Rizky Fryansyah Blog's

Bersyukur atas Nikmat Allah yang Amat Besar

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:22:00 +0000

Bersyukur atas Nikmat Allah yang Amat Besar
Oleh : Alfiyatun Nimah

“Dan jika kamu menghitung-hitung nikmat Allah, niscaya kamu tak dapat
menentukan jumlahnya.Sesungguhnya Allah benar-benar Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.”Surah An-Nahl [16]: ayat 18)

Wahai saudaraku, kita tidak akan mampu menghitung nikmat Allah. Mengapa tidak bisa? Karena terlalu BESARNYA.... Segala puji bagi Allah, belum sempat bibir kita mengucap syukur kepada Allah ketika nikmat itu datang, maka dating lagi nikmat Allah yang lainnya. Betapa besarnya nikmat Allah.

BEBERAPA NIKMAT ALLAH :
[1] Diberikan anggota tubuh yang lengkap. Sebagian besar orang baru menyadari kenikmatan ini setelah dikurangi oleh Allah. Nikmat anggota badan ini, akan dimintai pertanggungjawabannya di hadapan Allah.

[2] Diberikan kesehatan. Nikmat ini tidak bisa dinilai dengan uang. Jika
kita sakit, berlembar-lembar uang kita keluarkan. Dua kenikmatan yang
kebanyakan manusia lupa : sehat dan waktu luang.

[3] Nikmat harta. Orang yang bersyukur kepada Allah akan menggunakan harta sesuai dengan apa yang telah diperintahkan oleh Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

[4] Nikmat Keamanan. Orang yang tidak mencampurkan keimanan dan kedholiman maka baginya ‘keamanan’. Dengan nikmat keamanan ini, kita bisa beribadah ataupun menuntut ilmu dengan perasaan tenang.

[5] Hidayah beragama Islam dan nikmat iman. SUBHAANALLAH !!, ini adalah nikmat yang paling besar. Mengapa demikian? Karena dengan nikmat ini kita bias membedakan kejahatan dan kebaikan, mana yang diperbolehkan oleh agama atau manakah yang tidak diperbolehkkan.

Namun, kebanyakan manusia itu dholim. Sedikit sekali manusia yang bersyukur, mereka mengkufuri nikmat Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

Katakanlah: ”Dia-lah Yang menciptakan kamu dan menjadikan bagi kamu pendengaran,penglihatan dan hati. (Tetapi) amat sedikit kamu bersyukur.
(Al-Quran Al-Karim Surah Al-Mulk [67]: ayat 23)

Oleh karena itu, perlu ditumbuhkan perasaan bersyukur kepada Allah sehingga mengantarkan kita untuk bersyukur kepada-Nya.

CARA MENUMBUHKAN PERASAAN SYUKUR :

[1] Merenung (bukan membayangkan).

[2] Lihatlah yang memberi nikmat, bukan besar kecilnya nikmat. Jika engkau mendapatkan nikmat dari Allah, jangan lihat besar kecilnya nikmat, tapi lihatlah yang memberi nikmat (Rabbul ’alamin).

[3] Lihatlah yang berada di bawah kita (kaitannya dengan nikmat)
[4] Ingatlah keutamaan syukur. Orang beriman yakin, jikalau bersyukur
kepada Allah, maka akan mendapatkan keutamaan.
[5] Sadarilah bahwa yang mampu memberikan hidayah untuk bersyukur hanyalah Allah semata.

CARA MENSYUKURI NIKMAT ALLAH :
[1] Hatinya tunduk, dan meyakini bahwa kenikmatan itu pemberian Allah. Hati itu untuk ma’rifah (mengenal Allah) dan mahabbah (mencintai Allah). Tanamkan dalam hati bahwa nikmat itu dari Allah semata.

[2] Lisannya memuji Allah. Jika diberi nikmat, maka hakikatnya itu adalah nikmat dari Allah, maka pujilah Allah. Ucapkan pula jazakumulloh khoiron kepada orang yang telah memberikan bantuan dan perbanyaklah menyebut nikmat-nikmat Allah.
Hasan al-Bashriy berujar, ”Perbanyaklah menyebut nikmat-nikmat Allah. Sesungguhnya itu adalah kesyukuran.”

[3] Anggota tubuhnya melaksanakan ketaatan kepada Allah. Dalam hal ini anggota badan dijadikan sebagai sarana untuk taat kepada Allah dan mencegah dari maksiat kepada-Nya.

Ketika Abu Hazim ditanya mengenai bentuk syukurnya anggota-anggota badan,maka ia memberikan jawaban-jawaban. Syukurnya dua mata itu, jika melihat kebaikan, sebarkanlah, dan jika melihat keburukan, tutupilah! Syukurnya dua telinga itu, jika mendengar kebaikan peliharalah, dan jika mendengar keburukan cegahlah! Syukurnya dua tangan, janganlah tangan itu digunakan untuk mengambil barang yang bukan haknya, juga penuhilah hak Allah yang ada pada keduanya! Syukurnya perut, hendaknya makanan ada di bagian bawah, sedangkan yang atas dipenuhi dengan ilmu. Syukurnya kemaluan, terdapat
dalam firman Allah,

Dan orang-orang yang menjaga kemaluannya, kecuali terhadap istri-istri
mereka atau budak yang mereka miliki; maka sesungguhnya mereka dalam hal ini tiada tercela. Barang siapa mencari yang di balik itu maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang melampaui batas.
Surah Al-Mu’minun [23]: ayat 5-7)

Syukurnya dua kaki, jika kamu melihat seseorang yang shalih meninggal, kamu bersegera meneladani amalannya; dan jika mayit orang yang tidak baik, kamu bersegera untuk menjauhkan diri dari amal-amal yang dia kerjakan, kamu bersyukur kepada Allah! Sesungguhnya orang yang bersyukur dengan lisannya itu seperti orang yang memiliki pakaian tetapi ia hanya memegang ujungnya, tidak memakainya. Maka ia pun tidak terlindungi dari
panas, dingin, salju, dan hujan.

KEUTAMAAN BERSYUKUR KEPADA ALLAH
[1] Syukur adalah sarana menambah kenikmatan. Ali bin Abi Thalib ra. Pernah berkata, Sesungguhnya nikmat itu berkaitan dengan syukur dan syukur itu berkaitan dengan mazid (penambahan nikmat), keduanya tidak bias dipisahkan, maka mazid dari Allah tidak akan terputus sampai terputusnya syukur dari hamba.
Dan (ingatlah juga), tatkala Rabbmu memberitahukan: "Sesungguhnya jika kamu bersyukur, pasti Kami akan menambah (nikmat) kepadamu, dan jika kamu kufur (mengingkari nikmat-Ku), maka sesungguhnya adzab-Ku sangat pedih".
(Surah Ibrahim [14]:ayat 7)

Allah menjadikan tambahan bergantung kapada kesyukuran dan tambahan dari-nya adalah tambahan yang tiada batas, sebagaimana syukur itu sendiri juga tiada batas.
[2] Syukur adalah sebab keridhoan Allah disebabkan pemanfaatan nikmat itu sebagai sarana ibadah.
[3] Syukur menghalangi turunnya adzab. Sebagaimana diterangkan dalam Al-Qur’an,

Mengapa Allah akan menyiksamu, jika kamu bersyukur dan beriman ? Dan Allah adalah Maha Mensyukuri*) lagi Maha Mengetahui.
(Surah An-Nisaa’ [4]:ayat 147)

Tatkala iblis – musuh Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala – mengerti nilai syukur, bahwa ia merupakan maqam tertinggi dan termulia, maka iblis pun mencanangkan tujuan akhirnya yaitu mengusahakan terputusnya manusia dari bersyukur. Diterangkan bahwa iblis berkata :
”Lalu aku akan mendatangi mereka dari
depan, dari belakang, dari samping kanan dan dari samping kiri. Sehingga Engkau tidak akan mendapati kebanyakan mereka pada bersyukur (taat).”
(Al-Qur’an Al-Karim Surah Al-A’raaf [7]:ayat 17)

Dalam Surah Saba’ disebutkan bahwa orang-orang yang bersyukur itu sedikit. “Dan sedikit sekali dari hamba-hambaKu yang pandai bersyukur.”
(Surah Saba’ [34]: ayat 13)

Oleh karena itu, Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam mengajarkan doa agar diberikan taufik untuk bersyukur kepada Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, sebagaimana dalam hadits shahih diriwayatkan Imam Ahmad, Al-Hakim,An-Nasa’iy, dan Imam An-Nawawy, Rasulullah memberikan nasihat kepada Mu’adz :
Demi Allah, aku benar-benar mencintaimu. Maka di setiap penghujung shalat janganlah kamu lupa membaca “Allaahumma a’innii ‘alaa dzikrika wa syukrikawa husni ‘ibaadatika” (Ya Allah, tolonglah aku agar selalu ingat kepada-Mu,bersyukur kepada-Mu, dan baik ibadahku kepada-Mu).

Wallahu a’lam wa ’afwu minkum

*) Allah mensyukuri hamba-hamba-Nya:
memberi pahala terhadap amal-amal hamba-hamba-Nya, mema'afkan kesalahannya,menambah nikmat-Nya.

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:36:00 +0000

Anjing Israel Melahap Tubuh Anak-Anak Gaza

Sumber :Era Muslim
Kekejian yang dilakukan tentara-tentara Zionis Israel terhadap rakyat Palestina di Jalur Gaza sudah di luar batas perikemanusiaan. Tentara-tentara Zionis itu bukan hanya membantai warga Gaza dengan bom-bom dan tank-tanknya, tapi juga menggunakan anjing-anjing buas untuk meneror warga Gaza.

Kayed Abu Aukal, seorang dokter emergency di Gaza tidak tahu lagi kata-kata apalagi yang bisa digunakan untuk menggambarkan kekejian tentara-tentara Zionis itu. "Oh, Tuhan! Saya tidak pernah melihat pemandangan yang mengerikan seperti ini," cuma itu kata-kata yang terlontar dari mulut Dokter Aukal melihat kondisi jenazah Shahd, seorang balita Palestina yang berusia 4 tahun.

Shahd sedang bermain di belakang rumahnya di kamp pengungsi Jabalita, utara Jalur Gaza ketika sebuah bom Israel jatuh di belakang rumah itu. Shahd yang masih balita itu pun gugur syahid. Orang tua Shahd mencoba menyelamatkan puterinya yang sudah bersimbah darah itu, tapi ketika mereka mencoba mengambil jasad Shahd, tentara-tentara Zionis menembaki mereka dari kejauhan.

Selama lima hari jasad Shahd tidak terurus dan tergelak di tanah, sampai akhirnya tentara-tentara Zionis melepaskan beberapa ekor anjing yang langsung mengoyak jasad Shahd yang sudah tak bernyawa. "Anjing-anjing itu menyisakan satu bagian tubuh dari bayi yang malang itu dalam kondisi utuh," kata Dokter Aukal sambil meneteskan airmata.

"Kami sudah melihat pemandangan yang sangat memilukan selama 18 hari ini. Kami mengambil tubuh anak-anak yang terbakar atau terpisah-pisah, tapi kami belum pernah melihat hal yang seperti ini," sambungnya.

Melihat jenazah adik perempuannya yang masih balita menjadi santapan anjing-anjing tentara Israel, saudara laki-laki Shahd bernama Matar dan sepupunya bernama Muhammad, nekad mendekati jenazah Shahd, tapi keduanya ditembaki tentara-tentara Zionis hingga gugur syahid.

Tetangga keluarga Shahd, Omran Zayda mengungkapkan, tentara-tentara Zionis Israel itu sengaja melakukan kekejaman itu. "Mereka (pasukan Zionis) mencegah keluarga Shahd yang ingin mengambil jenazahnya, dan mereka tahu anjing-anjing itu akan memakan jenazah Shahd," ujar Zayda.

"Tentara-tentara Israel itu bukan hanya membunuh anak-anak kami, mereka juga dengan sengaja melakukan cara-cara yang kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan. Kalian tiak akan pernah bisa membayangkan apa yang dilukan anjing-anjing itu terhadap tubuh Shahd," tukas Zayda sambil menahan cucuran air matanya.

