Meteor Jakarta

Meteor Jakarta - Whir sound that sounds hard. Then thundered. Thursday evening yesterday, Mother Timan, and her husband were serving customers in the salon. Heard the explosion they ran.

VI residents in Jalan Delima, Malakasari, East Jakarta was also pouring out of the house.

They ran to save themselves. Four houses were badly damaged. There were no fatalities. Many minor injuries.

The people there thought it was a bomb explosion. There also mentions sourced from gas cylinder explosion.

In this country, gas cylinder safety matters that are often underestimated. Injury and death due to explosion of gas cylinders had been frequent.

Those that are suspected explosion late yesterday it was the work of artisans of witchcraft. Sudarmojo, a resident whose home was badly damaged, initially convinced that this work witches. "I was not a Javanese, was still somewhat believe in the same black magic," he said.

Headquarters (HQ), Police sent a team of experts from the Central Forensic Laboratory (PUSLABFOR) to Malakasari. This special team. They are often deployed when a bomb blast occurred.

A few hours there, this team did not find an exploding gas cylinder, found no bomb residue, and of course, also have not found a witch.

Head of Ballistics Metallurgy Department, Police Headquarters, Commissioner of the Great, Amri Kamil, though after doing the crime scene (the scene) at home Sudarmojo ensure no explosives found there. He continued, "Physical explosive ada.Tidak not exist crater."

Three hours researching the location, Amri rectify news has circulated that there had been explosions in Duren Sawit. Actually, said Amri, who happened not explosions, but, "blow from heavy objects, which fell to earth at high speed." From Malakasari locations, the police took the dust, there is also a form of sand.

Allegation of objects falling from the ceiling, which was then suspected as a meteorite, also based on the forms of damage. Sudarmojo large perforated roof, but there was no residual blasts in the floor.

Revolves around several residents there that they could see things from the sky struck the house Sudarmojo.

Pipit, a 32-year-old resident said: "It was about four o'clock. The sky was overcast. I saw a kind of lightning, the light is very bright in the sky. With high speed, in seconds, the lights go down and grabbed Mr. Sudarmojo house."

It is true that the falling meteors? Being researched indeed. And a two-day results can be known. Professor Thomas Djamaluddin, experts from the Institute of Astronomy from Space and Aviation Agency (Lapan) said that the need to do is to examine the remaining chunk of dust or blast site.

Am I correct that if a meteor could hit the earth into dust? "That could happen if that kind of meteor fragile," said the professor. Police had been carrying the dust at the site of explosion. But Professor Djamaludin confirmed that dust could have come from meteor fragments fragile. "But it must still exist remnants of slab," she said.

Since the allegations about the meteor fell, a number of experts from Lapan glide to the location this afternoon. Professor Djamaluddin, who was sliding to Bogor, West Java, have reversed course and headed to the Duren Sawit East Jakarta.

Cowboys In Paradise

Amit Virmani - Gubernur Bali, Made Mangku Pastika akan melakukan tindakan terkait pembuatan film dokumenter "Cowboys in Paradise" yang mengambil lokasi di Pantai Kuta Bali.

Film yang menggambarkan kehidupan para gigolo di Kuta Bali itu dinilai tidak memiliki izin resmi pembuatan. "Tidak ada izin sama sekali, itu jelas melanggar," kata Made Mangku Pastika ditemui usai rapat di kantor DPRD Bali, Selasa 27 April 2010.

Menurut Pastika, bila benar ada film dokumenter seperti itu, tentu ini akan merusak citra Bali sebagai pulau spiritual yang tidak ternoda. "Jika memang banar adanya, kami akan ambil tindakan,"

Pemerintah Daerah, lanjut dia, akan melakukan sejumlah penyelidikan mengenai pembuatan film tersebut, apakah pembuatannya di Kuta, Bali, dilakukan secara resmi atau secara diam-diam..

Mengenai razia yang dilakukan warga Kuta Bali, Gubernur menyampaikan apresiasianya dan terimakasih ikut membantu program pemerintah dengan tidak menggunakan cara kekerasan.

Ketua Komunitas Masyarakat Adat Kuta, Gusti Ketut Sudira menyatakan, hingga kini belum memastikan apakah yang bersangkutan sudah mengantongi izin atau belum.

"Saya lupa soal izin film ini, tapi kapanpun izinnya, saya menyimpan arsipnya. Kalaupun ada, saya pasti punya arsipnya. Tapi kami belum mencarinya. Karena memang banyak sekali yang meminta izin untuk membuat syuting di Kuta," ujarnya.

Meski demikian, pada intinya, siapapun memiliki hak sama untuk memperoleh izin syuting film di Kuta. "Siapapun yang minta izin lokasi, akan kami berikan. Tapi tentunya dengan proses, seperti jenis filmnya seperti apa,"

Mengenai kasus ini, ia mengaku kecolongan. Kedepan penertiban akan dilakukan secara intensif, termasuk penelitian crew film dengan detail.

