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Hasil Penelitian: Umur Seseorang Bisa Diketahui dari Cepat dan Lambanya Berjalan

2011-02-17T16:27:00.001+07:00

Sumber: RIMANEWS
Kamis, 17 Feb 2011 01:06 WIB

RIMANEWS - Sekelompok peneliti mengatakan, usia atau umur seseorang bisa diketahui melalui melalui kecepatan jalan mereka. Benarkah? Dikutip dari My Health News Daily, para peneliti mengatakan, bahwa mereka yang kecepatan jalannya sekitar 1 meter per detik (3,6 km per jam) atau lebih cepat dan konsisten memiliki kemungkinan hidup lebih lama ketimbang mereka yang kecepatan jalannya lamban.

Dr Stephanie Studenski, profesor di University of Pittsburgh mengungkapkan bahwa kapasitas seseorang untuk bergerak dengan cekatan dan kuat merefleksikan vitalitas serta kesehatannya. Namun, para periset menekankan bahwa tujuan studi ini bukan untuk membuat semua orang untuk berjalan lebih cepat supaya panjang umur.

"Tubuh Anda memilih kecepatan jalan yang terbaik untuk tubuh Anda," jelas Studenski. Para peneliti ini mengatakan bahwa, tiba-tiba mempercepat langkah jalan tidak berarti Anda akan langsung panjang umur. Anda perlu mencari akar permasalahan kesehatan dalam tubuh untuk mengetahui mengapa sehari-harinya Anda berjalan dengan lamban.

Para peneliti ini yakin bahwa riset mereka bisa memprediksi rating kelangsungan hidup hingga 10 tahun ke depan dari sekelompok orang berdasarkan kecepatan mereka saat berjalan dalam trek 4 meter. Kecepatan mereka yang memiliki ekpektasi hidup rata-rata sekitar 0,8 meter per detik baik bagi pria dan wanita. Kecepatan berjalan, menurut para peneliti ini.

Keakuratan perhitungan ini lebih "masuk" terutama bagi mereka yang usianya lebih dari 75 tahun. Artinya, bagi mereka yang sudah memasuki usia lanjut, kecepatan jalan menjadi semacam tanda vital kesehatan seseorang, seperti tekanan darah dan detak jantung.

Hasil penelitian ini didasarkan pada analisa 9 studi sebelumnya yang meneliti kecepatan berjalan, gender, usia, indeks massa tubuh, sejarah medis, dan survival rate dari 34.500 orang.

Cara kita berjalan dan seberapa cepat kita berjalan tergantung pada energi, kontrol gerak, dan koordinasi tubuh, yang membutuhkan fungsi tepat sistem tubuh yang jamak, termasuk kardiovaskular, saraf, serta sistem otot. [mam/kps]

The Fading Dream of Europe

2011-02-17T16:15:00.001+07:00

By Orhan Pamuk

In the schoolbooks I read as a child in the 1950s and 1960s, Europe was a rosy land of legend. While forging his new republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, which had been crushed and fragmented in World War I, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk fought against the Greek army, but with the support of his own army he later introduced a slew of social and cultural modernization reforms that were not anti- but pro-Western. It was to legitimize these reforms, which helped to strengthen the new Turkish state’s new elites (and were the subject of continuous debate in Turkey over the next eighty years), that we were called upon to embrace and even imitate a rosy-pink—occidentalist—European dream.

A portrait of Atatürk in the Cağaloğlu neighborhood of Istanbul; photograph by Andreas Herzau from his book Istanbul, which collects his images of the city and includes an essay by Elif Shafak. It has just been published by Hatje Cantz.

The schoolbooks of my childhood were texts designed to teach us why a line was to be drawn between the state and religion, why it had been necessary to shut down the lodges of the dervishes, or why we’d had to abandon the Arab alphabet for the Latin. But they were also overflowing with questions that aimed to unlock the secret of Europe’s great power and success. “Describe the aims and outcomes of the Renaissance,” the middle school history teacher would ask in his exam. “If it turned out we were sitting on as much oil as the Arabs, would we then be as rich and modern as Europeans?” my more naive classmates at my lycée would say. In my first year at university, whenever my classmates came across such questions in class, they would fret over why “we never had an enlightenment.” The fourteenth-century Arab thinker Ibn Khaldun said that civilizations in decline were able to keep from disintegrating by imitating their victors. Because Turks were never colonized by a world power, “worshiping Europe” or “imitating the West” has never carried the damning, humiliating overtones described by Franz Fanon, V.S. Naipaul, or Edward Said. To look to Europe has been seen as a historical imperative or even a technical question of adaptation.

But this rose-colored dream of Europe, once so powerful that even our most anti-Western thinkers and politicians secretly believed in it, has now faded. This may be because Turkey is no longer as poor as it once was. Or it could be because it is no longer a peasant society ruled by its army, but a dynamic nation with a strong civil society of its own. And in recent years, there has of course been the slowing down of talks between Turkey and the European Union, with no resolution in sight. Neither in Europe nor in Turkey is there a realistic hope that Turkey will join the EU in the near future. But to admit to having lost this hope would be as crushing as to see relations with Europe break down entirely. So no one has the heart even to utter the words.

That Turkey and other non-Western countries are disenchanted with Europe is something I know from my own travels and conversations. A major cause of the strain in relations between Turkey and the EU was most certainly the alliance that included a sector of the Turkish army, leading media groups, and nationalist political parties, all combining in a successful campaign to sabotage negotiations over entry into the EU. The same alliance was responsible for the prosecutions launched against me and many writers, the shooting of others, and the killing of missionaries and Christian clerics. There are also the emotional responses whose significance can best be explained by the example of relations with France. Over the past century, successive generations of the Turkish elite have faithfully taken France as their model, drawing on its understanding of secularism and following its lead on education, literature, and art. So to have France emerge over the past five years as the country most vehemently opposed to the idea of Turkey in Europe has been heartbreaking and disillusioning. It is, however, Europe’s involvement in the war in Iraq that has caused the keenest disappointment in non-western countries, and in Turkey, real anger. The world watched Europe being tricked by Bush into joining this illegitimate and cruel war, while showing immense readiness to be tricked.

When looking at the landscape of Europe from Istanbul or beyond, the first thing one sees is that Europe generally (like the European Union) is confused about its internal problems. It is clear that the peoples of Europe have a lot less experience than Americans when it comes to living with those whose religion, skin color, or cultural identity are different from their own, and that many of them do not warm to the prospect: this resistance to outsiders makes Europe’s internal problems all the more intractable. The recent discussions in Germany on integration and multiculturalism—particularly its large Turkish minority—are a case in point.

As the economic crisis deepens and spreads, Europe may be able, by turning in on itself, to postpone its struggle to preserve the culture of the “bourgeois” in Flaubert’s sense of the word, but that will not solve the problem. When I look at Istanbul, which becomes a little more complex and cosmopolitan with every passing year and now attracts immigrants from all over Asia and Africa, I have no trouble concluding that the poor, unemployed, and undefended of Asia and Africa who are looking for new places to live and work cannot be kept out of Europe indefinitely. Higher walls, tougher visa restrictions, and ships patrolling borders in increasing numbers will only postpone the day of reckoning. Worst of all, anti-immigration politics, policies, and prejudices are already destroying the core values that made Europe what it was.

In the Turkish schoolbooks of my childhood there was no discussion of democracy or women’s rights, but on the packets of Gauloises that French intellectuals and artists smoked (or so we thought) were printed the words “liberté, égalité, fraternité” and these were much in circulation. “Fraternité” came to stand for the spirit of solidarity and resistance promoted by movements of the left. But callousness toward the sufferings of immigrants and minorities, and the castigation of Asians, Africans, and Muslims now leading difficult lives in the peripheries of Europe—even holding them solely responsible for their woes—are not “brotherhood.”

One can understand how many Europeans might suffer anxiety and even panic as they seek to preserve Europe’s great cultural traditions, profit from the riches it covets in the non-Western world, and retain the advantages gained over so many centuries of class conflict, colonialism, and internecine war. But if Europe is to protect itself, would it be better for it to turn inward, or should it perhaps remember its fundamental values, which once made it the center of gravity for all the world’s intellectuals?

—Translated from the Turkish by Maureen Freely

December 25, 2010 midnight

Original link: http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/dec/25/fading-dream-europe/

Penampakan sesosok penungggang kuda saat demo Mesir

2011-02-17T12:02:00.001+07:00

Do youtube.com saat ini sedang hot tentang penampakan kuda dan penunggangnya pada saat kerusuhan Mesir beberapa waktu lalu. Di dalam video itu, yang diambil dari beberapa stasiun tv yang menyiarkan secara langsung kegiatan demonstrasi besar-besaran di Mesir., terlihat sesosok kuda dan penunggangnya yang berwarna kehijauan bercahaya berjalan di antara kerumunan massa dan kemudian terbang tepat pada saat terjadi letusan bom dan kobaran api. Mungkinkah ini sesosok malaikat?

Video aslinya bisa dilihat di sini:

Footage of rioting in Cairo appears to show a ghost horse and rider.Extended Video with slow motion.

Source video footage from euronews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-meY4...

Close up video & stills; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUDB9b...

Join the debate: http://therealtechn9ne.ning.com/forum...

Original article from thisamerican life on Coca cola's recipe

2011-02-17T11:55:00.000+07:00

Inilah artikel pertama yang ditulis oleh laman thisamericanlife.org yang memuat episode Original Recipe Coca cola yang kemudian dikutip oleh berbagai laman di dunia termasuk di Indonesia.

ORIGINAL RECIPE

Originally aired 02.11.2011

The formula for Coca-Cola is one of the most jealously guarded trade secrets in the world. Locked in a vault in Atlanta. Supposedly unreplicable. But we think we may have found the original recipe. And to see if the formula actually might be Coke, we made a batch. Or, anyway, we asked the folks at Jones Soda and Sovereign Flavors to whip up some up, to see if it tastes like Coke. The recipe is here.

Download PDF

	Everett Beal's Recipe Book In Feb 28, 1979 Article Atlanta Journal and Constitution Newspaper	Pemberton's Notebook Published in the 1992 History: For God, Country & Coca-Cola
FE Coca (Fluid Extract of Coca)	3 drams USP	4 oz FE Coco
Citric Acid	3 oz	3 oz
Caffeine	1 oz	1oz Citrate Caffein
Sugar	30 #	30 #
Water	2.5 gal	2.5 gal
Lime Juice	2 pints (1 qrt)	1 qrt
Vanilla	1 oz	1 oz
Caramel	1.5 oz or more to color	Color sufficient

	Use 2 oz flavor (below) to 5 gals syrup	2.5 oz flavor

7X Flavor
Alcohol	8 oz	1 qrt
Orange Oil	20 drops	80
Lemon Oil	30	120
Nutmeg Oil	10	40
Corriander Oil	5	20
Neroli Oil	10	40
Cinnamon Oil	10	40
(The Pemberton formula for 7X is the same as the Beal, just four times as much.)

Resep Rahasia Coca-Cola 'Bocor' ternyata beralkohol

2011-02-17T11:41:00.000+07:00

Sumber: Tempointeraktif
RABU, 16 FEBRUARI 2011 | 07:34 WIB

TEMPO Interaktif, Sebuah situs, thisamericanlife.org, mengungkap resep rahasia minuman soda paling terkenal di dunia, Coca-Cola. Selama ini, minuman yang diciptakan oleh seorang apoteker, John Pemberton pada 1886 ini selalu menjadi misteri.

Nah, thisamericanlife.org mengklamin menemukan daftar yang difoto dari sebuah koran yang menyebutkan resep Coca-cola. Daftar tersebut lengkap bahan dan takaran untuk membuat minuman Coca-cola.

Foto resep itu berasal dari artikel di koran Atlanta Journal-Constitution edisi 8 Februari 1979. Dalam foto tersebut ada seseorang yang memegang buku dengan resep yang diklaim resep yang sama dengan yang digunakan Pemberton.

Resep asli Coca-cola disebutkan disimpan di sebuah ruang besi di Atlanta, Georgia. Resep itu dijaga 24 jam. Inilah resepe rahasia coca-cola itu.

1. Ekstrak cair coca 3 dram (unit)

2. Asam Sitrat 3 ons

3. Kafein 1 ons

4. Gula 30 (tulisannya tidak jelas berapa ukurannya)

5. Air 2,5 galon

6. Juice jeruk limau 2,25 liter

7. Vanilla 1 ons

8. Karamel 1,5 ons atau lebih untuk warnanya.

9. 7X Penyedap Rasa (2 ons penyedap rasa dan 5 tetes sirup)

10. Alkohol 8 ons

11. Minyak jeruk 20 tetes

13. Minyak Lemon 30 tetes

14. Minyak Nutmeg 10 tetes

15. Coriander (ketumbar) 5 tetes

16. Neroli 10 tetes

17. Cinnamon (kayu manis) 10 tetes

TELEGRAPH | PGR

Sepuluh Virus, Malware, Worm di Jagat Maya Indonesia

2011-01-20T15:06:00.001+07:00

Jakarta, CHIP.co.id - Berikut ini adalah 10 malware teratas yang bergentayangan di jagat maya Indonesia (selama tahun 2010) yang berhasil terdeteksi oleh ESET Threat Sense Lab. Mungkin satu diantaranya adalah yang menginfeksi komputer Anda?

1. Win32/Conficker.AA (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 6.85%)

Win32/Conficker.AA adalah worm yang menyebar lewat folder bersama dan perangkat media bergerak. Worm ini masuk ke komputer dengan memanfaatkan kerentanan pada Server Service. Setelah Conficker.AA berhasil, maka komputer pengirim akan melakukan kontrol secara remote terhadap komputer korban yang telah terinfeksi lalu mendownload.

2. Win32/Conficker.AE (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 6.76%)

Win32/Conficker.AE adalah worm yang juga merupakan salah satu varian dari Conficker.AA, dengan modus operandi penyebarannya menyerupai cara penyebaran Conficker AA.

3. Win32/Agent (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 3.48%)

Menurut deskripsi ESET NOD32 hasil deteksi malware ini sebagai malware generic, yang dikenal dikalangan keluarga besar malware dengan kemampuannya mencuri data milik user dari PC yang terinfeksi. Malware tersebut mampu bermutasi menjadi serangkaian threat lain, penyebarannya melalui serangkaian perantara, sehingga hampir tidak mungkin menghapusnya hanya dengan menggunakan satu cara saja. Untuk mencegahnya, gunakan perangkat keamanan yang baik dengan kelengkapan anti-malware, jangan lupa untuk selalu mem-patch, disable Autorun, dan yang tidak kalah penting adalah, pikir baik-baik sebelum anda meng-klik sesuatu.

4. Win32/Conficker.Gen (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 3.26%)

Win32/Conficker.Gen adalah salah satu varian dari Conficker yang memiliki kesamaan modus operandi dalam menginfeksi komputer korban. Demikian pula kerentanan yang dimanfaatkan juga sama yaitu kerentanan pada Server Service.

5. Win32/Conficker.X (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 2.97%).

Threat yang satu ini adalah worm yang menyerang komputer jaringan dan menyebar dengan memanfaatkan kerentanan pada sistem operasi Windows keluaran Microsoft. Kerentanan tersebut secara spesifik pada RPC sub system dan dan dapat dimasuki secara remote oleh penyerang. Penyerang tersebut dapat melancarkan serangannya dengan tanpa menggunakan identitas yang valid. Threat ini mampu melakukan kontak dengan web server untuk men-download program-program jahat yang lainnya dengan menggunakan nama domain yang belum resmi.

6. Win32/VB (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 2.74%)

Worm Win32.VB dibuat dengan bahasa pemprograman Visual Basic dan mampu menyebar dengan cepat, tetapi masalah yang ditimbulkan tidak besar. Threat ini biasanya bekerja untuk menyebarkan spam. Karena resiko yang ditimbulkan tidak besar itulah, maka sebagian besar kasus Win32/VB bisa ditangani sendiri oleh user dengan menggunakan perangkat keamanan antivirus atau menghentikan pergerakannya di corporate gateways. Malware buatan dalam negeri banyak termasuk dalam jenis ini.

7. INF/Conficker (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 2.14%)

INF/Conficker adalah file autorun.inf yang menyebarkan worm Conficker. Hasil deteksi juga digunakan untuk mengurai serangkaian malware yang menggunakan file autorun.inf sebagai cara untuk masuk dan menginfeksi Personal Computer. File tersebut berisikan informasi program yang dikembangkan untuk mampu melakukan run secara saat perangkat bergerak (misal USB flash Disk) dan perangkat lain yang sejenis diakses oleh user yang menggunakan PC berbasis Windows.

8. Win32/Alman.NAB (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 2.08%)

Virus yang menginfeksi file-file .EXE, dan menyebar melalui media yang dipakai secara bersama dalam sebuah jaringan komputer. Saat virus aktif, virus akan mendownload program-program jahat lainnya. Virus ini juga bersifat rootkit dimana virus akan menyembunyikan baik proses maupun file-file yang berhubungan dengan virus tersebut. Win32/Alman.NAB juga memiliki nama lain yaitu : Downloader.Agent.LZM, Trojan.DL.Agent.UJE, Virus:W32/Alman.B, W32/Almanahe, W32/QQPass.ADW.worm, W32/Rectix A.

9. Win32/Stuxnet.A (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 2.02%)

Win32/Stuxnet.A adalah worm yang menyebar luas lewat perangkat media bergerak. Modus operandi penyebaran worm ini juga dengan memanfaatkan kerentanan pada sistem operasi dari komputer yang dijadikan target serangan. Kerentanan yang dimanfaatkan adalah pada CVE-2010-2568. Stuxnet adalah salah satu jenis malware dengan target tertentu (targeted malware) yang cukup popule di tahun 2010 karena mentargetkan pada sistem otomatisasi SCADA yang banyak digunakan di industri.

10. INF/Autorun.gen (Persentase Deteksi Tahun 2010: 1.91%)

Deteksi terhadap INF/Autorun.Gen digunakan untuk menguraikan serangkaian malware yang menggunakan file autorun sebagai cara untuk mengkonfirmasi komputer-PC target yang berhasil diserang. File tersebut berisikan informasi program yang dikembangkan untuk mampu melakukan run secara saat perangkat bergerak (misal USB flash Disk dan perangkat lain yang sejenis diakses oleh user yang menggunakan PC berbasis Windows. Perangkat sistem keamanan ESET secara heuristic mampu mengenali malware INF/Autorun yang telah ter-install dan memodifikasi file autorun.inf, advance heuristic pada system keamanan ESET juga mengidentifikasi INF/Autorun sebagai salah satu dari serangkaian didalam keluarga besar malware.

Sumber: Majalah CHIPS online

Firefox 4 Beta 9 Kian Ciamik

2011-01-17T11:04:00.001+07:00

Sumber: detikinet.com; Senin, 17/01/2011 08:33 WIB
Fajar Widiantoro - detikinet

Jakarta - Mozilla tak lama lagi akan merilis Firefox 4. Namun sebelum versi finalnya hadir, Mozilla mempersilakan pengguna menjajal browser terbarunya ini lewat versi beta. Melalui versi trial ini, Mozilla mulai memperkenalkan tampilan serta berbagai fitur baru yang nanti akan hadir di Firefox 4.

Seperti dikutip detikINET dari digitaltrends, Senin (17/1/2011), Firefox 4 Beta 9 hadir dengan waktu start yang lebih cepat, termasuk bookmark baru yang ada di dalamnya.

Versi ini lebih dibuat agar pengguna menemukan kebutuhan browsing mereka, melalui fitur-fitur terkini pada browser Mozilla itu. Dijelaskan dalam keterangannya, fitur Firefox Sync nanti bakal diinteregrasikan langsung dalam browser. Alhasil pengguna bakal mampu mengakses data terakhir, history, bookmark, tab, serta password lintas PC atau smartphone.

Bagi pengembang dan web desainer, Firefox 4 beta 9 bakal mendukung HTML5, WebM, HD video, 3D graphic rendering dengan WebGL, hardware acceleration, serta API Mozilla Audio untuk membuat konten web yang lebih baik.
(fw/rou)

Download di sini: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/beta/

Setelah Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy S Mini Muncul

2011-01-17T10:48:00.001+07:00

Sumber: detikinet.com; Senin, 17 Januari 2011
Fajar Widiantoro - detikinet

Jakarta - Samsung Galaxy S sukses menjadi smartphone Android terpopuler. Tak salah jika Samsung tengah menyiapkan generasi penerusnya, yang konon bakal diperkenalkan pada ajang Mobile World Conggress (MWC) di bulan Februari.

Nah, setelah berita kemunculan Samsung Galaxy S2 beberapa waktu lalu muncul, kini foto-foto bocornya versi Samsung Galaxy yang lebih kecil pun bocor. Konon namanya adalah Galaxy S Mini.

Jika Galaxy S2 konon dibekali prosesor dual core dan Android Gingerbread 2.3, lain halnya dengan Galaxy S Mini. Ponsel tersebut rumornya masih menggunakan Android 2.2.

Berdasar bocoran yang didapat detikINET dari SamFirmware, Senin (17/1/2011), generasi lanjutan Galaxy S itu sekilas tampak seperti iPhone 4. Dengan layar 3,5 inch kabarnya ponsel ini bakal dibekali layar Super AMOLED beresolusi 320x480 pixel.

Di balik ponsel pun terbenam kamera sebesar 5 megapixel, dengan prosesor Qualcomm MSM7227. Berikut adalah beberapa fitur Galaxy S Mini:

Bleutooth.
Wifi.
3.5 plug-inn.
Micro SD.
Micro USB.
5 Camera with Led flash.
Max Camera resolution: 2560x1920.
Max Camrecorder resolutuion: 1280x720.

(fw/ash)

Dell Streak 7, Tablet 4G Andalan Dell

2011-01-17T10:44:00.002+07:00

Sumber: detikinet.com, Senin 17 Januari 2011
Fajar Widiantoro - detikinet

Jakarta - Dell telah merilis generasi lanjutan dari tablet PC besutannya. Hadir dalam format 7 inch, tablet dengan nama Dell Streak 7 inch ini pun diklaim sebagai tablet 4G pertama.

Seperti dikutip detikINET dari mydigitallife, Senin (17/1/2011), tablet yang menggunakan sistim operasi Android Froyo 2.2 tersebut baru saja dibundel oleh operator T-Mobile di Amerika Serikat.

"Dell Streak 7 akan menjadi perangkat yang tepat untuk keluarga, pelajar, serta pekerja profesional, untuk saling berbagi dan tetap terhubung," ujar Steve Felice, president for Dell’s Consumer, Small and Medium Business unit.

Tablet 4G Dell Streak 7 memiliki dimensi 7.87 x 4.72 x 0.49 inch. Sayangnya baik Dell maupun T-Mobile belum mau mengumumkan berapa harga bundling yang akan dibanderol untuk produk ini saat hadir di pasaran nanti.

Berikut adalah spesifikasi utama Dell Streak 7:

Prosesor dual-core 1Ghz NVIDIA Tegra 2
Tampilan 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixels), multitouch dengan teknologi Gorilla Glass
Kamera 5 megapixel dan 1,3 megapixel
User interface menarik
Kompatibel dengan Adobe Flash
Memori internal 16 GB
(rou/rou)

Inikah Penampakan BlackBerry Storm 3?

2011-01-17T10:40:00.002+07:00

Sumber: detikINET.com; Senin, 17 Januari 2011

Jakarta - Rumor kehadiran BlackBerry Storm 3 sempat pudar. Namun dengan beredarnya foto-foto ini, spekulasi tentang ponsel yang kabarnya disiapkan untuk menjegal iPhone 4 ini bakal kembali mencuat.

Foto-foto yang diyakini penampakan dari Storm 3 ini dikutip detikINET dari Boys Genius Report (BGR), Senin (17/1/2011). Seperti ditulis situs itu, kemunculan Storm generasi ketiga ini hadir untuk menghadang popularitas iPhone 4. Seperti diketahui, produk mutakhir Apple itu dilengkapi teknologi 'retina display' yang nyaman di mata.

Rumornya, Storm 3 bakal dilengkapi resolusi cukup besar yakni 800×480 pixels. Research In Motion (RIM) nampaknya ingin mendekati teritorial retina display iPhone. Kini yang menjadi pertanyaan, apakah Storm 3 mampu jadi lawan sepadan iPhone 4?

