MOHAMMEDIAN AL-MAKRE

Tangerang Anggarkan Rp 2 Miliar tuk Banjir

2009-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

um'at, 17 Oktober 2008 | 15:08 WIB

TEMPO Interaktif, Tangerang: Pemerintah Kabupaten Tangerang menganggarkan dana sebesar Rp 2 miliar dalam Anggaran Pendapatan Belanja Daerah Perubahan 2008 ini untuk membangun turap di Kali Ciputat dan Kali Serua di Kecamatan Ciputat.

"Pembangunan tanggul untuk mengantisipasi banjir Ciputat dan sekitarnya," ujar Kepala Bidang Pengairan Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Bina Marga Kabupaten Tangerang, Yulianto, kepada Tempo, Jumat (17/10).

Menurut Yulianto, turap dibangun sepanjang 400 meter di kali Ciputat dengan dana Rp 1 miliar. Turap dengan panjang yang sama juga dibangun di kali Serua dengan dana Rp 1 miliar. "Akhir bulan ini mulai dibangun," katanya.

Pembangunan turap di dua sungai terpanjang di Ciputat itu, kata Yulianto, diharapkan dapat mengurangi banjir di wilayah Tangerang Selatan. Meluapnya dua sungai itu setiap musim penghujan menyebabkan banjir di Ciputat dan Pondok Aren.

Yulianto mengatakan banjir di Tangerang Selatan kerap terjadi di Puri Bintaro, kompleks sekneg dan di sejumlah titik di Pondok Aren. Tiap tahun, kata dia, ketinggian air terus meninggi dan merendam ribuan rumah penduduk.

Tumbalkan Anak Kandung dalam Ritual Dukun Sesat

2009-03-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

KOMPAS.COM/IGNATIUS SAWABI

ilustrasi

Selasa, 24 Maret 2009 | 11:17 WIB

KOMPAS.com — Seorang gadis belia berusia 12 tahun di Uganda menjadi korban praktik lama di Afrika, yaitu perdukunan sesat yang kejam, akhir pekan lalu.

Berbagai upaya dilakukan pemerintah untuk menghentikan praktik ini, tetapi faktanya kejadian itu masih sering terjadi. Lebih keji lagi, sejumlah orangtua dan anggota keluarga yang justru menghendaki anak kandung mereka menjadi tumbal demi mengalap berkah.

Belakangan ini, polisi dan pemerintah bertekad untuk mengekang praktik perdukunan sesat tersebut di seluruh negara Afrika timur itu. Diduga, hampir setiap pekan satu anak dijadikan korban.

Dalam pembunuhan Sabtu (21/3), Sylvia Kangume dari Pusat Anak Ntunda di kabupaten Kiboga, Uganda tengah, ditemukan tewas. Saat ditemukan, beberapa bagian tubuh anak itu hilang, mirip berbagai pembunuhan ritual yang merebak selama beberapa bulan belakangan di Afrika.

Kematian gadis muda itu diikuti oleh peristiwa yang mirip di Bugiri, Uganda tengah. Dalam peristiwa kedua tersebut, bagian tubuh anak laki yang berusia tiga tahun diambil oleh seorang dukun. Bocah laki-laki tersebut selamat dan menjalani perawatan medis di Kampala.

Moses Kafeero, juru bicara polisi di Uganda tengah, mengatakan kepada wartawan pada Senin bahwa meskipun ada upaya guna menyeret pelakunya ke pengadilan, aksi kejahatan dengan sasaran utama anak-anak telah meningkat di seluruh negeri tersebut. Pembentukan komite 15 anggota oleh polisi guna memperkuat penyelidikan mengenai pola pengorbanan anak-anak belum memberi hasil.

"Rakyat kami masih percaya pada cenayang, kami telah berbicara, banyak orang telah dibawa ke pengadilan, tetapi masalah ini masih merongrong kami," kata Kafeero sebagaimana dilaporkan kantor berita China, Xinhua.

Namun, pengungkapan kejahatan itu lebih mengejutkan karena sebagian orangtua atau anggota keluarga telah membantu dalam pembunuhan anak mereka. Polisi pun mendesak orangtua agar lebih mengawasi anak mereka.

Menurut statistik, 18 kasus yang diduga sebagai pembunuhan dalam upacara mistis tercatat tahun lalu, 15 di antaranya diselidiki. Dukun yang terlibat dalam upacara pengorbanan anak biasanya dilakukan untuk membawa keberuntungan, kesehatan yang baik, dan lain-lain di beberapa negara Afrika.

Matia Kasaija, Menteri Negara Urusan Dalam Negeri Uganda baru-baru ini mengatakan perang melawan pengorbanan anak-anak telah bertambah rumit akibat meningkatnya jenis kejahatan lain dengan sasaran anak-anak, seperti penculikan, perampasan, dan pencurian anak. Menurut Kementerian Dalam Negeri, ada 230 kasus semacam itu pada 2006, dan pada 2007 kasus tersebut turun jadi 108, tetapi melonjak lagi jadi 318 kasus tahun lalu.

Sementara negeri itu masih mempertimbangkan apa yang akan dilakukan guna mengekang aksi kejahatan itu, Presiden Uganda Yowei Museveni telah menyatakan bahwa mereka—yang terbukti bersalah dalam tindakan mengorbankan anak-anak—pantas dihukum mati.

Kabinet Uganda direncanakan mengajukan dokumen ke parlemen mengenai langkah yang dilakukan, yang akan dibahas oleh anggota parlemen. Sementara itu, para pemimpin Kristen sedang menjalani doa dan puasa 40 hari di seluruh negeri tersebut guna menentang tindakan mengorbankan manusia, yang dinamakan "Menangi buat Anak-anak Uganda".

Tabib tradisional, yang dituduh melakukan perbuatan tersebut oleh banyak orang Uganda, menghadiri acara tayang bincang radio dan telah membantah tuduhan itu dan malah bergabung dalam aksi memerangi tindakan mengorbankan anak-anak. Sementara itu, rakyat Uganda masih menunggu tindakan efektif yang akan dilakukan.

KREASI UNIK PARA SIMPATISAN

2009-03-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

Gambar ini menunjukkan begitu kreatif dan uniknya antusiasnya masyarakat terhadap parpol pilihan mereka serta membantu jalannya demokrasi di Indonesia. Semoga pemimpin terpilih nanti bisa seperti rakyatnya dalam membangun Indonesia secara kreatif, demokrasi, dan religius , akan tetapi bukan kreatif korupsi.

Bus The Jungle Dikandangkan

2009-03-21T01:25:00.000-07:00

BOGOR - Dinas Perhubungan, Komunikasi dan Informasi (Dishubkominfo) Kota Bogor kembali menunjukkan taring. Kemarin, dua bus angkutan milik lokawisata The Jungle bernopol F7270A dan F7269A diamankan petugas Dishubkominfo karena tidak berizin.

Bus tersebut langsung digiring ke markas Dishubkominfo di Jalan Raya Tajur. Tak hanya itu, petugas juga langsung mengembosi ban bus tersebut.

Kepala Dishubkominfo Kota Bogor Achmad Syarief kepada Radar Bogor mengatakan, ini untuk menjaga hal-hal negatif di lapangan. “Ya daripada menjadi bulan-bulanan sopir angkot, lebih baik kita amankan,” kata Syarief dengan nada geram.

Pasalnya, lanjut dia, sudah banyak informasi yang berkembang kalau bus-bus itu meresahkan sopir angkutan kota. “Jelas sangat mengganggu, karena bus ini beroperasi sampai di luar The Jungle,” ujarnya.

Menurut Syarief, kedua bus ini sudah melanggar beberapa pasal. Di antaranya Keputusan Menteri Nomor 35 Tahun 2007 dan Perda Kota Bogor 2003 tentang Penyelenggaraan Lalulintas Angkutan Jalan di Kota Bogor. “Kalau sudah begitu, kita tak bisa memberi ampun. Harus kita kandangin busnya,” tegasnya.

Sedangkan Kasi Bimbingan dan Keselamatan Dishubkominfo Empar Suparta menyatakan kedua bus itu sudah melanggar tiga poin. Pertama, menurunkan penumpang tidak pada tempatnya, kedua tidak memiliki izin trayek dan ketiga tak memiliki izin usaha. “Setelah kita periksa semuanya tidak dimiliki dua bus ini,” tegasnya.

Tak hanya itu, bus ini pun beroperasi keluar wilayah dengan menarik penumpang dari pangkalan bus Damri hingga The Jungle. “Tarif yang diberlakukan baik jauh-dekat sebesar Rp4.000 juga sudah melanggar karena sudah keluar area,” kata Empar.

Sementara sopir bus The Jungle Adi Miftahudin tak tahu-menahu bila bus yang dikendarainya melanggar aturan angkutan di Kota Bogor. “Saya kira sudah ada surat izin. Kalau saya mah hanya sopir,” kata Adi saat diperiksa petugas.

Menurut dia, bus ini memang milik Bogor Nirwana Residence (BNR). Akan tetapi pengelolaannya oleh PO Bintang Cakra.

Waspada Kartu ATM anda

2009-03-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Memasuki minggu ketiga bulan Maret 2009 dunia pertelekomunikasian khususnya komunikasi menggunakan satellit atau Vsat akan mengalami gangguan. Gangguan ini dikenal dengan istilah sun outage, merupakan fenomena alam yang normal dan terjadi dua kali dalam setahun yaitu sekitar bulan Maret dan September.

Sun Outage adalah suatu keadaan dimana posisi matahari-satelit-bumi(khusunya antena satelit dibumi) dalam posisi satu garis lurus. Hal ini menyebabkan gangguan penerimaan sinyal di bumi.

Keadaan ini akan berulang tiap tahunnya karena kombinasi rotasi bumi, dan orbit satelit serta matahari memang memaksa hal itu. But, dont worry guys. ini merupakan fenomena yang wajar.