Sejumlah warga Palestina mengungkapkan, banyak warga mereka yang mengalami hal yang sama dengan Shahd. Di Jabaliya, tentara-tentara Israel menembaki keluarga Abd Rabu yang sedang memakamkan anggota keluarga yang menjadi korban serangan Israel. Tembakan membuat orang-orang yang ingin memakamkan berlarian mencari perlindungan

Bukan cuma menembaki, tentara-tentara Zionis yang biadab itu kemudian melepaskan beberapa ekor anjing ke arah jenazah-jenazah yang belum sempat dimakamkan. "Apa yang terjadi kemudian sangat mengerikan dan tidak bisa dibayangkan," kata Saad Abd Rabu.

"Anak-anak lelaki kami meninggal di depan mata kami dan kami dihalang-halangi untuk menguburkan jenazahnya. Lalu tentara-tentara Israel itu melepaskan beberapa ekor anjing ke dekat jenazah itu, seakan-akan kekejaman yang sudah mereka lakukan pada kami belum cukup," tutur Abd Rabu tak kuasa menahan tangisnya. (ln/iol)

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:38:00 +0000

SAVE PALESTINE

Wahai Saudara Islam Ku
Anak ini mencuba untok menyelamatkan Ibu nya yang dalam keadaan kritikal

Bayangkan apa yang sedang dipesan oleh Ibu nya sebelum dia menghembuskan nafas terakhir.
Bagaimana kah perasaan anak ini dan apakah keadilan yang diharapkan akan membuka mata dunia?
Pejamkan mata Anda buat seketika serta bukakan hati sudah tentu kalau boleh Anda ingin menjadi sesaorang yang akan bangun dan membela nasibnya.

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Untuk Anak Ku...
by.Rizky Fryansyah

Anak ku ...........
Tuhan Menjadikan engkau Sebagai Cahaya bagi Bapak Dan Ibumu
Tuhan Menjadikan engkau Sebagai Pengingat bagi kerasnya Hati Bapak dan Ibumu
Tuhan Menjadikan engkau Sebagai Sumber Kebahagian bagi kerasnya jalan hidup bapak mu
Tuhan Menjadikan engkau Sebagai Penghancur ego bapak dan ibumu

Anak ku ....
Jadilah laki-laki yang sebaik-baiknya laki-laki
Jadilah Laki-laki yang kuat....Karena Hidup butuh kekuatan dalam mengarunginya
Jangan Lemah ,Jangan Bimbang,Jangan Takut Pada Keadaan

Hadapilah Kerasnya Hidup
Niscaya engkau Akan Menjadi Laki-laki Yang Sesungguhnya

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:29:00 +0000

Susu Amerika Bermelamin Beredar di Indonesia

Oleh
WebWarouw

Jakarta – Menteri Kesehatan Siti Fadilah Supari memerintahkan Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) untuk segera memeriksa produk susu formula Amerika Serikat (AS) yang mengandung melamin dan beredar di Indonesia.

”BPOM harus segera memeriksa produk tersebut, agar kita dapat segera mengambil keputusan yang tepat terhadap keberadaan produk-produk tersebut di Indonesia ,”kata Menteri Kesehatan (Menkes) Siti Fadilah Supari ketika dihubungi SH, Kamis (27/11).
Penegasan Menkes tersebut menanggapi temuan melamin oleh Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pada produk-produk susu formula buatan Mead Johnson, Abbot, dan Nestle baru-baru ini. Produk susu formula tersebut banyak beredar dan dikonsumsi anak-anak di Indonesia, sehingga dinilai membahayakan kesehatan anak-anak yang mengonsumsi.
Siti Fadilah mengingatkan bahwa Indonesia telah menandatangani kesepakatan bersama antarmenteri-menteri kesehatan se-ASEAN dan China untuk tidak menoleransi melamin pada setiap produk makanan. ”Kami sudah menyepakati zero melamin di kawasan ASEAN dan China . Artinya, tidak satu per seribu pun melamin pada makanan diizinkan beredar di pasaran kawasan ini,” kata Menkes.
Menurut Menkes, industri susu formula AS mungkin saja mengandung melamin, karena FDA masih menoleransi keberadaan melamin di bawah 1 mg/kg (1 ppm) untuk balita dan 2 mg/kg (2 ppm) untuk orang dewasa.

”Silakan mereka memakai ketentuan itu, tetapi produk tidak boleh beredar di kawasan ASEAN dan China , karena kita tidak bisa menoleransi racun masuk dalam tubuh rakyat kita,” lanjutnya.
Menkes juga menegaskan bahwa pihaknya akan segera menyurati pihak Mead Johnson, Abbot, dan Nestle agar segera menarik produk mereka dari pasaran di Indonesia .
”Kita periksa produk mereka, tapi mereka juga kita minta menarik sendiri produk mereka dari pasar kita. Tujuannya agar rakyat berhenti mengonsumsi susu yang dicurigai mengandung melamin, sampai ada hasil penelitian dari BPOM kita. Kalau terbukti produk yang beredar positif mengandung melamin, sekecil apa pun, negara yang akan menarik semua produk tersebut,” tegasnya.
Menurut pemeriksaan FDA pada 77 sampel susu formula, melamin ditemukan pada produk susu formula balita bubuk buatan Mead Johnson sebanyak 0,137 ppm dan Envamil LIPIL sebanyak 0,14 ppm. Sedangkan pengujian pada tiga sampel produk Nestle ditemukan 0,247 ppm cyanuric acid, turunan melamin.
Hasil pengujian pada 18 sampel susu formula buatan Abbot termasuk merek Similac dinyatakan mengandung malamin. ”Jumlahnya jauh di bawah batas kesehatan yang disepakati semua negara di dunia termasuk Taiwan , yaitu 0,05 ppm,” demikian ujar juru bicara Abbot Laboratories, Collin Mc Bean pada media di AS beberapa waktu lalu.
Pemeriksaan FDA juga menemukan melamin pada dua contoh dari suplemen nutrisi yang diberikan pada anak yang sedang sakit kesulitan pencernaan.
Produk makanan sehat Nestle Peptamen Junior mengandung melamin sebanyak 0,201 ppm dan 0,206 ppm sedangkan Nestle Nutren Junior-Fiber mengandung melamin sebanyak 0,16 dan 0,184 ppm.

Kepentingan Pasar
FDA dan beberapa ahli AS menyebutkan, kontaminasi melamin tersebut terjadi pada saat proses pembuatannya secara tidak sengaja. Bersamaan dengan pernyataan FDA tersebut, media massa dan Kongres menegaskan agar semua susu yang positif mengandung melamin berapa pun juga, tidak boleh dijual di AS.
”Pendekatan FDA sangat mendahulukan kepentingan pasar ketimbang ilmu pengetahuan. Seharusnya FDA menegakkan kebijakan zero toleransi melamin pada makanan, sampai ada hasil penelitian independen yang menyatakan melamin aman buat dikonsumsi balita,” demikian anggota Kongres AS , Rosa de Lauro pada media.
Anggota Konggres yang lain, Bart Stupak meminta FDA segera menarik semua susu formula yang mengandung melamin dan memusnahkannya.
”Jika tidak ada level yang aman dari melamin untuk dikonsumsi balita, FDA harus segera menarik dan memusnahkan semua susu tersebut, walaupun kontaminasi melamin hanya kecil sekali,” tegasnya.
Dr Jerome Paulson, seorang ahli gizi pada Children Medical Center di Washington DC menegaskan agar bagaimanapun juga FDA harus melihat dampak jangka panjang dari melamin, walaupun berdosis rendah. ”Jangan hanya mengatakan aman tapi 15 tahun kemudian kita baru sadar ternyata berdampak pada kesehatan,” ujarnya.

Didesak
Pengungkapan hasil pengujian laboratorium yang menemukan jejak cemaran melamin pada beberapa susu bayi merek terkemuka telah menimbulkan keprihatian dan kebingungan, Rabu (Kamis 27/11 WIB), ketika kelompok konsumen nasional dan para pengacara Illinois menuntut Badan Obat dan Makanan (FDA) melakukan penarikan. Badan federal itu mengatakan telah mengeluarkan informasi yang tidak akurat mengenai bahan kimia yang ditemukan dalam produk yang laris itu.
Ketika para orang tua yang merasa khawatir menghubungi produsen untuk mencari panduan mengenai adanya melamin pada susu formula buatan AS, FDA menyatakan kembali posisinya bahwa makanan bayi itu aman dan orang tua sepatutnya terus memberikan kepada bayinya. FDA berpendapat bahwa tingkat cemaran yang sangat rendah tidak menimbulkan bahaya bagi kesehatan.
Juru bicara pabrikan terkemuka mengkritik FDA yang mengeluarkan informasi tidak akurat. ”Kami dibanjiri panggilan telepon dari para ibu yang bingung mengenai keadaan ini,” ungkap Pete Paradossi, juru bicara Mead Johnson, salah satu dari tiga produsen utama susu formula buatan AS yang terlibat dalam temuan itu.
Pengacara Illinois Lisa Madigan menyerukan agar Departemen Kesehatan Negara Bagian dan FDA menarik produk Nestle dan Mead Johnson–serta mendesak perusahaan itu untuk mengambil langkah, terlepas dari apa yang badan pemerintah lakukan. Madigan juga mengkritik penanganan FDA terhadap hasil pengujian itu.
”FDA tampak jelas menahan hasil pengujiannya dari publik selama lebih dari tiga pekan dan hanya mengungkapkan informasi sebagai tanggapan atas permintaan Associated Press,” tulis Madigan dalam surat kepada Michael Leavitt, Menteri Kesehatan dan Layanan Kemanusiaan AS yang mengawasi FDA. (ega/ap)

Minul Fams

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Minul Fams
Minul And Panca Sukses Selalu
Jangan Lupa Sama Kita-Kita

Ngomong-ngomong Si Kecil Centil Juga Yach.....
emang Bener Kata Orang Buah Jatuh Memang Gak Bakalan Jatuh Dari Pohon nya hehehehehhe
( Seperti Bundanya Dulu hahahahahahahaha)

Berdekat-dekatlah Dengan Al-Quran

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:57:00 +0000

Berdekat-dekatlah Dengan Al-Quran
Oleh: Muhammad Nuh

“Orang yang dalam dadanya tidak ada sedikit pun dari Alquran, ibarat rumah yang bobrok.” (HR. At-Tirmidzi)

Maha Bijaksana Allah swt. yang menciptakan kehidupan dengan segala kelengkapannya. Laut yang luas dengan segala kandungannya. Langit yang biru dengan gemerlap hiasan bintang-bintangnya. Dan kehidupan manusia dengan kelengkapan aturan dan rambu-rambunya.

Berdekat-dekatlah dengan Al-Quran, hati akan memperoleh kesegaran. Hati sebenarnya mirip dengan tanaman. Ia bisa segar, layu, dan kering. Karena itu, hati butuh sesuatu yang bisa menyuburkan: siraman air yang menyejukkan, kehangatan matahari yang menguatkan, dan tanah gembur yang banyak makanan.

Untuk hati, siraman air adalah cahaya Al-Quran, kehangatan matahari adalah nasihat, dan tanah gembur merupakan lingkungan yang baik. Hati yang selalu dekat dengan Al-Quran bagaikan tanaman yang tumbuh di sekitar mata air nan jernih. Ia akan tumbuh subur dan kokoh.

Dari Abu Hurairah ra., Rasulullah saw. bersabda, “Tidaklah suatu kaum berkumpul di salah satu rumah-rumah Allah untuk melantunkan ayat-ayat suci Al-Quran dan mempelajarinya, melainkan akan turun kepada mereka ketenangan, dilingkupi pada diri mereka rahmat, dilingkari para malaikat, dan Allah pun akan menyebut (memuji) mereka pada makhluk yang ada di dekat-Nya.” (HR. Muslim)
Berdekat-dekatlah dengan Al-Quran, pandangan akan menemukan kejernihan. Secanggih apa pun sebuah gagasan, pemikiran; selama tidak bersandar pada Al-Quran, selama tidak dibimbing Al-Quran, hanya akan berkutat pada persoalan teknis. Bukan sesuatu yang ideal. Hanya akan berkutat pada materi dan materi.