Dari sisi prosesor, Storm 3 kabarnya memiliki kecepatan 1,2 Ghz. Konon, RIM membenamkan chip dual-core, yang memang bakal membahana di 2011 ini. Berikut adalah spesifikasi dari BlackBerry Storm 3 versi BGR:

- Prosesor 1.2GHz
- Layar sentuh kapasitif 3.7-inch 800 x 480
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
- Tri-band UMTS/HSPA
- Kamera 5-megapixel
- 8GB eMMC (storage for apps and data), RAM 512MB
- microSD slot
- Magnetometer
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- 2.4GHz b/g/n and 5GHz a/n Wi-Fi + UMA
- 3G Mobile hotspot
- Optical trackpad
- 1230 mAh battery
- BlackBerry OS 6.1
- OpenGL ES 2.0

(fw/rou)

Kalau Bosan ke Eropa, ke Rusia Saja

2011-01-17T10:33:00.002+07:00

Kompas.com Senin, 17 Januari 2011 | 07:50 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Jika Anda merasa mengurus visa dan persyaratan lainnya untuk pelesir ke benua Eropa sangatlah merepotkan, cobalah bertandang ke Rusia. Anda memang memerlukan undangan sebagai syarat mendapat visa. Namun, Anda bisa mendapatkannya dari hotel atau hostel yang akan Anda inapi.

"Selama ada undangan dari hotel atau hostel pasti lolos." -- Aji Surya

"Selama ada undangan dari hotel atau hostel pasti lolos," kata Aji Surya saat peluncuran buku Panduan Hemat Keliling Rusia di MP Book Store, Jakarta, akhir pekan lalu.

Buku tersebut merupakan hasil pengalamannya menjelajah Rusia bersama istrinya, Eva Surya. Aji Surya adalah seorang diplomat Indonesia yang bertugas di KBRI Moskwa.

"Cara dapat undangannya really simple. Cari dulu hotel atau hostel yang diinginkan bisa dengan search di internet. Lalu booking dan tinggal bayar, undangannya nanti dikirim lewat e-mail," lanjutnya.

Ia menambahkan, tidak seperti ke negara Barat lain pada umumnya, untuk ke Rusia pelancong tak perlu deposit terlebih dahulu.

Menurut Aji, Rusia merupakan negara cantik yang cocok untuk berwisata sejarah ataupun menikmati keindahan arsitekturnya. Aroma komunis hingga saat ini masih kental terasa. Beberapa barang seperti topi komunis pun bisa Anda temukan di pasar loak Rusia dengan harga murah. Salah satu tempat untuk berburu adalah pasar seni bernama Ismailova. Anda juga bisa membeli boneka khas Rusia matrioshka di sana.

Ada berbagai tempat wisata yang bisa dikunjungi di Moskwa. Lapangan Merah Kremlin, Gereja St Basil, Leninsky Gory, serta banyak taman cantik yang menyimpan sejarah dan cerita di setiap taman. Di Moskwa juga terdapat kereta bawah tanah terdalam dan tercantik di dunia. Stasiun Metro terletak di kedalaman 40 meter dan bukan sekadar stasiun bawah tanah biasa.

Menurut Aji, stasiun tersebut sangat cantik dan penuh sejarah komunis. Banyak ornamen dan patung yang dibuat saat masa kejayaan komunis, bahkan simbol komunis palu dan arit dapat ditemukan dengan mudah.

"Saya sudah berkeliling ke berbagai negara di dunia, menurut saya Moskwa Metro ini the most beautiful underground museum," ungkapnya.

Sementara itu, kota terbesar kedua di Rusia yaitu St Petersburg menawarkan pemandangan lanskap nan elok. Aji merekomendasikan untuk berkunjung ke museum bekas kerajaan bernama Museum Hermitage.

"Museum ini sangat lengkap dan bersaing dengan Musee de Louvre di Perancis," katanya.

Dalam bukunya, Aji memberikan tips melancong ke Rusia dengan bujet terbatas.

Dalam acara peluncuran buku tersebut, hadir pula Felix yang pernah kuliah di Rusia. Ia menuturkan hal senada dengan yang ditulis Aji. Di Rusia ada beberapa penginapan murah yang bisa ditemukan. Bahkan ada yang harganya hanya Rp 180.000 per malam. Untuk biaya makan, kocek Rp 50.000 sudah cukup untuk tiga kali makan sehari.

Yuku Moko, seorang pekerja seni yang pernah bertandang ke Rusia untuk misi kebudayaan juga tampak hadir dalam peluncuran buku untuk menceritakan pengalamannya saat berada di Rusia. Ia menceritakan kegemaran orang Rusia pada minuman keras sehingga tingkat kecelakaan di sana tinggi. Belum lagi, karena kehidupan sosial yang berubah setelah hilangnya komunis, mobil-mobil mewah berseliweren di jalanan menjadi pemandangan biasa.

Aji menyarankan, bulan yang baik untuk bertandang adalah musim panas pada Juni, Juli, dan Agustus. Puncak musim panas biasanya Agustus dengan suhu bisa mencapai 30 derajat celsius. Sementara di bulan Juni dan Juli suhunya 10-15 derajat celsius.

"Tapi ada juga yang mikir ke Rusia pas musim dingin dong, jadi bulan Januari dan Februari yang cocok untuk musim dingin," tambahnya.

Inikah Teknologi di Samsung Galaxy S2?

2011-01-12T10:51:00.005+07:00

Sumber: detikinet.com; Rabu 12 Januari 2011
Fino Yurio Kristo - detikinet

Jakarta - Samsung Galaxy S sukses menjadi smartphone Android terpopuler. Tak salah jika Samsung tengah menyiapkan generasi penerusnya, yang konon bakal diperkenalkan pada ajang Mobile World Conggress (MWC) di bulan Februari.

Pabrikan asal Korea Selatan ini memang punya target ambisius di tahun 2011, dengan proyeksi 60 juta unit smartphone terjual. Kemungkinan, Galaxy S2 atau apapun namanya nanti akan jadi salah satu jagoan mereka dalam memikat pembeli.

Seperti apa kira-kira teknologi barunya? Dari berbagai kabar yang sudah liar beredar di dunia maya dan detikINET kutip dari UnwiredView, Rabu (12/1/2011), Galaxy S2 konon punya prosesor dual core. Sementara sistem operasinya sudah Android Gingerbread alias versi 2.3.

Selain itu, layar Super Amoled Plus yang merupakan generasi baru dari Super Amoled diproyeksikan hadir pula di Galaxy S. Masuk akal karena teknologi tersebut saat ini sudah ada di handset Samsung Infuse 4G yang bakal dipasarkan di Amerika Serikat.

Meniru Google Nexus S, Galaxy S2 diperkirakan memiliki support Near Field Communication (NFC), sebuah fitur di mana handset bisa dipakai untuk transaksi pembayaran. Namun tetap perlu dicatat semua itu masih berupa rumor yang masih perlu pembuktian di ajang MWC nanti. (fyk/rns)

Bersepeda bikin orang Belanda bahagia - atau karena uang?

2011-01-11T16:31:00.006+07:00

Oleh: RNW News Desk, 16 Desember 2010 (photo: flickr/Cyclemania)

Koran AD - Belanda edisi 16 Desember melaporkan bahwa orang Belanda merupakan 'orang terbahagia sedunia", seperti terungkap dalam nilai survey tentang merasa-baik secara internasional. Rahasianya kemungkinan terletak dari kebiasaan mereka bersepeda. Lekker fietsen, kata mereka.

Menurut penelitian, bersepeda membuat anda merasa merdeka dan bebas, dan juga menyenangkan dan murah. Para pesepeda merasakan stres yang lebih sedikit daripada, pengendara motor atau pemakai kendaraan umum, misalnya. Koran itu juga memuat manfaat kesehatan bila bersepeda.

Informasi yang dikutip oleh koran tersebut berasal dari hasil survey biro LRKC yang menyebutkan orang Belanda melakukan perjalanan sejauh hampir 200 miliar kilometer per tahun. Walaupun bersepeda berakibat stress lebih sedikit dibanding alat transportasi lain, 80 persen yang diwawancara tetap memilih bermobil karena kecepatan dan kenyamanannya. Meskipun perjalanan kereta bisa melakukan berbagai hal, hasil survey menyebutkan perjalanan kereta api dianggap sebagai alat transportasi paling membuat stres.

Pendapatan lebih tinggi

Namun, harian nrc.next Belanda mungkin menggambarkan kunci lebih tepat mengenai kebahagiaan orang Belanda. Orang-orang di Belanda, di atas rata-rata orang terkaya di Uni Eropa. Rata-rata pendapatan orang Belanda 20-30 persen lebih tinggi daripada warga negara Eropa lainnya.

Laporan layanan statistik Eurostat memperlihatkan hanya penduduk Luxembourg yang menikmati pendapatan rata-rata lebih tinggi. Tetapi, menurut koran tersebut, Luxemburg bukan perbandingan yang tepat karena begitu tingginya sektor finansial dan penduduknya yang hanya setengah juta orang.

What was hot at this year's Vegas gadget show

2011-01-11T15:53:00.001+07:00

By RACHEL METZ and PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writers – Sun Jan 9, 11:46 pm ET

LAS VEGAS – Gadgets revealed at the annual International ConsumerElectronics Show in Las Vegas flop more often than they pop. This year's show, however, delivered many products that are bound to make a difference for years to come.

Microsoft provided a sneak peek at a radical new version of Windows, Verizon showed the first consumer gadgets for a wireless network that's faster in many cases than wired broadband, and many manufacturers showed tablet computers with the potential to give Apple's iPad a run for its money.

The show itself, the largest trade show in the Americas, was back in high form, after two lean years. A pre-show estimate put attendance at more than 126,000 people, and the crowds pointed to attendance well above that, but perhaps not as many as the 141,150 people that showed up in 2008.

Here are the can't miss developments from the show, which ended Sunday:

_Tablets.

Touch-screen tablet computers crowded the show, as brand names large and small showed off a slew of devices meant to compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad.

From a hardware standpoint, companies touted features that the iPad doesn't yet have, such as front- and rear-facing cameras for video chatting and taking high-definition videos and the ability to operate over wireless carriers' new and forthcoming high-speed networks, together known as 4G.

As for software, the upcoming Honeycomb version of Google Inc.'s Android software seemed a popular choice. Many of the tablets unveiled — such as the Xoom from Motorola Mobility Inc. — will run Honeycomb, which is more geared toward tablets than current versions of Android, which has its roots in smart phones and their smaller screens.

Some tablets shown will run the Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 PC software, though. And the business-focused 4G PlayBook, which comes from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Inc., runs RIM's own software.

• Verizon's first consumer 4G devices.

Verizon Wireless lit up its 4G network in December, with limited coverage but unsurpassed data speeds. The network uses fresh, uncrowded spectrum and is designed from the ground up to carry data, resulting in connections that in many cases beat the speed of DSL lines and cable modems. (In the long run, with more people on the network, Verizon expects download speeds to average 5 to 12 megabits per second, comparable to non-premium cable modems.)

[Related: Hot gadgets to look for in 2011]

For now, only plug-in laptop modems can take advantage of it, but at the show, Verizon showed off smart phones from Motorola, LG Electronics Inc., HTC Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. set to arrive in the first half of year, along with two tablets.

However, Verizon promptly stole its own thunder by inviting journalists to a second press conference on Tuesday in New York, less than a week after its big reveal in Las Vegas. It's widely believed that Verizon will announce that it will start selling Apple Inc.'s iPhone, now available in the U.S. exclusively through rival AT&T Inc. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that this is the case.

AT&T is building its own 4G network, and plans to have it up and running this summer. In the meantime, it indicated at the show that it's starting to call its 3G network "4G."

• Windows running on cell phone chips.

The computers looked half-finished, with exposed components, and ran what looked like plain vanilla Windows 7. Under the hood, though, these computers had components that signal a seismic shift for Microsoft and the PC industry.

Instead of running on processors from Intel Corp. or Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the mainstays of Windows PCs for three decades, these computers were running on cell-phone-style chips based on designs from ARM Holdings PLC. That could mean laptops and tablets with longer battery lives, and give Windows a better chance of gaining a foothold in the emerging world of tablet computers.

Apple Inc.'s hit iPad tablet runs on an ARM-based chip, which is part of the reason it can last 10 hours on one charge. Microsoft didn't say when an ARM-based version of Windows might be available, but indicated that it's at least a year away.

• Intel and AMD strike back.

Intel and AMD, whose processors are the "brains" of PCs, unveiled new chips with significant design changes, in part to help them hold off threats from tablets and smart phones. The idea is to make traditional, low-cost computers using their chips more competitive with the mobile devices.

The new designs promise to make computers better at doing graphics-intensive tasks and playing video. Intel and AMD are doing this by putting graphics capabilities, historically handled by a separate chip, on the same silicon as the computer's main, general-purpose processor. That means data move more quickly.

An added benefit is longer battery life, an important quality if these chips are to be competitive with those used in tablets. With the functions on the same chip, the power the parts need to talk to each other is reduced.

• 3-D TVs with cinema glasses.

Last year's big new thing in TVs, 3-D, didn't catch on as manufacturers had hoped. One problem might be the bulky, expensive, battery-powered glasses the sets need. This year, LG Electronics Inc. is trying a different take on 3-D, with light, inexpensive glasses of the kind used in movie theaters.

Vizio Inc. already sells one such set, and Samsung Electronics Co. said it was working on similar technology. In LG's and Vizio's version of the technology, the screen resolution is halved, but not everyone will notice. The flickering effect sometimes produced by the battery-powered glasses is missing, and the lighter glasses also don't darken the image as much.

• Free TV on the go.

TV broadcasters are adding signals to their towers that are designed to be picked up by portable gadgets such as small TVs, laptops and cell phones.

It's unclear how interested the public will be in this technology. An earlier attempt at broadcasting subscription-based TV signals to gadgets failed for lack of interest. But gadget makers including Audivox and LG are forging ahead, providing consumers with an array of "Mobile DTV" gadgets this year. They range from portable TV sets to plug-in antennas for the iPad.

A big obstacle for the technology is that cell phone carriers aren't interested in selling phones with Mobile DTV receivers.

• High-speed color printing.

It's not often that a new printing technology comes along. After all, both inkjet and laser printing have been with us for decades. Now, a startup called Memjet promises a significant twist on inkjet printing. The technology allows a desktop printer to spit out one page per second in color, at low cost.

Instead of having a print head that moves back and forth across the page, it has a head that's stationary and spans the whole page. The printer should be on the U.S. market this year through an undisclosed partner, priced around $600.

Makanan Pelawan Kerontokan Rambut

2011-01-08T12:06:00.001+07:00

Sabtu, 8/1/2011 | 11:37 WIB

KOMPAS.com - Rambut menipis adalah hal yang menyeramkan bagi perempuan. Tak hanya perlu perawatan luar, asupan juga penting dijaga. Jika Anda mulai melihat rambut-rambut rontok menumpuk di lantai, bantal, lubang air di kamar mandi, maka sudah sebaiknya Anda mulai mencoba mengasup makanan yang menguatkan serta menjaga kulit kepala Anda. Berikut adalah di antaranya:

Ikan, telur, dan kacang-kacangan
Kandungan terutama rambut adalah protein, karena itu, mencoba mengkonsumsi protein akan membantu bagi kesehatan rambut. Tetapi, bukan berarti Anda bisa makan makanan berprotein tinggi sesukanya tanpa melihat kandungan lainnya. Steak, misalnya, kaya akan protein, tetapi juga tinggi lemak. Lemak yang tinggi akan menambah level testosteron, hal ini dipercaya bisa menyebabkan rambut rontok. Jadi, steak adalah makanan yang sebaiknya dihindari agar rambut tidak tambah rontok parah. Pilihlah makanan berprotein yang cukup, seperti ikan-ikanan (yang juga memiliki kandungan lain yang baik untuk tubuh), ayam, hati sapi muda, keju rendah lemak, telur, kacang almon, biji-bijian, dan yoghurt. Susu kedelai dan tahu juga adalah tambahan makanan yang baik untuk ditambahkan, karena kaya akan protein, serta rendah lemak jahat.

Kismis
Zat besi memerankan peran penting dalam memproduksi hemoglobin, bagian dari darah yang membawa oksigen ke seluruh bagian organ tubuh dan jaringan. Saat hemoglobin berada dalam level sehat, oksigen disebarkan dengan baik. Ini berarti, kulit kepala Anda mendapatkan aliran darah yang sehat, dan akan menstimulasi serta membangun rambut sehat. Menambahkan zat besi dalam makanan bukan berarti Anda harus makan hati setiap hari, Anda bisa menambahkan makanan manis, seperti kismis dan jus ceri yang kaya zat besi.

Telur, kurma, kismis, sayuran berdaun hijau tua, dan sereal gandum utuh juga kaya akan zat besi. Vitamin C membantu penyerapan zat besi, yang bisa didapatkan dari jeruk, stroberi, dan lemon.

Tauge
Tubuh kita menggunakan zat bernama silika (bukan silica gel untuk penyerap lembap dalam tas), untuk menyerap vitamin dan mineral. Jika tubuh kekurangan silika, asupan vitamin yang Anda masukkan setiap hari tidak akan berguna. Silika bisa didapat dari tauge, kulit ketimun, paprika merah dan hijau, serta kentang.

NAD

Editor: Nadia Felicia

Sumber: FOXNews

Abu Dhabi memasang pohon Natal termahal di dunia

2011-01-07T13:56:00.002+07:00

Negara-negara kaya dari Timur Tengah memang senang sekali bertingkah polah aneh, berkaitan dengan 'kebingungan' mereka untuk menghabiskan uangnya.

Selain membeli dan membuang-buang uang di liga-liga sepak bola Eropa serta membuat gedung-gedung proyek mercusuar, kabar baru ini adalah salah satunya.

Sebuah hotel di Abu Dhabi telah membuat sebuah pohon Natal berukuran raksasa senilai lebih dari $11 juta (sekitar Rp110 milyar). Pohon Natal ini diklaim sebagai yang termahal di dunia.

Walaupun dikenal sebagai negara berpenduduk muslim, tetapi hotel Emirates Palace telah memasang pohon cemara buatan setinggi 13 meter di lobi hotel mereka.

Pohon ini dihiasi dengan busur perak dan emas, ornamen berbentuk bola dan lampu putih kecil. Namun, nilai tertinggi dari pohon itu adalah karena berbagai kalung, anting-anting dan perhiasan lainnya tersampir di cabang-cabangnya.

Khalifa Khouri, pemilik Galeri Style, yang menyediakan perhiasan itu, mengatakan bahwa pohon itu mengandung 181 berlian, mutiara, zamrud, safir dan batu berharga lainnya.

"Pohonnya sendiri sekitar $ 10.000," kata Hans Olbertz, general manager dari Emirates Palace, dalam komentar yang dikutip oleh AFP. "Perhiasannya bernilai lebih dari $ 11 juta -. Saya pikir $11.4 juta, $ 11,5 juta"

Pohon natal ini memang ditujukan supaya tercatat di Guinness Book of world records.

Setali dengan pohon natal tersebut, bulan Maret tahun lalu, hotel yang mengklaim sebagai hotel 'bintang tujuh' ini meluncurkan mesin penjual emas pertama di dunia.

Mesin 'Gold To Go' ini, yang dibalut emas 24 karat, menyediakan emas batangan 1, 5 dan 10 gram serta koin emas. Mesin ini juga menyediakan enam jenis koin emas berbobot bervariasi dan diukir dengan simbol negara-negara penghasil emas Kanada, Australia dan Afrika Selatan.

Bayangkan pada hari pertama dijalankannya, warga kaya raya itu antri dan menghabiskan stok emasnya dan harus diisi lagi pada hari berikutnya.

(Sumber: ArabianBussiness.com; YabbaDabbaDubai.com)

Challenges for Indonesia as ASEAN chair

2011-01-06T15:44:00.002+07:00

Source: The Jakarta Post

By: Bambang Hartadi Nugroho, Jakarta | Thu, 01/06/2011 10:14 AM | Opinion

A portentous opportunity for the nation to bolster its diplomatic achievements and standing in Southeast Asia has emerged as Indonesia readies itself to take over ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2011.

In 1976, when Indonesia chaired ASEAN, member states produced the Bali Concord I, which was based on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). It laid out the rules of the game for ASEAN and also for other powers that wanted to engage in any form of cooperation with ASEAN.

The recent signing and ratification of this treaty by Japan, China, and the United States further emphasized its importance to ASEAN as well as to the three nations.

Similarly, in 2003, ASEAN produced the Bali Concord II, which initiated the ASEAN Economic Community. Therefore, it is understandable if we expect another breakthrough from Indonesia this time around, probably in the form of a third Bali Concord.

The government of Indonesia under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems enthusiastic and prepared to play a huge role, at least from what we can see on the surface.

If we examine the slogan that Indonesia chose for its chairmanship, ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations”, it can be inferred that Indonesia’s leadership over the next 12 months will be more outward-looking.

In the words of government officials, Indonesia will focus on carving a bigger role for ASEAN in international society, using the nation’s advantages as the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation and the only Southeast Asian nation in the G20.

Nevertheless, when we talk about regional cooperation, especially in the form of an organization, we will always face the question of “deepening” versus “widening”.

Deepening means the organization will focus more on internal improvements, such as strengthening its dispute settlement mechanism. Widening usually refers to enlarging membership, organizational roles
or issues covered. These options are not necessarily contradictory, yet priorities have to be set.

For ASEAN, executing both deepening and widening strategies will be very hard, considering the short period of the chairmanship. This means that Indonesia must choose which option to focus on. For those who believe that ASEAN still needs many organizational improvements, then, it will be considerably naïve for ASEAN to widen its role and seek influence externally while not devoting attention and energy to internal development.

If Indonesia focuses on deepening, it will find many unresolved challenges that need to be taken care of very seriously.

To begin with, Indonesia will be faced with the jargon of “people-centered association”, which needs to be translated into real action. Arranging events in which the ASEAN public will be involved is insufficient. Instead, within the aforementioned expression lies a mandate for any form of cooperation made within the framework of ASEAN to done for the benefit of the people.

ASEAN is often criticized for being too elitist. Such criticism is not entirely wrong, because people might feel that the cooperation or negotiations that have been happened inside ASEAN have not necessarily brought advantages to them.

For Indonesia, one immediate regional and national interest should be the protection of migrant workers.

As one of the largest sources of migrant workers, protection and promotion of their rights is Indonesia’s vital interest and needs to be one of the focuses of Indonesian foreign policy in ASEAN. This is also in line with voices from domestic constituents, who have urged the Indonesian government to step up efforts to protect its citizens abroad, including migrant workers.

The Declaration on the Protection and the Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers made in Cebu in 2007 is a good start, yet it needs to be closely monitored in execution.

If we look at the implementation of an ASEAN single market, which also includes the free flow of workers, then this issue will not only be the interest of Indonesia, but also of most of ASEAN’s member states. Therefore, as the incoming chair of ASEAN, Indonesia should promote this as one of the most important items on the agenda during its tenure.

Another goal that Indonesia needs to achieve is promotion of democracy and human rights. It is understood that some ASEAN states are, as some say, “in the process of transitioning towards democracy”. Those countries, which are relatively young in terms of ASEAN membership, are looking at other members for examples as to how democracy and human rights can be practiced.

Indonesia is a reference for those young members. Indonesia as one of the founding fathers and the incoming chair of ASEAN must be able to set a good example as to how to practice democracy and how to enforce human rights.

By the end of its tenure as ASEAN chair, Indonesia must be able to report not only to its citizens, but also to all citizens of ASEAN that it has done its best to convert ASEAN’s slogan of a “people-centered association” into people-centered policies.

The time for rhetoric in ASEAN is over. It is time for real action to benefit of the people. Hopefully Indonesia will be able to maximize its role as the chair of ASEAN in 2011.

The writer is an assistant lecturer in International Relations at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java.

Christmas, Muslims and the Paganisation of Christianity

2010-12-01T10:42:00.003+07:00

Source: Islam21c.com, Dec 23, 2010
By Muhammad Nizami

Ignorantly they have assumed that Christmas is typically associated with nationalism rather than theology, and in their fervent desire to assimilate into a British identity...

As Muslims who live in the West, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture of capitalism which utilizes anything in its means to further its spread and acceptance. Amid this culture is the widespread acceptance of the 25th of December being the birthday of Jesus Christ. However, as Pastors and Priests of the Christian faith have accepted over the years, this is an erroneous claim. Nevertheless they have continued to re-enact the nativity in their churches and narrate stories surrounding it which clearly demonstrates both their lack of desire for the truth and the way in which they easily accept falsehood and implement it into their religion.

