HABITAT

Selamat Berakhir Pekan

multibrand — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 01:50:40 +0000

Hari Sabtu sudah tiba, sekarang waktu untuk mengistirahatkan diri dari semua kesibukan rutin yang kita lakukan pada hari-hari kerja.

Pagi ini saya akan mengantar anak laki-laki saya, Virya Prawira, ke Mall Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang untuk mengikuti Grand Final Pertandingan Beyblade yang akan dimulai jam 14.00.
Sebelumnya akan diadakan pendafataran ulang dari jam 12.00 s/d 13.00, dan kita akan berangkat sekitar jam 10.30.

Saya sangat mendukung keikutsertaan Virya dalam kompetisi tersebut karena akan memberikan kebaikan baginya, yaitu kesempatan untuk menguji kemampuan didepan publik, melihat kelebihan/kekurangan orang dan membangkitkan jiwa sportivitas dalam lingkungan yang sehat.

Nilai-nilai tsb penting bagi Virya dalam menjalankan kehidupannya dimasa kini dan masa yang akan datang.

Here I am Back Again

multibrand — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:11:06 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s been quite a long time since I updated this blog. which is merely caused by my very tight working time schedule, and also concentrating on my other blog : multibrand.blogspot.com.

From now on I plan to pay more attention on this blog.

Best regards,

Harry Nizam

Pesta Blogger 2008

multibrand — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:14:00 +0000

On 27 October 2007, Indonesian Bloggers gathered for the first time in a forum called Pesta Blogger 2007 i.e an alternative forum for bloggers to interact directly with each other, exchange information, facilitate discussion and develop network. Acknowledging the importance of that event for bloggers in Indonesia, our Minister of Communication and Information Muhammad Nuh has declared that date as the National Bloggers Day. According to Tempo, the first anniversary of the National Bloggers Day will be celebrated on Saturday, 22 November 2008 at BPPT II Bldg. 3rd Floor, Jl. MH Thamrin, Jakarta Pusat. This announcement was made last Wednesday 22 October, by the Chairman of the Pesta Blogger 2008 Wicaksono at the BPPT Building, which was attended, among others, by the Minister of Communication & Information Muhammad Nuh, the U.S Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron Hume. In a Press Release, Wicaksono stated that the theme for this years event is ” Blogging for Society “, which he expect will be attended by 1,000 Bloggers representing around 300,000 Bloggers in Indonesia. He further explained that the event will also be backed by the Department Cultural & Tourism, and mainly sponsored, among others, by the United States Embassy in Jakarta and PR firmMaverick. According to the Minister Muhammad Nuh, Bloggers have positive contribution towards the society. While Ambassador Hume stated that he is proud to sponsor the event because blogging originated from the U.S and adapted locally in Indonesia, becoming a unique influence in the media and society. Through blogs, citizens are empowered by technology to make important contribution to their society and country.

On the one hand, we bloggers should be very happy that this year’s Pesta Blogger will be backed by the Ministry of Communition & Information, and the Department of Culture & Tourims, which shed away any fears that we bloggers might have on the government when the I.T.E Law was enforced earlier this year. We should also be happy that many organization/companies became sponsors for this event. But on the other hand, we should be careful in accepting sponsorship from foreign government, no matter what their reason is. Because it might cause misleading image on the event, in the sense that certain extreme elements in our society might say that Indonesian bloggers are pro foreigners. However, this kind of pro & cons is obvious for a democratic society like ours. The most important thing for us is to always think and act positively as citizens of an independent & souverign country.

The missing ancient stone

multibrand — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:51:00 +0000

For many years we have been saddened by the news about the unstopable illegal cutting of forest trees in Kalimantan and shipment of the woods to other parts of Indonesia and abroad. While we are still shocked, suddenly we read/saw/heard the news about a 6 tonnes heavy ancient stone i.e the Batu Kuya stone that has been missing from an archeological site in the Protected Forest of Haur Bentes, Bogor, since 23 September 2008. According to Kompas the Director General of History i.e. Harry Dradjat stated that the Turtle shaped stone that has the size of 3 meters in Diameter, 4 meters in Height is predicted to be the remains of the oldest kingdom in Indonesia i.e the Tarumanegara Kingdom founded in the year 358 AD. He said that it was carried from the site using a container truck. He suspect that the stone has left our country, therefore his office has cooperate with our Customs Office and the Interpol to trace the whereabout of said ancient stone.
Although the giant stone may only be an ordinary stone, but considering that it is located in a historical site inside a Protected Forest, it cannot be allowed to go away just like that. And due to the Stone’s big size and heavy weight, if serious effort is made to trace its whereabout, actually it would not be very difficult to find it. Considering that in the past there has been many news regarding our country’s missing historical treasures, the government should pay very serious attention on this matter and make serious efforts to prevent it from happening again in the future.

