Defense minister welcomes BPK audit of helicopter purchase

Blog Padangekspres.net-Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro says he will welcome efforts by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to audit the ministry’s purchase of seven ill-equipped helicopters from Russia, as urged by the House of
Representatives.

“This is technical. Just look into it — not just into what the order was, but also what we actually got. We welcome any efforts by the BPK to audit the purchase,” Purnomo said Wednesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Earlier, House Commission I announced that it had discovered the Russian helicopters were without six main supporting devices, including a Global Positioning System (GPS), a dumper, communication tools and weaponry.

The ministry purchased six of the Mi-17 V-5 helicopters using the Russian government’s state loan facility, worth around US$56 million.

He said that the funding was not part of his responsibility.

“This is not at my level. It was a technical specification fund. Just match the items [with the orders]. I have no problems,” he said

Wait and see, says SBY on Cabinet reshuffle plans

Blog Padangekspres.net-Amid the brouhaha over statements made Monday by presidential special staff Daniel Sparingga that a Cabinet reshuffle was being mulled and would take place within three weeks, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave his first public comment on the issue on Tuesday.

“Just wait and see, please," Yudhoyono said, smiling, at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta.

He declined to comment further on the issue.

The question was raised after Yudhoyono asked reporters what topics were in the news. The reporters told the President that the public wanted to know about his Cabinet reshuffle plans.

The issue of a reshuffle also resurfaced following a survey released Sunday by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) citing that the public approval ratings for Yudhoyono’s current Cabinet performance had dropped significantly to 37.7 percent this month, as compared to 52.3 percent in January 2010.

The LSI report says the decline is largely attributable to corruption cases implicating several ministers.

A guide to breastfeeding

Padangekspres.net-While breastfeeding gives baby a great start in life, it can also be a minefield of pain, emotion, frustration and even guilt when it doesn’t happen easily. Here’s a five-point plan to help you through it.

1. Be prepared

"What sets people up for a positive experience is taking a breastfeeding education class before the birth with their healthcare provider or hospital," says Karen Ingram, a spokesperson for the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA). "It’s important not to leave breastfeeding information to the last minute." The ABA also run classes nationwide, visitwww.breastfeeding.asn.au

2. Learn the art of attachment

Typically, as soon as a baby is born, they will be given to mum for skin-on-skin contact and should start to “root” or nuzzle in, for a feed. The most important thing to get right at this stage is attachment. Milk comes through many small holes in the nipple, like a sprinkler system, so your baby needs to get a full mouthful of both nipple and areole to attach properly. Incorrect attachment, where the baby latches onto a small part of the nipple instead, may cause nipple damage, cracks, bleeding and mastitis.

3. Overcoming obstacles

If your nipples become damaged you can use nipple shields and work on attachment with a midwife or lactation consultant. Creams such as Lanolips 101 Ointment ($17.95, (02) 9315 9315) or MooGoo Udder cream ($11.90, 1300 213 828), can help soothe and heal sore nipples.

If you do contract mastitis, see your GP as soon as possible for a prescription of antibiotics.

4. Build a support team

Spend the first few weeks resting and feeding yourself and bub. "Limit visitors or if they are coming they should be offering tangible help, such as washing dishes, making tea or bringing a casserole,” says Ingram.

"Your partner can also help by changing, bathing and dressing the baby."

There are also several helplines available including the ABA, 1800 686 268; Tresillian (02) 9787 0855 or 1800 637 357; and Karitane 1300 227 464.

5. Don’t get the guilts

If you have given breastfeeding your best shot and it isn’t working out, don’t blame yourself. "Any mothers who have feelings of remorse, guilt or regret need to talk to someone about it," says Ingram. "(At the ABA) we promote breastfeeding but we realise there are huge emotional issues when it doesn’t work out, and no woman needs to feel guilty about it."

A new mum’s experience

Jo Hegerty is a first-time mum to Alfie, 17 months. Here is her story.

"I'd never considered that breastfeeding would not come naturally until I started reading stories about women struggling through it. Breastfeeding was something I wanted to master, and to do this, I needed to be prepared.

I borrowed every book the library had about the topic and most of them just confused me even more. Nonetheless, it did prepare me for what was ahead. I also watched some of my friends’ breastfeed their babies.

Shortly before Alfie's birth, we did a breastfeeding class at the hospital, and that was fantastic. The best piece of advice I got from a friend was to have a midwife present at every feed in those first 48 hours. Alfie had a tiny mouth and was not keen on opening it wide, so against all advice, I would push his chin down (rather than wait for him to open his mouth). This taught me that you have to do whatever it takes to get the attachment right in those early days.

