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Ma’ruf 'orchestrated' Jokowi's VP choice, says Mahfud

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD has said that vice presidential candidate Ma’ruf Amin was behind the statement from Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) that “threatened” to withdraw its support for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo if the incumbent picked Mahfud as his running mate.
In a tell-all appearance on popular talk show Indonesia Lawyer’s Club, Mahfud provided details on the circumstances surrounding the surprise announcement of Ma’ruf as Jokowi’s running mate.
“[NU executive] Robikin delivered the statement and Kiai Ma’ruf Amin was the one who ordered it,” he said. “How do I know it was Kiai Ma’ruf Amin? Muhaimin told me,” he said, referring to National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar.
The day before Jokowi’s choice of Ma’ruf was announced, NU executive Robikin Emhas stated that the NU leadership wanted Jokowi to pick an NU member for running mate.
“If the vice presidential candidate is not from among the NU’s ranks, then the Nahdliyin [NU followers] will feel no moral responsibility to help [Jokowi] win,” he told reporters, adding that the NU did not consider Mahfud to be a member.
Mahfud said that Muhaimin told him it was Ma’ruf who dictated the statement to Robikin with instructions to give it to the press.
Mahfud was considered a near certainty as Jokowi’s vice president in the days leading up to the close of the presidential candidate registration, but Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chairman and NU Rais Aam (supreme leader) Ma’ruf was given the nod instead.
“On August 1 at 11 pm, I was invited by State Secretary Pratikno [to his house],” Mahfud said. “I was told, ‘Pak Mahfud, now the [running mate] choice has narrowed down to you, please get ready.’”
He added that he had heard from Jokowi himself that the change had been made at the last minute to appease the parties in Jokowi’s coalition.
Mahfud implied that the PKB, the NU's unofficial political arm, was one of the parties that had pressured Jokowi into making the switch.
Mahfud is closely affiliated with the NU, having been educated at an NU-run pesantren (Islamic boarding school) and for his long involvement in NU-related organizations such as GP Ansor, the NU’s youth wing, and the Wahid Institute.
However, in the weeks before the VP announcement, NU executives seemed to play down Mahfud’s involvement in the organization, and things came to a head with Robikin’s statement.
NU and PKB representatives did not immediately respond to The Jakarta Post's requests for a comment. (swd)

Accident Survivor

Boy, sole survivor of Papua plane crash, saved in father’s arms

A 12-year-old boy, the only survivor of Saturday's plane crash in Papua, was saved when his father jumped out of the plane holding him just before in crashed in the Mount Menuk area of Oksibil district, Pegunungan Bintang regency.
“As the plane was falling to the ground, his father embraced him and then they jumped. The father hit his head on a rock and was killed, while Jumadi was knocked out,” Gandi, the boy's uncle, said on Sunday.
The fifth-grader was the only survivor on Saturday, when a PAC light utility aircraft crashed into the Mount Menuk area, killing eight, including Papua New Guinea pilot Leslie Suvuve, Balinese copilot Wayan Sugiarta and Jumaidi’s father, Jamaluddin.
Andre Tukan, a nurse at the Oksibil Regional Hospital, said that Jumaidi had told him that as the plane prepared to land in Oksibil, it suddenly entered a dark cloud and came out onto a cliff, which triggered the emergency alarm. His father then held him in his arms and jumped out of the plane.
After he regained consciousness, continued Andre, Jumaidi crawled back inside the plane to look for something to drink. He stayed in the wreck until the Search and Rescue (SAR) team found him in the early hours of Sunday.
Bhayangkara Jayapura Hospital head Adj. Sr. Comr. Heri Budiono said Jumaidi was in stable condition. He had lightly injured his right hand during the crash.
“He arrived at the hospital in a stable hemodynamic condition. He has no serious bleeding, just a few [minor] injuries,” Heri said, and that a medical team was running tests to deter Jumaidi's condition.
Jumaidi is the youngest of three children. His father Jamaluddin, who originally came from Palopo, South Sulawesi, was a trader.
Jayapura SAR spokesman Yadianto said the plane had crashed nose down. The team had recovered the bodies of all eight victims and taken them to the Oksibil hospital, where their families could claim them and take them back to their hometowns. (rin)

Vice President

http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2018/08/12/commentary-vp-choice-not-that-big-a-deal-for-voters.html

VP choice not that big a deal for voters

 

Why is everyone making such a big deal out of the running-mate choices of Widodo and to a lesser extent of Prabowo Subianto? The real contest as far as voters are concerned, come April 17, is between the two presidential candidates.

