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Freedom of the Press
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2012 Scores
Press Status
Press Freedom Score (0 = best, 100 = worst)
Legal Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
Political Environment(0 = best, 40 = worst)
Economic Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
Indonesia's media environment continues to be among the most vibrant and open in the region, and experienced some overall improvement in 2011. Constitutional and legal provisions allow for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, both the government and private actors sometimes use their power to obstruct these rights. Defamation is a criminal offense covered by more than 40 provisions of the country's criminal code. The independent Press Council, created by the 1999 Press Law, is supposed to adjudicate all media disputes (according to a 2005 Supreme Court ruling), but authorities continue to undermine the council's mandate by bringing defamation charges to the courts. Perhaps the most egregious example of this was a May 2011 ruling by the South Jakarta District Court awarding Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of former Indonesian president Suharto, damages worth 12.5 billion rupiah ($1.46 million) for a magazine article that described him as a convicted murderer, in reference to his 2002 conviction for ordering the murder of a Supreme Court judge. The ruling stated that the article had "damaged the plaintiff's credibility as a local and international businessman."
As has been the case in recent years, in 2011 Indonesia's courts issued a series of rulings in the areas of press freedom and freedom of expression that seemed to contradict one another in both direction and spirit. In June, the Supreme Court overturned its earlier decision and accepted the appeal of Playboy Indonesia editor Erwin Arnada, who had served eight months of a two-year sentence for public indecency. He was jailed as a result of pressure from Front Pembela Islam (Front of Islamic Defenders), which had objected to the magazine's publishing of photos of a bikini-clad model. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court's April decision to uphold a law prohibiting blasphemy (Article 156a of the criminal code) had negative implications for press workers, as did the judges' apparent endorsement of the government's argument that the prohibition of blasphemy was vital to protecting religious harmony. In early 2011, the government of East Java banned the Ahmadiyya, a heterodox Islamic sect with approximately 400,000 Indonesian followers, from using any form of media to spread their beliefs, and from displaying the name Ahmadiyya in public and in mosques. The decree received the backing of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), as well as the minister of justice and human rights, who said that Ahmadis had stirred up conflicts throughout the country.
The 2008 Law on Public Information Transparency provides for the right to freedom of information. It went into effect in April 2010, but many flaws remained in terms of implementation. The State Intelligence Bill, which was passed in October 2011, was seen as posing a serious threat to civil liberties as well as to journalistic freedom. Article 32, which authorizes intelligence organizations to intercept communications without prior court approval, raised concerns about privacy. Article 26 prohibits individuals or legal entities from revealing or communicating state secrets, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fees exceeding 100 million rupiah ($11,000). This article is open to misinterpretation and abuse by state officials because state secrets are not clearly defined and can easily conflict with the 2008 Law on Public Information Transparency. The Alliance of Independent Journalists raised concerns that the law might be used to rein in journalists and organizations that seek to disseminate information to the wider public, but there was no evidence of this in 2011.
Print media are regulated through the Press Council, while broadcast media must be licensed, a process handled by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia or KPI). Both of these bodies appear to operate independently for the most part. However, under the 2002 Broadcast Act, local stations are prohibited from disseminating foreign broadcasts, and foreign ownership of broadcast media is banned. Since its creation, the law has drawn criticism for its limits on content and severe penalties for offenses, and the government has occasionally used the law to limit broadcasting. In September 2011, a court in the city of Batam sentenced Gatot Machali, the manager of Radio Era Baru, to six months in prison and forcibly shut down the station. Radio Era Baru was a Chinese-language station affiliated with the Falun Gong spiritual movement that frequently reports on human rights abuses in China. Machali was convicted of broadcasting without permission and disrupting neighboring frequencies. The government had refused to issue a license to the station since 2007, and confiscated the station's transmitter in March 2010. Reporters Without Borders has suggested that the conviction is the result of pressure from the Chinese government.
