About Stolen Boy

Bikini Pics - Stolen Boy is a work of fiction, but based on the Jessie James Hollywood case … what author Michael Mehas says may make the difference between Hollywood's life and death.

Stolen Boy is powerful stuff. How did you get interested in it?

One day in April of 2003, while I was tending to my dying dog, Sadie, I got a call from an old buddy, Nick Cassavetes, who said he wanted to make a film about Jesse James Hollywood, the youngest man ever on the FBI's Most Wanted List. Since I lived so close to Santa Barbara, where the crime took place, I had read all these articles about this amazing crime involving all these young kids. Kids accused of committing crimes against kids. It was an unbelievable story. One I wanted to know more about.

For anyone who doesn't know what it's like to work on a Cassavetes film, it's one of those rare opportunities in life that you just don't want to turn down. Making a Cassavetes movie is not so much about fame or fortune as it is about experiencing a piece of life. And that was one piece of life that I just didn't want to miss. So about a week later, after Sadie had moved on, I asked Nick where I could sign up. He set up a meeting with the Santa Barbara District Attorney, and the rest is just sort of history, as they say. The whole thing took on this life of its own — taking all these unbelievably crazy turns before becoming the movie (Alpha Dog), my book, and then the craziness of my legal involvement with the death penalty case.

It certainly is unusual for a 'casual' outside observer to become part of a trial, yet you have been subpoenaed twice to appear in court. What are your thoughts?

Actually, I've been subpoenaed three times in Jesse Hollywood's case. So far, I've testified twice and suffered the misfortune of having the court order me to turn over all the notes and tapes from my interviews. Early on in the process, I twice faced the very real prospect of going to jail for not complying with the subpoenas, which at first I had seriously considered doing.

In the beginning, after Hollywood got captured in Brazil — after one of the greatest global manhunts in history — my life got turned totally upside down. I met with Hollywood's famed trial attorney, James Blatt, several times, and he asked me to testify in the case. He wanted me to help him save his client's life.

While Hollywood had been on the lam, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney, and other law enforcement agencies, had totally demonized him through the media. They had basically tried and convicted him in absentia. As a result, the public sentiment was seriously against Hollywood. People wanted to see him die a violent death for a crime he hadn't even yet appeared in court for. The prosecutor wanted to put him to death. The victim's family sought a ten-eyes-for-two kind of justice. I truly believed Mr. Blatt's client stood very little chance of getting a fair trial. I think, at the time, any jury would have handed down a swift conviction followed by an even swifter justice — that being the death sentence.

I'm a criminal defense attorney by heart and by trade. I'm also a humanist. And I sincerely believe that all living things have this inherent right to life. It's not our job to make the ultimate decision about each other. I'm not a fan of government-sanctioned murder. So I wanted to do whatever I could to help save Mr. Blatt's client.

Besides, I knew Jesse Hollywood's family. Jesse had a little brother that he was very protective of. He had parents who loved their son. They didn't want him to die. And neither did I. But the problem with Mr. Blatt's request was that if I ended up testifying, my testimony could be used as the cornerstone for criminal prosecution against Ron Zonen, the prosecutor on the case — and also his office — for potential illegal misconduct in their dealings with me. I got a lot of information from the prosecutor. A lot of it — he probably shouldn't have given to me. It wasn't until the California Attorney General decided not to prosecute him or his office that I finally agreed to testify. And then when I did, the court ordered me to turn over my notes. If I didn't comply, I'd go to jail. So, ultimately, I complied. I wasn't really that interested in staying at the Gray Bar Hotel. I had a life to live. I had a book to finish. So I turned the notes and tapes over. But I wasn't really happy about the way the situation had materialized at all.

Maybe I have it wrong, but when I compare your writings about the fictional Mickey with those of Jesse James Hollywood I see a divergence. Mickey is the devil incarnate, yet I get a real sense that your feelings for Jesse are something else. Am I right?