The Day of Triumph

multibrand — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Having fast for 30 days, Muslims around the world celebrate the day of Triumph i.e Iedul Fitri on Wednesday 1 October 2008. The word ‘Iedul Fitri’ implies return to the Clean Origin, as follows:
1) Clean Body and Soul as the result of 30 days of Fasting
2) Clean Property as the result of paying Zakat donation
Regarding the collection & distributions of Zakat actually can be conducted better if the Law No 38 Year 1999 regarding Management of Zakat is adhered, i.e carried out through Zakat body, thus in accordance with the Al Quran: At Taubah verses 60 & 103.
The Zakat body can be the ones set up by the government, or religious institutions including mosques. Of course we may have doubts on the accountability & reliability of personnels of such Zakat bodies but let us be positive and be sincere whenever we want to give others, unless, of course, if we have a hidden agenda.
The Ied Festive itself started with a one hour Prayer at 7 am, followed by visits to parents and other elderly family, brothers, sisters & friends to request for their forgiveness and tell them that we forgive them. Our President held an open house at his palace allowing citizens to greet him, so did the cabinet ministers,high ranking government officials as well as public figures. Usually, Jakarta would be empty for more than one week because during that time many citizens went to celebrate Ied in their ‘kampung’ out of town. Besides, the Director General of Land Transporation has issued Decree No. SK.2332/AJ.201/DRJD/2008 dated 25 August 2008 which limits usage of roads 7 days before and 7 days after Ied, and forbid cargo trucks wonderring around in Jakarta from 24 September midnight until 9 October midnight. People who stay in town to share similar experience caused by temporary exodus of most of the servants so they must do everyting like cleaning home, wash dishes,clothes, cooking, taking care of children, etc. And if most of our our neigbours leave town, we would hesitate to leave our home for a long time, considering the security risks. It is at these time we realise how important is the role of servants, how dependent we are on our servants who we often take for granted. If they do good things, we never thank them, but if they make mistake we will scold them. Actually, result of our Fasting and Zakat during Ramadhan is proven after the Ied festive, after the servants return to us again, after we return to our office. If there is an improvement in the way we treat other people, then we can say that our efforts during Ramadhan are successful. If not, we better start improving ourselves ASAP, no need to wait for the next Ramadhan.

Happy Idul Fitri 1 Syawal 1429 H.

multibrand — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Twenty nine days have passed us by, now we have reached the last day in the fasting month of Ramadhan, it’s time for us to take a close look and evaluate what we have done. Have we been fulfilling the commitments that we have made to ourselves? Have we been doing things that we have promised to God and ourselves? If not, how far have we gone to? 90%, or 80%, or 70%, or 60% or below? We all have our achievements & reasons for all the things that we have done and not done in almost one month that we have just spent. One thing for sure is that we are very lucky to be able to live with our loved ones & maintain all the things we have & even get more. If not, let us compare ourselves with the so many others who are less fortunate, who has passed away or still alive but has lost the one that they love and/or things that they have. Let us be thankful for all the things that we have and forgive ourselves for our mistakes and forgive others for the things that made us unpleasant. From the bottom of my heart please accept my apology for any inconveniences. HAPPY IDUL FITRI 1 SYAWAL 1429 H.

Made in Indonesia!

multibrand — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:11:00 +0000

In the early ’80s, our government launched a campaign in the mass media, advising citizens of our country to consume Made in Indonesia products. The effect was good in the sense that it has made us aware that we should prioritize buying and using products made by our fellow citizens. Unfortunately, this good effort ended in the mid ’90. After that, not only that we have not been advised to use our own products but foreign products seemed to have been granted ‘free entrance’ to our country, especially after we actively participated in international organizations which foster free trade i.e WTO, AFTA, APEC etc. Our marketplace became full of seemingly good imported and cheap products. Slowly but surely our industries became weakened. For example the Textile industry is now very weak compared to 10 years ago, because their products cannot compete with imported Textiles, so in order to survive they have to a.o scrap their machinaries. I know this for sure because I worked with a Steel Manufacturing company whose raw material is Steel Scrap supplied a.o by those Textile companies. With the existence of Dangerous Melamined Milk products, it is about time that we all start buying and using Made in Indonesia products, whose prices are actually not so different but surely much safer than imported ones. Let us hope that our government will start campaigning Made in Indonesia products once again, and imposing strict policy on imports of goods that can be made here.

