FLU BABA
Mexico Swine Flu Deaths as Many as 159
Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 11:49 wib
TEXT SIZE :
MEXICO CITY - The death toll in Mexico from an outbreak of a new type of swine flu has risen to as many as 159 people, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said on Tuesday.
Cordova told a news conference that more than 1,300 people were in hospitals, some of them "seriously" ill, out of a total of around 2,500 suspected cases of the virus.
The number of fatalities was up by 10 from the previous day, although Cordova said many of the deaths have not been definitively attributed to the swine flu. Some victims died and were buried or cremated before the virus was spotted and could
be tested.
Most of the deaths have been in the capital, Mexico City, the adjacent State of Mexico and the nearby state of San Luis Potosi. Other affected states, such as Aguascalientes and Veracruz have only seen a handful of deaths. Cordova said the victims ranged from children, through young adults and middle-aged people to the elderly, a different
pattern to common seasonal flu that mainly only kills infants and old people. "The distribution doesn't follow a fixed pattern," he said. (reuters)(//ahm)
Indonesian Parties Eye Post-election Coalitions
Monday, 27 April 2009 - 16:03 wib
TEXT SIZE :
Photo: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian President (okezone)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party won the most votes in this month's parliamentary elections, sparking a flurry of coalition talks by various parties ahead of presidential polls on July 8. A party or alliance must win 20 percent of the seats and 25 percent of the votes in order to field a presidential candidate.
Votes are still being counted, but early results and quick counts show the Democrats won a fifth. Former President
Megawati Sukarnoputri's PDI-P and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's Golkar Party each won about 14 percent. Both Megawati and Kalla want to challenge Yudhoyono for the presidency even though they are trailing far behind him in
opinion polls.
Now, voters and investors are watching to see which parties team up, who runs for president, and who they pick as their running mates -- factors that will influence the pace of reform in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Already there has been plenty of political jockeying for power, with daily or even hourly media reports on the latest
visits by one party leader to another.
Here are some possible coalition scenarios, in order of the most likely, based on the results and talks so far.
DEMOCRATS ALLY WITH PKS, OTHER ISLAMIC PARTIES
Yudhoyono has already said it is likely his coalition will include the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an Islamist party which, like the Democrats, is anti-corruption and keen to clean up the bureaucracy. Such an alliance, including some of the other small Islamic parties, would give Yudhoyono a freer hand to fight graft and overhaul the civil service, judiciary and police.
Yudhoyono has said 19 names have been submitted as possible vice presidential candidates. However, three names have emerged as favourites so far.
* Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a reform-obsessed technocrat respected at home and abroad, would be very positive for Indonesia's financial markets with bonds, stocks, and the rupiah likely to jump on the news.
* Former PKS president Hidayat Nurwahid would also back bureaucratic reform, but his party wants to renegotiate energy and mining contracts they deem unfair. The PKS's Islamist roots make some religious and ethnic minorities nervous and could cost Yudhoyono votes, and a PKS alliance could lead to more sharia-style laws or policies.
Overall, Nurwahid could be positive on some reforms, but negative for contracts with foreign investors and possibly
social harmony.
* State Secretary Hatta Rajasa of the Muslim-based National Mandate Party (PAN) holds the key administrative job in
government. As a former transport minister and minister of research and technology he has backed protectionist policies in� the past -- so negative for investment.
DEMOCRATS FORM ALLIANCE WITH GOLKAR, ISLAMIC PARTIES
This looks very unlikely given that Jusuf Kalla, Yudhoyono's current vice president, has said he want to run for
the top job. However, don't completely rule out Golkar, a party which has dominated politics and isn't used to being in opposition.
If Kalla does badly in the presidential election, he could be ousted from Golkar and the party could then decide to join Yudhoyono's alliance. Or a Golkar faction could split and join Yudhoyono.
If that happens, expect business as usual, with fairly market-friendly policies but slow progress when it comes to
institutional reform. An alliance with Golkar would make it difficult to overhaul the bloated civil service -- a Golkar stronghold -- or the judiciary and police, areas that have been singled out as needing reform if Indonesia is to attract more investment.
A GOLKAR, PDI-P ALLIANCE
A potentially powerful bloc, representing about 30 percent of the votes, that could field a presidential candidate against Yudhoyono in July.
However, since both Megawati and Kalla want to be president, such an alliance seems doomed from the outset. Neither PDI-P nor Golkar has much appetite for reform or attacking vested interests, so if this combination won, expect
a negative reaction from the markets and investors. Even as an opposition bloc it could hinder reform efforts.
A PDI-P, GERINDRA, WIRANTO ALLIANCE
Megawati could team up with ex-general Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party, and with former general Wiranto's Hanura Party. Both of those politicians share some of Megawati's nationalist views, favouring domestic over foreign investment, and centralised government over regional autonomy.
