Apakah Materi Dalam Buku Bisa Keliru?

Waktu itu saya sedang mengajar Mata Kuliah 'Educational Statistics'. Kalau saya tidak salah mahasiswi/a saya sedang membahas materi 'Pengujian Hipotesis' dimana mereka sedang menerangkan tentang kesalahan dalam pengujian hipotesis. Penjelasan mereka tentang kesalahan Tipe I dan Tipe II dalam pengujian hipotesis sangat bagus sekali. Jelas dan akurat. Salah seorang dari mereka menjelaskan bahwa kesalahan Tipe I terjadi jika peneliti menolak hipotesis nol (Ho) padahal hipotesis nol tersebut benar dan kesalahan Tipe II terjadi jika peneliti menerima hipotesis nol (Ho) padahal hipotesis nol tersebut salah. 

PROMOTOR NIKAH SIRIH: ACENG FIKRI

Siapa sih sosok Aceng Fikri yang selalu melabuhkan sensasi berbau nikah Sirih ini?? Hingga posting ini dibuat, Aceng Fikri sudah diisukan menikah sirih sebanyak 3 kali (yang terakhir dengan salah seorang dari tim pengacaranya sendiri). Ayo kita telusuri sosok si promotor nikah sirih ini.

Resep Masakan

Bakwan Jagung
(Dikutip dari: Resep Masakan Praktis)

Bahan:

ANTS

Ants are social insects. They belong to the same family of bees and wasps.

Ants have a pair of elbowed antennae. Their body is like a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slander waist. The body is divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Their color is varied: red, black, brown, and yellow. Their size is only 16 mm.

YOUTH: Reflection to Munir Case, the Protector of Human Rights

The audience

Munir Said Thalib was born in Malang, East Java, 8 December 1965 and passed away in Jakarta 7 September 2004, when he was 38 years old. He was an activist of human rights in Indonesia.

Munir was named Man of the Year by the leading Muslim periodical, UMMAT, and as a “young leader for the Millennium in Asia” by Asia week in 2000.

Some cases which were handled by him:

‘Mondosiyo’: A ritual of victory over cruelty (adopted from thejakartapost.com)

Members of the Javanese community who embrace philosophy or mysticism are accustomed to hearing their character described according to the wuku, the seven-day period constituting the 210-day Javanese calendar. The 14th wuku in this system is called Mondosiyo.

Let the festivities begin: Children perform a Reog mask dance to entertain local crowds during Mondosiyo celebrations. JP/Ganug Nugroho AdiLet the festivities begin: Children perform a Reog mask dance to entertain local crowds during Mondosiyo celebrations. JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi

The Javanese believe wuku, which have different names like Sinta, Julungwangi, Dhukut, play an important role in shaping human behavior. Those born under Mondosiyo, for instance, are supposed to be more inclined to help people in trouble.

Some Javanese are convinced Mondosiyo has an auspicious influence on public life, and thus deem it necessary to celebrate it. The people in the hamlet of Pancot, on the slopes of Mt. Lawu near Surakarta, is one such community.

Locals welcome the arrival of Mondosiyo with the tradition of resik desa or village cleanup. This ritual
is held every 210 days, on Tuesday kliwon (the 5th day of the Javanese five-day week).

This centuries-old tradition in Pancot is derived from the myth of Prabu Baka, a cruel king who oppressed and robbed locals of their wealth while also eating them to increase his supernatural powers.

Putut Tetuko, a knight from Pringgondani hermitage (later known as Eyang Kancanegara) finally killed the king.

As narrated by hamlet elders, the name Pancot originates from a fight between Prabu Baka and Putut Tetuko, where the knight placated the king to the ground (pancot in the local tongue). The king’s head hit a stone called Batu Gilang. Later, garlic grew out of his canines that fell into the soil, and shallots grew from his molars. Both plants are Pancot’s main crops today.

Prabu Baka made a dying wish to have the arrival of this wuku period, Mondosiyo, marked with a village cleanup ritual, with offerings presented in sacred places such as Punden Bale Pathokan (fight scene), Batu Gilang and Kancanegara’s Pringgodani hermitage in Pancot. The core ritual now takes place in Bale Pathokan, where Batu Gilang is kept and revered.

The liberation of the Pancot people from the arbitrary rule of Prabu Baka has been observed ever since, in the hamlet’s Mondosiyo ritual.