The real Jesse James Hollywood is far from the devil incarnate. He's actually a very smart kid. When you think about it, he was very successful at what he did. But Jesse wasn't evil. He was an arrogant hothead, maybe. And he was scared, definitely. He was living in some pretty rough company at the time. But through all this, Jesse James Hollywood—in spite of the reputation his name assumes — is a human being. And at the time he did whatever it was that he really did do, he was just a kid. He was a twenty-year-old kid trying to play the big man's game, and it got away from him. But he, just like his co-defendants, doesn't deserve to die as a result of it. If he does get the death penalty, and if we, as the state of California, agree to put him to death, what does that make us? People who kill to avenge a killing? Is that really what being a member of the human race is all about? Taking justice into our own hands? I know that's not what I'm about. I believe in life, and I try not to put my energies toward creating death. So I will do whatever I can to help someone who's in serious trouble. To help raise the consciousness of anyone who cares. To try to change the world around us by dedicating our collective-consciousness to life-enhancing measures, not death.

Are you still involved with the case? You clearly have formed a bond with Jesse's father.

These are two very different issues. First of all, yes, I am still involved in the case in that I suspect the prosecutor and defense attorney are not finished with my services yet. The new prosecutor on the case has tried to subpoena me. From what I understand, he's a really nice guy. But he wants to get more information from me, and I think that's totally uncool. What could I possibly know or have at this point that he could possibly need? He's trying to kill Jesse Hollywood. And I'm not going to help him do it, even if it does put me at risk of going to jail. It's that simple. That's why I sent my lawyer into court this past June, and the mouthpieces argued about the subpoena. The judge, in his wisdom, told the prosecutor and my attorney that he wouldn't decide the issue of the validity of the subpoena until the case came back down from the California Supreme Court.

The Supremes are set to decide a very important issue in this case. As I understand it, they are dealing with how prosecutors should or should not be able to cozy up to the media while trying high-profile cases. It's similar to the whole debacle with the Duke lacrosse team. The District Attorney on that case basically tried and convicted those poor kids through the media before they ever had a chance to defend themselves. The same thing happened here. The prosecutor wants Jesse James Hollywood on death row. I'm going to do what I can to help make sure that doesn't happen. We have to change things around here. I believe that if we put our energies into life-enhancing measures we will all benefit as a whole. We are all related, you know. We all benefit when the rest of us do well. We need to stop killing our brothers. And it's certainly not the job of our government to do that for us.

As far as Jesse's father, Jack, is concerned. I could totally empathize with the guy. Here's a man who felt terrible about his involvement in raising his son. His son was looking to be put to death, and this guy somehow felt responsible for that. Jack told me a story about the time law enforcement agencies raided his house and served a search warrant on him not long after Jesse disappeared. One of the law officers, a supervisor from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, told Jack that he hoped to be the one to find Jesse, because he wanted to be the one to shoot and kill him. Can you imagine someone telling you that about your kid? Jack was devastated. He didn't want his son to be murdered by a member of the Sheriff's department. At the time, I think all he really wanted was to be able to hold his son in his arms and know that he was going to be all right.

Usually the sequence of events is book first, movie later. In this case you reversed the order. Looking at both works, which is your favorite, and what are your thoughts about this sequence?

I loved the movie. I thought Nick (Cassavetes) did an exceptional job with it. It was raw. Some of the performances were raw. It was a truly unusual blend of pure, hot-looking energy that told a very compelling story, an important story, one that needed to be told. The book tells roughly the same story, but in a completely different way. And I'll tell you why.