Kelulusan UN di DIY

Pengumuman Kelulusan SMA 2010 - Angka kelulusan ujian nasional sekolah menengah atas/madrasah aliyah/sekolah menengah kejuruan di DI Yogyakarta tahun ini turun drastis, dari 95,1 persen pada tahun 2009 menjadi hanya 76,3 persen pada tahun 2010. Angka kelulusan ini terendah di Pulau Jawa.

Pengumuman Kelulusan - Rendahnya tingkat kelulusan UN SMA/SMK mendorong Dinas Pendidikan, Pemuda, dan Olahraga Provinsi DIY mengimbau setiap kepala sekolah SMA/ SMK dan sederajat agar memeriksa kemungkinan adanya kejanggalan hasil UN siswanya.

Koordinator Pelaksana UN DIY Baskara Aji menjelaskan, jumlah siswa SMA/MA/SMK DIY yang tidak lulus tahun 2010 mencapai 23,7 persen dari total peserta 39.938 siswa (terdiri dari 19.443 siswa SMA/MA dan 20.495 siswa SMK). Dengan demikian, siswa yang tidak lulus sekitar 8.500 orang.

”Ini (imbauan) untuk mengantisipasi kemungkinan kesalahan proses pemindaian dan koreksi lembar jawab UN, yang mengakibatkan siswa yang seharusnya lulus menjadi tidak lulus,” kata Baskara Aji pada rapat dan pembagian surat keterangan hasil UN bersama semua kepala SMA/ MA/SMK se-DIY di Yogyakarta, Sabtu (24/4/2010).

Menurut Baskara, kejanggalan itu, misalnya, ada murid yang pandai, tetapi mendapat nilai jelek atau sebaliknya yang kurang pandai mendapat nilai bagus. Muncul juga kejanggalan-kejanggalan lain. ”Kesalahan pada proses pemindaian dan koreksi hanya hasil menduga-duga. Belum tentu benar,” kata Baskara Aji.

Kejujuran tertinggi

Namun, Ketua Pelaksana UN Pusat Djemari Mardapi, yang dihubungi Kompas, menyatakan, turunnya angka kelulusan DIY dimungkinkan karena meningkatnya kejujuran dalam UN tahun ini.

Berdasarkan data Depdiknas tahun 2009, tingkat kejujuran pelajar DIY tertinggi di seluruh Indonesia. ”Kami belum melihat hasilnya secara rinci. Namun, tingginya angka ketidaklulusan ini bisa jadi berhubungan dengan tingkat kejujuran DIY yang terus meningkat,” katanya.

Secara terpisah, Ketua DPRD DIY Yoeke Indra Agung Laksana menyatakan, tingginya angka ketidaklulusan itu amat memprihatinkan. Yoeke menyerukan evaluasi menyeluruh terhadap proses pendidikan di DIY.

Tanpa ujian pengganti

Dari Surabaya dilaporkan, sebanyak 16.337 siswa SMA/MA/ SMK di Jawa Timur, tahun ini tidak lulus UN dan harus mengulang pada 10 Mei.

Kepala Dinas Pendidikan Jatim Suwanto menjelaskan, 6.555 atau 3,17 persen dari 216.595 siswa SMA/MA harus mengikuti ujian ulangan. Adapun siswa SMK yang tidak lulus pada UN utama maupun susulan mencapai 7,072 persen dari 138.313 atau 9.782 orang.

”Jatim tidak termasuk daerah yang harus melakukan UN pengganti tahun ini. Kita perlu bersyukur sebab UN sudah diupayakan jujur dan kredibel,” kata Suwanto pada penyerahan daftar kolektif hasil ujian nasional tahun 2010 dan persiapan UN ulangan dengan kepala dinas pendidikan se-Jatim, Sabtu kemarin.

Koordinator Pengawas dan Tim Pemantau Independen UN 2010 Jatim Prof Syafsir Akhlus menilai sesungguhnya tidak berarti Jatim bersih dari dugaan kebocoran soal. Berdasarkan laporan yang masuk, pelanggaran UN terjadi di lebih dari 20 sekolah dan adanya keseragaman jawaban yang salah.

Di Salatiga, Jawa Tengah, Wakil Menteri Pendidikan Nasional Fasli Jalal saat meninjau Gedung Fakultas Teknologi Informasi Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana, Salatiga, menyatakan, sekolah yang siswanya tidak lulus UN diharapkan membantu siswa agar lebih siap dalam menghadapi UN ulangan.

Audience for Leaders

The second leaders' debate had a live audience of 4.1 million viewers across Sky News, BBC News Channel and Sky3 last night, Thursday 22 April – a huge audience for digital television. Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg's second televised encounter attracted 2.125 million viewers, an 8.7% audience share, between 8pm and 9.30pm on Sky News, which hosted the debate in Bristol with Adam Boulton.

