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Friday, August 28, 2009

Can You Get Smarter?

Can you get smarter? - Yes, you can.

Wouldn't it be useful to be able to quote famous speeches at will or to reach into the vast chasm's of your mind and pull out facts and statistics?

I think so!

It Is Possible?

After high school and university, we don't put our mind under such intense scrutiny and when this happens we lose intellectual power.

The real key is Work - Yes, work, it's hardly glamorous and yet it's the mainstay of a sharp mind. You need to constantly give your mind the work it needs to stay "in shape".

Just like a retired body builder loses muscle mass after he gives up the competitive sport, a mind that stops being used will slowly retire.

What Can We Do?

Train your brain - Find healthy hobbies that require a little cerebral effort such as; word puzzles, sudoku I.Q test or anything that you can take an interest in.

Anything that keeps your mind sharp can help you Increase Your IQ

What If We Don't?

Sorry, but it's use it or lose it!

The less you use the cerebral space between your ears, the less it works, it's a sad fact of life.

Can We Improve?

Absolutely - If you strengthen the old gray matter then you can improve your mental performance above and beyond what you ever have achieved.

Exercises are available that can help train your brain and there is some really good advice out there.

If you want it bad enough you can get smarter and keep the mind you have in sharp, snappy condition. Don't just let your mind rust and your memory power decay.

Do something about it before it's too late!

Take a course, train your brain, or even just read more. Reading is a proven winner in boosting the vocabulary and helping to establish intelligence in the young and keep the intellect alive in the elderly.

Why waste an opportunity to keep your faculties and precious memories alive.

The thought of mental disintegration scares the life out of me, but maybe that's because my job makes me heavily reliant upon keeping sharp.

How About You?

- by A.J James -

Selengkapnya...

The Key to Good Driving

Driving is something we all have to face when we are stepping out of childhood and into adulthood. We all are going to have to go through getting our learners permit and finally, our license. Whether we are scared, excited, or just unemotional about getting our privilege to learn to drive, there are a lot of pointers you could use to make your whole driving experience safer and more successful. You won't be getting any awards for it just like you wouldn't get any NKY plaques or Florence t-shirts, but you will get the satisfaction of being able to be independent from your parents finally. The following are some tips to be good at driving so you can cruise anywhere.

One of the first things you need to do while driving is always drive defensively. You must drive like you can't trust the other drivers on the road. Assume that all of them might do anything wrong at any second. This way, you will be able to anticipate their wrong moves at any time. You would also never be caught off guard so there will be fewer accidents or even none. When you get to a green light in an intersection, a busy one at that, make sure that you always check to see if any one will come driving through and run the stop light. This often happens and is one of the leading causes of car accidents each year. So to stay away from this, you must set your defenses at all time and not let yourself get carried away with the new found freedom of driving.

Another thing that you need to be aware of while starting out on the road is distractions. You must be able to minimize distractions as much as possible. You can take your cell phone with you, but you should either keep it off or away from you. This is just in case you feel tempted to reach for it to answer a call or a text while driving. Any of these actions are extremely hazardous and could ultimately lead to a car accident and pain for you and possible others who could get involved. Now you wouldn't want this to happen would you? I'm sure no one would wish this kind of pain and horror on anybody especially when the blame would be all on you for letting yourself get distracted in the car.

Another thing to do is to watch out for the small things. They all may seem a little bit unimportant, but believe the fact that they all add up to be very vital in your journey in driving. These little things include, your blinkers, your breaks and can even be as miniscule as your windshield wipers. Make sure your breaks work well and effectively so that you don't run into any problems.

Helpful tips to remember when you first get out on the road. There are so many obstacles you will need to overcome, but there is hope of avoiding them and becoming the supreme driver. When you get out there, keep these pointers in mind and you are guaranteed to be a safe and skillful driver.

- Connor R. Sullivan -

Selengkapnya...

Three Fun Games For Kids

If you are a parent you know that keeping children with a lot of energy entertained can sometimes be a real challenge. And finding a happy medium between indoor and outdoor activities is an even bigger challenge.

If you are a kid reading this then you too are probably looking for some fun new games to play.

So let's cover some games that might be new to you and that you might want to try.

FlingSock

There are a number of games that can be played with a FlingSock. Just what is a FlingSock? It is a Fun Gripper Bean Bag which is attached to a long tie dye nylon fabric tail which has a handle. There is also a smaller version called a Mini-FlingSock.

FlingSocks are easy to throw and easy to catch.

One game that can be played with the FlingSock is called "Drop The FlingSock". In this game everyone gathers into a large circle and someone from the group is chosen as "it". This person goes around the outside of the circle and tries to drop the FlingSock behind someone in the circle without being tagged. Once dropped he or she walks fast or races around the circle into that person's position without being tagged. If not tagged then the other person becomes "it" and the game continues.

Other games that can be played with FlingSocks are: Fling-et, FlingSock or Beanbag Baseball, FlingSock or Beanbag Tag, Pass The FlingSock, Where's The FlingSock, Jump The FlingStock and FlingSock and Beanbag Toss.

Bean Plates

This is an inexpensive game that is good to help your child learn multiplication. Simply get some small paper plates and some dried beans; pinto beans work well. For example use 3 paper plates and place 2 beans in one plate and 5 beans in the second plate. Then ask the child to place the number of beans that is 2 x 5 in the 3rd plate. This is a fun and visual way for a child to learn multiplication.

Whipped Cream Writing

This game is great for helping your child learn to write. Place a piece of wax paper on a play table and then spread whipped cream on the wax paper. Then let your children write their name, numbers or other words in the whipped cream. And with this game you don't have to worry about them licking their fingers.

These are just three fun games that will not only entertain your children they will help them learn to interact and play with others plus have some good educational pluses as well. We'll cover some more games in another article; so stay tuned.

- Jackie Beem -
Selengkapnya...

How To Make Money with a FREE Blog

There are 2 kinds of blogs. One kind is hosted on your own server/hosting account and is created by installing a script and then customizing the template and then adding your own content.

The 2nd type of blog is hosted by a service and all you have to do is sign up for a free account and start adding content.

If you have a budget that is very small or zero, and you are looking for a way to start making money on the internet, blogging is a great way to get started. You can make money with a free blog by adding Google Adsense, and promoting affiliate products.

The following are 10 online safest techniques, suggestions and tips for Blogging

1. first think of your goals and your resources.

2. Go to http://blogger.com and open an account. It's free...

3. Once your account is open, create a new blog using your chosen key phrase as you Blogger sub-domain. Select a template to use.

4. Set the Blog title to be exactly the same as your key phrase. Create a description that contains your key phrase in it at least once.

5. Find affiliate programs for high-quality products in your niche. Create affiliate links for these products and insert them into your sidebar on the template where it says "Links".

6. Insert links to other blogs, related news, etc. at the bottom of each post using your key phrase somewhere in the anchor text of the link.

