The story of Sandhy Sandoro

Sandhy Sondoro, was born on the island of Java, Indonesia. Came from a musical family, where the house provide the likes of American pop, folk, Jazz and blues tunes coming from his Mother’s or father’s guitar everyday. Those were the joy that shaped his talents . It is not traditional Indonesian music that influenced him but rather soul and blues. Sandhy Sondoro is not only an excellent singer, song writer, and guitar player he also has many other talents like drawing and cooking.

In Indonesia Sandhy Sondoro started to play in a band at high school. They did mostly covers of Van Halen and Mr. Big or The Black Crows. At the age of 18 he went to visit his uncle in California and stayed there for a while. Over a year later he went to Germany to study architecture. He first had to improve his German proficiency to be admitted at the university. He graduated in interior design but his passion for singing and playing the guitar was stronger than the wish to work in an office.

His first experience as a street musician was gained in Biberach on the Riss in Baden Wurttemberg in 1996. The international flair of Berlin attracted him and inspired him. In 1998 he moved back to Berlin and started his career as Sondoro singing and playing the guitar in bars, clubs and in the metro. His famous song Down on the streets was inspired by the experience gained in Berlins metro. He performs also in famous theatres like the House of World Cultures in Berlin, plays at music festivals like at the Bode museum isle festival. He has fans in Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and many other places in Germany.

Sandhy Sondoro’s music is influenced by American and British rock legends like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. The power of his voice reminds us of Curtis Mayfield und Marvin Gaye. Sandhy sings ballads which express love and his longing for peace. When singing rock songs his voice can turn into a powerful volcano that sounds like Joe Cocker or Roger Chapman. Sandhys voice is so flexible that he is sometimes called the Ben Harper of Jakarta.

Shandy Sondoro also ever sing in the United States, 7 and 8 April 2010. Delivering Time, Love & Tenderness Michael Bolton, he sang along with Celine Dion and Il Divo

source : indonesia first

The Story of Fisherman in a Polluted River

Ciliwung River is known to be one of the most polluted rivers in Jakarta, despite being a lifeline for many poverty-stricken people. Overflowing with garbage and human waste, it has continued to be a painful reminder of how rapid urbanization caused severe environmental degradation in the country. Nevertheless, it remains to be the source of income for fishermen like Namin, who takes a two-hour commmute ride from his house in Ceger, Cikarang.

Previously, he worked in the market when he was 18 for two years. When he was 20, Namin left due to the lack of funds. namin began to earn money from catching ikan sapu sapu (sucker mouth fish). He started to fish since the beginning of 204 untill now. Namin use a net that's throw into the water yo catch the fish and wait while hope to get the fish. For the equipment, he used to borrow from his friend that charged a rental fee.But them, he learned how to make his own fishing equipment, and if the net was broken, i'll made a new net.

In one day, Namin can catch 5-6 kilograms of fish (1$ per kilos), so he can get 6$ per day (60.000 rupias).Usually, he sell the fish to a trader in Cikarang. This money is used to provide food for his wife and child. Despite health concerns it raises, he continues to keep fishing simply because of one reason: to provide food for his family.

Reference : The Jakarta Post

Top 10 Most Populous Cities in Indonesia

As the fourth country in the world who have the highest population, Indonesia has many densely populated cities. From national census data, there are 10 cities in Indonesia are categorized as top 10 most populous cities of Indonesia, there are :

1. Jakarta (8.792 million)
Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKI Jakarta, Jakarta Raya) is the capital city of Indonesia. width is about 740 km ², and its population numbered 8.792 million inhabitants. jakarta city is also one of most populous cities in the World

2. Surabaya (3,282,156)
Surabaya is the capital city of East Java province, Indonesia. Surabaya is Indonesia's second largest city after Jakarta. Metropolis with a population of about 3 million inhabitants, Surabaya was the business center, commerce, industry and education in eastern Indonesia. surabaya city area is 374.36 km2

3. Bandung (2,771,138)
Bandung is the capital city of West Java province. The city was anciently known as Parijs van Java (Dutch) or "Paris of Java". Because it is located in the highlands, Bandung was known as the place where the cool air. Bandung Area is 16 767 hectares.

4. Medan (2,036,018)
Medan city is the capital of North Sumatra province, Indonesia. Medan is the gate of the western part of Indonesia. Medan also become the most populous cities in Sumatra island. Medan city has an area of 26 510 hectares.