Itulah yang diraih peradaban Barat saat ini. Sekilas kehidupan masyarakatnya seperti makmur sejahtera, padahal nilai-nilai sosial di sana sudah luntur. Idealita hidup menjadi begitu dangkal. Nilai hidup dan kemanusiaan menjadi tidak begitu dihargai.
Begitu pun ketika umat Islam berjarak dengan Al-Quran. Semakin jauh, pola pikir akan terjebak pada persoalan materi. Masalah yang muncul tidak pernah terselesaikan. Karena gagasan tidak mampu menyentuh persoalan inti, cuma berkutat pada yang kulit.
Krisis bangsa ini ada pada sisi moral. Dan itu ada dalam jiwa manusia.

Upaya perubahan tidak akan punya arti jika tanpa ada pembenahan pada jiwa manusia. Allah swt. berfirman, “…Sesungguhnya Allah tidak mengubah keadaan sesuatu kaum sehinga mereka mengubah keadaan yang ada pada jiwa mereka sendiri….” (Ar-Ra’du: 11)
Berdekat-dekat dengan Al-Quran akan menyegarkan jiwa. Segala syahwat buruk yang melahirkan emosi jahat bisa terkikis. Pandangan pun akan menjadi jernih. Maha Suci Allah dalam firman-Nya, “Dan Kami turunkan dari Alquran suatu yang menjadi obat dan rahmat bagi orang-orang yang beriman, dan Alquran itu tidaklah menambah kepada orang-orang zalim selain kerugian.” (Al-Isra’: 82)

Berdekat-dekatlah dengan Al-Quran, langkah akan mendapat bimbingan. Siapa pun kita, tetap tidak bisa keluar dari sifat sebagai manusia. Kadang melangkah dengan semestinya, kadang juga tersasar. Inilah di antara kelemahan manusia yang tidak bisa menentukan dengan kemampuan dirinya: mana jalan yang benar, dan mana yang tidak. Ia butuh bimbingan.

Hati yang segar dan pemikiran yang jernih akan menggiring langkah ke jalan yang lurus. Khusus mereka yang selalu dekat dengan Al-Quran, jalan kehidupan seperti dilengkapi rambu-rambu. Begitu jelas.

Kalaupun ia tersasar karena sifat manusianya, akan ada rasa tidak nyaman. Firasat imannya seperti memberikan sinyal. Bisa dalam bentuk kegelisahan, keraguan, dan sebagainya. Ia tidak lagi butuh teguran apalagi hukuman. Cukup dengan isyarat dari Allah swt., kesadaran pun kembali segar.

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman bertakwalah kepada Allah dan berimanlah kepada Rasul-Nya, niscaya Allah memberikan rahmat-Nya kepadamu dua bagian, dan menjadikan untukmu cahaya yang dengan cahaya itu kamu dapat berjalan dan Dia mengampuni kamu. Dan Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.” (Al-Hadiid: 28)

Berdekat-dekatlah dengan Al-Quran, kita tidak akan pernah sendirian. Keimanan dalam hati seseorang bisa terang, bisa juga redup. Ketika redup itulah, seorang mukmin seperti dalam kesendirian. Ada ketakutan, putus asa, ketidakmampuan, dan sejenisnya. Dunia seperti hutan lebat tanpa seorang pun di sana, kecuali dia seorang. Ia sangat butuh teman.

Seorang mukmin yang membaca Al-Quran, ia seperti sedang berdialog dengan seorang teman sejati. Yang siap menunjukkan yang salah dan yang benar. Ia menuntun sang teman kepada jalan yang baik, penuh kebahagiaan dan keselamatan.

Rasulullah saw. mengatakan, “Siapa yang ingin berdialog dengan Rabbnya, maka hendaklah dia membaca Al-Quran.” (HR. Adailami dan Al-Baihaqi)
Kini semua pilihan terhampar.

Petunjuk dan rambu-rambu pun sudah diberikan. Tinggal kita yang harus menentukan: memilih jalan bersama Al-Quran, atau tidak. Maha Benar Allah dalam firman-Nya, “…maka barangsiapa yang ingin (beriman) hendaklah ia beriman, dan barangsiapa yang ingin (kafir) biarlah ia kafir….” (Al-Kahfi: 29)

Memory In Operational Danamon Card Center

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:38:00 +0000

Memory In Operational Danamon Card Center Satu-satu Pergi Menghadapi Tantangan dan Masa Depan Baru

Gepeng Semoga Berhasil Di Perantauan Good Luck Man...
Yoyok Setyohadi Selamat Menempuh Hidup Baru Man.....Cepet2 Bikin Anak Udah Tua Luch hehehehe
Awaluddin Semoga Tambah Item heheheh
Arie Rahman Where Are You Man Udah Berhasil Jangan Lupa Temen Dong
Wati Yang Sabar Yeeeeeee !!!!

Minul Ok Jangan Lupain Temen-temen Di Manapun Berada

Kematangan Otak, dari Anak hingga Dewasa

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:51:00 +0000

Kematangan Otak, dari Anak hingga Dewasa
by :www.ayahbunda-online.com

Benarkah fungsi otak untuk menganalisa dan memecahkan masalah baru sempurna saat seseorang menginjak dewasa? Studi terbaru menjawab dugaan para ahli yang selama ini keliru.

Selama ini para ahli yakin bahwa “ledakan” tumbuh kembang otak terjadi di tahun-tahun pertama usia anak dan “menyurut” secara terus-menerus jika hubungan antar neuron (sel-sel saraf otak) tidak digunakan. Studi terbaru membuktikan bahwa dugaan tersebut keliru.

Hingga usia dewasa awal (19–40 tahun), kematangan otak manusia baru tercapai. Terutama, pada bagian korteks prefrontal, yang berfungsi sebagai pusat perencanaan ( planning ), mencari jalan keluar ( problem solving ), nalar, emosi, gerakan dan sebagian pusat bicara manusia. Itu artinya, masih ada banyak kesempatan yang mendukung tumbuh-kembang otak selama proses maturitas otak masih berjalan.

Berkembang pararel dengan evolusi otak

Studi yang dilakukan oleh peneliti gabungan dari National Health of Mental Health (NIMH) dan University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ini dilaporkan secara online dan resmi pada tanggal 17 Mei 2004 lalu. Studi ini dilakukan terhadap 13 anak dan remaja yang sehat, selama 15 tahun. Responden berusia antara 4 sampai 21 tahun.

Setiap anak di- scan dengan Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) setiap dua tahun sekali. Kerja korteks (bagian terbesar otak manusia) direkam dalam bentuk film tiga dimensi. Dalam rekaman, jaringan korteks otak yang sedang aktif bekerja berwarna abu-abu sehingga sering disebut sebagai “ gray matter ” (bagian abu-abu).

Rekaman kerja otak menunjukkan bahwa bagian abu-abu menjadi matang dan semakin aktif di usia yang tahapan perkembangan ( milestone ) kognitif dan fungsionalnya juga semakin matang. Sebagaimana tumbuh kembang manusia, maka korteks menjadi matang sejalan dengan tahapan perkembangan. Artinya, “Urut-urutan maturasi otak umumnya terjadi secara paralel dengan evolusi otak mamalia,” jelas Nitin Gogtay dan rekan-rekan dari NIHM dan UCLA.

Matang secara bertahap

Studi yang antara lain melibatkan Judith Rapoport dan Paul Thompson ini menemukan bahwa bagian otak yang pertama kali menjadi matang adalah bagian depan dan belakang, yang antara lain berfungsi memproses sensasi indrawi dan melakukan gerakan. Kemudian, diikuti oleh maturitas bagian otak yang berfungsi mengembangkan orientasi spasial dan bahasa. Sedangkan bagian otak dengan fungsi-fungsi yang lebih lanjut, seperti mengintegrasikan informasi dari berbagai indra, matang paling akhir.

Hasil studi ini sangat berarti bagi para ahli yang menangani gangguan fungsi dan tumbuh kembang otak, seperti autisme dan schizofrenia, yang juga diteliti Rapoport dan rekan.

Selain itu, perspektif baru tumbuh kembang otak ini, menyebabkan ahli perkembangan, pendidikan dan neuroscience memiliki wawasan baru dan perlu membuat pendekatan berbeda dalam memandang perkembangan kecerdasan dan tumbuh kembang manusia.

Andi Maerzyda A. D. Th.

Warriors of the Rainbow hope for miracles

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:40:00 +0000

Warriors of the Rainbow hope for miracles
by : www.thejakartapost.com

DENPASAR (JP): Dutch national activist, Diederick van Gelder, arrived on board Greenpeace’s global flagship Rainbow Warrior with just a light suitcase.

Van Gelder was aboard the vessel from Sri Lanka, along with other activists, to observe the historic climate change conference meeting in Bali with hopes participating nations save the earth from man-made climate disasters.

“Usually when I sail, I take a big suitcase. But this time I brought only two of this, four of this, two of this, five of this and two of this,” said the sailing activist, pointing to his shoes, socks, shorts, underpants and shirt he was wearing when asked about his preparation to join the journey to Bali.

As for the last item, he said their number has increased.

“I’ve got plenty of these (campaign shirt) now,” said van Gelder, who prefers being called a seaman than an activist.

Packing fewer clothes should make life easier, because crew members do their own laundry on board, he told reporters from behind the dock gates while immigration officials cleared the activists’ documents before letting them step onto the resort island.

The international environment group’s vessel docked in Bali’s Benoa harbor Friday after sailing for about three months from India.

A flotilla of traditional fishing boats carrying banners saying “Save Our Sea” and “Save our Climate” escorted her arrival along with 17 environmental activists on board.

“We are here for a miracle,” Mike Fincken, the Rainbow Warrior’s captain told The Jakarta Post from the bridge where he controls the green three-masted sailing ship.

uring her journey to Bali, green activists from different nationalities have come aboard what Greenpeace activists call “the floating United Nations”.

In the Indonesia’s waters, Rainbow has stopped in several regions, such as in Riau province and Jepara in Central Java.

In Riau, Rainbow blocked a ship from leaving a port in an anti illegal logging campaign, while in Jepara, the Indonesian Bureau of Intelligence reportedly instructed police to halt Rainbow’s planned public open day.

However police miraculously allowed them to go ahead with the open day, to nods of approval and thumbs up to join a rally of restless residents opposing the construction of a nuclear power plant about ten kilometers from their village.

“I was handed a declaration in opposition to the nuclear power plant construction signed by the heads of the Islamic, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Protestant religions.

“Rainbow Warrior has been asked by this community to take a banner bearing many thousands of signatures to Bali -- to block the way to nuclear…,” Fincken said, “Rainbow Warrior is asked to help.”

Fincken has captained the Rainbow Warrior for about two years and sailed around the globe to campaign the protection of the earth from nuclear power, carbon emissions and all destructive and polluting by-products of human activities.

“I have previously sailed with almost all of Greenpeace’s vessels,” said the 40-year-old captain, who begun sailing when he was 18 years-of-age.

The current Rainbow Warrior was built from the hull of the deep sea fishing ship, Grampian Fame. She is the successor of the first Rainbow Warrior that was sunk by the French foreign intelligence agency while docked in Auckland harbor, New Zealand on July 10, 1985.

Greenpeace gave the vessel new masts, a gaff rig, new engine and a number of environmentally low-impact systems to handle waste, heating and hot water. She was officially launched in Hamburg on the fourth anniversary of the sinking of her predecessor.

As a “floating United Nations”, what really matters to members of the Rainbow Warrior, at sea, is a good chef trained in serving international food.

“We have a chef named Babu. He’s the best in the world,” Fincken said.
He said the chef must be able to cater the taste of the vessel crew coming from southern nations, such as Thailand, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand to northern nations such as England and Canada. “We had Mediterranean today,” he said.

Before coming to Bali, the Rainbow Warrior has previously sailed to Indonesia six times in 1985, 1997, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

From March to April 2006, she sailed to Papua to protest the ships that carried plywood from a factory in Papua. Greenpeace has documented the export of plywood the group alleges comes from illegal logging.