12 Dangerous Melamined Milk products

multibrand — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:52:00 +0000

12 Milk products Made in China have been confirmed to contain Melamine, according to the Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari on Saturday, 27 September 2008. Of the 12 products, 6 are imported legally and the other 6 are imported illegally. Those imported products are as follows :
Registered with BPOM :
1. GUZHEN PINE Pollen Calcium Milk, Milk
2. OREO, Stick Waffer
3. OREO, Stick Waffer
4. M&M Peanuts Chocolate Candies, Candy
5. M&M Chocolate Candies, Candy
6. Snickers, Biscuits
Illegally imported:
1. White Rabbit (Red wrapping), Candy
2. White Rabbit (Blue wrapping, Candy
3. Soybean Drink with Milk (Green wrapping)
4. Soybean Drink with Milk (Yellow wrapping)
5. Soyspring Instant Milk Cereal
6. Soyspring Instant Peanut Milk
Actually, there are 19 Made in China dairy products registered with the Drug, Food and Beverage Supervision Board (BPOM)using ML registration Code, but so far only 6 were in circulation. She said that there are no Indonesian Dairy products with MD registration Code using imported from China. According to the Central Information for Food & Beverage products, the Melamined Products shall be eliminated.
Further, she warned those involved in the importation, distribution and retail of those dangerous products shall be punnished according to the Health Law No 23/1992, Food Law No. 7/1996 and Consumer Protection Law No 8/1999. She also warned the public not to consume product made in China that has been announced by the Agri Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore. Meanwhile the Head of Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Tutum Rahanta said that the retailers has withdrawn the Melamined Products after BPOM made its announcement on 24 September 2008.

We are glad that action has been taken on the dangerous Melamined Products. Let us hope that such action will continue, and those who keep on selling them would be punnished according to the Laws, that our country can become a safer place to live.

DANGER: Melamined Milk

multibrand — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:41:00 +0000

It has not been a long time since we were shocked by news regarding circulation of Formalin & Borax preserved Foods in our society. While this problem has still not been solved yet, suddenly came terrifying news regarding the distribution of Food and Beverage products using made in China Melamine impaired Milk, which has caused death to babies in China and other countries. In this connection, on 24 September the Indonesian Drugs, Food and Beverage Supervision Board (BPOM) has request the public not to consume products containing Chinese Milk, until it has examined them. Here is the list of the said BPOM registered products:
1. Jinwei Yougoo, Fermented Milk, reg.no. ML 206509001378
2. Jinwei Yougoo, Fermented Milk, reg.no. ML 206509002378
3. Jinwei Yougoo, Fermented Milk, reg.no. ML 206509003378
4. Guozhen, Full cream Milk powder, reg.no. ML 805309001478
5. Meiji Indoeskrim Gold Monas, Ice cream, reg.no. ML 305509001116
6. Meiji Indoeskrim Gold Monas, Ice cream, reg.no. ML 305509002116
7. Oreo, Stick wafer, reg.no. ML 227109001450
8. Oreo, Stick wafer, reg.no. ML 827109001450
9. Oreo, Chocolate Sandwich cookie, reg.no. ML 227109001552
10. M&M’s, Candy, reg.no. ML 237409005385
11. M&M’s, Candy, reg.no. ML 237409002385
12. Snickers, Biscuit, reg.no ML 227109009385
13. Dove Choc, Candy, reg.no. ML 237409001385
14. Dove Choc, Candy, reg.no. ML 237409003385
15. Dove Choc, Candy, reg.no. ML 237409004385
16. Merry X-Mas, Candy, reg.no. ML 238409003311
17. Penguin, Candy, reg.no. ML 238409005311
18. Nestle Nesvita Materna, Milk for pregnant and nursing mothers, reg.no. ML
862109001322
19. Nestle Milkmaid, Milk jam, reg.no. ML 234709002206
However,Indonesian products with similar brands registered under MD code may still be distributed and consumed. Beside announcing Chinese products circulating in Indonesia, BPOM also informed about Chinese Melamine impaired products that has been announced by the Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority :
1. Natural Choice, Yoghurt Flavoured Ice Bar With Real Fruit
2. Yili Bean Club, Matcha Red Bean Ice Bar
3. Yili Bean Club, Red Bean Ice Bar
4. Yili Prestige Chocliz, Dark Chocolate Bar
5. Yili Super Bean, Red Bean Chestnut Ice Bar
6. Nestle Dairy Farm, UHT Milk
7. Yili High Calcium, low fat Milk
8. Yili High Calcium, Milk
9. Yili 250 ml, Pure Milk
10. Yili 1 liter, Pure Milk
11. Dutch Lady, Strawberry Flavoured Milk (Ex.China, Hongkong, Singapure)
12. White Rabbit, Candy
13. Yili Choice, Dairy Frozen Yoghurt Bar With Real Peach and Pineapple Fruit Pieces.
The announcement by BPOM struck us like thunder, because many of the products has been purchased and consumed by our society merely because their prices are lower compared to local products. If they really contain Melamine i.e. a basic chemical material for making plastics which cannot be metabolized by the human body, the impact would be lethal. This is proven by experiments in China, whereby mouse that consumed Melamine impaired products died, and many babies died or suffer from Kidney Malfunction after consuming such products.
Let this unfortunate incident be a lesson for us to be very careful when purchasing and consuming products. Let us also hope that BPOM will impose more strict rules in examining and granting permits for Drugs, Foods and Beverage in Indonesia. Especially for those which have been suspected to be tainted by dangerous materials e.g Formalin, Borax and Melamine, BPOM should withdraw them from circulation, and transparently experiment them on animals. Moreover, anyone who are involved in their production and distribution should be prosecuted.