This ritual recently began on Sunday pon (the 3rd day of the five-day week). Two days before the peak of Mondosiyo, Pancot villagers gathered rice to cook a gandhik (a kind of food) as an offering, as well as a goat and dozens of free-range chickens as main dishes.

The next morning, Monday wage (the 4th day of the five-day week), all the offerings were taken to the houses of communal elders for around-the-clock prayers.

On Monday evening, several village members visited sacred places striking small gongs, notifying the public to join Mondosiyo rituals the following morning.

The peak of the ritual began on Tuesday at 7 a.m. Community elders and hamlet figures took the goat and chickens to Bale Pathokan to be slaughtered. A Reog (tiger-mask dance) parade followed, with thousands of villagers packing the paths leading to the site of Prabu Baka. At this site, elders bathed Batu Gilang with the water of fermented cassava, believed to ward off the wrath of the malicious king.

The ceremony reached a climax when the crowd scrambled to catch dozens of chickens that were set free. Local residents believe the Mondosiyo chickens bring fortune and safety to those capable of catching them. Not surprisingly, this spectacle has become focal point of the ritual.

According to Pancot hamlet chief Sulardiyanto, the chickens are released by people who had vowed to do so.

“They represent the gratefulness of some residents. They believe their requests made before Batu Gilang will be fulfilled. If their wishes are to be granted, they are obliged to free chickens to keep their vows,” he said.

Sulardiyanto added the ritual was also meant to serve as a form of reverence and appreciation for the community’s ancestors. Through Mondosiyo, locals commemorate the victory of their forefathers over the evil Prabu Baka.

On the evening before the main event, residents gather for prayers to present the offerings and beg to God Almighty for safety and prosperity.

“The village cleanup as part of Mondosiyo also signifies introspection for self-purification of all negative elements,” Sulardiyanto said.

Mondosiyo is not just a community festival. Through the tradition marked every seven month, the local community fosters an atmosphere of harmony and peace. Reverence for village ancestors is believed to have encouraged social harmony in the community.

Resep Anticerai: Suami Bantu Masak dan Cuci Piring!

Resep Anticerai: Suami Bantu Masak dan Cuci Piring!

Tingkat perceraian cenderung lebih rendah pada keluarga yang para suaminya membantu dengan tugas-tugas rumah tangga, berbelanja ke pasar, dan mengurus anak. Ini adalah hasil penelitian terhadap 3500 pasangan Inggris yang terbit Selasa kemarin.

Penyelenggara penelitian adalah London School of Economics (LSE), dengan judul, “Kerja Tanpa Bayaran Kaum Pria dan Perceraian.” Kesimpulan utama penelitian tersebut adalah, semakin banyak suami membantu tugas-tugas rumah tangga, maka semakin rendah kemungkinan perceraian.

Kesimpulan penelitian itu mendobrak habis teori yang sudah berjalan sejak 1960an, bahwa pernikahan akan berhasil bila pria hanya fokus pada pekerjaan berbayar, sementara perempuan bertanggungjawab untuk tugas-tugas domestik. “Kombinasi dengan risiko (cerai) terendah adalah jika ibu tidak bekerja dan ayah memiliki keterlibatan tinggi dalam mengurus anak dan tugas di rumah,” menurut penelitian tersebut.

Peneliti Wendy Sigle-Rushton mengatakan bahwa para ahli ekonomi sudah menghabiskan banyak waktu memeriksa dan mencoba menjelaskan hubungan antara perempuan bekerja dan tingkat perceraian. “Tetapi, saat mereka melakukan itu, mereka tidak memerhatikan perilaku para pria. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kontribusi ayah pada pekerjaan-pekerjaan tak berbayar di rumah bisa menstabilkan pernikahan, terlepas dari status pekerjaan ibu,” kata dia.

Penelitian ini menganalisa pasangan-pasangan yang memiliki anak pertama pada 1970, masa saat kebanyakan ibu dari anak-anak kecil tidak bekerja. “Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa risiko perceraian bagi ibu bekerja, meski masih besar, bisa terkurangi secara signifikan saat para ayah lebih banyak membantu pada pekerjaan rumah dan mengurus anak,” tambahnya.(AFP/Yahoo! News)/ (Dikutip dari yahoo.co.id)

Friendship or French ship

FRIENDSHIPS LOST
(Scars That Can Never Heal)
© 1996 Bronwyn P
I see your smile
I know your mind
No words need be said
I understand.

Focused on each other
We listen and we care
Laughter ripples like water
Together, we are.

Others are here, yes,
And we value them, yes,
But a special bond remains,
A line between us two.