Prabowo, who was married to one of Suharto's daughters, has presidential ambitions of his own, raising the question of who would take the top post and who would be deputy. He and Wiranto, former enemies, have publicly made up in
the interests of a possible political alliance. Both have a poor human rights track record and were close to Suharto, while Megawati lack reforms credentials.
This combination would be unpopular with markets -- expect heavy selling of Indonesian stocks, bonds and the currency as investors race for the exits.
GERINDRA FORMS ALLIANCE WITH SEVERAL SMALL PARTIES
This coalition appears a long-shot, but Prabowo has invested time and money in raising his profile and cultivating
good relations with a range of parties. He is well-funded, thanks to his tycoon brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, and would represent a step back to the Suharto era. Very negative for financial markets. (reuters)(//ahm)
Kunyah Permen Karet Tingkatkan Kemampuan Matematika
Jum'at, 24 April 2009 - 08:46 wib
TEXT SIZE :
Rachmatunnisa - Okezone
CHICAGO - Banyak asupan konsumsi yang bisa bermanfaat bagi kesehatan dan bisa meningkatkan kemampuan seseorang dalam keahlian tertentu, misalnya kemampuan matematika. Sebelumnya pernah ada penelitian yang menyebutkan coklat bisa meningkatkan kemampuan berhitung.
Kali ini, studi terbaru di Amerika Serikat mengungkapkan bahwa permen karet selain dapat mengendalikan asupan kalori ternyata juga dapat meningkatkan kemampuan matematika, demikian yang dilansir dari Reuters, Jumat (24/4/2009).
Adalah Craig Johnson dari Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, bersama dengan tim risetnya meneliti empat kelas matematika berisi 108 pelajar berusia 13 hingga 16 tahun di Houston.
Setengah dari keseluruhan pelajar diizinkan mengunyah permen karet bebas gula selama pelajaran, saat mengerjakan PR dan ketika ujian. Sebaliknya, setengahnya lagi tidak diperbolehkan makan permen karet.
Setelah 14 pekan, pada ujian matematika nilai murid yang mengunyah permen karet naik sekira tiga persen. Bahkan saat ujian akhir, nilai mereka mengungguli pelajar yang tidak mengunyah permen karet. Hasil temuan tersebut, menurut para ahli, berkorelasi dengan tingkat stres pelajar.
Gil Leveille, Direktur Eksekutif dari Wrigley Research Insitute, yang juga produsen permen karet di Amerika menanggapi hal ini dengan gembira. "Untuk pertama kalinya kami bisa memperlihatkan dalam situasi nyata bahwa murid-murid memperlihatkan kemampuan matematika yeng lebih baik pada saat mereka diizinkan mengunyah permen karet," ujarnya. (srn)
World Counting Down to Pandemic, says Top Virologist
Monday, 27 April 2009 - 13:08 wib
TEXT SIZE :
HONG KONG - A Chinese virologist who helped fight SARS and bird flu warned on Monday of a possible swine flu pandemic that the most populous countries in Asia, China and India, would be ill-prepared to handle.
"We are counting down to a pandemic," said Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who helped trace the
outbreak of SARS in 2003 to the civet cat. "I think the spread of this virus in humans cannot possibly be contained within a short time ... there are already cases in almost every region. The picture is changing every moment."
Guan, who has been studying and tracking the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus ever since it was discovered in people in Hong Kong in 1997, said there would be "many problems" if swine flu reached China and India, "where populations are so dense and health infrastructure is still insufficient".
The virus, which carries swine, avian and human DNA and the designation H1N1, has already killed up to 103 people in
Mexico, infected 20 in the United States and six in Canada. There are many questions surrounding this virus, such as
why it appears milder in the United States and deadlier in Mexico.
"It may seem weaker for now in the United States, but we do not know if it will get more virulent when it goes to another place as it mutates constantly," said Guan.
"When it goes into a place like China, there will be very high transmissibility among people." Microbes like viruses mutate all the time and can swap or mix DNA with other viruses they come into contact with. And nobody knows whether they could become more or less deadly, experts say.
Guan said the swine flu virus was very different from the seasonal human H1N1 flu virus. "It is almost a new subtype," he said, adding that as it was already transmitting efficiently among people, the world already had a pandemic on its hands.
Currently the World Health Organisation classifies the virus as a "public health emergency of international concern" that could become a pandemic, or global outbreak of serious disease.
"This is what I am very worried about. The WHO is always very cautious (about raising its alert system) but it is wasting time," Guan added. The current phase of alert is 3 on a scale of 1 to 6. A full-blown pandemic, level 6, denotes sustained human to human spread over many countries of a new and serious virus. (reuters)(//ahm)
Wednesday, 29 April 2009 - 11:49 wib
TEXT SIZE :
MEXICO CITY - The death toll in Mexico from an outbreak of a new type of swine flu has risen to as many as 159 people, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said on Tuesday.