Terus apa hubungannya dengan judul diatas?. Ada ga seh…
Di negara tercinta kita Indonesia, sebagian komunikasinya menggunakan media satelit atau dikenal Vsat (Very Small Aperture Terminal) termasuk komunikasi mesin ATM. Karena jaringan terganggu maka ATM akan terganggu. Durasi gangguannya antara 1 menit sampai 15 menit setiap hari selama hampir sepuluha hari. Karena rentangnya lama maka mesin-mesin ATM yang menggunakan satelit sebagai sarana komunikasinya akan OFFLINE alias tidak bisa digunakan.
Repotnya, kejadian Sun Outage ini berlangsung jam 11an siang dimana mesin ATM sudah mulai banyak digunakan termasuk untuk siap-siap bayar makan siang nih bagi pegawai kantoran
Jika kita sudah terlanjur memasukkan kartu ATM dan sedang dalam proses transaksi tiba-tiba BET offline maka kartu anda dijamin ga keluar lagi alias tertelan. Maka siap-siap aja ngutang lagi sama warung langganan.

Jadi, bagi anda khususnya yang dompet dan saldonya pas-pasan, usahakan tidak mengambil uang di siang hari antara jam 11.00 s/d 11.15 dari tanggal 18 Maret sampai 27 Maret 2009. Kalau terpaksa mau ngambil ya pilih-pilih mesin ATMnya, cari ATM yang tidak terlihat piringan seperti payung karena gangguan ini hanya untuk ATM yang payungan.

Gangguan ini terjadi dari Sabang sampai Merauke, dari Timor sampai ke Talaud. so, semua pengguna ATM, kalau bisa hindari menggunakan ATM di siang hari jika ga ingin ATM anda tertelan.

Nokia E75 siap ramaikan pasaran Indonesia

2009-03-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Nokia E75 baru saja diumumkan dan merupakan jenis baru dari seri E. Rencana ponsel ini diluncurkan pada Maret 2009. Ponsel ini akan mendukung game N-Gage dan memiliki layar QVGA 2.4 inch.

Nokia E75 ini mengambil inspirasi dari 9300 yang merupakan communicator mini pertama Nokia yang menggabungkan keyboard full untuk messaging dan juga keypad ponsel tradisional. Ponsel ini juga memiliki kamera 3.2 megapiksel dengan autofocus, akses HSDPA kecepatan tinggi, A-GPS dengan Nokia Maps dan player musik dengan konektor audio standar 3.5 mm. Perkiraan harga adalah 375 euro atau 5.7 jutaan kalau dirupiahkan.

Nokia E75 hitam

Categories: Ponsel
Tags: handphone, nokia, nokia e75, Ponsel

Wah2 hrganya selangit yah... Prasaan org barat sendiri jarang pake Hp mahal2.. Tapi untuk kbutuhan dan tuntutan kesibukan mgkin pas buat rekan-rekan semua. Bagaimana menurut anda??

Mengapa harus valentine's day?

2009-02-11T21:37:00.001-08:00

Valentine's day yang kita sebut sebagai hari kasih sayang ternyata tidak sesuai dengan kisahnya. Serentak di berbagai negara menyambut hari ini layaknya bulan suci yang penuh berkah. Ironisnya, valentine's day dijadikan sebuah ajang bagi muda-mudi untuk memberikan ungkapan kasih sayang kepada kekasihnya seperti saling bertukar kado dsb.

Apa yang membuat mereka mengamini bahwa valentine's day adalah moment bercinta bagi mereka? Padahal mereka sendiri belum tentu mengetahui apa history di balik valentine's day.

Bukankah untuk menunjukkan rasa sayang kita terhadap teman, kekasih ataupun keluarga kita tak perlu menunggu datangnya tanggal 14 Februari, kita bisa menunjukkannya setiap hari. Kita juga tak perlu mengeluarkan uang banyak untuk membeli coklat, bunga dan pernak-pernik lainnya untuk menunjukkan rasa sayang kita, cukup dengan perhatian yang tulus.

Kini, jika Anda berjalan-jalan ke mal atau pusat perbelanjaan, hiasan perayaan Imlek telah diganti. Warna yang mendominasi sama merahnya, namun berbeda tulisan dan simbolnya. Pasti pada setiap helaian pita atau balon ada tergores nama seorang tokoh suci dari Roma asal abad ketiga, St. Valentine. Ditambah pula oleh hiasan-hiasan lain berbentuk hati berwarna merah atau merah jambu. Terlepas dari itu semua, marilah kita kupas secara detail keistimewaan hari Valentine yang kedatangannya selalu membuat dunia menjadi serba 'merah muda'.

Sejarah Hari Valentine

Asal mula hari Valentine tercipta pada jaman kerajaan Romawi. Menurut adat Romawi, 14 Februari adalah hari untuk menghormati Juno. Ia adalah ratu para dewa dewi Romawi. Rakyat Romawi juga menyebutnya sebagai dewi pernikahan. Di hari berikutnya, 15 Februari dimulailah perayaan 'Feast of Lupercalia.'

Pada masa itu, kehidupan belum seperti sekarang ini, para gadis dilarang berhubungan dengan para pria. Pada malam menjelang festival Lupercalia berlangsung, nama-nama para gadis ditulis di selembar kertas dan kemudian dimasukkan ke dalam gelas kaca. Nantinya para pria harus mengambil satu kertas yang berisikan nama seorang gadis yang akan menjadi teman kencannya di festival itu.

Tak jarang pasangan ini akhirnya saling jatuh cinta satu sama lain, berpacaran selama beberapa tahun sebelum akhirnya menikah. Di bawah pemerintahan Kaisar Claudius II, Romawi terlibat dalam peperangan. Claudius yang dijuluki si kaisar kejam kesulitan merekrut pemuda untuk memperkuat armada perangnya.

Ia yakin bahwa para pria Romawi enggan masuk tentara karena berat meninggalkan keluarga dan kekasihnya. Akhirnya ia memerintahkan untuk membatalkan semua pernikahan dan pertunangan di Romawi. Saint Valentine yang saat itu menjadi pendeta terkenal di Romawi menolak perintah ini.

Ia bersama Saint Marius secara sembunyi-sembunyi menikahkan para pasangan yang sedang jatuh cinta. Namun aksi mereka diketahui sang kaisar yang segera memerintahkan pengawalnya untuk menyeret dan memenggal pendeta baik hati tersebut.

Ia meninggal tepat pada hari keempat belas di bulan Februari pada tahun 270 Masehi. Saat itu rakyat Romawi telah mengenal Februari sebagai festival Lupercalia, tradisi untuk memuja para dewa. Dalam tradisi ini para pria diperbolehkan memilih gadis untuk pasangan sehari.
Dan karena Lupercalia mulai pada pertengahan bulan Februari, para pastor memilih nama Hari Santo Valentinus untuk menggantikan nama perayaan itu. Sejak itu mulailah para pria memilih gadis yang diinginkannya bertepatan pada hari Valentine.

Berdasarkan kisah tersebut, sepatutnya kita membagi kebahagiaan bukan hanya pada tanggal 14 februari saja melainkan setiap hari.

2009-02-07T23:31:00.000-08:00

Gambar di ini merupakan pembantaian zionis kepada umat muslim. Kalau kita simak baik-baik, nampak bahwa amerika sebagai pelayan yang baik untuk Israel, mereka merupakan penyokong yang siap mendukung pendudukan israel ke tanah palestina. Para zionis tersebut pun melenggang kangkung alias seenae dewe membantai jalur gaza, hal itu digambarkan bagaimana mereka menikmati kolam pembantaian bangsa palestina. Sedangkan PBB atau masyarkat Internasional, seolah2 hanya mengamati atau bahkan acuh tak acuh alias ga mau tahu,,, (yang penting bukan perang gue).

Saudaraku seiman...marilah kita bersatu,, selalu mendoakan bahkan hendaklah persiapkan diri kita untuk membantu rekan-rekan kita yang berada disana>>> Allahu akbar...

We Will Not Go Down (Gaza's Song)

2009-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

NGAMAR.. ekspresi binal remaja masa kini

2009-02-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

Dunia ini semakin panas,,
bagai air mengalir luas,,,,
Kehidupan pun tidak terbatas,,,

Lagu tersebut menceritakan realita kehidupan yang terjadi di sekitar kita. Fenomena ngamar bukanlah merupakan story baru bagi kita. Begitu mudahnya akses yang mampu dilalui remaja2 untuk melakukan kegiatan free sex baik di kosan, di hotel dan dimanapun berada. Tidak menutup kemungkinan para dosen juga melakukan kegiatan syahwat tersebut.

Tak bisa dipungkiri lagi hal2 yang dianggap tabu menjadi layak dipertontonkan masa kini...
Langkah kita akan terhanyut sejenak ketika kita memasuki lorong kos mahasiswa.. Buaian parfum dan helaan nafas seorang muda belia mengekspresikan kegembiraannya dalam aroma seks bebas bersama kekasihnya atau mungkin kekasih gelapnya... Entah mengapa hal ini terjadi... kalau tahun 80-90an mungkin masih tertutupi sekat... namun era 2000 tampil baru... "Blak2an bo"... heboh... Kalau seorang emka aja membuat jakarta undercover kyknya mesti dirilis baru... indonesia boarding house undersex (kyknya cocok tug buat judul)... Ga usah piih hotel sgala... kosan lebih murah dan irit lagi...Edan,,,

Coba jawab... kalo anda dihadapkan dengan cewek yang tinggal jarak sejengkal sama anda,, Apakah anda bisa bertaruh untuk mengingat umur anda?
Apakah anda mengingat kapan anda akan mati?

Ya... tulisan ini cuma ungkapan penulis baik kepada pembaca dan pada penulis sendiri untuk senantiasa inget sama yang di atas...

Maka dari itu perlu bagi kita untuk>>>
1. Muhasabah alias selalu evaluasi diri.
2. Muraqabah artinye selalu ingaet tuhan kita. (sang pencipta)
3. Tarbiyatul Ibadah : Lengkapkan solat fardhu dan sunnah kita, dan juga amal baik kita karena solat merupakan manifestasi dari iman.