Each friendship is special
Each is unique
And so is ours
We know.

And then time begins to roll
and rear it’s ugly head
Change begins
Now a little less than before.
Slowly, surely,
Not knowing why
Faster, stronger, without care
Our world shifts and shimmers and splits.

Shattered shards cascade down
Spurred by angry, lashing words
Contorted faces, stone deaf ears
Outside the whirlwind,
We die inside.

The scars run deep
Jagged clefts in our souls
We have suceeded in hurting
And hurt ourselves.

So you move on
And I remain
We keep on living
Turn our faces apart.

Now I glance across
At you from outside
Shaded eyes dry with tears
New friends, new life.

Laughter, smiling (clenched teeth)
The flippant toss of the head
The enclosure surrounds you
I cannot come near.

From behind my glass window
I know more than those within
I see the hurt in your eyes
I know the pain in your smile
I have been there before - I love you
Why do you pretend?

I hate to see your pain
And I cry inside
Tears deep within my soul
I cannot help you anymore.

What we had once
We can never have again.

The scars run deep,
But I still care.
You were my friend.

http://www.friendship.com.au/poetry/broken/broken3.html#lost

Terapi Musik dalam Peradaban Islam

Selasa, 24 Maret 2009 19:08:50 - oleh : admin

Seni musik yang berkembang begitu pesat di era keemasan Islam, tak hanya sekedar mengandung unsur hiburan. Para musisi Islam legendaris seperti Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibnu Is?aq al-Kindi (801873 M) dan al-Farabi (872950 M) telah menjadikan musik sebagai alat pengobatan atau terapi.

Lalu sebenarnya apa yang disebut dengan terapi musik? Terapi musik merupakan sebuah proses interpersonal yang dilakukan seorang terapis dengan menggunakan musik untuk membantu memulihkan kesehatan pasiennya. Sejak kapan peradaban Islam mengembangkan terapi musik? Dan benarkah musik bisa menjadi alat terapi untuk menyembuhkan penyakit?

R Saoud dalam tulisannya bertajuk The Arab Contribution to the Music of the Western World menyebut al-Kindi sebagai psikolog Muslim pertama yang mempraktikkan terapi musik. Menurut Saoud, pada abad ke-9 M, al-Kindi sudah menemukan adanya nilai-nilai pengobatan pada musik.

''Dengan terapi musik, al-Kindi mencoba untuk menyembuhkan seorang anak yang mengalami quadriplegic atau lumpuh total,'' papar Saoud. Terapi musik juga dikembangkan ilmuwan Muslim lainnya yakni al-Farabi (872-950 M). Alpharabius begitu peradaban Barat biasa menyebutnya menjelaskan tentang terapi musik dalam risalah yang berjudul Meanings of Intellect .

Amber Haque (2004) dalam tulisannya bertajuk Psychology from Islamic Perspective: Contributions of Early Muslim Scholars and Challenges to Contemporary Muslim Psychologists", Journal of Religion and Health mengungkapkan, dalam manuskripnya itu, al-Farabi telah membahas efek-efek musik terhadap jiwa.

Terapi musik berkembang semakin pesat di dunia Islam pada era Kekhalifahan Turki Usmani berkuasa. Prof Nil Sari, sejarawan kedokteran Islam dari Fakultas Kedokteran University Cerrahpasa Istanbul mengungkap perkembangan terapi musik di masa kejayaan Turki Usmani.

Menurut Prof Nil Sari, gagasan dan pemikiran yang dicetuskan ilmuwan Muslim seperti al-Razi, al-Farabi dan Ibnu Sina tentang musik sebagai alat terapi dikembangkan para ilmuwan di zaman kejayaan Turki Usmani. ''Mereka antara lain; Gevrekzade (wafat 1801), Suuri (wafat 1693), Ali Ufki (1610-1675), Kantemiroglu (1673-1723) serta Hasim Bey (abad ke-19 M).

''Para ilmuwan Muslim di era kejayaan Ottoman itu telah melakukan studi mengenai musik sebagai alat untuk pengobatan,'' papar Prof Nil Sari. Menurut dia, para ilmuwan dari Turki Usmani itu sangat tertarik untuk mengembangkan efek musik pada pikiran dan badan manusia.