5. Bekasi (1,940,308)
Bekasi is a city in West Java province, Indonesia. The city is located in east Jakarta, adjacent to the west of Jakarta, Bekasi district in the north and east, south of Bogor, Depok and southwest. Bekasi is one of the city besides the buffer Jakarta Tangerang, Bogor and Depok, as well as the residence of commuters who work in Jakarta. Bekasi City consists of 12 districts, divided again over 56 villages. Area 210.49 km2 bekasi city.

6. Tanggerang (1,488,666)
Tangerang City is located in Banten Province, Indonesia, just west of the city, and surrounded by the Tangerang District in the south, west, and east. Tangerang is the largest and most important city in Banten province and the country's second largest urban area after the Greater Jakarta. Tangerang City Area 164.54 km2.

7. Semarang (1,352,869)
Semarang is the capital city of Central Java Province, Indonesia. Semarang is one of the city led by the mayor. The city is located about 466 km east of Jakarta, or 312 km west of Surabaya. Semarang is bordered by Java Sea to the north, Demak district in the east, south of Semarang Regency, and Regency of Kendal in the west. Semarang city Area 225.17 km ².

8. Depok (1,339,263)
Depok City, is a city in West Java province, Indonesia. The town is located just south of Jakarta, that between the Jakarta-Bogor. Depok City consists of six districts, which are divided into 63 wards. 200.29km2.

9. Palembang (1,323,169)
Palembang City is one of the major cities in Indonesia as well as the capital of South Sumatra province. Palembang is the second largest city in Sumatra after Medan. This city had once been the center of the Sriwijaya Kingdom and later moved to Jambi. Siguntang hill, in Palembang West, until now many people are still sacred and regarded as a former center of purity in the past. Size 102.47km2 palembang city.

10. Makassar (1,168,258)
The city of Makassar (formerly level II status of the municipal area; from 1971 until 1999 officially known as Ujungpandang or Ujung Pandang) is a municipality and also the capital of South Sulawesi province. on the southwest coast of Sulawesi island, facing the Makassar Strait. Makassar is known to have a beautiful beach namely Losari. Makassar City Area 128.12 km ².

Indonesian Wayang Figures in Cyborg Version

Living with Merapi's Volcanoes

All hell is about to break loose, but Udi, a 60-year-old farmer from the village of Kinarejo on the Indonesian island of Java, will not budge. Not even though a mere three miles (five kilometers) separates the smoldering peak of Mount Merapi from Kinarejo. Not even though columns of noxious gas and the nervous tracings of seismographs signal an imminent explosion.

Mount Merapi, Magelang, Central java

Not even though the government has ordered a full-scale evacuation. "I feel safe here," he says. "If the Gatekeeper won't move, then neither will I." Merapi is a natural-born killer. Rising almost 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) over forests and fields, it ranks among the world's most active and dangerous volcanoes. Its very name means "fire mountain." An eruption in 1930 killed more than 1,300; even in less deadly times, plumes drift menacingly from the peak.

Merapi

Some of the surrounding area, warns a local hazards map, is "frequently affected by pyroclastic flows, lava flows, rockfalls, toxic gases and glowing ejected rock fragments." As the volcano's rumbling crescendoed in May 2006, thousands fled the fertile slopes and settled reluctantly into makeshift camps at lower, safer altitudes.

Merapi's Lava

Even the resident monkeys descended in droves. Not Udi and his fellow villagers, who take their cues from an octogenarian with dazzling dentures and a taste for menthol cigarettes: Mbah Marijan, the Gatekeeper of Merapi. Mbah Marijan has one of the more bizarre jobs in Indonesia, or anywhere else, for that matter. The fate of villagers like Udi and of the 500,000 residents of Yogyakarta, a city 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the south, rests on Marijan's thin shoulders.

Mbah Marijan

It is his responsibility to perform the rituals designed to appease an ogre believed to inhabit Merapi's summit. This time, the rituals seem to have fallen short. The warnings grow more urgent. Volcanologists, military commanders, even Indonesia's vice president beg him to evacuate. He flatly refuses in javanese. "kuwi pancen tugasmu ngandani aku (It's your duty to come talk to me,)" he tells the police. "iki tugasku kanggo tetep nang kene (It is my duty to stay.)"

Andrew Marshall from National Geographic