Google Interview Question

Four people need to cross a rickety rope bridge to get back to their camp at night…

Unfortunately, they only have one flashlight and it only has enough light left for seventeen minutes. The bridge is too dangerous to cross without a flashlight, and it's only strong enough to support two people at any given time. Each of the campers walks at a different speed. One can cross the bridge in 1 minute, another in 2 minutes, the third in 5 minutes, and the slow poke takes 10 minutes to cross. How do the campers make it across in 17 minutes

Kuntoro Receives Order of Merit From Norway

Jakarta Globe | November 22, 2012
Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the chief of the Indonesian REDD+ task force and head of the agency overseeing the post-tsunami recovery in Aceh, was awarded a Norwegian order of merit on Wednesday in Jakarta.

Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia Stig Traavic presented the award, the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit — Commander with Star, to Kuntoro for his “outstanding service in the interests of Norway” and his “commendable work for humanity,” especially in leading the reconstruction and rehabilitation of post-tsunami Aceh.

“He has shown outstanding leadership as minister for the UKP4 [President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight] and as head of the Indonesian REDD+ Task Force,” Traavic said before presenting the honor.

Kuntoro said he was truly humbled by the honor.

“I am a simple man, I am a true believer in public service,” he said.

Kuntoro led the Aceh and Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) that rebuilt Aceh and Nias after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 devastated vast swaths of the region and killed an estimated 170,000 people there.

The BRR was established in April 2005 and disbanded four years later.

The Royal Order of Merit was established by Norway’s King Olave V in 1985.

japanese students visit Aceh to examine the conflicts and natural disasters of Southeast Asia

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia--New university courses that examine the conflicts and natural disasters of Southeast Asia are confounding the assumption that Japanese students are increasingly inward-looking.

This autumn, about 20 graduate students from institutions in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan visited Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, which suffered the double hardships of a 1976-2005 independence struggle and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

In fiscal 2011, the graduate schools of Osaka University, Hiroshima University, Nagasaki University and Meio University in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, started a program titled Peace and Human Security in Asia. The program is aimed at students who want to examine problems in Asia, such as conflicts, natural disasters and poverty, in an interdisciplinary manner.

The program has organized student exchanges with partner universities in Southeast Asia and has conducted short study tours.

The latest tour was to Syiah Kuala University, a state institution in Banda Aceh. The students attended a symposium on human security and took courses on social rehabilitation policies for the region's former combatants, a militia that fought for the pro-independence Free Aceh Movement against Indonesia's military.

They also studied aid programs for female survivors of the conflict and the tsunami. The group toured the Aceh Tsunami Museum, which opened in May last year, and one student visited a local newspaper company.

Overall, the students got a glimpse of how people there are confronting the legacy of problems and hardships.

Among the participants was 22-year-old Wataru Hayami. He realized that the students he met, at the symposium and elsewhere, were first-hand survivors of the conflict and the tsunami.

"The students were burdened with difficulties, but one of them said, 'The conflict and tsunami allowed us to meet each other,'" Hayami said. "The encounters I had with people of various backgrounds will be a life-long treasure to me."

Hayami is from Osaka University's graduate school, where he studies subjects such as normalizing diplomatic ties between Japan and North Korea.

During a visit to the tsunami museum, Kengo Shinmoto, a 27-year-old graduate student from Hiroshima University, listened to 30-year-old Gaya Triana describe what happened that day. Her younger sister didn't survive the disaster.

"I almost cried," Shinmoto said.

Elsewhere in Banda Aceh, a boat swept 5 kilometers inland is now preserved as a monument. Sturdy mosques that withstood the quake and tsunami have become symbols of rebuilding efforts.

For Shinmoto, it was reminiscent of a more recent tragedy. His thoughts turned to Japan's Tohoku region, which bore the brunt of tsunami damage in 2011.

"The scenes remind me of the lone pine tree that survived the quake," Shinmoto said. He was referring to a tree that became a symbol of resistance after it remained standing in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture.

Koichi Watanabe, 34, another Hiroshima University graduate student, visited the head office of Serambi, a local newspaper. The editor in chief, 45-year-old Yarmen Dinamika, said that during the conflict years the newspaper used to come under pressure from both the national army and separatists because of its neutral editorial line.

The militia blocked Serambi's publication for 20 days and destroyed 12 trucks used to distribute newspapers. The tsunami killed a quarter of Serambi's work force, and Dinamika himself lost two sons in the disaster.

Watanabe said he had already been familiar with the Aceh issue, but had never imagined that the militia would put pressure on a newspaper.

"I realized there are so many things you cannot learn unless you go into the field," Watanabe said.

Issei Shibata, a 24-year-old Osaka University graduate student whose work examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, joined the program out of curiosity. Shibata said he wanted to discover how Aceh has been developing after separatists abandoned their independence bid. He decided to remain in Banda Aceh, staying in a private home and attending Syiah Kuala University for half a year.

"People here have a concept of 'us all,' which includes those on the opposite side, unlike the Israelis and Palestinians, who think of 'us' and 'them,'" Shibata said. "I am curious to learn more about Aceh."