She will be in Bali until the United Nation climate conference closes Dec. 14.

Optimistic about the growing global awareness of the adverse effects of climate change, Fincken said he hopes that a great change will take place during the two-week meeting.

With his belief in miracles, Fincken will continue to sail the globe playing a part in a story he told locals in Jepara:

“When the earth is sick here will rise up, among her children of different creed and color, the warriors of the rainbow.” (Ary Hermawan)

At Bali conference, climate change victims note aid is tiny fraction of needs

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 01:49:00 +0000

At Bali conference, climate change victims note aid is tiny fraction of needs
by : The Jakarta Post

BALI (AP): Victims of climate change, real and potential, appealed Tuesday for a vast increase in international aid to protect and compensate them for rising seas, crop-killing drought and other likely impacts of global warming.

We cannot wait. We need to do something now," said climatologist Rizaldi Boer of Indonesia, some of whose farmers are already suffering from unusual dry spells blamed on climate change.

The "Adaptation Fund," being developed under U.N. climate agreements to enable poorer countries to adjust to a warmer world, has thus far drawn a mere US$67 million (euro45 million) for a task the World Bank estimates will cost tens of billions of dollars (euros) a year.

The almost 190 nations assembled here for the annual U.N. climate conference are taking up the fund's future among other issues on an agenda aimed chiefly at launching a two-year negotiating process to seal a deal to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

That 175-nation accord requires 36 industrial nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, key source of global warming, by an average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The United States is the only industrial nation to reject Kyoto.

The European Union and others are seeking a post-Kyoto agreement that would mandate much deeper reductions by industrial nations - including, they hope, the U.S. - in carbon dioxide and other such emissions by power plants, factories, vehicles and other sources.

Many here also want to see China and other major emerging economies take steps to curtail the growth of their emissions. The two weeks of talks promise to be difficult, with success far from guaranteed.

Operation, control and funding of the Adaptation Fund has been debated for years at these meetings of U.N. climate treaty parties.

The U.N. climate chief, Yvo de Boer, told reporters Tuesday he hoped it was possible that this meeting would finally make the fund operational, "so that perhaps in as little as a year before real resources for adaptation can begin to flow to developing countries."

The fund is expected to finance climate-change projects ranging from sea walls to guard against expanding oceans, to improved water supplies for drought areas, to training in new agricultural techniques.

All acknowledge, however, that the available money is relatively paltry.

The fund is financed by a 2-percent levy on revenues generated by the Clean Development Mechanism, the program whereby industrial nations pay for "carbon credits" produced by emissions-reduction projects in the developing world - credits then counted against reduction targets at home.

Those levies thus far are "tiny compared to the need," said Kate Raworth, a senior research with the Oxfam International aid group.

Oxfam and other advocacy groups favor a broadening of Adaptation Fund revenue sources, perhaps to include aviation taxes or direct taxes on all fossil-fuel use.

"The money should come from the countries most responsible and most capable," Raworth said, listing the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia and Canada.

An Oxfam news conference was joined by a representative of the people of Papua New Guinea's Carteret Islands, in the far western Pacific, believed to be among the world's first "climate refugees."

As seas expand from warming and from the runoff of melting land ice, higher and higher tides are eating away at tiny places like the Carterets, a sandy atoll of a half-dozen islands.

Its 3,000 people, no longer able to grow taro, their staple crop, are preparing to abandon the islands over the next several years, resettling on designated land on nearby Bougainville island.

The islanders have a relocation appropriation of 2 million kina in local currency (US $800,000), but to move 600 families that "doesn't go a long way," said their representative, Ursula Rakova.

"We still need more money, from people like America," she said. (**)

Malaysia drops Indonesian dances from tourism campaign following protests

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 01:47:00 +0000

Malaysia drops Indonesian dances from tourism campaign following protests
by : The Jakarta Posts

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia will drop two dances that originated in Indonesia from its overseas tourism campaigns following protests from the neighboring country, officials and a report said Tuesday.

Activists demonstrated outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta last week, slamming Kuala Lumpur for promoting Indonesia's traditional Barongan masked dance as part of Malaysian culture in its tourism campaigns, the national Bernama news agency said.

It quoted Tourism Minister Adnan Mansor as saying that the Indonesian government also sent him letters pointing out that the Endang dance performed recently by a Malaysian group in Japan originated in Indonesia.

"We will stop using the two dances in our tourism promotion program," a Tourism Ministry official said.

The two dances are popular in parts of Malaysia which have close cultural links with Indonesia.

The official, who declined to be named because of ministry policy, said cultural officers from the two countries will meet to resolve the issue to prevent it from sparking a diplomatic row.

The two countries share Islam as their main religion and have similar national languages. But they also have a history of testy relations.

In October, Indonesia accused Malaysia of stealing a Malay folk song - "Rasa Sayang" or "Feeling of Love" - as the theme song for its overseas tourism promotions. Jakarta said it may sue Kuala Lumpur for breach of copyright.

Malaysia rejected the allegation, saying the song has origins in both countries and doesn't belong solely to Indonesia.

Indonesian lawmakers have also accused Malaysia of taking credit for other traditional Indonesian arts such as batik fabrics and the shadow puppet theater. (**)

25 Papuans questioned over independence flag

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:28:00 +0000

25 Papuans questioned over independence flag
by : www.thejakartapost.com

TIMIKA, Papua (Antara): The Mimika Police have questioned 25 people for their alleged involvement in hoisting the "Morning Star" Papuan independence flag in Kwaki Baru village.

Director of the Investigation and Crime Unit of the Papuan Police, Sr. Comr. Paulus Waterpauw, confirmed that the flag had been hoisted at a prayer house in the village.

"Police will process the case based on the law," he said by telephone.

The situation in Timika, the capital of Mimiki regency, remains calm, however. Police and military personnel are standing by in some areas, including in the Timika Indah Field, Eme Neme Yauware House, Mimika Legislative Assembly building, Mulia Mini Mall and some main streets of the town.

The Morning Star flag is commonly used by the West Papuan population, including the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) supporters, to express their aspirations for self-determination.(***)

The Importance of Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:15:00 +0000

The Importance of Touch
by : www.Baby.com

The Importance of Touch
Touch is so important to our health and well-being. Think about the times when you've felt sad or alone. Didn't a hug from a friend make you feel better? Likewise, your baby also feels better when held and comforted by your loving touch. In fact, studies show that touch therapy, including massage, contributes to a healthy weight gain, enhanced growth and social development in infants.

Our First Language

In many ways, touch is our first language – a language scientists are now beginning to understand. Being touched in a loving way can help small babies grow stronger and troubled children feel less anxious. In many hospitals and birthing centers, newborns are placed on the mother's chest or abdomen to give them the most skin-to-skin contact. The touch between the mother and her baby brings them emotionally close – a process known as bonding or attachment. In fact, in one study, premature infants who were massaged while at the hospital gained more weight and were ready to go home with their parents an average of six days earlier than premies who were not massaged.

Carrying More Means Less Crying

For many of us, babies communicate by crying. Would babies cry less if they're touched more? New research seems to suggest that increasing mother-baby contact reduces crying. Researchers asked a group of mothers to carry their babies for at least three hours a day. They then compared their crying patterns with a group of babies who were carried the typical one to two hours daily. The result: babies who were carried more, cried less – especially at six weeks of age, when babies usually cry the most. The close bond between parent and baby gave these infants a greater sense of security.

You Can't Spoil a Baby

Some parents do not pick up their babies as often as they could because they are afraid they will spoil them, but nothing could be further from the truth! Each time you pick up your baby, you let her know that you care and that you understand her needs. So don't hesitate to hold your crying baby. Carry her on your shoulder and sing her a lullaby. Stroke her head, rub her back tenderly, and let her know you'll always be there. Talking and singing while holding your baby can help you both to bond.

The Difference Between Mothers and Fathers

Did you know? Each parent has his or her own way of touching. Research has shown that when mothers touch babies, they are usually soothing and calming. Moms most often touch gently – they stroke softly, rock slowly, and hold their babies tenderly. Fathers, on the other hand, tend to engage in more physical forms of touch – they bounce babies on their knees, hold them playfully in the air, or roll around on the floor with them. Your baby benefits from these two different styles of touch. Together they contribute to your infant's healthy development.

As you spend more time with your baby, you'll learn to read his likes, dislikes, desires and emotions. You'll learn the best time for cuddling, the best time for playing and the best time for relaxing. If too much playing or cuddling is making your baby cranky, give him a rest and check back a little later – he will let you know when he is ready for attention!

How important is touch? As our first language, it can help you to create a strong bond with your baby. And a strong bond can help your baby feel more secure, cry less and thrive more. As one of the main ways to help you create a nurturing bond with your baby, touch is very important indeed!

NOTE: If you feel that you don't have the will or energy to create a bond with your newborn, talk to your doctor. You may be suffering from postpartum depression, a physical condition for which there is help. Don't think “it's all in your head” and don't go it alone. It's important – for both your sake and your baby's sake – that you seek help.

Coup Trial In Philipines

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:16:00 +0000

Philippine president quashes dissident military officers' move against her

MANILA (AP): President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo quickly quashed her latest crisis, dispatching troops and SWAT teams Thursday when dissident military officers commandeered a five-star hotel after walking out of their coup trial.

The officers, who demanded that Arroyo resign over allegations that her government is corrupt, agreed to surrender as clouds of tear gas rose from the lobby of the Peninsula hotel. Security forces used an armored personnel carrier to smash through the roped-shut front doors and fired volleys of warning shots.

Soon after the seven-hour incident ended, the government announced a midnight-5 a.m. curfew for Manila and the surrounding area while follow-up operations are conducted, with checkpoints set up and the military and police on red alert.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said he hoped the curfew would only be enforced for one night.

At least two people were injured during the assault of the hotel in Makati, Manila's business district. A leader of the dissident officers agreed to leave peacefully to avoid bloodshed.

"There's no loss here," said Antonio Trillanes, a former navy officer who was elected to the Senate in May, campaigning from detention. "We just did what has to be done. It is tantamount to treason if I don't do anything. If somebody lost here, it's the whole nation."

The military men and their civilian sympathizers - including former Vice President Teofisto Guingona - were led in groups to waiting police buses. It was not immediately clear if they were being arrested or taken in for questioning. Several journalists also were detained.

Arroyo offered reassurances that the government is stable and claimed the military is loyal to her.

"Again and again we have shown to the world the stability of the institutions of our democracy and the strength of this government," she said on national television.

"Wrong and misguided deeds of the few do not speak for the people or the army and police," Arroyo added. "The full force of the law will be meted out without any concession."

The first shots erupted about 75 minutes after a deadline passed for the men to surrender in the face of contempt of court warrants filed against them.

At least one dissident soldier, distinguishable by a red armband, crouched inside the hotel lobby, his finger near the trigger of an M-16 rifle. Many journalists refused a request from the president's spokesman that they leave.

Joined by other dissident officers and leaders from the opposition and the left, the coup defendants clearly were trying to foster the Philippines' third "people power" revolt, making phone calls and sending cell phone text messages seeking to generate crowds to support them.

But as the day wore on and hotel guests were evacuated, few people turned out for the latest effort to oust Arroyo, who has survived at least three coup plots and three impeachment efforts during nearly seven tumultuous years in power.

Asked if he had a message for Arroyo, Trillanes said: "Sooner or later, the time of reckoning will come."

The trial for Trillanes and his co-defendants is over a 2003 insurrection in which troops commandeered a shopping center and hotel and demanded Arroyo's ouster. They denounced the government and military corruption, but were accused of staging a failed coup. They surrendered after the daylong uprising.

Escorted by military police, who apparently did not prevent them from leaving the court, the defendants marched to the Peninsula hotel, pushed away guards at the entrance, and set up a command center in a second-floor function room. Armed guards were set up on stairways from the lobby.

They were joined by Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim - suspected of involvement in another failed coup plot last year - along with dozens of sympathizers within the military and leaders of leftist and opposition groups.

Lim issued a statement urging Arroyo to resign and asking the armed forces to withdraw support for her.

