A Brief History Of The Linens You Use Everyday

Derived from Linum, the Latin word for the Flax plant, and the Greek Linon, Linen is a fabric associated with woven textiles known for domestic materials used for bed, bathing, and décor, such as towels, sheets, pillow cases, and tablecloths. Past references to linen, though, included lightweight undergarments like chemises, waist shirts, and lingerie.

Modern linen is composed of natural fibers (Cotton, silk, modals, and sometimes flax) and synthetic fibers (polyester and rayon), although at one time the fabric was made solely of fibers from the flax plant (linum usitatisimum), cotton, or hemp. In some cases, linen was made of a combination of flax fiber, cotton, and hemp. Now three thousand years old, Flax is one of the oldest fibers around and used in small amounts, so combinations continue to be the tradition.

Bulk linen yarn is measured in the lea (symbol: NeL), which equals out to three hundred yards per pound. This specific length (or indirect grist system, as which it is already known) is the count of length units per unit mass. The measurement of lea is calculated as thus: the length in the number of leas X 300. For example, forty lea handkerchiefs X 300 = 40X300= 12,000 yards per pound.

Linen was also used to make what were typically non-fabric items. During the Middle Ages, books (Liber Linteus is the only book surviving made of this fabric), shields, and gambeson were all made (either in whole in part) from linen, the last two due to their strength. Nowadays, billiard cues are wrapped in Irish linen because of the absorbent quality of the fabric. This works well with sweaty hands. Quality paper, too, is made of this fiber, which explains why paper currency is 25% linen and 75% Cotton. Because of its flax consistency, top-grade linen is firm and smooth.

For items composed of better-made material, it's a good bet that the flax fiber is a part of that intricate combination. Because of flax’s extensive age, Linen is undoubtedly one of the oldest fabrics in the world. It’s understandable why such a fabric is still in use today.

The Real Man Behind the Myth

Like America itself, the jolly figure we call Santa Claus is a melting pot of cultures, blending elements of folklore with the fantastical.

Santa Claus the man is actually loosely rooted in fact, though he hasn't always looked the way he does today, having evolved from a gift-giving Catholic saint who lived during the third century.

The Protestant Reformation and the emigration of European traditions to America morphed that pious figure into the red-suited character that is now one of the most famous images in the world, complete with his iconic army of elves and a magical transportation system.

St. Nicholas the Generous

Ol' St. Nick wasn't always the rotund, bearded fellow you see gracing Christmas cards. The historical St. Nicholas was the revered Bishop of Myra, a Roman town in what is now Turkey. Born around the year 270 A.D., historians believe, Nicholas became bishop as a young man.

Nicholas was dedicated to helping the poor throughout his life, famously (and anonymously) paying for the dowries of impoverished girls. His reputation as a secret gift-giver around town grew with time, and he became known especially for depositing coins or treats in the shoes of children who would place them out for that very purpose, sometimes in exchange for carrots or hay left for his horses. Nicholas is traditionally depicted wearing a red bishop's cloak, and was often helped by a small orphan boy, according to some legends.

Canonized after his death, St. Nicholas was named as the patron saint of children, sailors and all of Greece, among others. He remained a popular figure of worship through the Middle Ages, with elaborate feasts held each year on the date of his death – Dec. 6 – and small gifts given to children, usually in their shoes, in his honor.

Dutch revival

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, when the veneration of Catholic saints was suppressed in many regions of Europe, saw a drop in the popularity of St. Nicholas.

Only in The Netherlands was the celebration of St. Nicholas kept alive in the form of Sinterklaas, a kindly figure who traveled from house to house on the evening of Dec. 5, leaving treats or presents in children's shoes in exchange for a snack for his horses, according to folklore.

In the Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas wore red bishop's robes, had elfin assistants, and rode his horses over rooftops before slipping down the chimney to deliver the gifts.

Coming to America

Sinterklaas came to America with the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries, and it was in the new colonies that he really evolved.