Tak heran, jika Abbas Vesim (wafat 1759/60) dan Gevrekzade telah mengusulkan agar musik dimasukan dalam pendidikan kedokteran. Keduanya berpendapat, seorang dokter yang baik harus melalui latihan musik. Usulan Vesim dan Gevrekzade itu diterapkan di universitas-universitas hingga akhir abad pertengahan. Sekolah kedokteran pada saat itu mengajarkan musik serta aritmatika, geometri serta astronomi kepada para mahasiswanya.

Teori Terapi Musik

Menurut Prof Nil Sari, masyarakat Turki pra-Islam meyakini bahwa kosmos diciptakan oleh Sang Pencipta dengan kata ''ku'' / ''kok'' (suara). Mereka meyakini bahwa awal terbentuknya kosmos berasal dari suara. Menurut kepercayaan Islam, seperti yang tertulis dalam Alquran, Allah SWT adalah Pencipta langit dan bumi.

''...Dan bila Dia berkehendak (untuk menciptakan) sesuatu, maka (cukuplah) Dia hanya mengatakan kepadanya: 'Jadilah'. Lalu jadilah ia.'' (QS: al-baqarah:117). Setelah Islam bersemi di Turki, masyarakat negeri itu, masih tetap meyakini kekuatan suara. Inilah yang membuat peradaban Islam di era Turki Usmani menyakini bahwa musik dapat menjadi sebuah alat terapi yang dapat menyeimbangkan antara badan, pikiran dan emosi sehingga terbentuk sebuah harmoni pada diri seseorang.

Prof Nil Sari mengungkapkan, para ahli terapi musik di zaman Ottoman menyakini bahwa pasien yang menderita penyakit tertentu atau emosi seseorang dengan temperamen tertentu dipengaruhi oleh ragam musik tertentu. ''Para ahli musik di era Turki Usmani menyatakan, makam (tipe melodi) tertentu memiliki kegunaan pengibatan tertentu juga,'' papar Prof Nil Sari.

Ada sekitar 80 ragam tipe melodi yang berkembang di masyarakat Turki Usmani. Sebanyak 12 diantaranya bisa digunakan sebagai alat terapi. Menurut Prof Nil Sari, dari teks-teks tua dapat disimpulkan bawa jenis musik tertentu dapat mengobati penyakit tetentu atau perasaan tertentu.

Pada era kejayaan Kesultanan Turki Usmani, terapi musik biasanya digunakan untuk beberapa tujuan, seperti; pengobatan kesehatan mental; perawatan penyakit organik, perbaikan harmoni seseorang yakni menyeimbangkan kesehatan antara badan, pikiran dan emosi. Musik juga diyakini mampu menyebabkan seseorang tertidur, sedih, bahagia dan bisa pula memacu intelijensia.

Prof Nil Sari mengungkapkan, para ilmuwan di era Turki Usmani meyakini bahwa musik memiliki kekuatan dalam proses alam,. Musik dapat berfungsi meningkatkan mood dan emosi secara keseluruhan. Uniknya, para ilmuwan di era Ottoman sudah mampu menetapkan jenis musik tertentu untuk penyekit tertentu. Misalnya, jenis musik huseyni dapat mengobati demam. Sedangkan, jenis musik zengule dan irak untuk mengobati meningitis.

Masyarakat Barat baru mengenal terapi musik pada abad ke-17 M. Adalah Robert Burton lewat karya klasiknya berjudul The Anatomy of Melancholy yang mengembangkan terapi musik di Barat. Menurut Burton, musik dan menari dapat menyembuhkan sakit jiwa, khususnya melankolia.

Malah, masyarakat Amerika Serikat (AS) baru mengenal terapi musik sekitar 1944. Pada saat itu, Michigan State University membuka program sarjana teapi musik. Sejak 1998, di Amerika telah berdiri The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Organisasi ini merupakan gabungan dari National Association for Music Therapy (NAMT, berdiri tahun 1950) dan the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT, berdiri 1971).

Terapi musik merupakan salah satu kontribusi peradaban Islam dalam dunia kesehatan dan kedokteran. Di era modern ini, musik tetap menjadi salah satu alat untuk menyembuhkan penyakit tertentu. Terapi musik menjadi salah satu bukti pencapaian para ilmuwan Muslim di era keemasan. N heri ruslan


Musisi Muslim Pencetus Terapi Musik


Al-Kindi
al-Kindi atau al-Kindus adalah ilmuwan jenius yang hidup di era kejayaan Islam Baghdad. Saat itu, panji-panji kejayaan Islam dikerek oleh Dinasti Abbasiyah. Tak kurang dari lima periode khalifah dilaluinya, yakni al-Amin (809-813), al-Ma'mun (813-833), al-Mu'tasim, al-Wasiq (842-847), dan Mutawakil (847-861).