Additionally, there is a phenomenon among a number of Muslims to partake in the Christmas festivities where they erect Christmas trees and exchange gifts. Ignorantly they have assumed that Christmas is typically associated with nationalism rather than theology, and in their fervent desire to assimilate into a British identity they feel obliged to get involved. However, as this article aims to demonstrate, Christmas is deeply theological and additionally, based in pagan and not Christian beliefs.

Christmas, also known as Christ's Mass, is arguably the most popular celebration that takes place in the West. It is an annual holiday which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December. Generally, festivities are combined with both secular and pagan customs and begin on the 24th of December until after Boxing Day (26th of December). For a long time people have assumed that Christmas Day is the actual day of the birth of Jesus Christ, however, there is much proof to the contrary which is found in the bible and the books of history.

A close reading of the New Testament provides no specific date for the birth of Jesus. Additionally, only two gospels of the four actually narrate the nativity story although both apparently contradict each other. The Gospel of Luke describes how the archangel Gabriel came to Mary to inform her of a son to be born to her. She responded that she was a virgin to which the angel then stated 'nothing will be impossible with God' to which she replied 'here I am the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according with the Lord's word.'¹ Whilst pregnant, Mary and her husband traveled to Bethlehem to register for a national census. Having found no room at an inn, they lodged in the barn. Meanwhile an angel appeared to some shepherds nearby and informed them of Jesus' birth whilst at that moment a 'heavenly host' appeared to them and said 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'²Based on the accounts in Luke of the shepherds' activities, the time of year depicted for Jesus' birth could possibly be either spring or summer thus contradicting the notion that Christ was born in winter. The Gospel of Matthew narrates a different version of events, and relates that the 'good news' was told to Joseph (and not Mary) in a dream, after which he fled with his family to Egypt seeking safety from Herod. Matthew also included the story of the foreign magi (three wise men) although Luke mentions shepherds who are guarding their flock nearby. These contradictions are clearly apparent and have clearly confused most Christians as there is no clear narration detailing Christ's birth, to the extent that most Christians are ignorant of the fact that Jesus is narrated as having traveled to Egypt in the early part of his life. Although there is a possibility of reconciling the two narrations by means of combining the two stories, it seems extremely questionable that Luke fails to mention the Maji, and Matthew the 'heavenly host.' Thus we see many nativity plays which differ from one another where Christians randomly pick and choose events which they believe will increase the entertaining value of the play.

In re-analysing story in the narration of Matthew, it is noticeable that pagan acts manage to sneak into the story. We are told of the magi from the East who come to worship Jesus. Most historians consider the Magis Midian Zoroastrian priests who were experts in astronomy. Some Muslim commentators have argued that 'worship' here meant sajdah al ta'dheem (prostration out of respect) which is likely if the story is true as Persians were known to prostrate in front of their kings out of respect. However, the narration of Luke completely disregards the Magi - and it seems probable due to the fact that Luke's version is more consistent with Christian theology. Additionally he narrates the verse 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests'³ which refutes many Christian beliefs as it implies three things:

that God is not the baby Jesus which is born to Mary based on the fact that God is "in the highest heaven" and Jesus is a baby on Earth;
that Jesus is a man of those 'on whom His favor rests';
God is in/above the heavens and not everywhere as most Christians and pantheists claim.

Even though there are many major discrepancies in the nativity story, a brief look at Christianity proves that the early Christians disregarded the birthday of Jesus as is evident through the fact that Iraneus and Tertullian⁴ did not list Christmas as a Christian festival and omitted it from their list of feasts.⁵ There is additional proof which states that Christians held birthdays as sinful. Origen⁶ states, 'of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below.'⁷ Thus theologically, celebrations surrounding birthdays were not only non-existent in early Christianity, but also quite deviant.

This then begs the question, when and where did Christmas come about? We find in most records that Christmas began to be practiced as a festival as early as the 4th century by Roman Christians and gained significant prominence when Charlemagne⁸ was crowned in the year 800 AD on the 25th of December. Originally, the pagans celebrated a number of festivals during the winter solstice such as Saturnalia, Sol Invinctus and Yule. All of these had a profound contribution in forming Christmas during the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.

Saturnalia was the festival that the pagan Romans celebrated in order to commemorate the temple of Saturn. On this day, just as Christmas day, public festivities would ensue which involved sacrifices and the making and giving of small presents, saturnalia et sigillaricia. Additionally, there was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules.⁹ During Saturnalia, business was postponed and even slaves feasted. There was drinking, gambling, singing, and even public nudity. It was the 'best of days' according to the poet Catullus¹⁰, a time to 'eat, drink, and be merry'. Pagans decorated their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs and decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus. It is noted that Tertullian complained that too many Christians were imitating paganistic practice of adorning their houses with lamps and wreathes of laurel during the winter solstice. In addition, the Talmud and Mishna¹¹ relate accounts of a pagan festival called Saturnura which has claimed its origins to Adam, the first man, who noticed that the days were getting shorter and assumed that it was punishment for his sin. Afraid that the world was returning to the chaos and emptiness that existed before creation, he fasted for eight days out of repentance. Once he realised that this was the natural cycle of the world, he celebrated for eight days, a tradition which later turned into a pagan festival.¹²

Another pagan festival which has heavily influenced Christmas is Sol Invinctus which was celebrated by Romans in veneration of solar deities such as Elah Gabal (also known as Baal), Sol and Mithras. Followers of the god's would gather together on the 25^th of December and celebrate Dies Natalis Solis Invicti or 'the birthday of the unconquered sun', the object of veneration. They considered the sun 'unconquered' due to the fact that it 'survives' the reduced daylight hours during the winter solstice. This festival most closely resembles Christmas given that it is on the same day to the extent that a Syriac Bishop wrote, 'It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25th December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day.'¹³ As is evident, the Church chose the 25th of December as a religious celebration in order to sanctify the fact that Christians were celebrating an openly pagan festival. To that extent the Catholic Encyclopedia states, 'The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25th December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date.'¹⁴

Most traditions which have passed on to Christians in the UK are derived from Yule which is celebrated in Scandinavia and used interchangeably with Christmas. Although it became a Christian festival during the process of Christianisation, it was deeply pagan and many traditions were carried over into Christianity, especially the way in which Christmas is practiced in the UK and consequently the United States. When the Germanic peoples began to convert, missionaries found it convenient to provide a Christian reinterpretation of popular pagan holidays such as Yule and allowed the pagan celebrations themselves to go on largely unchanged - examples being that of decorating Christmas trees, eating roasted Pig, and hanging mistletoe and holly. These practices have no basis in Christian texts, and some are actually condemned.

For example, as is common during Christmas, many people including Muslims erect Christmas trees in their homes adorning them with decorations such as tinsel, fairy lights and baubles. Underneath the tree there are usually a pile of presents which are opened on Christmas day. However, all of these practices originate from paganism. Erecting trees and adorning them for celebrations originated from pre-Christianity, to the extent that Jeremiah states in the Old Testament, 'For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold;,they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.'¹⁵ Additionally, the actual Christmas trees used in Britain stem from Norse paganism (and their celebrations during Yule), while decorations such as baubles represent the sun synonymous with the festival of Sol Invinctus. A practice which resembles Saturnalia is kissing under the mistletoe, and although fornication is explicitly forbidden in Christianity, many people have adopted this pagan practice of kissing strangers using mistletoe as an excuse to satisfy sexual desires - it was first practiced in Britain during solstitial rites among the pagan Druids.

Another major myth and tradition surrounding Christmas is that of Santa Claus. The name is actually a mispronunciation of the Dutch name Sinterklass (from St Nicholas). It is widely held that Santa Claus is a representation of Saint Nicholas and stories surrounding his charitable life. In Germanic and Norse mythology a figure by the name of Odin who was considered a major pagan god who would be 'seen' hunting in the sky during Yule. According to Siefker, children would place their boots, filled with carrot, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or sweets.¹⁶ The physical appearance of Odin resembles that of Santa Claus like the beard, hat and staff, and the cloth bag held by the servants to capture naughty children. Although widespread images of Santa Claus are based upon American (and usually capitalist) representations, the notion of a fat bearded flying man come from entrenched pagan beliefs.

Even though most of the West has immersed itself into the Christmas culture without questioning its origins or pagan connotations, the paganisation of the Christian faith has not gone unnoticed by all, rather we see in the past that Christmas was rejected by many Protestant groups during the 16th century, and in addition, Puritans of 17th century England and America banned the festival of Christmas as pagan. Oliver Cromwell also banned Christmas after the English Civil War due to the belief that it was a pagan belief which encouraged sin and immorality interpolated into the Christian faith. Christians suchas Jehovah Witnesses continue to hold beliefs similar to the Puritans and reject the notion of Christmas altogether.

We also find that the process of secularization has caused Christmas in the past few years to lose all remnants of the Christian faith and has made it a secular holiday with paganistic practices. Capitalist ideals have utilized the festival to make even more money from theologically-ignorant shoppers, causing them to drown in debt. As Muslims we must refrain from becoming involved in such practices whether it is in the name of nationalism or integration. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated: 'whoever imitates a people is one of them'¹⁷ and Abdullah Ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Whoever lives in the land of the polytheists and celebrates their Nawrooz (New Year) and their festivals imitating until he dies, he will be a loser on the Day of Resurrection." This is not to say that Muslims should not shop during this period but there are some that are affected by the culture of capitalism and squander during the Christmas period. It is not an innocent festival based on regional customs, but an ideological celebration based on the theological beliefs of Christians and pagans, and used by capitalists to exploit unaware citizens.

Allah the Most High states,

And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass it by with dignity.¹⁸

We as Muslims should pass this festival by with dignity, refraining from the office parties', Christmas celebrations, the exchange of gifts, and even exchanging Christmas greetings. There are a number of reasons for this; firstly, to become involved in a festival is to sanction the beliefs behind such a festival and as Muslims we are forbidden to sanction anything other than Islam. Just as we as Muslims distance ourselves from celebrations such as Diwali (Hinduism) andHanukkah (Judaism), we must also do so with Christmas. By celebrating Christmas, not only do we sanction pagan and Christian practices, but we imply that the festival of polytheism is pleasing to us although Allah states,

This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.¹⁹

Secondly, Allah describes Christians as "those who went astray" in the opening chapter of the Qur'an, thus to celebrate something that is not even sanctioned in their religion is to imply that their straying is of no consequence. Thirdly, to take part in their festivities or to give greetings such as 'merry/happy Christmas' is to encourage and congratulate them in their actions instead of censuring them for their falsehood. This is in opposition to Qur'anic teachings whereby Allah states,

They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.²⁰

Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour. Fear Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.²¹

Muslims, by the grace of Allah, have been afforded a complete way of life which details that which is best and most beneficial for the entire human race. We have the Qur'an and sunnah, and to cling to them is an aspect of the faith, regardless of the taunts of liberal Muslims and non-Muslims who may call us 'radicals' and 'fundamentalists'. To befundamental is a part of Islam as A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said 'Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.'²²
Christmas remains a stark warning and example to Muslims of what can happen to Islam if we were to accept innovations into our faith. To cling to the Qur'an and sunnah as understood by the salaf is the only way to remain within the sanctified parameters of our deen. Christmas is a phenomenon that should encite the awareness of the Muslim laity to be mindful about those from whom they take their religion and religious knowledge. We thank Allah for preserving our faith and pray that he bestow upon us the ability to stay on the Straight Path.

^{^{___________________________________________________________}}

Notes:

Source: www.islam21c.com

1. Luke 1:31-38
2. Luke 2:8-15
3. Luke 2:8-15
4. Early distinguished fathers and scholars of the Christian Church.
5. The Catholic Encyclopedia
6. An early Christian scholar and theologian who is considered one of the most distinguished early fathers of the Christian Church.
7. Origen, in Levit., Hom. VIII, in Migne P.G., XII, 495
8. Considered the father of Europe
9. http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/SF/WinSol.html
10. http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/242252
11. Important Jewish texts
12. Avodah Zara 8a
13. Cited in MacMullen. R. Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries. Yale:1997
14. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04636c.htm
15. Jeremiah 10:3-4
16. Siefker. P. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years. McFarland:1997
17. Related in Sunan Abu Dawud
18. Surah al-Furqan 25:72
19. Surah al-Ma'idah 5:3
20. Surah Aali Imran 3:114
21. Surah al-Ma'idah 5:2
22. Related in Sahih al-Bukhari

Cadar dan Yvonne Ridley

2006-11-28T01:41:00.001+07:00

Beberapa mungkin sudah mengenal Yvonne Ridley. Kalau belum, dia adalah wartawati Sunday Express, waktu itu, yang ditangkap oleh Taliban, 15 hari setelah 11 September 2001. Menurut ceritanya, dia dilepaskan setelah berjanji akan mempelajari Islam dan Quran. Setelah dia kembali ke Inggris dia menepati janjinya. Kini dia menjadi muslim sejak summer 2003. Sebagai seorang penulis politik dan feminis, dia sering membuat tulisan yang membela kepentingan wanita, dan kini sering membela wanita muslim. Sampai saat ini dia menjabat sebagai editor politik untuk tv Islam Channel di Inggris.

Waktu itu dia tertangkap, saat terjatuh dari keledai yang membawanya menyelundup dari Pakistan di perbatasan dengan Kabul untuk tugas peliputan. Ketika jatuh di depan seorang tentara Taliban, di tubuhnya ditemukan kamera tersembunyi. Pada waktu itu dia menggunakan burqa, kita mengenalnya pakaian khas Taliban dari berita-berita di TV setelah kejatuhan Taliban. Burqa ini lengkap dengan kain penutup wajahnya atau cadar.

Di Belanda saat ini sedang hangat isu rancangan undang-undang larangan cadar (veil, bukan jilbab), walaupun liputan di koran-koran Belanda tidak terlalu hangat. Alasannya menurut Menteri Integrasi dan Imigrasi, Rita Verdoonk, "the Cabinet finds it undesirable that face-covering clothing - including the burqa - is worn in public places for reasons of public order, security and protection of citizens". Jika disetujui maka pemakaian cadar ini dilarang pemakaiannya di jalanan, di sekolah, kereta api, bus dan sidang pengadilan.

Para kritikus menolak keras pelarangan ini karena bertentangan dengan human right. Tapi kalangan muslim menilai bahwa pelarangan ini akan berlaku sedikit demi sedikit ke pelarangan jilbab. Isu busana muslim wanita ini memang sedang menjadi perbincangan hangat di Eropa. Perancis sudah lebih dulu melarang pemakaian jilbab di sekolah-sekolah umum. Beberapa negara bagian Jerman telah melarang guru memakai jilbab kala mengajar. Italia sudah melarang pemakaian penutup wajah karena alasan kekerasan lokal dan keamanan dalam negeri. Bulan Oktober lalu, Jack Straw, mantan menlu dan kini menjabat Ketua parlemen Inggris juga menyerukan hal yang sama (lihat di Telegraph.co.uk).

Di Belanda sendiri sangat sedikit orang yang memakai burqa. Karena itu sebagian muslim Belanda menilai hal ini tidak penting mengatur kebijakan hanya bagi sebagian kecil saja. Beberapa menilai ini hanya ulah Verdoonk saja.

Verdoonk memang dikenal dengan kebijakan imigrasinya yang keras, karenanya dikenal sebagai 'Iron Rita'. Di antaranya mewajibkan calon imigran tertentu- terutama dari Timur Tengah untuk belajar bahasa dan budaya Belanda, yang mengharuskan mereka menghormati nilai-nilai liberalisme Belanda termasuk kebebasan bagi kaum homoseks dan lesbian. Dengan usulan percaradan ini, kini kebijakan itu menjadi sesuatu yang membingungkan bagi sebagian orang.

Verdoonk juga menyulut kemarahan Muslim karena menyebutkan bahwa para imam menyebarkan terosrime lewat khutbah-khutbahnya. Hal ini mengingatkan pada kasus pembuatan film tentang kehidupan wanita muslim oleh sutradara Theo van Gogh dan skripter Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Van Gogh mati dibunuh oleh Mohammed Bouyeri, dan Hirsi Ali dideportasi karena terbukti ilegal imigran. Bouyeri disangka tersulut emosinya akibat dari khutbah Jumat yang diikutinya.

Verdoonk juga secara terang-terangan membela seorang wanita Belanda yang menabrakkan mobilnya dan melindas sampai mati seorang pemuda Maroko yang merampas tasnya dari mobilnya. Ia juga membatalkan pertemuannya dengan para tokoh muslim yang menolak berjabat tangan dengannya.

Memang pemakaian busana Muslim ini bermacam-macam (lihat di sini). Yvonne Ridley kini juga berjilbab, yang menurutnya, "My dress tells you that I am a Muslim and that I expect to be treated respectfully, much as a Wall Street banker would say that a business suit defines him as an executive to be taken seriously." Dan dia menulis pembelaannya tentang cadar di Washington Post, 22 Oktober: How I came to love the veil.

Gambar diambil dari sini

Teacher of the year

2006-11-21T23:54:00.000+07:00

Poster ini terpampang di papan pengumuman di kampusku. Wow, ternyata pemilihan dosen (ternyata Dutch:docent) terbaik tahun ini. Who is your most excellent teacher? Posternya sangat menarik. Menggambarkan macam-macam tingkah polah.

Kulihat beberapa teacher di programku masuk kandidat. Salah satunya Andre ... (family name disamarkan). Dosen yang satu ini ngocol dan ngoceh abis. Kuliah bisa 3-4 jam tanpa istirahat. Tapi kuliahnya memang menarik.

Tapi di sini saya akan bercerita tentang tulisan docenten yang bahasa Inggrisnya kurang gress. Itu bukan pendapatku, tapi ditulis di PleeSF atau koran WC -newsletter-nya PSF (Progressieve Studenten Fraktie). PSF sebagai salah satu fraksi di Student Council, memasang newsletter-nya di (hampir) semua WC student flat. Ide yang brilian- menurut saya- karena pasti mau tidak mau dibaca oleh yang sedang nongkrong -daripada melamun!

Nah, balik lagi ke Engels, edisi November PleeSF ini menulis tentang Engels van docenten berdasarkan hasil diskusi terbuka mahasiswa. Katanya, Universitas ini membuka program dalam bahasa Inggris, tapi beberapa dosen kesulitan menyampaikan kuliahnya dalam bahasa Inggris. Lebih parah lagi, beberapa mahasiswa tidak mengerti soal exam. Jangankan menjawab, mengerti soalnya aja susah. **Aduh.. pantesan exam kemarin aku gak bisa jawab, ternyata soalnya susah. Karena biasanya bagiku, soal-soalnya mudah-mudah, cuma jawabannya aja yang susah**.

Nah, ditulis di situ bagaimana bisa begitu? Maka solusinya harus dicari jalan keluarnya untuk meningkatkan kapasitas bahasa Inggris dosennya.

Memang di kelas juga, para mahasiswa Belandanya pun kadang-kadang agak kesulitan berdiskusi dalam bahasa Inggris. Jadi ingat teman Dutch saya dulu yang artikel jurnalnya diedit ulang oleh orang Inggris dengan alasan Dutch-English, padahal menurut saya sudah English. Tapi tetap saja kita-kita kalah jauh dari mereka, dan masih lebih banyak yang fluently. Karena bahasa Inggris sudah diajarkan jauh-jauh hari sejak elementary school.

Beberapa teman Belanda saya kebanyakan bisa bicara atau mengerti beberapa bahasa dan termasuk cepat tangkap. Termasuk bahasa Indonesia yang katanya sangat mudah gramatikanya. Iya yah??

Sinterklaas

2006-11-18T23:32:00.000+07:00

Hari Sabtu pagi ini Sinterklaas tiba di Wageningen, dengan pakaian kebesarannya berwarna merah putih dengan mahkota yang mewah berkendara kereta yang ditarik kuda berwarna putih. Kedatangannya didahului oleh sepasukan drum band. Maka ramailah suasana, persis seperti pawai 17-an.

Di Centruum kota Wageningen, anak-anak berkumpul ditemani orang tuanya berebut untuk bersalaman, berfoto dan bernyanyi menyambut Sinterklaas. Para orangtua saling bercerita mengenang masa kecil mereka tentang Sinterklaas sambil terbahak-bahak.

Cerita Sinterklaas ini kata Cindy teman kost-ku, memang khas Belanda (dan Belgia). Kemudian diadaptasi dalam Bahasa Inggris jadi Santa Claus. Itu kata orang Belanda, a proud Dutch. Perayaan ini untuk mengenang kematian Sint Nikolaas, yang terkenal suka memberikan hadiah secara rahasia.

Sinterklaas datang ditemani oleh beberapa pelayannya yang dipanggil Zwarte Pieten (si Piet -Piet hitam) karena muka dan tangannya berwarna hitam. Si Piet-Piet hitam ini katanya representasi dari setan-setan yang berhasil ditaklukan oleh Sinterklaas dan menjadi abdinya. Anak-anak, beberapa di antaranya berkostum sang pangeran, ribut memanggil-manggil si Piet hitam berharap diberi kukis dan permen. Kue kecil-kecil itu bernama pepernoten/kruidnoten. Tetapi beberapa anak kecil tak kuasa menyembunyikan ketakutannya melihat muka si Piet yang hitam legam dan bertingkah menakutkan. Sementara yang sudah agak besar hanya ketawa-ketawa senang.

Sinterklaas membawa buku tebal di tangan kanannya, yang katanya berisikan semua nama anak-anak kecil dengan catatan apakah si anak berkelakukan baik atau buruk selama setahun ini. Nah dari tengah November ini sampai puncaknya 5 Desember, sebelum tidur malam anak-anak Belanda ini akan bernyanyi memuji-muji Sinterklaas dan meletakkan sepatunya berisi wortel makanan kuda Sinterklaas di depan perapian- sekarang sepertinya di depan heater ya. Mereka berharap dicatat sebagai anak baik dan mendapatkan hadiah dari Sinterklaas di malam 5 Desember atau pagi 6 Desember nanti sebagai puncaknya. Suka citanya mungkin sama seperti anak-anak di kita menerima hadiah lebaran.

catat

2006-10-30T03:19:00.000+07:00

Seorang kawan YM! ber'nasihat', begini bunyinya:

You have been exposed to various ...(things). So, the ball is on your court now because nobody will come and propose ...(things) to you.

Makanya dicatat saja di sini, karena menarik untuk dicatat.

I would never

2006-10-25T05:28:00.000+07:00

This is one of the few of Indonesian bands who writes its lyrics in English. Mocca is a Bandung-based band with 4 members. I just know that Arina, the vocalist, is sister to Dewi Lestari. To date the band has released 2 album plus one mini album for which one of the song dedicated to movie "Untuk Rena" in 2005 (?). A charming second album in 2004 with full of melodious, orchestrated pop/bossa-pop garnished with trumpet, trombone and flute. This time with guest appearances from Karolina Komstedt (Sweden - Club 8) and Bob Tutupoly.

Since their first appeareance, I have known this indiepop band has something different sense as compared to other bands. [And Laluna off course, same Bandung's origin band]. Now, I am enjoying their album (not all as yet actually), thanks to multiply.com that become a new huge source for *.mp3 lists. One of my favorite songs are "I would never" and "Secret admirers". Their lyrics are simple yet meaningful, but yes the musics are melodious.

You should try to listen this "I would never" song; a swing, brass sounds that will flatter your ears and bring you flying to a lawn of luscious green grass [the place where the videoclip should be taken] **hey honey, we miss it**. In this song Mocca featuring Karolina Komstedt, a Swedish CLub 8's vocalist. The sound should not as much happier as its lyrics, though. Lucky you this song also is available at youtube.com. Having seen this clip, I have to say that this clip should not like that way, mppfff... I've told you it should be at the green grasses. Anyway, here is my first youtube.com clip on my blog. Enjoy!

I would never

Sentimental feeling in my heart
Growing bigger stronger everyday
Every single day and every night
All of them mean more than words can say
Believe me, as I believe in you
I would never run away from you
I would never ever lie to you
I would never run away from you
I would never ever let you down

Photo: picked up from here

ramadan pergi, lebaran tiba

2006-10-23T03:06:00.000+07:00

Hari ini buka terakhir, dan tak ada sahur lagi. Entah senang atau sedih. Sepertinya ada sesuatu yang hilang, meninggalkanku sendiri di sini. **bengong mode on**. Lagu Bimbo "Setiap habis ramadan" kemarin kumainkan di Winamp-ku, sedih rasanya. Tabel target puasa dari Mbak Nurul kayaknya bolong-bolong gak terisi semua. Kecuali, kolom silaturahmi, kata temanku, karena aku sering keliling untuk buka bersama. Anak-anak terlantar ini -dengan tabungan bank yang penuh :-)- dipelihara oleh Dijkgraf. Dank je wel voor uw vriendelijkheid. Semoga Allah membalas segala kebaikan kalian.