Rarely did voters make their choices because they liked or disliked the VP candidate.
Lest we forget, once in office, a VP will just be a “spare tire” to be used at the president’s convenience.

How much of an influence or power a vice president enjoys is ultimately determined by the president and by his working relationship with his deputy. Ask past and present vice presidents. They were always the number two. Maybe even a distant number two.

Incumbent Jokowi on Thursday came under a lot of criticisms for his choice of Ma’ruf Amin, the chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) who has some questionable track records on religious tolerance.

On a much lesser scale, challenger Prabowo, too, was attacked by his supporters for opting businessman Sandiaga Uno. He, too, if elected, will not become numero uno.

A quick glance at the role of Jusuf Kalla, current VP to Jokowi, could shed light on just how powerful, or not, the number two job in the country is.


Kalla, who like Ma’ruf was imposed on candidate Jokowi against his will in 2014, turned out to have served him well in the campaign, particularly in the three presidential debates, and in no small measure contributed to the election victory.

Once in office, Jokowi gave Kalla all the ceremonial functions.
There were even times when their relations were strained and their differences exposed in the media.


Kalla was brought back into the center of power in late 2016 when Jokowi needed help to fight the 212 Movement launched by Muslim conservatives to shake and undermine his presidency. Kalla, who is close to the Muslim conservatives, did a great job. But his power was still limited by how much Jokowi allowed.
The 75-year-old Ma’ruf, who had a hand in the 212 Movement, will likely find his influence confined to what functions the President assigns him. Like Kalla, he will find Jokowi using him when it is convenient, but keep him at bay when not.
Any concerns that Ma’ruf will have such a huge influence on Jokowi’s policies are just hyperbole. Jokowi's records on human rights, tolerance and freedom (speech, religion, association, etc…) and on almost all issues are his alone to set. Any shortcomings on his part will be pinned down on him and not on the VP.
Can we seriously blame Kalla for the shortcomings of Jokowi’s first-term presidency? On the economy? On religious tolerance? On freedom and democracy? Hardly. The President takes all the credit as well as all the blame.
Understandable, many people are angry at Jokowi’s choice of Ma’ruf. Traditional supporters in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) are angry and friends in civil society organizations have denounced him.
But Muslim conservatives are even furious at Jokowi for having effectively defanged the 212 Movement. They are also angry at Prabowo for defying their demand to pick an ulema for his running mate. There sure was a lot of angry people this weekend.
Social media amplified and lengthened the anger. Everyone wants to say their piece. The stronger their denouncement, the more likely their opinion will go viral. Some are talking about boycotting the election or about giving their votes to the other camp.
But that’s the beauty of free speech and free and democratic elections.
Since voting is voluntary (although registration is mandatory), it is not uncommon for people to sit out elections; in 2014, more than 30 percent of registered voters did. They did so for many reasons. Some took advantage of the national holiday on voting day, thinking their voters mattered not; others did it out of apathy, and some because they were unhappy with the limited choices of candidates or even with the electoral system.
It is against the law however to advocate others to boycott the elections. Social media users, watch what you post.
Sooner or later, the nation has to get back to the real issues in the presidential election.
Voters need to know the personality, characters, background, leadership and managerial skills as well as the track records of the presidential candidates, and not so much of the running mates.
The running mates made the trending topics on social media this weekend.  But we should not misplace our focus. The nation will be voting for a president, not a vice president.