Cordova told a news conference that more than 1,300 people were in hospitals, some of them "seriously" ill, out of a total of around 2,500 suspected cases of the virus.
The number of fatalities was up by 10 from the previous day, although Cordova said many of the deaths have not been definitively attributed to the swine flu. Some victims died and were buried or cremated before the virus was spotted and could
be tested.
Most of the deaths have been in the capital, Mexico City, the adjacent State of Mexico and the nearby state of San Luis Potosi. Other affected states, such as Aguascalientes and Veracruz have only seen a handful of deaths. Cordova said the victims ranged from children, through young adults and middle-aged people to the elderly, a different
pattern to common seasonal flu that mainly only kills infants and old people. "The distribution doesn't follow a fixed pattern," he said. (reuters)(//ahm)
Indonesian Parties Eye Post-election Coalitions
Monday, 27 April 2009 - 16:03 wib
TEXT SIZE :
Photo: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian President (okezone)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party won the most votes in this month's parliamentary elections, sparking a flurry of coalition talks by various parties ahead of presidential polls on July 8. A party or alliance must win 20 percent of the seats and 25 percent of the votes in order to field a presidential candidate.
Votes are still being counted, but early results and quick counts show the Democrats won a fifth. Former President
Megawati Sukarnoputri's PDI-P and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's Golkar Party each won about 14 percent. Both Megawati and Kalla want to challenge Yudhoyono for the presidency even though they are trailing far behind him in
opinion polls.
Now, voters and investors are watching to see which parties team up, who runs for president, and who they pick as their running mates -- factors that will influence the pace of reform in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Already there has been plenty of political jockeying for power, with daily or even hourly media reports on the latest
visits by one party leader to another.
Here are some possible coalition scenarios, in order of the most likely, based on the results and talks so far.
DEMOCRATS ALLY WITH PKS, OTHER ISLAMIC PARTIES
Yudhoyono has already said it is likely his coalition will include the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an Islamist party which, like the Democrats, is anti-corruption and keen to clean up the bureaucracy. Such an alliance, including some of the other small Islamic parties, would give Yudhoyono a freer hand to fight graft and overhaul the civil service, judiciary and police.
Yudhoyono has said 19 names have been submitted as possible vice presidential candidates. However, three names have emerged as favourites so far.
* Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a reform-obsessed technocrat respected at home and abroad, would be very positive for Indonesia's financial markets with bonds, stocks, and the rupiah likely to jump on the news.
* Former PKS president Hidayat Nurwahid would also back bureaucratic reform, but his party wants to renegotiate energy and mining contracts they deem unfair. The PKS's Islamist roots make some religious and ethnic minorities nervous and could cost Yudhoyono votes, and a PKS alliance could lead to more sharia-style laws or policies.
Overall, Nurwahid could be positive on some reforms, but negative for contracts with foreign investors and possibly
social harmony.
* State Secretary Hatta Rajasa of the Muslim-based National Mandate Party (PAN) holds the key administrative job in
government. As a former transport minister and minister of research and technology he has backed protectionist policies in� the past -- so negative for investment.
DEMOCRATS FORM ALLIANCE WITH GOLKAR, ISLAMIC PARTIES
This looks very unlikely given that Jusuf Kalla, Yudhoyono's current vice president, has said he want to run for
the top job. However, don't completely rule out Golkar, a party which has dominated politics and isn't used to being in opposition.
If Kalla does badly in the presidential election, he could be ousted from Golkar and the party could then decide to join Yudhoyono's alliance. Or a Golkar faction could split and join Yudhoyono.
If that happens, expect business as usual, with fairly market-friendly policies but slow progress when it comes to
institutional reform. An alliance with Golkar would make it difficult to overhaul the bloated civil service -- a Golkar stronghold -- or the judiciary and police, areas that have been singled out as needing reform if Indonesia is to attract more investment.
A GOLKAR, PDI-P ALLIANCE
A potentially powerful bloc, representing about 30 percent of the votes, that could field a presidential candidate against Yudhoyono in July.
However, since both Megawati and Kalla want to be president, such an alliance seems doomed from the outset. Neither PDI-P nor Golkar has much appetite for reform or attacking vested interests, so if this combination won, expect
a negative reaction from the markets and investors. Even as an opposition bloc it could hinder reform efforts.
A PDI-P, GERINDRA, WIRANTO ALLIANCE
Megawati could team up with ex-general Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party, and with former general Wiranto's Hanura Party. Both of those politicians share some of Megawati's nationalist views, favouring domestic over foreign investment, and centralised government over regional autonomy.
