Access to Clean Water: A Problem for Indonesia

Access to clean water is one of Indonesia's biggest

problem. According to the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) Report 2007, published by the National

Development Planning Board, piped water is accessible

to 30.8 per cent of households in the country's cities

and 9 per cent in its villages. Such fi gures show the

limitations of the municipality's water service provider,

PDAM.

Lack of investment in clean water is one reason

PDAM gives for its limited outreach. Based on a

government statement, to meet the MDGs target by

2015, Indonesia needs Rp43 trillion (US$4.6 billion)

in clean water funding. The government currently

provides Rp500 billion.

In order to close the funding gap, the government

expects private investment in drinking water

infrastructure.

The need for clean water funding is something that

cannot be covered by private investment. In Indonesia,

most PDAM utilities have small scales of economy and

are therefore unattractive to investors.

There is no evidence to suggest private investors

will improve the effi ciency and effectiveness of water

services, whereas the government has a duty to do so.

Increasing public funding for clean water

infrastructure is the most rational approach for

Indonesia. This effort should begin with an analysis

of the needs of locals. This should be done through a

democratic and participatory process.

There are resources and mechanisms the government

could employ to increase clean water funding, such as

state and local budgets, grants, government bonds and

community-public partnership.

In order to use a grant system, the government

should improve its proposal management and clearly

focus on real needs in order to widen clean water

services.

PDAM could use existing funds more effi ciently.

if it could reduce leakages from 40 per cent to 20 per

cent, it would have more disposable funds to invest

in infrastructure. PDAM should use cost recovery

principles, as long as costs are not passed on to

consumers. Cost recovery principles should also be

supported by a proper subsidy mechanism.

Bond investing is a traditional lending instrument

for public services. The mechanism needs conditions,

such as strong capital structure at local level.

A few of mechanisms in place now do help the

poor access clean water at affordable prices. The most

important thing is to make sure the mechanisms run

properly and that the needs of people at the local level

are met through appropriate funding.

Source: Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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Helping Children Discover Their Own Identity

Children of today's advanced world are different
from those in the past. With easy access to modern
technology, chil dren of today are able to learn
everything they encounter in their life, including
world-class information. In terms of knowledge of the
world, one must admit, they seem to surpass children
brought up in the era when techno logical equipment
was still traditional.


The rapid growth of children's cognitive, physi cal
and social adaptations is an indication of how they
can be easily shaped by the modern vicinity. This is a
critical period when children are begin ning to try to
discover their own true identity.


Parental guidance is necessary to assist them in
leading to the correct path. To do this, intervention,
however, is not always mandatory if parents are
upbeat that their offspring can handle the conundrum
they are facing on their own. Self-reliance, in any
occasion, needs to be stressed.



What parents need to do is to respect the changes
going on within their child's world, and respond
appropriately to their changing needs. Here a close
monitoring rather than control taking is essential.
This may sound like ideal advice; yet not all
parents may agree with this. A parent who was raised
in a democratic family atmosphere will certainly
pass down the freedom he/she had enjoyed during
childhood to his/her offspring. On the other hand,
those who were brought up in a conservative and
authoritative family will inculcate traditional values
to their children, restricting them by tightly abiding to
what the parents believe to be the correct norms.


Clearly, a parent's family back-ground will, exert a
considerable infl uence in helping his/her children to learn
both formally and informally. It is more likely that parents
will consistently follow the mind-set they adopted from their
father or mother if they think that it is benefi cial. Today's
parents, how ever, need to be aware that not all values and
norms that their parents implanted in them during their
childhood are compatible with modern reality. Things
have changed consider ably, and parents should take this
into account.


It might, for example, be felt less relevant to impose
traditional control over their children's conduct about
what they need to do to attain academic achievement.


However, most parents still cling to this, acting as if
they are omni scient and know perfectly what is best
for their children.


In guiding children in search of true identity,
it is important for today's parents to listen and
accommodate all feedback from their chil dren. Though
it seems too diffi cult for some conservative parents to
implement this, it is essential to a child's development
into an emo tionally mature adult.


Parents also should not exercise too much authority
so as to overprotect their children to develop their
potential to the fullest. Parental intervention, if it is done
in an improper man ner, can do more harm than good.



If not in accord with children's interests, parents'
excessive intervention is seen by chil dren as something
that inhibits rather than facilitates their academic
excursions. Parents may probably not realize that their
children simply want them to stay in the background
and to provide whatever support and resources they
need to venture out into the world.


This does not imply that intervention is not
necessary. At the very young age when the infl u ence
of a peer group is extremely powerful, parents need
to intervene by setting a strong measure to help their
children resist the pressure to behave in ways that do
not meet family standards.