Malam ini kuputar radio Minaara deGromiest, kebetulan sedang takbiran. Suasana Indonesia pun hadir di pelupuk mata. Terbayang Puncak yang macet total, dari mulai tol Jagorawi hingga Bandung. Duh kaki pegal harus injak pedal kopling. Tapi itu semua akan terbayarkan oleh kecerian lebaran, kegembiraan berkumpul bersama keluarga handai taulan. Itulah ritual yang tahun ini akan terlewatkan.

Malam semakin larut, dan satu dua YM!-ers Indon muncul. Wow, ternyata mau sahur terakhir. Memang di Indonesia, sudah ada yang lebaran hari senin besok atau selasa 24 Oktober. Perbedaan selalu menjadi rahmat. Ndak apa-apa, kata Bung Fey :-). Sementara YM-ers di sini mulai teriak-teriak, dan pasang emoticons :((. Kebanyakan sudah telepon ke Indonesia, katanya habis nangis, karena sudah lama tidak menangis. Dan kali ini karena terpisah samudra. Deuh...

Besok kami akan pergi bersama untuk salat Ied di ruang serba guna yang disewa untuk salat bersama oleh komunitas islam di sini. Kami sedang berusaha untuk bisa membangun Islamic center di sini. Sehingga kita bisa leluasa shalat Ied, Jumatan, dan belajar mengaji bagi anak-anak, kata Pak Imam mesjid yang berasal dari Palestina.

Yah ramadan telah pergi, entah akan bertemu lagi atau tidak. "Mohon tambah umur lagi, berilah hamba kesempatan," kata Bimbo. **sepertinya pikiranku sudah tidak konsetrasi lagi, jadi...**

Dreaming tea

2006-10-13T16:02:00.001+07:00

Nikmat betul rasanya berbuka kemarin. Masalahnya bukan karena ada yang kirim kolak, atau es teler 77 Air Mancur. Tapi karena dibuatkan teh oleh my Dutch corridormate. Dan rasanya, erg mooi.

Awalnya kami masak bareng. Saya untuk berbuka puasa dan dia untuk dinner. Sama-sama dinner sih. Sedikit chit-chat bahwa dia baru terima bunga, yang dikirim her boyfriend.

It's ridiculous. I lay on my bed all day, and when I wake up I got a bucket of flowers. Kebetulan dia libur dari kerjanya hari itu.

Last week, I got flower from my parent for my master's graduation. So, I have a bunch of flowers in my room.
Ha, gefeciliteerd.

But I'm happy with it, dengan suara dan wajahnya yang sumringah.

Sure, you have to. Which girl will ignore flowers sent by her lover. How kind of him.

Sejujurnya, Minggu lalu, saya dibuat pusing oleh pacarnya dan dia. Pasalnya mereka asyik masyuk sampai sekoridor terdengar. *Kayak mendengarkan mp3*. Tapi saya masih belum mengerti apa perbedaan cinta dan sex bagi orang bule, karena di coridor yang lain seorang teman Indonesia cerita, bahwa si cewek sudah agak lama hidup sekamar dengan teman cowoknya. Tapi besoknya dan hari-hari selanjutnya si cewek itu sudah pindah ke kamar cowok sebelahnya lagi. Usut punya usut katanya bertengkar.

Chit chat terus berlanjut, hingga dia berkata ,"You always wake up early in the morning. Do you take your breakfast before the sun comes up, don't you?"

Ya, saya bilang. Rupanya dia sudah tahu tentang puasa di bulan ramadhan yang diakhiri oleh Ied festival, makan-makan yang banyak. Senang ya katanya. Tapi dia tidak yakin bisa melakukan ini.

"I always respect to people who sacrify their life for the things they believe," katanya sambil memandang wajahku.
"God, it's awesome", sungguh-sungguh air mukanya. Kamu bangun pagi-pagi, tetap bekerja, tidak makan dan minum. Hebat, katanya.

Kamu bisa kok melakukannya, kalau kamu sudah terbiasa. Dan ditambah keyakinan, saya bilang.

Ya, dan kamu hidup dengan orang-orang yang sama melakukannya. Anyway, kamu dan teman-temanmu orang hebat. I proud of you, ik ben leren van je.

Ok, sebagai sikap hormat saya, saya akan buatkan teh untuk kamu, katanya.

Pas adzan magrib, saya buka dengan teh itu. Subhanallah, rasanya... God its awesome. Seperti ada gum-nya gitu dan wangi. Dan ditambah karena dibuatnya dengan tulus mungkin. Alhamdulillah.

Kemudian saya bilang dia, Thanks for the tea. The taste is awesome, delicious.
Ja, alstublift, we call it a dreaming tea, a special tea.

narrowdaylight

2006-10-12T16:40:00.000+07:00

Sudah 1 minggu ini, langit kelam karena awannya kelabu. Udara mulai dingin, sekitar 16o C di luar. Untung di kamar ada pemanas, jadi udara berkisar 22-23 oC, tapi tetap dingin di kamar ini. Matahari sih selalu bersinar tapi tersembunyi oleh kelabunya awan. Jadi sinarnya tidak sampai.

Untung malam kemarin bulan purnama jadi malam agak meriah. Tapi juga purnama membuat gravitasi bulan menarik air laut jadi pasang. Gravitasi bulan juga menarik hormon-hormon dalam tubuh, segala hormon. Ada yang jadi fang-face, wolfie, dan kepalanya menjadi bertanduk. Ah.. kelingan sing ora-ora. Oops stop.. stop.. kiri.. kiri..

Akhirnya saya menyadari arti penting dari sunbathing yang biasa dilakukan bule-bule itu. Dulu saya selalu berpikir kalau orang Melayu berjemur itu gila, kayak keputihan aja. Kini saya suka bergabung dengan bule-bule itu. Bedanya saya lengkap dengan kaos, sweater, dan jaket tambah syal, sementara mereka berkaos saja. Kurang ajarnya, sore kemarin ketika saya berpakaian lengkap, tiba-tiba lewat bule berkaos dan celana pendek. *ym! code:X(* Demikianlah mereka celebrating the sunlight.

Sekarang saya mengerti kenapa mereka selalu buru-buru mengejar waktu. Tepat waktu. Karena memang hari yang baik dan nyaman di sini sangat pendek. Hanya musim semi dan panas, yang nyaman (menurut kita). Sisanya musim gugur dan salju, hari 'terang' begitu pendek. Narrow daylight :-) Beda dengan di kita yang "Tropical the island breeze, All of nature wild and free, This is where I long to be, La Isla Bonita, And when the samba played, The sun would set so high", kata Madonna.

ramadan.in.nl

2006-10-01T18:44:00.000+07:00

First ramadhan always differs from one authority to others and so does in the Netherlands here. Well, I don't want to offer debate here, as people have their own authorities to follow on. It is my first fasting out of my homeland. And I found it quite difficult especially at the first days. Now I can feel the luxury of fasting in home with family and friends. But so far, I managed myself to do it for the whole days. Even one week has unexpectedly passed by.

I have to say that I, physically, don't have a lot of troubles keeping myself from drinking and eating. Even if I have to biking from one place to another. I also enjoyed a futsal game with my colleagues here in one afternoon before the dusk. However, if we talk fasting spiritually it is surely unbearable, I have to admit.

You can imagine when mostly women here wear lower-rise jeans that offer their folds of skin around lower part of their body. They are not hesitate to show off their body shape and even their strings! Not difficult to think as it is now at the end of summer when sun still offers its light. Until a windy and colder weather comes, they will wrap their bodies with thicker clothes. It is so my eyes can hardly say fasting.

Not once do I have to answer questions why I don't eat and drink. My Colombian and Dutch mates thought it awkward to stop eating and drinking during daylight. My answer were sometimes 'do googling yourself'. But, not for some other Dutch friends. They are familiar with this season. At one early morning before the dawn, my corridor's mate found me cooking. He only nod his head when I told him I took my breakfast. Afterward, he took a meal from fridge too maybe for his supper anyway.

Almost all supermarkets provide dates, not only at Muslim's store such as Zamzam, an Islamic store that provide halalan foods. Two days ago, I was wondering myself if I got kolak for my breakfasting. To my surprise, while I chatted an invitation to breakfast was coming. You know what the menu was? Alhamdulillah, that's kolak sampeu (ubi kayu, Manihot). You may wonder how come sampeu is available here? Netherlands or West Europe in general is a tropical fruits haven. You can find everything you want, but of course, with a more or less expensive prices than those of their home products.

Muslim population in the Netherlands is increasingly rising nowadays. The are mostly immigrants from Turkey, Morroco, and North African countires. They were allowed to stay because the Netherlands needed a larger work force in 1970s and 1980s. But, the first group established the muslim community is Indonesian, whom they were studenten during the colonisation time. It is so that now Muslims in the Netherlands become a lot bigger. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Netherlands, "There were 945,000 Muslims living in the Netherlands on 1 January this year (2004), double the amount in 1990. The number is expected to reach 1 million in 2006.", Wikipedia writes.

So people do ramadan fasting is larger. Even I found a website www.ramadan.nl poster at the entrance of Ede's trainstation to inform all people that ramadan has come.

mijn fiets

2006-09-26T17:52:00.000+07:00

Ada lagu Belanda judulnya 'De fiets van Piet van Pa' lagunya riang bisa didengerin di sini. Bait pertamanya berbunyi:
Hee Henkie!,
Jaha,
Lekker fietsweer he!
Vies weer?
Nee, fietsweer!

Kira-kira artinya:
Hei Henkie!
Ya?
Enak yah bersepeda!
Kotor lagi?
Bukan, enak bersepeda.

Nah di Belanda atau di Wageningen ini, asyik bersepeda. Hampir semua orang bisa bersepeda dan naik sepeda. Opa, oma, dames, heren, jongen, ouden en kinderen semua naik sepeda. Selain menyehatkan juga praktis dan murah. Juga didukung oleh geografis Belanda yang relatif datar dan infrastruktur atau regulasi yang memadai. Bayangkan kalau harus naik sepeda ke Dago atau ke Puncak setiap hari. **Mbuh mang**

Jalan terbagi tiga, untuk mobil dan motor cc besar, untuk sepeda dan motor cc kecil, dan trotoar pejalan kaki. Kendaraan melaju di sebelah kanan, bukan di kiri seperti di kita. **Jadi saran Bu Guru SD kita dahulu, yaitu berjalanlah si sebelah kiri, tidak berlaku di sini**. Entah tertulis atau tidak, saya kurang periksa, orang yang memakai mobil harus mendahulukan orang yang bersepeda, dan orang yang bersepeda harus menghargai orang yang jalan kaki. Nah, bagi saya yang terbiasa hidup di Indonesia, dimana kejadiannya kebalikannya, apalagi kalau sama angkot, maka agak kagok juga. Seperti jika di persimpangan jalan saya pasti berhenti sebentar tengok kiri kanan, padahal kalau orang sininya langsung terobos. Apalagi mereka kalau naik sepeda, laju sekali.

Suatu sore menjelang maghrib di Marijkeweg, ketika lampu-lampu sepeda mulai dihidupkan, awan kelabu, matahari telah lama bersembunyi, di persimpangan Haarweg, saya mau nyebrang pakai sepeda. Dari arah yang bersimpangan denganku terlihat anak dan bapaknya melaju dengan kencang. Riang. Maka sayapun berhenti, memberi jalan kepada mereka.

Tapi mungkin saya terlihat ragu-ragu, si anak malah melaju ke arahku. Si Bapak berteriak-teriak, Hee Henkie! Lekker fietsweer he! **Eh.. bukan itu kan lagu**. Si anak panik, dan tiba-tiba merem. Akhirnya, saudara-saudara: bapak dan anak bertabrakan. Saya merasa bersalah, saya minta maaf kepada mereka. Mereka hanya diam, dan si Bapak mengaduh.

Di persimpangan lain antara Churchillweg dan arah Centrum, saya nyelonong tanpa melihat rambu segitiga di bawah. Artinya, kendaraan dari arah itu harus berhenti sejenak memberi jalan kepada kendaraan di jalur utama. Alhasil, saya diklakson beberapa kali. Untung tak kudengar sumpah serapah mereka. Pengalaman teman-teman dari Indonesia juga sama. Ada yang kena semprot oma, atau sengaja mau ditabrak mobil.

Tapi fiets di sini memang sangat membantu berhemat. Bayangkan kalau harus naik bus Damri-nya Belanda, selain tanggung karena tidak semua jalur dilalui bis juga menghemat. Di sini tidak ada angkot Bung! Yang bisa berhenti persis di tempat yang kita inginkan. Kalau tidak bersepeda ya jalan kaki. Membawa barang belanjaan bahkan pindahan seperti koper atau TV bisa dinaikan ke sepeda. Ringan? Nggak juga tapi lebih baik naik sepeda daripada jalan.

Harga sepeda bekasku Euro75. Sebenarnya banyak yang lebih murah lagi, tapi yah waktu itu ingin cepat-cepat dapat karena banyak yang harus diurus. Kalau yang baru sepertinya di atas E150. Cukup bernilai. Makanya harus selalu dikunci. Kalau tidak, ya dianggap 'remove' boleh diambil. Apalagi kalau mountainbike, yang bergigi. Nah kuncinya ini bermacam-macam. Yang paten malah berharga satu sepeda bekas. Wuih... jadi jangan berpikir aman juga. Mahasiswa kan...

Sehari-hari bersepeda ternyata membuat nafasku dan tentu jantungku lebih baik. Pertama datang naik sepeda ngos-ngosan dan kaki pegal, sekarang better-lah. Orang-orang Belanda sini yang rata-rata subur, naik sepedanya laju. Sampai sekarang saya masih sering disalip oleh noni-noni berambut jagung keemasan atau oma berambut perak. **ehehue** Sepeda mereka lebih bagus. **alesan**

internet addiction

2006-09-19T01:34:00.000+07:00

Bayangkan file IE.6 yang berjumlah sekitar 85Mb hanya selesai didownload dalam 3-4 menit. Tuntas. Kemudian nonton cuplikan film2 Ronaldinho atau Prince of Highburry meliuk-liuk di lapangan bola lewat youtobe.com tanpa terganggu delay.

Wuih... kemewahan bagi para surfer yang bisa dinikmati di negeri windmolen ini. Tak sedikit para studenten yang kecanduan internet, apalagi bagi yang baru datang dari Indonesia, seperti saya. Akibatnya, tangan ini selalu gatal ingin membuka komputer. Niatnya hanya cek email, berita akhirnya surfing. Reader/diktat pun seringkali dibiarkan tergeletak di samping komputer, alhasil tugas dari teacher tertunda. **Garuk-garuk kepala**

Di kantor di Indonesia sebenarnya sudah dipasang koneksi internet ADSL up to 384 Kbps. Tapi di siang hari ketika komputer on semua, kecepatannya nyaris seperti dial up. Jika dicek speed optimum-nya berkisar antara 14 - 95 Kbps. Di sini? Sila lihat hasil test hari ini di samping ini. Ya berkisar antara 5Mb-10Mb download, dan anehnya upload bisa sampai 15 Mb. **Ck.ck.ck**

Dari keterangan Idealis, yang empunya apartemen, bangunan-bangunan ini terhubung ke 2 kabel serat optik dengan kecepatan transmit rata-rata 1 _Gigabyte_ dan maksimum bandwith per kamar sampai 100 MB. Kabel serat optik sendiri di sini biasanya dipakai oleh Nederlands Spoorwegen (PJKA-nya Belanda), telkom-nya Belanda, dan tv kabel.

Tapi jangan juga menyangka, segalanya begitu perfect. Seperti weekeinde kemarin buka Yahoomail! ngeden, dan sekarang upload gambar aja susah. Yah begitulah nothing's perfect.

Kincir angin

2006-09-18T14:23:00.000+07:00

Belanda dikenal sebagai negara kincir angin, windmolen, windmill. Padahal di Inggris dan negara-negara lainnya ada juga. Tapi di daerah Wageningen ini gak ada, karena sebagian besar dijumpai di bagian barat negeri ini. Sebagian besar daerah di kawasan ini memang berada di bawah laut. Selain itu juga banyak rawa-rawanya.

Nah, mereka bangun dam pembatas, kemudian satu daerah itu kemudian dikeringkan oleh kincir angin. Jadi kincir angin ini berfungsi sebagai pompa dari satu bagian ke bagian lain hingga daerah itu kering dan bisa ditanami. Hebatnya pengeringan itu tidak hanya menghilangkan banyak danau, tapi juga mereka bisa membuat satu propinsi, yaitu Flevoland. Propinsi ini di bawah laut, karenanya mereka memanggilnya de Zuiderzee.

Juga, pelabuhan Rotterdam, salah satu pelabuhan terbesar di dunia, dikembangkan ke laut. Sebenarnya itu dilakukan oleh Singapura juga, tapi mereka mengaruk laut dengan pasir laut. Pasir lautnya dari Kepulauan Riau, hingga satu persatu pulau kita habis dan luas daratan dan ZEE (Zona ekonomi ekslusif) Singapura bertambah. **sedih**

Back to the Netherlands, ada satu pemeo yg biasanya dikatakan oleh orang-orang Dutch ini:

God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands.

Jangan-jangan nanti pemeo ini diambil juga sama orang Singapura. **wah, pecas ndahe**.

Picture taken from:
http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11956&page=13

welkom

2006-09-16T16:43:00.000+07:00

Sejarah katanya suka berulang. Kaki akhirnya menjejakkan kaki di Schipol, konon bandara kedua tersibuk setelah Heathrow, pada 13 September. Memoriku pun retrieved.

Tepat 5 tahun yang lalu di tgl yg sama kaki ini juga menjejakkan kaki yang sama. I shall return, kata Jend. Mac Arthur. Waktu itu pas sehari setelah WTC meleduk, 11 September, saya terbang dg Kuwait Air. Tiba di Kuwait semua penerbangan berubah, ke Amerika closed down. Tertahan beberapa jam, akhirnya terbang juga. Pemeriksaan ketat. Namaku dicurigai karena berbau arabisch, tapi setelah dipanggil wajah oriental. Lolos. Semua orang berdoa. Orang-orang Timur Tengah itu dan perempuan berjilbab memain2kan tasbihnya. Saya terlelap. Ketika mau mendarat, semua orang cemas apakah bisa mendarat mulus? Ketika sudah ground-off semua orang bertepuk tangan. A nice flight with hands clapping.

Nah kemarin tuh mendarat mulus tanpa tepuk tangan, tapi sy berujar alhamdulillah. Lalu pemeriksaan visa, passport: nama arabisch, si penjaga looked at my face, oriental. Lolos. Ada kawan dari NTB yang barengan ternyata tertahan di pintu imigrasi entah kenapa. Kawan NTB melambai, kuhampiri. Si polisi tinggi besar menghampiriku, speak English? You both are in a group? Sya bilang, just a same flight. So you can go. Kawanku tadi dicangkring di sana. Apa boleh buat.

Beres claim barang, cari internet atau telpon, got no result. Wah gak ada yg jemput. Udah pada sibuk kuliah. Nongkrong dulu di meeting point. Itu bangunan kotak-kotak merah putih. Ketemu 2 Indon yang mo pergi ke Noordsea kerja di minyak lepas pantai. Dia bilang kantor pusatnya di Italia, dapat jatah 3 minggu 2 minggu on- and off-coast. Anak istri di Indon. Wah kuatan bgt. Yah karena bakat aja Mas. Bakat kubutuh (Sundanesse=karena butuh).

Akhirnya kubeli tiket spur. Minta aja print stasion perhentian KA. Rutenya: Schipol-Utrecht Central, terus ganti kereta ke Ede Wageningen. Dari sana naek bis. Siip, cari spoor/lorong ke msg2 jurusan. Kereta pada kosong karena jam kerja udah lewat. Koperku tnyata cukup berat, utk jatah setahun setidaknya. Isinya yah Indomie dan A Mild. Karena agak lama ngegeret koper, jatah pindah antar spoor beda jurusan yg cuma 10 menit jd terlewatkan. Haiya... Harus nunggu 1/2 jam lagi. Ini nih salah satu bentuk keteraturan yang kadang menjengkelkan. Kalau di kita kan kita bisa nunggu angkot lain lewat yang tak selang 1 minit. **Tapi ini kereta api kang**.

Akhirnya tiba juga di Wageningen pake... taksi. Karena berat klo naik bis berdesakan. Pfuih... bayar €20.2. Kecil... dalam hati apalgi Mercedes Benz disupiri bule pula. Seorang teman menjemput di stasion bis. Kaget dia, pake taxi. Wey, borju loeh. Berapa? 20 bisa seminggu makan (orang Indon tentu saja :-)). Well, I'm a new a kid on the block. **Garuk-garuk kepala**. Ya daripada geret-geret koper berat.

Masalahnya dari station ke kantor administrasi Uni harus jalan lagi (gak ada angkot di sini, Kang). **Melongo**... Walhasil saya ditunjukan arahnya ke CSA itu karena dia hrs kuliah. Finally, geret lagi tuh koper sambil lap muka yang keringatan. God, it takes 15 minutes to go.

Sampelah di kantornya CSA 'For quality of life'. Wilkommen, goede morgen. Chit chat dikit dianterin ke bag. tata usahanya. Diberi setumpuk formuleer. Mulailah hidup di 'city of life sciences' ini.

The Shame of Being an American

2006-08-14T02:23:00.000+07:00

Itulah judul yang ditulis oleh Paul Craig Roberts, mantan Asisten Menteri Keuangan pada masa pemerintahan Reagan, yang ditulis di sini. Sebelum hilang dikopi di sini deh dan juga terjemahannya dari artikel di Swaramuslim.net yang ada di sini.

VDARE.COM - http://vdare.com/roberts/060721_shame.htm
July 21, 2006

By Paul Craig Roberts

Gentle reader, do you know that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing in southern Lebanon? Israel has ordered all the villagers to clear out. Israel then destroys their homes and murders the fleeing villagers. That way there is no one to come back and nothing to which to return, making it easier for Israel to grab the territory, just as Israel has been stealing Palestine from the Palestinians.

Do you know that one-third of the Lebanese civilians murdered by Israel’s attacks on civilian residential districts are children? That is the report from Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the UN. He says it is impossible for help to reach the wounded and those buried in rubble, because Israeli air strikes have blown up all the bridges and roads. Considering how often (almost always) Israel misses Hizbollah targets and hits civilian ones, one might think that Israeli fire is being guided by US satellites and US military GPS. Don’t be surprised at US complicity. Why would the puppet be any less evil than the puppet master?

Of course, you don’t know these things, because the US print and TV media do not report them.

Because Bush is so proud of himself, you do know that he has blocked every effort to stop the Israeli slaughter of Lebanese civilians. Bush has told the UN "NO." Bush has told the European Community "NO." Bush has told the pro-American Lebanese prime minister "NO." Twice. Bush is very proud of his firmness. He is enjoying Israel’s rampage and wishes he could do the same thing in Iraq.

Does it make you a Proud American that "your" president gave Israel the green light to drop bombs on convoys of villagers fleeing from Israeli shelling, on residential neighborhoods in the capital of Beirut and throughout Lebanon, on hospitals, on power plants, on food production and storage, on ports, on civilian airports, on bridges, on roads, on every piece of infrastructure on which civilized life depends?

Are you a Proud American? Or are you an Israeli puppet?

On July 20, "your" House of Representatives voted 410-8 in favor of Israel’s massive war crimes in Lebanon. Not content with making every American complicit in war crimes, "your" House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press, also "condemns enemies of the Jewish state."

Who are the "enemies of the Jewish state"?

They are the Palestinians whose land has been stolen by the Jewish state, whose homes and olive groves have been destroyed by the Jewish state, whose children have been shot down in the streets by the Jewish state, whose women have been abused by the Jewish state. They are Palestinians who have been walled off into ghettos, who cannot reach their farm lands or medical care or schools, who cannot drive on roads through Palestine that have been constructed for Israelis only. They are Palestinians whose ancient towns have been invaded by militant Zionist "settlers" under the protection of the Israeli army who beat and persecute the Palestinians and drive them out of their towns. They are Palestinians who cannot allow their children outside their homes because they will be murdered by Israeli "settlers."