Simulcasts on BBC News Channel (1.362 million/5.6%) and Sky3 (586,000/2.4%) took the total live audience to 4.073 million (16.7%).

A further 310,000 (6.6%) watched BBC2's repeat of the debate between 11.30pm and 1am.

Last Thursday's first leaders' debate attracted a live audience of 9.4 million viewers (37%) on ITV1 between 8.30pm and 10pm.

The second leaders' debate was the most watched programme ever on Sky News, which launched in 1989.

Overall reach – viewers who tuned in for at least three consecutive minutes – across the three channels was 6.5 million. Sky News' daily three-minute reach, 5.4 million, was its best since the 2003 Iraq war.

John Ryley, Head of Sky News, said: "It is clear that the Leaders' Debates have struck a chord with the British public and energised the election campaign, just as we hoped they would when we called on the three main party leaders to join in a televised debate. I am delighted that so many people chose to watch Sky News' coverage on all of the platforms where it was available."

A Short Story

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., the Chinese carmaker that bought technology from Saab Automobile, is in talks to expand cooperation with the Swedish company.

 Beijing Auto is willing to extend the partnership, the company's President Wang Dazong said Thursday. The company paid about $193 million US for Saab technology related to three platforms, including the existing 9-3 and 9-5 models, the Chinese carmaker said in December.

Beijing Auto plans to invest $4.4 million to develop models that will help reduce reliance on its foreign partners Daimler AG and Hyundai Motor Co.

Chinese automakers including Beijing Auto and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. are acquiring brands and technology from overseas to help them grow internationally.

Saab is holding discussions with Beijing Auto about using the Chinese carmaker's local dealers, the Swedish company's CEO Jan-Aake Jonsson said Monday. The two may also agree to let Beijing Auto produce and sell Saab cars locally, he said.

The Chinese company plans to use Saab technology to develop as many as four cars and three turbo engines, chairman Xu Heyi said in December. It aims to sell 100,000 own-brand passenger vehicles in 2011.

Shares of Beiqi Foton Motor Co., the publicly traded unit of Beijing Auto, fell 2.5 per cent to close at $3 Thursday in Shanghai.

The carmaker plans to start producing at least two new own-brand models this year and to have a total of 20 by 2014, Wang added.

Beijing Auto aims to sell 1.5 million vehicles this year. The company's vehicle sales surged 61 per cent to 1.24 million units last year.

The carmaker is building three passenger-vehicle plants, two commercial-vehicle factories and one engine factory, adding 1.3 million units of production capacity to ease a shortage, Wang said.

Nokia Handphone

Hp Nokia - Citing continuing improvements in cameraphone technology, Vanjoki said: "They will in the very near future revolutionise the market for system cameras." And he wasn't Vanjoking. Do remember, however, that Nokia doesn't make and sell DSLRs, they make and sell phones.

Nokia - There are three major components to digital photography: the image sensor, the lens, and the hardware-software processing component. In each of these areas, DSLRs have essentially insurmountable advantages for the foreseeable future.

And you notice that megapixelage is not on that list. Perhaps the most overrated spec in cameraland, the sheer number of pixels that a camera claims does have an impact on the size of the image you get to play with, but how those pixels are captured matters far more to image quality.

And those pixels are captured by an image sensor. A good rule of thumb is that the larger the sensor, the less noise in the image. The CMOS sensor in a prosumer-level Nikon D90, for example, is 15.8 by 23.6mm, and the sensor in a pro-level Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III is 36 by 24mm. Fitting a sensor of that size into a Nokia cameraphone wouldn't only be difficult space-wise, but achieving the necessary lens-to-focal plane distance in a pocketable device would result in one frightfully lumpy pocket.

A lens doesn't only let in light - in most cases, the more the merrier - it also carefully collimates that light, adjusts for chromatic aberration, and ensures that no geometric image distortions occur at varying zoom lengths. Until the laws of physics change, you're not going to get quality zoomable lenses into a thin, tiny device.

And let's not even talk about "digital zoom," which even a rank amateur photographer soon discovers is a cruel pixelating joke.

We'll pass over the the hardware-software processing component of a DSLR versus a camera phone for now, seeing as how most pro photographers - unless they're on a heinous deadline - prefer to shoot in raw mode. When "shooting raw," pure pixel data is read from the image sensor and stored on the memory card, to be retrieved later and manipulated by a far more-powerful PC or Mac with dedicated image-editing software.

While OmniVision has announced a 6.35mm, 5-megapixel raw CMOS image sensor, the OV5647, the overwhelming majority - if not all - current cameraphones provide images in compressed JPEG format, despite some kludges being available.

JPEG images are plenty good for snapshooting and even advanced amateur photography, but if you want total control over such image niceties as white balance, effective exposure, fill light, lens corrections, and the like, raw is the way to go.