The best way parents can aid their children is by
successfully discovering their true identity and growing
up to be an emotionally mature adult is to take a fl exible
approach. Parents need not always rigidly follow and
impose certain norms and values, which are imbued with
their family tradition during their childhood, on their
children. Understand ing children from the way they see
the reality is surely a far more rewarding experience.

Evaries Rosita–Contributor/Jakarta

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Little Peachling

Many hundred years ago there lived an honest old woodcutter and his wife. One fi ne morning the old man went off to the hills with his billhook, to gather a faggot of sticks, while his wife went down to the river to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the river, she saw a peach fl oating down the stream; so she picked it up, and carried it home with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat when he should come in.

The old man soon came down from the hills, and the good wife set the peach before him, when, just as she was inviting him to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little puling baby was born into the world. So the old couple took the babe, and brought it up as their own; and, because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotaro, or Little Peachling.

By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at last one day he said to his old foster parents:

"I am going to the ogres' island to carry off the riches that they have stored up there. Pray, then, make me some millet dumplings for my journey."

So the old folks ground the millet, and made the dumplings for him; and Little Peachling, after taking an affectionate leave of them, cheerfully set out on his travels.

As he was journeying on, he fell in with a monkey, who gibbered at him, and said: "Kia! Kia! Kia! Where are you off to, Little Peachling?"

"I'm going to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure," answered Little Peachling.

"What are you carrying in your girdle?"

"I'm carrying the very best millet dumplings in all Japan."

"If you'll give me one, I will go with you," said the monkey.

So Little Peachling gave one of his dump lings to the monkey, who received it and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he heard a pheasant calling: "Ken! Ken! Ken! Where are you off to, Master Peachling?"

Little Peachling answered as before; and the pheasant, having begged and obtained a millet dumpling, entered his service, and followed him.

A little while after this, they met a dog, who cried: "Bow! Wow! Wow! Whither away, Master Peachling?"

"I'm going off to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure."

"If you will give me one of those nice millet dumplings of yours, I will go with you," said the dog.

"With all my heart," said Little Peachling. So he went on his way, withthe monkey, the pheasant, and the dog following after him.

When they got to the ogres' island, the pheasant fl ew over the castle gate, and the monkey clambered over the castle wall, while Little Peachling, leading the dog, forced in the gate, and got into the castle. Then they did battle with the ogres, and put them to fl ight, and took their king prisoner. So all the ogres paid homage to Little Peachling, and brought out the treasures which they had gathered. There were caps and coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels which governed the ebb and flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber, and tortoise shell, besides gold and silver. All these were laid before

Little Peachling by the conquered ogres. So Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained his foster parents in peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.

Source: Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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Most Firms Ignore Waste Treatment

Only 26 percent of a total of 2,173 medium and large-scale enterprises in the city regularly submit samples of their liquid waste for assessment, the Jakarta Environmental Mana gement

Agency has said. The remaining 1,602 enterprises failed to deliver reports of the liquid waste they produced as set out in gubernatorial decree No. 299/1996. The decree requires all enterprises pro ducing liquid waste to treat the waste before disposing of it into rivers. It also requires fi rms to send samples of the treated waste to the agency every three months.

The companies on the list include hotels, apartments, office buildings, restaurants, hospitals, and industrial plants. The above fi gures do not include regis tered small-scale enterprises such as commu nity markets, small workshops and small offi ces which amount up to at least, 15,845 concerns.

Worse still, out of 571 companies which have sent their samples to us, only 35 percent, or 199 companies, comply with the decree and send us the samples every three months. The rest submit the samples every four months, six months, or even only once a year. No wonder the quality of our river water is getting worse.

High levels of pollution in the city's 13 rivers is suspected of being behind the red tide phenomenon, which killed thousands of fish in Jakarta Bay in May.

The real issue here is whether the agency has the political will because the adminis tration has ignored the existing Law No. 23/1997 on the environment.

The law authorises all environment mana gement agencies to control the liquid waste treatment of any enterprises.

The law gave the administration the power to censure transgressing companies and the city could close companies down if they conti nue to ignore existing regulations.

The law says companies found to be polluting the environment with liquid waste are given six months to improve their treatment facilities. If they fail to meet the deadline, the agency has the power to close the waste treatment facility, the area of production causing the waste, or the entire production process.

Source: Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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Teddy Bear Time

When a visitor to Bearborough last year forgot to put on her watch, she asked some local bears the time and she got some strange answers.

"Half past three," the bear who sells fruit and vegetables said, glancing up at the Town Hall clock.

"A quarter to nine," the bear in the bakery replied, looking at the clock high on the church.

"Nine minutes after fi ve," the bear who sells ice cream on the corner of the main street said, peering at the clock in front of the train station.