The Palestinians who confront Israeli evil are called "terrorists." When Bush forced free elections on Palestine, the people voted for Hamas. Hamas is the organization that has stood up to the Jewish state. This means, of course, that Hamas is evil, anti-Semitic, un-American and terrorist. The US and Israel responded by cutting off all funds to the new government. Democracy is permitted only if it produces the results Bush and Israel want.

Israelis never practice terror. Only those who are in Israel’s way are terrorists.

Another enemy of the Jewish state is Hizbollah. Hizbollah is a militia of Shia Muslims created in 1982 when Israel first invaded Lebanon. During this invasion the great moral Jewish state arranged for the murder of refugees in refugee camps. The result of Israel’s atrocities was Hizbollah, which fought the Israeli army, defeated it, and drove it, with its Satanic tail between its legs, out of Lebanon. Today Hizbollah not only defends southern Lebanon but also provides social services such as orphanages and medical care.

To cut to the chase, the enemies of the Jewish state are any Muslim country not ruled by an American puppet friendly to Israel. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the oil emirates have sided with Israel against their own kind, because they are dependent either on American money or on American protection from their own people. Sooner or later these totally corrupt governments that do not represent the people they rule will be overthrown. It is only a matter of time.

Indeed Bush and Israel may be hastening the process in their frantic effort to overthrow the governments of Syria and Iran. Both governments have more popular support than Bush has, but the White House Moron doesn’t know this. The Moron thinks Syria and Iran will be "cakewalks" like Iraq, where ten proud divisions of the US military are tied down by a few lightly armed insurgents.

If you are still a Proud American, consider that your pride is doing nothing good for Israel or for America.

On July 20 when "your" House of Representatives, following "your" US Senate, passed the resolution in support of Israel’s war crimes, the most powerful lobby in Washington, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), quickly got out a press release proclaiming "The American people overwhelming support Israel’s war on terrorism and understand that we must stand by our closest ally in this time of crisis."

The truth is that Israel created the crisis by invading a country with a pro-American government. The truth is that the American people do not support Israel’s war crimes, as the CNN quick poll results make clear and as was made clear by callers into C-Span.

Despite the Israeli spin on news provided by US "reporting," a majority of Americans do not approve of Israeli atrocities against Lebanese civilians. Hizbollah is located in southern Lebanon. If Israel is targeting Hizbollah, why are Israeli bombs falling on northern Lebanon? Why are they falling on Beirut? Why are they falling on civilian airports? On schools and hospitals?

Now we arrive at the main point. When the US Senate and House of Representatives pass resolutions in support of Israeli war crimes and condemn those who resist Israeli aggression, the Senate and House confirm Osama bin Laden’s propaganda that America stands with Israel against the Arab and Muslim world.

Indeed, Israel, which has one of the world’s largest per capita incomes, is the largest recipient of US foreign aid. Many believe that much of this "aid" comes back to AIPAC, which uses it to elect "our" representatives in Congress.

This perception is no favor to Israel, whose population is declining, as the smart ones have seen the writing on the wall and have been leaving. Israel is surrounded by hundreds of millions of Muslims who are being turned into enemies of Israel by Israel’s actions and inhumane policies.

The hope in the Muslim world has always been that the United States would intervene in behalf of compromise and make Israel realize that Israel cannot steal Palestine and turn every Palestinian into a refugee.

This has been the hope of the Arab world. This is the reason our puppets have not been overthrown. This hope is the reason America still had some prestige in the Arab world.

The House of Representatives resolution, bought and paid for by AIPAC money, is the final nail in the coffin of American prestige in the Middle East. It shows that America is, indeed, Israel’s puppet, just as Osama bin Laden says, and as a majority of Muslims believe.

With hope and diplomacy dead, henceforth America and Israel have only tooth and claw. The vaunted Israeli army could not defeat a rag tag militia in southern Lebanon. The vaunted US military cannot defeat a rag tag, lightly armed, insurgency drawn from a minority of the population in Iraq, insurgents, moreover, who are mainly engaged in civil war against the Shia majority.

What will the US and its puppet master do? Both are too full of hubris and paranoia to admit their terrible mistakes. Israel and the US will either destroy from the air the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Iran so that civilized life becomes impossible for Muslims, or the US and Israel will use nuclear weapons to intimidate Muslims into acquiescence to Israel’s desires.

Muslim genocide in one form or another is the professed goal of the neoconservatives who have total control over the Bush administration. Neocon godfather Norman Podhoretz has called for World War IV (in neocon thinking WW III was the cold war) to overthrow Islam in the Middle East, deracinate the Islamic religion and turn it into a formalized, secular ritual.

Rumsfeld’s neocon Pentagon has drafted new US war doctrine that permits pre-emptive nuclear attack on non-nuclear states.

Neocon David Horowitz says that by slaughtering Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, "Israel is doing the work of the rest of the civilized world," thus equating war criminals with civilized men.

Neocon Larry Kudlow says that "Israel is doing the Lord’s work" by murdering Lebanese, a claim that should give pause to Israel’s Christian evangelical supporters. Where does the Lord Jesus say, "go forth and murder your neighbors so that you may steal their lands"?

The complicity of the American public in these heinous crimes will damn America for all time in history.

Paul Craig Roberts [email him] was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider's Account of Policymaking in Washington; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice. Click here for Peter Brimelow’s Forbes Magazine interview with Roberts about the recent epidemic of prosecutorial misconduct.

The articles on VDARE.com are brought to you by the Lexington Research Institute and The Center for American Unity. We are supported by generous donations from our readers. Contributions are tax deductible and appreciated.

Betapa Malunya Menjadi Orang Amerika

2006-08-14T02:13:00.000+07:00

Dari Swaramuslim.net:
Refleksi Oleh : Redaksi 01 Aug 2006 - 1:45 am
"Saya ingin mengatakan sesuatu yang sangat jelas: Jangan khawatir tentang tekanan Amerika pada Israel. Kami, bangsa Yahudi, mengkontrol Amerika, dan orang Amerika tahu hal itu."

PM Israel Ariel Sharon

"Ras kami adalah Ras Pilihan. Kami adalah yang dipilih Tuhan di planet ini. Kami berbeda dengan ras lain karena mereka adalah serangga. Sebenarnya, jika dibandingkan dengan ras kami, ras lain adalah binatang buas, paling tinggi cuma binatang ternak. Ras lain kami anggap kotoran manusia. Kami memang ditakdirkan untuk memerintah ras-ras yang lebih rendah. Kerajaan kami akan diperintah oleh para pemimpin kami dengan batangan besi. Ras lain akan menjilati kaki kami dan menghamba pada kami seperti budak."

PM Israel Menechem Begin

"Satu juta orang Arab tidak lebih berarti dibanding seujung kuku seorang Yahudi."

Rabbi Yaacov Perrin (NY Daily News, Feb. 28, 1994, halaman 6)

Betapa malunya menjadi orang Amerika

By Paul Craig Roberts
http://vdare.com/roberts/060721_shame.htm

Pembaca yang budiman, tahukah anda bahwa Israel terlibat dalam pembersihan etnis di Selatan Lebanon? Setelah memerintahkan semua warga desa untuk keluar, lalu Israel menghancurkan rumah-rumah mereka dan membunuh orang-orang desa yang sedang mengungsi itu. Dengan cara itu tidak ada satu orangpun yang kembali dan tidak ada tempat untuk kembali, sehingga Israel mudah untuk mencaplok wilayah itu, sebagaimana mereka telah mencuri Palestina dari bangsa Palestina.

Tahukah anda bahwa sepertiga dari penduduk sipil Lebanon yang terbunuh dalam serangan Israel di wilayah berpenduduk padat itu adalah anak-anak? Itulah laporan dari Jan Egeland, koordinator penangulangan darurat PBB. Dia mengatakan bahwa tidak mungkin untuk menolong orang-orang yang terluka dan orang-orang yang tertimpa puing-puing bangunan, karena serangan udara Israel telah meluluh lantakkan semua jembatan-jembatan dan jalan-jalan. Mengingat seringnya (hampir tiap kali) Israel tidak berhasil mencapai target tempat-tempat Hizbullah dan lalu menyerang tempat-tempat penduduk sipil, maka orang akan berpikir bahwa serangan rudal Israel itu dibantu oleh satelit-satelit dan GPS militer Amerika. Jangan terperangah dengan perasaan bersalah Amerika. Bagaimana mungkin wayang tidak kurang jahat dibanding dengan dalangnya?

Tentu saja, anda tidak tahu hal-hal itu, karena media cetak dan TV Amerika tidak memberitakan hal-hal itu.

Karena Bush begitu bangga akan dirinya sendiri, maka anda tahu bahwa dia menghalangi setiap usaha untuk menghentikan pembantaian yang dilakukan Israel terhadap penduduk sipil Lebanon. Bush telah berkata pada PBB "Tidak". Bush telah berkata pada Masyarat Eropa "Tidak". Bush telah berkata pada Perdana Menteri Libanon pro-Amerika "Tidak". Bahkan sampai dua kali. Bush bangga akan keteguhan pendiriannya. Dia menikmati penghancuran yang dilakukan Israel dan berharap dia dapat melakukan hal yang sama di Irak.

Apakah itu akan membuat anda sebagai orang Amerika yang bangga terhadap presiden "anda" bahwa dia memberikan lampu hijau pada Israel untuk menjatuhkan bom pada konvoi penduduk desa yang lari dari pengeboman Israel, pada wilayah pemukiman penduduk di ibukota Lebanon dan di seluruh Lebanon, rumah sakit-rumah sakit, pembangkit listrik, pabrik dan gudang makanan, pelabuhan-pelabuhan, lapangan terbang sipil, jembatan-jembatan dan jalan-jalan, pada tiap sarana dimana penduduk sipil bergantung?

Apakah anda bangga menjadi orang Amerika? Apakah anda seorang boneka Israel?

Tanggal 20 Juli, Dewan Perwakilah Rakyat "anda" mengadakan pemungutan suara dengan hasil suara 410-8 yang mendukung tindakan kriminal Israel di Libanon. Tidak puas dengan keterlibatan pada tiap orang Amerika dalam kejahatan perang , Dewan Perwakilan anda, menurut Associated Press, juga "mengutuk musuh-musuh negara Israel."

Siapakah musuh-musuh negara Israel?

Mereka adalah orang-orang Palestina yang tanahnya dirampas oleh negara Yahudi, yang rumah-rumah dan pohon-pohon zaitun nya dihancurkan oleh negara Yahudi, yang anak-anaknya ditembak di jalan-jalan oleh negara Yahudi, yang kaum wanitanya dilecehkan oleh negara Yahudi. Merekalah orang-orang Palestina yang telah dipaksa hidup dalam kampung-kampung terpencil, yang tidak bisa sampai ke tanah-tanah pertanian mereka atau mendapat pengobatan atau sampai ke sekolah, yang tidak bisa menyetir kendaraan melalui jalan-jalan Palestina yang hanya dibuat hanya untuk orang Israel. Merekalah orang-orang Palestina yang kota-kota nya diserang oleh "penduduk" kaum militan Zionis dibawah perlindungan angkatan bersenjata Israel yang memukuli dan membuat orang Palestina menderita dan mengusir mereka dari kota-kota mereka tinggal. Merekalah orang-orang Palestina yang tidak membolehkan anak-anak mereka untuk keluar rumah karena mereka akan dibunuh oleh "penduduk" Israel.

Orang-orang Palestina yang berseteru dengan Israel maka mereka disebut "teroris." Ketika Bush memaksakan pemilu di Palestina, maka orang-orang di sana memilih Hamas. Hamas adalah organisasi yang berdiri menentang negara Yahudi. Tentu saja, ini berarti bahwa Hamas adalah penjahat, anti-semit, tidak pro Amerika dan teroris. Amerika dan Israel bereaksi dengan memutuskan semua bantuan dana untuk pemerintah baru itu. Demokrasi dibolehkan hanya jika ia menghasilkan apa yang diinginkan oleh Bush dan Israel.

Sekarang Israel mempraktekan tindakan teroris. Hanya mereka yang menentang Israel dikatakan teroris.

Musuh lain dari negara Yahudi itu adalah Hizbullah. Hizbullah adalah milisi muslim Shiah yang dibentuk tahun 1982 ketika Israel pertama kali menginvasi Libanon. Selama invasi itu petinggi negara Yahudi itu melakukan pembunuhan kaum pengungsi yang ada di kamp-kamp pengungsi. Hasil dari kekejaman yang dilakukan Israel itu adalah Hizbullah, yang berperang melawan tentara Israel, mengalahkanya, mengusir Israel yang dengan ekor setan-nya terseret diantara kedua kakinya, keluar dari Libanon. Hari ini Hizbullah tidak hanya mempertahankan wilayah selatan Libanon tapi juga menyediakan pelayanan sosial seperti kepada rumah-rumah yatim piatu dan pusat pengobatan.

Untuk menghentikan pengejaran itu, musuh-musuh negara Yahudi itu adalah negara-negara muslim yang diperintah oleh pemimpin-pemimpin boneka Amerika yang bersahabat dengan Israel. Mesir, Yordania, Saudi Arabia, dan Emirate Arab telah memihak Israel untuk melawan orang-orang Arab sendiri, karena mereka tergantung baik pada uang atau perlindungan Amerika untuk penduduk negara-negara itu. Cepat atau lambat pemerintah-pemerintah yang korup itu yang tidak mewakili penduduk mereka itu, akan dijatuhkan. Itu hanya masalah waktu.

Jika anda masih bangga menjadi orang Amerika maka pertimbangkanlah bahwa kebanggan anda bukan untuk kebaikan - baik bagi Israel maupun bagi Amerika.

Tanggal 20 Juli ketika Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat "anda" , mengikuti Senat Amerika, mensahkan resolusi untuk mendukung tindakan kriminal perang Israel, badan lobi yang terkuat di Amerika, The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), langsung mengeluarkan press release"Rakyat Amerika dengan bersemangat mendukung Israel dalam perang melawan terorisme dan memahami bahwa kami harus mendukung sekutu terdekat kami dalam masa krisis seperti ini."

Walaupun pemelintiran berita yang dilakukan oleh Israel yang disediakan oleh "laporan" Amerika, mayoritas rakyat Amerika tidak menyetujui kebiadaban Israel terhadap penduduk sipil Libanon. Hizbullah ada di Libanon bagian selatan. Maka jika Israel mentargetkan Hizbullah, kenapa bom-bom Israel jatuh di wilayah utara Libanon? Kenapa bom-bom itu jatuhnya di Beirut?

Kenapa bom-bom itu jatuhnya di lapangan terbang sipil? Di sekolah-sekolah dan rumah sakit-rumah sakit?

Sekarang kita sampai pada pokok bahasan. Ketika Senat Amerika dan DPR mengeluarkan resolusi dukungan terhadap kejahatan perang Israel dan menguutuk mereka yang menentang agresi Israel, Senat dan DPR mengegaskan propaganda Osama bin Laden bahwa Amerika berdiri di sisi Israel melawan Arab dan dunia Islam.

Memang, Israel, yang merupakan negara dengan pendapatan perkapita terbesar di dunia, adalah juga penerima bantuan luar negeri Amerika terbesar. Kebanyakan orang percaya bahwa banyak dari "bantuan" itu kembali ke AIPAC, yang kemudian menggunakannya untuk memilih perwakilan "kami" di Kongres.

Pendapat ini tidak menguntungkan Israel, yang populasinya terus menurun, dan orang yang pintar sudah melihatnya di dinding dan meninggalkannya. Israel dikelilingi oleh jutaan muslim yang bisa berubah menjadi musuh-musuh Israel karena tindakan-tindakan Israel dan kebijakannya yang tidak manusiawi.

Harapan dari dunia Islam adalah bahwa Amerika akan mengintervensi dan berkompromi dan membuat Israel sadar bahwa mereka tidak bisa mencuri Palestina dan menjadikan penduduknya sebagai pengungsi.

Ini adalah harapan dari dunia Arab. Ini adalah alasan kenapa pemerintahan-pemerintahan boneka kita belum jatuh. Alasan inilah kenapa Amerika masih punya wibawa di dunia Arab.

Resolusi dari DPR, yang dibeli dan dibayar oleh uang AIPAC, adalah paku terakhir pada peti mati kewibawaan Amerika di Timur Tengah. Ini menunjukkan bahwa Amerika, memang benar-benar boneka Israel, sebagaimana yang dikatakan oleh Osama, dan sebagaimana yang diyakini oleh mayoritas kaum muslimin.

Dengan harapan dan kebuntuan diplomasi, Amerika hanya memiliki taring dan cakar. Militer Israel yang angkuh tidak bisa mengalahkan sekumpulan milisi di selatan Libanon. Militer Amerika yang angkuh tidak bisa mengalahkan sekumpulan orang yang hanya bersenjatakan seadanya, pemberontak yang berasal dari sebuah minoritas penduduk Irak, lagi pula, siapa yang terlibat dalam perang sipil melawan mayoritas Shiah?

Pemusnahan kaum muslimin adalah hanya satu dari beberapa bentuk kekejian yang dilakukan oleh neoconservatives yang memiliki total kontrol atas pemerintahan Bush. Dedengkot Neocon Norman Podhoretz malah telah menyerukan Perang Dunia IV (dalam pikiran neocon WW III adalah Perang Dingin) yakni untuk menghancurkan Islam di Timur Tengah, membasmi agama Islam dan merubahnya menjadi serangkaian ibadah formal dan sekular saja.

Neocon dari Pentagon, Rumsfeld, telah membuat draft bagi doktrin baru perang Amerika yang memboleh serangan nuklir sebagai tindakan pre-emptive (serangan pendahuluan) terhadap negara-negara tanpa senjaa nuklir.

Neocon David Horowitz mengatakan tentang pembantaian penduduk sipil Palestina dan Lebanon bahwa, "Israel sedang melakukan sesuatu sebagaimana yang dilakukan bangsa yang beradab," hingga menyamakan kejahatan perang dengan orang beradab.

Neocon Larry Kudlow mengatakan bahwa "Israel sedang melakukan pekerjaan Tuhan""teruslah dan bunuhlah tetanggamu hingga kamu dapat mengambil tanah mereka"?
Keterlibatan publik Amerika terhadap tindakan kriminal yang biadab ini akan mengutuk Amerika dalam sejarah untuk selamanya.

COPYRIGHT CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider's Account of Policymaking in Washington; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice. Click here for Peter Brimelow's Forbes Magazine interview with Roberts about the recent epidemic of prosecutorial misconduct.

yang menegaskan bahwa dengan membunuh bangsa Libanon, suatu klaim yang seharusnya menghentikan dukungan kaum Kristen Evangelis terhadap Israel. Kapankah Yesus pernah mengatakan,

Catatan Kaki

Paul Craig Roberts (http://vdare.com/roberts/index.htm)

"Israel sedang melakukan pekerjaan Tuhan"
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/07/israels_moment_the_free_worlds.html

"mengutuk musuh-musuh negara Israel"
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060720-105124-4182r.htm

"Rakyat Amerika dengan bersemangat mendukung Israel dalam perang melawan terorisme dan memahami bahwa kami harus mendukung sekutu terdekat kami dalam masa krisis seperti ini"
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=297753&Category=23

Neo-Konservatif
http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=neoconservatism&sp-a=sp0a298a00&sp-advanced=1&sp-p=all&sp-w-control=1&sp-w=alike&sp-d=custom&sp-date-range=-1&sp-start-month=0&sp-start-day=0&sp-start-year=&sp-end-month=0&sp-end-day=0&sp-end-year=&sp-x=any&sp-c=25&sp-

Sumber : http://hizbut-tahrir.or.id/main.php?page=news&id=686

kata shakespeare

2006-08-09T14:46:00.000+07:00

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Menunggu takdir

2006-07-27T23:50:00.000+07:00

Hwrakadah ... It's a final countdown. Tak kunyana ternyata hari-hari ini cukup menggelisahkan. Kusangka akan biasa-biasa saja ternyata ... Tak pernah siap. Itulah selalu, apapun yang akan kulakukan. Dulu beres sekolah, menikah, jadi bapak tak siap. Sepertinya mati atau ditinggal mati juga gak pernah siap. Begitulah yang secara kini sudah ada jawaban, ternyata harus menunggu satu lagi. Ini yang menggelisahkan. Whoaa. Tapi katanya kalau udah jodoh, kalau udah rezekinya, udah takdirnya ya begitulah terjadi. So banyak-banyak berdoa aja! Sambil menunggu takdir.

sway sway

2006-07-27T23:41:00.000+07:00

This should be posted on July 20, but you know lah...

Yesterday afternoon just right before Maghrib prayer call, I felt my body's trembling on my seat. I thought it was me with my tremor-body. I took a glance to my surrounding and found that the window curtains of my office-room were wobbly. With Pangandaran's quake scene in my mind, I quickly aware that it was a quake. Then I took a little ran out the exit door avoiding a worse situation happen. Later on, TV stations reported a 6.2 scale on Richter earthquake sway tall buliding in Jakarta. The epicentre is reported at about Panaitan island near Ujung Kulon national park.

Panic situation is attcking people at south coast of Java currently, after tsunami stroke Pangandaran's tourism beach area. Yesterday, people of Banten at south coast area fleed to higher ground after received a tsunami rumour. Officials from meteorolgical agency warn that yesterday's earthquake could potentially be tsunamis. But, there always an ironic story comes fom govt official.

Kusmayanto Kadiman -should be Dr.- the science and technology minister, said Indonesia had received the tsunami alert from early warning centres in Hawaii and Los Angeles, but admitted "we did not announce them". "If it [the tsunami that struck the coast of Java on Monday] did not occur, what would have happened?" he had said in a television interview.

But in a subsequent interview yesterday, Mr Kadiman appeared to back away from his admission that no warning was given, telling el-Shinta radio that the meteorological agency sent text messages to at least 400 officials. But he did not say whether the actions were taken before the tsunami hit, or whether the 400 officials lived on the threatened coastline.

Well, we should always look for a scapegoat then.

Tuhan 9 cm

2006-07-27T23:25:00.000+07:00

Postingan ini banyak beredar di beberapa milis, so saya ikut copy paste juga. It seems not a copyright but right to copy.