The anglicizing of the name – from Sinterklaas to Santa Claus – happened by 1773, when the latter was referenced for the first time, in a New York City newspaper. Santa's waistline expanded in 1809 with the publication of author Washington Irving's book "A History of New York," in which the big man is described as portly and smoking a pipe instead of as a lanky bishop.

In an 1822 poem entitled "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" – more commonly called "Twas the Night Before Christmas" – by Clement Moore, Santa is further imagined with a magic sleigh powered by reindeer, a sack full of toys, and a round stomach, "like a bowl full of jelly."

By the late 1800s, most depictions of Santa Claus followed this imagery, but the final cog in the Claus legend was provided by Coca-Cola ad illustrator Haddon Sundblom, whose 1930s red-suited Santa, complete with white-fur trim and leather boots, became the iconic standard recognizable today.

Casualties of Tanah Abang Collapsed Construction

A building under renovation at Tanah Abang shopping district, Central Jakarta collapsed, Wednesday. Casualty report is still haphazard, but according to a Regional Millitary Command officer present at the location, Tasirun, the authority is still trying to rescue three victims under the rubble, and one has just been rescued alive around 12.15.

At 12.15, Wednesday, Tasirun informed that nine victims have been evacuated, one of which has died. The other survivors are still unknown, but possibly they will be brought to Tarakan Hospital or Pelni Hospital. Some are in critical conditions.

The location of the collapse is usually for loading goods and is also a shortcut for pedestrians, so most of the victims were pedestrians.

"Most of the victims are pedestrians. The victims inside are probably the construction workers," said a fire-brigage member, Frans, who is on duty along with three fire-engines and five ambulances on the location.

According to the Red Cross they've only evacuated one victim. The crowd flocking the area hampers rescue and evacuation efforts, heavy machineries are available but having difficulties to access the spot.

State Budget Heading for Recovery

The year of 2009 is about to end. It's been a tough year for the state finance managers, marked by numerous problems. The problems resulted in new funding alternatives adjusted to the requirements of the State Budget (APBN).

To anticipate the worsening global economic crisis, the 2009 APBN was adjusted at the beginning of the year. One main cause was the additional Rp. 12.5 trillion fiscal stimulus that brought the total to Rp. 71.3 trillion to suppress the effect of the economic crisis.

The total fiscal stimulus is 1.4 percent of the gross domestic product (PDB). It was considered sufficient to handle the pressure from the global economic crisis as it was supposed to be able to block the rapid unemployment surge in 2009.

Due to the economic crisis, the unemployment rate was estimated to be 8.87 percent of the 107 million work force. However, with the fiscal stimulus, the unemployment rate was suppressed to 8.34 percent thanks to 150,000 new job opportunities.

Lately, the fiscal stimulus hasn't been entirely utilized. For instance, the stimulus to exempt income tax from those whose basic income is Rp. 5 million per month or less. The insentive was not fullly used because it relied on the honesty of employers, who in turn avoid tax audits.

Though the budget requirement is increasing, the government's income isn't. Due to the global crisis, the earning, expenditure, and funding of the APBN must be changed.

From the aspect of income, the tax earning is down by Rp. 58.95 trillion. And the state earning from non-tax sources is also cut by Rp. 73.07 trillion. Both caused the 2009 APBN to drop to Rp. 853.68 trillion from the previous target of Rp. 985.7 trillion.

The state budget will decline due to the subsidy that decreased by Rp. 43.54 trillion, and the regional funding would lose Rp. 16.9 trillion. The main cause is the decline in the price of oil fuel and the fixed pricing for Indonesian crude oil that dropped from USD 80 per barrel to just USD 45 per barrel.

For that reason, the state earning has decreased by Rp. 132 trillion and the state budget cut down by Rp. 53.2 trillion. All these also caused the bank deficit to go up to Rp. 51 trillion, which was 2.5 percent of the PDB or approximately Rp. 132 trillion.

Not easy

So, will it be easy to make up for the 2009 APBN shortage? No. At the start of 2009, the APBN has been stalked with low liquidity that caused a scarcity of low cost funds in the world finance. For this reason the Department of Finance has approached several creditor countries and international finance institutions to strike a deal for ready loans that will only be used if the APBN funding options become increasingly difficult.