You have probably guessed that all the clocks in Bearborough were wrong. That was because old Mr Minim, the only clock mender in town, had become a little shaky on his legs. Although fi t and well in every other way, he simply could not face climbing up a ladder to mend clocks high up. As you can imagine, the clocks really were a problem. The trains were never on time, and the shopkeepers didn't know when to open their shops.

Then, one day, Bearborough had two very special visitors. They were bears called Alfred and his friend Jumble-who was an elephant! Now most bears in Bearborough had never seen an elephant before, so they all gathered round. And the elephant, pleased to show off his size and strength, wrapped his trunk around each of the little bears in turn and lifted them up high, squealing with excitement.

"Excuse me, Jumble," said Mr Minim, tapping him lightly on the toe with his walking stick. "Could you lift a grown-up bear, like me, for example?"

In seconds, Mr Minim found himself dangling above the crowd, yet he felt as safe as if he was standing on fi rm ground.

And that is why, if you visit Bearborough these days, all the clocks are exactly right, for Jumble visits every twelve months, and Mr Minim always says that's the highlight of his year!

Taken from My Treasury of Five Minute Stories, 2000

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Miss Mole Catches a Ghost

Quite often Miss Mole would look after the young ones who lived in the woodland, when their parents went out in the evening.
"I just love baby-sitting," sighed Miss Mole, as she gazed at the little animals, "you're all such darlings!"
"But we're not babies," grumbled the fieldmice twins, "we're almost grown up!"
"Well you'll always be babies to me," giggled Miss Mole, as she gave them all a great big hug.
But one evening when Miss Mole was baby-sitting, something very strange happened ...


All the little animals had walked over to Miss Mole's house just before dark. They were laughing and joking
and making lots of noise as they went along. All of a sudden one of the rabbits heard a strange sound. Then one or two of the little animals saw something move near the top of the trees.
"What was that?" gasped a baby badger as he grabbed one of the squirrels.


Then, as the wind rustled the leaves on the tree ... they all saw it ... a spooky white thing fl ying through the
branches!
"It's a ghost!" screamed a small hedgehog. And everyone ran as fast as they could and landed on a heap at Miss Mole's front door.
"Whatever is wrong?" cried Miss Mole as she opened her door, and in fell all the little animals.
"We've seen a ghost!" sobbed the rabbit. "It's chased us all the way through the wood, and now it's up in
that tree!"
Miss Mole put on her extra strong glasses and took a good look.
"Goodness me," she gasped, "there it is!"
Right then and there, brave Miss Mole reached for her longest broom and pulled something out of the branches above.
"Here's your ghost," laughed Miss Mole. "It's a plastic bag. I lost it on my way back from the woodland
supermarket!"
All the little animals breathed a big sigh of relief as Miss Mole took them inside and closed the door.
"Gather round and I'll tell you a story," she said kindly.
"As long as it's not a ghost story," whispered the baby badger.


soure:Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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The Queen of the Adriatic

Venice is a city in northern Italy. It is the capital of region Veneto. Together with Padua, the

city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area. Venice has been known as the “Queen of

the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Bridges”, and “The City of Light”. The city stretches across

117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.

Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed

by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by

about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of

transport is on water or on foot.

You can ride gondola there. It is the classical Venetian boat which nowadays is mostly

used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Now, most Venetians travel by

motorised waterbuses (“vaporetti”) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between

the city’s islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use

by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points

without bridges.

You can see the amusing city’s landmarks such as Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Contarini del

Bovolo, Saint Mark’s Cathedral or villas of the Veneto. The villas of the Veneto, rural residences

for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside.

They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. The city

is also well known for its beautiful and romantic view, especially at night.

Soure: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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The Four Friends

One day, a Mama Ostrich returned home from gathering food for her two dear chicks. She

looked and looked for them but could not fi nd them anywhere. Imagine her alarm when she

discovered lion tracks around her two-footed chicks’ tracks! Fearful but determined to fi nd her

babies, she followed the lion tracks.

The tracks led into the woods and fi nally ended at the den of Mama Lion. In the opening

through the cave there lay her own dear chicks in the arms of Mama Lion. The Mama Lion did not

want to give the chicks back. She said they were her cubs. Then she challenged Mama Ostrich.

She said to Mama Ostrich that if she can make an animal to look her in the eye and tell her that the chicks are not her cubs, she will give them back to her. Mama Ostrich agreed and set out to

her friends to ask for help.

She told all the animals that there is an important meeting and that they should come.

Then, when she came to mongoose she told him the story and he said that he had an idea. The

Mongoose told her to make a hole under an anthill, as a second exit. Then, Mama Ostrich did

just what the mongoose had told her to do.