Oleh : Taufiq Ismail

Indonesia adalah sorga luar biasa ramah bagi perokok, tapi tempat siksa tak tertahankan bagi orang yang tak merokok,
Di sawah petani merokok, di pabrik pekerja merokok, di kantor pegawai merokok, di kabinet menteri merokok, di reses parlemen anggota DPR merokok, di Mahkamah Agung yang bergaun toga merokok, hansip-bintara-perwira nongkrong merokok, di perkebunan pemetik buah kopi merokok, di perahu nelayan penjaring ikan merokok, di pabrik petasan pemilik modalnya merokok, di pekuburan sebelum masuk kubur orang merokok,

Indonesia adalah semacam firdaus-jannatu-na'im sangat ramah bagi perokok, tapi tempat siksa kubur hidup-hidup bagi orang yang tak merokok,
Di balik pagar SMU murid-murid mencuri-curi merokok, di ruang kepala sekolah ada guru merokok, di kampus mahasiswa merokok, di ruang kuliah dosen merokok, di rapat POMG orang tua murid merokok, di perpustakaan kecamatan ada siswa bertanya apakah ada buku tuntunan cara merokok,

Di angkot Kijang penumpang merokok, di bis kota sumpek yang berdiri yang duduk orang bertanding merokok, di loket penjualan karcis orang merokok, di kereta api penuh sesak orang festival merokok, di kapal penyeberangan antar pulau penumpang merokok, di andong Yogya kusirnya merokok, sampai kabarnya kuda andong minta diajari pula merokok,

Negeri kita ini sungguh nirwana kayangan para dewa-dewa bagi perokok, tapi tempat cobaan sangat berat bagi orang yang tak merokok,
Rokok telah menjadi dewa, berhala, tuhan baru, diam-diam menguasai kita,
Di pasar orang merokok, di warung Tegal pengunjung merokok, di restoran di toko buku orang merokok, di kafe di diskotik para pengunjung merokok,

Bercakap-cakap kita jarak setengah meter tak tertahankan abab rokok, bayangkan isteri-isteri yang bertahun-tahun menderita di kamar tidur ketika melayani para suami yang bau mulut dan hidungnya mirip asbak rokok,
Duduk kita di tepi tempat tidur ketika dua orang bergumul saling menularkan HIV-AIDS sesamanya, tapi kita tidak ketularan penyakitnya. Duduk kita disebelah orang yang dengan cueknya mengepulkan asap rokok di kantor atau di stopan bus, kita ketularan penyakitnya. Nikotin lebih jahat penularannya ketimbang HIV-AIDS,

Indonesia adalah sorga kultur pengembangbiakan nikotin paling subur di dunia, dan kita yang tak langsung menghirup sekali pun asap tembakau itu, bisa ketularan kena,
Di puskesmas pedesaan orang kampung merokok, di apotik yang antri obat merokok, di panti pijat tamu-tamu disilahkan merokok, di ruang tunggu dokter pasien merokok, dan ada juga dokter-dokter merokok,
Istirahat main tenis orang merokok, di pinggir lapangan voli orang merokok, menyandang raket badminton orang merokok, pemain bola PSSI sembunyi-sembunyi merokok, panitia pertandingan balap mobil, pertandingan bulutangkis, turnamen sepakbola mengemis-ngemis mencium kaki sponsor perusahaan rokok,

Di kamar kecil 12 meter kubik, sambil 'ek-'ek orang goblok merokok, di dalam lift gedung 15 tingkat dengan tak acuh orang goblok merokok, di ruang sidang ber-AC penuh, dengan cueknya, pakai dasi, orang-orang goblok merokok,

Indonesia adalah semacam firdaus-jannatu-na'im sangat ramah bagi orang perokok, tapi tempat siksa kubur hidup-hidup bagi orang yang tak merokok,
Rokok telah menjadi dewa, berhala, tuhan baru, diam-diam menguasai kita,
Di sebuah ruang sidang ber-AC penuh, duduk sejumlah ulama terhormat merujuk kitab kuning dan mempersiapkan sejumlah fatwa. Mereka ulama ahli hisap. Haasaba, yuhaasibu, hisaaban. Bukan ahli hisab ilmu falak, tapi ahli hisap rokok. Di antara jari telunjuk dan jari tengah mereka terselip berhala-berhala kecil, sembilan senti panjangnya, putih warnanya, ke mana-mana dibawa dengan setia, satu kantong dengan kalung tasbih 99 butirnya,
Mengintip kita dari balik jendela ruang sidang, tampak kebanyakan mereka memegang rokok dengan tangan kanan, cuma sedikit yang memegang dengan tangan kiri. Inikah gerangan pertanda yang terbanyak kelompok ashabul yamiin dan yang sedikit golongan ashabus syimaal?

Asap rokok mereka mengepul-ngepul di ruangan AC penuh itu. Mamnu'ut tadkhiin, ya ustadz. Laa tasyrabud dukhaan, ya ustadz. Kyai, ini ruangan ber-AC penuh. Haadzihi al ghurfati malii'atun bi mukayyafi al hawwa'i. Kalau tak tahan, di luar itu sajalah merokok.
Laa taqtuluu anfusakum.
Min fadhlik, ya ustadz. 25 penyakit ada dalam khamr.
Khamr diharamkan. 15 penyakit ada dalam daging khinzir (babi). Daging khinzir diharamkan. 4000 zat kimia beracun ada pada sebatang rokok. Patutnya rokok diapakan?
Tak perlu dijawab sekarang, ya ustadz. Wa yuharrimu 'alayhimul khabaaith. Mohon ini direnungkan tenang-tenang, karena pada zaman Rasulullah dahulu, sudah ada alkohol, sudah ada babi, tapi belum ada rokok.
Jadi ini PR untuk para ulama. Tapi jangan karena ustadz ketagihan rokok, lantas hukumnya jadi dimakruh-makruhkan, jangan,

Para ulama ahli hisap itu terkejut mendengar perbandingan ini. Banyak yang diam-diam membunuh tuhan-tuhan kecil yang kepalanya berapi itu, yaitu ujung rokok mereka. Kini mereka berfikir. Biarkan mereka berfikir. Asap rokok di ruangan ber-AC itu makin pengap, dan ada yang mulai terbatuk-batuk,

Pada saat sajak ini dibacakan malam hari ini, sejak tadi pagi sudah 120 orang di Indonesia mati karena penyakit rokok. Korban penyakit rokok lebih dahsyat ketimbang korban kecelakaan lalu lintas, lebih gawat ketimbang bencana banjir, gempa bumi dan longsor, cuma setingkat di bawah korban narkoba,

Pada saat sajak ini dibacakan, berhala-berhala kecil itu sangat berkuasa di negara kita, jutaan jumlahnya, bersembunyi di dalam kantong baju dan celana, dibungkus dalam kertas berwarni dan berwarna, diiklankan dengan indah dan cerdasnya,

Tidak perlu wudhu atau tayammum menyucikan diri, tidak perlu ruku' dan sujud untuk taqarrub pada tuhan-tuhan ini, karena orang akan khusyuk dan fana dalam nikmat lewat upacara menyalakan api dan sesajen asap
tuhan-tuhan ini.

[sic!]

2006-06-27T20:06:00.000+07:00

While reading a number of books I have come upon this (sic) after a word or phrase.

Ternyata ertinya (sic!) "thus" = jadi, dengan demikian, sedemikian rupa sehingga x + y asimetrik (haiyah, matematik smp!). Menurut Mr Webster's (New Collegiate Dictionary) artinya "intentionally so written --used after a printed word or passage to indicate that it is intended exactly as printed or to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original".

Jadi (sic) sengaja ditulis setelah suatu kata atau kalimat untuk menunjukkan bahwa kata2 itu seperti tercetak demikian atau segitu dari aslinya. Jadi jika kita mau menyutat satu kata atau kalimat yang kita tahu kata itu salah dalam grammar atau salah ketik, tapi kita tetap ingin mengutip secara aslinya. Memperlihatkan bahwa kita tahu itu salah atau menunjukkan kita tidak bodoh.

Contohnya:
Sing sopo-sopo mancane (sic!) radio tangtu mangane lagu.

Thus, kita mo ngasih tahu ke si pembaca bahwa kita mengutip si anu sesuai dg aslinya. Dan bukan kesalahan kita. Understand? Under...

snake's pit

2006-06-27T19:50:00.000+07:00

A message appears to my mailbox: "Get a grip on the motives of people around you; evaluate who is hiding something."

Few weeks ago, a dream flashed. It's obviously seen a friend of mine catched a lot of snakes from various species from blackish to coulourful ones on a stony stream. He was quite busy, while me just stood up and watched over the stones. But later one, the friend sent me off the dying-snakes. I felt showing momentary hesitate to take those. Those eventually killed anyway.

Haiya, what does that mean, buddy? Who is hiding something? Comes up or my mom will shoot you!!!

Sunset

2006-06-17T01:08:00.000+07:00

Sore ini kita melakukan lagi ritual kita, setelah lama terlupakan. Duduk bersila di bibir pantai, dan masing-masing ditemani secangkir kopi dan sebatang rokok. Wajah klimis habis mandi menghadap matahari yang mau surup. Itulah ritual kami sore hari di pinggir pantai. Banyak orang melakukan ritual seperti kami. Di Bali, Pattaya atau Waikiki, dan kami saat ini di pantai selatan Jawa. Sancang. Pantai yang sunyi dan sepi.

Inilah salah satu moment indah di dunia. Waktu peralihan dari siang ke gelap. Minan nur ila dzulumati. Exit light, enter night. Di bibir pantai inilah terlihat jelas beda antara siang dan malam. Di mana batas pandangan mata adalah horizon, garis langit yang bertemu garis lautan. Inilah waktu pemisah kehidupan antara makhluk diurnal dan nocturnal. Begitu juga manusia diurnal dan manusia nocturnal.

Perlahan matahari turun menuju horizon. Tapi ini kali, kau kelihatan gelisah. Sementara mata ini terhanyut pada matahari yang temaram. Kemudian terang sambil mengerjap-ngerjap. Setengah dan dengan cepat meluncur turun. Inilah surup. Pantai yang tadi temaram berwarna oranye kini gelap gulita. Kesadaran telah kembali, ketika kudengar suara isak. Kulihat dia membelakangi matahari.

Kupukul punggungnya, Kenapa?
Apakah besok matahari masih keluar? Aku takut inilah hari terakhir matahari terbenam, jawabnya.
Aku tertawa. Sambil menjingjing cangkir, meninggalkannya yang masih terpekur dan mengisak, aku berjalan merasakan lembutnya pasir pantai ini. Baru tersadar, itu berarti KIAMAT??!!

Tua itu pasti, dewasa itu pilihan

2006-06-17T01:04:00.000+07:00

The story of a loser - it could be you.

Sweet child in time you'll see the line
The line that's drawn between the good and the bad
See the blind man shooting at the world
Bullets flying taking toll
If you've been bad, Lord I bet you have
And you've been hit by flying lead
You'd better close your eyes and bow your head
And wait for the ricochet

Baru kusadari bahwa selama ini diri ini ternyata terlalu berleha-leha. Banyak hal-hal kecil yang ternyata belum pernah kulakukan. Ternyata setelah dilakukan banyak hal baru yang bisa diraih. Sungguh beruntung masih mau belajar. Setiap saat adalah belajar. Jadilah manusia pembelajar, kata Andreas Harefa.

C'mon, tak ada istilah te laat. Masa segitu aja udah nyerah... orang dulu banyak yang respek terhadapmu, dengan hasil kerjamu. Tapi setelah kamu banyak mengeluh sirna sudah respek teman-temanmu. Orang-orang mulai meninggalkanmu. Orang lain menilaimu, buddy. They don't tell it, though. But, you're being cornered. Kenapa sekarang mudah sekali, amarah terlihat di mulutmu. Or you're being bossy?

Tiba-tiba saja terpampang di sebuah website, sebuah kata-kata hikmah:

Jika engkau menaklukkan dirimu dalam hal-hal kecil, sesungguhnya engkau melatih kemauanmu untuk menjadi batu karang yang kukuh dan menjadi tuan atasmu.

Ingatlah lagi kata si Cangklong tua itu: apa sih yang membedakan dewasa dan anak-anak? Atau kata lain kedewasaan itu? Anak-anak akan langsung mengungkapkan isi hatinya tanpa bisa membendungnya. Jika dia ingin permen dia akan mengatakannya. Jika tidak diberi? ... Nangis.... Kalau diberi dia akan tertawa terbahak-bahak. Saluran saraf antara otak dan indra sangat pendek. What you see is what you get. Semakin lama usianya, harusnya semakin panjang pula saluran itu. Tapi tidak semua orang bisa melakukan itu.

Benarlah kata si A-Mild itu: Tua itu pasti, dewasa itu pilihan. Mana yang akan kau pilih?
Anyway, kata John F Kennedy (1917-1963): Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

Ahmadinejad

2006-05-19T20:48:00.000+07:00

During his visit to Indonesia, President Iran Ahmadinejad received applaud from civitas academica of University of Indonesia and Islamic State University Jakarta. Even his visit has made a hip to the Indonesian leaders here. But the interesting occassion he made recently was about his letter to the President Bush. He made a score, while Bush remain silent. As did Ayatollah Khomeini sent a letter to President Gorbachev during his term. His calm but smart appearance shares a voice of the third world.

By googling 'Ahmadinejad letter' you will easily find his letter that made available for public. One of those is available at http://www.president.ir/. The letter was submitted to President Bush on Monday, May 9, 2006 via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which takes care of the US interest section in Iran and acts as a liason between the two countries. The following is the full text of the letter:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,

Mr George Bush,
President of the United States of America,

For sometime now I have been thinking, how one can justify the undeniable contradictions that exist in the international arena -- which are being constantly debated, especially in political forums and amongst university students. Many questions remain unanswered. These have prompted me to discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hope that it might bring about an opportunity to redress them.

Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the great Messenger of God, feel obliged to respect human rights, present liberalism as a civilization model, announce one’s opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs, make “War on Terror” his slogan, and finally, work towards the establishment of a unified international community – a community which Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern, but at the same time, have countries attacked. The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight chance of the presence of a few criminals in a village, city, or convoy for example, the entire village, city or convoy (are) set ablaze.

Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs in one country, it is occupied, around one hundred thousand people killed, its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000 foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens broken, and the country pushed back perhaps fifty years. At what price? Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and certain other countries and tens of thousands of young men and women – as occupation troops – put in harms way, taken away from family and loved ones, their hands stained with the blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that everyday some commit suicide and those returning home suffer depression, become sickly and grapple with all sorts of ailments; while some are killed and their bodies handed to their families.

On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to engulf both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.

Of course Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to topple him, the announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction. He was toppled along the way towards another goal; nevertheless the people of the region are happy about it. I point out that throughout the many years of the imposed war on Iran Saddam was supported by the West.

Mr. President,
You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can these actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the Messenger of peace and forgiveness?

There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously kept in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.

European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or her being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system. For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH), human rights and liberal values.

Young people, university students, and ordinary people have many questions about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of them.

Throughout history many countries have been occupied, but I think the establishment of a new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that is exclusive to our times.

Students are saying that sixty years ago such a country did not exist. They show old documents and globes and say try as we have, we have not been able to find a country named Israel.

I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told me that during WWII, which more than tens of millions of people perished in, news about the war, was quickly disseminated by the warring parties. Each touted their victories and the most recent battlefront defeat of the other party. After the war they claimed that six million Jews had been killed. Six million people that were surely related to at least two million families.

Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that logically translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East or support for such a state? How can this phenomenon be rationalized or explained?

Mr. President,
I am sure you know how – and at what cost – Israel was established:

-Many thousands were killed in the process.

-Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.

-Hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns and villages were destroyed.

This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing for sixty years now.

A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids, destroys houses while the occupants are still in them, announces beforehand its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian figures, and keeps thousands of Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is unique – or at the very least extremely rare – in recent memory.

Another big question asked by the people is “why is this regime being supported?”

Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values?

Or are we to understand that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands – inside and outside Palestine -- whether they are Christian, Moslem or Jew, to determine their fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the teachings of prophets? If not, why is there so much opposition to a referendum?

The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took office. All independent observers have confirmed that this government represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected government under pressure and have advised it to recognize the Israeli regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous government.

If the current Palestinian government had run on the above platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can such position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are also asking “Why are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?”

Mr. President,
As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant contact with them -- many people from around the Middle East manage to contact me as well. They do not have faith in these dubious policies either. There is evidence that the people of the region are becoming increasingly angry with such policies.

It is not my intention to pose too many questions, but I need to refer to other points as well.

Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in the Middle East region is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D [Research & Development] one of the basic rights of nations?

You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what other point in history has scientific and technical progress been a crime? Can the possibility of scientific achievements being utilized for military purposes be reason enough to oppose science and technology altogether? If such a supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc. must be opposed.

Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to be lied to.

Mr. President,
Don’t Latin Americans have the right to ask why their elected governments are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, Why must they constantly be threatened and live in fear?

The people of Africa are hardworking, creative and talented. They can play an important and valuable role in providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are preventing this from happening. Don’t they have the right to ask why their enormous wealth – including minerals – is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

Again, do such actions correspond to the teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights?

The brave and faithful people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including: the coup d’etat of 1953 and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the day, opposition to the Islamic revolution, transformation of an Embassy into a headquarters supporting the activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of pages of documents corroborate this claim), support for Saddam in the war waged against Iran, the shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane, freezing the assets of the Iranian nation, increasing threats, anger and displeasure vis-à-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and celebrating their country’s progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer to in this letter.

Mr. President,
September Eleven was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is deplorable and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately declared its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the bereaved and expressed its sympathies.

All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs extensive security, protection and intelligence systems – and even hunts its opponents abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it be planned and executed without coordination with intelligence and security services – or their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. Why have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not told who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren’t those responsible and the guilty parties identified and put on trial?

All governments have a duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some years now, the people of your country and neighbors of world trouble spots do not have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to the emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people -- who had been immensely traumatized by the attacks -- some Western media only intensified the climate of fear and insecurity – some constantly talked about the possibility of new terror attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that service to the American people? Is it possible to calculate the damages incurred from fear and panic?

American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come at any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the streets, in their place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace of mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity?

Some believe that the hype paved the way -- and was the justification --for an attack on Afghanistan. Again I need to refer to the role of media.

In media charters, correct dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are established tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain Western media for these principles. The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly -- for the public to finally believe -- and the ground set for an attack on Iraq.

Will the truth not be lost in a contrived and deceptive climate?

Again, if the truth is allowed to be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned values? Is the truth known to the Almighty lost as well?

Mr. President,
In countries around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that their governments in turn are able to serve them.

The question here is “what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every year to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?”

As Your Excellency is aware, in some states of your country, people are living in poverty. Many thousands are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem. Of course these problems exist – to a larger or lesser extent -- in other countries as well. With these conditions in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign – paid from the public treasury – be explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles?

What has been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in our region and in your country. But my main contention – which I am hoping you will agree to some of it – is:

Those in power have a specific time in office and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures.

The people will scrutinize our presidencies.

Did we mange to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or insecurity and unemployment?

Did we intend to establish justice or just supported especial interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful -- thus trading the approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs’?

Did we defend the rights of the underprivileged or ignore them?

Did we defend the rights of all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally in their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?

Did we bring the world peace and security or raised the specter of intimidation and threats?

Did we tell the truth to our nation and others around the world or presented an inverted version of it?

Were we on the side of people or the occupiers and oppressors?

Did our administrations set out to promote rational behavior, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations, justice, service to the people, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of guns, intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people’s rights?

And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of office – to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions of the prophets -- or not?

Mr. President,
How much longer can the world tolerate this situation?

Where will this trend lead the world to?

How long must the people of the world pay for the incorrect decisions of some rulers?

How much longer will the specter of insecurity – raised from the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction -- hunt the people of the world?

How much longer will the blood of the innocent men, women and children be spilled on the streets, and people’s houses destroyed over their heads?

Are you pleased with the current condition of the world?

Do you think present policies can continue?

If billions of dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movement were instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion of health, combating different diseases, education and improvement of mental and physical fitness, assistance to the victims of natural disasters, creation of employment opportunities and production, development projects and poverty alleviation, establishment of peace, mediation between disputing states, and extinguishing the flames of racial, ethnic and other conflicts, were would the world be today? Would not your government and people be justifiably proud?

Would not your administration’s political and economic standing have been stronger?

And I am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global hatred of the American government?

Mr. President, it is not my intention to distress anyone.

If Prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph, or Jesus Christ (PBUH) were with us today, how would they have judged such behavior? Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice will become universal and Jesus Christ (PBUH) will be present? Will they even accept us?

My basic question is this: Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of Christians, hundreds of millions of Muslims and millions of people who follow the teachings of Moses (PBUH). All divine religions share and respect one word and that is “monotheism” or belief in a single God and no other in the world.

The Holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on all followers of divine religions and says: [3.64] Say: O followers of the Book! Come to an equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not serve any but Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught with Him, and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah; but if they turn back, then say: Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran)

Mr. President,
According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one God and follow the teachings of divine Prophets.

“To worship a God which is above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases.” “The Lord which knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows what goes on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds.”

“The Lord who is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His court” “planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins” “He is the companion of the oppressed and the enemy of oppressors” “He is the Compassionate, the Merciful” “He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards the light from darkness” “He is witness to the actions of His servants” “He calls on servants to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of righteousness and remain steadfast” “Calls on servants to heed His prophets and He is a witness to their deeds” “A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen the life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants” and “A good end and eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not follow their lascivious selves.”

We believe a return to the teachings of the divine prophets is the only road leading to salvation. I have been told that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (PBUH) and believes in the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth.

We also believe that Jesus Christ (PBUH) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (PBUH) has been quoted in Koran as well: [19.36] And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path. Marium
Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine messengers.

The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and give dignity to all His servants. He has given greatness to Humans.

We again read in the Holy Book: “The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and clear signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purify them from sins and pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the people display justice and avoid the rebellious”.

All of the above verses can be seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.

Divine prophets have promised:
The day will come when all humans will congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are examined. The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will not be easy to calculate the actions of rulers, because we must be answerable to our nations and all others whose lives have been directly or indirectly affected by our actions.

All prophets, speak of peace and tranquility for man -- based on monotheism, justice and respect for human dignity.

Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present problems of the world -- that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the teachings of prophets – and improve our performance?
Do you not think that belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and justice?

Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten principles are universally respected?

Will you not accept this invitation? That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His prophets?

Mr. President,
History tells us that repressive and cruel governments do not survive. God has entrusted the fate of men to them. The Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices.

Many things have happened contrary to the wishes and plans of governments. These tell us that there is a higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.

Can one deny the signs of change in the world today?

Is the situation of the world today comparable to that of ten years ago? Changes happen fast and come at a furious pace.

The people of the world are not happy with the status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a number of influential world leaders. Many people around the world feel insecure and oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and accept dubious policies.

The people are protesting the increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.

The people are disgusted with increasing corruption.

The people of many countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and the disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in international organizations, because their rights are not advocated by these organizations.

Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed. Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the Liberal democratic systems.

We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point -- that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the teachings of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for you is: “Do you not want to join them?”

Mr. President,
Whether we like it or not, the world is gravitating towards faith in the
Almighty and justice and the will of God will prevail over all things.

Vasalam Ala Man Ataba’al hoda
Mahmood Ahmadi-Nejad
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Sabar dong!

2006-05-16T17:04:00.000+07:00

''Bagaimana saya bisa bersabar, kalau semua harga kebutuhan serba naik! Sementara saya masih juga belum mendapat rezeki yang memadai. Bagaimana saya bisa memenuhi kebutuhan hidup?'' "Sabar itu ada batasnya". "Masa sih sabar terus".

Akhir-akhir ini saya sering mendengar kata tersebut. Teman di angkot, teman di kantor, teman di rumah ataupun teman di kamar mengingatkan kata tersebut. Hidup sudah susah begini.

Suatu ketika seorang ibu tetangga melahirkan anaknya dengan lancar. Mulus, tentu setelah mulas. Subhanallah, kata istriku. Ada yang harus berjuang susah payah, dia begitu mulus, lancar. Penghasilan suaminya, jauh dari memadai. Bayi itu dibungkus oleh plastik, dan diletakkan di sudut rumah yang cahaya pun sukar masuk. Anaknya sudah enam, sehat semua. Ketika ditanya masih mau tambah? Yah terserah Gusti Allah. [Jika kita lihat, orang tua kita dulu bisa melahirkan anak sampai di atas 10 anak. Sepertinya kita tidak mendengar keluh kesah dari mereka. Atau kita aja yang belum lahir, dan karenanya tak mendengar keluh kesah?]

Apa resep mereka? Coba tanyakan dan resapi, kataku kepada istri. Dia jarang mengeluh, kata istriku. Apa lagi? Dia selalu tersenyum. Keinginannya sederhana, sesederhana jalan pikirannya. Hmmm... kami terdiam. Dia tidak sekolah tinggi-tinggi ya? Makanya jangan kebanyakan sekolah. Sekolah itu candu! kata Roem Topattimasang. Bikin orang berpikir nganeh-nganehi. ;-) Kami tertawa. Kata istriku, dia sabar!

Adzan maghrib menjelang. Tiba-tiba saja di TV O Channel terpapar: "Jadikanlah shalat & sabar penolongmu..." ayat Quran tapi lupa suratnya berapa. Kami pun shalat. Berdoa sapu jagat. Malam menjelang. Setelah makan malam, tv dinyalakan kembali. Gonta-ganti saluran TV sudah biasa, karena kami harus mencari sesuatu yang pantas dilihat the kids. Change the channel, it's jerk atau koq gitu? sering bersahut-sahutan di antara kita. Atau the kids tanya kenapa begini kenapa begitu. Sampai akhirnya mereka terlelap.

Sendiri menonton tv. Lihat Lativi, ada Pildacil. Sebentar liat dua orang ustadz bergaya seperti dua orang pelawak. Sungguh susah membedakan antara ustadz dan pelawak di tv show, kecuali aksesoris. Bikin bete dan bikin dakwah jadi murahan. Hati merutuk. Pantes aja orang-orang banyak itu bilang sedang terjadi arabisasi. Mereka bilang negara ini mau jadi Arab, karena semua orang harus pakai aksesori Arab. Dari tudung kepala sampai nama-nama Arab harus diganti, begitu diskusi di satu milis. Kata Pak Dien Syamsudin waktu ceramah di UCLA bilang, Indonesia ini bukan negara agama, pun bukan negara sekular. Jadi negara apa toch, Pak? Emang gak jelas kali?