7. Submit your blog to as many of these blog and rss feed directories as possible.Use your key phrase in the title and at least once in the Description if you are able to enter one.

8. Go to http://yahoo.com and set up an account if you don't already have one. Add your RSS feed to your "My Yahoo" account as a news feed you want to monitor.

9. You will need to add RSS Beta to your My Yahoo content if you don't have it. For more info on how to do that, go here: http://my.yahoo.com/s/rss-faq.html and add it. You will now add your blog into the RSS feed in my yahoo. To do that, click on edit in the RSS feed section. Enter the url of your blog.

10. Go to MSN.com, create an account, and do the same. To do that, enter your blog URL with "atom.xml" appended to the end of it where it says "Search for content to add".

Aside from the fun it brings, blogging can also give you profits even if you are not a businessman. In fact, there had been many people of different jobs that claimed to have gained benefits through their blogs. There are many ways one can profit through blogging.

1) - Trade Advertising - the most common way to generate income through your blog is by means of selling spaces in your blog to business institutions. Through this, you may directly consistently earn money.

There are bloggers that offer the spaces in their blogs for a certain period. This would mean that a space can expire depending on the agreement of both the blogger and the business institution. You just need your blog to be known in order to garner more business institution to advertise in your blog.

2) Trade the Products of Others - This sounds illegal but its not. On this type of profit making, you're actually helping businessmen sell their products. There are companies that offer equivalent compensation to bloggers who mentions their product in their blogs.

Through it, the company may have a larger chance of selling the product. The product and company that one will mention in his blog will be highlighted. Whenever a reader clicks on the highlighted product or company, the reader will have direct access to the seller.

3) Ask for Contributions - there is no limit in blogging except those moves that are abusive to others. You may initiate and make a club through your blog and ask your members to pay for the membership.

Think of a good service that you may offer to your members. It can be a finding-your-match service or whatever that comes out of your mind. Let them pay for the service you are offering and that's how you profit.

4) Sell Your Products and Services - Enough of the boxed idea that blogging is solely made to air opinions. You can make use of your blog to market you products and services to others. These can help your earn money anyway.

There are many people out there who made use of the bogs to find the products and services they want. This is because in blogging people are actually dealing in real time. In addition to that, hoaxing and fraud is very minimal in blogging since people do negotiate personally and directly.

- Anne-Marie RONSEN -
goarticles dot com


Selengkapnya...

Why is Branding a Must?

Everyday there are people online that are branding themselves in the wrong way. Plus when you first here about it you don't realize what they are talking about until you missed the boat. Branding means in the online business world, "YOU ARE THE LOGO". So when you are ordering something online and you don't know who they are, I like to call them ghosts. Imagine, you are buying something from someone that doesn't have a name brand to back themselves up.

Here's some famous brands that have their own branding, WAL-MART, SAM'S, TARGET,etc. Do you see how important branding is? You need to promote yourself as a leader that will help those out when they are in need of something that you have that they want. Being a leader can be a daunting task, but if you think about it everyone is a leader in their own way. Example : Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, etc... The list can go on and on...

So branding is being a leader and how you promote yourself! You don't want people to know that you are Mr. Perfectionist, because that can be a major turnoff. Because everyone knows that humans are humans and humans make mistakes somehow and down the road somewhere. So keep in mind, How you want to brand yourself? How do you want people to know you as? What are your GREAT qualities that you can shine with. The greatest thing to relate to this point is : What do people tell you that you are good at. Say for instance they tell you - you are a good speller, or you can speak well in public places, etc. It's things like this that is a good starting point to - to branding yourself.

Well let me know what your input is on this...Hoped this helped.

Kuuipo Faletogo
ezinearticles dot com

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Police nab suspected terror broker

National Police Spokeman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarta shows journalists a photo of terror suspect Mohamad Jibril (aka Muhamad Ricky Ardan), in Jakarta on Tuesday. Police arrested Jibril on Tuesday for his alleged involvement in the July 17 bomb attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.

National Police arrested Mohamad Jibril on Tuesday for his involvement in channeling money to fund the July bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta.

National police spokesman, Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna, said that Jibril, also known as Muhammad Jibriel Abdul Rahman and Muhamad Ricky Ardhan, was arrested in Jakarta for his alleged role in seeking funding for the bombings both domestically and from abroad.

“He was arrested by officers from the special counterterrorism squad and is currently being questioned,” Nanan said.

The police, he said, were intensifying efforts to crackdown on the financial sources of the bombings a day before they officially declared the Saudi Arabian national, Ali Muhammad bin Abdullah alias Al Khalil "Ali", a suspect involved in the financing of the Jakarta hotel bombings.

However, Nanan refused to elaborate further on where Jibril was being detained.

“We have confirmed the recent bombings were funded by foreign sources.

"Whether they were funded by al-Qaeda or not is still not clear. We need more time to identify where the funds originated from,” he said.

Jibril is the son of Muhammad Iqbal, alias Abu Jibril, a Muslim cleric who was deported from Malaysia some years ago after being linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical group connected to Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda.

Abu Jibril now lives in Witana Raharja Housing Complex in Pamulang, Tangerang, Banten.

Several years ago, he was detained at the National Police headquarters for two weeks after a bomb exploded in his front yard.

However, he was later released after the police failed to find evidence linking him to terrorist activities.
Knowing that his son was being targeted by the police, Abu Jibril recently traveled to the National Police headquarters to seek clarification.

“I am here partly to protest as I am sure that my son is innocent,” he said.

Muhammad Haryadi, one of Jibril’s lawyers, said that until then, the Jibril family had been in the dark regarding Jibril’s whereabouts even though Nanan had acknowledged that Jibril had already been arrested by the police.

“No police officials informed us about the arrest, let alone allowed us to meet him in person,” he told The Jakarta Post.

The police have focused their investigation on the sources of funding as they believe the recent bombings required huge funds from inside and outside the country.

In addition to detaining Jibril and Ali, the police also arrested Iwan Herdiansyah for his links to Ali and other Arab nationals wanted by the police.

Iwan however, was later released as the police failed to prove he was connected to the terrorist group led by Noordin M. Top.

As for Ali, the police managed to find significant proof that he was connected to the funding of the recent Jakarta bombings.

Ali is suspected of being an international courier and of seeking donors to finance terrorist activities.

Head of counterterrorism at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Insp. Gen. (ret) Ansyaad Mbai, said the money used for the recent bombings could have originated from personal or charitable sources in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.

Though revelations on suspected sources of foreign funds is rare from officials, Ansyaad said the involvement of overseas donors from the Middle East had been known since the bomb attacks in Bali in 2002 and those against the Marriott hotel in 2003.

In addition to questioning Ali and Jibril, Nanan said the police were also pursuing several other people of Middle Eastern descent who had fled after learning of Ali's arrest.

- The Jakarta Post -

Selengkapnya...