The next morning, the entire animals gathered near the anthill. Then, Mama Ostrich told

them the story and asked one of them to stare the Mama Lion in her eyes and say that the chicks

were not her cubs. The animals wanted to help her but they didn’t want to risk their life. One by

one they said that the chicks were her cubs. Mama Ostrich was disappointed that her friends

would not help her.

When it was the mongoose’s turn he said, “Have you ever seen a mama with fur has babies

that have feathers? Think of what you are saying. Mama Lion has fur! The chicks have feathers!

They belong to the ostrich!” having said that, Mongoose jumped down the hole under the anthill,

and escaped out the other end.

At once, Mama Lion jumped after him, and when she did so the two ostrich chicks were

freed. Mama Lion could not escape from the anthill and had to stay there for a long time.

Taken from: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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Sydney the Metropolitan City

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population around

4.12 million. It is the state capital of New South Wales and is the site of the fi rst European colony

in Australia. The city is Australia’s largest fi nancial centre.

Sydney is located on Australia’s south-east coast. The city is built around Port Jackson, which

includes Sydney Harbour, leading to the city’s nickname, “the Harbour City”.

This city is a major international tourist destination famous for its beaches and twin landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The metropolitan area is surrounded

by national parks, and contains many bays, rivers and inlets.

Sydney also has many shopping centres and retail outlets throughout the city. The Queen

Victoria Building on George Street also contains many shops. Many of the large regional centres

around the metropolitan area also contain large shopping complexes.

Sydney has several museums. The biggest are the Australian Museum (natural history and

anthropology), the Powerhouse Museum (science, technology and design), the Art Gallery of New

South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) extends southwards for about 3 kilometres (1.25 mi) from Sydney Cove. It is the point of the fi rst European settlement in the area at the southern

end of the bridge known as “The Rocks”. It is densely concentrated with skyscrapers and other

buildings including historic sandstone buildings such as the Sydney Town Hall and Queen Victoria

Building are combined by several parks such as Wynyard and Hyde Park.

Source: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is a celebration

of harvest, thankfulness for peace, and

the attempt of Native Americans. It is celebrated

in late autumn. In the past, Thanksgiving was

celebrated for their rich harvest in New England.

In North America, however, it was originally held to

thank God for their survival in the new land which

was not easy for them. However, in Canada, it had

been celebrated as in New England. Thanksgiving

now is celebrated in United States of America and

in Canada. Thanksgiving festivals are held every

fourth Thursday of November in the U.S and on the second Monday of October in Canada. It is

usually celebrated in four to fi ve days in the North America and for three days in Canada.

It is celebrated through families and friends gathering to eat and give good luck. Turkey is the

main dish in the thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving parades are also usually held.

In Thanksgiving homes are decorated with wreaths, fresh and dried fl owers. Lamps are lighted

to brighten the environment. Tables are decorated with best china and antique silver dishes to

mark the occasion.

                                                                Taken from: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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Why Does the Cock Eat the Millipede?

Long ago the cock had a pair of beautiful horns

on his head. But at that time there was a dragon who

was prevented from ascending into heaven because he

lacked a pair of horns. And so he offered the millipede

as a guarantor, and borrowed the horns from the

cock!

When the millipede came for the horns, he said to

the cock: "When you want your horns back, you must

call out at dawn: 'Give me back my horns!' and they will

be returned to you at once. You need have no occasion

to be concerned in the least."

The kind cock knew how difficult it was to

ascend to heaven, so, reassured by the good security

the millipede offered, he loaned his horns without

hesitation, just twisting them right off his head. He

also thought to himself that when the dragon returned

form his visit to heaven, they could sit down and have

a good conversation; he would ask the dragon to tell

him how things were in heaven, and if it really was

beautiful there, as he had always heard. If it was true,

he might consider going there himself someday, he

thought.

So, next morning at daybreak (for the dragon's visit

was scheduled to be brief), the cock called out loudly:

"Give me back my horns!" But, even though he repeated

this demand ten times over, there was no sign at all

of either the dragon or the horns. Worried, the cock

promptly went off to complain to the millipede, who

soothed him, saying: "If the dragon has not returned

the horns this morning, then he will certainly do so

tomorrow. At the very latest, the day after that. Just

learn to be a little patient and your horns will soon be

back on your head, just as before."

The cock did wait several days, but although he

called out every morning at sunrise: "Give me back

my horns!" They never did reappear. The cock was

extremely annoyed at this deception and loss, as you

can well imagine, therefore he ordered all the members

of his family to eat millipedes on sight.

Even so, the cock has not yet given up hope of

getting his horns returned. He ordered his descendants

always to call out at the break of day: "Give me back my

horns!" He still hopes that the dragon may hear him!

Taken from The Asian Animal Zodiac, 1998

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