Tapi my thumb didn't push the buttons on my remote control. Saya penasaran, ternyata kemudian saya dengar mereka sedang membahas SABAR. Oops... kata mereka: menurut agama sabar itu ada tiga:

sabar dalam taat
sabar dari menginginkan perbuatan yang dilarang. karena fitrah manusia selalu ingin menyerempet-nyerempet yang dilarang. [Persis kata bang haji Rhoma Irama, kenapa e kenapa semua yang enak-enak itu diharamkan ...]
sabar dalam menghadapi ujian dan kesenangan dalam hidup ini

Blah... blah... itu yang bisa saya tangkap. Istighfar sebentar, makanya jangan berburuk sangka sama orang. Ilmu bisa didapat dari mana saja. Karena kata nabi ilmu itu adalah mutiara yang tercuri oleh orang lain. Makanya keluar hadist, carilah ilmu walaupun sampai ke negeri Cina. Negeri Cina zaman itu, masih merupakan daerah incognito.

Esoknya kubaca sebuah email. Emailnya biasa saja, tapi quotation di signature-nya yang tidak biasa: When I die I will go to heaven, because when I life, I live in hell. Apaan nih, pasti keluar dari seseorang yang secara demikian sehingga bermakna sufistik. Tapi mungkin copy and paste begitu saja. It's nice anyhow. Saya tersenyum.

Beberapa hari kemudian bertemu seorang teman. "Sekarang tuh harus banyak bersabar kayaknya dan banyak tersenyum," katanya. "Kalau orang sudah tidak bisa tersenyum aura udah habis, siap-siap aja sakit," imbuhnya. Jadi banyak-banyak sabar ya. Saya mengamini.

Well, pelajaran hari-hari ini bagiku adalah sabar. Pernahkah kamu mengalami serba kebetulan itu? Atau memang sudah diskenariokan?

Sabar yah... waktumu akan datang juga. Eat, read, die anyway...

what are you doin'

2006-03-08T10:27:00.000+07:00

what are you doin' down there? Come up.

midnight in Jogja (1)

2006-02-19T22:49:00.000+07:00

I was hurry to catch up a flight to Jogja, after receiving a call to meet a person that I wanted to meet. A person whom I want to learn on his business strategy in running on bookstore. A business that our institution wanted to run in this year. He, whose name won't disclose in this blog, is running a number of successful bookstores in several cities and planning to broaden his business in Jakarta and Bandung in this year. His bookstores are now apparently competitor for two leading 'mainstream' bookstores in the country, at least in central and eastern Java, to my knowledge.

It was a gambling to have a ticket from Jakarta to Jogja at the weekend which is a peak season. But, I was quite sure I could have it since many maatschappij is growing nowadays. And in turns give consumers many choices with a competitive price. My feeling was right, as I had the lowest price after a little effort, of course. It was Garuda Airways, a good one, still, for me.

Well, I could have taken a breath with ticket in my hand, so I needed a little smoke. I took a glance around to see a place for smoking. I should have been wary, since the Sutiyoso's administration of Greater Jakarta banned smoking in public spaces with Rp50 million fine. But it seems it goes to the air, as people here smoke as usual, except at the inside part, so I joined with a group of smokers -men and women. hehe...

Having smoked one cigarrete, I came into the desk for check in. Then I spent a little time, as I usually do at every airport, to check good books out with bargain prices. Nothing of my interest, so I went to go aboard. My seat was at the second row from behind and alone in this Boeing 737 500.

Garuda is dealing a tight competition in domestic flight, with Lion, Wings and Air Asia just to name. But the service is still better than others. We still have a small meal even in a short-distance flight and good service. Even, I heard that Garuda was presented as the best international airways service to the Netherlands, besides KLM. AirAsia's ticket, with its motto 'now everyone can fly', is quite affordable as compared with other companies. Even, with that of train, which takes longer in time in en route Java's land. Of course, client always wanted a lowest price, as a result the operational costs, including meal **makan itu perlu** and even safety procedures, are sometimes put aside. This' obviously seen with several accidents took place recently. **I dunno exactly the cause is**

Stewardess started giving meal and fresh orange juice, I preferred. **Hmm... quite fancier than that of only Aqua**. I starred a glance at 'em. Quite old *I mean not so freshy like a college studnt, you know what I meant** for a stewardess. With growing airways companies nowadays, it seems this job is not such an exclusive job anymore, as compared to the time when I was a teenager. I remember that few of my old-school friends who have good-looking faces wanted to be stewardess, but none succees, as far as I remember ;-)

An hour passed when I landed at Jogja at ca 6p. I took a taxi to Gramedia, bookstore always my fave meeting point, where my friends waited there. There, Hartono and his teteh Witha, Panji and two journalist of the Jakarta Post waited. After a little chit chat, we moved to Toga Mas by Xenia. This bookstore made me interest. With a minimalis style architecture, it was fully. Well, it is saturday night. It is a discount bookstore. Rows of motorcycles and few cars come in and out on its parking lot. Minimalist, only wooden and bared bricks construct this two-floor building. First floor is bookstore and upstair is a cafe and multi function space. This space is free to be used for multievents. Sunday noon, dozens of Aneka teen-models would show off at this spot, I was informed.

Having looked around the first floor, we sat together at cafe. Hotdog, french fries, capuccino, chocolate and juice were served. While a chit chat, a group of people came in. It turns out, they were managers of TM branches which have scheduled to hold a meeting with the person whom I would meet. Thanks to Mas Tarko, I arranged to meet their boss that night. Previously, I was scheduled to meet him tomorrow morning. Gotcha! A call came through. We invited to have a dinner at Gajah Wong, only a block from there.

Jogja is a unique place that still long strong hold its culture. Two sultanates still exists: Sultanate Hamengku Buwono and Susuhunan that separated during VOC time, when VOC and Mataram princess signed in Treaty of Gayanti/Gianti in 1755.

Gajah Wong has an old fashion style with a Dutch building style at the outside and Joglo inside. Dozen of westerners enjoyed their dinner, while jazz music playing. We chose Joglo room with gamelan music playing. It's an example of a blend of oldies and contemporary atmosphere. And it's nice.

I finally met him. A tall, friendly and always-smiling-face guy at his 40s. Having acquainted each other, we started talking my purpose and his experiences while eating. He was too open with his business strategy, I think, bearing in mind it's our first meeting. Well, nice person. Not so many people like him. He speaks softly and calm. I've been meeting people with an outspoken style to show off their capabilities. But, they usually not the case. Too much talks will kill you! Beware with your mouth!
...

Verjaardag groetjes

2006-01-14T20:52:00.000+07:00

Hey honey,

Van harte gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag! Ik hoop dat je een leuke dag hebt.
May your future be happy as happy as can be.

yours,
12 Januari 2006

Father and son

2006-01-11T22:52:00.000+07:00

Pertama kali melihat videoclip lagu ini waktu bulan Ramadhan tahun kemarin di O channel. Familiar dan nyaman di telinga. Menarik, karena yang pertama -mungkin- Ronan Keating, yang kedua Yusuf Islam d/h Cat Steven dan yang ketiga lagunya. Ronan Keating, karena lagunya 'When you say nothing at all' yaitu lagu yang kami senangi waktu kami baru menikah. Jangan tanya kenapa? Frekuensi lagu seringkali sama dengan frekuensi di tubuhmu.

Juga dia adalah an Irish. Typical-nya temperament, gigih, keras pendirian, juga agak pemberontak. Liat saja Roy Keane, kapten MU. Mungkin juga berkaitan dengan sejarah masa lalu mereka yg pernah dijajah Inggris dan kemudian berpisah menjadi Republik Irlandia. Ini juga terwakili dari grup-grup band asal negara ini. Sebut saja U2, the Cranberries, dan tentu saja The Corrs. Selain lirik2 mereka tajam dan dalem mereka juga memasukkan unsur2 alat musik tradisional mereka, menjadi komposisi yang unik.

Yang kedua, Yusuf Islam. Sejak pertama kenal sejarah hidupnya, saya 'admire' dia. Kini dia menjadi seorang aktivis dan pendakwah Islam. Dia mendirikan yayasan Small Kindness dan Muslim Aid untuk membantu orang yg kelaparan dan yatim piatu di Afrika, negara2 Balkan, Iraq dan Indonesia. Ia kemarin dulu muncul di Aceh untuk membantu korban Tsunami. My admire mungkin karena orang -siapapun- ternyata bisa berubah 180o.

Yang ketiga, lirik lagunya. Tentang percakapan ayah yang bijak dan anaknya yang dalam fase memberontak, there's so much you have to know. Suara sang Father di awal dinyanyikan Keating dan dilanjutkan dengan suara melengking dia -memberontak- sebagai suara Son. Kemudian setelah refrain ada suara Yusuf Islam sang Father. Memang hanya sebentar suara Yusuf Islam-nya. Mungkin karena di lirik awal ada kata:
Find a girl, settle down.
If you want, you can marry
IMHO, he doesn't want to encourage young people to do such thing. Suaranya bijak, dalam, kalem agak menggeletar. Sudah cukup tua rupanya. He is old, but he is happy... apparently.

Hari-hari ini saya dan seorang teman sering menyetel lagu ini. Lagi cari MP3-nya tapi belum dapat, let me know when you got that one. Sampai beli kasetnya yang ada di sebelah ini, sekalian karena ada lagu 'When you say nothing at all' (sambil nunggu ada yang nyanyiin lagu ini). Ini nih liriknya:

Father And Son
Ronan Keating & Yusuf Islam

Father:
It's not time to make a change
Just relax--take it easy
You're still young--that's your fault
There's so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down
If you want, you can marry
Look at me--I am old
But I'm happy

I was once like you are now
And I know that it's not easy
To become when you've found
Something going on
But take your time--think a lot
Think of everthing you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow
But your dreams may not...

Son:
How can I try to explain?
When I do--it turns away again
And it's always been the same
Same old story

From the moment I could talk
I was ordered to listen
Now there's a way, and I know
That I have to go away
I know, I have to go...

Father:
I was once like you are now
And I know that it's not easy
To become when you've found
Something going on
But take your time--think a lot
Think of everthing you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow
But your dreams may not...

Son:
All the times, that I've cried
Keeping all the things I knew inside
And it's hard
But it's harder to ignore it
If they were right--I'd agree
But it's them--they know
Not me That I have to go away
I know, I have to go...

Ok, I have to go.

Life is chasing a rainbow?

2006-01-06T13:20:00.000+07:00

Two friends of mine will get married in these two current weeks, respectively. This' just a penny for them:

Hi broers,

You eventually have a courage -enough- to take a big step in your life, as a man. You might find yourself despondent, restless, anxious or might not so patiently enough to wait for the 'H' day.

You will bring somebody into your life. Once in a night, you will be shocked at that somebody lays on beside you. Everything's different, everything's changed. Some said that a marriage is about to take a step into a fortress. Then they fell trapped. But if it were a fortress, why are many hastily to take into it? It's a mystery that you will experience it.

A marriage is a bound between two people that commit to share their life, their dreams. Put a half and a half to become one. You may have experienced it while you both were a fiancee. But it's really different. Once you only saw at her best, and then a bit by bit you'll find her whom all she is. You might find her bizare, odd, as she came from Venus while you were from Mars. We don't ever fully know what they wanted, and sadly vice versa. You could never change her, and it doesn't necessarilly do, because, it is her and so you are. It is just an understanding that you are needed, and so she will.

There's a love: affection with a passion. Love is a chemistry that is growing from time to time, like some of our parents might experience it in the past time of which they might married with a non-love cause. So does take a listen to what Patty Smith said: "Baby sometimes love just ain't enough." So, you have to find something that make it adhere. Some experts said it's a goal of your marriage. You should find it at the very beginning and share it with her. Communication is a key, don't try to hide something from her. A wound could be healed with a Handiplast, but a wounded-heart? It's fragile, so take care of her heart. ** beuh, Astagfirullah...**

Life is like a rainbow, mejikuhibiniu. Full of colour. We don't know where its head and tail. A folklore said that at the end of a rainbow, there's a spring, a fountain. Once you need to enjoy the rainbow's beauty, but you need to chase its tail or its head. It would be an endless walking, but you may find the spring elsewhere, someday. It had been taught by Siti Hajar when she was trying to find a water for baby Yusuf. She run for water from Safa and Marwa, but God's given it by Yusuf's stamped-leg that provided waters, then known as zamzam. It means we only need to work hard but we don't know exactly what the result would be or where rezeki come from.

All in all, you will find yourself disappointed! Why don't you take it step long ago :-) It is rainbow in front of you. Beautiful.

Ah, too much talks will kill me, so I better stop here. In this opportunity, I can only give you a do'a, not else:

Barokallahu laka wa baroka 'alaikum wa jama'a baynakuma fii khoir. (Semoga Allah membarakahi kalian dan melimpahkan barakah kepada kalian).

Selamat menempuh hidup baru, friends.
Yours

Related link:
Proposal Nikah
Janji Allah Bagi Orang Yang Akan Menikah

Photos of the greatness of God's creation

2006-01-06T11:23:00.000+07:00

While surfing this morning, I came across to this website showing photos of the greatness of Allah has created an unlogically such creatures:

Have a look at the following sites:
Mesjid-mesjid penuh Mukjizat
Koleksi Photo Kebesaran Alloh SWT (update)

Ketika musim haji tiba

2005-12-14T23:58:00.000+07:00

”Air laut menguap dan terangkat ke awan. Saat menguap, air itu kehilangan rasa pahitnya, dan menjadi murni dan segar kembali. Itulah sebabnya saat naik haji lebih baik berangkat jalan kaki daripada naik kuda, lebih baik naik kuda daripada naik mobil, lebih baik naik mobil daripada naik kapal, dan lebih baik naik kapal daripada naik pesawat.”

Itulah kutipan film Le Grand Voyage, karya Ismael Ferroukhi (Perancis-Maroko) yang sedang diputar di JiFFest 2005 (Jakarta International Festival) di Taman Ismail Marzuki. Film ini mengisahkan perjalanan haji seorang warga Perancis keturunan Maroko lewat jalan darat. Bapak yang menjelang tua itu minta diantarkan oleh anaknya, seorang pemuda yang sedang maceuh-maceuh-nya, yang hidup di Perancis dan 'sedikit' tercerabut dari akarnya. Baca resensinya di Kompas, 9/12).

Biasanya musim haji, atau lebaran haji, terlewatkan begitu saja. Yang ada di ingatan hanyalah sate kambing atau sapi. Tapi tahun ini agak berbeda. Karena ibuku dan ibu mertuaku pergi berhaji. Bangga rasanya, karena berhaji bagi seorang muslim merupakan impian tertinggi (ultimate dream). Yang berarti pula menggenapkan Rukun Islamnya yang ke-lima. Setelah menunggu sekian lama, akhirnya terpanggil juga.

Kenapa terpanggil? Karena ibadah haji memang benar-benar panggilan atau undangan dari Sang Pemilik Kabah. Mereka yang datang adalah para tamu. Bayangkan berapa banyak orang yang cukup secara materi tapi tidak terpanggil? Mereka sudah mendaftar, coba saja lihat waiting list-nya. Puluhan ribu orang. Tak cukup materi saja, lihatlah ada banyak jalan menuju Kabah. Ada PNS yang diikutkan sebagai pendamping rombongan, jadilah dia Haji Nurdin (Nurut Dinas), atau Haji Kosasih (Ongkos dikasih). Ada juga yang jual tanah dan kebun (Haji apa yah?), dan ada juga yang mendapat undian Indomie, atau ABC.

Perjalanan berhaji ada yang menyebut perjalanan napak tilas seorang manusia, dan napak tilas para nabi dan juga miniatur kehidupan spiritual seorang manusia. Ada juga yang menyebut miniatur kehidupan akhirat. Dalam kegiatan berhaji itulah akan ditemui suatu tempat bernama Jabal Rahmah (bukit kasih sayang). Syahdan di sinilah Nabi Adam dan Siti Hawa (Eve) dipertemukan lagi, setelah puluhan (ratusan?) tahun berpisah semenjak diturunkan dari Surga ke Bumi. Ada juga prosesi berlari-lari 7 kali dari Bukit Safa ke Marwah, yang menggambarkan bagaimana Siti Hajar mencari air untuk anaknya Ismail. Sampai akhirnya keluar air (zamzam) dari jejakan kedua kaki Ismail. Maknanya berusaha wajib, tapi rezeki itu datangnya dari apa yang tidak kita sangka-sangka.

Ada juga prosesi ketika Nabi Ibrahim akan menyembelih anaknya Nabi Ismail. Sebelum melakukan perintah Allah itu, gangguan datang silih berganti dari sang Setan. Di situ ada prosesi melempar setan lewat simbol jumratul aqabah dan jumratul wustho. Lemparlah sesuatu yang besar, dulu baru yang kecil-kecil. Ada tahalul, menggunting rambut, katanya simbol dari membuang pikiran-pikiran kotor! Sampai puncaknya berkumpul di padang Arafah. Di sinilah jutaan manusia berpakaian putih-putih berkumpul bersama. Dikatakan inilah miniatur akhirat, ketika setelah hari kiamat manusia dikumpulkan padang mahsyar.

Ada banyak cerita-cerita yang tidak masuk akal, kalau kita mendengar cerita orang-orang yang pergi berhaji. Ada yang tersesat padahal hanya berputar-putar di pintu masuk mesjid, ada pula yang merasa dijemput pemuda ganteng. Kisah ini diceritakan seorang anak yang pergi bersama ibunya. Si anak shalat di sebelah ibunya yang sudah tua, ketika akhir shalat sang ibu tidak ada lagi di sisinya. Dicarinya selama seminggu. Setelah selama seminggu, si anak kembali lagi ke tempat sang Ibu ternyata dia masih duduk di sana. Ketika ditanya, sang Ibu menjawab bahwa ia tidak kemana-mana, tapi ia dibawa ke suatu tempat oleh seorang pemuda ganteng dan disuguhi makanan dan buah-buahan yang enak. Konon, sang Ibu di desanya banyak mewakafkan tanahnya untuk kepentingan-kepentingan sosial.

Ada lagi cerita seorang Ibu tetangga yang bertemu dengan temannya di Mekah, dan saling berbincang dan berpelukan. Dan ketika ia pulang ia pingsan begitu mendengar bahwa si Ibu itu telah meninggal dan tidak pernah pergi ke Mekah. Atau dengarlah cerita Rendra, si penyair berjuluk Burung Merak: ketika ia hendak berwudhu, tiba-tiba saja air dari kran berubah menjadi rasa Chivas Regal minuman keras favoritnya ketika masih suka minum. Setelah ber-istighfar dan mohon ampun barulah air itu kembali menjadi air biasa.

Menjadi Haji Mabrur adalah goal dari semua orang yang berhaji. Tapi tidak semua yang berangkat haji menjadi mabrur. Ada sebuah riwayat yang menyatakan bahwa pada suatu musim haji tidak ada yang mabrur, kecuali seorang pemuda yang bahkan tidak pergi ke Mekah pada tahun itu. **I'll try to find the full story on it, later**. Mabrur, ketika kembali ke lingkungannya ia menjadi air murni dan segar kembali sebagai seorang manusia. Berperan dalam lingkungannya, sekecil apapun.

Pada waktu syukuran haji kemarin (walimatul safarul haj), saya baru menyadari ibuku adalah seorang tokoh di lingkungannya. Begitu banyak undangan yang hadir dalam acara syukuran haji ini - Alhamdulillah. Handai taulan dan teman-temannya. Mereka begitu mengenal dekat ibuku, tempat bercurah hati ibu-ibu di sana. Orang bertangis-tangisan, mendoakan kepergiannya, keselamatannya, kemabrurannya pergi haji ini, dan kembali lagi ke rumah. **God ... she's my mom** Mataku sempat berkaca-kaca *boys dont' cry!**, terharu dan bangga. Dalam hati, saya melihat 'kesempurnaan' hidup seorang manusia. Di keluarga, Ibuku [dan alm. Bapakku] telah berhasil menjadikan anak-anaknya 'menjadi'. Sudah disapih semua anaknya, sudah terlepas dari busurnya. Di komunitasnya, dia adalah seseorang yang 'menjadi' juga.

Semoga juga tunai rukun Islam yang terakhir, menggenapkan rukun sebagai seorang muslim. Hingga suatu ketika tiba saatnya Allah memanggilnya: "Yaa ayyatuhal nafsul muthmainnah, irji'ii ilaa robbiki rodhiyatan mardhiyyah, fadkhulii fii 'ibaadhii, wadkhuli jannati" (QS Al Fajr: 27-30). Hai jiwa yang tenang, kembalilah kepada Tuhanmu dengan hati yang puas lagi diridhai-Nya. Maka masuklah ke dalam jama'ah hamba-hamba-Ku, dan masuklah ke dalam surga-Ku.

Selamat jalan, semoga menjadi haji mabrur. Amien.

marital rape

2005-12-06T21:34:00.000+07:00

In these recent days, we often hear the term of 'domestic violence' and 'marital rape'. We might have been familiar with the term of domestic violence, even we've seen it in our daily life at home. A husband to slap around or verbally abuse his wife, like that of appearing in a soap-opera TV. But what is 'marital rape'? It literally means rape in a marriage? Wow ... ain't it that means if we were getting married, a wife were legal to have sex with his husband, and vice versa?

Let me take an example on the two Indonesian well-known actress who filed a lawsuit for divorce. According to the infotainment, it just because they suffer from sexual harrassement, to be precisely marital rape, in their domestic life. What was that? It hearsay that they dissented with their spouse to have an anal sex - sorry. We don't know exactly what the real problem was. But, if it was true, I'm curious to know about it. Is that Islam regulates that kind of matter, bearing in mind that the couples are known muslims. I took a narrow search on fiqh (syaria) literatures with special reference to intercourse in Islam. My curious is paid.

Citing Qur'an Al Baqarah 223: "Your wives are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth (have sexual relations with your wives in any manner as long as it is in the vagina and not in the anus), when or how you will, and send (good deeds, or ask Allâh to bestow upon you pious offspring) before you for your ownselves. And fear Allâh, and know that you are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give good tidings to the believers (O Muhammad SAW)."

Buku itu menerangkan, sebab turunnya ayat ini adalah, bahwa orang-orang Yahudi pada masa Rasululloh menyatakan; jika seorang suami menyetubuhi istrinya dari belakang, maka nantinya akan lahir seorang anak yang juling. Dalam hal ini kaum Muslimin Anshar mengikuti pemahaman orang-orang Yahudi tersebut, sehingga Allah Azza wa Jalla menurunkan ayat ini. Dengan kata lain, dihalalkan bercampur suami istri pada kemaluannya dengan cara (posisi) bagaimanapun. Di sini ditulis pada kemaluannya, bukan anal. Lebih detil lagi ada sabda dari Rasulullah Saw: "Dilaknat orang yang mencampuri istri dari duburnya" (HR. Abu Dawud, Ibnu Majah, Ahmad dan Tirmidzi). Di hadist lain disebutkan: "Janganlah kalian mencampuri istri-istri kalian dari duburnya."

Jadi ternyata memang tidak boleh lewat anal. Jika diasumsikan kedua artis tersebut merupakan contoh yang terbuka, karena mereka public figure. Bagaimana dengan yang lain? Hanya Tuhan yang tahu.

Selain masalah itu, di rubrik tanya jawab majalah FHM (For Him Magazine) -punya seorang teman, not mine:-) *dua jari terangkat*- yang diasuh oleh -Aline, seorang model, saya sempat membaca pertanyaan seorang suami. Dia bertanya bagaimana kalau istrinya ingin threesome dengan bosnya yang negro. Don't ask me about that? I can't figure out that thing. Suaminya bingung, karena kalau tidak dipenuhi threesome sang istri akan melakukannya secara sembunyi-sembunyi. Pernah juga di Kompas rubrik untuk muda-mudi, seorang pelajar putri SMP bertanya boleh gak threesome dengan teman-temannya. Atau berita terakhir tentang siswa-siswi sebuah SMU di Cianjur yang terungkap bermain-main dengan kelaminnya di ruang kelas sekolah. *gdubrak*

Whoaa ... saya mulai bingung dimana sebenarnya saya hidup sekarang ini? Mungkin tidak akan jadi masalah kalau kejadian-kejadian ini ada di Belanda. Di mana orang bisa melihat tubuh wanita berbusana swimsuit di etalase pinggir jalan daerah Redlight District. Nope, we live in a most populous moslem country in the world. I am not such a moralist, but where do we go now? Kalau saat ini bicara agama agak disudutkan, mari kita bicarakan lewat budaya ketimuran. It seems we are about losing it too, aren't we.