Journalists remain subject to attacks and physical harassment from both the authorities and nonstate actors. There were no murders of journalists or media workers in 2011, but the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reported that violence against the press in Indonesia increased in 2011. A bomb package delivered to Liberal Islam Network activist Ulil Abshar Abdalla in Marchat the office of the Utan Kayu Community, which also houses the offices of the 68H Radio News Agency and the Institute for Studies on Free Flow of Information (ISAI), underscored the danger to those who offered critical or liberal perspectives on Islam and religious diversity. Other incidents of violence included the stabbing of vivanews.com and Jakarta Globe correspondent Banjir Ambarita in Papua. Though there was no clear motive for the attack, the Jakarta Post quoted sources as saying that it might have been connected to a sex scandal involving several police officers in Jayapura that had been reported on by Banjir. The office of the daily newspaper the Orbit in Medan, North Sumatra, was attacked in May, reportedly by 18 employees of a company named by the newspaper as sponsoring gambling. Three reporters were injured. Additionally, in July, TempoTV journalist Syarifah Nur Aida was assaulted while reporting on a land conflict involving local communities in Bogor. The attackers, who were not identified, took away the reporter's camera memory card. Impunity for past attacks is common. For example, three men charged with the 2010 murder of TV journalist Ridwan Salamun were acquitted in March by the district court of Tual, in the province of Maluku. Some Indonesian media outlets practice self-censorship in fear of irking the government and other influential groups and organizations. In the province of West Papua, few foreign journalists can enter without being closely monitored by authorities.
In general, the Indonesian press system remains one of the most open and vibrant in Southeast Asia, and the public can access a variety of news sources and perspectives provided by a significant number of private print and broadcast media outlets. Television is the most popular medium, and the sector is competitive, with 10 national commercial networks in addition to the state-owned Televisi Republik Indonesia. However, there is ongoing concern about the ability of political parties, large corporations, and powerful individuals to control press content, either indirectly through the threat of lawsuits or directly through ownership. A December Jakarta Post story noted the "frenzy of match-making between politicians and media owners," and highlighted the questions of independence in the newsroom in this new media landscape. As Indonesians began to prepare for the 2014 presidential election, wealthy politicians bought media properties and consolidated press empires. Although many Indonesians remained hopeful that these media moguls would continue to balance one another out, there were nagging concerns about what would happen if competing political interests formed alliances and created monopolies with the potential to limit media independence in ways that had not been seen since the Suharto years. A study conducted by the nonprofit groups Hivos Southeast Asia and the Center for Innovation, Policy and Governance from July 2011 to December 2011 found that of the 12 most prominent media companies, nearly all had ties to political parties in some respect. For instance, Visi Media Asia, which has two television stations, TV One and ANTV, is owned by Aburizal Bakrie, a powerful business magnate and chairman of the influential Golkar Party.
Advertising remains a robust source of income for newspapers and television companies, and the shift to online news sources has been slow. Working conditions for Indonesian journalists remained poor. According to AJI, media companies do not pay competitive salaries to their journalists, which can cause some journalists to support themselves by working as account executives or requesting fees from their sources.
In 2011, the internet was accessed by 18 percent of the population. There are no government restrictions on access, but the lack of high-speed infrastructure outside the major cities limits the internet's use as a news source. In addition, the internet appears to be even more vulnerable than traditional media to restrictions on content. According to the 2008 Electronic Transactions Law (ITE), individuals face up to six years in prison and heavy fines for online defamation, although no cases were reported in 2011. A series of draft laws and policies issued by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology that had raised concerns in 2010 either faded away or lay dormant during 2011. These included a draft ministerial decree on multimedia content that would have allowed internet service providers to filter and block pornographic content, and a draft law on "telematics convergence" that would have required online media outlets to obtain licenses from the ministry. Social media sites such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have become extremely prominent in Indonesia, and are generally accessed without interference. It has the fifth-highest number of Facebook users globally, and the third-highest number of Twitter accounts.


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The ProForm 10.0 ZE is a great value elliptical that's designed to give anyone a great workout and help you achieve your fitness goals. A stand out feature is that you can target different parts of the lower body with the adjustable stride length so the buttocks, hips or calves can all get a targeted workout.