Monday, August 24, 2009

Manusia Tidak diciptakan kecuali untuk mengabdi kepada Allah

Oleh
Dede meki mekiyanto
Dan aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan supaya mereka mengabdi kepada-Ku. Aku tidak menghendaki rezki sedikitpun dari mereka dan Aku tidak menghendaki supaya mereka memberi-Ku makan. Sesungguhnya Allah Dialah Maha Pemberi rezki Yang mempunyai Kekuatan lagi Sangat Kokoh. (Q.S. Adz Dzariat:56-58)

Pembaca yang budiman, Mungkin diantara kita sering mendengar ayat tersebut di atas yang mungkin sebagian berfikir bahwa antara pencarian dunia dan akhirat merupakan dua ruangan yang terpisah yang tidak bercampur satu sama lain. Padahal sesungguhnya tidak, dimana setiap detik nafas kita, setiap detik langkah kita, setiap detik gerakan jari jemari kita dalam mengerjakan tugas kita baik dalam rangka mencari nafkah atau hanya sekedar mengerjakan tugas rutin, didalamnya memiliki nilai luhur yang akan dinilai sebagai kebaikan selama yang kita lakukan adalah pengabdian kepada Allah. Jadi jangan sangka kalau anda seorang ayah sedang bercanda sambil tertawa-tawa dengan anaknya adalah perbuatan sia-sia, karena sang ayah selalu berniat dan berfikir, apa yang dia lakukannya itu adalah untuk membahagiakan makhluk Allah yang masih kecil-kecil yang dititipkan kepadanya. Jadi perspektif mengabdi kepada-Ku adalah Mengabdi dengan seluas-luasnya makna, bisa bermakna mengabdi kepada pelayanan untuk hamba-hamba-Nya yang lain.

Dalam tulisan ini, mari kita belajar untuk sedikit membuka ‘kisi-kisi’ dalam belenggu fikiran kita untuk memasukkan cahaya atau nur dari makna ayat di atas, dengan mengesampingkan segala penutup kisi-kisi yang menutup fikiran dan hati kita.

Sebagai seorang pekerja di suatu perusahaan, penulis memiliki tugas-tugas pokok yang kadang menyita waktu berlebihan dan dalam waktu tertentu jika pulang ke rumah, sesampainya di rumah agak larut malam, sehingga sesampainya di rumah, mungkin hanya sempat melaksanakan shalat Isya dan tidak sempat lagi untuk Membaca Al-Qur’an. Atau misal di bulan Ramadhan, sepertinya dan rasanya begitu kurang ‘jumlah’ atau ‘quantity’ amalannya karena kesibukan. Lantas, apakah apa yang saya lakukan dalam pekerjaan dimana setiap tugas yang diamanatkan juga mengandung pelayanan untuk orang lain ini ‘mengganggu’ amalan ibadah saya? Jika saya mengingat ayat di atas, ternyata tidak. Mengapa? karena setiap detik dan nafas dalam pekerjaan yang diemban, dengan tulus dan ikhlas diabdikan agar kepentingan orang lain atau lebih tepatnya Kebutuhan Hamba Allah lain yang berhubungan dengan pekerjaan ini akan terpenuhi sehingga mereka bisa menikmati kebahagiaan yang secara langsung atau tidak langsung berhubungan dengan pekerjaan kantor.

Akan tetapi tentu ada juga yang berfikiran berbeda. Misal ada seorang pekerja kantoran, di perusahaan yang berskala besar (tentu melayani hajat orang dengan jumlah besar pula), Katakanlah karyawan itu bernama Joni dan perusahaannya adalah PT. Agung , bekerja sebagai karyawan akutansi tepatnya account payable (AP) (=bagian pekerjaan yang mengurusi pembayaran ke supplier). Suatu ketika menjelang ramadhan, mendadak si Joni ingin mengajukan cuti 1 bulan penuh ke atasannya dengan 2 alasan, pertama dia ingin puasa yang akan dilakukannya ingin dipenuhi amalan-amalan sholeh dan tidak terganggu urusan dunia (seperti pekerjaan kantor, dll) kedua, karena dia merasa berhak untuk menggunakan cutinya. Karena atasannya tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa, akhirnya selama sebulan tugas sebagai account payable (AP) diberikan kepada rekan kerja yang lain 2 orang, jadi tugas sebulan dia sebagai AP dikerjakan 50% -50% oleh kedua rekan karyawan. Sambil berlalu si Joni berkata “Sorry yah, aku mau ibadah dulu neh, alhamdulillah di approve cutinya” Apa yang terjadi berikutnya? Kedua rekan kerjanya harus menambah jam kerja hariannya sehingga setiap hari selama ramadhan mereka pulang telat karena mendapatkan kerja tambahan dari rekannya yang ‘cuti untuk ibadah’. Mereka berdua mengerjakan dengan penuh tanggung jawab, sehingga pembayaran ke supplier berjalan dengan lancar. Pembaca yang budiman, dari kisah ini mari kita lihat pada dimensi yang lain, yaitu dimensi suatu keluarga seorang mandor dari sebuah supplier kecil (misal PT. ACI) yang dibayar oleh PT. Agung. Sang mandor memiliki istri yang akan melahirkan, yang tentu akan memerlukan uang untuk proses melahirkan. Beberapa hari yang lalu, sang istri khawatir jika pada saat melahirkan, uang dari kantornya belum dibayar dengan alasan karena belum dibayar oleh PT. Agung itu. Pada beberapa jam sebelum hari H melahirkan, sang istri bertanya lagi kepada suaminya, “mas uang dari kantor sudah datang belum..?” suami menjawab, “insya Allah akan dibayar, mungkin beberapa jam lagi”. Kemudian dia berdoa kepada Allah “Ya Allah, Engkau maha mengetahui, pembayaran dari PT. Agung itu belum ada, Hamba mohon kepadaMu ya Allah, mudahkanlah pembayaran yang dilakukan PT. Agung itu kepada kami, supaya hamba bisa membantu proses lancarnya persalinan ini”. Dan pada beberapa saat sebelum melahirkan, kedua karyawan pengganti si Joni itu melakukan pembayaran sesuai tugas kepada PT. ACI, sehingga PT. ACI bisa membayarkan biaya persalinan dengan lancar kepada sang mandor. Selang berapa lama, persalinan pun berjalan lancar tandapa ada rasa khawatir mengenai uang persalinan. Kemudian, sang mandor dan istrinya berdo’a “Ya Allah, Berikanlah kebaikanMu kepada hambaMu yang membantu kami, yaitu orang yang telah melakukan pembayaran di PT. Agung ke kantor kami, sehingga kami bisa berbahagia hari ini”
Coba anda bayangkan kejadian ini, sebenarnya, siapa yang lebih beruntung? Tentu 2 karyawan pengganti si Joni itulah yang lebih bertuntung, mereka dengan ikhlas mengerjakan tugas tambahannya sehingga di tinggkat yang lebih bawah, telah mampu membahagiakan orang lain walau hanya dengan sedikit proses pembayaran ke salah satu suplier saja. Lihatlah, dengan berfikir memisahkan urusan dunia dan akhiran dengan cara seperti si Joni di atas, Joni telah kehilangan momentum kebaikan yang paling tinggi yang bisa membahagiakan Hamba Allah yang lain.