My top tips are: call a midwife for every feed; watch other mums if you can; and finally, be prepared for the fact that breastfeeding is uncomfortable for at least six weeks, but after that it becomes easy – hang in there!”

For more help and support on breastfeeding visit www.breastfeeding.asn.au

How to teach kids manners

Padangekspres.net-When the parents of today were growing up, we were told to respect our elders, finish every sentence with either "please" or "thank you" and eat with our mouths closed and elbows in.

Friends' parents were called Mr or Mrs – very good family friends might adopt courtesy titles of "aunty" or "uncle" – and terms like "bum" and "shut up" were swear words.

Today, there's no denying that attitudes towards manners have relaxed. But while our kids call people by their first names and may not have intricate understandings of when they can use their fork as a spoon, the thinking behind manners hasn't changed – that is, to show respect, courtesy and compassion for others.

The good old days?

Brisbane parenting and happiness coach Ronit Baras doesn't hanker after the glory days of old when manners were beaten into every child.

"I have challenged this quest for good manners for many years," she says. "When I was a child, I was very rebellious and hated anything associated with manners.

"I believe I did that because my parents and my teachers used manners as a way to control their children and students, instead of explaining what manners meant and how we would benefit from using them."

Neither is she advocating a ban on teaching kids manners – what Ronit believes works more effectively is showing kids the reasons for having manners.

"I believe that when children know what it means to have manners and how they benefit from them, they are polite and show excellent manners naturally and effortlessly," Ronit says.

"Manners are just social codes of behaviour that people have discovered over time that show you can read and follow social cues."

Parents want help

Three out of four parents think children are less well mannered than in previous generations, a study commissioned by Disney in Australia revealed last year.

More than 90 per cent of parents want values and manners taught in schools, although 96 per cent admit mums and dads should be mainly responsible for instilling values in children.

As part of the study, many parents revealed they were desperate for help in ways to teach basic courtesy to kids.

Parents' hunger for help in teaching their kids how to be polite world citizens is evident in the number of books, eBooks and online resources devoted to the topic. US etiquette queen Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, has been writing three columns a week on courtesy and good manners since 1978, which appear in more than 200 newspapers worldwide.

But, Ronit says, most parents have the best tools to help their kids learn manners – themselves. "Manners are habits and if your kids copy your language (and they will), they will have enough polite, respectful, grateful language to use as reference," she says.

Five manners all kids should learn

1. Saying "please" and "thank you": Eighty five per cent of people surveyed in a US poll a few years ago said they felt the world would be a better place if we just said "please" and "thank you" more often. And they may just be words, but throwing in a "please" or "thank you" can soften a command, or make a response sound friendly and respectful.
2. Eating like civilised humans: The subject of table manners could fill pages. But learning some basic politeness like not talking with a mouthful, not reaching in front of others and not burping, passing wind or talking about disgusting topics in public can take kids a long way.
3. Respecting others' voice space: If someone is talking – whether an adult or one of their friends – kids should learn it's impolite to interrupt. While teaching them to say "excuse me" is good, kids also need to know that saying it over the top of other is not polite.
4. Don't use rude or disrespectful language: Kids, like all of us, need to learn how speak politely to others and not use rude or inappropriate language and put-downs. This is not about swearing – some non-swear words can hurt a lot more – but continuing the theme of treating others courteously and with respect.
5. Respect differences: We live in a diverse society now with lots of different cultures, nationalities and traditions. Teach kids to embrace and accept diversity in others.

Diseases without vaccines

Four deadly diseases that you can't immunise yourself against.

There are a number of diseases researchers are still trying to find vaccines for. Here we investigate four viruses and give you an update on where the experts are at.

1

Malaria

Malaria is one of the most deadly infectious diseases in the world. Each year there are 250 million cases worldwide, and 863,000 deaths. One in five childhood deaths in Africa is from malaria.

Australia was certified as malaria-free in 1981, however there are still hundreds of cases here each year in people who catch it overseas. While there are a number of anti-malaria drugs, malaria parasites in some parts of the world have developed resistance to these.

Symptoms

Sufferers have a fever, headache, and vomiting, with symptoms usually appearing between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite.

A vaccine?

Earlier this month researchers from Griffith University in Queensland said they believed they have discovered a malaria vaccine. PlasProtecT uses low doses of the parasites, put to sleep using a chemical treatment. The first phase of the human trials will take place in the next 12 months.

2

Dengue Fever

Dubbed 'breakbone fever' dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito carrying it.

