Jakarta, September 2009 – Smarter Indonesians will have better livelihoods, more resilience to crisis, and less susceptibility to twisted violent ideologies of terrorism. Better educated Indonesians will also allow the poor Indonesians to have dreams and hopes to have better lives (and afterlives) within their lifetimes. Key: access to affordable and improved education system. ... »
Digital Activism. Also known as #indonesiaunite
Jakarta — That morning, 7:51 am on July 17, 2009, my Blackberry buzzed with a new incoming Twitter (via UberTwitter) from my friend Daniel Tumiwa. It says “Bomb Marriot and Ritz-Carlton Kuningan Jakarta.” After a while, another one: “2 boms go off inside Ritz Carlton and Marriott coffee shops! Not kidding. Am here.”. Then... »
Very Slow Progress at The Bonn Climate Negotiation
Bonn, June 2009 – The pace of the current negotiation has indeed probably reached a new record of slowness here in Bonn, Germany. So slow even Imelda Abano noted in her article that the negotiators take as much as one whole hour only to agree on one sentence. Two topics may have to be... »
Obama: Remaking of America
Obama’s presidential inauguration might have been the most sought-after and awaited of all. That day, January 20, 2009, was historic. It was the day when the first Non-caucasian American was sworn into the White House, the most powerful presidential office in the planet. As he said in his speech, “a man whose father less... »
Obama’s Inaugural Address
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA Inaugural Address Tuesday, January 20, 2009 Washington, D.C. My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you’ve bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the... »
Blogging Spree
Was it my 2009 New Year resolution? Not really, but the new year of 2009 marks the start of my blogging spree. By January, I have created three weblogs excluding this one: Planet Santalaya (planet.santalaya.com), Indonesian Election 2009 (election2009.santalaya.com), and Airsoft Fighters (airsoft.santalaya.com). Except for Airsoft, I also put quite a number of articles... »