Back in October of 2003, Nick had a reading of the project that influenced me tremendously when it came to which version of the story to tell through the book. There was so much to this story. So much information. There were so many people involved. It was difficult to decide exactly which storylines to follow. When we started out on the project, we wanted to tell as truthful a version of the story as we possibly could. That's why Nick hired me. He knew I'd figure out a way to get the information that we needed. So Cassavetes had this reading with many of Hollywood's top young talent. Great young actors and actresses. This was back with the first draft of Nick's screenplay, when Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire were set to produce it. Tobey read Hollywood's part while Leo read the part of his chief antagonist, the victim's brother. As the reading progressed deep into the screenplay, you could feel the excitement building. The room filled with tension. And as we neared the climax, you could literally feel the anxiety intensify within the actors. It was like — No way, this isn't going to happen. They're really not going to do this. There's no way these guys are going to hurt this kid. And then, all of a sudden, the room went dead silent. This huge collective gasp escaped. It was like a huge ball had burst. Everybody fell back, totally deflated. They couldn't believe it could happen like that. It was like — There's no way these guys, who had spent all this time partying with this kid, would… And then suddenly they commit the worst act you could possibly imagine. The actors were devastated. And I knew that's how my story had to end.

Barcelona Football

Watch Telenovelas - Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in the world and have had more than their fair share of top name managers over the years, but they took a chance this year and appointed former player Josep Guardiola as manager, in what was his first managerial appointment. Gauardiola repaid the faith shown in him by leading Barcelona to a treble, winning the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey. Barcelona are the first Spanish team to achieve this.

Guardiola was a fantastic player, spending most of his playing days at Barcelona and captained Johan Cryuff’s ‘dream team when Barcelona won their first European Cup. He has not recreated this success as manager and looks like having the potential to be one of the greats in the next generation of managers.

There is no doubt that Guardiola has a star studded team at his disposal but he made a bold move at the start of the season selling Ronaldinho and bringing in a few lesser known players to make his mark on the team. His achievements this year have been fantastic, especially since so many wanted him to fail as a result of his inexperience.

Even with the loss of Ronaldinho, Guardiola still has Messi, Eto’o, Henry, Xavi and Iniesta, to name but a few, at his disposal so he did inherit a string team but it is a team that hadn’t won La Liga since 2006 and one that many people had started to doubt could win the title.

Guardiola has certainly not put himself out there as a potentially future great manager and if he can continue to show the qualities and winning mentality that he has shown this season then there is no doubt that he will fulfil his potential.

Hp Nexian Ponsel

Bikini Pics - Presiden Direktur Nexian Martono Jaya Kusuma mengingatkan perusahaan handset lokal untuk mewaspadai langkah produsen ternama, seperti Nokia dan Blackberry, yang mulai melirik pangsa pasar menengah ke bawah. Menurutnya, seperti dilansir majalah Globe Asia edisi Maret, hal itu mengancam pangsa pasar konsumen produk lokal.

Dengan mengeluarkan produk murah, kata Martono, maka perbedaan mencolok antara merek produk lokal dan global semakin tipis. Bahkan,k atanya, kini merek global juga cenderung menerapkan konsep qwerty keypad, yaitu penggunaan konsep peletakan tombol huruf keypad handphone yang diselaraskan dengan keyboard atau mesin tik.

"Ini berlaku dalam produk Samsung's Corby yang dibandrol hanya dengan Rp 1,4 juta dan BlackBerry Gemini yang kurang dari Rp 3 juta," kata Martono.

Namun, Martono tetap percaya bahwa produk lokal tetap menjadi daya tarik tersendiri bagi konsumen, dengan strategi mengeluarkan produk menggunakan konsep qwerty dan harga berkisar Rp 500 ribu hinga Rp 700 ribu. Ia menuturkan bahwa sekitar 4 juta unit produk qwerty lokal terjual tahun lalu dan diperkirakan ke depan penjualan smartphone akan mendominasi angka penjualan handset traditional.

Lembaga International Data Corporation (IDC) memperkirakan handphone pintar dengan tampilan data komunikasi kuat akan menyingkirkan handphone tradisional. Menurut catatan IDC, penjualan "smartphone" Indonesia melonjak tajam hingga 290 persen sedangkan handphone berteknologi lama turun sebesar 51 persen.

Khusus untuk Nexian, kata Martono, selain menggunakan konsep qwerty dan murah juga mengembangkan aplikasi plus, seperti facebook, mengunduh foto, dan mengirim pesan secara on line atau Nexian messenger dalam produknya.

