit as Tibet political leader
• Surge in Arab protests expected on Friday in Gulf
• Clinton to meet Libya opposition, warns on next steps

Today's Headlines News

• EU and NATO to meet on Libya after day of battles
• ElBaradei says he'll run for Egyptian president
• Mexican gang members charged in U.S. consulate murders
• Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts with greater fury
• Dalai Lama plans to step down as Tibetan political leader
• Saudi Shi'ites hold new protest in oil province
• Egypt sectarian strife kills 13, army sees threat
• Suicide bomber kills 37 at Pakistan funeral
• Bahraini Shi'ites protest against settling Sunnis
• China and Russia drive growth in world's billionaires

Open Letter

That's rite, this is the time when I'd like to give my sincere thank you to some precious people that have been making my life has more excitement and joy.

First of all, love and thanks to Jesus, for being my savior.

Thanks to Mom, Renata, and Nenny for being such awesome family. They havent seen me two Christmases in a row yet never fussed about my absence in what supposed to be family reunion season.

A big thank you to Servaas, Louis Labrecque, Tommy, Ellie, Hotman, Heino & Sjoerd for their wonderful friendships.

Thank you to Sina Schlatter, you are always a dear one for me.

Thank you to Green, Lamro, and Robert Floss who were three to spend a long great weekend prior to my birthday.

Thank you to Orlando, Komang, Slamet, Ibu Sri, Del Piero, Udin, Surya, Dewi Natalie, Gede Yudi for making Bali feels like Home.

Thanks to Daz for giving more things to looking forward in the coming years.

Thanks to my Univ ex mates for their birthday wishes: Patmos, Rudy, Cee, Marini and tons of others whose names I hardly remember.

Thank you to Fairoz, Adam Verscurren, Jerry Fetterly, Narcx, and some other wonderful folks that I know on Facebook.


I have some plan, a goal, hopes, and prayers that I'm going to work on as my 28 begins two days ago. Life is awesome, always.

Today's Headlines News

• Gaddafi's forces step up fightback; U.S. mulls action
• Yemeni police fire on protest, 65 hurt: hospital
• Afghan leader steps up criticism during Gates trip
• Iran's Rafsanjani ousted as head of state body
• Kuwait protesters swell in number, call for PM change
• One dead as Muslims, Christians clash in Cairo
• Cuban state layoffs move slowly, workers uneasy
• Gunfire erupts in Abidjan, Gbagbo forces kill 4
• Iran forces fire teargas to disperse opposition backers
• Sudan rebels to stand trial over peacekeeper killings

Today's Headlines News

• Gaddafi forces step up attack on western rebel town
• Saudi Arabia says won't tolerate protests
• Cuban trial of U.S. aid contractor resumes
• Yemen President reiterates to stay in power until 2013
• Oman's ruler replaces two top ministers after protests
• State security building torched in Cairo: sources
• U.N. force in Ivory Coast to be reinforced-official
• Human Rights Watch slams journalists' arrests in Turkey
• Leader of Russia's Chechnya gets new 5-year term
• Indian coalition ally withdraws from govt

Religious Tension Builds in Germany’s Relationship With Turkey

« Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves during a Turkish cultural event on February 27, in Duesseldorf, western Germany.
(Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sparked anger in Germany on February 27 as he suggested that Turks resist assimilation and learn Turkish, not German, as their first language.

For Real

The Saturday meet-up didn't happen. I shrugged off my disappointment with an almost whiteout smile neatly drawn from my lips. I'm not a freaky believer of everything-happens-for-a-reason shit but I do believe everyone has their own reason to opted out the agreed plan. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, that was the least thing I could do because I was more of tired and sleepy than angry or sad.


When he calls back, I will take a listen.

We finally found some moment to meet last Tuesday. As I had guessed, he is extremely a very nice, friendly, and positive-minded fella!

It's all worth it. I'm glad for having another precious new friend to share my thoughts and all with.

A big shoutout goes to Daz. Can't wait to see ya this April!

Listen to This! Miss Daja ft Nicki Minaj - Mean Walk

Today's Headlines News

• Gunman kills two U.S. airmen at Frankfurt airport
• Gaddafi strikes at town, rebels eye foreign help
• Witness: In fiery speech, Gaddafi says will not surrender
• Ivory Coast fighting spreads to southern Abidjan
• Militants say killed Pakistani minister for blasphemy
• Scores killed in Sudan flashpoint clashes: officials
• Morocco frees jailed senior air force officer-lawyer
• Iran ships to return via Suez Canal, says official
• Pope book says Jews not guilty of Jesus Christ's death
• Rival rallies demand reforms, back sultan in Oman

Foo(L)tage

A while ago when everyone was occupied with the preparation of some work at the office and I was obviously carried away with the XL works. The rumblings, the talks from the other room finally distract me.
Laughter.
Words were sucked onto the thick concrete wall and the curiosity dragged me to the room.

They were sitting around the small video camera, I peeked in and in a matter of a few second of stare, I recognized it was a footage from Komang's wedding. I stood behind and my eyes followed the scenes of what appeared to be myself eating meal. It lasted for what seemed to be five minutes. Of me munching on the food in a deadpan expression.

"What is THAT?"

"It's you. Eating," one of them noncahalantly answered.

"For that long?" I let out an uncomfy laugh, "I mean," I laughed again and shrugged the rest of the sentence. I just felt silly.

Today's Headlines News

• Gaddafi defiant as West flexes military muscle
• Oman army tries to disperse protests, wounds one
• Iran forces fire teargas at protesters: pro-reform websites
• "Day of Rage" shakes Yemen, Saleh sacks governors
• UK parliamentary committee urges U.S.-Taliban talks
• Desperate refugees surge over Libya-Tunisia border
• Israel might seek interim Palestinian peace deal
• Saudi launches $37 billion benefit plan
• U.S. forces to target Taliban returning to Kandahar
• Ivorian pro-Gbagbo groups rampage against foreigners