- 12 levels of digital resistance can be controlled at the touch of a button
- 8 weight loss workout programs to get to your calorie burning potential
- Large blue tinted LCD window display gives detailed workout information
- Strong build with a user capacity of 275 lbs and a lifetime frame warranty
ProForm 10.0 ZE Elliptical Review
ProForm have been a fitness equipment industry leader for many years. They specialize in affordable, quality, feature packed fitness equipment for the home. They became most well known for their space saver treadmills and they've introduced this feature in their ellipticals which includes this ProForm 10.0 ZE elliptical. This means when the elliptical is folded it saves you nearly 3 feet of floor space.
There are 12 levels of digital resistance which you select from the console. The change is smooth and you'll feel a gradual change in intensity at every button press. The lower levels are designed for beginners or those wanting a warm up as it's a gentle ride. This rises to a challenging uphill climb with the higher levels which are good for experienced users or those who want some further body toning.
There are 8 weight loss workouts making this a superb weight loss elliptical. These help you lose weight more for the effort you put in, they're designed to cause maximum weight loss and come in predetermined times and resistance levels. What's great is as you progress you'll find a program gets easier so all you need to do is choose a harder one and carry on. This will further your weight losss and body shape.
You'll find on most ProForm equipment is iFit workout card technology and it's on this 10.0 ZE elliptical too. With this technology you plug in a workout card into the reader and you get 8 weeks of workouts. These workouts feature a personal trainer talking you through each using the inbuilt speakers. They come in calorie burning, wellness, performance and more, they're a popular addition.
Should you start feeling the heat there's a cooling fan to keep you cool as you ride. Also for some entertainment there's an ipod music port and speakers built into the console so you can workout to your favorite motivational music. This is controllable as is the fan from the console below the large display. These features make the ProForm 10.0 ZE elliptical a great piece of equipment that's priced impressively for what it can do.

subset: commoncrawl


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You commit to sit, and then you learn how. The next stage of meditation is sustaining your practice day in and day out. For many of us, this is the hard part. But don't wait for inspiration to come to you, like a bolt from the blue. Instead, take an active role, tending the sparks of inspiration and coaxing them into the inner fire of tapas or self-discipline. Here are seven ways to keep the flames burning:
1. Establish a routine. Routine has gotten a bad rap: We tend to equate it with dull or boring, instead of viewing it as a supportive structure or a touchstone. Sticking to a daily routine leads to greater efficiency and, when it becomes automatic, it can short-circuit doubts or resistance. Super-charge your routine with intention, and it becomes sadhana or spiritual practice.
2. Introduce fun. Within your routine, leave some room for fun to help keep your practice fresh. Learn something new or experiment with a different technique for focusing the mind. If it's a particularly beautiful day, take your practice for a walk outdoors. Meet up with a meditation group; some people experience strong feelings of support or resonance when meditating with others.
3. Lower the bar. If you have a hard time meeting your daily practice goal, don't beat yourself up. Negativity stifles inspiration. Maybe your expectations were unrealistic—try a shorter session and add a few minutes each week. If you miss a goal, start over and see it as a fresh beginning. Balancing effort and non-attachment is one of the key teachings in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
4. Keep a meditation diary. Recording your impressions of your practice will sharpen your skills in self-observation (svadhyaya). You'll learn where resistance and distractions crop up, and you'll be able to recognize your progress as you experience longer periods of peace and stillness.
5. Shift from "push" to "pull." We are a culture of doers, and the desire to "do" often results in striving toward an external goal. If that's working for you, great. If not, look instead for the pull, the inner yearning that draws you onward toward balance or wholeness.
6. Reward yourself. When you reach another level of practice or understanding, celebrate with something that will help you reinforce or expand on your momentum. A strand of beautiful japa beads can be a daily source of inspiration for mantra meditation. Attending a Vipassana retreat can help you deepen your experience. But the best reward may be the simplest: Adding five minutes more to your meditation practice.