Bersambung dulu ya... Mo ashar,, lagian numpang ngetik di kampus.... Nantikan yah ngamar 3

Gebrakan Awal Danrem 061-Menwa, Bantu Korban Bencana

2009-02-07T00:11:00.000-08:00

Merdeka- Seringnya kejadian siaga empat yang berakibat banjir dan longsor dadakan di wilayah Bogor, membuat Komandan Korem (Danrem) 061/Suryakancana, Kolonel Inf. Agus Sutomo bereaksi cerdas mengantisipasinya. Bersama Resimen Mahasiswa (Menwa), Agus merancang bakti sosial membantu korban banjir dan longsor.

Agus mengatakan, Menwa dapat meningkatkan peransertanya di masyarakat bersama TNI melalui kegiatan sosial. “Contohnya, musim hujan seperti saat ini, di mana banyak terjadi banjir dan longsor. Kita dapat segera memberi bantuan secara bahu-membahu ke daerah yang terkena longsor tersebut. Bantuan dalam bentuk apapun yang dapat segera berguna bagi mereka,” tutur suami Minurlin Lubis serta ayah dari Adisti dan Yorda itu kepada Jurnal Bogor, Minggu (18/1).
Ditemui di sela-sela acara rapat komando di Aula Komando Resort Militer (Korem) 061/Suyakancana Bogor, Agus mengatakan bahwa langkah awal yang akan diadakan oleh Korem 061/Suryakancana dengan Menwa Mahawarman adalah melakukan kegiatan bakti sosial pada Februari 2009.
“Semoga silaturahim Korem dan Menwa ini dapat berjalan lancar dan kami bisa menindaklanjutinya demi kebaikan satuan, TNI dan Menwa, yang bermuara pada kebaikan bangsa dan negara, terutama masyarakat Bogor” tuturnya.
Sementara itu, menurut pemantauan Jurnal Bogor di Pintu Air Katulampa Minggu (18/1), menunjukkan bahwa debit air kian susut dari 80 centimeter pagi hari menjadi 70 centimeter pada malam hari kemarin.
“Kondisi ini merupakan kondisi normal semenjak naiknya debit air Katulampa sejak Selasa (13/1) lalu yang sempat mencapai ketinggian 160 centimeter, dan mengakibatkan terjadinya longsor dan banjir di Bogor, dan sekitarnya,” ungkap Agus, penjaga pintu air Katulampa, kepada Jurnal Bogor, tadi malam.
Menurut dia, ketinggian air di Pintu Air Depok kemarin malam, mencapai 155 centimeter. Berarti, debit air di Depok juga menyusut. “Senin (19/1), mudah-mudahan hujan tak turun deras, sehingga keadaan normal ini dapat bertahan. Situasi seperti ini kan perlu untuk memperlancar bantuan kepada korban banjir dan longsor,” ujarnya.

Bela Negara
Pada kesempatan itu, Agus juga menyinggung pentingnya bela negara di kalangan mahasiswa. “Bela negara menunjukkan rasa nasionalisme mahasiswa yang luar biasa bagi Indonesia. Menwa adalah mahasiswa plus, karena di tengah kesibukannya di kampus, mereka masih meluangkan waktu untuk kegiatan yang baik. Oleh karena itu, Menwa harus dapat menunjukkan solusi di setiap rintangannya,” ujar Agus.
Dikatakan Agus, Menwa harus dapat menempatkan diri sebagai solusi dengan menjadi orang yang optimistis, bukan pesimistis. Orang yang pesimistis menganggap yang bukan masalah jadi masalah. “Sedangkan orang yang optimistis membuat masalah berubah, minimal sebagai solusi,” ujar pria tamatan pendidikan TNI pada 27 September 1984 ini.
Anggota Menwa, lanjut Agus, juga harus menjadi orang-orang yang ikhlas dan pandai bersyukur. “Dengan ikhlas dan pandai bersyukur, insya Allah kita semua akan hidup berkecukupan, baik rohani maupun materi,” ungkap pria kelahiran Klaten, 14 April 1960 ini.
Dalam acara silaturahim yang mengangkat tema ‘Memantapkan Peran, Fungsi, dan Eksistensi Resimen Mahasiswa Mahawarman Batalyon VII/Suryakancana sebagai Wadah Mahasiswa dalam Bela Negara’ tersebut, juga hadir para anggota Menwa dari masing-masing kompi serta para alumni Menwa.
Agus berharap, acara tersebut bisa mendatangkan manfaat bagi Menwa sebagai wadah evaluasi, meningkatkan kualitas kerja, dan sebagai ajang silaturahmi.

OBAMA SPEECH

2009-01-23T02:46:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - My fellow citizens,

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

PIDATO OBAMA PADA PELATIKAN

2009-01-23T02:43:00.000-08:00

Berikut teks pidato pelantikan Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Hussein Obama, Selasa 20 Januari waktu AS, di Capitol Hill, Washington DC dari siaran pers Kedutaan Besar AS di Jakarta, Rabu, seprti yang dikutip dari situs Antara.

Rekan-rekan sebangsa dan setanah air: Saya berdiri di sini hari ini terenyak oleh tugas di depan kita, berterima kasih atas kepercayaan yang Anda berikan, dan teringat akan pengorbanan oleh leluhur kita.

Saya berterima kasih kepada Presiden Bush atas jasanya pada bangsa kita, dan juga atas kemurahan hati dan kerjasama yang ditunjukkannya pada masa transisi ini. Sudah 44 warga Amerika yang diambil sumpahnya sebagai presiden. Kata-kata dalam sumpah jabatan itu telah diucapkan dimasa kemakmuran dan dimasa damai. Namun, ada kalanya sumpah jabatan kepresidenan itu diambil di tengah-tengah situasi gawat dan badai yang berkecamuk.

Pada saat-saat demikian, Amerika terus melaksanakan tugasnya bukan hanya karena ketrampilan atau visi mereka yang memegang jabatan tinggi, tetapi karena kita rakyat Amerika tetap setia pada cita-cita leluhur kita dan setia pada dokumen-dokumen yang dirumuskan oleh para pendiri negara kita.

Demikianlah adanya, dan memang selalu demikianlah yang harus dilakukan oleh generasi orang Amerika yang sekarang ini. Memang sudah dipahami bahwa kita sedang berada di tengah krisis. Bangsa kita kini sedang terlibat perang, melawan jaringan kekerasan dan kebencian yang jauh jangkauannya. Ekonomi kita sangat lemah, akibat ketamakan dan tindakan tidak bertanggung jawab oleh sebagian pihak, tetapi juga karena kegagalan kita secara kolektif untuk membuat pilihan-pilihan sulit, dan kegagalan kita mempersiapkan bangsa bagi abad baru. Banyak rumah yang disita, lapangan kerja menurun drastis, bisnis gulung tikar.

Asuransi kesehatan kita terlalu mahal, murid-murid sekolah kita banyak yang gagal, dan setiap hari terlihat bukti bahwa cara-cara kita menggunakan energi justru memperkuat musuh-musuh kita dan mengancam planet kita. Semua itu merupakan indikator krisis, yang didasarkan pada data dan statistik. Yang kurang bisa diukur tetapi tidak kurang pentingnya adalah melemahnya keyakinan di seluruh pelosok Amerika - kekhawatiran terus-menerus bahwa kemerosotan Amerika tak terelakkan lagi, dan bahwa generasi berikutnya harus mengurangi harapannya.

Hari ini saya katakan kepada kalian bahwa tantangan-tantangan yang kita hadapi adalah nyata. Tantangan ini serius dan banyak. Tidak akan mudah diatasi dan tidak bisa diatasi dalam jangka pendek. Tetapi ketahuilah ini, Amerika, semua tantangan ini akan kita hadapi. Pada hari ini, kita berkumpul karena kita lebih memilih harapan daripada ketakutan, kesatuan tujuan daripada konflik dan pertentangan.

Pada hari ini, kita berkumpul untuk menyatakan berakhirnya keluhan-keluhan kecil dan janji-janji palsu, saling-tuduh dan berbagai dogma lusuh yang sudah terlalu lama mencekik politik kita. Negara kita masih muda, dengan meminjam kata-kata dalam Kitab Suci, saatnya sudah tiba kita menepiskan sifat ke kanak-kanakan. Saatnya sudah tiba untuk menandaskan lagi semangat kita yang tegar, memilih jalan sejarah yang lebih baik, melanjutkan pemberian berharga, gagasan mulia yang diteruskan dari generasi ke generasi: yaitu janji yang diberikan Tuhan bahwa semua kita setara, kita semua bebas, dan semua layak memperoleh kesempatan untuk mengejar kebahagiaan sepenuhnya. Dalam menandaskan kebesaran bangsa kita, kita memahami bahwa kebesaran tak pernah diberikan begitu saja. Mencapai kebesaran harus dengan kerja-keras. Perjalanan yang kita tempuh tak pernah mengambil jalan pintas. Perjalanan kita bukan bagi mereka yang tidak-tabah, bukan bagi mereka yang suka bermalas-malas daripada bekerja, atau bagi yang hanya mengejar kekayaan dan menjadi terkenal. Perjalanan kita adalah bagi mereka yang berani mengambil risiko, mereka yang melakukan hal-hal baru dan membuat barang-barang baru.

Sebagian mereka menjadi terkenal, tetapi acap kali laki-laki dan perempuan tak dikenal dalam pekerjaan mereka, yang telah mengusung kita di atas jalan berbatu-batu menuju kemakmuran dan kebebasan. Demi kita, mereka mengemas harta milik mereka yang tak seberapa dan menyeberangi samudera untuk mencari kehidupan baru. Demi kita, mereka banting-tulang dengan upah minim dan menetap di Pantai Barat, menahankan pukulan cambuk dan mencangkul tanah yang keras. Demi kita, mereka bertempur dan mati, di tempat-tempat seperti Concord dan Gettysburg, Normandy dan Khe San. Lelaki dan perempuan ini terus menerus berjuang dan berkorban dan bekerja hingga kulit tangan mereka mengelupas, agar kita bisa mengecap kehidupan yang lebih baik. Mereka melihat Amerika lebih besar dari jumlah ambisi kita secara perorangan, lebih besar daripada perbedaan status keluarga, atau kekayaan ataupun partai atau kelompok.