There is no vaccine against dengue fever, there are no drugs you can take to protect against it, and there is no cure. All doctors can do is treat the symptoms. It can be deadly.

Last year there were 1,201 cases of dengue fever in Australia.

Symptoms

Symptoms begin around a week after being bitten. They include aching in muscles and joints, a high fever, fatigue, a rash and intense headaches. The symptoms last for around a week, but sufferers can still experience fatigue months later.

A vaccine?

There are four strains of the virus, which means a vaccine needs to ideally cover all of them. Earlier this year, as part of the Eliminate Dengue Project, specially bred mosquitos were released in Cairns infected with the natural bacteria wolbachia, which is thought to stop the insects from transmitting dengue fever.

The idea is that they mate with dengue mosquitos and eventually all mosquitos will carry the bacteria – making them unable to give people dengue.

"If these initial trials are successful they will be followed by similar trials in Vietnam towards the end of 2011," said Professor Scott O'Neill, from Monash University.

3

Ross River (RRV)

Ross River virus is a non-fatal infectious disease spread by the bite of a number of different species of female mosquitoes. Last year 5,141 people were infected with RRV.

The number of cases of RRV are gradually increasing, according to Professor David Gordon, Flinders Head of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

"People travel go home infected, get bitten by another mosquito and then that mosquito can spread it to other people." says Professor Gordon.

Symptoms

It can take up to two weeks for sufferers to develop symptoms, these include joint pain, stiffness and swelling, as well as a flu-like illness and a rash. Some sufferers have joint welling and fatigue for months.

A vaccine?

Researchers are testing a vaccine at the moment across Australia in a trial, led by Professor Gordon.

"The vaccine is well on the way," says Professor Gordon. "The trial is likely to finish in about two months."

4

Chikungunya

Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne infection that largely occurs in Africa, Asia and India. There have also been cases reported in Australia of people who caught the infection while travelling abroad, then returned home. There were 54 cases here last year – almost double that of the year before.

There are no specific drugs to cure the disease, treatment is primarily focused on relieving the symptoms.

Symptoms

Symptoms are similar to those experienced in dengue fever, including fever accompanied by joint and muscle pain as well as headaches, nausea, fatigue and a rash. The symptoms last usually for a matter of weeks, but the joint pain can persist for years.

A vaccine?

There is no commercial chikungunya vaccine, although a vaccine trialled on monkeys last year appeared to work.

"At a time when there are no commercially available vaccines ... a virus-like particle vaccine has the potential to have a considerable impact on the spread of this disease," wrote American researcher Dr. Gary Nabel in the journal Nature Medicine. source: bodyandsoul.com.au

What's on in Germany: August 25 - 31

This Week's Highlights: Frankfurt's Museum Embankment Festival, Berlin's Long Night of Museums, and a wine village in Stuttgart.

BERLIN

Festivals

Druck Festival Berlin

Among the myriad artists who call Berlin home, there's a strapping contingent of silk screen printers. Get a glimpse into their intriguing world of paper and ink at a two-day festival presented by the local printing house Mother Drucker. In addition to workshops and live printing demonstrations, the festival features an exhibition of vibrant works by silk screen artists from across Europe.

Price: €5 (Day Ticket); €8 (Weekend Ticket)
Location: Stattbad Wedding, Gerichtstrasse 65
Times: Saturday, August 27 and Sunday, August 28
More Information: www.druckberlin.com

Galleries/Museums
Long Night of Museums

Music takes the spotlight at Berlin's 29th Long Night of the Museums event this weekend. Over 35 Berlin-based choirs signed on to perform in places like the Ethnological Museum and the Planetarium. But it's not all about singing. Head to the Fire Service Museum for a fire magic show, horse-drawn carriage rides, and a bonfire.

Price: €15
Location: Various
Times: Saturday, August 27, 6pm-2am
More Information: www.lange-nacht-der-museen.de

Events


Swap in the City

It's ladies night Sunday at Goya when Swap in the City sets up beneath the chandeliers at the glamorous Berlin dance club. Grab a cocktail and groove to the tunes of DJane Monique while you browse the racks of chic threads. But you have to give in order to take, so clean out those closets and head over to Goya with at least three new or gently used pieces and let the swapping begin.