Pupular Writer Accuse

Priest Accused of Sexual Abuse Former Loyola Jesuit Was Professor, Author and Counselor The Phoenix December 5, 2008 http://media.www.loyolaphoenix.com/media/storage/paper673/news/2008/12/04/News/Priest.Accused.Of.Sexual.Abuse-3569566.shtml As a Jesuit and a professor at Chicago University , the Rev. John Powell, S.J., built a reputation as a popular teacher and a best-selling religious author - and all of it was called into question again last month as he faced his third sexual abuse lawsuit since 2003. The civil lawsuit, filed Nov. 6 by the plaintiff "Jane Doe 125," who has chosen to remain anonymous to the public, claimed that Powell held "private counseling sessions" with her during a religious retreat in 1967. During these sessions, said the official complaint, he forced her to kiss him and required her to remove her school u-niform so that he could fondle her. The lawsuit also named the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, as a defendant on counts of negligence and fraud, and stated that the Jesuits knew about Powell's pedophilic tendencies before the alleged incident and failed to act on that knowledge. Powell, 83, now retired in Michigan, worked as a professor of theology at Loyola from 1965 until his retirement in 1996. During that time, he held spiritual retreats and wrote popular books such as Fully Human, Fully Alive, inspirational self-help manuals that blended pop psychology with Catholic theology and established him as "one of the best-selling spiritual authors of our time," according to Publishers Weekly. "This guy sells books about sexually intimate relationships, and the Jesuits make millions off of them, and it's a fraud, a complete fraud," said attorney Marc Pearlman, who represents the anonymous plaintiff for the law firm Kerns, Frost and Pearlman. "The guy was sexually abusing his students and people who came to him for counseling." He also, according to a number of accusers, used his position as a counselor and professor to abuse young girls. Throughout the years he was assigned to Loyola University, the lawsuit said, Powell held spiritual retreats that brought him into contact with minor children. It was during one of these retreats, held at Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla., that he sexually abused the plaintiff, according to the lawsuit. She was "approximately 16 or 17," the suit said. The lawsuit also claimed that Powell "engaged in a pattern and practice of sexually abusing Loyola University students." In 2006, a former Loyola University student, Diane Ruhl, named the Chicago order of Jesuits as the defendant in a civil lawsuit along with three other women. The lawsuit, which is still pending, claimed that Powell sexually abused Ruhl during private counseling sessions while she attended Loyola and also said that both Jesuit leaders and Loyola administrators received reports of Powell's alleged abuses and ignored them. Powell has never been charged with a crime. Pearlman, the attorney, represented four women in a 2003 sexual abuse lawsuit against Powell, which the defendant settled publicly in 2005. He said that he has dealt with a number of women who have come forward and claimed that Powell abused them, enough to convince him that there may have been dozens more. "I really doubt the number is just six or seven or 13," he said. "We had a client, her sister went to Loyola and he was abusing her 13-year-old sister. He used to frequent the house, and he'd tell her parents he was going to tuck her in and bless her and read her confession, and then he'd abuse her. A 13 year-old." Powell could not be reached for comment. A statement from the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus said he was in "extremely poor health, requiring 24-hour medical care and supervision." Pearlman also said that in his experience, the Jesuits displayed a record of covering up sex abuse within their ranks. "The Jesuits have a history of being horrible on these types of issues," he said. "They've had sex abusers in their ranks, they've known about them, they've covered it up, they've transferred them and ignored it, and Powell's not the only example. I really think the way they approached this sex issue was to sweep it under the rug." Pearlman pointed to the case of the Rev. Donald McGuire, S.J., as an example. A public jury convicted McGuire in a 2006 criminal trial of sexually abusing two teenage boys in Chicago in the 1960s. Documents show that Chicago Jesuit leaders received alerts about McGuire's behavior dozens of times during his career, according to multiple news sources. A spokesperson for the Jesuits' Chicago Province said he was not able to comment by phone. In an e-mailed response statement, the Rev. Edward Schmidt, S.J., Chicago Provincial of the Society of Jesus, said that the Chicago Province does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings out of respect for the judicial system. "The Province takes allegations of sexual misconduct seriously," said the statement, "investigates them fully, and cooperates with authorities. We believe the individuals who have come forward deserve our understanding and prayers." The statement also encouraged anyone who has been abused by a member of the Province to contact the appropriate law enforcement or child protection agency no matter what amount of time has passed since the abuse. Barbara Blaine, founder and president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), agreed with Pearlman's estimate, calling the Jesuits "the worst in this country" in terms of religious organizations with a track record of concealing abuse. SNAP is a Chicago-based national advocacy and support group for survivors of sexual clerical abuse. Blaine said that the 30 year span between the alleged incident and the lawsuit typified cases of clerical abuse based on her experience, especially so with cases involving Jesuit priests. She also said she was disappointed by Loyola University's lack of response to the claims of abuse by Powell. "When you're raped by a teacher in your school," she said, "you're not really in a position to speak up or do anything about it. It takes years, sometimes decades of healing to withstand the scrutiny, especially because the Jesuits and Loyola do not make it easy for victims to speak up." Steve Christensen, communications manager at Loyola University Chicago, declined to respond. He said that the university refers all questions about Powell and the alleged abuse to the Jesuits' Chicago Province and said that university officials would not comment on the lawsuit. In an e-mail response, Ellen Kane Munro, vice president and general counsel at Loyola, said that the university "will not tolerate sexual abuse, or indeed sexual harassment of any kind, by anyone, including its faculty and the Jesuits." Pearlman said the case might reach a settlement, but he promised to make the results public. "If the Jesuits want to step up and settle the case," he said, "that's always better for the victims, but it will be public, whether it goes through the courts or not."