Kepandaian dan kemampuannya dalam menguasai berbagai ilmu, termasuk kedokteran, membuatnya diangkat menjadi guru dan tabib kerajaan. Khalifah juga mempercayainya untuk berkiprah di Baitulhikmah yang kala itu gencar menerjemahkan buku-buku ilmu pengetahuan dari berbagai bahasa, seperti Yunani.

Ketika Khalifah al-Ma'mun tutup usia dan digantikan putranya, al-Mu'tasim, posisi al-Kindi semakin diperhitungkan dan mendapatkan peran yang besar. Dia secara khusus diangkat menjadi guru bagi putranya. Al-Kindi mampu menghidupkan paham Muktazilah. Berkat peran Al-Kindi pula, paham yang mengutamakan rasionalitas itu ditetapkan sebagai paham resmi kerajaan.

Menurut al-Nadhim, selama berkutat dan bergelut dengan ilmu pengetahuan di Baitulhikmah, al-Kindi telah melahirkan 260 karya. Di antara sederet buah pikirnya itu telah dituangkan dalam risalah-risalah pendek yang tak lagi ditemukan. Karya-karya yang dihasilkannya menunjukan bahwa Al-Kindi adalah seorang yang berilmu pengetahuan yang luas dan dalam.

Ratusan karyanya itu dipilah ke berbagai bidang, seperti filsafat, logika, ilmu hitung, musik, astronomi, geometri, medis, astrologi, dialektika, psikologi, politik, dan meteorologi. Bukunya yang paling banyak adalah geometri sebanyak 32 judul. Filsafat dan kedokteran masing-masing mencapai 22 judul. Logika sebanyak sembilan judul dan fisika 12 judul.



Al-Farabi
Second teacher alias mahaguru kedua. Begitulah Peter Adamson pengajar filsafat di King's College London, Inggris, menjuluki al-Farabi sebagai pemikir besar Muslim pada abad pertengahan. Dedikasi dan pengabdiannya dalam filsafat dan ilmu pengetahuan telah membuatnya didaulat sebagai guru kedua setelah Aristoteles: pemikir besar zaman Yunani.

Sosok dan pemikiran al-Farabi hingga kini tetap menjadi perhatian dunia. Dialah filosof Islam pertama yang berhasil mempertalikan serta menyelaraskan filsafat politik Yunani klasik dengan Islam. Sehingga, bisa dimengerti di dalam konteks agama-agama wahyu. Pemikirannya begitu berpengaruh besar terhadap dunia Barat.

''Ilmu Logika al-Farabi memiliki pengaruh yang besar bagi para pemikir Eropa,'' ujar Carra de Vaux. Tak heran, bila para intelektual merasa berutang budi kepada Al-Farabi atas ilmu pengetahuan yang telah dihasilkannya. Pemikiran sang mahaguru kedua itu juga begitu kental mempengaruhi pikiran-pikiran Ibnu Sina dan Ibnu Rush.

Al-Farabi atau masyarakat Barat mengenalnya dengan sebutan Alpharabius memiliki nama lengkap Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn al-Farakh al-Farabi. Tak seperti Ibnu Khaldun yang sempat menulis autobiografi, Al-Farabi tidak menulis autobiografi dirinya.

Tak ada pula sahabatnya yang mengabadikan latar belakang hidup sang legenda itu, sebagaimana Al-Juzjani mencatat jejak perjalanan hidup gurunya Ibnu Sina.Tak heran, bila muncul beragam versi mengenai asal-muasal Al-Farabi. Ahli sejarah Arab pada abad pertengahan, Ibnu Abi Osaybe'a, menyebutkan bahwa ayah Al-Farabi berasal dari Persia. Mohammad Ibnu Mahmud Al-Sahruzi juga menyatakan Al-Farabi berasal dari sebuah keluarga Persia. hri/taq
Sumber: republika.co.id

KUPANG PICKLES

For this dish from kupang, Timor, you will need cucumber, green peppers, tomatoes, celery, shallots, chilies and boiled shrimps. The vegetables are cut in small cubes. The celery, shallots and chilies are cut finely into small pieces. Then all the ingredients are mixed with salt, sugar, vinegar, ground pepper and fried sesame seeds. It should be cooled in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri

Duck-Billed Dinosaurs "Outgrew" Their Predators

Talk about being a big baby. The duck-billed dinosaur Hypacrosaurus grew three to five times faster than the fearsome predators that hunted it, reaching its full size by age ten, according to a new study.