HP Nokia C3, C6 , E5

Watch Telenovelas - Perusahaan handset asal Finlandia, Nokia, mengeluarkan tiga ponsel baru yang dapat mengirim pesan lebih murah. Demikian dilansir kantor berita Reuters, Selasa (13/4).

Model terbaru Nokia tipe C3 juga dilengkapi dengan konsep keyboard Qwerty dan dibandrol dengan Harga Nokia hanya US $ 122 atau sekitar Rp 1.220.000. Selain itu perusahaan berbasis di Finlandia juga meluncurkan ponsel pintar Nokia tipe C6 dan E5, dengan harga 220 dan 180 euro atau sekitar Rp. 2,7 juta dan Rp 2,2 juta.

Beberapa analisis menduga peluncuran produk Nokia terbaru guna menyaingi ponsel pintar RIM Blackberry yang lebih dulu mendominasi pasar "e-mail mobile".Menurut analis, C3 baru dengan keyboard full dan harga Rp1,1 juta belum termasuk pajak, kemungkinan bisa jadi perangkat utama bagi Nokia tahun ini.

Selain model menengah C3, Nokia juga memperkenalkan ponsel pintar C6 dan E5, dengan harga 230 dan 190 euro.

"Titik harga produk itu menusuk RIM dari belakang," kata analis Swedbank Jari Honko.

Nokia telah lama berusaha menantang dominasi RIM di pasar email mobile korporat, tetapi baru sedikit mendapat keberhasilan.

Namun, meningkatnya permintaan konsumen untuk email mobile telah membuka persaingan pasar yang baru antara Nokia dan RIM.

"Dalam ruang smartphone, jelas tujuannya adalah RIM," kata Ilari Nurmi, Vice President dari ponsel bisnis Nokia.

"Dengan C3 kita bisa ke titik harga di mana RIM belum mampu bermain," tambahnya.

C3 yang dapat terhubung melalui WiFi akan dirilis kuartal ini.

Analis Geoff Blaber dari konsultan Inggris CCS Insight mengatakan model itu mungkin akan menjadi salah satu handset Nokia yang paling penting di 2010.

"Handset itu memiliki keyboard lengkap, email dan jejaring sosial, sebuah domain di mana INQ, LG dan Samsung telah cukup sukses. Ini adalah langkah terbaru, tetapi sangat mengganggu, " kata Blaber.[

Medicine

Bikini Pics - Simon Singh's bogus journey has finally come to an end. Almost two years to the day since Singh first wrote an article in the Guardian questioning the claims made for spinal manipulation by the British Chiropractic Association, the organisation has dropped its libel case.

There is no way the BCA could have anticipated what would follow from bringing their claim against Singh. In the last year, Singh's case has become a rallying point for free expression organisations such as Index on Censorship (who formed the libel reform coalition last December with Sense About Science and English PEN), scientists, bloggers, comics, and what Ian Sample described in the Guardian this week as a "rising army of skeptics".

One in four British chiropractors is now under investigation by the General Chiropratic Council following a campaign by Singh's skeptical supporters. Singh was brave in standing up to the BCA. But he was exemplary in insisting from day one that the case was not just about him. The absurdity of this case highlighted to many the injustices of English libel law, from the grossly inflated costs, to the utter inadequacy of our concepts of fair comment and public interest. In the court of appeal ruling handed down on 1 April, Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge emphasised that Singh had written an honest opinion, based on reasons, and suggested that this should be the future template for "fair comment" defences.

This is a day to celebrate for anyone interested in free expression in England and beyond. In fact, it has been an amazing week for libel reform campaigners: as the main political parties rolled out their manifestos, all three made commitments to libel reform. Meanwhile, the petition for reform passed 50,000 signatures.

