Juventus Masih Klub Terpopuler di Serie A

Sebuah lembaga penelitian terkenal, Nielsen Institute, mendata jumlah penonton di stadion dalam liga Serie A musim lalu dan di dalam beberapa pertandingan musim ini. Juventus tercatat sebagai klub dengan penonton terbanyak, sekitar 10.040.000 fans memadati laga Juventus di stadion mereka. Hasil ini hampir dua kali lipat dari posisi kedua, Inter Milan yang didatangi 5,9 juta penonton.

Saya rasa Juventus adalah sebuah tim yang hebat. Mereka telah berkali-kali memenangkan trofi dan pertandingan. Memang tidak mengejutkan kalau Juventus menjadi tim paling populer di Italia.

Pertanyaan:

Apakah anda setuju kalau Juventus menjadi tim paling populer di Italia? Kenapa?

Billy on Trial for Broadcasting Rights Graft

Lippo Group executive Billy Sindoro stood trial Tuesday in a bribery case which prosecutors said he initiated to convince an antimonopoly agency ro rule in his favor in a dispute over the right to broadcast English Premier League matches. Corruption Eradication Commission prosecutors said in their indictment the defendant had taken part in formulating the Business Competition Supervisory board (KPPU) ruling to help Lippo subsidiary company PT Direct Vision retain broadcasting rights.He was charged with bribery and gratuity and could face a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. Billy had not held a position at any of Lippo Group's companies since July 8, 2008

I heard Billy Sindoro was a great guy. He was a high-classed person in the Lippo bank. I also heard he was a really nice guy. Well, from what I heard, this is really sad. It's always sad when somebody who people think is good suddenly did something awful like this.

Question:

1. Why do you think he stopped working in Lippo Bank?
2. Do you think he stepped down on his own will or the company asked him to? Explain.
3. Do you think he was doing this for the company's good? Explain.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Situbondo Chicken?

Ayam sap-sap is a traditional competition held by the Pasar Putih coastal community of Situbondo Regency, East Java. This competition is unique because it requires a chicken to FLY from a boat out at sea toward the mainland. This is the contest's unique property. The one that flies the farthest is the winner. The origin of this competition is not clear. Some said that there was a similar competition held in Kangean Island near Madura. However, it is also said that it comes from the traditional culture of sedekah bumi (a thanksgiving ceremony for the earth). This competition was previously held on religious days and national days, such as Indonesian Independence Day.

I think this is a cool competition. That's because chickens fly in this competition. I have never seen chickens fly before and I really want to see it. I think it will be cool and funny, too since I've never seen chickens fly before. :-)

Questions:
1. Why do you think the Ayam sap-sap competition was done?
2. What do you think about this competition?

Bombers’ Execution Unconfirmed: AGO

On Sunday at 1 a.m the Attorney General Office (AGO) lost their contacts with their representatives at the Nusakambangan Island where the convicts of the Bali bombers were detained. After a series of delay of the execution earlier scheduled for September prosecutors only said the execution would take place early November. The convicts were taken from Batu Penitiary in Nusakambangan Island, Central Java. Imam Samudra, 38, Amrozi, 47, and Ali Gufron, 48, were sentenced to death for their roles in bombing which killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.

I think the bombing was really horrible. Many people were killed and there was no reason for that. I heard the people were really crazy because they thought that if they killed people, they were doing the good thing. Also, many people supported them. Isn’t that weird? I personally think that the people are crazy.

Question:

Why do you think the people supported these bombers even though they killed many people?

Fires Ring LA as Thousands Flee

Fires driven by strong Santa Ana winds burned more than 4000 hectares in half a dozen communities around the city. At least 22600 people were ordered to evacuate but no deaths or serious injuries have been reported so far. The Sayre fire, which erupted overnight Friday November 14, 2008, in a forested area near Sylmar, north of Los Angeles, destroyed 3237 hectares and burned hundreds of homes. A fifth of the Satyre fire had been contained by Saturday evening. Another fire happened southeast of Los Angeles in Orange and Riverside counties on Saturday morning, burning 809 hectares in the communities of Yorba Linda, Brea, Anaheim, and Corona. More than 100 apartments and houses were damaged or destroyed. In Anaheim, 12600 people were ordered to evacuate while 10000 more were asked to leave their homes in the Sylmar area.

I think this was a really huge disaster for Los Angeles. This Sayre fire caused a huge destruction and many homes were destroyed. Many people had to be evacuated so that they would not be caught in the fire. The citizens of Los Angeles will lose a lot of money because of this tragedy.

Questions:

1. What do you think the government of USA could do to help the evacuated citizens?
2. How did you think the fires started?