Unlike other plant-eating dinosaurs, duckbills such as Hypacrosaurus didn't have piercing horns, dagger-like teeth, or hulking body armor.

So the ability to grow bigger faster provided the animals with a size advantage that likely served them well in their early years.

For example, baby duckbills were probably about the same size as Tyrannosaurus rex hatchlings, said study co-author Drew Lee of Ohio University's College of Osteopathic Medicine.

But by five years old the duckbill would be the size of a grown cow, while the T. rex would be only as big as a large dog.

"It's harder to hunt a larger animal, because it's physically dangerous," said study co-author Lisa Noelle Cooper of Kent State University and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

"Growing Like Crazy"

Duck-billed dinosaurs, or hadrosaurs, were diverse and abundant in the late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.

The soft-bodied animals flourished in what is now North America alongside many different meat-eating, two-legged dinosaurs known as theropods. (See a picture of the diversity of life in the Cretaceous.)

By counting and measuring rings in fossil leg bones, the researchers compared growth rates for Hypacrosaurus and three common theropods: the tyrannosaurs Albertosaurus and T. rex and the small velociraptor-like Troodon.

As with trees, each ring in the fossil bones represents a year of life. The wider the ring, the more growth occurred that year.

BURUNG POUCH

Hmm,seperti sekarang Qingin crita tentang burung Pouch, burung dgn bu£u2 £embut kemerahan,suara merdu,cAntik sempurna..ia brmiGrasi dari satU pulau k pulau yang lain hingGa menemukan pulau,tempat tingGa£ny yg nyaman..tapi burung pouch tak pernah menyadari kehadiran sbuah pulau yg pernah ia datangi,dulu pulau itu gerSang sungGuh kasiHan,keDatangan burung Pouch membuatnya terSenyum,kotoran2 burung cAntik itu menjadikan pulau kecil itu subur,tunas2 bermunculan menemani merdunya nyanyian Pouch,.tapi burung Pouch tetaplah burung Pouch,ia akhirnya meniNgGa£Kan pu£au itu sendiri,pu£au yg akhirny kembA£i gerSang,,
siapa yang pantas d sa£ahkan ? Burung Pouch taukah pulau itu ?
Apa yang harus diSesa£i ? KeDatangan burung Pouch ataukah kepErGianNya ?
Tak ada jwbn kcua£i kebodohanQu !
(posting oleh Ramdiah)

A PROFILE OF THE SUCCESSFUL LANGUAGE LEARNING

(James W. Ramsay, “Basic Skills for Academic Reading”, Page 112)

Some people seem to have a knack for learning languages. They can pick up new vocabulary, master rules or grammar, and learn to write in the new language more quickly than others. They do not seem to be any more intelligent than others, so what makes language learning so much easier for them? Perhaps if we take a close look at these successful language learners we may discover a few of the techniques which make language learning easier for them.

First of all, successful language learners are independent learners. They do not depend on the book or the teacher; they discover their own way to learn the language. Instead of waiting for the teacher to explain, they try to find the patterns and the rules for themselves. They are good guessers who look for clues and form their own conclusions. When they guess wrong, they guess again. They try to learn from their mistakes.

Successful language learning is active learning. Therefore, successful learners do not wait for a chance to use the languages; they look for such a chance. They find people who speak the language and they ask these people to correct them when they make a mistake. They will try anything to communicate. They are not afraid to repeat what they hear or to say strange things; they are willing to make mistakes and try again. When communication is difficult, they can accept the information that is inexact or incomplete. It is more important for them to learn to think in the language than to know the meaning of every word.

Finally, successful language learners are learners with a purpose. They want to learn the language because they are interested in the language and the people who speak it. It is necessary for them to learn the language in order to communicate with these people and to learn form them. They find it easy to practice using the language regularly because they want to learn with it.

What kind of language learner are you? If you are a successful language learner, you have probably been learning independently, actively, and purposefully. On the other hand, if your language learning has been less than successful, you might do well to try some of the techniques outlined above.

Answer the question!

1. What makes language learning easier for some people than others, according to this text?
2. How do successful language learners languages?
3. Why do successful language learners find it easy to practice using the language regularly?
4. “If your language learning has been less than successful, you might do well to try some of the techniques outlined above.” What does this sentence mean?