“Nilai rahasia kebaikan seorang Hamba berada di tangan Allah, bukan bergantung pada hitungan amalan versi kita sendiri/manusia.


Pembaca yang budiman, mungkin bisa kita mulai menuliskan disini beberapa contoh peninjauan segala apapun pekerjaan atau keadaan kita dilihat dari dimensi yang lain yang lebih bermakna

Pertama,
Seorang ayah yang memiliki anak yang kebetulan sedang belajar di rumah, dimana sang anak minta bantuan untuk penyelesaian persoalan yang dia hadapi, padahal sang ayah dalam kondisi lelah habis pulang kerja. Kemudian sebelum membantu sang anak, sang ayah berkata dalam hatinya, “ Ya Allah, dalam lelah tubuhku ini, pastilah Engkau telah sisakan tenaga untuk membahagiakan anak titipan-Mu, dia adalah hamba-Mu yang sedang meminta bantuan aku sebagai Ayahnya, Ya Allah terimalah kebaikanku ini sebagai tasbihku kepadamu” setelah itu, sambil tersenyum dalam lelah, sang ayah dengan antusias membantu anaknya. Dan kemudian, sang anak berbahagia karena telah mendapatkan bantuan penyelesaian masalahnya, sehingga dia bialng “terima kasih ya Ayah, aku jadi mengerti” sambil berbahagia, dia tersenyum.

Kedua,
Seorang istri yang mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah tangga di rumah, dengan penuh keikhlasan dia selalu berkata dalam hatinya, “Ya Allah, Engkau telah titipkan rumah ini kepada kami, engkau telah titipkan anak-anak kepada kami, engkau telah titipkan semua barang-barang di rumah ini kepada kami, jadikanlah sapu ini sebagai tasbihku padaMu, jadikanlah cangkir-cangkir kopi untuk suamiku menjadi shalat sunat ku, jadikanlah belayan tanganku ketika memandikan anak-anak menjadi aliran doa kepada-Mu, dan jadikanlah masakanku menjadi tahajudku kepadaMu, Ya Allah, aku abdikan segala tugas yang ku-emban ini untuk Mu”


Ketiga,
Seorang polisi lalu lintas, dia mengabdi kepada tugasnya agar kondisi lalu lintas berjalan lancar, dia tidak mengeluhkan peluh keringat, debu kendaraan dan kadang dia sering mendapatkan penghinaan dari beberapa pengendara yang tidak menaati peraturan atau malah yang terang-terangan mencemoohkan dia. Dia tetap sabar, tetap teguh pada pekerjaannya. Dalam relung hati dan fikirannya dia berkata, “Ya Allah sang penguasa Alam, maha rahman dan maha rahim, tugas yang kuemban aku abdikan hanya kepadaMu supaya hamba-hamba-Mu di jalan merasanya nyaman, dan mereka bisa beribadah kepada-Mu dengan tenang. Aku tahu jumlah shalatku sangat minim hanya yang fardhu, tetapi, jadikanlah jalan ini sebagai sejadahku sebagai shalat sunatku, jadikalah peluitku sebagai tasbihku padaMu, jadikanlah tanganku sebagai takbirku kepada-Mu, Aku ingin, semua hambaMu yang di jalan ini merasa bahagia karena tugasku.”


Keempat,
Seorang Guru yang mengajar murid-murid dengan penuh semangat dan sabar, dengan penuh keihlasan dia tetap berkata, “Ya Allah, Engkau telah menitipkan ilmuMu kepadaku dan kepada tugasku sebagai Guru, jadikanlah coretan di papan tulis sebagai tasbihku kepadaMu, jadikanlah kelas ini menjadi sajadah bagiku, Aku bergembira karena engkau telah menunjukku untuk mejadi orang terpilih untuk menjadikan hamba-hambaMu yang masih kecil ini berkembang dengan ilmuMu. Aku berbahagia karena aku bisa membahagiakan hamba-hamba-Mu yang masih kecil ini.”

Kelima,
Seorang supir angkot, Meski setiap hari melalui jalan yang sama, sangat monoton, penuh dengan debu, peluh keringat, sang supir angkot tetap berkata, “Ya Allah, Aku sangat senang dan bahagia karena selalu memenuhi kebutuhan hamba-hamba-Mu dalam perjalanan, beberapa dari mereka ingin ke Rumah sakit, ingin ke masjid dll, Akan tetapi Ya Allah, hamba tahu, jumlah shalat hamba hanya minim yang fardhu, oleh karena itu, jadikanlah mobil angkot ini sebagai sajadah untukMu, jadikanlah debu-debu ini menjadi tasbihku untuk Mu, jadikanlah senyumku kepada penumpang, sebagai sedekahku untukMu…”

Keenam,
Pajak penghasilan.
Potongan pajak penghasilan yang dipotong dari kita, sebagian besar dari kita tentu akan merasa dirugikan akibat pemotongan itu, meski menyadari bahwa pajak pada dasarnya adalah untuk kepentingan negara, tetapi sebegitu besarnya persepsi dan belenggu dalam fikiran kita dimana sering terjadinya penyelewengan pajak dimana-mana sehingga membuat sebagian dari kita TIDAK IKLASH penghasilannya di potong. Tetapi mari kita lihat dari dimensi yang lain, dengan mengesampingka kuatnya persepsi tentang penyelewengan pajak yang terjadi. Mengapa kita kesampingkan dulu? karena ini tidak menyangkut dengan mereka, tetapi ini menyangkut dengan nilai abdi kita kepada Allah (This is not about them, this is about me). Kita lihat dimensi lain, dimana akibat dari besarnya pajak yang dipotong dari kita, setelah dikumpulkan di tingkat negara, kemudian digunakan untuk keperluan orang lain (tepatnya adalah HAMBA ALLAH YANG LAIN), ada yang berprofesi guru tk, sd, sma, ada yang berprofesi mantri di kampung, ada yang berprofesi pada dinas sosial yang mengurusi hamba-hamba Allah yang kebetulan sedang kekurangan, dll, sehingga dengan biaya dari pajak tadi, maka berbahagialah Hamba-hamba Allah karennya. Sehingga dengan itu kita bisa berkata “Ya Allah, potongan pajak ini, jelaslah bukan pengurang untukku, tetapi melalui pajak inilah, aku bisa berbagi kebahagiaan dengan hamba-hambaMu yang lain yang belum tentu aku sanggup menggapainya, jangan-jangan ada hamba Mu yang sedang diujung kebinasaan, melalui pajak yang dipotong dari penghasilan ini, Engkau telah menyelematkan Mereka, dan akhirnya mereke berbahagia, Ya Allah, jadikanlah potongan pajak ini sebagai pengabdianku kepada Mu”

Ke tujuh, dst…. (silahkan teruskan…..)