Perjalanan inilah yang kita teruskan hari ini. Kita masih merupakan negara paling makmur dan paling berpengaruh di Bumi. Para pekerja kita tidak kurang produktifnya dibandingkan dengan waktu ketika krisis ini dimulai. Otak kita masih seinventif seperti pada awal krisis ini, barang dan jasa kita masih diperlukan seperti pada minggu lalu atau bulan lalu, atau tahun lalu. Kapasitas kita tetap tak berkurang. Tetapi masa kita untuk berdiam diri, melindungi kepentingan sempit dan menunda keputusan-keputusan yang tak menyenangkan, sudah harus berlalu. Mulai hari ini, kita harus bangkit sendiri, membersihkan debu yang menempel, dan mulai lagi bekerja memperbaharui Amerika. Karena kemana saja kita melihat, ada yang harus kita lakukan.

Keadaan ekonomi mengharuskan tindakan yang berani dan segera, dan kita akan bertindak bukan hanya untuk menciptakan lapangan kerja baru, tetapi untuk meletakkan dasar bagi pertumbuhan. Kita akan membangun jalan dan jembatan, jaringan listrik dan jaringan digital yang menyuburkan perdagangan dan mengikat kita bersama. Kita akan memulihkan sains ke tempat yang selayaknya, dan menggunakan kehebatan teknologi untuk meningkatkan mutu perawatan kesehatan dan menurunkan biayanya. Kita akan memanfaatkan tenaga matahari, tenaga angin dan lainnya untuk menjalankan mobil-mobil dan pabrik-pabrik kita. Dan kita akan mengubah sekolah dan perguruan tinggi dan universitas untuk memenuhi tuntutan era baru. Semua ini bisa kita lakukan. Dan semua ini akan kita lakukan. Tentu, ada orang yang meragukan skala ambisi kita - dengan mengatakan sistem ekonomi kita tidak bisa mentolerir terlalu banyak rencana besar. Daya ingat mereka tidak cukup lama. Mereka telah melupakan apa yang dilakukan negara ini, apa yang bisa dicapai oleh laki-laki dan perempuan yang hidup bebas, apabila imajinasi digabung demi tujuan bersama, dan kebutuhan digabung dengan ketabahan.

Yang tidak dipahami oleh mereka yang sinis adalah tanah tempat mereka berpijak telah bergeser, bahwa argumen basi dalam politik yang telah begitu lama menyita waktu kita - tidak lagi berlaku. Pertanyaan yang kita ajukan sekarang bukan apakah pemerintah kita terlalu besar atau terlalu kecil, tetapi apakah pemerintah kita bisa berfungsi, apakah pemerintah bisa menolong para keluarga mencari pekerjaan dengan upah yang layak, asuransi kesehatan yang terjangkau, dan pensiun yang berarti. Apabila jawabannya - ya, kita berniat untuk terus bergerak maju. Apabila jawabannya tidak, programnya akan dihentikan. Dan mereka yang mengatur uang rakyat akan dimintai pertanggung-jawabannya - supaya mengeluarkan uang secara bijaksana, mengubah kebiasaan buruk, dan melakukan bisnis kita dengan jujur - karena hanya dengan demikian kita bisa memulihkan kepercayaan penting antara rakyat dan pemerintah.

Kita juga tidak mempertanyakan apakah kekuatan pasar bebas itu baik atau buruk. Kekuatan pasar bisa membina kekayaan dan memperluas kebebasan kita. Tetapi krisis ini telah mengingatkan kita bahwa tanpa pengawasan yang ketat, kekuatan pasar bebas itu bisa terlepas dari kontrol, dan suatu bangsa tidak bisa makmur untuk waktu lama apabila hanya mementingkan orang kaya. Keberhasilan ekonomi kita tidak hanya tergantung pada besarnya Produk Domestik Bruto, tapi seberapa jauh meluasnya kemakmuran itu, pada kemampuan kita memberikan kesempatan kepada tiap orang yang mau bekerja, dan bukan karena belas kasihan karena itulah jalan yang paling pasti guna mencapai kemakmuran bersama. Mengenai pertahanan kita bersama, kita menolak dan menganggap palsu pilihan antara keselamatan dan idaman atau cita-cita kita. Para Pendiri Negara ini dihadapkan pada bahaya yang tak terbayangkan, menyusun sebuah piagam untuk menjamin supremasi hukum dan hak setiap orang, sebuah piagam yang diperkuat oleh perjuangan generasi demi generasi.

Semua cita-cita ini masih menerangi dunia, dan kita tidak akan meninggalkannya demi mencapai penyelesaian yang cepat. Karena itu, bagi semua orang dan pemerintahan yang menyaksikan pelantikan hari ini, mulai dari kota-kota yang termegah sampai ke desa kecil di mana ayah saya dilahirkan, ketahuilah bahwa Amerika adalah sahabat setia negara dan sahabat setiap lelaki, setiap perempuan, dan setiap anak yang menghendaki masa depan yang damai dan bermartabat, dan bahwa kita siap untuk memimpin lagi. Ingatlah bahwa generasi-generasi sebelumnya menundukkan fasisme dan komunisme bukan hanya dengan misil dan tank, tetapi dengan aliansi yang kokoh dan keyakinan besar. Mereka memahami bahwa kekuatan saja tidak bisa melindungi kita, dan bahwa kekuatan itu tidak memberi kita hak berbuat sekehendak hati kita.

Sebaliknya mereka tahu bahwa kekuatan kita tumbuh melalui penggunaan yang bijaksana, keamanan kita berasal dari adilnya tujuan kita, kekuatan contoh yang kita berikan, dan kerendahan hati serta kesanggupan menahan diri. Kita adalah penjaga warisan ini. Dibimbing oleh prinsip-prinsip ini, sekali lagi kita bisa menghadapi ancaman-ancaman baru itu yang menuntut upaya lebih besar, bahkan kerja-sama dan pemahaman lebih besar antar-negara. Kita akan mulai secara bertanggung jawab meninggalkan Irak kepada bangsa Irak, dan menempa perdamaian di Afghanistan. Bersama teman-teman lama dan bekas saingan kita, Amerika akan bekerja tanpa lelah untuk mengurangi ancaman nuklir, dan mengurangi bahaya pemanasan bumi. Kita tidak akan minta maaf atas cara kehidupan Amerika, tidak akan goyah dalam mempertahankannya, dan bagi mereka yang hendak mendorong tujuan mereka dengan terror dan membantai orang-orang tak bersalah, kami katakan kepada mereka, semangat kita lebih kuat dan tidak terpatahkan, kalian tidak akan unggul dari kami, dan kalian akan kami kalahkan.

Kami sadar bahwa warisan bangsa yang beraneka warna adalah suatu kekuatan, dan bukannya sebuah kelemahan. Bangsa kita terdiri dari orang Kristen dan Islam, Yahudi dan Hindu, dan bahkan orang-orang yang tidak percaya pada Tuhan. Kita telah dibentuk oleh campuran berbagai bahasa dan kebudayaan, yang berasal dari segala pelosok dunia. Dan karena kita telah merasakan pahitnya perang saudara dan segregasi rasial, dan keluar dari masa kegelapan menjadi sebuah bangsa yang lebih kuat dan lebih bersatu, kita yakin bahwa pada suatu hari nanti semua rasa kebencian akan hilang, bahwa semua garis-garis pembatas antar suku bangsa akan luluh, dan bahwa dunia ini akan menjadi semakin kecil.

Kerendahan hati kita akan tampak dengan sendirinya, dan Amerika harus memainkan perannya dalam menyongsong era perdamaian yang baru. Bagi dunia Muslim, kami akan mencari cara baru ke depan berdasarkan pada kepentingan bersama dan saling menghormati. Bagi para pemimpin dunia yang berusaha menanam bibit konflik, atau menyalahkan dunia Barat atas kesulitan-kesulitan yang dialami masyarakatnya, ketahuilah bahwa rakyat Anda akan menilai Anda pada apa yang Anda bangun, bukan pada apa yang Anda musnahkan.

Bagi mereka yang hendak menggenggam kekuasaan melalui korupsi dan kekejian dan membungkam orang yang tidak setuju pada kebijakan mereka, yakinlah bahwa kalian berada pada sisi yang keliru, tapi kami akan mengulurkan tangan jika kalian tidak lagi mengepalkan tinju. Bagi rakyat negara-negara miskin, kami berjanji akan bekerja bersama kalian untuk membuat ladang kalian subur dan membuat air bersih mengalir, untuk memberi makan tubuh yang kelaparan, dan memenuhi kebutuhan mental. Dan kepada negara-negara seperti negara kita yang relatif menikmati kemakmuran, kita tidak bisa lagi bersikap tidak peduli pada kesengsaraan di luar perbatasan kita, dan kita tidak bisa menghabiskan sumber-sumber dunia tanpa mempedulikan dampaknya. Karena dunia sudah berubah dan kita harus berubah dengannya. Sambil kita mempertimbangkan jalan yang terbentang di depan kita, kita mengingat dengan rasa terima kasih orang-orang Amerika yang gagah berani, yang pada saat ini, berpatroli di gurun dan gunung yang sangat jauh.

Ada sesuatu yang hendak mereka katakan pada kita hari ini, seperti yang dibisikkan sepanjang masa oleh para pahlawan kita yang kini dimakamkan di Arlington. Kita menghormati mereka bukan hanya karena mereka menjaga kebebasan kita tetapi karena mereka menunjukkan arti pengorbanan, kesediaan untuk mencari arti yang lebih besar dari diri mereka sendiri. Dan pada saat ini, saat yang akan tercatat dalam sejarah generasi - semangat inilah yang harus ada pada kita semua. Sebanyak apapun yang bisa dan harus dilakukan pemerintah, pada akhirnya kepercayaan dan tekad rakyat Amerika-lah yang diandalkan negara ini. Misalnya kebaikan hati untuk menampung orang yang kena musibah walaupun tidak kita kenal, atau pekerja yang tanpa pamrih rela mengurangi jam kerja mereka daripada melihat seorang teman di-PHK, yang membuat kita keluar dari kegelapan. Adalah keberanian para pemadam kebakaran untuk menerobos masuk ke rumah yang penuh asap, dan juga kesediaan orang tua untuk membesarkan anak, yang kelak akan menentukan nasib kita.

