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C6 October 12, 2011 The President Post www.thepresidentpost.com Tourism The President Post/Akmal Kota Tua Jakarta Queen of the East Kota Tua Jakarta, or Jakarta Old Town, is a small area in the Indonesian capital city that covers about 1.3 square kilometres of both North Jakarta and West Jakarta. Dubbed “The Jewel of Asia” and “Queen of the East” in the 16th century by European sailors, Old Jakarta was once a center of commerce for the whole continent due to its strategic location and abundant resources. In 1526, Fatahillah, sent by Sultanate of Demak, invaded Hindu Pajajaran’s port of Sunda Kelapa, after which he renamed it into Jayakarta. This town was only 15 hectares in size and had a typical Javanese harbour lay-out. In 1619 the VOC destroyed Jayakarta under the command of Jan Pieterszoon Coen. A year later the VOC built a new town named “Batavia” to honor Batavieren, the Dutch ancestors. This city was centered around the east bank of the Ciliwung river, around present day Fatahillah Square. In 1635 the city expanded towards the west banks of Ciliwung, on the ruins of former Jayakarta. The city was designed in European Dutch style complete with a fortress (Kasteel Batavia), city wall, and canals. The city was arranged in several blocks separated by canals. The city of Batavia was completed in 1650. It became the headquarters of the VOC in the East Indies. The canals were filled up due to outbreaks of tropical diseases within the city walls because of poor sanitation. The city began to expand further south as epidemics in 1835 and 1870 forced more and more people to move out of the cramped city, to the Weltevreden area (now the area surrounding Merdeka Square). The city later became the administrative center of the Dutch East Indies. In 1942 during the Japanese occupation, Batavia was renamed Jakarta, and still serves as the capital city of Indonesia. In 1972, the Governor of Jakarta, Ali Sadikin, issued a decree that officially made the Jakarta Kota area into a heritage site. The governor’s decision was necessary in order to preserve the city’s architectural roots. Despite the Governor’s Decree, the old town remains neglected. Even though the majority was pleased just by the issuing of the decree, not enough was being done to protect and conserve the legacy from the Dutch colonial era. Nowadays, many remaining historical buildings and architecture are steadily deteriorating; at best, “dilapidated”, such as Jakarta History Museum (former city hall of Batavia, the office and residence of VOC governor general), Maritime Museum of Indonesia, Sunda Kelapa harbour, and The Batavia Hotel which formerly wellknown as Omni Batavia Hotel. However, there is still much hope in restoring the area, especially with various non-profit organizations, private institutions, and even the government recently stepping up to the plate to rejuvenate Old Jakarta’s legacy. In 2007, several streets surrounding Fatahillah square such as Pintu Besar street and Pos Kota street, were closed to vehicles as a first step towards the rejuvenation. There are now 284 old and historic buildings in the area, among them of Lloyd Insurance, Standard Chartered Bank, PT Samudra Indonesia, PT Bhanda, PT Graha Raksa, Bank Indonesia, Wayang Museum, and Jakarta History Museum.
www.thepresidentpost.com The President Post October 12, 2011 C7 Living www.ellidavis.com Why Men Are in Trouble For the first time in history, women are better educated, more ambitious and arguably more successful than men. By William J. Bennett NNow, society has rightly celebrated the ascension of one sex. We said, “You go girl,” and they went. We celebrate the ascension of women but what will we do about what appears to be the very real decline of the other sex? The data does not bode well for men. In 1970, men earned 60% of all college degrees. In 1980, the figure fell to 50%, by 2006 it was 43%. Women now surpass men in college degrees by almost three to two. Women’s earnings grew 44% in real dollars from 1970 to 2007, compared with 6% growth for men. In 1950, 5% of men at the prime working age were unemployed. As of last year, 20% were not working, the highest ever recorded. Men still maintain a majority of the highest paid and most powerful occupations, but women are catching them and will soon be passing them if this trend continues. The warning signs for men stretch far beyond their wallets. Men are more distant from a family or their children then they have ever been. The out-of-wedlock birthrate is more than 40% in America. In 1960, only 11% of children in the U.S. lived apart from their fathers. In 2010, that share had risen to 27%. Men are also less religious than ever before. According to Gallup polling, 39% of men reported attending church regularly in 2010, compared to 47% of women. If you don’t believe the numbers, just ask young women about men today. You will find them talking about prolonged adolescence and men who refuse to grow up. I’ve heard too many young women asking, “Where are the decent single men?” There is a maturity deficit among men out there, and men are falling behind. This decline in founding virtues – work, marriage, and religion – has caught the eye of social commentators from all corners. In her seminal article, “The End of Men,” Hanna Rosin unearthed the unprecedented role reversal that is taking place today. “Man has been the dominant sex since, well, the dawn of mankind. But for the first time in human history, that is changing—and with shocking speed,” writes Rosin. The changes in modern labor – from backs to brains – have catapulted women to the top of the work force, leaving men in their dust. Man’s response has been pathetic. Today, 18-to-34-year-old men spend more time playing video games a day than 12-to-17 -year-old boys. While women are graduating college and finding good jobs, too many men are not going to work, not getting married and not raising families. Women are beginning to take the place of men in many ways. This has led some to ask: do we even need men? So what’s wrong? Increasingly, the messages to boys about what it means to be a man are confusing. The machismo of the street gang calls out with a swagger. Video games, television and music offer dubious lessons to boys who have been abandoned by their fathers. Some