Pembaca yang budiman, meski tulisan ini panjang, semoga bermanfaat.
Marilah kita belajar untuk membuka fikiran kita dari maksud ayat di atas, batasan ruang antara urusan dunia dan akhirat, hanyalah bagaimana niat dan perilakukan segala aya yang kita perbuat untuk Allah.

Boleh Jadi meskipun namanya shalat di masjid adalah untuk akhirat, dia bisa berubah menjadi dunia, ketika niat sombong dan ria menjadi utama, boleh jadi meski namanya kita bekerja sebagai tukang bengkel, bisa menjadi nilai akhirat ketika kita berniat dan memperilakukan pekerjaan tukang bengkel untuk mengabdi kepada Allah dengan cara melayani Hamba-hambaNya yang memerlukan, agar kendaraannya aman dan menyelamatkan.

"Allah-lah yang menjadikan bumi bagi kalian tempat menetap dan langit sebagai atap, lalu membentuk kalian, membaguskan rupa kalian serta memberi kalian rizki dari sebagian yang baik-baik yang demikian itu adalah Allah Tuhanmu, Maha Agung Allah, Tuhan semesta alam." (Al Mu'min: 64)


Wassalam
Dedemeki
www.fai-kao.com




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Saturday, August 22, 2009

PhD Student Position at Chonnam National University-Korea

Akangs & Tetehs,
Info
ti: Kang Ade Haryanto (1998)
di: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Korea.

Dear All,

Semoga bermanfaat!
"PhD Student Position at Chonnam National University-Korea"


Applications are invited for a PhD student position in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) starting from March 2010 or as soon as possible. Non-Destructive Testing is now the fastest growing industry for effective evaluation of materials, structures and pipelines. The PhD student will be involved in the research work for Regional Innovation Center (RIC) at Chonnam National University in South Korea, which is supported by Korean Government and various industries. The student will be using advanced NDT diagnostics tools and software for the evaluation of materials for petro-chemical plants. The work will be implemented by the close collaboration with industries.

Expectations:
The successful candidate is expected:
• To do experimental research on evaluation of materials and solid structures using ultrasonic and other NDT techniques
• To develop the analysis software with C++
• To carry out FEM simulations of ultrasonic wave propagation, and analysis of defects in materials and structures
• To post-process measured and predicted results in conjunction with a physically-based analysis
• To compare experimental measurements and predictions to extract relevant features
• To document results and findings

Requirements:
Candidates should have a Master/Diploma degree in Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Material Science, Physics or equivalent, required to pursue a PhD-study. This should ideally be complemented by the following skills:
• Excellent academic standing
• Knowledge in solid state physics and material science
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEM) and numerical methods
• Experience with programming using C or C++
• Fluent in English (minimum requirements TOEFL-80IBT, 213CBT, 550PBT or IELTS-6.5)
• Willingness to work in an inter-cultural environment

The preference will be given to the candidates who obtained Master’s Degree in NDT. Please include a list of publications in NDT, if there is any.

Successful applicant will be offered a monthly salary of 800.000 Korean Won, in addition to the full support of the tuition fees (about 6.000.000 Korean Won/year).

Please send by e-mail your request and copies of documents indicating your academic background to professor Ki-Seong Kim sngkim@chonnam. ac.kr. These documents will include your degree certificate (s), transcripts of marks achieved in previous degrees, and the evidence of English language qualifications (a copy of TOEFL or IELTS score), if your first language is not English and you do not hold a degree from an English-speaking country.

If required, the candidates may be interviewed by telephone during the selection process.


With regards,
Ade Haryanto
School of Mechanical Engineering
Pusan National University, Korea.

Selengkapnya...

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Mengkaji Belanja Ramadhan dan Lebaran di Carefour


Oleh Cardiyan HIS

Carefour bukan milik Perancis lagi. Berita bisnis sangat penting ini ditanggapi dingin-dingin saja di Indonesia, padahal sudah berlangsung hampir dua bulan. Termasuk oleh Pemerintah Indonesia (yang memang secara resmi belum memiliki hubungan diplomatik dengan Israel), yang menganggap alih kepemilikan Carefour oleh orang pengusaha Israel sebagai “business as usual” saja. Hanya ibu-ibu rumah tangga mungkin karena tidak tahu informasi ini, tak sadar terus membelanjakan banyak rupiahnya menjelang bulan Ramadhan dan Lebaran untuk memperkaya kocek bisnis orang Israel.

Carefour , adalah salah satu ikon penting Perancis di dunia disamping makanan dan minuman Danone atau mobil Renault, kini sudah menjadi milik pengusaha Israel. Kini Carefour telah menjadi milik perusahaan Koor Industries Ltd dengan harga pembelian senilai US$ 986 juta atau 3,5 miliar Shekel (mata uang Israel). Pemilik Koor Industries Ltd adalah Eli Hurvitz, pengusaha asli Israel yang sangat pro soal pembangunan pemukiman Yahudi di Palestina dan tentunya sangat anti soal Kemerdekaan Bangsa Palestina. Eli Hurvitz tentu saja bersilang pendapat dengan sutradara beken Steven Spielberg, warga negara Amerika Serikat keturunan Israel, yang justru sebaliknya sangat mendukung Kemerdekaan bagi Bangsa Palestina.

Terjadinya peralihan kepemilikan perusahaan multi nasional seperti Carefour (Perancis) ke pengusaha kakap Israel adalah memang peristiwa biasa sebagai konsekuensi perdagangan global yang bebas menembus batas negara. Masalahnya di Indonesia, Carefour mendapat keistimewaan tanpa pembatasan lokasi.

Kebijakan ini sungguh sangat berbeda dengan Carefour di negara-negara kapitalis Eropa bahkan di Perancis sendiri sekali pun tempat asalnya, tidak akan bisa ditemui keberadaan Carefour di tengah-tengah kota, di sudut-sudut strategis kota-kota besar Paris, Lyon, Marseille. Pemerintah kota mereka akan selalu tetap memperhitungkan terhadap keberadaan pasar tradisional atau tempat kegiatan ekonomi pengusaha kecil penduduk setempat.

Sedangkan Indonesia? Lagi-lagi Pemerintah Indonesia sebuah anomali membiarkan Carefour ada di pusat kota, di sudut-sudut strategis bahkan sudah tak memperdulikan lagi kedekatan lokasinya dengan keberadaan pasar tradisional tempat para pengusaha kecil Indonesia menyabung nyawa. Kasus Carefour di Indonesia boleh jadi bisa menjadi kasus riset yang menarik bagi seorang “PhD Candidate in Marketing Business”. Termasuk kepemilikan saham Carefour di jaringan retail Alfa Mart, yang telah menelan begitu banyak kebangkrutan toko-toko kecil atau warung-warung kelontongan para pengusaha kecil Indonesia. Pihak KPPU sebagai komite independen pengawasan persaingan usaha harus
memprioritaskan kasus ini.