The Department of Finance has gathered a USD 5.5 billion ready loan from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Japanese and Australian governments. However, so far none of these sources have been tapped because the liquidity of the international money market is gradually recovering.

The government had also had to stop the auction of the state's marketable securities earlier, which was on November 17, 2009. This was done because the return from the obligation market actors were increasing. If forced to continue the government would've suffered loss from an over-high obligation cost. Fortunately, before the market took full advantage of this, the issuing target of securities had been achieved, which was at Rp. 144.549 trillion.

Though the global financial crisis is considered to have abated around the end of 2009, challenges still await in 2010. The state earning will be hard pressed.

One challenge is from the free trade agreement (FTA), both between ASEAN countries and between ASEAN and China. The FTA would cut down the income from customs by Rp. 15 trillion. Aside from that, taxation earning will also decrease since there will be a cut on income tax, from 28 percent to 25 percent.

For those reasons, anticipation for a potential crisis in 2010 must be done. The government anticipates that by keeping budgeting fiscal stimulus. The amount of fiscal stimulus is estimated to be Rp. 59 trillion, which is lower than the one for 2009, which was Rp. 73 trillion. The government considers that the national economy has improved so that the state budget, including for fiscal stimulus, can be lowered.

"The increase for the 2010 state budget is lower than 2009's because the fiscal stimulus is lower. In return, we hope to see growth in the private investment sector to make up for the lowered stimulus, so that the economy can still grow 5.5 percent as targeted," said Department of Finance's fiscal agency chief, Anggito Abimanyu.

The fiscal stimulus target in the 2010 APBN draft is one percent of the PDB. The PDB in the 2010 APBN draft is Rp. 5,981.37 trillion so that the fiscal stimulus for next year is around Rp. 59.81 trillion. This fiscal stimulus value is lower compared to 2009's, which was 1.4 percent of the PDB.

The government expansion through the state expenditure is also lower because the raised salaries for civil servants, the Indonesian armed forces, and the National Police, aren't high, or only 5 percent or equals to next year inflation. Even so, the government will persist with the stimulus in the form of tax borne by the government, as much as Rp. 16.87 trillion.

Next year there will also be a cut on income tax, from 28 percent to 25 percent, plus the insentive of a company entering the stock market, which is 5 percent. This is the most real stimulus for next year.

Warning

Economist Fadhil Hasan reminds that the contribution of the state budget on the economy will be at the minimum if the government cannot solve the slow budget disbursement. Currently, fund disbursement could pile up till the third or fourth quarters, while the economic crisis could hit on the first quarter.

The state budget is continously raised, especially during a crisis, with the additional fiscal stimulus. However, the government still finds difficulties to disburse the fiscal stimulus fund.

"With that condition, the role of the state budget on the effort to stabilize the economic growth can be minimized. In 2009 the dominating expenditure that saved the economic growth was instead from election spending and the tax saving schemes that motivated the people's consumption."

Bali Export to U.S. Reaches USD 79 Million

The export from Indonesia's tourist destination island of Bali to the United States has reached some US$79 million from January to October this year, or contributed 19.2 percent of its total export in that period, the Antara news agency reported on Wednesday.

Wayan Kusumawathi, Head of Bali Foreign Trade at the Provincial Administration, said that despite the ongoing global financial crisis that hit the United States, demands on Balinese handicrafts, households designed with traditional Balinese art and traditional garments remain high.

In term of non-oil and gas goods, Wayan said that Bali is still a big exporter to the United States. She added that most of Bali's non-oil and gas goods exports went to the United States.

Besides handicrafts and garments, Bali also exports vanilla, coffee beans and tuna to the country's market, she said. Wayan said that Balinese handicrafts and household goods have been favorite commodities in foreign markets like in the United States and European countries.

She said that Balinese products offer high quality, embedded with highly crafted arts in each of their designs and are sold at relatively low prices. Besides well known as one of the best tourist destination place, Bali has been designated by the government as a center of Indonesia's creative products.