A professor who led the tour added: "I wanted students to learn about the complicated and multifaceted reality of peace-building in a conflict zone, something that cannot be learned from textbooks and articles alone."

Akihisa Matsuno, 56, of Osaka University, leads research into conflicts and peace-building at the university's Osaka School of International Public Policy.

"The students seem to have learned something," Matsuno said.

By MAKOTO KUSAKAWA/ Staff Writer IndonesiaAcehstudenteducationconflictIndian Ocean tsunamiGreat Sumatra Earthquaketsunamiearthquakenatural disasteruniversity

The Delicacy of Mie Aceh in Meruya

BERITAJAKARTA.COM — 20/11/2012 21:48:32

Besides rice, noodle is second food that always served for Indonesian people. No wonder, a variety of processed noodles has become a common feature at several regions in Indonesia. One of them is ‘Mie Aceh’ which is the famous food from Aceh. To all of you who like this food, you can visit to Mie Aceh Sabang on Jl. Meruya Ilir No. 33 C and Jl. Anggrek Garuda, Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, which is famous for spices from Mecca Veranda.

The stall is quite famous among the culinary connoisseur. The taste and its presentation makes the customers become addicted. The stall itself has wide of 10x5 meters decorated with the ornaments of Acehnese culture. Hashim (34), the owner, has been selling since from12 years ago. The stall`s operate from 11 AM to 11 PM. Hasyim`s mie aceh is one of a kind since made up from natural ingredients and free from preservatives. ”The noodles process is made from crude ingredients which takes time until 2 hours,” said Hashim, Tuesday (11/20).

Each day, Hashim spends 25 kilograms of yellow noodles and noodles ingredients. He intentionally limits the amount of noodles to make sure it is completely spent in one day. This is because the noodles would not taste as good if it is more than a day old. “If the noodles are not completely spent in a day, it will be thrown away or cooked to be eaten by us and the employees,” he stated.

In serving the dishes, Hashim add his own mix of traditional spices which come directly from Aceh such as coriander, cumin, cloves, pepper, cinnamon and other secret spices. By using the spices mixture, Hashim`s dish has a deep aroma which stimulate the mouth to devour it completely. Moreover, the meat bits are copious, complemented with emping (fennel seed crackers) and pickled vegetables which make the taste even more special. “I got the recipe from my parents. There are at least 15 spices in the mixture I concocted,” he told.

Talk about the price, the customer only pays Rp 13 thousand for a bowl of fried noodles, fried rice Rp 13,000, as well as seafood noodles and nasi goring kambing (fried rice with goat meat) Rp 20 thousand. In addition, you can also order other foods, such as martabak kari kambing (a large omelet filled with chopped goat meat and vegetables served with mutton curry) and roti cane (traditional Indian bread) at the price of Rp 10 thousand. Then for drinks, timun serut (grated cucumber ice) at the price of Rp 6 thousand and teh tarik (sweetened milk tea elaborately strained between two vessels) Rp 8 thousand.

To serve the customers, Hashim has help from 7 servers which could serve as many as 300 servings of the noodle dish with the profit earnings amounted to5 million each day.“We also receive order as a catering in an event,” he finished.

Roby, (32), one of customers at Mie Aceh Sabang admitted, he is very often coming and eating at Hashim’s stall when he got home from work at Meruya. “I don’t have to go home, because the foods here like my parents’ cooking in Aceh,” he told.

Indonesia: Niko sees efficiencies in modified semi - Oil & Gas Journal

Niko Resources Ltd., Calgary, and Zaratex NV encountered no commercial reservoir at the Jayarani-1 exploratory well on the Lhokseumawe PSC offshore Aceh Province in western Indonesia.

Jayarani-1 went to a TD of 11,537 ft and penetrated the predrill geologic objectives of Oligo-Miocene Peutu and Cunda carbonates.

Niko will now move the Ocean Monarch semisubmersible to West Papua to drill the Ajek-1 exploratory  well on the Kofiau PSC, the first well to be drilled based on its patented SeaSeep technology, followed by the Cikar-1 well on the West Papua IV PSC and at least four other wells in the area. Partners in these wells include Hess Corp. on Ajek-1 and Statoil ASA on Cikar-1.

Niko’s Indonesia business plan has been to acquire a large number of PSCs in emerging exploratory trends, use advanced technology to develop a portfolio of high impact wells, execute leveraged farmouts, and target partners with worldwide deep water experience. Niko expects to benefit from economies of scale in drilling operations as well as increase the statistical likelihood of success.

Niko made a number of changes in the Ocean Monarch that have and will result in large time and cost savings. For example, due to reductions in the weight of materials and equipment on the rig, the time required for location moves could be reduced by more than 30%, Niko said.

Momentum in ending Phillipines conflict should continue

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 20, 2012): The momentum and spirit in ending the four-decade long conflict in the southern Philippines recently, should keep going as Asean still has other challenges in its landscape, Asean secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan said today.