Indonesia memang harus mengevaluasi segala keterlanjuran ini dengan sangat serius, mengkajinya secara seksama pula dengan kewajiban ketat terhadap perilaku Carefour selama ini. Misalnya beberapa lokasi Carefour di Jakarta berulang-ulang mencemari lingkungan bahkan nyaris menewaskan puluhan karyawannya sendiri karena keracunan gas buangan adalah “high-light” yang harus digaris-bawahi oleh Pemerintah kota DKI Jakarta. Sistem hubungan kerjasama dengan para pemasok dari kalangan Usaha Kecil Menengah (UKM) perlu dievaluasi agar lebih adil. Kompensasi terhadap keberadaan Carefour yang berada sangat dekat dengan pasar tradisional harus segera dirumuskan untuk
sebaik-baiknya kegiatan ekonomi rakyat. Kasus Carefour yang sangat dekat dengan dua pasar tradisional di kecamatan Duren Sawit, Jakarta sungguh merupakan bukti nyata yang memerlukan perhatian Pemda DKI Jakarta.

Selamat menempuh ibadah Ramadhan, semoga Tuhan YME memberikan ridhoNya kepada ummat manusia yang menjalankan ibadahnya. Amiin.
Sumber : http://ia-itb.blogspot.com/2009/08/mengkaji-belanja-ramadhan-dan-lebaran.html
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Run Your Home-Based-Business Or Online-Business Using Viral Marketing

This article is dedicated to exploring the concept of "Internet Marketing", and how "Viral Marketing" can explode your home based business. The question of how this type of marketing can help you get more customers to your site can be explained in pretty simple terms.

Anybody Ever Had The Flu?

Think of "Viral Marketing" as if it was a flu bug, or flu virus. With the flu virus, one person will get the virus and transfer the flu to a second person. Then the second person will do the same and transfer it to another person and so on, until perhaps hundreds of people will have the flu. But it all started with the first person. Marketing using a viral approach is the same way.

Viral Marketing Can Cause Your Visitor Count To Sky-Rocket!

When you use viral marketing as a way to advertise your products or home-based business, it all starts with one person. Then that person will tell someone else about your product and that person will tell someone else and on and on. When the viral effect catches on, it can cause your visitor count to sky-rocket almost overnight!

Have You Ever Doubled a Penny Each Day for 30 Days?

Have you ever heard the old saying about the "doubling penny? If you take one penny and double it each day for thirty days, you wouldn't believe the total amount of money you would have after thirty days. It's in the millions of dollars! Go ahead and try it on paper. This is how "Viral Marketing" works.

What I'm trying to get across to you is "Viral Marketing" works, and that's the bottom line. Where else can you set up any kind of a home based business on a shoestring budget, and have a good chance to have your ad or message spread like wildfire across the internet. That's what all online business operators pray for. That's what it's all about. Letting as many people as possible know about your site or your product. That's when the money will start rolling into your bank account.

Everything You Need to Spread Your Advertisement!

The best and the easiest "Viral Marketing" site that I know about can be found at the site listed below. This site has everything you need to spread your advertisement all over the web with very little work on your part. This way of marketing can build a mailing list quicker than anything you've ever seen and can make you a ton of easy money. This article was written from personal experience, research and study by the author. This article may be re-printed and re-distributed as long as nothing is changed in the article and all URLs and author's name must remain intact.

by Cecil Johnston
ezinearticles.com

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Saturday, August 01, 2009

7 Easy Anti Aging Makeup Tips (Without the Makeup)

Most people who take pride in how they look and feel get so worried about the signs of aging they begin to see as they start nearing 30's and even more so, in the 40's. Well, I just turned 50!

Many think that getting older and having to face the physical challenges of aging to be the worst time of their life. But, I say it can be the best time of your life.

You don't have to look at it in such a negative way if you know how to properly look after your body and of course, your mental health.

With today's innovations and products it is a lot simpler to take care of our body. In fact, it is not difficult at all. All you need to do is find and stick to a simple routine that will make you feel refreshed and great all the time.

Over time the best (and easiest) ones percolate up to the the top. So check out the following seven tips. It is never too late to start taking care of yourself and having great skin.

The 7 Best Of The Easiest

1. Drink Water The very first natural anti aging supplement is to drink lots of water every day. Water helps hydrate your skin while it also works to clean and flush away the toxins in your body. Your skin will look younger as it tends to look plumper and clearer when it is properly hydrated. So let's get drinking (water that is) to achieve that youthful and healthy glowing skin.
2. Eat Healthy The second anti aging skin care treatment is to eat a healthy and balanced diet. You are what you eat is so true. Most people just do not realize that the secret to keeping your skin quality flexible and happy is eating the right foods. That means lots of fibers, fresh fruits, and green leafy vegetables. These health food staples are a must for your diet if you want your skin to keep looking and feeling younger. Here is a bonus - these healthy food staples contain valuable minerals and vitamins which you can get naturally. No longer do you have to use dangerous procedures to help repair damaged skin tissues and cells and maintain young skin. Just remember, you must also cut out fatty, oily, and salty foods from your diet. I know it's hard - but you must do it.
3. Exercise Not just once in a while, but on a regular schedule. Exercise works wonders in keeping your skin cleared and refreshed. Plus, it makes you feel healthier and stronger. How many times do you need to exert yourself? 2 to 3 times per week. And remember, you must break a sweat for the toxins in your body to be released. Just think of having that perfectly glowing skin and sexy stronger, toned body.
4. Sun Protection That means no more tanning salons! There are so many excellent self-tanning creams and lotions available that are safe and convenient. Simply avoiding the suns dangerous rays and UV radiations will keep your skin in great shape and condition. Did you know that sun exposure is the number one factor that can damage your skin? All those young bronzed beauties will live their life with premature wrinkles and lines. If you are an outdoorsy type at the very least use a good sun screen lotion or sun block to protect your skin from the damaging rays. And let us not forget about the worst scenario - having skin cancer.
5. Social Habits If every higher taxes on social habits don't make you stop then do it for your skin. What am I talking about? Smoking and drinking beyond a normal daily intake level. The fastest way to damage your skin is to smoke. Tobacco contains dangerous chemicals that not only makes your skin age faster but saturates your body with toxins. Excessive alcohol consumptions is equally harmful to your skin health.. Your liver can only handle so many toxins and the more you smoke and drink excessively it becomes damaged. When it is no longer capable of flushing your body of toxins because of this overload your skin begins to stop glowing and takes on a sickly color and feel. Yuck!
6. Anti Aging Supplements How easy is this! And, there are so many to choose from that it is a snap to find the one anti aging supplement that works on your skin. You want to look for products that contain antioxidants and ingredients such as retinol, Vitamin C, A, and ceramides. These anti aging supplements will work wonders in repairing your skin, if it is only slightly damaged from aging.
7. Eliminate Stress Why is the last one always the one that doesn't seem easy at all? Is it really hard to keep a positive outlook in life. Life is sometimes difficult, yes. But if you keep your body in a constant state of stress, it releases chemicals that can make you physically or mentally ill. So, live a calm and stress free life. Try getting enough sleep to achieve this state of calm. Lack of sleep is harmful to your body and skin. And here is a super secret - lack of sleep not only affects your skin but your hair as well!