And if you want raw, you want a DSLR - or, at minimum a high-end pocket camera such as the Canon PowerShot G11. You don't want a cameraphone.

Vanjoki was, however, accurate in one of his Helsinki comments: "It will not take long, less than a year, when phones can record HD quality video and you can transfer it directly to your HD television set." With small-sensor pixel counts increasing and the power required to operate them decreasing, he may very well be correct.

Nokia Handphone

Harga Nokia C3 - The reincarnation of Nokia 5800 XPress Music anatomy agency with a 5Mp Camera and accelerate out keyboard , featuring adequate old S60 V5 and Standby Widgets . Even it’s angle if Keyboard is bankrupt looks like 5800 and others – will be accessible for Euro 220 by Q2 2010 and with 200mb Internal Anamnesis , it’s a bit lower than N97 Mini

Nokia E5

E71 reincarnated afresh afterwards E71x , E63 , E72 – although the Camera has been upgraded to 5 MP , at Euro 180 and accessible in Q3 2010 , you will get a very shitty 320 x 240 – 240 k awning ( although abounding Nokia low end handsets now accept 16 m ) blush awning –

Nokia C3

Now this is the buzz , I like at Euro 90 amount point , it gives the controlling attending although active S40 ( no multi tasking ) it does action messaging and connectivity at an adequate amount point . Although no GPS , it does accept WiFi but 55MB user accessible anamnesis may arrest downloading assorted mailboxes .

My thoughts are based on my antecedent appearance of all the phones , I’m cat-and-mouse for complete data like processor speeds etc to accomplish the final judgement

HP Nokia C3, C6 , E5

Harga Nokia C3, C6, E5 - Nokia telah memperkenalkan tiga ponsel messaging terbarunya, dengan harga lebih murah dibanding BlackBerry. Ponsel bertipe E5, C6 dan C3 itu diperkirakan menyambangi Indonesia di awal kuartal 3 2010.

Harga Nokia - Hal tersebut diungkapkan oleh Legi Soegianto, Operative Product Marketing Manager Nokia Indonesia, Jumat (16/4/2010), saat ditemui detikINET di sela-sela peluncuran Nokia N900, bertempat di Cafe Tea-Addict Jakarta.

"Ketiga ponsel Qwerty terbaru Nokia tersebut kemungkinan bakal hadir di akhir kuartal II atau awal kuartal III nanti," papar Legi. Ia pun menegaskan bahwa perkiraan waktu tersebut masih bisa berubah, menyesuaikan kondisi pasar Indonesia.

Saat ditanya mengenai apakah ketiga produk tersebut dirilis untuk meredam 'serbuan' Qwerty China, Legi membantahnya. "Perlu ditekanan bahwa kemunculan ketiga produk ini bukan untuk meredam serbuah ponsel Qwerty China yang berharga murah. Kita akan berusaha untuk memenuhi kebutuhan konsumen loyal Nokia," tambah Legi.

Yang menjadi daya tarik ketiga ponsel tersebut adalah harganya yang sangat terjangkau. Di luar Indonesia, Nokia C3 dijual dengan kisaran harga sekitar Rp. 1 juta, sementara dua ponsel lain dibanderol dengan kisaran harga di bawah Rp 3 juta.

Keira Knightley's next film

In the film, Knightley and Pearson Wright play Elizabethan courtiers who are lost in a maze, which is a metaphor for a relationship breaking down. The actress tries to bore her way through a hedge to get to her lover, played by the painter.

In an interview with The Independent, the 25-year-old English actress said: "I loved the idea of doing something that was purely creative, weird and wonderful, and not a commercial venture." The film marks a startling departure for Knightley, who is more often seen in big-budget movies such as Atonement and the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

She agreed to star in Pearson Wright's film for free, using a bedroom in a bed-and-breakfast near Longleat Safari Park as a dressing room during filming. She said she had no problem improvising Elizabethan dialogue or wearing a heavy dress and wig, having had practice with similarly cumbersome outfits in The Duchess.

Knightley, who met the artist in 2007, said: "Ideas were emailed and then developed at Stuart's studio over cupcakes and tea, and a film piece was decided on: a collision of our worlds."

Pearson Wright said he couldn't believe his luck when Knightley agreed to appear in his film. "The juxtaposition of a Hollywood actress in period costume with a very contemporary shooting style, being jostled about by a jumpy camera, is an incongruous and uncomfortable one," he said.

Juara Bahasa Inggris ‎

SAAT sebagian siswa masih menganggap bahasa Inggris merupakan bahasa yang sulit dipelajari. Tidak demikian dengan Teddy, siswa SMP Negeri 2 Jl Ahmad Dahlan, Samarinda. Menurutnya, belajar bahasa Inggris cukup mudah.