7. Phone OM. According to some yoga teachings, when we chant the three-part AUM, we honor the three aspects of energy represented by the Hindu trinity. At the beginning of an undertaking, there is Brahma (AH), energy that creates or generates. The closing sound (MM) is Shiva, who destroys in order to transform or clear the way for a new beginning. Holding the center (OO) is Vishnu, the sustainer, whose 10 incarnations (which include Krishna and Rama) were in service to humanity. The energy personified by Vishnu is the universal flow that steadily maintains all of existence. Tune into this frequency; it's already yours.
How do you stay inspired? What keeps you returning to your meditation cushion?
This is Part Three of a three-part series. Read Part One and Part Two.
Disclosure: YogaBasics.com participates in several affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on external links, we may receive a small commission, which helps us keep the lights on.


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My Little Pony 924 925 926 – The Ending of the End; The Last Problem Episode Guide
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[source] 915 - "2,4,6, Greaaat" Written by: TBA "The School of Friendship is starting a buckball team and Rainbow Dash has to come to terms with the fact that she… (More)
MLP Review: School Raze
All of the magic in Equestria has stopped working for some reason. The Mane Six suspect Tirek and head to Tartarus to get some answers. Meanwhile, eager helper Cozy Glow… (More)
MLP Review: What Lies Beneath
A test is coming up about friendship's effects on Equestrian history and the Young Six are having their troubles. Gallus and Smolder have trouble with the course material, Silverstream is… (More)
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Well, that was a unexpected. Rockhoof is trying to find his place in the modern world after being in limbo for 1,000 years. His "traditional" methods of unearthing artifacts clashing… (More)
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The episode begins with Scootaloo fast-tracking the meeting of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club with a new Washouts fan group—which makes an eavesdropping Rainbow Dash worried that she has competition… (More)
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In a brilliant ode to the Road Trip movies of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Starlight and Trixie go on a road trip to Saddle Arabia. It's similar to "Pinkie… (More)
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We have an interesting question in class asked by the Young Six: How can two ponies with very divergent interests such as Rarity and Rainbow Dash be friends? Rarity and… (More)
He has really cool stuff, go check it!
Awesome stuff, I love seeing the animators talk about their work so positively.


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UConn's Streak and Title IX
Last night, the University of Connecticut women's basketball team broke the college hoops consecutive win record of 88 games set by UCLA's men in the early 1970s. In anticipation of this, UConn coach Geno Auriemma caused a bit of a stir by accusing some male sports fans of being upset because a women's team was threatening a record set by men.
This does not compute. Somewhere there might be a man upset by this — though I haven't heard one — but I don't see why: The UCLA men beat men's teams, the UConn women have beaten women's teams. It says nothing bad about men that a women's team has a longer win streak.
Where there might be en element of gender conflict at play is in how UConn got to this point. According to CBSSports.com columnist Gregg Doyel, UConn hasn't just beaten other teams during its streak, it's crushed numerous squads that at least by ranking ought to have been competitive with UConn. (It clobbered 22nd‐ranked Florida State by 31 points for win number 89.) The talent pool in women's basketball, Doyel argues, just isn't deep enough to produce several teams of UConn's calibre.
Assuming Doyel is correct, why isn't there the same depth of talent in women's hoops as has existed in men's college basketball since at least the end of UCLA's streak?
Quite possibly, because there aren't nearly as many women who care about competing in sports, including basketball, at the highest levels as there are men. It's a very real possibility supported not only by UConn's dominance, but by what appears to be a strong tendency of other top women's teams to win games by relatively lopsided margins, and, most tellingly, by significant athletics evidence beyond hoops. All of that, however, flies in the face of the implicit rationale of Title IX, the federal statute requiring colleges to offer equal athletic opportunities to men and women. The law assumes that colleges that fail to offer proportionate roster spots are discriminating against girls, but the reality is that women might just not want to play sports as fervently as men.
UConn's dominance might be just one more bit of evidence that it is time to stop assuming that there is rampant, sexist ill will when it comes to college sports, and for government to let people freely choose what interests they pursue. At the very least, it would probably make a lot of people happier than they'd be getting destroyed by the UConn women's basketball team.