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How to Manage and Control Anger - Effective Tips

As we all know anger is not good for our health. But due to heavy workload, people sometime show their anger. Showing anger is OK, but hitting is not good. To manage anger set following objectives. Make a list of at least five behaviors that they can do to relax themselves. Deep breathing techniques will help person to control anger.

Rehearsal of the breathing exercises can control anger. Importance of this learning is depends on how person calm down prior to responding to a provoking situation. If a person is not tranquil when confronting a person who has done something to distress him, the chances that he will be winning in using his coping skills are decreased.

Discuss that one suitable answer to anger is for the person to relax. List examples of different ways people calm down. Each person should make a list of at least five behaviors that could be used to help him relax. For those persons who don't read, have them make an image list using the supplies listed above. Instruct the people on deep breathing tips and techniques. Use the information sheet to provide the people with information and instructions. Inform them that they may have to do the deep breathing on the spot without the lavishness of a calm room. Tell them to put into practice; it will be easier to do.

Talk to the people about how to suitably excuse them when they want to do deep breathing techniques. They cannot just walk away from their superior or manager when he is yelling at them. Teach the people to use an expression such as "excuse me, I have to go to the lavatory." At this point the people should practice leaving the place and going to do deep breathing in another place. Again, this will put into practice.

Remind the people that when they get upset, so do their bodies. In order to help them deal with their emotions and behaviors, they need to keep the feelings in their bodies calm. Think! Why people get angry sometimes without any solid reason. The answer is because of their bodies gat habituated to show the anger. So, controlling the anger is important for everyone. It should not be come into our habit. If it comes in our habit, it will be difficult to control anger. This will cause you failure in your career and life.

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Simple Chinese Medicine - A Beginner's Guide to Natural Healing & Well-Being

"Simple Chinese Medicine: A Beginner's Guide To Natural Healing & Well-Being" by Dr. Aihan Kuhn is a very good introductory text on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which also provides some very good information regarding healthy living. After reading Dr. Kuhn's biography, one recognizes her credentials for writing such a book, and after reading the book, one recognizes her ability to explain the concepts of TCM in an understandable way.

The book contains seven chapters. The first chapter is a very good overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Kuhn explains what TCM is, some of the differences between TCM and Western Medicine, some history of TCM, and then a bit on the theory, sources, diagnostic methods, and treatments found in the medicine she practices.

Chapter two, Food Healing in Chinese Medicine, and chapter three, Healthy Balanced Diet and Weight Reduction, the Chinese Way, are good chapters on the importance of food for healing and for health. Kuhn provides guidelines for food healing, food balance, and eating the right foods, as well as a recommended Chinese Diet for living healthy and maintaining proper weight.

Chapter four is titled Chinese Exercises for Healing, Disease Prevention, and Good Health. This chapter focuses on Qigong and Taiji Practice and their importance to over all health and healing.

Chapter five is only four pages long and contains some basic principles of Daoist Healing. It was enough to give you a taste of Daoist philosophy and maybe encourage you to learn more.

Chapter six is probably the chapter that most Westerners will have problems with. The chapter focuses on Cancer Prevention and Healing. I strongly believe that the principles taught in TCM can help a person live healthier and most likely prevent some cancers. It's not hard to believe, we have proof that healthy living, such as not smoking, can help prevent cancer. So why wouldn't healthy living and exercise practice also help the immune system fight cancers that are attacking the body? I would not suggest abandoning Western medicine if you have cancer, and neither would Dr. Kuhn. I do think a combination of Eastern and Western medicines can have benefits that maybe only one or the other may not provide. In this chapter Dr, Kuhn demonstrates through photographs different Qigong exercises used for healing.

The final chapter, seven, is titled Chinese Medicine's Secrets of Good Health and Longevity. It focuses on living healthy through personality, balance, and harmony. The appendixes contain some common herbs and herbal tonics, various Asian healthy recipes, and some testimonials from some of Dr. Kuhn's patients.

Over all, I enjoyed this book and feel it provides some very practical advice for healthy living. It is a very good introduction to basic Traditional Chinese Medicine and a useful guidebook for incorporating some of the TCM principles into your own healthy lifestyle. I'm sure many reading this book will want to further their education by reading more advanced books on the topic, or by seeking out doctors who practice TCM to learn more. It's a very good place to start, and if you go no further, you will still learn some practical healthy guidelines to live by.


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Buying DVD Storage For Your Home

Buying DVD storage for your home can be tricky but fun at the same time. Depending on whether you have an existing entertainment center or storage capable TV stand to handle some of the load will decide if you need a large or small storage unit. Media storage is something that is often overlooked but one thing that we all have a need for.

In this day and age big screen television purchases are on the rise and most homes will have one in the next couple years. The prices have come way down and so have the accessories to accompany them. When you are looking to set your TV room up the first thing you have to consider is if you are buying a television stand or if you just need DVD storage. There are several options in the storage realm including DVD storage cabinets, racks, towers and hanging wall shelves.

Media storage cabinets come in all shapes and sizes. They range in price and can be very expensive if you are buying brand name high quality wood. If you are wanting a stationary piece of storage furniture then you can find very nice looking cherry or mahogony DVD storage cabinets that will not only store all your DVD and CD collections but also serve as a great addition to your living room decor. There are lots of people who do not want to buy separate pieces of furniture for their media storage solutions. I am one of those people, I would rather be able to store all of mine in my LCD TV stand so I bought a nice television stand with DVD storage options built in. These are not hard to find and will come with many options such as storage shelves, drawers and many have locks on the drawers to keep your media safe.

One of the negatives about putting your media on a cabinet is that they tend to be in a high traffic area and also open for dust and sunlight to directly come in contact with your DVD collection. This is a bad thing and that's where media drawers come in very handy.

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What's Wrong With Playing Video Games?

There was a time in my life when I didn't care for video games at all. I had to have the radio on whether I was cleaning or doing a jigsaw puzzle and if anyone (I called them the gamers) wanted to play a game in the living room, they had to do it with the sound off. I didn't even like to hear the sound of them. (Even now I prefer the volume on the low side) They would ask me why I thought there was something wrong with playing video games. I just couldn't understand how they could sit there and play for hours. How they must have loved when I was at work. I laugh at this now and they sure won't let me live it down.