**

** I am not able to comment on the contents of Fr. Powell’s books because I have not read them; I can only wonder why anyone would want to read books on this subject by an author who was credibly accused of sexually abusing women. I have certainly read many other authors through the years, and have benefitted from those too , I am shocked and greatly saddened to hear of his abusive lifestyle! After considerable prayer and soul searching I have come to the personal decision that God’s truths as communicated through John Powell’s books are still valid, even though he himself did the opposite of what he preached by using and abusing people. I guess the question is, “Can God use horribly imperfect vessels to do His work?”. I pray that he can.  God loves me and my imperfections. They are what draw me to him. His books were fantastic and beautiful. Anyone of the 12 million people who bought his books would agree with me. He helped me a lot especially  when my faith was weak. We can’t judge him but only pray for him, anyone who could write such wonderful books had goodness within.a Of course I’m saddened to hear about .... But there again, think of the millions who have been so enriched by his preaching and writing. I thank God for Grace ..  What saddens me most is ... ** John was a resident of Chicago, Illinois.  Yet another year Fr. John and a deeply sad one for me. Even in the depth of despair and doubt, I still remember your words, and they are indeed a comfort. Please pray my me, as I pray for you Fr. and renew the strength that your words gave me, so long ago.  John Powell, SJ...RIP...read his books when I was near my bottom. His words gave me hope, faith, love during my early recovery. Thanks God. Love, Dan D.  I had the pleasure of taking one of the classes Fr Powell taught at Loyola in the late eighties---wonderful class, wonderful books---wonderful messages---he provided superb methods of enhancing Christianity in our world--Fully Human Fully Alive and all his books offer profound and simple insight to the love of Jesus--let God judge and not us for any transgressions--NEVER had ANY inkling of such and have only the utmost respect and admiration for him--would see him running the track daily with his blue hat---and he kept in touch even when retired---his books and message are superb and need to be shared--God bless you Fr Powell and God bless all the Jesuits and their work in our world! Ad Majorem dei Gloria   Another year passes, but you words still act as a guide to my life. May you be resting in the love of Jesus.  Another year passes, but I think about your words a great deal Fr. So strange that, although we never met, your influence on me is so profound. You're in God's care now, and what more could a soul yearn for.  Dear fr John Powell . Thank you very much for writting this beatutifull books about God , thank you for teaching me the love of God .  John and I never met, but the impact he had on my life, just through listening to him on audio cassette, and reading his books; was profound. God Bless his soul, and I will always remember him in my prayers.  John Powell SJ had a sign influence on my life since age 17 years. he is the reason I became a psychologist. Through his books and audio tapes he taught me much about being a Christian. he taught me about love. he taught me about forgiveness and he taught me not to judge. I grew to love him. he was human and he also sinned. He was not perfect. His imperfection made his messages and teachings that much more important to me. "All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you John" - rest in peace. AMDG.  Thank you for the lessons ...they have made me what I am today ... For many years, John Powell was perhaps the brightest and most eloquent exponent of the human heart on earth. He certainly was brilliant, and beyond brilliant. He wrote the best books about love that exist on the planet today -- probably ever. And so MANY of them, one masterpiece after another, the brightest, most evolutionary, appropriate, intelligent thought available. With his work, heart, and clarity, he enlightened SO MANY peopletens of thousands of them. It is a disgrace of modern society that some people accused him of misconduct, and with that, almost all of his students--thousands of them deeply indebted to John Powell--disappeared. So cowardly, that. Who is worthy of judging a man so far beyond their understanding and their compassion? No one.    Fr. Powell's books helped me tremendously during my high school and college years in the 1970's. The allegations against him do nothing to detract from the benefit I've received from my reading and reflection on his writings. In fact, being fully human reminds all of us to acknwledge that we sin as part of the human condition. My belief in the teachings of Christ and personal experience have taught me and our family to choose to practice forgiveness and discover the freedom and healing it brings to live life to the fullest. We could all feel more "fully alive" if we'd learn to practice detatchment and forgiveness. Imagine if we were more curious and less certain that we really know what's in the heart and mind of these accused priets today, years after these alleged events took place. We might discover that just like you and me, they are good people who in their human frailty likewise sinned. Why would any of us want to define our current identity, worth and value on our past? . . . Because that would be fraud! Post a reply to this comment