What we should not imagine for one moment is that the BCA climbdown suggests that our libel laws work. The case has taken up masses of time and energy for all concerned. Meanwhile, NMT's case against Peter Wilmshurt, another clear demonstration of the law meddling with medical science, rumbles on. And the solicitors' letters keep turning up in the mailboxes of writers, bloggers and activists without the nerve or resources of Simon Singh.

Free expression in the UK remains threatened. Next week, the Libel Reform Coalition hosts a hustings at the Free Word Centre in London, where all three parties will be grilled on their commitment to free speech. Manifesto pledges are one thing; but we must continue to push for a genuine rethinking of UK citizens' ability under the law to debate, argue and learn.

Contest Recipes

Watch Movie Online - Las 100 recetas originales que compiten en el 44° concurso de Bake-Off® de Pillsbury se encuentran disponibles en línea en www.bakeoff.com. Prepare y disfrute de las nuevas recetas de aperitivos, desayunos, postres y cenas hasta encontrar su favorita, y siga la competencia en línea para saber si los jueces eligen su receta principal como la ganadora del millón de dólares.

Los creadores de estas recetas, cocineros aficionados de todo el país, prepararán sus recetas en las finales del concurso el 12 de abril de 2010, en Orlando. En secreto y tras puertas cerradas, un jurado de expertos en cocina degustarán las recetas preparadas por los finalistas y elegirán al ganador del millón de dólares.

“Estas 100 recetas ofrecen una amplia gama de nuevas ideas de sabores, texturas y formas que son realmente apasionantes,” dijo Jann Atkins, el Gerente de cocina de Bake-Off® de Pillsbury. “Los aperitivos saben deliciosos en sus divertidas formas del tamaño de un bocado, los platos para desayuno y cena combinan tradición con comodidad pero con variaciones simples, y los postres van desde los sencillos y casuales hasta los sencillos pero sofisticados, ideales para cada ocasión”.
La competencia

El 12 de abril, los 100 cocineros caseros competirán en cuatro categorías: Desayuno y brunch, Aperitivos para fiestas, Dinner Made Easy™ y Golosinas. Los finalistas representan 36 estados, incluyendo Alaska, Hawái y el Distrito de Columbia. Cuatro de ellos competirán desde su estado natal, Florida. Pensilvania cuenta con el mayor número de finalistas, 12, mientras que Ohio se encuentra en el segundo lugar con ocho participantes. Los 100 finalistas tienen entre 27 y 75 años, e incluyen ocho hombres y 92 mujeres.

Para las finales del concurso Bake-Off®, las 100 minicocinas de GE estarán instaladas una al lado de la otra en los hoteles Waldorf=Astoria Orlando y Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Las minicocinas estarán provistas con aceite de cocina en aerosol antiadherente Crisco® y con todos los ingredientes que cada uno de estos finalistas necesitarán para preparar sus recetas durante la competencia. Los finalistas lucirán los delantales oficiales del concurso, inspirados en los brillantes colores y diseños del hotel que recientemente abrió sus puertas y en donde se llevará a cabo el concurso. El delantal está realizado en tono azul y adornado con un moderno estampado de flores en el bolsillo.
Efectivo y premios

Uno de los cuatro ganadores de categoría ganará el gran premio de 1 millón de dólares y una cocina autónoma de inducción GE Profile™; además, el ganador elige $7,000 en electrodomésticos GE Profile™ adicionales para cocina. El valor combinado de venta del Gran Premio es de aproximadamente $1,010,300. Los otros tres Ganadores de Categoría de recetas recibirán $5,000 y una cocina autónoma de inducción GE Profile™. El valor de venta al detalle de cada Premio de categoría es aproximadamente $8,300.