coaches and drill sergeants bark, “What kind of man are you?” but don’t explain. Movies are filled with stories of men who refuse to grow up and refuse to take responsibility in relationships. Men, some obsessed with sex, treat women as toys to be discarded when things get complicated. Through all these different and conflicting signals, our boys must decipher what it means to be a man, and for many of them it is harder to figure out. For boys to become men, they need to be guided through advice, habit, instruction, example and correction. It is true in all ages. Someone once characterized the two essential questions Plato posed as: Who teaches the children, and what do we teach them? Each generation of men and women have an obligation to teach the younger males (and females of course) coming behind them. William Wordsworth said, “What we have loved, others will love, and we will teach them how.” When they fail in that obligation, trouble surely follows. Man’s response has been pathetic. Today, 18-to-34-year-old men spend more time playing video games a day than 12-to- 17-year-old boys. While women are graduating college and finding good jobs, too many men are not going to work, not getting married and not raising families. We need to respond to this culture that sends confusing signals to young men, a culture that is agnostic about what it wants men to be, with a clear and achievable notion of manhood. The Founding Fathers believed, and the evidence still shows, that industriousness, marriage and religion are a very important basis for male empowerment and achievement. We may need to say to a number of our twentysomething men, “Get off the video games five hours a day, get yourself together, get a challenging job and get married.” It’s time for men to man up. CNN Why Do People Smoke? The core reason people smoke is because they are addicted to nicotine and can’t stop—it’s a simple as that. Or is it? Though nicotine addiction is certainly the biological reason for why people smoke, there are a host of other factors that are also at play. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that as of 2009, more than 46 million Americans smoke. About 443,000 people in the United States die from smoking-related illnesses each year. Smoking cigarettes causes more deaths than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide and illegal drugs combined. Despite this, one in five people still indulge—some have attempted to quit smoking and failed, and others have not considered quitting at all. The risks of smoking are well known—now let’s dig into why people smoke despite them. Nicotine addiction not only perpetuates one’s desire to smoke, but it makes it difficult to try to apply mind over matter and quit. When smokers start to cut down on cigarettes, they begin to go into withdrawal, which causes a variety of unpleasant symptoms including headache, fatigue, irritability and cravings. The fastest way to mitigate them? Smoking another cigarette. Most smokers attempting to quit imagine that they will experi- ence those initial feelings of withdrawal for the rest of their lives. Actually, within a very short period of time after putting out that last cigarette, physical withdrawal symptoms will start to abate, with urges becoming weaker and shorter in duration. The intervals between urges will soon lengthen. Finally, they will become very infrequent before stopping altogether. Those who quit will eventually get past the discomfort, feel better and have renewed energy. The key, of course, is knowing that— and committing to ride it out. Ask several smokers this question, and they’re likely to have different answers. While generalities cannot be made, there are some factors that many people say are or have been at play in their picking up their first pack and establishing their smoking habit. Many people start smoking in their teens and are addicted by the time they are adults. The most often reported reasons that teens take up smoking include looking mature, a desire to experiment with something “forbidden” and peer pressure. www.cigarettesflavours.com Many people start smoking in their teens and are addicted by the time they are adults. The most often reported reasons that teens take up smoking include looking mature, a desire to experiment with something “forbidden” and peer pressure Adults often smoke for other reasons. They may have personal or financial problems and pressures that cause them to seek the temporary escape and numbing of feelings that smoking can provide. Many adult smokers say that cigarettes can almost act like a crutch to lean on during difficult times. Emotions beyond stress can also factor in. Loneliness, for example, is often cited as a reason for lighting up. You are never alone when you have your little “buddy” with you, some say—a comfort that comes as quickly as a flame can be lit. Some smokers even say that the act of having a cigarette in their mouth and taking a drag gives them a sense of pleasure and comfort not unlike sucking your thumb as a child. Others say they “reward” themselves with smoking. Whenever they have accomplished a task, a cigarette can be like a pat on the back for a job well done. The first cigarette of the day can be a way to ease into the daily grind, while the last one before bed can serve as a sense of completion. In between are little rewards for taking care of all the tasks of everyday living. There are those who may even smoke to control their weight. On average, smokers weigh seven pounds less than non-smokers. Smoking reduces appetite and decreases the sense of taste and smell. The social aspect of smoking, of course, cannot be ignored. Many smokers feel part of a “club;” identifying with a group who, say, goes out for smoke breaks at work gives a sense of belonging and bonding. Understanding all of the factors that go into why people choose to smoke can help you better understand someone who lights up despite all we know about how bad smoking is for us. If you are a smoker, you may or may not be acutely aware of these and other factors that may be factoring in to why you can’t kick the habit. If you are trying to quit, consider the above and look for substitutes and changes that you can make to take cigarettes out of the equation. CNN
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