Price: €15
Location: Goya Berlin, Nollendorfplatz
Times: Sunday, August 28, 4-9pm
More Information: www.swapinthecity.com




COLOGNE



Galleries/Museums


Chto Delat? Perestroika: Twenty Years After: 2011-1991

"What should I do?" is the translation of "Chto Delat," a collective ofRussian artists, critics, philosophers, and writers, which has a show opening at the Kölnischer Kunstverein this week. See films, videos, sculptures, and photographs that offer a perspective on the way Russian society evolved after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Price: €4
Location: Kölnischer Kunstverein, Die Brücke, Hahnenstrasse 6
Times: Friday, August 26, 7pm (Opening); Tuesday - Friday, 1-7pm, Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm (Regular Hours); through September 18
Phone: 0221 217021
More Information: www.koelnischerkunstverein.de




FRANKFURT



Events


Museum Embankment Festival

Three days of live music, DJs, workshops, and exhibition tours make Frankfurt's Museum Embankment Festival one of the highlights of summer in Germany. From the Archaeology Museum to the Museum of World Cultures, all the city's major museums host special events, while an open-air program offers plenty of opportunities to soak up some culture outdoors. Don't miss the dragon boat races Saturday morning, and the fireworks show Sunday night.

Price: €4 (Festival Button)
Location: Various
Times: Friday, August 26, 3pm-1am, Saturday, August 27, 11am-1am, Sunday, August 28, 11am-Midnight
More Information: www.museumsuferfest.de



Film


Jean Rouch - Petit à petit

French filmmaker Jean Rouch started making ethnological films in his native Nigeria in the 1940s. His work fuses fictional storytelling with documentary to form a new style called ethnofiction that combines cinéma vérité and La Nouvelle Vague. See the director's 1972 film Petit à petit Wednesday night in Frankfurt.

Price: €3
Location: Weltkulturen Labor, Schaumainkai 37
Times: Wednesday, August 31, 7pm
Phone: 069 212 45115
More Information: www.institutfrancais.de



Music/Concerts


Catalina Olea Sings the Beatles

Jogi Kirschner, Thomas Schilling, and Peter Fahrenholz join Catalina Olea, a New York-born, Germany-based singer of Ecuadorian heritage who sings Beatles songs Friday night at Frankfurt Art Bar. Be wooed by her serene version of "In My Life."

Price: Free
Location: Frankfurt Art Bar, Ziegelhüttenweg 32
Times: Friday, August 26, 8:45pm
Phone: 069 63 30 79 38
More Information: www.frankfurtartbar.de




HAMBURG



Music/Concerts


Red Hot Chili Peppers Live Album Debut

Their tenth studio album I'm With You drops Tuesday in Germany. Celebrate what Anthony Kiedis and the guys are calling a whole new band by watching a live high-definition broadcast of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing their entire new album in addition to some of their biggest hits. "Take me to the place I love/take me all the wayy-yay-ay-yay."

Price: €17
Location: CinemaxX Hamburg, Dammtordamm 1
Times: Tuesday, August 30, 9pm
More Information: www.rhcplivehd.com




MUNICH



Dance


La La La Human Steps

"Dido and Aeneas" fuses with "Orpheus and Eurydice" in Canadian choreographer Edouard Lock's latest work for the dance company he founded in 1980, La La La Human Steps. Characterized by high-speed virtuosity and exquisite precision Lock's troupe comprises some of the world's most skilled dancers. Witness their inspiring mix of classical ballet and contemporary movements Wednesday at Muffatwerk.

Price: €20 - 47
Location: Muffatwerk, Muffathalle, Zellstrasse 4
Times: Wednesday, August 31 andThursday, September 1, 8:30pm
Phone: 089 458 750 10
More Information: www.muffatwerk.de



Music/Concerts


Annette Neuffer Quintet

Billie Holiday and Lester Young formed one of the finest musical romances of the twentieth century. This weekend, the Annette Neuffer Quintet brings the timeless tunes of that legendary vocalist Lady Day and her saxophone blowing mate Prez to Jazzclub Unterfahrt.

Price: €14
Location: Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Einsteinstrasse 42
Times: Thursday, August 25, Friday, August 26, Saturday, August 27, 9pm
Phone: 089 448 27 94
More Information: www.unterfahrt.de




STUTTGART



Events


Stuttgart Wine Village

Who doesn't welcome an icy glass of Riesling on a warm summer's day? Stuttgart's Wine Village is an annual festival featuring over 200 different types of wines from the Württemberg region. Relax among a traditional Swabian setting, and have a taste of the local Trollingers, Ruländers, Lembergers, and other flavourful varieties.

Price: Free
Location: Marktplatz, Kirchstrasse, Schillerplatz
Times: Wednesday, August 24 - Sunday, September 4; Daily, 11am-11pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11am-Midnight
More Information: www.stuttgarter-weindorf.de

Celeste Sunderland (news@thelocal.de)