Ada kebaikan karena ada keburukan

Burung – burung melayang bebas di angkasa.

Dari mana mereka mempelajarinya?

Mereka jatuh, dan terus jatuh, mereka lalu diberi sayap.

Jalaludin Rumi

Manusia perlu bersatu dengan menjaga hubungan

Kami masak segumpal tanah liat,

Mencetak tubuh kalian,

Dan tubuhku.

Lalu kami satukan keduanya,

Dan kami pecahkan berkeping – keping,

Dan mencampurkan kepingan dengan air,

dan mencetak lagi tubuhmu, dan tubuhku.

Aku ada dalam tanah liatmu.

Kau dalam tanah liat ku.

Dalam hidup kita berbagi tempat berteduh.

Dalam kematian kita berbagi peti mayat.

Kuan Tao-Sheng

Cinta adalah menghargai perbedaan, keanehan, dan keunikan orang lain, tanpa menuntut mereka menjadi “normal” seperti kita

Bunyikanlah bel yang masih berdering.

Lupakan tawaranmu yang sempurna.

Senantiasa ada celah di mana saja.

Lewat celah itulah cahaya menyusup ke dalam.

Leonardo Cohen

Jangan terlalu banyak memberi cahaya kepada jiwa

Orang selalu mengetahui misteri seseorang dengan mengorbankan

ketidak berdosaan seseorang.

Robertson Davies

Planning Your Writing Career

On the Newbie-Writers website I ran a poll asking about Writing Business Plans: "Do you have a writing business plan to help you plan your writing?" And almost 87% of those who voted don't.
To be honest, this didn't surprise me. For the first year of my writing life I didn't have a plan either. "Writing is a creative exercise," I reasoned to myself, "therefore, I shouldn't try and fit it into a plan." But my, was I wrong.
You see, without a plan for your writing career, it is hard to keep track of how much writing you do. It is difficult to push yourself to achieve further writing credits, to pursue new markets, to successfully enter contests or even to achieve your targeted word counts for that novel you're working on.
Without a plan, your writing will simply drift along and you can find that at the end of a week you haven't actually written a thing. This is not good if you are ever going to sell your work or finish your novel. To help your career take off, you really need a Writer's Business Plan.
So what is a Writer's Business Plan?
At its most basic a writer's business plan is a set of goals that you intend to reach and deadlines by which you will reach them. At its most complex it is a schedule for increasing your writing income by a set amount, increasing your published clips and the number of magazines you write for by setting exacting targets for you to meet, and involving backward planning to work out when you need to submit queries to which magazines. As this article is aimed at beginners, we will concentrate on a basic writer's plan. For those of you who want to write a more complex one read, this Building a Writer's Business Plan by Moira Allen.
How do you write a Business Plan?
There are three steps involved in writing a business plan:
Setting goals
Allocating Time
Checking your progress
Setting Goals
Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted -- or SMART for short.
Specific: Don't just say "I want to be published this year." Instead say, "I want to be published in x and y magazines or I want to have z novel published this year."
Measurable: Don't write "I want to increase my number of published clips this year." Write: "I want to have 10 published clips this year." or "I will send out fifty queries this year."
Achievable: Don't say "I will write two novels this year" or "I will write two articles a week," if you only have 5 hours a week writing time. Instead write something like; "I will complete 3000 words a week on my novel this year." Or "I will research and write one article a fortnight."
Realistic: Don't write down that you will earn $100k from your writing this year, or that you will win the Pulitzer Prize or the Man Booker prize. Write down things that you can realistically achieve given the time you have available for writing and your level of experience. It is realistic to say "I will earn $100 an article by the end of this year" or "I will have completed the first draft of my novel this year" or "I will enter ten writing contests this year."
Targeted: Don't write: "I will one day become a famous author." When will one day be? This is a dream, not a goal. For goals to work; they need to have targets: "I will have written my first draft by x.x.xx." I will submit a query each month by the x." "I will send my novel to one agent every three months"
Allocating Time
Next, look at the time you have available for writing and work out how much time you can realistically spend on each of your goals in a week or a month.
You might need to split your writing time into various tasks: researching new markets, researching articles or fiction settings; composing query letters, writing first drafts of articles or fiction stories; editing second drafts; writing your novel; copywriting work etc, etc.
Then you need to give each goal a deadline, for without a deadline there will be no impetus for you to finish each task and the time you spend on a task will expand to fit the time available to it. To set deadlines you need to take into account such factors as:
Deadlines for article submissions (particularly for seasonal articles)
Deadlines for contest submissions (build in an early deadline for yourself to allow time for editing etc)
Deadlines for when you want to have written the first three chapters of your novel...
Or word counts: 3000 words a week on your novel
You will also need to factor in time that you won't be able to use for writing, such as holidays.
For example, if you want to get 10 published clips this year, then realistically you could be looking at writing fifty queries. That means you need to send out, on average, five queries a week. If you don't plan for that or allocate time to researching markets and drafting queries, then you won't achieve your goal.
Ideally, you should also factor into your writing plan time to improve your craft; time to read writing books or newsletters, time to go on courses or use writing products. You need to invest time in your development as a writer.
Checking your progress
I write out all my goals on a piece of paper and then transfer these goals to my diary. I write out when I should have achieved each goal on the correct day of my diary and check my diary and business plan on a weekly basis. I also copy my immediate goals onto a "Things to Do" page in my planner.
When I used Microsoft Works I found their scheduling software a boon for setting targets. You might find using the scheduling tool in Outlook Express useful too. Whichever method you use; the important thing is to write down your goals and check your progress towards them regularly.
So, there you have it. Writing a plan for your writing career is not a lengthy process but it is one that should improve your productivity and enable you to make the most of your writing time.