Tantangan kita mungkin baru. Alat-alat yang kita gunakan untuk mengatasinya mungkin baru. Tetapi pada nilai-nilai itulah keberhasilan kita bergantung - yaitu kerja keras dan kejujuran, ketabahan dan berlaku secara adil, toleransi dan rasa ingin tahu, kesetiaan dan patriotisme - semua itu sudah lama ada. Semua itu memang benar. Semua itu telah menjadi kekuatan kemajuan sepanjang sejarah. Jadi yang dituntut sekarang adalah kembalinya kepada nilai-nilai ini.

Apa yang diperlukan dari kita sekarang ini adalah era pertanggungjawaban yang baru - suatu pengakuan, dari tiap orang Amerika, bahwa kita mempunyai kewajiban bagi diri kita sendiri, bagi negara kita dan bagi dunia, kewajiban yang kita lakukan dengan senang hati, bukan dengan bersungut-sungut, karena kita tahu tidak ada yang lebih memuaskan bagi jiwa kita, yang merupakan definisi karakter kita, daripada memberikan segalanya untuk menyelesaikan tugas yang sulit. Inilah pengorbanan dan janji kewarganegaraan. Inilah yang menjadi sumber keyakinan kita - pengetahuan bahwa Tuhan meminta kita untuk memperbaiki keadaan yang tidak pasti. Inilah arti kebebasan dan kepercayaan kita- mengapa laki-laki dan perempuan dan anak-anak dari tiap ras dan tiap keyakinan bisa ikut dalam perayaan di lapangan yang indah ini, dan mengapa seorang lelaki yang ayahnya lebih 60 tahun lalu mungkin tidak dilayani di restoran, sekarang bisa berdiri di depan anda untuk diambil sumpahnya sebagai presiden. Jadi marilah kita hari ini mengenang siapa kita dan sejauh mana jalan yang kita tempuh.

Pada tahun kelahiran Amerika, pada bulan yang terdingin, sekelompok patriot berkumpul di depan api unggun yang mulai padam di bantaran sungai yang beku. Ibukota telah ditinggalkan, musuh terus maju, salju tampak berlumuran darah. Pada saat itu, ketika nasib revolusi kita sangat diragukan, bapak bangsa kita memerintahkan supaya kalimat berikut dibacakan kepada semua rakyat Amerika: "Beritahukanlah pada dunia masa depan, bahwa di tengah musim dingin, saat apapun tiada kecuali harapan dan kebajikan - bahwa kota dan negara, waspada akan bahaya bersama, akhirnya bersatu untuk menghadapinya." Amerika; Dalam menghadapi musuh bersama, dalam masa sulit kita ini, mari kita ingat kata-kata emas itu.

Dengan harapan dan kebajikan, mari kita hadapi bersama sekali lagi sungai beku ini, dan bertahan dari badai apapun yang akan tiba. Biarkan cucu-cucu kita berkata bahwa kita telah diuji dan kita menolak untuk mengakhiri perjalanan ini, bahwa kita tidak mundur dan mata kita terpaku ke ufuk fajar dan dengan berkat Tuhan, kita meneruskan anugerah kebebasan dan mengantarkannya dengan selamat bagi generasi masa depan. (sumber:antara)

2009-01-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

2009-01-13T05:18:00.001-08:00

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclussions

Reading is one of the languange skills that need to be mastered by the students. We can assess the students’ reading comprehension by different varieties.So, the teacher needs to create some creatives ways to make a good assessment in teaching reading. However, based on the discussion stated in Chapter IV above, the result of the research can be concluded that crossword puzzle can be used as an assessment on students’ ability to scan a text.

B. Suggestions

The writer suggests to the teacher to notice

CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS

2009-01-13T05:17:00.001-08:00

CHAPTER IV

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS

A. Data analysis

After doing the research, the writer used t-test formula to analyze the result of pre-test and post-test . The writer used t-test taken from Arikunto (1997:300) to analyze the data. The formula is:

t = Md

X²d

N (N-1)

Where,

Md = Mean of the pre-test and post-test

Xd = Deviation of each subject (d-Md)

X²d = The total deviation value

N = Total number of students

d.b = N-1

t = 0.05

Moreover, there are some stages in analyzing the data. They are:

Checking the students’ worksheet.
Giving score in Interval scale with the point of rating scale 1-10.
Describing the scores in the table.
Counting the mean using formula X = X

Finding the median, mode, and range
Counting the standard deviation value using the formula: SD = (X-X)²

N (N-1)

Counting the deviation value
Counting the t-test using the formula:

t = Md

X²d

N (N-1)

After calculated the test, the writer continued computing the data and analyzing the result of their test. Here are the following tables:

The result of pre-test in table 4.1
The result of post-test in table 4.2
Standard Deviation of pre-test in table 4.3
Standard Deviation of post-test in table 4.4
The total Deviation Value in table 4.5

Here are the calculations of the results using the tables:

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METODOLOGY

2009-01-13T05:14:00.000-08:00

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METODOLOGY

A. Research Design and Procedure

In conducting the research, the writer used pre-experimental design using one group pre-test and post-test control group design. The reason that the writer used this design because the writer only intends to investigate the influence of games on students’ ability to construct the Simple Past Tense, so the writer used the pre exprimental design using one group pre-test post-test of pre-exprimental design. This research design is described as follows:

T1 X T2

T1: The pre-test, in this test the students are tested by using crossword puzzle

only in five questions.

X: The treatments, in which the students are taught a crossword puzzle to

scan a text.

T2: The post test, in this test the students are tested by using crossword puzzle

to scan a text.

This research was conducted in four meetings. The first meeting was for the pre-test, in which the students had to answer the questions. The second meeting to the third meeting, it was time for the students to follow the treatments. The four meeting was conducted the post-test. Both the pre-test and the post-test were recorded. Then the writer scored and analyze the data.

B. Time and Place

The writer has done the researvh in the Junior High School on until to the grade students of. The place of this school is in

C. Population and Sample

The population of this research was the second of Junior High School of SMPN. There were two classes of class II. Each class consists of 25 students. The writer chooses the total sampling.

D. The Variables and The Measurement

There are two variables that are identified by the writer in this study. They are independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is “The effect of crossword puzzle as an assessment” and the dependent variable is “the Students’ ability to scan a text”.

To measure the variables in this study, the writer used “interval scale”. The score ranges from 1 until 10.

E. Research Instrument

The instrument in this research is in the form of tests. Arikunto (1998:139) states

“Test adalah sederetan pertanyaan atau latihan atau alat-alat lain yang digunakan untuk mengukur keterampilan, pengetahuan, intelegensi, kemampuan atau bakat yang dimiliki individu atau kelompok”.

Therefore, the writer gave the students’ ability befor they have given treatment (pre-test) and after they had received some treatments (post-test).

The test is in the form of essay and filling in the blanks (short-answer questions). The test is designed by the writer himself by taking up the materials of the students books for the second grade of Junior High School.

F. Data Collection

As mentioned above, the writer used two kinds of tests to measure the students’ ability to scan a text they were pre-test and post test. Pre test was given before the treatments, while the post test was given later after treatments. He gave the test to analyze the students’ knowledge and their problem that they faced in scanning a text.

Farhady and Hatch (1982:4) state, “ The data could came from case studies, questionnaires, students’ compositions, tests, or experiments”. In this research, the writer used some tests to get the data. He collected several documents which are related to the research to support his analysis.

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

2009-01-13T05:02:00.000-08:00

CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

A. Text

Textbooks, novels, magazines, newspapers, and mail are just a few of the things that people read every day. There was a text contains of information that people need.

The American Heritage Dictionary (2000) states that text can be defined in some terms:

First, the original words of something written or printed, as opposed to a paraphrase, translation, revision, or condensation. Second, the words of a speech appearing in print. Third, words, as of a libretto, that are set to music in a composition. Fourth, words treated as data by a computer.

In other words text is the words of something written, there were more than a thousand words of text, they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech to reconstruct the original text. It is human-readable sequence of characters.

Holme (1991:3) states that a text may be introduced into the class for one or more of the following reasons:

It is thought that it will form a useful basis for a lesson and provide good language input. It is to be used in conjunction with other texts to improve reading skills. It is held to be valuable or worthy of study in itself. It is seen as motivating because it is an example of the kind of material to which students may be given access by the language they are learning. It is requested by the class. It is prescribed by or found relevant to another course over whose content the teacher has no control.

It means that the text is one of the supplements in teaching learning which has rules and goal.

B. Assessment

Assessment plays an important part in the teaching-learning process at all levels of education. Since assessment plays such an important and significant part in the future of a student there is no doubt that any assessment system will determine what students learn and the way in which they do this. Hence assessment will also determine the way in which the teacher teaches and what the teacher teaches.

Brown (2004:4) states,

Assessment is on-going process that encompassess a much wider domain. Whenever a student responds to a question, offers a comment, or tries out a new word or structure , the teacher subconciously makes an assessment of the student’s performance.

Assessment is not just about grading and examinations. It is also about getting to know the students and the quality of their learning and to use this knowledge and understanding to their benefit. Assessment is, without doubt, one of the major ''drivers'' of the teaching-learning process. It is thus important for teaching staff to be familiar not only with the technical aspects of the many different forms of assessment currently in use, but also with their advantages and limitations and about assessment issues and concerns

Herman & Knuth (1991) reveals,

Assessment is used to determine what a student knows or can do, while evaluation is used to determine the worth or value of a course or program. Assessment data effects student advancement, placement, and grades, as well as decisions about instructional strategies and curriculum.

Angelo and Cross (1993) states that assessment is an approach designed to help teachers find out what students are learning in the classroom and how well they are learning it. The following approaches have the following characteristics:

Learner-Centered

Assessment focuses on the primary attention of teachers and students on observing and improving learning, rather than on observing and improving teaching. Assessment can provide information to guide teachers and students in making adjustments to improve learning.

2. Teacher-Directed

Assessment respects the autonomy, academic freedom, and professional judgement of college faculty. The individual teacher decides what to assess, how to assess, and how to respond to the information gained through the assessment. Also, the teacher is not obliged to share the result of Assessment with anyone outside the classroom.