"Mrs. Arroyo stole the presidency from Estrada, and later manipulated the results of 2004 elections," Lim said.

Arroyo took over when President Joseph Estrada was ousted in the second "people power" revolt in January 2001, and opponents have criticized the legitimacy of her rule ever since. She also has been fighting allegations that she rigged the 2004 elections that gave her a six-year term.

After agreeing to surrender, Trillanes said he was convinced that other officers in the always-restive military are fed up with government corruption and won't stay quiet.

"Eventually it will be their turn to live up to their mandate as protectors of the people," he said. (**)

by : www.jakartapost.com

My Islam, Your Islam, Our Islam, Their Islam

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:12:00 +0000

My Islam, Your Islam, Our Islam, Their Islam
By KH Abdurrahman Wahid

As may be obvious to readers of this forum, a wide variety of opinions exists as to the nature and teachings of Islam, even among those widely regarded as experts. Rather than view Islam and its teachings as a single monolithic entity, it is more accurate to recognize and acknowledge the de facto plurality of opinions that have always existed as to what Islam is, and what it “compels” you, me or us to do.

The personal experiences of any one human being can never be exactly identical with those of anyone else. These experiences invariably color the understanding and perceptions of those who have them, within the context of their respective religious traditions. I myself have undergone a continual process of transformation regarding my personal understanding of Islam from the time of earliest childhood until today. From this I conclude that the Islam which I conceive and experience is unique to me, and may rightly be termed, “My Islam.” The character of My Islam is the outgrowth of my cumulative personal experience, which it may be appropriate to share, but never to force upon others. Should I try to force my personal understanding of Islam and its teachings upon others, the result will inevitably be a serious “dislocation” for those so affected, annihilating the perceived beauty and joy of their own respective opinions.

A vast diversity of opinions about Islam are held by my fellow Muslims, which they are free, in turn, to share with me. I may or may not agree with them, but the result of such interaction invariably becomes another element of my own personal understanding and experience, and of theirs. For example, those wishing to “purify” Islam from so-called bid’a, or innovation, may reject the use of a drum to issue the call to prayer, reverence of saints, or even the use of a rosary while reciting the names of God. Thus we may refer to others’ personal experience and understanding of Islam as “Your Islam,” and go through life adopting or politely refusing to adopt any given element thereof.
Muslims refer to this process of mutual visitation, sharing and growth by its Arabic term, silaturrahim, which means “to relate in an attitude of mutual affection.” Such sharing of views may or may not produce what we might call “Our Islam,” dependent on the respective understanding and experiences of those involved, but at least it fosters mutual respect and tolerance of differences.

Unfortunately, the Muslim world today is afflicted by a crisis in which the tradition of silaturrahim is being replaced by attempts to force one’s own views of Islam onto others. For me personally, “Their Islam” is a fair term to describe the views of those who would annihilate the great beauty and diversity of traditional Islam in the name of an artificial and enforced conformity to their own rigid opinions. For such people, Our Islam is a misnomer, for in fact they seek to enforce – through intimidation and violence – a colorless, monolithic uniformity that does not and has never existed in the long history of Islam.

The desire for Our Islam appears to be inherent in the nature of most Muslims. Yet the only realistic way to establish such a phenomenon is for My Islam and Your Islam to peacefully coexist in mutual respect and toleration, without trying to annihilate our differences. Rather than seek to repress or destroy the nearly infinite, beautiful variety of God’s creation, we would be better advised to pursue al-jihad al-akbar and annihilate our own egos, so that we may unite in a common spiritual apprehension of the One – which gives rise to inner peace and a joyful tolerance of differences here on earth.However, those who care about the future of Our Islam on this earthly plane would be well advised to unite in rejecting the use of Islam as an ideology, or a weapon to violate the sanctity of Your Islam and mine.

e-Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:10:00 +0000

e-Learning
by : www.sumardiono.com

Electronic learning or eLearning is a general term used to refer to computer-enhanced learning. It is used interchangeably in so many contexts that it is critical to be clear what one means when one speaks of 'eLearning'. In many respects, it is commonly associated with the field of advanced learning technology (ALT), which deals with both the technologies and associated methodologies in learning using networked and/or multimedia technologies.

Contents
1 Market
2 Growth of e-learning
3 Technology
4 Services
5 Goals of e-learning
5.1 Computer-based learning
5.2 Computer-based training
6 Pedagogical elements
7 Pedagogical approaches or perspectives
8 Reusability, standards and learning objects
9 Communication technologies used in e-learning
10 E-Learning 2.0
11 Computer-aided assessment and learning design
12 E-learning software platforms
13 See also
14 References
15 External links

Market
The worldwide e-learning industry is estimated to be worth over 38 billion euros according to conservative estimates, although in the European Union only about 20% of e-learning products are produced within the common market. Developments in internet and multimedia technologies are the basic enabler of e-learning, with content, technologies and services being identified as the three key sectors of the e-learning industry. [1]

Growth of e-learning
By 2005, more than 3.2 million students were participating in on-line learning at institutions of higher education in the United States.[2] Many higher education, for-profit institutions, now offer on-line classes. By contrast, only about half of private, non-profit schools offer them. The Sloan report, based on a poll of academic leaders, says that students generally appear to be at least as satisfied with their on-line classes as they are with traditional ones. Private Institutions may become more involved with on-line presentations as the cost of instituting such a system decreases. Properly trained staff must also be hired to work with students on-line. These staff members must be able to not only understand the content area, but also be highly trained in the use of the computer and Internet. Online education is increasing.

Technology
Many technologies can be, and are, used in eLearning, including:

screencasts
ePortfolios
electronic performance support system
PDA's
MP3 Players with multimedia capabilities
web-based teaching materials
hypermedia in general
multimedia CD-ROMs
web sites and web 2.0 communities
discussion boards
collaborative software
e-mail
blogs
wiki
text chat
computer aided assessment
educational animation
simulations
games
learning management software
electronic voting systems
virtual classrooms
podcasts
Most eLearning situations use combination of the above techniques.

An example of this is moodle which use: discussion board threading, wiki and real time textual chat. However, moodle is referred to a CMS, this is because course material if often video, mp3, text documents, scanned images or links to other web sites.

Along with the terms learning technology and Educational Technology, the term is generally used to refer to the use of technology in learning in a much broader sense than the computer-based training or Computer Aided Instruction of the 1980s. It is also broader than the terms On-line Learning or Online Education which generally refer to purely web-based learning. In cases where mobile technologies are used, the term M-learning has become more common.

E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used

In higher education especially, the increasing tendency is to create a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) (which is sometimes combined with a Management Information System (MIS) to create a Managed Learning Environment) in which all aspects of a course are handled through a consistent user interface standard throughout the institution. A growing number of physical universities, as well as newer online-only colleges, have begun to offer a select set of academic degree and certificate programs via the Internet at a wide range of levels and in a wide range of disciplines. While some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, many are delivered completely online. In addition, several universities offer online student support services, such as online advising and registration, e-counselling, online textbook purchase, student governments and student newspapers.

e-Learning can also refer to educational web sites such as those offering learning scenarios, worksheets and interactive exercises for children. The term is also used extensively in the business sector where it generally refers to cost-effective online training.

Services
E-learning services have evolved since computers were first used in education. There is a trend to move toward blended learning services, where computer-based activities are integrated with practical or classroom-based situations.

Goals of e-learning
E-Learning lessons are generally designed to guide students through information or to help students perform in specific tasks. Information based e-Learning content communicates information to the student. Examples include content that distributes the history or facts related to a service, company, or product. In information-based content, there is no specific skill to be learned. In performance-based content, the lessons build off of a procedural skill in which the student is expected to increase proficiency.

Computer-based learning
Computer Based Learning, sometimes abbreviated CBL, refers to the use of computers as a key component of the educational environment. While this can refer to the use of computers in a classroom, the term more broadly refers to a structured environment in which computers are used for teaching purposes. The concept is generally seen as being distinct from the use of computers in ways where learning is at least a peripheral element of the experience (e.g. computer games and web browsing).

Computer-based training
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

Computer-based training (CBT) services are where a student learns by executing special training programs on a computer relating to their occupation. CBT is especially effective for training people to use computer applications because the CBT program can be integrated with the applications so that students can practice using the application as they learn. Historically, CBTs growth has been hampered by the enormous resources required: human resources to create a CBT program, and hardware resources needed to run it. However, the increase in PC computing power, and especially the growing prevalence of computers equipped with CD-ROMs, is making CBT a more viable option for corporations and individuals alike. Many PC applications now come with some modest form of CBT, often called a tutorial. Web-based training (WBT) is a type of training that is similar to CBT; however, it is delivered over the Internet using a web browser. Web-based training frequently includes interactive methods, such as bulletin boards, chat rooms, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and discussion threads. WBT is usually a self-paced learning medium though some systems allow for online testing and evaluation at specific times.

Pedagogical elements
Pedagogical elements are an attempt to define structures or units of educational material. For example, this could be a lesson, an assignment, a multiple choice question, a quiz, a discussion group or a case study. These units should be format independent, so although it may be implemented in any of the following methods, pedagogical structures would not include a textbook, a web page, a video conference or an iPod video.

When beginning to create eLearning content, the pedagogical approaches need to be evaluated. Simple pedagogical approaches make it easy to create content, but lack flexibility, richness and downstream functionality. On the other hand, complex pedagogical approaches can be difficult to set up and slow to develop, though they have the potential to provide more engaging learning experiences for students. Somewhere between these extremes is an ideal pedagogy that allows a particular educator to effectively create educational materials while simultaneously providing the most engaging educational experiences for students.

Pedagogical approaches or perspectives
It is possible to use various pedagogical approaches for eLearning which includes:

instructional design - the traditional pedagogy of instruction which is curriculum focused, and is developed by a centralized educating group or a single teacher.
social-constructivist - this pedagogy is particularly well afforded by the use of discussion forums, blogs, wiki and on-line collaborative activities. It is a collaborative approach that opens educational content creation to a wider group including the students themselves.
Laurillard's Conversational Model[3] is also particularly relevant to eLearning, and Gilly Salmon's Five-Stage Model is a pedagogical approach to the use of discussion boards [4].
Cognitive perspective focuses on the cognitive processes involved in learning as well as how the brain works.[5]
Emotional perspective focuses on the emotional aspects of learning, like motivation, engagement, fun, etc.[6]
Behavioural perspective focuses on the skills and behavioural outcomes of the learning process. Role-playing and application to on-the-job settings.[7]
Contextual perspective focuses on the environmental and social aspects which can stimulate learning. Interaction with other people, collaborative discovery and the importance of peer support as well as pressure.[8]

Reusability, standards and learning objects
Much effort has been put into the technical reuse of electronically-based teaching materials and in particular creating or re-using Learning Objects. These are self contained units that are properly tagged with keywords, or other metadata, and often stored in an XML file format. Creating a course requires putting together a sequence of learning objects. There are both proprietary and open, non-commercial and commercial, peer-reviewed repositories of learning objects such as the Merlot repository.

A common standard format for e-learning content is SCORM whilst other specifications allow for the transporting of "learning objects" (Schools Interoperability Framework) or categorizing meta-data (LOM).

These standards themselves are early in the maturity process the oldest being 8 years old. They are also relatively vertical specific: SIF is primarily pK-12, LOM is primarily Corp, Military and Higher Ed, and SCORM is primarily Military and Corp with some Higher Ed. PESC- the Post-Secondary Education Standards Council- is also making headway in developing standards and learning objects for the Higher Ed space, while SIF is beginning to seriously turn towards Instructional and Curriculum learning objects.

In the US pK12 space there are a host of content standards that are critical as well- the NCES data standards are a prime example. Each state government's content standards and achievement benchmarks are critical metadata for linking e-learning objects in that space.

Communication technologies used in e-learning
Communication technologies are generally categorized as asynchronous or synchronous. Asynchronous activities use technologies such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards. The idea here is that participants may engage in the exchange of ideas or information without the dependency of other participants involvement at the same time. Electronic mail (Email) is also asynchronous in that mail can be sent or received without having both the participantsâ€™ involvement at the same time.