Se entregarán tres premios adicionales a ganadores escogidos de cualquiera de las categorías de recetas que no hayan ganado otro premio hasta el momento. La receta más innovadora recibirá el Premio GE Imaginación en Acción y el ganador recibe una cocina autónoma de inducción GE Profile™; además, elige $1,700 en electrodomésticos GE Profile™ adicionales para cocina. El valor de venta del Premio GE Imaginación en Acción es de aproximadamente $5,000. El Premio Mantequilla de maní Jif® reconoce al finalista que elabore la mejor receta que utilice al menos ¼ de taza de mantequilla de maní Jif®. El ganador recibirá $5,000. El Premio Crisco is Cooking™ reconoce al finalista que elabore la mejor receta que use al menos 1 cucharada de aceite para cocinar Crisco®. El ganador recibirá $5,000.

Cada uno de los 100 finalistas gana un viaje hasta el lugar donde se celebra la ronda final del concurso, incluidos boletos de avión, una estancia de dos noches en el Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek en Florida, comidas diarias patrocinadas por el evento, un horno de microondas General Electric (valor estimado de venta al detalle de $249), y $125. El valor aproximado de venta al detalle de cada paquete para finalistas es de $1,325.
Productos elegibles

Los finalistas tenían que usar dos o más productos elegibles en sus recetas, con al menos un ingrediente de la lista principal de productos y otro ingrediente de la lista principal o de la secundaria.

La lista principal incluyó productos elegibles que se repitieron en el concurso, como medialunas refrigeradas Pillsbury®, base para pizza clásica, masa para galletas y galletas Ready to Bake!™, panecillos Grands!® y Golden Layers®, rollos de canela, palitos de pan, hogaza francesa con costra y bases para pie, mezclas para brownies Pillsbury® y harina BEST® Pillsbury. La lámina de masa hojaldrada homogénea Crescent Recipe Creations® Pillsbury, las medialunas redondeadas refrigeradas Place ‘n Bake® Pillsbury y la base para pizza delgada fueron los productos nuevos de la lista principal.

La lista secundaria contó con verduras congeladas Green Giant®, mantequilla de maní Jif®, mermeladas, jaleas, conservas, frutas para untar y acompañamientos para helado Smucker’s®, aceite para cocinar Crisco®, huevos Eggland’s Best, mantequilla para untar LAND O LAKES® y nueces Fisher®. Los nuevos ingredientes elegibles que también estaban en la lista secundaria fueron leche condensada endulzada Eagle Brand® y cacao, chispas o trozos para repostería y chocolates para repostería Hershey’s®.

El 44° concurso Bake-Off ® de Pillsbury está patrocinado por General Mills, General Electric, The J.M. Smucker Company, Eggland’s Best, Land O’Lakes, Inc., Fisher® Nuts y The Hershey Company.

Visite www.bakeoff.com para consultar las reglas oficiales, las recetas anteriores y la historia de los 60 años del concurso.
CONTACTO:
Relaciones públicas de Bake-Off® de Pillsbury
Kristen Goldberg
(763) 293-1562
Shera Balgobin
(763) 293-1212

Clash Of The Titans

The 3-D remake of Cuando Me Enamoro took in a humongous $61.4 million over the Easter weekend, despite lousy reviews and 3-D that was really 2-D retrofitted to look like it was worth your wearing special glasses for two headache-inducing hours while waiting for Liam Neeson's Zeus to release the damned Kraken. So why did you see it? I want answers.

Did the 3-D pull you in? Grosses from 3-D venues repped 52 percent of the total take.

Are you attracted to epic stories about ancient Greek myths?

Did star Sam Worthington so impress you in Avatar that you had to see what he'd do with the role of Perseus, the bastard son of Zeus?

Are you a fan of the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans with Lord Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Harry Hamlin as Perseus?

Is anything with monsters such as Medusa and a roaring sea beast like the Kraken enough to get your box-office dollars?

Did the trailer and the promo ads on TV make you say, "I gotta see this!"?

Final Questions: Was Clash of the Titans worth what you paid for it, meaning an extra six bucks if you sprung for a 3-D ticket? Did the special effects strike you are better, worse or about the same as those in Avatar? How would you rate the movie on a scale of 1 to 100?