One day I came home from work and "the gamers" were playing Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. I decided that I would try it and once I learned how to use the controller I was hooked. I went from that game to Gran Turismo two. One time I played for 16 hours straight. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

I tried playing some of the golf games and I enjoyed the ones that are easy. Golden Tee and Hot Shots are my favorites. I did enjoy playing Mario Golf on the Gamecube, although I only had the chance to play it a couple of times. (I am a Playstation person.) I find that most of the other golf games are too hard for me.

One boring evening I decided to go out and rent a video game. While I was in the store I came across The Legend of Dragoon. I hadn't tried playing a role playing game yet and so I decided to try it. I didn't like the fact that you had to fight so much so I fought as little as possible. I beat the game (barely) and played it again right away. I did fight more the second time around and beat the game again. It was so much fun that I have been hooked on rpg's since and I've learned that the more you fight the better.

When someone asks me why I like to play these types of games, I tell them to think of it as watching a movie or reading a book and being part of it. You play your part as best you can and slowly work your way to your objective.

Recently I discovered that a friend of mine has The Legend of Dragoon and so I borrowed it. I wanted to remember why I loved it so much. So, I am now in the process of playing it again. Memories of my very first role playing game, life is good. I must say that after playing on the PC, the ps1 sure is slow, lol. I am still having loads of fun with it though.

Ten years have passed since I played my first rpg. Since then I have played games such as: Wild Arms, Final Fantasy, Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits, Suikedon 1-4 (with the exception of number three), Radiata Stories, Shining Tears, Atelier Iris, etc... As you can see, I am addicted to rpg's. My favorite would be Final Fantasy XI Online. Now that's a fun game. Even the fighting is a ton of fun.

I also enjoy games like Burnout Revenge. I especially liked the road rage. You can drive fast and be as reckless as you want. It's great! As mentioned earlier, I do like to play golf on occasion.

I have tried Grand Theft Auto and the only reason that I don't play it, is I don't like to kill people. I tried to drive fast without hitting anyone it just doesn't work. I don't mind killing monsters and such, but not people. I did make some people laugh, though. I know it's just a game and it still bothers me.

I cannot comment on sports games for the simple fact that I haven't tried playing any. I have watched others play them, they just don't interest me. RPG's rule for me.

I do still listen to the radio just not as much as before and I don't play video games as much as I would like to. I get to play 10-20 hours a week and I enjoy every minute of it.

I see nothing wrong with playing games as long as your priorities come first. I think that children should be limited on their game play but, I would rather my child be at home playing a game where I know he/she is safe, than out running around somewhere.

I must say that role playing games can be very addicting. Just don't forget about your personal life and always make sure that your priorities are in order. Now, If an individual gets out of bed in the morning, goes straight for their game and 20 hours later they are still playing, and they do this the majority of the time, then there might be a problem.

If you have the day off and everything is done that you needed to get done, then I say, go ahead and play your game all night. There's nothing wrong with that. Happy Gaming!

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Support and Resistance - How to Profit With Technical Analysis

With proper knowledge and training, the financial markets can be a consistent source of cash flow. Yet before any trading happens, a basic working understanding of technical analysis and trend identification is crucial. Support and resistance are where we begin in any discussion of technical analysis and provide the framework for learning how to spot a trend.


Here we will give basic operational definitions of these important terms and then describe how they can be used to increase profit margins.

Trend

The trend is the basic direction the market is moving. Trending patterns enable us to determine what actual market participants are doing, and respond accordingly with the proper trading strategy. In many ways, trend analysis gives us a window into the psychology of the markets, and how market participants are responding.

The stock market moves in a series of short term highs and lows, sometimes referred to as "peaks" and "troughs". It is the overall direction of these "peaks" and "troughs" that constitutes a trend. The technical definitions of these highs and lows are quite simply, support and resistance.

Support

The support area on a chart is the area beneath the overall market where buyers outweigh the sellers. Buying interest is strong enough to keep the price from moving farther down and so it reverses up again.

Resistance

Resistance on the other hand, is simply the opposite of support. It is the price level above the market where selling pressure overcomes buying making it difficult for the buyer to drive up the price.

Volume

Another critical component that relates to both support and resistance is the volume of shares being traded. Volume helps to measure the significance of a support or resistance level. If a level is formed with heavy volume, either buying or selling, that level is even more significant to our analysis.

Without understanding these technical terms, it becomes easy to trade recklessly based off educated guesses or rumors. Yet once a working knowledge of these terms is mastered, traders are able to precisely set entry and exit points and aid in choosing the correct trading strategy.

Trend, Support, Resistance, and Volume are the basic building blocks of learning and understanding technical analysis. It forms the basis of learning price patterns, and is the beginning of truly understanding the pulse of the market.

Jeffrey Ziegler
ezinearticles dot com

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Power Steering Fluid - Keeping on Top of It

Driving a car with power steering and driving one without it are almost like two completely different things. Sure, both entail driving, but the difference that power steering makes to the whole process is significant.

For straight line driving, and even some cornering, you may not notice a big difference, but in tight corners and when it comes to parking your car you will find that a car with power steering will make the entire process a lot more manageable and hassle-free. Thus, if you have power steering, you will want to make sure that it is in the best condition it can be. If the steering fails in your car, you will soon know about it. It is better by far to take preventative action rather than correct the problems after they happen.

The power steering in a car relies, as much as anything, on the power steering fluid. Consider the fluid to be to your power steering what the petrol is to your engine - it may not be what does all the work, but without it the work would be absolutely impossible. You need to make sure that the fluid is at the required level, and that the fluid which is there is clean and working properly. If it fails, it can damage the whole steering system, necessitating an expensive repair which will not go unnoticed in your monthly budget. It costs very little, however, to replace depleted fluid, so it makes sense to do this approximately as frequently as you would replace your engine coolant.

You should also check and replace power steering fluid if you get a hint that it is depleted. The first hint, usually, will come as you attempt to steer your car and the steering system makes a pronounced squeaking noise. Imagine dragging a chair leg across a classroom floor and you will have an idea of the noise. Check under the bonnet for the fluid reservoir which should be clearly labelled. The fluid in there should either be amber or a pinkish red color. If it is flawed it will be a darker color, leaning towards brown or black. If it is the right color but at a low level, then you need only top it up, but if it looks the wrong color it is contaminated and needs a full change.

You can purchase a tool to drain fluid from the reservoir if it is contaminated. This is something that you really cannot leave undone, as the contaminant will ruin your steering just as surely as if you drove with no steering fluid at all. Avoiding excess effort is no excuse for driving with poorly maintained fluid - it does not take long and it costs very little. Having the power steering system repaired, however, takes at least a day in the garage and costs hundreds of dollars. Taking the time out of your day to do some preventative maintenance really is a no-brainer.

by Levi Quinn

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