Synchronous activities involve the exchange of ideas and information with one or more participants during the same period of time. A face to face discussion is an example of synchronous communications. Synchronous activities occur with all participants joining in at once, as with an online chat session or a virtual classroom or meeting.

Virtual classrooms and meetings can often use a mix of communication technologies.

E-Learning 2.0
The term eLearning 2.0 has been used to refer to the user of social software such as blogs and wikis.

Parts of this article may be confusing or unclear.
Please help clarify the article. Suggestions may be on the talk page. (February 2007)

In many models, the writing community and the communication channels relate with the E-learning and the M-learning communities. Both the communities provide a general overview of the basic learning models and the activities required for the participants to join the learning sessions across the virtual classroom or even across standard classrooms enabled by technology. Many activities, essential for the learners in these environments, require frequent chat sessions in the form of virtual classrooms and/or blog meetings.

The various blogs that are being used for providing writing approaches are gaining popularity.

Computer-aided assessment and learning design
Computer-aided Assessment (also but less commonly referred to as E-assessment), ranging from automated multiple-choice tests to more sophisticated systems is becoming increasingly common. With some systems, feedback can be geared towards a student's specific mistakes or the computer can navigate the student through a series of questions adapting to what the student appears to have learned or not learned. Most software for this is still very primitive however.

The term learning design has sometimes come to refer to the type of activity enabled by software such as the open-source system LAMS[citation needed] which supports sequences of activities that can be both adaptive and collaborative. The IMS Learning Design specification is intended as a standard format for learning designs, and IMS LD Level A is supported in LAMS V2.

E-learning software platforms
Below is a list of some of the e-learning platforms that are available.

Open source

Open-source Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)

ATutor
Claroline
Dokeos
KEWL
LON-CAPA
Moodle
Sakai Project
Commercial

ANGEL Learning
Authorware
Blackboard
Captivate
Brihaspati
Tooling University
FirstClass
Knowledge Forum
WebCT
WebEx
Xmind
TutorVista

See also
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of
ICT in Education
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of
Blended Learning
Blended learning
e-CIT (EU-funded project)
SIF(Schools Interoperability Framework)
CALL (computer-assisted language learning) (for a more historical perspective)
Collaborative learning
Computer Based Learning
Computer-based testing
Computer-based training
Distance education
Edublog
Educational technology
E-learning glossary
Electronic performance support system
eLearning 2.0
Flexible Learning
History of automated adaptive instruction in computer applications
History of virtual learning environments
Learning management system
Learning content management system
Learning & Development
M-learning
Microlearning
National University Virtual High School
Networked learning
Online deliberation
Online tutoring
Online learning community
Tooling University
Videobook
Virtual Campus
Virtual education
Virtual learning environment
Virtual university
Web-based training
eLML - eLesson Markup Language

References
^ Nagy, A. (2005). The Impact of E-Learning, in: Bruck, P.A.; Buchholz, A.; Karssen, Z.; Zerfass, A. (Eds). E-Content: Technologies and Perspectives for the European Market. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp.79-96
^ "Sloan Consortium"
^ Informal description of Laurillard's Model
^ E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online - Gilly Salmon , Kogan Page, 2000, ISBN 0-7494-4085-6
^ Bloom, B. S., and D. R. Krathwohl. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Handbook 1
^ BÃ¥Ã¥th, J. A. (1982) "Distance Students' Learning - Empirical Findings and Theoretical Deliberations"
^ Areskog, N-H. (1995) The Tutorial Process - the Roles of Student Teacher and Tutor in a Long Term Perspective
^ Black, J. & McClintock, R. (1995) "An Interpretation Construction Approach to Constructivist Design."

External links
Distance Learning at the Open Directory Project
Instructional Technology at the Open Directory Project
http://www.LearningEvolution.com
Categories: Articles needing additional references from September 2007 | Cleanup from February 2007 | Wikipedia articles needing clarification | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Education-related terms | History of education | Virtual learning environments

Early Childhood Education

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:45:00 +0000

Early Childhood Education
by : www.sumardiono.com

Early childhood education (ECE) is a pedagogical approach to cover the education of children from the period from birth to six years of age.

According to NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), Early Childhood Education spans the human life from birth to age 8. Infants and toddlers experience life more holistically than any other age group. Social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical lessons are not learned separately by very young children.Adults who are most helpful to young children interact in ways that understand that the child is learning from the whole experience, not just that part of the experience to which the adult gives attention.

Although early childhood education does not have to occur in the absence of the parent or primary caregiver, this term is sometimes used to denote education by someone other than these the parent or primary caregiver. Both research in the field and early childhood educators view the parents as an integral part of the early childhood education process. Early childhood education takes many forms depending on the theoretical and educational beliefs of the educator or parent.

Other terms that are often used interchangeably with "early childhood education" are "early childhood learning," "early care," and "early education." Much of the first two years of life are spent in the creation of a child's first "sense of self" or the building of a first identity. Because this is a crucial part of children's makeup-how they first see themselves, how they think they should function, how they expect others to function in relation to them, early care must ensure that in addition to carefully selected and trained caregivers, links with family, home culture, and home language are a central part of program policy. If care becomes a substitute for, rather than a support of, family, children may develop a less-than-positive sense of who they are and where they come from because of their child care experience.

Early childhood education or learning focus on children learning through play.

Childhood Development(:

There are different developmental domains of children which all relate to each other:

Physical development - Concerning the physical growth and the development of both gross(eg. walking) and fine motor(eg. finger movement) control of the body.
Perception and sensory development - How a child functions using the senses and the ability to process the information gained.
Communication and language development - Using visual and sound stimuli, especially in the acquisition of language, also in the exchange of thoughts and feelings.
Cognitive development - Concerning how the individual thinks and react.
Emotional Development - Concerning children's increasing awareness and control of their feelings and how does he react to these feelings in a given situation.
Social Development - Concerning the child's identity, their relationship with others, and understanding their place within a social environment.
Recent studies on infant brain development show most of a person's neurons are formed from ages 0-8. If a young child doesn't receive sufficient nurturing, nutrition, parental/caregiver interaction, and stimulus during this crucial period, the child may be left with a developmental deficit that hampers his or her success in preschool,kindergarten' and beyond.

Worst-case scenarios such as those found in Russian and Romanian orphanges demonstrate how the lack of proper social interaction and development of attachement affect the developing child.[citation needed] Children must receive attention and affection from their caregivers to develop in a healthy manner.[neutrality disputed]

Contents
1 Theory and curriculum
2 Pedagogy
3 Providers
4 Early Childhood Educational Professional
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

Theory and curriculum
A wide array of educational philosophies circulate through the field. Some professionals adhere to more of a behaviorist theory as developed by John B. Watson, B. F. Skinner and Edward Thorndike. Others hold to the more unstructured maturationist theory popularized by Jacques Rousseau and Maria Montessori. Additionally, stage theories such as those of Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson are used to look at social and emotional development.

Currently early childhood teacher education programs teach a mix of theories dominated by the constructivism (learning theory) theory as put forth by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky.

Each philosophy forms the undergirding theory behind its own selection of school curriculum used throughout the world.

Behaviorist ideas dominate direct instruction methods (like DISTAR). Constructivist ideas dominate curricula like High/Scope and The Creative Curriculum.[1] While maturational theory is the underpining for Montessori. A mix of maturationist and constructionist ideas supply the base theory for the Reggio Emilia approach.

The curriculum in a "Head Start" program is designed to meet the needs of each child. One goal is to build self-esteem that is seen as necessary to future success in school. Staff encourage self-confidence, curiosity, and self-discipline. A variety of learning experiences are designed to meet the children's needs in the various areas of development. Staff should work as a team to implement the new government issued curriculum and teach children, based on their interest and in a fun way.[neutrality disputed] Parent involvement should be the heart of the program. Preschool children must be provided with early literacy, awareness and intervention in order to perform better during the later years. This will lead the to success once they enter schools, and put them on the right track by being well prepared with the right and appropriate equipment.

Pedagogy
The philosophy of early childhood education is largely child-centered education. Therefore, there is a focus on the importance of play. Play provides children with the opportunity to actively explore, manipulate, and interact with their environment.

It encourages children to investigate, create, discover and motivate them to take risks and add to their understanding of the world. It challenges children to achieve new levels of understanding of events, people and the environment by interacting with concrete materials.

Hands-on activities create authentic experiences in which children begin to feel a sense of mastery over their world and a sense of belonging and understanding of what is going on in their environment. This philosophy follows with Piaget's ideals that children should actively participate in their world and various environments so as to ensure they are not 'passive' learners but 'little scientists' who are actively engaged.

Play is a very important and special part of childhood. It allows a child to experiment with the world around him and the emotional world inside him. To many it might seem like mere child's play but there is a lot of work going on behind the scene like skill building, problem solving, overcoming physical and mental challenges etc. Playing with products made especially for the preschool children helps a child in building self confidence, encourages independent learning and clears his concepts. For the development of their fine and large or gross motor movements, for the growth of the child's eye-hand coordination, it is extremely important for him to 'play' with the natural things around him. Sand/mud/clay and water play a very important part here.

Giving the child time and playing with him make him a confident human being. We as adults can enter his world of imagination and fantasy and let him control us. This generally helps in building his self confidence and he feels safe and secure with us. We tend to build his self esteem and morale when we give him time and attention. When a child realises that the things of his interest are important to us and that we appreciate his method of play and fun, he tends to get confident of himself. It also allows children to explore new friendships with those they interact with.

Providers
Providers of early childhood education go by many names:

early childhood programs
child development programs
children's centers or day care
preschool
head start programs
early head start
early childhood education centers
children's learning centers or children's early learning centers
nursery schools
parents

Early Childhood Educational Professional
The teachers of early childhood education often hold the titles of early childhood professional, early childhood teacher, SmartSteps Parent Educator, early childhood educator, early childhood practitioner, early childhood provider, or early childhood caregiver. In addition, there are the following auxiliary positions:

Aide in the public school system
Author of children's books
Child care teachers
Children's art instructor
Children's librarian
Director of preschool or Head Start center
Family child care providers
Parenting Coach
Preschool teacher
Children's museum
Elementary School Teacher
Science Centres/Exploration and Discovery Museums
Special Needs Educator
Child care specialist
Child life specialist
Childhood Education Specialist
Children's television broadcasting
ESL facilitator
Early interventionists
Speech pathologists
Play therapists
Psychometrist
Counselor
Inclusion consultant
Social worker
Behavioural specialist
Integration facilitator
Guidance counselor
Nanny
models
licensed home day care providers
Sunday School Teacher

See also
David Elkind
Marilyn Mailman Segal

External links
Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
Montessori Preschool Information

References
^ The Creative Curriculum>
Herr, Judy. (2002). Working with Young Children. Tinley Park, Illinois: The Goodheart-Willcox Company, Inc. ISBN 1-56637-822-2.
Meisels, Samuel J. (1995). Performance Assessment in Early Childhood Education: The Work Sampling System. Urbana, Illinois: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.
Categories: Articles needing additional references from April 2007 | Articles lacking sources from April 2007 | All articles lacking sources | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | NPOV disputes | Early childhood education

© This material from Wikipedia is licensed under the GFDL.

Multiple Intelligences

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:32:00 +0000

Multiple Intelligences
Written by Wikipedia

Multiple intelligences is an educational theory, first developed by psychologist Howard Gardner, that describes an array of different kinds of "intelligences" exhibited by human beings. Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of these different intelligences, and thus each person has a unique "cognitive profile." The theory was first laid out in Gardner's 1983 book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, and has been further refined in subsequent years.

The theory was proposed in the context of debates about the concept of intelligence, and whether methods which claim to measure intelligence (or aspects thereof) are truly scientific. Gardner's theory argues that intelligence, as it is traditionally defined, does not adequately encompass the wide variety of abilities humans display. In his conception, a child who masters the multiplication table easily is not necessarily more intelligent overall than a child who struggles to do so. The second child may be stronger in another kind of intelligence, and therefore may best learn the given material through a different approach, may excel in a field outside of mathematics, or may even be looking through the multiplication learning process at a fundamentally deeper level that hides a potentially higher mathematical intelligence than in the one who memorizes the concept easily. The theory suggests that, rather than relying on a uniform curriculum, schools should offer "individual-centered education", with curricula tailored to the needs of each child.[1] (This includes working to help students develop the intelligences they are weaker in.)