Berhenti Merokok

Bikini Pics - Siang itu, Kamis 11 Maret 2010, pukul 12.15, suasana kantin penuh dengan karyawan yang sedang menikmati makan siangnya. Sesuai aturan, perusahaan makanan yang terletak di daerah Padalarang tersebut, menetapkan waktu istirahat makan selama 30 menit,termasuk merokok.

Demi keamanan dan kesehatan kerja, kebijakan perusahaan melarang karyawan merokok di semua area pabrik, kecuali di tempat-tempat yang telah disediakan. Kantin, dengan ukuran panjang dan lebar sepuluh meter, kurang lebih sepuluh persen total luas, digunakan untuk area merokok. Adanya ruang khusus bagi penikmat rokok, menunjukan bahwa keberadaan kaum perokok tidak dapat diabaikan begitu saja. Banyak hal menarik yang perlu dicermati, salah satu diantaranya, mengapa seseorang bisa berhenti merokok, sedangkan yang lain tidak bisa.

Sejalan dengan gencarnya kampanye anti rokok, mulai banyak para perokok yang menyadari bahaya kesehatan akibat kebiasaan merokok. Namun, kesadaran bahaya merokok tersebut tidak lantas membuat para perokok memutuskan untuk berhenti merokok. Faktor ketagihan nikotin pun turut mempengaruhi terganggunya rasionalitas para perokok tersebut. Keadaan ini tergambarkan pada penelitian yang dilakukan oleh James Mahoney dan Amanda Burrell dari Universitas Canberra (UC) Australia terhadap 234 orang mahasiswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan, setiap mahasiswa yang disurvei, tahu merokok akan membahayakan kesehatan mereka. Mereka mengaku mengingat isi pesan kampanye antirokok yang selama ini ada, namun tidak cukup menyadarkan mereka untuk menghentikan kebiasaan merokok.(kompas/antara/uc/2008).

Ada satu alasan aneh atau mungkin sekadar ungkapan tidak suka pertanyaan yang diajukan terhadapnya. Pak Toni, 40 tahun, salah satu karyawan perusahaan tersebut menyatakan bahwa alasan tidak berhenti merokok adalah, ”Setelah bertahun-tahun merokok, saya masih belum merasakan nikmatnya rokok. Jadi sampai sekarang masih penasaran tuh!”.

Lain lagi alasan yang lebih serius, seperti dikatakan Pak Agus, 45 tahun, karyawan di perusahaan yang sama, memberikan alasan mengapa dia tidak bisa berhenti merokok. ”Saya dulu, pernah mencoba berhenti merokok, cuma bertahan satu bulan. Bahkan permen pastiles yang waktu itu disediakan isteri, sebagai pengganti rokok, tidak berhasil mengalahkan kuatnya pengaruh rokok. Bau asap rokok dari teman-teman, waktu kumpul ngobrol bareng sangat mempengaruhi syaraf otak untuk kembali merokok. Alasan lain pusing, lemas dan tak ada semangat hidup kalau tak merokok,” tutur Pak Agus penuh semangat, dengan posisi kedua jari menjepit rokok keretek.

Dalam makalah yang berjudul, ”Bahaya Tembakau dan Bentuk-Bentuk Sediaan Tembakau”, Tahun 2007, Sharon Gondodiputro,dr.,MARS, Fakultas Kedokteran UNPAD, menjelaskan bahwa merokok diestimasikan 90% menyebabkan kanker paru-paru pada pria, dan sekitar 70% pada wanita. Di negara-negara industri, sekitar 56%-80% merokok menyebabkan penyakit pernafasan kronis dan sekitar 22% penyakit jantung.

Lebih lanjut dikatakan bahwa Indonesia menduduki peringkat ke-4 jumlah perokok terbanyak di dunia dengan jumlah sekitar 141 juta orang. Diperkirakan, konsumsi rokok Indonesia setiap tahun mencapai 199 miliar batang rokok. Akibatnya adalah kematian sebanyak 5 juta orang pertahunnya. Bila hal ini tidak dapat dicegah, maka jumlah kematian akan mendekati 10 juta orang per tahun pada tahun 2020.

