Shanghai World Expo ends; drew 72 million visitors


By yuliana isma graha

Shanghai World Expo ends; drew 72 million visitors

Associated Press, Shanghai, China | Sun, 10/31/2010 11:10 AM

China declared its biggest tourism event ever, the Shanghai World Expo, a stunning success Sunday, after introducing a record 72 million visitors to a smorgasbord of cultures and technologies meant to illustrate ideas for urban sustainability.

The massive, six-month event aimed at showcasing China's rise as a modern industrial power drew mainly local visitors, many of them ordinary folk from the provinces who flooded into the city by the tour busload-full, cramming the city's hotels, subways and other public places.

They found waits of up to 10 hours for some popular national pavilions, sweltering summer temperatures, long walks and other inconveniences for what could be once-in-a-lifetime direct contact with foreign places and people.

Premier Wen Jiabao praised the fair Sunday as a "splendid event" that "truly brought together people around the globe."

Highlights included Denmark's famed "Little Mermaid" sculpture, a rooftop cable car ide above a replica alpine meadow at the Swiss pavilion, famous impressionist paintings from the Louvre at the French pavilion, and entertainment by Cirque du Soleil courtesy of Canada.

Not everyone was pleased by the event, least of all some of those unhappy with being forced out ofold housing to make way for the expo zone, but such criticism gains little traction in a country that vigorously suppresses public dissent.

China spent 28.6 billion yuan (US$4.3 billion) on the event and many billions more on improving subways, airports and other public facilities in this metropolis of more han 20 million people. The entire city got fresh paint, new landscaping and flowers and a kaleidoscope of decorative lighting.

World Expositions began with the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, which marked the coming of the Industrial Revolution, and have often helped introduce new technologies, foods ad innovative ideas.

Striving to make its fair a "green" one in keeping with its motto "Better City, Better Life," Shanghai deployed electric buses and carts and installed energy-saving air conditioning and water filters meant to cut use of bottled water. It also recycled rain water and made use of solar power.

Organizers even limited where visitors could smoke, though enforcement was lax, especially at night.

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After disaster, Jakartans search for ways to help


By yuliana isma graha

After disaster, Jakartans search for ways to help

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 10/30/2010 10:28 AM

Jakartans are finding many ways to help the victims of the tsunami that struck Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, and the eruption of Mount Merapi in Central Java.

One housewife, Ibu Satrio, 57, has been collecting donations from her neighbors in the Pegangsaan Dua housing complex in East Jakarta ever since the disasters struck.

The European Commission has allocated ¤1.5 million (US$2.08 million) for humanitarian relief, while the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia donated more than $30,000 to the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).

Ibu Satrio, of course, could not collect millions of dollars from her fund-raising efforts, she said, but was happy to collect Rp 4.5 million ($504).

“I decided to help them in any way I could. It’s not much, but hopefully it can help ease the misery of the victims’,” she told The Jakarta Post on Friday. “My neighbors are quite enthusiastic. Some of them gave Rp 20,000, while a few donated Rp 300,000.”

The figures were much smaller when compared to the cost of tickets to David Foster’s sold-out concert on Wednesday night, which were sold for anywhere from Rp 1 million to Rp 25 million.

Companies are also raising funds for disaster victims. Yamaha Motor Indonesia stated on its Facebook page that the company would donate Rp 5,000 for each condolence or encouraging comment posted on its wall.

The Mentawai Students Community in Jakarta opened donation posts at the LPPMB building at the Christian University of Indonesia (UKI) on Jl. Mayjen Sutoyo in East Jakarta and at the Indonesian Bible Institute building on Jl. Salemba Raya in Central Jakarta. The students have spread word how to donate through their BlackBerry phones.

Twitter users have used the micro-blogging web site to coordinate donations of goods such as masks or food.

People who want to donate to relief efforts can transfer money to the bank accounts of many official humanitarian organizations such as the PMI.