HIV communities

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/07/vinolia-wakijos-ongoing-journey-to-teach-society-about-waria.html

Vinolia Wakijo's ongoing journey to teach society about 'waria'

 Safe haven: The Kebaya Foundation where Vinolia Wakijo houses a number of homeless waria and HIV/AIDS patients. 

Raised by poor parents in Yogyakarta, Vinolia Wakijo, a waria (transgender woman), once harbored hopes of studying at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to become a teacher. 

She gave up on that dream after dropping out of high school to stay clear of people who bullied her because she made a living as a sex worker.   

Like school, home was not a safe place for her as well. 

She left when she was very young because she was often beaten by her eldest brother who was ashamed of seeing her preening or playing with dolls and skipping with girls.
“I was so afraid of him whenever he was at home,” the 61-year-old said.


For Vinolia, being a waria is not a choice, but working as a prostitute was so harsh that she never wished to be part of it.

She recalled that in 1986 she was once thrown into the Mataram River by university students who refused to pay her after using her service at their boarding house. 

After working for 15 years as a prostitute she quit in 1993, not because of the sexual abuse she experienced, but because of the explosion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that claimed the lives of many waria, including her friends. Vinolia was surprised to find out that she was HIV-negative.

Despite her dark past, she never imagined that today she would be a guest lecturer at 10 universities in Yogyakarta, from private ones like Aisyiyah University to UGM, which she once dreamed of attending.

“Teaching is something I really wanted to do since I was little. Being a guest lecturer is beyond my dreams,” Vinolia, popularly known as Mami Vin, said.
     
Clad in a hijab, she is the director of Keluarga Besar Waria Yogyakarta (Kebaya) or Yogyakarta Transgender Family, which is an NGO that provides free shelter and assistance to waria and People With HIV/AIDS (ODHA). 


Based on her experience, Vinolia uses a transgender perspective to shed light on the reproductive health of transgender women and the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

In Yogyakarta, the number of waria was reportedly around 325 last year, according to the Yogyakarta Transgender Association (Iwayo). 

“Around 15 percent of waria in Yogyakarta suffers from HIV/AIDS,” she said. 
  
The National AIDS Commission reported that the number of people suffering from AIDS in Indonesia from 1987 to last year was 87,453, including 1,361 in Yogyakarta. In that province, the reported number of AIDS patients increased from 91 in 2015 to 112 in 2016. 

The number of deaths caused by AIDS across the country from 1987 to last year was 14,754, according to the commission.
  
Before founding Kebaya on Dec. 18, 2006, she was a volunteer for the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI) in Yogyakarta where she assisted waria and street children, protecting them from sexual abuse for 12 years.
  
Being a guest lecturer enables Vinolia to clear up stereotypes about her community.
“The life journey of transgender people is not what people generally assume. They analyze our life without involving us. Therefore, there are many wrong narratives about us and HIV/AIDS patients,” she said.  

At Aisyiyah University, she teaches in the nursing faculty.
Under a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the university and Kebaya, which took effect in 2015 and runs until 2021, she regularly lectures there every Saturday. After her nursing students graduate, they intern at Kebaya to nurse the ODHA.

“Every two weeks, there are around 10 to 15 interns [from Aisyiyah] here,” she said. 
At UGM, her students are not only from the medical and psychology faculties, but also from the social and political sciences faculty, where she talks about political issues such as the LGBT community’s response to elections, including whether election participants’ programs sides with the community. 

“At the psychology faculty, I am even asked to speak to Master and Ph.D classes,” said Vinolia who has also been a speaker at international conferences on LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS at home and abroad, such as the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, in 2014.  