3. Mutually Beneficial

Because it is focused on learning, assessment requires the active participation of students. By cooperating in assessment, students reinforce their grasp of the course content and strengthen their own skills at self-assessment. Their motivation is increased when they realize that faculty are interested and invested in their success as learners. Faculty also sharpen their teaching focus by continually asking themselves three questions: "What are the essential skills and knowledge I am trying to teach?" "How can I find out whether students are learning them?" "How can I help students learn better?" As teachers work closely with students to answer these questions, they improve their teaching skills and gain new insights.

4. Formative

Assessment purpose is to improve the quality of student learning, not to provide evidence for evaluating or grading students. The assessment is almost never graded and is almost always anonymous.

5. Context-Specific

Assessments have to respond to the particular needs and characteristics of the teachers, students, and disciplines to which they are applied. What works well in one class will not necessary work in another.

6. Ongoing

Assessment is an ongoing process, best thought of as the creating and maintenance of a classroom "feedback loop." By using a number of simple Classroom Assessment Techniques that are quick and easy to use, teachers get feedback from students on their learning. Faculty then complete the loop by providing students with feedback on the results of the assessment and suggestions for improving learning. To check on the usefulness of their suggestions, faculty use Classroom Assessment again, continuing the "feedback loop." As the approach becomes integrated into everyday classroom activities, the communications loop connecting faculty and students and teaching and learning becomes more efficient and more effective.

7. Rooted in Good Teaching Practice

Assessment is an attempt to build on existing good practice by making feedback on students' learning more systematic, more flexible, and more effective. Teachers already ask questions, react to students' questions, monitor body language and facial expressions, read homework and tests, and so on. Assessment provides a way to integrate assessment systematically and seamlessly into the traditional classroom teaching and learning process

As they are teaching, faculty monitors and reacts to students’ questions, comments, body language, and facial expressions in an almost automatic fashion. This "automatic" information gathering and impression formation is a subconscious and implicit process. Teachers depend heavily on their impressions of student learning and make important judgments based on them, but they rarely make those informal assessments explicit or check them against the students' own impressions or ability to perform. In the course of teaching, college faculty assume a great deal about their students learning, but most of their assumptions remain untested.

Even when college teachers routinely gather potentially useful information on student learning through questions, quizzes, homework, and exams, it is often collected too late at least from the students' perspective to affect their learning. In practice, it is very difficult to "de-program" students who are used to thinking of anything they have been tested and graded on as being "over and done with." Consequently, the most effective times to assess and provide feedback are before the chapter tests or the midterm and final examinations. Assessment aims at providing the early feedback.

Angelo and Cross (1993) reveals that assessment is based on seven assumptions:

The quality of student learning is directly, although not exclusively, related to the quality of teaching. Therefore, one of the most promising ways to improve learning is to improve teaching.
To improve their effectiveness, teachers need first to make their goals and objectives explicit and then to get specific, comprehensible feedback on the extent to which they are achieving those goals and objectives.
To improve their learning, students need to receive appropriate and focused feedback early and often; they also need to learn how to assess their own learning.
The type of assessment most likely to improve teaching and learning is that conducted by faculty to answer questions they themselves have formulated in response to issues or problems in their own teaching.
Systematic inquiry and intellectual challenge are powerful sources of motivation, growth, and renewal for college teachers, and Classroom Assessment can provide such challenge.
Classroom Assessment does not require specialized training; it can be carried out by dedicated teachers from all disciplines.
By collaborating with colleagues and actively involving students in Classroom Assessment efforts, faculty (and students) enhance learning and personal satisfaction.

So that, assessments help teachers to keep track of the zone of proximal development for each child and instruction can be designed. This is neither too easy nor too challenging.

Brown (2004:5-6) reveals,

There are two kinds of assessment: formal and informal assessment. Formal asseessment are exercises or procedures specifically designed to tap into a storehouse of skills and knowledge. They are systematic planned sampling technique constructed to give teacher and students an appraisal of student’s achievement. Informal assessment can take a number of forms, starting with incidential, unplanned comments and responses, along with coaching and other impromptu feedback to the student. A good deal of teacher’s informal assessment is embedded in classroom tasks designed to elicit performance without recording results and making fixed judgements about a student’s competence.

Angelo and Cross (1993) states

“…to begin assessment it is recommended that only one or two of the simplest Classroom Assessment Techniques are tried in only one class. In this way very little planning or preparation time and energy of the teacher and students is risked”.

In most cases, trying out a simple Classroom Assessment Technique will require only five to ten minutes of class time and less than an hour of time out of class. After trying one or two quick assessments, the decision as to whether this approach is worth further investments of time and energy can be made. This process involves three steps:

Step 1: Planning

Select one, and only one, of the classes in which to try out the Classroom Assessment. Decide on the class meeting and select a Classroom Assessment Technique. Choose a simple and quick one.

Step 2: Implementing

Make sure the students know what the teacher is doing and that they clearly understand the procedure. Collect the responses and analyze them as soon as possible.

Step 3: Responding

To capitalize on time spent assessing, and to motivate students to become actively involved, "close the feedback loop" by letting them know what the teacher learned from the assessments and what difference that information will make.

C. Reading Assessment

Wren in his article states the ultimate goal in reading is, of course, to make meaning from text. That is, to comprehend the information that is conveyed in the text. What that means is that, at the least, the reader should gain some understanding of the message that is being conveyed by the author. However, comprehension should go beyond simply understanding the explicit message being conveyed by the author. To truly comprehend text is to make connections between the information in the text and the information in the reader's head, to draw inferences about the author's meaning, to evaluate the quality of the message, and possibly even to connect aspects of the text with other works of literature.

The most common reading comprehension assessment involves asking a child to read a passage of text that is levelled appropriately for the child, and then asking some explicit, detailed questions about the content of the text (often these are called IRIs).

According to Pressley (1995:135),

Constructing an IRI consists of two stages. The first is developing the material: selecting reading passages, creating comprehension questions, retelling outlines, and prior knowledge items for each passage, and making up both reader’s copy and examiner’s form. The second stage, often omitted in directions for IRI construction, is critically important: Try out and evaluate the instrument before use it to make decisions about student’s reading.

However, accurate assessment of reading comprehension is necessary to know if this goal is being met, to identify students who need remediation, and to help plan future instruction. However, many scientific investigators of reading agree that further work on measures of reading comprehension is essential, including development of comprehensive systems of assessment that pinpoint key strengths and weaknesses in individual student.

The type of assessment that informs instruction does not necessarily need to be a formal reading test that was purchased from a publisher, although it certainly can be. Assessment can be a simple observation of a student’s behaviour when writing; it can be an observation of how well a child plays a word game; it can be an observation of a student's oral reading fluency. Every observation has the potential to be an assessment.

It is a good idea, however, to combine teacher observations with more formal and objective assessment information the two complement each other, and give the teacher a much better informed picture of each child's reading related skills.

Brown (2004:189) reveals:

In the case of reading, variety of performance is derived more from multiplicity of types of texts than from the variety of overt types of performance. Nevertheless, for considering assessment procedures, several types of reading performance are typically identified, and these will serve as organize of various assessment tasks.

1. Perspective

Perspective reading tasks involve attending to the components of larger stretches of discourse: letter, words, punctuation, and other graphemic symbols. Bottom-up processing is implied.

2. Selective

This category is largely an artifact of assessment formats. In order to ascertain one’s reading recognition of lexical, grammatical, of discourse features of language within a very short stretch of language, certain typical tasks are used: picture cued tasks, matching, true/false, multiple choice, etc.

3. Interactive

Included among interactive reading types are stretches of language of several paragraphs to one page or more in which reader must, in phsycolinguistic sense, interact with the text.

4. Extensive

Applies to text of more than a page, up to and including professional articles, essays, technical reports, short stories, and books.

Finally, Reading Comprehension assessments typically describe the student's reading level. Reading Comprehension assessments should be more diagnostic than they currently are, and student should be challenged to attack different genres of text and critically examine the text in a variety of ways, gathering explicit information, drawing inferences, and making evaluations.

D. Crossword Puzzle

Hornby (1974: 2006) states a crossword puzzle puzzle is words have to be written and stated in spaces on a chequered square or oblong (from numbered clues) vertically (clues down) and horizontally (clues accross).

Webster Dictionary (1989: 347) mentions that a crossword puzzle is a puzzle in which words corresponding numbered clues or defines are supplied and fitted into correspondingly numbered sets of squares, one letter per square, the most being arranged horizontally or vertically.

Neufeldt (1996: 332) states crossword puzzle as an arrangement of numbered squares to fill in with words, a letter each square, so that a letter appearing in a word placed vertically: numbered synonyms and definitions are given clues for the words. The word, which is formed in the blank squares, mostly containing the synonym and definitions, etc.

Besides, Soeparno (1980:73) states that a crossword puzzle is a kind of games by filling in the blank form presented with letters forming words as the answer of questions given. The materials carried out are about the definition of terms, antonym, synonym, preposition, etc.

The crossword puzzle can be done individually or in group. Crossword puzzle provides the following variations on the Crossword theme.

1. Type of Crossword Puzzle

http://www.crauswords.com/crossword/crossword.html states that there are two types of crossword puzzle as follows:

a. American style crossword puzzles

The most obvious feature of American style crosswords is the fact that every letter in the puzzle is an interlinking letter. In other words, every letter in the puzzle is a letter in an across word, and also in a down word. In some ways, this makes the puzzle easier to solve. If the writer is having difficulty with a word, the writer can expect some assistance as the writer solves those words which intersect with it. On the other hand, it also makes the puzzle considerably harder to construct. Even so, Crossword Express will generally have no trouble completing the construction if the writer uses a dictionary of sufficient size. The English dictionary provided with the program contains over 30,000 words, each having one or more clues.

b. British style crossword puzzles.

In some ways, a British style crossword puzzle is the complete opposite of an American puzzle. Typically, there will be many more pattern cells in the puzzle, and only around one third of the letters will interlink. This makes the puzzle much easier to construct, and as the writer might expect it is correspondingly more difficult to solve. This graphic demonstrates a feature of Crossword Express which allows the pattern cells to be printed in various shades of gray (or any other colour for that matter). You might want to do this for aesthetic reasons, or perhaps to conserve ink. The colour used for the letters and for the grid lines is similarly selectable.