Prabowo, who was married to one of Suharto's daughters, has presidential ambitions of his own, raising the question of who would take the top post and who would be deputy. He and Wiranto, former enemies, have publicly made up in
the interests of a possible political alliance. Both have a poor human rights track record and were close to Suharto, while Megawati lack reforms credentials.
This combination would be unpopular with markets -- expect heavy selling of Indonesian stocks, bonds and the currency as investors race for the exits.
GERINDRA FORMS ALLIANCE WITH SEVERAL SMALL PARTIES
This coalition appears a long-shot, but Prabowo has invested time and money in raising his profile and cultivating
good relations with a range of parties. He is well-funded, thanks to his tycoon brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, and would represent a step back to the Suharto era. Very negative for financial markets. (reuters)(//ahm)
Kunyah Permen Karet Tingkatkan Kemampuan Matematika
Jum'at, 24 April 2009 - 08:46 wib
TEXT SIZE :
Rachmatunnisa - Okezone
CHICAGO - Banyak asupan konsumsi yang bisa bermanfaat bagi kesehatan dan bisa meningkatkan kemampuan seseorang dalam keahlian tertentu, misalnya kemampuan matematika. Sebelumnya pernah ada penelitian yang menyebutkan coklat bisa meningkatkan kemampuan berhitung.
Kali ini, studi terbaru di Amerika Serikat mengungkapkan bahwa permen karet selain dapat mengendalikan asupan kalori ternyata juga dapat meningkatkan kemampuan matematika, demikian yang dilansir dari Reuters, Jumat (24/4/2009).
Adalah Craig Johnson dari Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, bersama dengan tim risetnya meneliti empat kelas matematika berisi 108 pelajar berusia 13 hingga 16 tahun di Houston.
Setengah dari keseluruhan pelajar diizinkan mengunyah permen karet bebas gula selama pelajaran, saat mengerjakan PR dan ketika ujian. Sebaliknya, setengahnya lagi tidak diperbolehkan makan permen karet.
Setelah 14 pekan, pada ujian matematika nilai murid yang mengunyah permen karet naik sekira tiga persen. Bahkan saat ujian akhir, nilai mereka mengungguli pelajar yang tidak mengunyah permen karet. Hasil temuan tersebut, menurut para ahli, berkorelasi dengan tingkat stres pelajar.
Gil Leveille, Direktur Eksekutif dari Wrigley Research Insitute, yang juga produsen permen karet di Amerika menanggapi hal ini dengan gembira. "Untuk pertama kalinya kami bisa memperlihatkan dalam situasi nyata bahwa murid-murid memperlihatkan kemampuan matematika yeng lebih baik pada saat mereka diizinkan mengunyah permen karet," ujarnya. (srn)
World Counting Down to Pandemic, says Top Virologist
Monday, 27 April 2009 - 13:08 wib
TEXT SIZE :
HONG KONG - A Chinese virologist who helped fight SARS and bird flu warned on Monday of a possible swine flu pandemic that the most populous countries in Asia, China and India, would be ill-prepared to handle.
"We are counting down to a pandemic," said Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who helped trace the
outbreak of SARS in 2003 to the civet cat. "I think the spread of this virus in humans cannot possibly be contained within a short time ... there are already cases in almost every region. The picture is changing every moment."
Guan, who has been studying and tracking the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus ever since it was discovered in people in Hong Kong in 1997, said there would be "many problems" if swine flu reached China and India, "where populations are so dense and health infrastructure is still insufficient".
The virus, which carries swine, avian and human DNA and the designation H1N1, has already killed up to 103 people in
Mexico, infected 20 in the United States and six in Canada. There are many questions surrounding this virus, such as
why it appears milder in the United States and deadlier in Mexico.
"It may seem weaker for now in the United States, but we do not know if it will get more virulent when it goes to another place as it mutates constantly," said Guan.
"When it goes into a place like China, there will be very high transmissibility among people." Microbes like viruses mutate all the time and can swap or mix DNA with other viruses they come into contact with. And nobody knows whether they could become more or less deadly, experts say.
Guan said the swine flu virus was very different from the seasonal human H1N1 flu virus. "It is almost a new subtype," he said, adding that as it was already transmitting efficiently among people, the world already had a pandemic on its hands.
Currently the World Health Organisation classifies the virus as a "public health emergency of international concern" that could become a pandemic, or global outbreak of serious disease.
"This is what I am very worried about. The WHO is always very cautious (about raising its alert system) but it is wasting time," Guan added. The current phase of alert is 3 on a scale of 1 to 6. A full-blown pandemic, level 6, denotes sustained human to human spread over many countries of a new and serious virus. (reuters)(//ahm)
Komentar