Beberapa literatur menjelaskan bahwa ketergantungan rokok, lebih disebabkan oleh nikotin yang mempunyai pengaruh dahsyat. Nikotin yang terhisap bersama rokok akan diterima oleh reseptor otak yang kemudian melepaskan zat dopamine. Zat ini memberikan efek nikmat dan menenangkan. Pada saat tidak merokok, kadar dopamine juga menurun sehingga menimbulkan rasa tidak nyaman serta stress. Akibatnya perokok kembali harus merokok.

Sementara itu, ruang khusus merokok, pukul 12.40, semakin pengap penuh dengan asap rokok dan bertambahnya kaum perokok yang menghabiskan detik-detik terakhirnya. Dari luar area merokok, masih di kantin, Pak Budi, 55 tahun, memberikan komentarnya. ”Saya dulu juga perokok, sudah 5 tahun belakangan berhenti merokok. Badan bisa lebih sehat dan makan tambah banyak,” jelas Pak Budi. Sambungnya lagi, ” Saya tidak mau diberhentikan dari kebiasaan merokok oleh sesuatu penyakit. Lebih baik saya berhenti merokok dengan sukarela. Yang penting Niat dan lakukan, jangan mempersulit diri!”

Sebuah tantangan meskipun sulit, masih ada kesempatan bagi kaum perokok untuk mempertimbangkan lebih serius, kebiasaan merokok!

Mega Kumpulkan Ketua DPD

Watch Telenovelas - Menjelang Kongres III di Bali, Ketua Umum PDI-Perjuangan (PDIP) Megawati Soekarnoputri mengumpulkan 33 ketua DPD di kediamannya, di Jl Teuku Umar, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat, Rabu (31/3) malam.

Informasinya pertemuan itu digagas Ketua Deperpu PDIP Taufiq Kiemas. Seperti diketahui, Taufiq ingin PDIP ke depan bergabung dengan pemerintahan SBY. Sumber di PDIP, pertemuan tersebut untuk memetakan sikap politik dari masing-masing DPD.

“Dikumpulkan, agar lebih tahu lebih banyak mana koalisi atau oposisi. Faktor TK (Taufiq Kiemas) dominan, takutnya ada pemaksaan,” ujar sebuah sumber, Rabu (31/3).

Sementara itu, langkah Mega menjadi ketua umum DPP PDIP yang ketiga kalinya bakal mulus dan lancar. Sebab, seluruh DPD secara resmi sudah menyatakan dukungan dan mengirim surat resmi.

“33 DPD PDIP semuanya meminta kesediaan Ibu Mega kembali menjadi ketua umum. Surat keputusan untuk Mega kembali menjadi ketua umum telah diurus panitia hampir di setiap DPC dan DPD,” kata Puan Maharani di ruang FPDIP DPR kemarin.

Menurut anak Megawati tersebut, dukungan DPD PDIP yang mutlak kepada Mega menunjukkan partai banteng moncong putih masih butuh sosok mantan Presiden RI ke-5 itu. Terkait adanya perbedaan antara beberapa elit soal koalisi atau oposisi, hal itu dianggap sebagai dinamika demokrasi yang wajar.

Puan membantah pilihan sikap oposisi atau koalisi yang disuarakan beberapa kader PDIP menunjukkan karakter kader yang ideologis dan pragmatis. “Jadi kalau ada kubu pragmatis dan ideologis, itu tidak benar. Kita solid, satu garis,” tegasnya.

Di sisi lain, Puan menegaskan kesiapannya menjadi wakil ketua umum PDIP mendampingi ibunya. Namun, Puan tidak mau meminta-minta dan menyerahkan sepenuhnya kepada Mega soal posisi itu. Puan menyerahkan posisi waketum itu kepada hasil kongres.

“Apa pun amanah yang diberikan, saya harus siap. Pertanyaannya apakah saya siap atau tidak? Saya siap,” kata Puan