According to the data above, the writer decides a British style grid crossword puzzle as an assessment.

E. Scanning

Brown (2004:209) states that scanning is a strategy used by all readers to find relevant information in a text. It is a technique the readers often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. The readers search for key words or ideas. In most cases, the readers know what they are looking for, so they are concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves moving their eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when the readers first find a resource to determine whether it will answer their questions. Once they have scanned the document, the readers might go back and skim it.

Brown (2004:209) reveals

“…among the variety of scanning objectives (for each of genres named above), the test taker must locate: a date, name, or place in an article, the setting of a narrative or story, the principal divisions of chapter, the principal research finding in technical report, a result reported in a specified cell in a table, the cost of an item on a menu, specified data needed to fill out an application”.

F. Crossword Puzle As An Assessment To Scan A Text

Teaching students to read with increased comprehension and acquisition of new vocabulary is a challenge teacher’s face on a daily basis. Teachers have long realized that choosing a good skill textbook and various class readers is just the beginning to achieving this goal. The next step is to plan creative, interactive lessons, one of the key words being interactive according to Mikulecky (1990). However, this interaction is not merely between the student reader and a text (Johnston, 1983). Peer interaction is equally important and can add interest, fun, and an increase in learning in the reading class. Also, listening, speaking, and writing activities can be utilized to enhance and expand the reading program.

Scanning is an important skill that requires students to read a text to find answers to specific questions such as who, what, when, where, why, how much, how many, or what kind. Speed and accuracy are the focus of this skill.

Winnie (2005) in his article addresses and offers suggestions to achieve the instructional goals of scanning.

Teacher prepares a handout with student-teacher assignments. There are two kinds of activities: vocabulary and comprehension. For vocabulary, students are asked to make a crossword puzzle or matching words with definitions handout, and for comprehension, students can prepare a true/false or wh-question handout.

Wade (2005) from Georgia Department of education designs a lesson plan which contains crossword puzzle as an assessment. (table 2.1). Ridgewood Public School also uses crossword puzzle as an assessment of reading activities. (table 2.2).

Crossword puzzle has been used as an assessment. It became a few of kind reading activities. It means crossword enjoyable to give an information and easy to do.

Gardner tells the most important thing about assessment is knowing what it is that you should be able to do. So that the writer wants to do the experiment with crossword puzzle.

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2008-08-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

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Inter Religious Marriages

2008-02-03T18:52:00.001-08:00

M. Husni Mubarok ( 031104114) /II D

Inter Religious Marriages

Interfaith marriage has become trend in the some countries. We can find it in some countries like in U.S.A, Singapore, Tibet, and also in Indonesia. It traditionally (especially in the Catholic Church) called mixed marriage, is marriage (either religious or civil) between partners professing different religions. Some religions prohibit interfaith marriage, and while others do allow it, most restrict it. Some Indonesian artists also do it like Jamal Mirdad- Lidya Kandau, Mayong Laksono-Nurul Arifin, Ari Sigit-Rica Callebut, Jeremy Thomas-Ina Indrayati, Frans Lingua-Amara, Henry Siahaan-Yuni Sara, and Ari Sihasale-Nia Zulkarnain.

               The Civil Registry Office's position on the matter is based on first verse of Marriage Law No.1/1974, which states that marriage is valid if conducted according to the religions and beliefs of the prospective bride and groom. Therefore, a marriage must first be authorized by religion before it can be registered with the Civil Registry Office. According to Presidential Decree No.12/1983, the Civil Registry Office is only authorized to register non-Muslim marriages. Consequently, many inter-religious couples are unable to formally register their marriages at the Civil Registry Office. Some couples attempt to sneak past this law by pretending to profess their partner's faith in order to legally register. Others are forced to maintain de-facto relationships or to marry overseas, such as in Singapore.

Islam only allows a man to marry a non-Muslim if she is Christian (specifically Greek Orthodox) or Jewish. The wife need not adopt any Muslim laws, and the husband is not allowed to keep her from going to church or synagogue. The early jurists of the most prominent schools of Islamic jurisprudence ruled in fiqh law that the marriage of a Muslim man to a Christian or Jewish women is makruh (reprehensible) if they live in a non-Muslim country. The Caliph Umar (634–644) denied interfaith marriage for Muslim men during his command of the ummah.

Fiqh also forbids Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men, although there is nothing in the Quran nor the Sunnah (sharia) that explicitly prohibits such unions. Some Muslim scholars (ahli kitab) go so far as to state that such a marriage is an act of apostasy, but with the growing number of such marriages, this position is being questioned. In some Muslim countries, if a non-Muslim woman is married to a non-Muslim, and she converts to Islam, the marriage is suspended until her husband converts to Islam. When he converts a new marriage is not needed.

Although fiqh forbids Muslim women's marriage with non-Muslim men, there are lots of Muslimah who have married men who follow other religions. These cases are mainly observed in Balkan peninsular and West of Turkey, West Europe, East Asia, and sometimes in Syria or Lebanon. They are also becoming more common in the West.

In conclusion, Inter Religious Marriages is forbidden because it is not recognized by the government in Indonesia and also for Moslems but according to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we have to appreciate the people who love each other although they are different religion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interreligious_marriage feb,4, 08, 09:50

http://www.expat.or.id/info/interreligiousmarriages.html feb,4, 08, 09:50

POLYANDRY

2008-02-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

POLYANDRY

http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/tutor/marriage/polyandry.html 23:44 3 FEB

http://www.shef.ac.uk/aps/mbiolsci/kate-hutchence/polyandry.html 00:03

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyandry 00:20

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyandry_in_Tibet 00:24

Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which one woman is married to several men. Polyandry has been traditionally thought of as a rare phenomenon, however recent research has shown this trend is widespread throughout the animal kingdom, with evidence of multiple mating by females in many groups. This trend is surprising because it appears to go against the basic principles of sexual selection.

The process of breeding has many costs including an increased risk of predation, energy loss, time lost that could have been spent feeding, and increased risk of harm from members of the same species. Taking all this into consideration, why would a female mate multiply?

There are several different ways this might be happening, and it is possible that a combination of these factors may be driving polyandry:

1. Genetic bet-hedging: females mate with many males to gain greater genetic diversity in their offspring, thereby hedging their bets against a changing environment.

2. Genetic improvement or Trade-up: females are relating with a good quality male in order to 'trade-up' on a previous mating with a low-quality male.

3. The good genes model: females mate multiply to gain access to 'good genes' for their offspring by trading up, or post-copulatory cues (this assumes that there in one best male for all females).

4. The genetic incompatibility model: females are mating multiply to gain access to the male that they are most genetically compatible with by trading-up, or postcopulatory cues (this assumes that there is no one best male for all females and that due to the genetic complexity of organisms each female has her own best mate).

Polyandry in Tibet was a traditional marriage practice that existed within a milieu whereby a woman could have several husbands; a father and his sons could share the same wife, and a mother and her daughters could share the same husband.

Islam and Judaism ban polyandry completely. In Islam the verse from the Quran that is typically used for a proof in this matter is Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verses 22 to 24, which gives the list of women with whom one cannot marry and it is further mentioned in Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verse 24. Nikah Ijtimah, a pre-Islamic tradition of polyandry, was forbidden by Islam.There is at least one reference to polyandry in the ancient Hindu epic, Mahabharata. Draupadi marries the five Pandava brothers. This ancient text remains largely neutral to the concept of polyandry, accepting this as her way of life.

In Indonesia, Polyandry is not recognizing because there is no verse in law (undang-undang). If we do it we can get “Undang-Undang No 1 Tahun 1974 yang mengatur tentang perceraian dan perzinahan”

Blog Observation and Comment___Husni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

RETELL ___M.HUSNI MUBAROK 031104114

2008-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

want to retell about currency which is written by Melina.

A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of goods
and/or services. Currencies vary across countries and include the
dollar, euro, pound, and yen. The origin of currency is the creation
of a circulating medium of exchange based on a unit of account that
quickly becomes a store of value. Definition of currency based on
Dictionary.com Unabridged has several definitions. First, something
that is used as a medium of exchange money. Second, currency is
general acceptance; prevalence; vogue or a time or period during which
something is widely accepted
and circulated. Third, currency is the fact or quality of being widely
accepted and circulated from person to person and the last; it is
circulation, as of coin.
Currency is influence from people and culture for example Indonesian
currency. It is influence from Indonesia culture. The official
currency of Indonesia is Rupiah (Rp). The currency in the country is
issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia. The name Rupiah holds
its origin from the Indian monetary system and the basic of the Indian
unit, Rupee.
According to the summary above the currency has a value which has
function of exchange something. Each country has a currency which is
standardized as an unit of exchange.

Have you seen American Pie 6 Movie? What's your opinion?

2008-01-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

M. Husni Mubarok---031104114

Hallo guys.... in this opportunity, I wanna discuss about a film which
has a title American pie 6. May be all of you have seen this movie.
Really it's an interesting movie but I think the film do not have an
educate for us. Women and men can do anything as they want and there
is not a sensor for misbehaviors.

Yeah,,,I think the film like that is not good for us especially
children and I think American Pie is a "naked film" which destroys our
culture and religion.

Why the film like that easy to find? Yups... a robber who copies the
films make us easy to find because it sells cheaply. Because it has
happened, i think we must be careful to choose a film and keep our
sister or brother for choosing an educated films.

Re: [BOGORCHICKENSOUP] CCU- New Year for rahayu puji

2008-01-13T07:47:00.001-08:00

I think your experience is not bad although you stay in the place which far from crowd. I think we have to celebrate new year with reevaluate our selves. So we have to far from crowd. Why don't you do it say? I think that is an unforgotten moment if you do "muhasabah" or reevaluate. Next 2008, I invite you and all students in this group especially Mr. Cunong to join me for MUHASABAH to celebrate the becoming new year.