Gardner identifies kinds of intelligences based upon eight criteria. His eight criteria for describing something as an independent kind of intelligence (rather than merely one of the skills or abilities included in a kind of intelligence, or a synonym for, or combination of other kinds of intelligence) include:[2] [3]

case studies of individuals exhibiting unusual talents in a given field (child prodigies, autistic savants);
neurological evidence for areas of the brain that are specialized for particular capacities (often including studies of people who have suffered brain damage affecting a specific capacity);
the evolutionary relevance of the various capacities;
psychometric studies; and
the existence of a symbolic notation (e.g. written language, musical notation, choreography).
Gardner originally identified seven core intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal. In 1999 he added an eighth, the naturalistic intelligence, and indicated that investigation continues on whether there is an existential intelligence.

The theory has been widely criticized in the psychology and educational theory communities. The most common criticisms argue that Gardner's theory is based on his own intuition rather than empirical data and that the intelligences are just other names for talents or personality types. Despite these criticisms, the theory has enjoyed a great deal of success amongst educators over the past twenty years. There are several schools which espouse MI as a pedagogy, and many individual teachers who incorporate some or all of the theory into their methodology. Many books and educational materials exist which explain the theory and how it may be applied to the classroom.

Contents
1 Gardner's categories of intelligence
1.1 Bodily-Kinesthetic
1.2 Interpersonal
1.3 Linguistic
1.4 Logical-Mathematical
1.5 Naturalistic
1.6 Intrapersonal
1.7 Spatial
1.8 Musical
1.9 Other intelligences
2 Savant Syndrome
3 Relationship to education
3.1 Criticism
4 Opposing views
4.1 The definition of intelligence
4.2 Intellectual relativism
4.3 Lack of empirical evidence
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References

Gardner's categories of intelligence

Bodily-Kinesthetic
This area has to do with movement and doing. In this category, people are generally adept at physical activities such as sports or dance and often prefer activities which utilize movement. They may enjoy acting or performing, and in general they are good at building and making things. They often learn best by physically doing something, rather than reading or hearing about it. Those with strong bodily-kinesthetic intelligence seem to use what might be termed muscle memory; i.e., they remember things through their body, rather than through words (verbal memory) or images (visual memory). It requires the skills and dexterity for fine motor movements such as those required for dancing, athletics, surgery, craftmaking and computer engineering, etc.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include athletes, dancers, actors, comedians, builders, soldiers and artisans.

Interpersonal
This area has to do with interaction with others. People in this category are usually extroverts and are characterized by their sensitivity to others' moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group. They communicate effectively and empathize easily with others, and may be either leaders or followers. They typically learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include politicians, managers, teachers, social workers and diplomats.

Linguistic
Verbal-linguistic intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words and dates. They tend to learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and via discussion and debate. They are also frequently skilled at explaining, teaching and oration or persuasive speaking. Those with verbal-linguistic intelligence learn foreign languages very easily as they have high verbal memory and recall, and an ability to understand and manipulate syntax and structure.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include writers, lawyers, philosophers, politicians and teachers.

Logical-Mathematical
This area has to do with logic, abstractions, inductive and deductive reasoning, and numbers. While it is often assumed that those with this intelligence naturally excel in mathematics, chess, computer programming and other logical or numerical activities, a more accurate definition places emphasis less on traditional mathematical ability and more reasoning capabilities, abstract pattern recognition, scientific thinking and investigation, and the ability to perform complex calculations.

Those who automatically correlate this intelligence with skill in mathematics criticize this intelligence by arguing that logical ability is often more strongly correlated with verbal rather than mathematical ability: for example, the old Analytic section of the Graduate Record Examination correlated more strongly with the Verbal section than the Mathematical. One possibility is that formal, symbolic logic and strict logic games are under the command of mathematical intelligence, while skills such as fallacy hunting, argument construction, etc. are under the command of verbal intelligence.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include scientists, mathematicians, engineers, doctors and economists.

Naturalistic
This area has to do with nature, nurturing and relating information to one's natural surroundings. This is the eighth and newest of the intelligences, added to the theory in 1996, and is not as widely accepted as the original seven. This type of intelligence was not part of Gardner's original theory of Multiple Intelligences. Those with it are said to have greater sensitivity to nature and their place within it, the ability to nurture and grow things, and greater ease in caring for, taming and interacting with animals. They may also be able to discern changes in weather or similar fluctuations in their natural surroundings. They are also good at recognizing and classifying different species. "Naturalists" learn best when the subject involves collecting and analyzing, or is closely related to something prominent in nature; they also don't enjoy learning unfamiliar or seemingly useless subjects with little or no connections to nature. It is advised that naturalistic learners would learn more through being outside or in a kinesthetic way.

The theory behind this intelligence is often criticized, much like the spiritual or existential intelligence (see below), as it is seen by many as not indicative of an intelligence but rather an interest. However it might have been a more valuable and useful intelligence in prehistoric times when humans lived closer to nature.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include scientists, naturalists, conservationists, gardeners and farmers.

Intrapersonal
This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. Those who are strongest in this intelligence are typically introverts and prefer to work alone. They are usually highly self-aware and capable of understanding their own emotions, goals and motivations. They often have an affinity for thought-based pursuits such as philosophy. They learn best when allowed to concentrate on the subject by themselves. There is often a high level of perfectionism associated with this intelligence.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include philosophers, psychologists, theologians, writers and scientists.

Spatial
Main article: Spatial reasoning
This area has to do with vision and spatial judgment. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects. They have a strong visual memory and are often artistically inclined. Those with visual-spatial intelligence also generally have a very good sense of direction and may also have very good hand-eye coordination, although this is normally seen as a characteristic of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

Some critics [4] point out the high correlation between the spatial and mathematical abilities, which seems to disprove the clear separation of the intelligences as Gardner theorizes. Since solving a mathematical problem involves reaoningly manipulating symbols and numbers, spatial intelligence is involved in visually changing the reality. A thorough understanding of the two intelligences precludes this criticism, however, as the two intelligences do not precisely conform to the definitions of visual and mathematical abilities. [citation needed] Although they may share certain characteristics, they are easily distinguished by several factors, and there are many with strong logical-mathematical intelligence and weak visual-spatial, and vice versa. [citation needed]

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include artists, engineers, and architects.

Musical
This area has to do with rhythm, music, and hearing. Those who have a high level of musical-rhythmic intelligence display greater sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music. They normally have good pitch and may even have absolute pitch, and are able to sing, play musical instruments, and compose music. Since there is a strong aural component to this intelligence, those who are strongest in it may learn best via lecture. In addition, they will often use songs or rhythms to learn and memorize information, and may work best with music playing in the background.

Careers which suit those with this intelligence include musicians, singers, conductors, and composers.

Other intelligences
Other intelligences have been suggested or explored by Gardner and his colleagues, including spiritual, existential and moral intelligence. Gardner excluded spiritual intelligence due to what he perceived as the inability to codify criteria comparable to the other "intelligences". Existential intelligence (the capacity to raise and reflect on philosophical questions about life, death, and ultimate realities) meets most of the criteria with the exception of identifiable areas of the brain that specialize for this faculty.[5] Moral capacities were excluded because they are normative rather than descriptive.[6]

Savant Syndrome
from memory by Stephen Wiltshire
Gardner used case studies of Autistic Savants as part of his theory on multiple intelligences. On one hand they have severe mental disabilities and thus impaired social skills, on the other they have some extraordinary mental abilities not found in most people. The Savant Syndrome skills involve striking feats of memory and often include arithmetic calculation and sometimes unusual abilities in art or music. There is actually a disproportionate regularity with which the triad of blindness, mental disability and musical genius occurs in savant syndrome.[7] Examples include Derek Paravicini who has severe learning disability but can remember every song he has ever heard. Others with savant syndrome are not autistic, but develop these abilities later on in life usually as a result of some accident, illness or trauma. For example Alonzo Clemons was a regular child until he suffered brain damage as a result of a fall. Afterwards he learned to create accurate animal sculptures from clay using his photographic memory[8]. Some scientists thus believe that the potential to be a genius is latent in all people but is obscured by normal functioning intellect. In the case of savants, the damage to the brain has somehow disrupted normal functioning and has allowed the brain to access these latent skills. [9]

Savants are generally viewed as having exceptional spatial intelligence but verbal defects.[10]

Relationship to education
Traditionally schools have almost exclusively emphasized the development of logical intelligence and linguistic intelligence (mainly reading and writing). While many students function well in this environment, there are those who do not. Gardner's theory argues that students will be better served by a broader vision of education, wherein teachers use different methodologies, exercises and activities to reach all students, not just those who excel at linguistic and logical intelligence.

Many teachers see the theory as simple common sense, validating what they already know: that students learn in different ways. The widespread criticism of the theory from the academic psychology community is in striking contrast to the positive response of many educators in the US and around the world.

The practical application of the theory of multiple intelligences varies widely. It runs the gamut from a teacher who, when confronted with a student having difficulties, uses a different approach to teach the material, to an entire school using MI as a framework. In general, those who subscribe to the theory strive to provide opportunities for their students to use and develop all the different intelligences, not just the few at which they naturally excel.

A Harvard-led study of 41 schools using the theory came to the conclusion that in these schools there was "a culture of hard work, respect, and caring; a faculty that collaborated and learned from each other; classrooms that engaged students through constrained but meaningful choices, and a sharp focus on enabling students to produce high-quality work."[11]

Of the schools implementing Gardner's theory, the most well-known is New City School, in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been using the theory since 1988. The school's teachers have produced two books for teachers, Celebrating Multiple Intelligences and Succeeding With Multiple Intelligences and the principal, Thomas Hoerr, has written Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School as well as many articles on the practical applications of the theory. The school has also hosted four conferences, each attracting over 200 educators from around the world and remains a valuable resource for teachers interested in implementing the theory in their own classrooms.

Thomas Armstrong sees Waldorf education organically embodying Gardner's seven intelligences in a more thorough way than other schools.[12]

Criticism
Criticisms of the theory's application in schools come in four major forms. First, opponents argue that the theory may lead to a sort of intellectual relativism, wherein students' failures are explained away as being an example of a different kind of intelligence, not a lesser one. As a result, there are those in the Gifted and Talented community who have criticized Gardner's theory, because any support of the idea that all children are equally gifted, just in different ways, might lead to the reduction or broadening of Gifted and Talented programs.[citation needed] Gardner himself has said that he does not believe his theory will have this type of consequence for gifted programs, and that he never intended his theory to affirm that all people are equally gifted, but rather that the definition of intelligence was too narrow to encompass all types of intelligence.

The second major criticism is that it is fallacious to say that someone may be good in one intelligence but not in another. Every multiple domain IQ test ever normed (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Stanford-Binet IQ test, Ronald K. Hoeflin's Mega test) has shown that all the areas tested are correlated. This trend is also shown in tests like the Graduate Record Examination, the SAT, the PSAT, the ACT, etc., on every one of which each section correlates to a high degree with the others; the correlation rarely drops below 0.6 on the -1 to 1 scale. Hence, it has been argued that persons who excel in one type of intelligence usually excel in several others; and many times in all.[citation needed]

The third major criticism of multiple intelligences as an application in schools is that there is a risk of teachers excusing students from doing well in an area in which they are weak. Students who may not "naturally" learn to read and write well nevertheless need to read and write well.[citation needed] Similarly, the goal is for students to succeed in all areas defined as intelligence by Gardner, and not default to their strengths.

There is an inherent risk of students developing a sense of inferiority in given areas.[citation needed] Students who are identified as not being "musical" learners may have less incentive to become musical learners.