So, why are we rapidly changing in these recent days? Kalau boleh cari-cari alasan sederhana, dua hal yang kasat mata ikut berpengaruh. Menjamurnya VCD serta internet. These two devices are not uncommon to be found, even in the rural areas. Kemudahan kedua alat itu menyebabkan budaya luar mudah diakses. Perlahan tapi pasti hal-hal berbau mesum dianggap biasa. Anak belasan tahun boleh beli VCD esex-esex di kios pinggir jalan atau di kios rental. Begitu juga browsing internet. Siapa yg tahan akan godaannya. Apalagi hormon kedewasaan lagi banyak-banyaknya.

Atau hal ini memang sah-sah saja di negeri yang sedang menuju kebebasan? Apa saja boleh dilakukan atas nama hak pribadi, dan tidak merugikan orang lain? We are at a crossroad ...

Life is fragile

2005-11-17T08:04:00.000+07:00

Life is fragile, handle with prayer. Begitulah tulisan sebuah gantungan kunci, di sebuah toko suvenir di Bandara Kuala Lumpur. Rasanya pas di hati bila ingat situasi hari ini. Hidup ini begitu rentan, jumlah orang stress meningkat. Pun ketika menyambangi teman-teman lama ketika lebaran tiba. Banyak rutukan, sumpah serapah dan keluhan. Ada yang mengeluh belum dapat pekerjaan, pindah jadi ngajar di NHI (ngajaredog NHI=Nongkrong Hareupen Imah=Sundanese; berdiam diri saja nongkrong di depan rumah), atau kerja tapi gaji gak naek2. Ada juga yang berkeluh pingin kawin tapi gak berani ngajak anak orang hidup bersama di jaman kayak gini, dan ada juga yang belum ketemu pasangan jiwanya. All by myself.

Tapi semuanya saling berprasangka: saya menyangka teman-teman saya hidupnya sudah enak, berkecukupan. Begitu juga teman-teman menyangka saya sudah hidup gemah ripah loh jinawi. Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau, kecuali yg gak pernah disiram.

Kami juga ber-KLBK (kenangan lama bangkit kembali), saling bercerita gimana si A,B,C,D,E (kecuali si Q dan si X, krn seingat kami gak punya teman yg berawal dr huruf Q&X ;-). Life is fragile, kata itu mungkin cocok menggambarkannya. Dulu, ada teman yang baru lulus kuliah, langsung kerja, menikah, punya rumah. Pokoknya gambaran ideal seorang manusia terpenuhi. Tapi sekarang teman itu jobless, fired terkena skandal korupsi. Mulai lagi dari titik nol.

Di sekolahan kami dulu ada grup-grupan. Ada yang spesialis ulang tahun, ada juga grup jalanan dan yang hidupnya lurus-lurus saja. Grup ultah, penggiat disko, mereka selalu hadir di setiap acara ultah, walaupun tak ada undangan. Di sinilah para 'celeb' co' & ce' berkumpul. Kalau yang grup jalanan biasanya ngumpul... laki-laki semua... Pakai motor, yg gak punya ya bonceng. Dua grup ini kelakuannya sama buruknya, cuma beda gaya aja. Belajar merokok dan belajar minum, beberapa yg nge-gele dan kancing (istilah BK=pil penenang untuk anjing dulu, sekarang apa ya?). Urusan minum untuk grup jalanan biasanya cap kakek-kakek jahat dioplos Vodka (mungkin sekarang Topi miring (vodka tangerang)?), dan fanta. Sedangkan grup ultah, fanta ditambah sedikit wine dan rum. Sama-sama merah warnanya toh? Yang penting baunya aja di mulut Hahh... Dua-duanya memabukkan tolol!

Nah dulu, ada juga teman wanita kami yang termasuk 'celebs', incaran para lelaki muda di sekolahan kami, kini hidupnya biasa-biasa saja dan juga suaminya- katanya. Mereka bilang wani ngadu... lah .. [jeung bagong] Maksudnya kalau tahu dari dulu mah, sama gw aje nape *Whew*

Wah... ketawa-ketiwi sampai jam 1 malam, ingatannya kita masih bujangan gak bawa anak istri. Yang parah ada satu teman, yg beristri punya hobi patah2-in barang kalau suaminya telat pulang. Blingsatan-lah ia, karena di kepalanya sudah kebayang apa lagi yang akan dipatah-in. Waduh ... kata Bang Djuri.

Setelah pulang, berbaring, mata tak juga merem. Apa yg kau dapat hari ini? Banyak, tapi yg pasti: Life is fragile, you'll never know the days to come?

Suatu ketika nonton acaranya Metro TV atau JakTV atau apa (sorry lupa) tentang profil pekerjaan orang biasa di Jakarta. Si Bapak itu seorang pengurus mayat dengan anak 4 atau 5 (?), istri 1 ;-) gaji Rp900.000 tp dpt rumah dinas. Ketika ditanya oleh reporter bagaimana kehidupan di Jakarta dengan gaji segitu? Dia jawab ringan dan tulus (kulihat bola matanya): "Alhamdulillah, cukup. Selalu ada rejeki sampingan dari kiri dan kanan. Yang ngasih rezeki bukan manusia, tapi Allah." *Gdubrak*

Bear it with smile, otherwise asylum will be full-house. Bersyukurlah atas apa yang kau punyai hari ini. Life is fragile, handle with prayer

Tulip dari Sinai

2005-10-01T07:33:00.000+07:00

by: Muhammad Iqbal

terjemahan oleh: Abdul Hadi WM

Bagai orang asing bagi pribadimu
Kau cari jalan baru ke bintang di langit
Buka matamu, pandang dirimu umpama benih
Agar tersembul kau dari bumi bagai pohonan

Agar kau paham rahasia hidup
Kusampaikan ihwal dengan segenap rahasianya:
Mati sajalah kau jika tak punya jiwa
Jika punya, kau akan hidup kekal

Katamu insan dibentuk dari segumpal darah
Terikat dunia ada dan membusuk ini
Namun alam dengan bingkai jagatnya
Telah meletakkan arus pada dasar lautnya

Tak tahu aku apa aku anggur ata cawan
Mutiara atau oemilik mutiara
Jika kuterangi mataku dengan jiwa, kutahu
JIwaku dan aku tak sama dengannya

Dunia kita ini masih percobaan seorang pemahat
Perubahan demi perubahan ia alami siang dan malam
Pahatan nasib memerintahkan kita terus bekerja
Memberi bentuk, sebab ia masih pahatan kasar

Tak seorang tahu bagaimana Diri muncul mengada
Tak dari dunia ruang dan waktu ia berasal
Kudengar hikmah ini dari Khaidir nabi lautan:
"laut tak lebih tua dari ombaknya."

Apa arti kerisauan pikiran dalam kalbuku?
Mengapa ku tampak bagaikan rahasia
Terangkan padaku ini, o Filsuf bijak:
Tubuh diam, jiwa mengembara. Bagaimana dan mengapa?

Jika kau tahu kemungkinan-kemungkinanmu
Embun bisa kau cipta jadi lautan luas
O Hati, mengapa minta seberkas cahaya pada bulan?
Nyalakan lampumu agar terang malam-malammu

Berapa lama kau akan tetap berduka seperti ini?
Berapa lama sarangmu tetap di debu seperti semut?
Belajarlah terbang bagai elang dan membubunglah
Jangan di tanah kau mencari makan, tapi di angkasa

Jika kau dicipta
Bagai setetes embun
Bangkit dan belajarlah membasahi
Hati tulip

Jika kau dicipta sebagai duri
Tempellah sekuntum mawar segar
Ingatlah kemuliaan taman:
Belajarlah menikam

Jika kau disilang tukang kebun
Ddengan kembang lain
Belajarlah tumbuh segar
Bagai rumputan

Supaya lebih kuat
Dan tetap pahit
Tinggallah di bumbung arak
Dan matangkan dirimu di situ

Berapa lama kau akan tetap tinggal
Di bawah sayap lain?
Belajarlah terbang
Dengan bebas di taman

Ketika kuketuk pintu kedai
Penjaga kedai berkata:
"Pergi! Nyalakan sendiri api di Baitul Haram
Hingga hatimu menyala terang."

Tak pernah kupuja bentuk
Kuhancurkan sudah rumah berhala
Aku ini arus yang meluap
Kurecai semua rantai

Pikiranku ragu
Tentang ada dan tiadaku
Namun cinta mengumumkan
Aku ada

Aku memuja di rumah berhala
Dan shalat di Ka'bah
Kukalungi leherku untaian suci
Dan di tangan tasbih

Tak berani kukuras genangan duka ini
Sebab Kau yang memberinya
Kucegah air mataku menyembur
Agar mata air memancur dari kalbu

Arif dalam kata
Aku gila tindakan nyata
Mabuk anggur cinta pada-Mu
Tetap aku bersahaja

courtesy of Sassy girl

Deja vu

2005-09-27T14:16:00.000+07:00

Pagi itu datang seorang gadis di usia ujung belasan tahun ke tenda pameran kami. Tak kuperhatikan sebelumnya, karena saya sibuk dengan bacaan. Sampai kemudian dia bertanya profil kegiatan lembaga kami. Sekilas kujawab seadanya, sambil menutup mulutku yang menguap terus sejak tadi. Terus dia nyerocos bertanya-tanya, sambil tangannya bergerak ke sana ke mari. Akhirnya kututup buku itu, Thus Spoke Zarathustra tulisan Nietzsche punya istriku yang selalu tidak kumengerti walaupun berulang-ulang kali kubaca. Penuh dengan simbol-simbol yang bercerita tentang manusia unggulan Übermensch.

Dia bercelana lapangan, berbalut kaos tangan panjang warna tentara, dan kepalanya ditutupi jilbab hitam. Cocok sekali dengan sosoknya yang aktif. Sambil ngobrol tubuhnya lincah berpindah-pindah dari satu meja ke meja lainnya. Aku berusaha untuk terus menanggapinya. Sampai penasaran juga seperti apa sih wajahnya. Tak kulihat senyum di wajahnya sebagaimana halnya orang yang baru kenal biasanya mencoba mengakrabkan diri. Dingin. Wajah itu ... wajah yang rasanya saya pernah kenal. Tapi di mana? Kapan kami pernah bertemu?

Kami terus berbincang sambil diselingi kata guyonan, kami berdua cepat sekali merasa akrab. Sementara pikiranku berusaha berpikir siapa orang ini gerangan? Wajah yang rasanya familiar, tak asing lagi, dan pernah sangat dekat. Aku coba mengingat-ingat semua teman perempuanku. Si anu .. si ani .. si ano ... Tak ada ... ah the red face ... wajah yang agak mirip ... tapi bukan.

The red face adalah teman perempuanku naik gunung atau berjalan-jalan di hutan. Kami selalu berenam, dua perempuan dan empat lelaki, bila naik gunung, nongkrong di Situ Lembang atau hanya melewatkan malam minggu di Dago tee huis. Kami tidak pernah memproklamirkan diri pacaran tapi kemana-mana kami selalu bersama, termasuk melewati malam mingguan. Sampai akhirnya kami harus berpisah karena dia meninggal akibat lever yang terus dideritanya semenjak SMA. Kami berdua memang orang-orang yang telat dewasa, untuk mengenal apa yang sekarang dikenal orang-orang istilah cinta. beuh ...

Sebulan sebelum kepergiannya dia sempat berujar ingin melihat Kawah Papandayan dan dia ingin ku petikkan setangkai edelweiss untuk di dinding kamar tidurnya. Tentu ilegal, tapi setangkai bunga untuk oleh-oleh sang kekasih bagi para pendaki gunung seakan sudah terbiasa. Padahal kalau ketahuan bisa disuruh push up telanjang dada di tengah suhu 10oC atau disuruh membersihkan WC oleh petugas jagawan. Well, it's not a big deal, isn't it? Hari-hari berikutnya selalu kudengar senandung Edelweiss dari soundtrack flim-musik Sound of Music di mulutnya.

Edelweiss, Edelweiss,
Every morning you greet me,
Small and White,
Clean and bright
You look happy to meet me..

Blossoms of snow may you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss Edelweiss
Bless my home land forever

Keluarganya memang penyuka lagu-lagu klasik dan old-song. Dia sendiri mahir bermain biola dan piano, selain dikursuskan melukis. Katanya untuk kelembutan dan ketelatenan, untuk memadukan ke-tomboi-annya. Keluarganya memang membebaskan dia untuk pergi ke mana saja, sebatas dalam hal-hal yang wajar, semenjak dia menderita lever akut. Pun akhirnya dia dekat dengan kami, dan kemudian denganku, untuk naik gunung atau sekedar jalan-jalan dan meninggalkan kebiasaannya hanging out di cafe-cafe seputaran Bandung. Moeilijk .. katanya alam adalah tempat di mana I stood there in the salt spray air; Felt wind sweeping over my face; I ran up through the rocks to the old wooden cross; It's a place where I can find some peace ... ya dia memang sempat frustasi dengan penyakitnya.

Setelah bergaul bersama kami, perlahan baju roknya digantinya dengan celana lapangan dan hem tangan panjang flanel kotak-kotak ukuran L yang gombrong menutupi tubuhnya. Tapi kemudian setelah beberapa kali ikut pengajian anak-anak jurusan dia mulai berubah dengan menambahkan jilbab biru sedada di kepalanya dan kaos kaki di kakinya. Tak ada hiasan lain. Paling-paling gelang kecil dari keramik yang kami beli sepasang di Situ Patengan. Pantas dengan kulitnya yang putih dan kemerah-merahan kalau kepanasan, apalagi kalau dia malu ...

Bunga edelweiss itu nyatanya, tak pernah tertempel di dinding kamarnya. Dua minggu setelah itu dia masuk rumah sakit dan ... aku tak sempat bertemu muka lagi dengannya. Aku hanya bisa menyematkan edelweiss yang kuambil dari Papandayan sehari sebelumnya dipusaranya.

Eh .. kang, alamatnya di mana sih? Aku kembali ke alam sadar, dan wajahnya sudah ada persis di depanku, sambil tersenyum. Ngelamun ...? tanyanya. Wajahnya tidak merah di pipi, tapi rautnya ... tebal alis matanya dan ada garis tipis di bawah matanya. Rautnya wajahnya sangat familiar, tapi .. Red face ...? bisikku. Hellooo .. siapa red face? tanyanya. Oops, sorry kataku.

Kuambil sebatang rokok, kunyalakan ... Masih merokok? tanyanya. Lingkungan, jawabku sekenanya. Huh dasar .. Ikan asin, kayak ikan laut donk, walaupun hidup di air tubuhnya tetap tidak asin, Kang, tawanya berderai. Aku meloncat, YOU ... red face. Dia kaget dan terlonjak, kemudian tertawa. Ya pernyataan tentang ketidaksukaannya bila melihatku merokok adalah ucapan my red face ...

Sampai akhirnya dia pamit mau pergi, sambil berkata .. ini no hp-ku .. boleh minta kartu namanya? Kapan ke Situ Lembang lagi? Kontak saya ya Kang!!! ....... *Perih .. maag-ku mulai terasa karena dari pagi belum diisi ... *

**Deja vu : Pengalaman seolah berada pada suatu keadaan dimana tiba2 anda merasa begitu familiar dengan segala sesuatu yang anda lihat dan merasa anda sudah pernah mengalami kejadian tersebut sebelumnya. Berasal dari bahasa Perancis yg berarti 'already seen'

Kenapa Indonesia Ga' Maju-maju

2005-09-21T00:59:00.000+07:00

Bertahun-tahun, saya heran kenapa sih Indonesia "Tidak maju-maju" meski sudah merdeka 56 tahun. Tapi sekarang... saya sudah tahu alasannya.

Berdasarkan data statistik :

Jumlah penduduk Indonesia ada 237 juta. 104 juta diantaranya adalah para pensiunan. Jadi yang kerja cuma 133 juta.
Jumlah pelajar dan mahasiswa adalah 85 juta. Jadi tinggal 48 juta orang yang kerja.
Yang kerja buat pemerintah pusat jadi pegawai negeri ada 29 juta. Jadi tinggal 19 juta yang kerja.
Ada 4 juta yang jadi ABRI dan polisi. Jadi tinggal 15 juta yang kerja.
Ada lagi yang kerja di pemerintahan daerah dan departemen2x jumlahnya 14,800,000. Jadi sisanya tinggal 200,000.
Yang sakit dan dirawat di Rumah Sakit di seluruh Indonesia ada 188,000. Jadi sisa 12,000 orang saja yang kerja.
Ada 11,998 orang yang di penjara. Jadi tinggal sisa dua orang saja yang masih bisa kerja. Siapa mereka ???

Yaa... tentu saja SAYA dan ANDA !!
Tapi kan ... ANDA 'kan lagi main-main dengan komputer di depan anda.
Jadi tinggal SAYA SENDIRI YANG KERJA!!!!!!!
Pantes aja kalau begini Indonesia tidak maju-maju .......................

(Dikutip tanpa ijin pemiliknya andi)

manusia sempurna (1)

2005-09-19T00:43:00.000+07:00

Sabtu kemarin, saya punya kesempatan mengikuti suatu kegiatan dimana saya kuliah dulu. Rasanya baru kemarin, saya najongan kaleng kemudian diwisuda. Rasanya wajah ini, semangat ini masih seorang di usia pertengahan dua puluhan. Tidak berbeda dengan mayoritas mahasiswa/i yang hadir di sana. Tapi kemudian tersadar ketika seorang mahasiswi panitia memanggil Bapak kepada saya dan mempersilakan untuk minum teh botol bagi tamu. Huehehe ... pun ketika saya tanya angkatan berapa? 2003, berarti 13 tahun beda saya dengan dia. Apalagi ketika tahu usia mereka berkisar 19 - 20 tahunan ... lha kita? Bapak ... njrit

Mereka di usia produktif. Usia ketika otot lebih berkembang dibanding akal sehat. Usia dimana cita-cita masih digantungkan di langit biru, tak peduli walaupun tanpa tiang ke bumi. Mengawang-awang. Juga, gadis itu mungkin masih tahan 'harga', ketika seorang teman laki-lakinya berusaha 'mendekatinya'. Still looking for Mr. Right Guy, the best one like those appear on TV shows, I still deserve to choose, she thinks.

Aku terhenyak ... angka & statistik memang bikin orang keder. Jika tidak menghitung angka, 20-an dan 30-an, mungkin saya masih berpikir saya adalah teman sebayanya. Atau paling tidak kakak angkatannya yang baru keluar kampus bulan kemarin. Waktu adalah angka juga ... Jika dijalani tidak terasa. Masih jelas dalam ingatan Bapak harus memanggul saya agar mau belajar di SD daripada main terus. Rasanya baru kemarin melarak-lirik beberapa teman sejurusan. Dan kemudian menikah dan punya anak. Tak terasa ...

So, apa sebenarnya hidup yang kita jalani ini? Apa yang saya lakukan di sini? Wat doe ik hier? oh tidak ... *gedubrak*

Kata orang, harus ada sesuatu yang berbeda dari waktu ke waktu lain. Akhir-akhir ini saya merasa telah terjebak dalam rutinitas. Lagging. Di situ-situ saja. Hey ... sebentar & lihatlah.

Saya bertemu teman-teman semasa kuliah. Apa yang diperbincangkan? Progress ... apa yang telah kau punya? Rumah dimana? Mobil apa yang kau pakai? Sudah berkeluarga?

Sadar saya, materilah yang membuat eksistensi seseorang. Materi tersebut hanyalah materi apa yang dimiliki atau dipakai oleh dirinya. Mobil yang dipakai dirinya, rumah yang ditempati dirinya. Istri atau suami pun kalau bisa akan dikalungkan dan dibawa ke mana-mana sebagai apa yang dia pakai. Adakah ruang untuk orang lain untuk menikmati juga materi itu?

[bersambung]

tombo ati

2005-09-15T22:56:00.000+07:00

Semilir ramadhan mulai terasa. TV-TV mulai sibuk dengan acara religiusnya. Sangat senang melihat Tamara berkerudung, soleh kelihatannya. Tapi ... wait ... wait ... siapa itu di acara infotainment yg berbusana tanpa lengan hingga kelihatan kety-nya. Sungguh susah memang kalau melihat tampak luar, orang sangat mudah berganti busana. Padahal you are what you wear ... Seperti susahnya membedakan penceramah agama dan pelawak di tv.

Opick sayup-sayup bersenandung 'tombo ati'. Marhaban ya ramadhan ... afwan.

Tombo ati:
1. Moco Al-Qur'an angen2 sak maknane
2. Sholat wengi
3. Wong kang soleh kumpulono
4. Weteng siro engkang luwe
5. Dzikir wengi engkang suwe

Obat hati:
1. Membaca Al-Qur'an dgn memahami maknanya
2. Sholat malam
3. Berkumpul dgn orang2 Sholeh
4. Perut dlm keadaan kosong (kira2 maksudnya puasa)
5. Dzikir malam yg lama

Landong manah
1. Ngaos Al-Quran sareng ngartos kana pamaksadanana
2. Sholat Wengi
3. Ngariung/Ngumpul sareng jalmi-jalmi sholeh
4. Patuangan dina kaayaan kosong (Siam)
5. Dzikir wengi sing lami

Aduh ...

2005-08-24T10:05:00.000+07:00

Di mejaku ada setumpuk buku dan artikel. Bacaan yang harus saya lihat satu per satu, mencomot beberapa kalimat dari dalamnya, dan menyusunnya menjadi satu tulisan. Saya dikejar deadline 30 Agustus untuk satu tulisan presentasi. Satu hal yang selalu tidak mudah bagiku untuk menyelesaikannya.

Speak-and-listen is much common way to communicate in Indonesian culture as compared to read-and-write. Itu kata Onno W. Purbo yang ahli e-culture ini. Kalimat yang pas dan telah didengungkan oleh para antropolog tentang masyarakat Indonesia [dan mungkin Asia?]

Daya bacaku memang rendah dibanding my beloved wife yang bisa melahap satu buku setebal 200 halaman bisa dalam 3 hari. My record was, so far, when I read a novel entitling Ayat-ayat Cinta [blogger's comment] in 3 days. Buku yang lainnya, paling banter depan dan belakangnya doang! Pfuih ...

Masalahku adalah tidak fokus dan terlalu banyak keinginan. Satu belum beres, lirik lagi yang lain. Nah ... pas deadline seperti gini, mulai deh sks-ku keluar [sistem kebut semalam]. Panik ... Saya memang penganut teori adrenaline :-) Katanya hormon adrenalin akan meningkat ketika dalam keadaan panik, atau bahaya mengancam. Contohnya pas dikejar anjing edan kita bisa lari sekencang-kencangnya dan meloncati tembok tinggi, kalau dalam keadaan normal mustahil.

Walhasil ... saya jadi sering keringatan dan gemetar, karena mungkin kelenjar adrenalinku terlalu sering dipacu. Aku sudah agak lama memang menderita 'essential tremor' I'll tell you later about it.

OK, 3 hari ini saya harus menyelesaikan tulisanku dulu, saya harus fokus dan reduce out of office activities. See ya ...

a tribute to diana krall

2005-08-22T00:18:00.001+07:00

On these recent days, I enjoy listening Diana Krall's songs. I don't have any idea why, but it makes me cozy up to my restless heart, especially when the night comes. I don't feel comfortable with my recent daily work that makes me feel I am such an idiot: don't know what to do and which why forward. I feel like I don't belong here.

This is the first launched blog of mine, so I find myself comfort with a title of one of dianas' song: Narrow Daylight, of which then to be my blog's title.

Narrow daylight entered my room
Shining hours were brief
Winter is over, summer is near
Are we stronger than we believe?

Yes, shining hours are so brief, while a bulk of tasks are obviously seen.

I found myself comfort with the Rolling Stone's songs in last years ago of which those were apparently resembling my rebelious heart. But it seems, and I hope, this to be over, so I step into the 'it's a place where I can find some peace'. Moreover, the title of my weblog seems represent our narrow daylight that we experience during these days. So many things to do, but only litl' we can fulfil.

it's been a long road and silent

2005-08-21T23:58:00.000+07:00

It's been a long road and silent ...

I am blessed to have a companion, who have put one and one together and made two.

I don't have any idea why God likes me ... much. Thanks God.

foto

2005-08-20T06:06:00.000+07:00