NEW YEAR--MUHAMMAD HUSNI MUBAROK (031104114)

2008-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

What do you feel with becoming 2008? So, what will you do in 2008?
People around the world celebrate an event that happens when the end
of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure
yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations. Hmmm, how about you?
Actually, people do party to celebrate New Yearâ€™s Eve. Celebrations
begin on the New Year Eve on December 31st. Hotels, restaurants, clubs
and pubs organize New Year Eve balls and parties. People sing, dance
and make merry. Fun events and contests are also organized to
entertain the crowd. As New Year falls at the peak winter time in many
countries bonfires are lit to keep the people warm. And just when the
clock strikes for midnight firecrackers are burst to welcome the
advent of New Year. People greet Happy New Year with a warm hug to
every one around them. With loved ones and friends at a distance
people exchange greetings through SMSs and phone calls. No wonder,
phone network see maximum traffic at this time.
Tradition of welcoming the New Year by organizing feasts and
celebrations has been carried forward since ancient times. Historians
believe that New Year tradition was started by ancient Babylonians
more than 4,000 years ago. Egyptians, Romans, Celts continued it and
now the present generation cherish this tradition by celebrating New
Year in the most extravagant manner. Most countries across the globe
celebrate New Year on January 1. This day officially became the first
day of the year in 46 BC when Julius Caesar established the Julian
calendar. However, many countries and communities follow different
calendars and celebrate their New Year in an entirely different time
of the year by following their own specific customs and traditions.
Given here is glimpse of New Year traditions as observed on January 1
in countries following Gregorian calendar.
Actually, New Year not only celebrates with travel or party but also
self evaluation. We have to think that we will be better in the next
year than in the past.
http://www.newyearfestival.com/new-year-traditions.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year

CHRISTMAS MUHAMMAD HUSNI MUBAROK (031104114)

2008-01-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS

MUHAMMAD HUSNI MUBAROK (031104114)

The Christians celebrate Christmas in December, 25. Christmas shows to
held birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the
commemoration of Jesus' birth with various cultural customs, many of
which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. The story of
Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of
Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18-Matthew 2:12 and the Gospel of Luke,
specifically Luke 1:26-Luke 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus
was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of
Bethlehem. According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a
"stable", surrounded by farm animals, though neither the â€œstableâ€ nor
the animals are mentioned in the Biblical accounts. However, a
"manger" is mentioned in Luke 2:7 where it states "She wrapped him in
cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn." Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told
of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child.
Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled many prophecies
made hundreds of years before his birth.
People in Indonesia adopted the western culture. Christmas is a season
of giving and receiving presents. The exchanging of gifts is a
tradition of the holiday to symbolize the importance of giving to
others. They exchange a card and also a gift to celebrate of
Christmas. They also prepared something in their house like decorating
the Christmasâ€™ tree and also decorating their home. I usually assist
my friend â€œJuniâ€ when she held Christmas. I think it was enjoy because
she works in a church as â€œbiarawatiâ€. One Day before Christmas, She
and I start to decorate her house and also the tree. We always give a
food to the poor people.
I think when the Christmas gives a positive effect we have to respect
of it and I think Christmas being motivation us to be a good people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

MUHASABAH (2008 REFLECTION, How about U?)------Muhammad HUSni Mubarok

2008-01-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

Becoming 2008, people in the world celebrate it with firework, and
also sing a song, dancing and etc. Have you ever celebrate it with
MUHASABAH?? Far away from crowd,, dzikir to the god and anything to
make us progress in another day....

Ok, i have done it and I think that is the nice journey... Starting
from 03:20 from my city in Tangerang with the other friends it's about
10 people who joined it. We finished in the location (PAndeglang) in
05:30.

After that prepared for praying MAghrib, and continued praying
Maghribh and then read the Holy Qur'an. Discussing about the content
of it, then read the ibadah amaliyah which consisted of Muhammad do.
Then we did dzikir until 11:00 and ready to sleep. it's about 02:30
a.m. we woke up for muhasabah until Shubuh.

After praying Shubuh, we prepared to walk around the village and
set for the adventour journey like outbound and flying
fox and rafting. REally the unforgotten moment.... How about U??

Achilles---Muhammad Husni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

Planning Your Activity

People have many activities in this era. Sometimes we forget to draft
our schedule. Yeah,,, this content is not relate to the theme but we
can be a hero for ourselves because we can organize something that
help us to do anything. It's one of the way to get success. Reach your
dream.

Bilingualism Goal Muhammad Husni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Language Quantity + Taqwa Credibility = Moslem Quality

Being a Moslem quality we ought to follow what Muhammad the prophet
do, and honor what Allah says in the Holy Qurâ€™an. It is the meaning of
taqwa which is contained in syahadat. Isy kariman au mut syahidan....
It's the symbol for Moslem to hang onto the prinsip for get a victory
between in the world and heaven.
Learning about lingual, I remember about Moslem. Actually, Moslems
have a power diversity of language. In the fact, the Holy Qurâ€™an is
printed by Arabic language. So that they usually use Arabic to read
the Holy Qur'an. Although it is not a Pidgin but Arabic is an
international mode for Moslems. The international language which as a
Pidgin is English. Should Arabic as a secondary international language
because Moslems communities are big.
Remember of god and the prophet and be a next Moslem generation....
Keep learning!

Word Meaning--Muhammad Husni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

People in Indonesia celebrate Valentineâ€™s day looks like western
tradition. It is usually done by teenager. Valentine's Day on February
14 is the traditional day on which lovers to express their love for
each other, sending Valentine's cards, donating to charity or gifting
candy. It is very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the
third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single
men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he
outlawed marriage for young men his crop of potential soldiers.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and
continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When
Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put
to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for
attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they
were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine'
greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell
in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter
who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is
alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your
Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the
truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly
emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly,
romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine
was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
According to the history above, if we are celebrate valentine day, we
celebrate the death of Saint Valentine. So what must me do??? Others
can only follow... but we ought to have a prinsip.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day 08-01-08/10:30
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id\
=882&display_order=1&sub_display_order=1&mini_id=1084
08-01-08/10:30

Minority Muhammad Husni Mubarok (031104114)

2008-01-13T07:30:00.001-08:00

Badui People

Badui is an ethnic community which locates in Lebak, Banten. They
believe of animism religion. Badui life is still primitive. They do
not accept the traditional mode and style. In the night, they do not
turn on the lamp because they are usually live without the light or
electricity. Imagine, if you are stay without the light?
Most people argue that they are a primitive community. The clothes
which are dressed it so different than people as usual. Actually,
Badui people are creative to do something. They also have many
ceremonial. They didnâ€™t ask something to people because they can take
care themselves. They farm a land for eat, and also sell their
creativity.
In the fact, Badui is a traditional ethnic which keeps Sunda
tradition. They also honour to the people had the government. It is
conveyed in Seba ceremonial which is presented to â€Bapak Gedeâ€
(Panggilan Kepada Bupati Lebak) dan Camat Leuwidamar. So, we have to
save our culture ethnic.

Stereotype-- Muhammad Husni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Women Can Do What Men Do

Emancipation is the womenâ€™s power. Long time ago, people thought that
women canâ€™t do anything like men but now the argument like that must
be thrown away.
In this era, women show the power of us. We can see women not only
work in the office as secretary but also as manager. Beside that women
do the activity as too as men like â€˜tukang becakâ€™, driver, ojeg,
constructor, and anything. Actually, women have sex appeal invite the
consumer join them. Beside that women are organized people,
discipline, and little critical people. Thatâ€™s why the agency or an
office needs them and exposes them to do something like men.
According to the statement above, Men have to be creative to do
something and ready face the emancipation era.

CULINARY---Muhammad HUsni Mubarok 031104114

2008-01-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Culinary is the art of cooking. The word "culinary" is defined as
something related to, or connected with, cooking or kitchens.
Indonesia is rich of culinary. Many kinds of culinary in Indonesia. We
can see the food in Sumatera, Jawa, Kalimantan, Bali is different each
other. There is something the identity of the food like Palembang with
pempek, Jawa with soto, Madura with sate etc. We can enjoy the food
and see the beautiful place in Indonesia.
A culinarian is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinary artists
are responsible for skillfully preparing meals that are as pleasing to
the palate as to the eye. They work primarily in restaurants, fast
food franchises, delicatessens, hospitals and other institutions and
corporations. Kitchen conditions vary depending on the type of
business, restaurant, nursing home etc. he culinary arts profession is
made up of people who work either directly or indirectly in the
preparation and service of food items in the public or private sector.
They work in a range of establishments including, but not limited to
hotels, full-service restaurants, private clubs, corporate dining,
institutional catering, caterers, and home meal replacement
(carry-out). With the increased demands of the consumers for
nutrition, quality, sophistication in all parts of the culinary
industry, today's culinary professional needs to be well trained and
prepared to meet the consumers' demands.
There are a variety of opportunities in the culinary arts profession.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some opportunities available to
those interested in working as culinary professionals.
• Chef and Cooks - Work directly with the preparation of food for
service in various establishments including full-service restaurants,
catering facilities, institutional dining, corporate dining, and other
various venues.
• Dining Room Service'
• Food and Beverage Managers - Manage all food and beverage outlets in
hotels and other large establishments
• Food and Beverage Controllers - Purchase and source ingredients in
large hotels as well as manage the stores and stock control.
• Consultants and Design Specialists - Works with restaurant owners in
development of menus, layout and design of dining room and
establishing kitchen protocols.
• Salespeople - Introduces chefs and business owners to new products
and able to demonstrate the proper use of equipment. They may sell any
range of products needed in the industry from various food products to
equipment.
• Teachers - Train future culinary professionals with their experience
in the classroom.
• Food Writers and Food Critics - Establish a public contact with the
public on food trends, chefs and restaurants. Many write for
newspapers, magazines and some publish books. Notables in this field
include Julia Child, Craig Claiborne and James Beard.
• Food Stylists and Photographers - Work with magazines, books,
catalogs and promotional and advertising to make them visually appealing.
• Research and Development Kitchens - Develop new products for
commercial manufacturers, they can also be test kitchens for
publications or others can be kitchens for restaurant chains or
grocery chains.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culinary_arts 21.53