"Jangan berusaha untuk menghafal, tapi berusaha untuk memahami. Jadi, kuncinya berani berbicara jangan takut salah," kata Teddy yang bergabung dalam Klub Bahasa Inggris di sekolah ini.

Teddy yang berhasil meraih Juara Kompetisi Bahasa Inggris yang diselenggarakan SMA Negeri 10 Melati atau yang lebih dikenal dengan SMA Plus ini, belum lama ini mengatakan bahwa untuk menyambut era globalisasi bahasa Inggris harus mampu dikuasai siswa.

"Kita tidak boleh kalah dengan negara lain. Apalagi, saat ini bahasa Inggris sudah menjadi bahasa universal. Dimana-mana kita temukan bahasa Inggris, baik di makanan atau di mal," kata siswa yang berada di kelas Bilingual ini.

Teddy mengatakan bahwa ia suka bahasa Inggris sejak SD, tak heran jelang SMP ia mampu berbahasa Inggris dengan tepat dan lancar. Hal itu, karena ia sering menggunakan bahasa Inggris tak hanya di sekolah tetapi juga di rumah.

Susno Duadji ‎

 Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives Bambang Soesatyo said the commission will summon former national police chief detective Susno Duadji for clarification on his alleged tax embezzlement case.

"Before the working meeting with the Police Chief, commission III agreed to summon Susno Duadji first," Bambang Soesatyo told the press at the Parliament building in Jakarta Tuesday.

He said Susno will be summoned by Commission III in closed doors. He said Susno will be summoned to find out everything he knew about tax embazzlement.

"We also need to find out whether the data from Susno were really legal data or merely allegations," Bambang said.

And he also pointed out that some of the things that Susno has given were the truth.

Bambang also said that Commission III will this week also summon the Supreme Court chairman to listen what he had to say about this issue.

The tax embezzlement case involving tax directorate general official Gayus P Tambunan for the first time came to the surface following allegations made by former chief detective Commissioner General Susno Duadji.

In this case at least one high-ranking police officer, namely Brig Gen Edmon Ilyas had been dismissed form his post as Lampung Police chief, and will be interrogated.

Bambang said Police Chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri has pledged to solve the tax corruption case once and for all.

Vegetarian Recipe

Vegetarian Recipes - Since 1985, March has been designated national Meat Out month. This largely grass-roots movement has gained popularity because eating vegetarian foods is not as much of a chore or inconvenience as it was back in the day. You can find more information at meatout.org.

Supermarkets and restaurants now offer many options when going out. Everyone at the table can now find something wonderful whether they are vegetarian or not. Vegetarianism has become much more mainstream. Right behind this growth is a trend called vegetarianism, which although controversial, is gaining traction. This is a trend where people eat vegetarian meals a few times a week but also will eat fish, poultry or beef in smaller amounts.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all good. I am thankful that more manufacturers are producing better plant-based foods that are natural, organic and actually taste good.

Other factors make Meat Out month credible as it enters its 25th anniversary. Recent statistics on the rapid growth of diabetes and obesity indicate that eating more plant-based foods makes sense. I think even small steps in the right direction are good.

Just now that we don't have to sacrifice flavor for health. Here are a few fabulous and simple recipes that all will enjoy. These recipes are from various travels around the globe.

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SMOKY CHICK PEAS WITH SPINACH, EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

Discovered at an ancient tapas bar in Seville, I enjoyed this so much that one small plate was simply not enough. Smoked paprika was once obscure, but can now be found almost everywhere. You can serve this dish as is or over rice, orzo or couscous. Manchego cheese can be found in most cheese sections. You may use parmesan if you can't find Manchego.

Eggplant:

1 small eggplant, unpeeled, diced in 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons oil

Salt and pepper to taste

To complete:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ Spanish onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2 cups roasted, cubed eggplant

1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained, rinsed

1 (14-ounce) can chopped Imported Italian tomatoes in juice

2 cups chopped fresh spinach (or) 1 cup frozen chopped spinach

1 cup crumbled Manchego cheese

To make roasted eggplant: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss together eggplant, olive oil, salt and pepper in large bowl. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake 30 minutes until golden brown and tender. This can be done up to 2 days prior to assembling recipe. Makes about 2 cups.

To complete: Heat oil in large non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and smoked paprika and saute for 1 minute to soften onions. Add roasted eggplant chunks, chick peas, tomatoes and bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, add the spinach and cheese.

Serves 4.

Per serving: 360 calories, 46 percent calories from fat, 19 grams total fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 36 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams total fiber, 10 grams total sugars, 25 grams net carbs, 14 grams protein, 608 milligrams sodium.

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TERRA COTTA COBB SALAD

This salad is colorful, simple to make and appropriate for family or company.

1 (5-ounce) bag of field greens, baby spinach or arugula

½ cup red pepper, chopped

½ cup green pepper, chopped

½ cup red onion, chopped

½ cup tomato, chopped

½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 avocado, diced

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Lime Drizzle (See recipe)

Place the field greens on a large serving platter. Arrange all the chopped vegetables, cheese and black beans in colorful rows across the greens.

Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top and drizzle with dressing. Serves 4.

Per serving with dressing: 391 calories, 67 percent calories from fat, 29 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 6 milligrams cholesterol, 23 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total fiber, 6 grams total sugars, 15 grams net carbs, 14 grams protein, 245 milligrams sodium.

LIME DRIZZLE

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup lime juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Combine all ingredients well in a small mixing bowl with a wire whisk or blend with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth.

Serves 4-6.

Clash of The Titans

Action movie ‘Clash of The Titans’ has gone straight to the top of the UK box office charts, raking in 5.6 million pounds in its first weekend. The blockbuster, starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, was followed by animated movie ‘How To Train Your Dragon’, which features the voice of Gerard Butler, which landed the second spot with revenues of 4.8 million pounds.

Clash of The Titans Film - Matthew Vaughn’s controversial comic book movie Kick-Ass came third with takings of 3.8 million pounds, reports the Daily Express.

Emma Thompson’s latest outing in ‘Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang’ was at number four with 2.6 million pounds.

Tim Burton’s ‘Alice In Wonderland’ rounded off the top five after raking in 1.2 million pounds. (ANI)

A Z-lightful evening ‎

I looked up this past Saturday night at the end of twilight and faced one of the best zodiacal light cones I've ever had the pleasure to see. The next week and a half will be the last time this spring for a good look at this expanse of glowing comet dust visible in the west 1 1/2 - 2 hours after sunset.

The zodiacal light is centered on the path the sun, moon and planets take through the zodiac constellations. The zodiac basically defines the flat plane of the solar system where all the planets revolve and many comets as well. Comets shed dust from their tails when they swing through the inner solar system. The dust motes are suspended in space and illuminated by sunlight creating a delicate cone-shaped glow visible in a dark, rural sky towards the end of evening twilight. Because the zodiac is still steeply inclined to the horizon in April, the zodiacal light stands high enough about the horizon haze for good visibility. By May the path is lower, and while the zodiacal light is still present, much of it is lost to atmospheric extinction. June, July and August are even worse. Not until fall mornings will the light be seen with relative ease again.

I just happened to be on a hill at a dark location Saturday and was totally taken with the scene. I imagine that flat, wide-open spaces like North Dakota, the light must be even more remarkable. To find the zodiacal light, get to the darkest sky you can. As dusk gives way to night, look for a large, wedge-shaped glow about as bright as the Milky Way standing at an angle to the western horizon with the Seven Sisters Cluster near its top. You might at first think it's a "light dome" from a distant town but its shape and direction of tilt distinguish it from manmade glows.

The reason I needed a hilltop viewing post was to seek Comet Machholz which was discovered in late March by long-time amateur comet hunter Don Machholz. As described in an earlier blog, an amateur discovery is a rare bird in this day of automated sky surveys so I thought it worthwhile to pay attention to Don's find. The comet was low, low, low in Andromeda and despite careful and continuous observation during late twilight I had absolutely no luck seeing it. Comet Machholz was not only faint but the thick, hazy air near the horizon proved a further obstruction.

There are times we amateur astronomers seek a particular object on repeated occasions for hours and in the end never see it. Sometimes we're disappointed but generally not because we know we've tried, pushing both eye and equipment to the limit. There's satisfaction in that as in other endeavors in which you've done your best but haven't always achieved the expected outcome. You either try again from a darker sky, use a bigger scope or go on to another opportunity. As in life, new opportunities always come along in sky watching.

Today the Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn makes another flyby of Titan, the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. Every time Cassini eyes Titan up close it creates better maps of its intriguing surface dotted with hundreds of lakes of liquid methane and carved by channels and rivers of the same. In a quick one-two punch, early Tuesday evening the craft will make a very close pass to Dione, another of Saturn's moons. In addition to photographs, the onboard instruments that detect moving particles will look for any activity on or near the moon.

Today's successful predawn launch of the space shuttle Discovery (right) made for a spectacular sight for those lucky enough to be there. The shuttle is now in orbit and will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) early Wednesday morning at 2:44 a.m. Central time just before the ISS' first predicted pass over the Duluth region at 5:54 a.m. Inside the shuttle's cargo bay is a module named Leonardo, a pressurized "moving van" of sorts that will be attached to the station temporarily on April 7 and returned to the shuttle's cargo bay Thursday, April 15. The module is filled with spare parts, supplies, new crew sleeping quarters and science gear that will be transferred to the station's laboratories. This is the final compliment of laboratory facilities that will complete the station's overall research capabilities. NASA is getting everything in order before the final shuttle flight later this year. Tomorrow I'll have a complete set of viewing times for watching the pair in the early morning hours.