Of late, he said, Asean had seen a string of successes in managing conflicts, which included East Timor and Aceh.

"We have other challenges somewhere else on the landscape of Asean, and I hope this would be a momentum of going forward that we can reconciliate in other places, including Rakhine (Myanmar) and southern Thailand.

"The spirit of Mindanao will have a positive impact in other areas of conflict.

"Malaysia has been playing a very effective, contributing and wise role in mediating these conflicts, particularly Mindanao. It has taken a lot of time but I think all sides have been very patient and in the end, wisdom prevails and the only way to settle this is through negotiations.

"Malaysia has made a great contribution," he added.

Pitsuwan was speaking to reporters after delivering a talk entitled, 'The Role of Regional Networks in Humanitarian Aid' at the Raja Nazrin Shah 2012 Lecture Series' organised by Mercy Malaysia here.

The Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently signed a historic agreement, which Malaysia helped broker, to end a four-decade long conflict in the southern Philippines.

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed by Philippine chief negotiator Marvic Leonen and MILF's lead negotiator Mohagher Iqbal in the presence of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, at the Presidential Malacanang Palace in Manila. – Bernama

lesson from aceh

MANILA, Philippines - On Aug 15, 2005, the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a peace agreement that put an end to 3 decades of conflict that claimed over 15,000 lives and displaced tens of thousands of people in northern Sumatra.

The peace process in Aceh was in many ways quite similar to the one currently underway in Mindanao between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

What lessons can be drawn from that experience and what can we expect from the new Framework Agreement if we compare it to Aceh?

Background

Much like Mindanao with the Spanish, Muslim Aceh became a source of conflict when the Dutch colonizers arrived in Indonesia in 1873.

Indonesia declared independence from the Netherlands in 1945, and 4 years later the Republic of Indonesia was formally established, including Aceh in a unitary state.

But the Acehnese did not want to be part of a non-Islamic state and demanded to be a special autonomous region with powers over culture, education and religion.

Jakarta agreed, and the peace lasted for more than two decades decade until the 1970s, when vast deposits of natural gas were discovered in Aceh.

Like in Mindanao, the natural resources were pilfered by the national government and the local population practically did not benefit at all from them and remained one of the poorest and most underdeveloped regions in Indonesia.

Conflict erupts

The Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front -- later renamed Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or GAM -- was formed in 1976 and that same year declared the independence of the territory from the "Javanese colonialists," as they viewed the national government in Jakarta.

The authorities, like in Mindanao, responded by launching an all-out military campaign to crush the rebels.

Scores of GAM militants were killed in the counterinsurgency operations as well as many civilians, and between 120,000 and 150,000 were internally displaced at the end of 2004.

Negotiations begin

General Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist from 1956 to 1998, refused to negotiate with the Free Aceh Movement while he was in power, but after he stepped down his successors opened a window for peace negotiations with the GAM.

However, all attempts failed and each proposed deal was viewed with suspicion by the rebels after the long list of human rights abuses committed by Indonesian soldiers.

On top of that, Jakarta never considered offering the territory the option of independence accepted for East Timor, which finally broke free from Indonesia in 2002 after a quarter century of military occupation.

Despite efforts from both sides to pursue peace, hostilities on the ground remained unabated in Aceh and any type of agreement seemed impossible in the near future.

Tsunami brings peace

On Dec 26, 2004, a deadly tsunami devastated Aceh and killed around 150,000 people in the worst natural disaster in the XXI century so far.

The tragedy changed the dynamics of the conflict and compelled both sides to be more flexible and secure a peaceful environment for rebuilding Aceh.

Less than a year later, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the following key provisions:

Withdrawal of government troops, liberation of political prisoners and amnesty in exchange for GAM disarmament
Political autonomy except for foreign affairs, defense, monetary policy and other aspects inherent to the national government
70% of revenues from natural resources must stay in Aceh
Sharia law in place for all Muslims but not to be applied to non-Muslims
Fair and free elections with the participation of local parties, previously banned
Demobilized combatants have then right to government land to facilitate their reintegration in society and to be employed in the police
Lessons for PH

According to Abhoud Syed M. Lingga, executive director of the Insitute of Bangsamoro Studies in Cotabato City, the following lessons can be learned for Mindanao from the Aceh peace process experience:

Negotiations started moving forward when Indonesian President Gus Dur abandoned the rigid military approach favored by Suharto.
The agreed framework must be endorsed by the President, who must show true interest in pursuing the peace process and not leave it to the top negotiator.
New political thinking and the support of the military is essential, as well as political influence over Muslim groups.
Negotiators from both sides must be empowered to make tough decisions without having to consult each step with their superiors.
GAM was given the option to become a political party and won the 2006 and 2011 elections, as the MILF intends to do.
Demobilizing MILF combatants will not get rid of violence, as there are many other armed groups in Mindanao, unlike the GAM which was the only armed group apart from the military in Aceh
Being elected to positions does not terminate the need for reforms, and even those outside of the political process can contribute - Rappler.com