Balinese handycraft dispute

multibrand — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:37:00 +0000

Ketut Deni Aryasa is very sad because an American citizen has sued him for infringing his own design of Balinese Silverware.

Since June 2008, the case has been tried at the District Court of Denpasar, Bali, for alleged infringement & multiplying Silverware design which has obtained Indonesian Copyright registration in the name of a company owned by the American: PT. Karya Tangan Indah. According to the Indonesian Copyright Law No 19 Year 2002, Article 72 Paragraph 1, if Deni is proven guilty, he can be punished: 2 years imprisonment and fined Rp 5 million.
What makes Deni very sad is because he has obtained Indonesian Copyright registration for his work in 2004.
However, when the disputed works were shown at the Court during the examination of evidences they do not look the same at all. The American’s product is Oval type with a plain pattern, while Ketut’s product has Crocodile skin pattern.
An expert witness at the trial i.e Tjokorda Nindia Pemayum Ssn Mhum, testified that any work of art originating from different basic idea cannot create same results. They would be influenced by substantial elements of the products such as the kind of material,pattern, process and texture.
Deni’s trial has worried Balinese Silverware workers because at present an estimate of 1,800 Balinese silverware designs has obtained Copyright registration in the name of foreigners in Indonesia and abroad, whereas the Balinese has actually use those designs since the year 2007. According to the Bali Industry and Trade Agency, export of handy crafts during the period of January-July 2008 only totalled Rp 60 Billion, which is a very sharp drop compared to Rp 1.4 Trillion during same period last year. As a response, the Governor of
Bali promised that his government will set up a special team to cope with this problem.
Source: Kompas

The court trial faced by Deni, and the concern of the Balinese reflects the bad condition faced by our art workers. This is ironic, because our country has been trying to hard to improve protection of creative works, which is proven by the fact that our Copyright Law has been amended three times since 1982. The first is Law No 6 Year 1982, amended by Law No 7 Year 1987, amended by Law No. 12 Year 1997, and the latest is Law No. 19 Year 2002. This means that the key for Copyright protection is in the implementation of the Law. In this regards, those involved in the implementation of the Copyright Law, e.g the Directorate General of Intellectual Property, the Police, the Courts, the central and the provincial government should prioritize protection of creative works of our national citizens. For example, every time examining Copyright applications made by foreigners, Directorate General of Intellectual Property should make sure that the is no infringement of our creative work. That way, foreigners would hesitate from infringing & multiplying our creative works, especially works of Art.