“PROSTITUTION” What Do You Think About It?

There are so many reasons why women prostitute them selves. What they do is not completely wrong. But, economic problem is an actual reason they regarded. Poverty becomes a shield to protect them that will people boo (as prostitute). And actually, I agree if they argue, “Feed the baby”, beside poverty. We don’t have to blame them. How can a baby makes money or must it work while it is still child, or will you murder it. No another choice they have. Save your baby or be safe in hell. And the question is why do they have a baby before getting married? And how long have they been becoming a prostitute?
I am sure what they do actually is right for its reason. But the way to resolve their problem must be wrong. Unless they made a mistake, that would not happen. I only think we must give them an achievement for their efforts to survive. Can we say what they did is not an effort? So we claim they must be punished. And how is about philanderers? I only think if I were her child, I would never become angry. I do realize that I feed upon her efforts. How can I blame her if she is my mother? Should I say, “Fuck you mama, why I were born from your womb? My friends boo me that I have no father and my mama is prostitute. Sham on me. I ever no ask to be born”?
And government plans to combat them in order to clean our beloved country from prostitution. I don’t think so. They should combat my mind first. Prostitution will never end. I believe in that statement and you do. There is a woman, there is prostitution, and there is a man, there is prostitution. The government must destroy both of them to make their plan comes true. No people no prostitution. The more people are, the bigger prostitution is. Nothing is impossible in the lovely world by human hands and God power.
I watched in television a woman was getting away while police tried to capture her. She suggested as prostitute. And police chased not only her but also her friends. And finally, they were captured by police and interviewed. Then police released them to go home and ask not to do that or captured twice. That was so fool. It showed that police had no job to do except bothered prostitutes were working. I imagined, at the time, that after capturing some prostitutes what would they do? Oh, they released them. I thought those prostitutes would be in jail for a long time. They did not, in the fact. And now, I am sure those prostitute still do. Unless police had released them but gave money long life, they would not have done it forever. But that is impossible to do.
Working is not easy to do. It needs requirements, which we must broaden. Implementation is the key to reach it. But it is difficult to do if we don’t have eager. School is a mean where we increase our abilities and skills in order to find out what we don’t find it out before. It doesn’t mean those who never step on school have no abilities or skills? That is not true. For example, your father is a farmer and never studies in school. The crops are always good, because of your father hands. Does he know how to plan? What are kinds of earth good for planting? Naturally, your father knows it. Ask him where he studied planting.
Making money. Every one wants have work to do. They want to earn their own money. An officer works to earn money. A driver works to earn money. A farmer works to earn money and so a prostitute does. They have their own way to earn money. What’s the money for? Of course to fulfill their need while they live in the world. Every one has own need.
So, don’t always think in negative side of prostitution. Ask them why they do it. Some factors influence them to become prostitute. The environment where they live in. Don’t think they are not educated. Capturing and then releasing them is not the solution to solve the problem. They need money. Give them field works. There is a measurement to know that our country is left behind. Poverty, prostitution, and jobless are not a measurement. You see that our country is the most motorcycle user in the world ‘till our fuel material collapsed. How many taxes did we receive from them?
Prostitution, basically, cannot be destroyed. It can be decreased step by step and I am not really sure it can.