She is over the moon because Kebaya has also been visited by students from renowned foreign universities for field studies, including Oxford University in the United Kingdom and Harvard University in the United States.

Waria are facing even more challenges in a country that is becoming more conservative.
In February 2016, for example, Al Fatah Pesantren Waria, an Islamic boarding school for transgender students, in Banguntapan district in Yogyakarta was forced to shut down by hardline Islamist groups, a tragedy that left Vinolia in fear as Kebaya could be their next target. 


However, she thanks God because since its establishment in 2006, Kebaya has never been attacked by hardliners. 

Another challenge Vinolia faces in running Kebaya is funding. She admitted that since 2010, she no longer receives assistance from international funding agencies but teaching helps her meet her organization’s needs. 

Vinolia is also an avid social media user. She uses Facebook and Instagram, for example, to promote her book, entitled Waria Undercover, which tells of her journey from sex worker to LGBT activist.  

After finding out that many waria are still working as prostitutes in the country, she said they could get the book for free because it also contained information about the importance of using condoms to protect them from HIV/AIDS. 

Assisted by four transgender staff, Vinolia currently takes care of 11 ODHA who hail from various cities -- from Medan, North Sumatra, and Semarang in Central Java to Papua.
“They include eight men and three women, including a housewife who gave birth,” she said.   
Vinolia is happy because the newborn baby will be the second in the Kebaya family because she is now raising an 18-month-old girl named Nira Kusuma Wardani whom she calls her granddaughter.

The toddler is HIV negative while her mother is a sex worker with HIV who abandoned her. 
“This house will become noisier now,” she said, laughing.   

Through Kebaya, she tries to rebut people’s assumptions that the ODHA will not live long. 

She says that with the right treatment and care, they can expect to live as long as people who do not have HIV.  

“It is not HIV that claims the lives of the ODHA. They die because of psychological distress, which later influences them to reject a healthy lifestyle, including refusing to routinely take their medicine [antiretrovirals],” she said.

 

 

 

 

 

Diet & Loose weight

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/07/korean-singer-opens-up-about-negative-effects-of-extreme-dieting.html

Singer Ailee shed tears while recalling her experience of dieting during the episode of Hidden Singer that aired Sunday. 

Hidden Singer is a TV program in which a pop star and impersonators compete in a singing battle while the audience tries to guess the real singer by listening to their voices only.

During Sunday’s episode, an impersonator said she had lost 15 kg to become a singer after she saw Ailee had lost weight. 

In turn, Ailee opened up about her own experience.

Ailee said she was very unhappy after losing weight. At the time, she weighed 49 to 50 kilograms, but was hungry all day because she could not eat anything. 

“I was saddened by the fact that I had to go on a diet to sing and perform onstage,” she said in tears. 

Ailee also revealed that she could not sing to the best of her abilities after losing so much weight, and described the period as “the most depressing time” in her career. 
“I decided not to care about how I look. I am happy now, and it is more important that I am satisfied with my singing. The most important thing is to love your own body,” she said.
Viewers applauded Ailee’s positive mindset while criticizing social pressure regarding weight loss. 

5 habits to avoid when trying to lose weight

When it comes to losing weight, people often go about their routine without putting much thought into their everyday habits. As a result, losing weight becomes a difficult task.
Kompas.com has compiled a list of five habits to avoid when trying to lose weight, as suggested by certified nutritionist Daryl Gioffre.