On a final note, a fairly bright naked eye star will be occulted by a faint asteroid tomorrow morning for those living in Los Angeles, parts of Nevada, western Montana, Idaho or near Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. The star Zeta Ophiuchi will disappear for a few seconds when the asteroid 824 Anastasia passes directly in front of it. Since Zeta's about as bright as a Big Dipper star, fortunate sky watchers can watch the occultation with their bare eyeballs. No scope needed.

Suhu Politik Cenderung Meningkat ‎

Gubernur Sumatera Utara, H Syamsul Arifin, SE mengakui, menjelang pelaksanaan Pemilu Kepala Daerah (Pemilukada) suhu politik cenderung meningkat dan sangat berpotensi akan terjadi berbagai gesekan serta benturan kepentingan.

“Karena itu, mari dijaga jangan sampai even-even dalam Pilkada seperti kampanye, pengerahan massa dan pemungutan suara dapat merusak sendi sendi sosial dan kekerabatan maupun kearifan lokal yang dimiliki,”pinta Gubsu dibacakan Kepala Biro Otonomi Daerah dan Kerjasama Setdaprovsu, Drs. Bukit Tambunan, MAP pada acara sosialisasi Pilkada Kota Tebing Tinggi di Gedung Hj Sawiyah Jalan Sutomo Kota Tebing Tinggi, Rabu (24/3).

Proses Pilkada, kata Gubsu, pada dasarnya bukan sekedar memilih siapa yang akan menjadi pimpinan di daerah melainkan juga merupakan proses pembelajaran kehidupan berpolitik dan berdemokrasi dalam suatu koridor hukum yang benar. Untuk itu, pasangan calon dan Parpol pendukung serta simpatisan mempunyai peran yang sangat strategis dalam pembelajaran politik praktis.

Dikatakannya, tahun 2010 ini ada 22 kabupaten / kota di Sumut yang melakukan Pilkada. Sembilan kabupaten / kota melaksanakan pemungutan suara 12 Mei 2010, lima kabupaten/kota pada Juni 2010 serta selebihnya dilaksanakan Agustus dan Oktober 2010.

“Gubsu minta, semua pihak untuk turut serta secara aktif mensukseskan Pilkada Kota Tebing Tinggi. Bagi para pejabat dan PNS di jajaran Pemko Tebing Tinggi, agar mengambil posisi yang netral dan tidak berafiliasi dengan salah satu pasangan calon. Karena, keberpihakan akan mengganggu tugas tugas sehari sehari PNS yang melayani masyarakat,”pinta Gubsu di hadapan Sekdako Tebing Tinggi, Drs. Agussalim Purba, Ketua KPU, Hatta Ridho S.Sos, MSP, Ketua Panwaslu Sufriady ST, pimpinan Parpol dan pendukung kelima pasangan calon walikota dan wakil walikota Tebing Tinggi.

Sekdako, Agussalim Purba mengatakan, proses Pilkada di Kota Tebing Tinggi sudah akan memasuki tahapan kampanye. Seluruh tahapan, dilalui berjalan dengan lancar. Diharapkannya, hingga pelaksanaan pemungutan suara dan terpilihnya walikota dan wakil walikota Tebing Tinggi periode 2010 ­ 2015.

Turut menyampaikan makalah dalam sosiialisasi itu, Kepala Biro Otda Sumut, Drs. Bukit Tambunan dengan paparan”Peranan Pemda dalam Pilkada”. Kemudian, Kepala Badan Kesbangpol Linmas Sumut H. Darwinsyah, SH dengan makalahnya”Peran Parpol dalam mensukseskan Pilkada”.

Ketua KPUD, Hatta Ridho menyebutkan, tahapan Pilkada Kota Tebing Tinggi saat ini semuanya berjalan lancar. Seluruh pasangan calon, akan menyampaikan visi dan misi serta mulai 25 April - 8 Mei 2010, semua pasangan calon walikota dan wakil walikota sesuai jadwal masing masing akan melakukan kampanye.

Keuntungan BlackBerry Meningkat

Research In Motion (RIM), perusahaan yang memproduksi telepon seluler BlackBerry Gemini menyampaikan laporan yang menunjukkan adanya peningkatan keuntungan sebesar 37% atas hasil penjualan smartphone itu.

Blackberry Onyx - Perusahaan yang berbasis di Kanada itu menghasilkan keuntungan bersih sebesar US$710 juta dalam tiga bulan, mulai Desember sampai Februasi, meningkat dari US$518 juta pada tahun lalu.

Pendapatan untuk kuartal keempat ini juga meningkat sebesar 18% menjadi US$4 miliar. Meski keuntungan dan pendapat RIM meningkat, jumlah itu tetap di bawah ekspektasi pasar.

Para analis mengatakan bahwa RIM terbiasa dengan persaingan sengit di pasar smartphone, seperti dengan iPhone produksi Apple.