The PMI’s bank accounts are: BCA Bank, KCU Thamrin Jakarta, account number 206.300668.8 under the name Kantor Pusat PMI; Mandiri Bank, KCP JKT Krakatau Steel, account number 070-00-0011601-7 under the name Palang Merah Indonesia and BRI Bank, KC Pancoran, Jakarta, account number 0390-01-000030-30-3, under the name Palang Merah Indonesia. (rch)

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iPhone Tak Laku Di China


By yuliana isma graha

iPhone Tak Laku Di China

duniait.net-iphone-side-268x300Terhitung sepekan sejak ponsel ini diluncurkan, operator yang menjadi distributor perangkat ini di negara itu, China Unicom, hanya mampu menjual 5 ribu unit iPhone saja.

Ternyata ponsel pintar beroperasikan sentuhan jari besutan Apple, iPhone, tidak mendapat sambutan yang hangat, di China.

Terhitung sepekan sejak ponsel ini diluncurkan, operator yang menjadi distributor perangkat ini di negara itu, China Unicom, hanya mampu menjual 5 ribu unit iPhone saja.

Padahal, sebelumnya operator kedua terbesar di China itu begitu girang meluncurkan iPhone, dan berharap penjualan iPhone mampu mendongkrak keuntungannya pada laporan perusahaan di kuartal keempat tahun ini.

Tak hanya China Unicom yang memiliki pengharapan tinggi atas penjualan di China. Menurut Apple Insider, Apple juga berharap bisa menjual sebanyak 460 ribu unit iPhone setiap tahun melalui Unicom.

Dikutip dari Silicon Alley Insider, biang kerok tak lakunya iPhone terletak pada absennya koneksi WiFi pada perangkat iPhone yang dijual di China.

Pemerintah China memang melarang koneksi WiFi pada iPhone yang dijual di negaranya, karena setiap handset harus mendukung protokol keamanan nirkabel yang dikembangkan secara lokal.

Dengan berbagai pembatasan itu, di China, iPhone dijual dengan harga yang sangat premium. Versi 32 GB iPhone dibanderol antara US$ 730 (sekitar Rp 7 juta) hingga US$ 1.025 (sekitar Rp 10 juta).

Padahal, di pasar gelap China, iPhone bisa dibeli seharga US$ 835 (sekitar Rp 8 juta). Menurut operator China Mobile, di samping iPhone yang dijual oleh China Unicom, kini sudah beredar antara 1,5 juta-2 juta unit iPhone unlock di China.

Padahal, sebelumnya operator kedua terbesar di China itu begitu girang meluncurkan iPhone, dan berharap penjualan iPhone mampu mendongkrak keuntungannya pada laporan perusahaan di kuartal keempat tahun ini.

Tak hanya China Unicom yang memiliki pengharapan tinggi atas penjualan di China. Menurut Apple Insider, Apple juga berharap bisa menjual sebanyak 460 ribu unit iPhone setiap tahun melalui Unicom.

Dikutip dari Silicon Alley Insider, biang kerok tak lakunya iPhone terletak pada absennya koneksi WiFi pada perangkat iPhone yang dijual di China.

Pemerintah China memang melarang koneksi WiFi pada iPhone yang dijual di negaranya, karena setiap handset harus mendukung protokol keamanan nirkabel yang dikembangkan secara lokal.

Dengan berbagai pembatasan itu, di China, iPhone dijual dengan harga yang sangat premium. Versi 32 GB iPhone dibanderol antara US$ 730 (sekitar Rp 7 juta) hingga US$ 1.025 (sekitar Rp 10 juta).

Padahal, di pasar gelap China, iPhone bisa dibeli seharga US$ 835 (sekitar Rp 8 juta). Menurut operator China Mobile, di samping iPhone yang dijual oleh China Unicom, kini sudah beredar antara 1,5 juta-2 juta unit iPhone unlock di China.

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