1. Exercising without eating healthily
Eating healthily is just as important as exercising. This is what it means to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Exercising provides benefits for our metabolism, positivity and immune system. Moreover, it encourages an improvement in other aspects of our routine, such as our diet.
Gioffre suggests that we avoid food containing a lot of sugar and refined carbohydrates. They contain fat that increases inflammation, exhaustion and laziness.
2. Eating more than six times a day
Eating every couple of hours causes the body to stimulate the release of insulin to reduce the level of sugar in the blood. However, insulin is known to retain fat and is the main trigger of chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation not only leads to tiredness, but also reduces the body’s metabolic capabilities and leaves the body vulnerable to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Gioffre advises eating three big meals a day with sufficient intervals between every meal.
Read also: Five habits before bedtime that may help you lose weight
3. Practicing a tight diet
Oftentimes people purposefully skip breakfast and lunch in order to consume a huge number of calories during dinner. However, according to Gioffre, this is not a habit to follow. Too tight a diet on a daily basis, in fact, slows down the body’s metabolic processes and makes losing weight more troublesome.
A diet such as mentioned above is different from what is called intermittent fasting, where a typical number of calories is taken every day but only for a short period of time. For instance, on a daily basis, one would fast for eight hours. Within these hours, the body uses up all of the glucose for energy before transitioning into fat. Additionally, the rate of insulin remains low, which causes the body to use body fat as fuel.
4. Fully avoiding fat
Contrary to popular belief, our bodies need fat in order to lose weight. Fat allows people to resist the urge to eat and increases the body’s metabolism.
Gioffre recommends consuming at least seven to 10 portions of healthy fat per day. Food like avocados, almonds and macadamia nuts are perfect examples of healthy fat. Refrain from using vegetable oil but rather opt for olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil.
5. Consuming products labelled as “diet”
Don’t be fooled by products that are labelled as “diet”, “low carbo” or “no fat.” These products replace sugar with artificial sweeteners that increase our appetite and hunger.
Additionally, sugar and sodium are used to add flavor but make the product less healthy. Therefore, always choose unprocessed foods or products with minimal processing. (anm/wng)

  

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/19/eight-easy-ways-to-burn-calories.html

 

Eight easy ways to burn calories

It's not all about no pain, no burn. Even the smallest effort can lead to burning more calories.

Kompas.com has provided a list of eight easy ways to burn extra calories don't involve sweating at the gym or a rigid eating schedule.It is easy to assume that exercise and diet are the only ways of losing weight. However, even the smallest effort can bring big changes.
1. Laugh out loud
A research involving 45 couples watching comedy films shows that laughter can increase the body’s metabolism by 10 to 20 percent from the increased heart rate while laughing.
2. Drink cold water
Drinking cold water produces internal heat as your body works to maintain its balanced temperature. Research shows that drinking 500 milliliters of cold water can also help increase the calories burned over 90 minutes by 24 to 30 percent.
3. Chew gum
A University of Rhode Island study has found that chewing gum can reduce calorie intake and increase satiety. Gum chewers tend to consume less calories and do not eat extra food during their next meal.
4. Donate blood
The body uses energy to form new proteins, red blood cells and other components to replace the blood we've donated, which burns more calories. But remember that you cannot donate blood every day – your body needs time to replenish your blood supply.
Read also: 5 habits to avoid when trying to lose weight
5. Go shopping
When we shop, we tend to forget that walking is a form of relaxed exercise. Every step taken in a fast walk and in climbing stairs (or escalators) burns a lot of calories. Without a doubt, this is one of the easiest ways to burn calories.
6. Clean house
Just cleaning the windows can burn 65 calories, so imagine how much is burned if the floor, bathroom and living room were also done. Cleaning your house is a way to kill two birds with one stone: the house is clean, and you burn calories.
7. Fidgeting
A recent study has revealed that people who fidget when sitting or standing can burn 5 to 6 times more calories compared to people who are still when sitting and standing. Apparently, an action as simple as tapping your finger on a table can increase calorie burn.
8. Make love
Making love requires a lot of energy, especially if it involves passion. Certain positions burn a certain number of calories. While men burn about 350 calories per hour in the missionary position, women can burn up to 200 calories in 30 minutes in the cowgirl position. (saz/kes)

 

Pilot in training attempts to bribe examiner

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/08/06/pilot-in-training-attempts-to-bribe-examiner-with-crystal-meth.html

Pilot in training attempts to bribe examiner with crystal meth

The Jakarta Police's narcotics unit arrested a trainee pilot and his examiner on suspicion of attempted bribery to pass a pilot certification process.


Police have foiled a trainee pilot’s attempt to bribe his examiner with 0.8 grams of crystal methamphetamine to get his pilot’s license.

BC is an examiner in a flight school that has the authority to issue pilot’s licenses.


To get a pilot’s license, a trainee pilot must graduate from a flight school, apply to an airline, and pass several tests: theory, simulator and real flight.

He plays an important role throughout that process. 

GS [the pilot] allegedly attempted to bribe BC, so that he could pass all the tests.

BC was a civil servant at the Transportation Ministry’s Air Transportation Directorate General.

BC and GC were arrested at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta on Aug. 2.