"Peningkatan ini menunjukkan RIM telah bekerja dengan baik, tapi sebenarnya ekspektasi Wall Street lebih daripada ini," kata Ed Snyder dari Charter Equity Research.

KSN Belum Jelas ‎

 Kongres Sepakbola Nasional (KSN) 2010 sudah resmi dibuka dan dimulai sejak pagi tadi, Selasa (30/3/2010). Sesuai amanat Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), KSN harus menemukan langkah kongkret yang akan direkomendasikan kepada stakeholder untuk menuju perubahan yang lebih baik.

 Kondisi berbeda ditemukan pada Sidang Pleno I. Dalam sidang pertama ini, setiap stakeholder (pemangku kepentingan) dalam hal ini, pemerintah pusat melalui Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga, KONI, PWI, PSSI, klub-klub, atlet atau pemain sepakbola, mantan pemain dan suporter, berkesempatan memaparkan makalah.

Namun, dalam pemaparan makalah terlihat rangkaian stakeholder ini belum menemukan satu suara tentang wacana KSN. Seperti disampaikan pengamat komunikasi politik Effendi Ghazali yang turut hadir sebagai peseta undangan KSN 2010. Dia menilai arah kongres sampai saat ini belum terlihat jelas.

“Kalau diminta berkomentar jujur saya bingung berkomentar apa. Ini belum jelas, dan saya pikir tidak bisa disebut kongres. Sebut saja ini sebagai sidang tertutup yang dibuat terbuka. Terlalu banyak kepentingan di sini hingga menimbulkan pro-kontra pendapat,” jelas Effendi yang diundang sebagai pengamat dari UI.

Namun, Effendi tetap optimis KSN 2010 bisa merumuskan rekomendasi yang bermuara kepada perubahan prestasi sepakbola Indonesia. Hanya, menurutnya pantia perlu kembali meninjau semua hal agar tujuan KSN bisa terlaksana dengan baik.

“Ada dua hal yang saya lihat dalam awal kongres ini. Kongres ini terlalu ramai dengan padatnya rangkaian acara. Saya khawatir tujuan akhir nanti tidak ketemu. Selanjutnya, kongres ini harus lebih clear dan semua pihak sadar akan kapasitasnya hingga menemukan hasil yang diinginkan,” tutup Effendi.

PIDATO MEGAWATI ‎

 Ketua Umum PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri dijadwalkan menyampaikan pidato politik selama 42 menit dalam pembukaan kongres partai yang bakal berlangsung di Denpasar, Bali, awal April 2010. "Sedikit bocoran, pidato itu berbicara mengenai cara Megawati memahami serta konsistensinya, karena itulah kekuatan PDIP dan Megawati," kata Sekjen PDIP Pramono Anung usai Pertemuan DPD se-Indonesia di Jakarta, Rabu (31/3).

Pramono juga memberikan bocoran mengenai struktur organisasi DPP PDIP yang kemungkinan besar mengalami perubahan dan ini dibahas dalam kongres nanti. DPP mengusulkan adanya penambahan struktur dari yang ada saat ini sebanyak 27 struktur menjadi 33 struktur.

Sikap politik PDIP akan termaktub dalam pidato Ketua Umum Megawati Soekarnoputri pada saat pembukaan Kongres III di Bali 6 April mendatang. Pidato tersebut berdurasi 42 menit.

"Sikap politik akan terbaca di dalam pidato ketua umum pada saat pembukan sepanjang 42 menit. Semua itu akan dielaborasi dalam sikap olitik yang dirumuskan oleh Komisi Sikap Politik," ujar Sekertaris Jenderal PDIP Pramono Anung di rumah Megawati, Jl Teuku Umar, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat, Rabu (31/3/2010).

Pramono sedikit memberikan bocoran isi pidato Megawati tersebut. Pidato tersebut, kata dia, harus dipahami sebagai sebuah pernyataan tentang konsistensi.

"Memahami Megawati itu memahami kekonsistenan, itulah yang menjadi kekuatan PDIP dan Ibu Mega," katanya.

Mengenai isi pembicaraan dengan para DPD se-Indonesia, Pramono mengatakan, pembicaran tersebut hanya seputar hal-hal yang menyangkut dengan pembukaan materi dan keseluruhan teknis Kongres.

"Kongres PDIP itu beda dengan partai lain, karena berasal dari bawah. Sebenarnya sudah pasti ketahuan siapa yang menjadi ketua umum. Dari 490 cabang di 33 provinisi, hanya empat cabang yang mendukung Mas Guruh (Guruh Soekarnoputra-red). Seluruhnya mendukung Megawati," jelasnya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Dewan Pertimbangan Pusat Taufiq Kiemas yang juga hadir dalam pertemuan menyampaikan kepada seluruh pengurus untuk selalu mensosialisasikan ideologi Pancasila ke seluruh jajarannya.