A methodological criticism is that the assessment of one's form of intelligence is usually determined via a self-administered test. The usual form asks the respondent 40-60 questions such as "Do you prefer to stand when working?" This sort of question leaves much room for assessment error, and does not conform to survey techniques and methodology such as double-blind testing.[citation needed]

Another criticism is that the distinction between developmental stage and "intelligence" is not sufficiently well accounted for. For example, the average five-year-old is more likely to answer "yes" to the question "Do you like to move about a lot?" than the average forty-year-old. Conversely, the older person is more likely to seem to have interpersonal "intelligence," which might be better labeled as a developed skill -- solving problems with others or speaking in public, for example.[citation needed]

Opposing views

The definition of intelligence
As one would expect from a theory that redefines intelligence, one of the major criticisms of the theory is that it is ad hoc. The criticism is that Gardner is not expanding the definition of the word "intelligence"; rather, he denies the existence of intelligence, as is traditionally understood, and instead uses the word "intelligence" whenever other people have traditionally used words like "ability". This practice has been criticized by Robert J. Sternberg (1983, 1991), Eysenck (1994), and Scarr (1985). Defenders of MI theory argue that the traditional definition of intelligence is too narrow, and thus broader definition more accurately reflects the differing ways in which humans think and learn. They would state that the traditional interpretation of intelligence collapses under the weight of its own logic and definition, noting that intelligence is usually defined as the cognitive or mental capacity of an individual, which by logical necessity would include all forms of mental qualities, not simply the ones most transparent to standardized I.Q. tests.

Some of these criticisms arise from the fact that Gardner has not settled on a single definition of intelligence. He originally defined it as the ability to solve problems that have value in at least one culture, or as something that a student is interested in. However, he added a disclaimer that he has no fixed definition, and his classification is more of an artistic judgment than fact:

Ultimately, it would certainly be desirable to have an algorithm for the selection of an intelligence, such that any trained researcher could determine whether a candidate's intelligence met the appropriate criteria. At present, however, it must be admitted that the selection (or rejection) of a candidate's intelligence is reminiscent more of an artistic judgment than of a scientific assessment. (Gardner, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, 1985)

Gardner argues that by calling linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities intelligences, but not artistic, musical, athletic, etc. abilities, the former are needlessly aggrandized. Many critics balk at this widening of the definition, saying that it ignores "the connotation of intelligence...[which] has always connoted the kind of thinking skills that make one successful in school."[13]

Gardner writes "I balk at the unwarranted assumption that certain human abilities can be arbitrarily singled out as intelligence while others cannot"[14] Critics hold that given this statement, any interest or ability is now redefined as "intelligence". Thus, by adopting this theory, studying intelligence becomes difficult, because it diffuses into the broader concept of ability or talent. Gardner's addition of the naturalistic intelligence and conceptions of the existential and moral intelligences are seen as fruits of this diffusion. Defenders of the MI theory would argue that this is simply a recognition of the broad scope of inherent mental abilities, and that such an exhaustive scope by nature defies a simple, one-dimensional classification such as an assigned IQ value. They would claim that such one-dimensional values are typically of limited value in predicting the real world application of unique mental abilities.

Intellectual relativism
Many critics argue that the theory's definition of intelligence leads to the belief that all human beings are equally intelligent,[citation needed] but in large part this is based on misunderstanding[citation needed]. Gardner argues that there are many different kinds of intelligence and that none is better or more important. However, people have differing abilities within these types of intelligences. Albert Einstein and a person who is good at mathematics both display logical-mathematical intelligence, but at no point does the theory say that all people with the logical-mathematical intelligence are equally intelligent.

Lack of empirical evidence
Some critics argue that many of Gardner's "intelligences" actually correlate with the g factor, supporting the idea of single dominant type of intelligence. For example, Carroll (1993) argued that verbal comprehension, auditory processing, visual perception and ability in logic and mathematic all correlate with each other and are actually subsets of global intelligence. This gives further support for a theory of a single type intelligence.

A critical review of MI theory argues that there is little empirical evidence to support it:

"To date there have been no published studies that offer evidence of the validity of the multiple intelligences. In 1994 Sternberg reported finding no empirical studies. In 2000 Allix reported finding no empirical validating studies, and at that time Gardner and Connell conceded that there was "little hard evidence for MI theory" (2000, p. 292). In 2004 Sternberg and Grigerenko stated that there were no validating studies for multiple intelligences, and in 2004 Gardner asserted that he would be "delighted were such evidence to accrue" (p. 214), and he admitted that "MI theory has few enthusiasts among psychometricians or others of a traditional psychological background" because they require "psychometric or experimental evidence that allows one to prove the existence of the several intelligences" (2004, p. 214)." (Waterhouse, 2006a, p. 208).

Supporters of the MI theory would counter that such dependency is to be expected as this point, as scientific methodology aimed at uncovering intelligence was created under the traditional theory of intelligence, thus leaving a new theory the necessity of initially having to utilize the methodology of the old theory until new modes of scientific inquiry can be developed.

The same review presents evidence to demonstrate that cognitive neuroscience research does not support the theory of Multiple Intelligences:

"the human brain is unlikely to function via Gardnerâ€™s multiple intelligences. Taken together the evidence for the intercorrelations of subskills of IQ measures, the evidence for a shared set of genes associated with mathematics, reading, and g, and the evidence for shared and overlapping â€œwhat is it?â€ and â€œwhere is it?â€ neural processing pathways, and shared neural pathways for language, music, motor skills, and emotions suggest that it is unlikely that that each of Gardnerâ€™s intelligences could operate â€œvia a different set of neural mechanismsâ€ (1999, p. 99). Equally important, the evidence for the â€œwhat is it?â€ and â€œwhere is it?â€ processing pathways, for Kahnemanâ€™s two decision-making systems, and for adapted cognition modules suggests that these cognitive brain specializations have evolved to address very specific problems in our environment. Because Gardner claimed that that the intelligences are innate potentialities related to a general content area, MI theory lacks a rationale for the phylogenetic emergence of the intelligences." (From Waterhouse, 2006a, p. 213).

Steven A. Stahl suggests that most of the previous studies which claimed to show positive results had major flaws. For example, learning styles advocate Marie Carbo cites 17 studies in her articles, but according to Stahl, 15 were doctoral dissertations and none had been published in a peer-refereed journal.[15]

However, the continuing evolution of scientific understanding about the brain and its function suggest further insight into alternative neural pathways and cognitive sources will be likely. (Time, Jan 29, 2007).

See also
Intelligence
Intelligence quotient
General intelligence factor
Emotional intelligence
Social IQ
Triarchic theory of intelligence
Robert Sternberg

Notes
^ Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences, ISBN 0-465-04768-8, pp. 5, 56
^ Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences, ISBN 0-465-04768-8, p. 7
^ "howard gardner, multiple intelligences and education" by Mark K. Smith
^ Grialou, Paul; Giuseppe Longo. "images and reasoning".
^ Gardner, Multiple Intelligences, pp. 20-1
^ ibid., pp. 27f
^ CBS News "60 Minutes" â€” Meet Musical Savant Rex
^ video of Alonzo Clemons
^ latent brain potential
^ http://www.sciamdigital.com/index.cfm?fa=Products.ViewIssuePreview&ISSUEID_CHAR=376726C8-2B35-221B-610E2B8D555626BD&ARTICLEID_CHAR=377115B1-2B35-221B-66F06F40399052B0
^ Kornhaber, "Psychometric Superiority? Check Your Facts," 2004
^ "Waldorf education embodies in a truly organic sense all of Howard Gardner's seven intelligences...not simply an amalgam of the seven intelligences. Many schools are currently attempting to construct curricula based on Gardner's model simply through an additive process (what can we add to what we have already got?). Steiner's approach, however, was to begin with a deep inner vision of the child and the child's needs and build a curriculum around that vision." Thomas Armstrong, cited in Eric Oddleifson, Boston Public Schools As Arts-Integrated Learning Organizations: Developing a High Standard of Culture for All
^ Willinggam, "Check the Facts: Reframing the Mind," 2004
^ in Peterson, 1997, p. D2
^ Stahl, "Different Strokes for Different Folks: A Critique of Learning Styles"

References
Eysenck, M. W (1994) "Intelligence". In M. W. Eysenck, (ed.), The Blackwell dictionary of cognitive psychology (pp. 192-193). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.
Gardner, Howard. (1983) "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences." New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, Howard. (1993) "Multiple Intelligences: The Theory Into Practice." New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, Howard. (1999) "Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century." New York: Basic Books.
Gardner, Howard. (1998) "A Reply to Perry D. Klein's 'Multiplying the problems of intelligence by eight'" Canadian Journal of Education, 23(1), 96-102.
Gardner, Howard, and Seana Moran. (2006). The science of Multiple Intelligences theory: A response to Lynn Waterhouse. Educational Psychologist, Volume 41, Issue 4, Fall 2006, pp. 227-232.
Gardner, H. (2004) Changing minds: The art and science of changing our own and other people's minds. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, p. 196.
Kavale, Kenneth, A., and Steven R. Forness, 1987. "Substance over style: Assessing the efficacy of modality testing and teaching", Exceptional Children 54:228-239.
Klein, Perry, D. (1997) "Multiplying the problems of intelligence by eight: A critique of Gardner's theory", Canadian Journal of Education, 22(4), 377-394.
Klein, Perry, D. (1998) "A response to Howard Gardner: Falsifiability, empirical evidence, and pedagogical usefulness in educational psychology" Canadian Journal of Education, 23(1), 103-112.
Kornhaber, Mindy. (2004) "Psychometric Superiority? Check the Facts"
Kornhaber, Mindy, Edward Fierros and Shirley Veenema. (2003) "Multiple Intelligences: Best Ideas from Research and Practice"
Lohman, D. F.(2001). "Fluid intelligence, inductive reasoning, and working memory: Where the theory of Multiple Intelligences falls short." In N. Colangelo & S. Assouline (Eds.), Talent Development IV: Proceedings from the 1998 Henry B. & Jocelyn Wallace National Research Symposium on talent development (pp. 219-228). Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology Press.Link
Scarr, S. (1985) "An authors frame of mind [Review of Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences]" New Ideas in Psychology, 3(1), 95-100.
Sempsey, James, "The Pedagogical Implications Of Cognitive Science and Howard Gardner's M.I. Theory (A Critique)" 10.19.93
Steven A. Stahl "Different Strokes for Different Folks?: A Critique of Learning Styles", American Educator, Fall, 199 [1]
Sternberg, R. J. (1983, Winter) "How much Gall is too much gall? {Review of Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences}". Contemporary Education Review, 2(3), 215-224.
Sternberg, R. J. (1988) The triarchic mind: A new theory of human intelligence New York: Penguin Books.
Sternberg, R. J. (1991) "Death, taxes, and bad intelligence tests", Intelligence, 15(3), 257-270.
Tupper, K.W. (2002) Entheogens and Existential Intelligence: The Use of Plant Teachers as Cognitive Tools. Canadian Journal of Education. 27(4), 499-516
Traub, James (1998, October 26). Multiple intelligence disorder, The New Republic
Waterhouse, Lynn. (2006a). Multiple Intelligences, the Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence: A critical review. Educational Psychologist, 41(4), Fall 2006, pp. 207-225.
Waterhouse, Lynn. (2006b). "Inadequate Evidence for Multiple Intelligences, Mozart Effect, and Emotional Intelligence Theories." Educational Psychologist, 41(4), Fall 2006, pp. 247-255.
Willingham, Daniel T. (2004) "Check the Facts: Reframing the Mind," Education Next
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Autism: Early Screening by Pediatricians

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:26:00 +0000

Autism: Early Screening by Pediatricians
Medical Author: David Perlstein, MD FAAP
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
It is commonplace to have a family member or close friend with a child diagnosed with one of the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs, including Autistic Disorder, Asperger Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder). These are a set of neurodevelopmental disabilities affecting young children and adults, which are currently not considered "curable."

The goals of management include minimizing the symptoms and maximizing both independent function and quality of life. These are not uncommon disorders. Their prevalence has been estimated as approximately 6.5 per 1000 children, or 1 in every 150 children. Many believe that there is an "Autism Epidemic." However, as with many diseases and disorders, there are many reasons for this high prevalence.

Fortunately, significant media coverage and increased research have resulted in a better educated public and more vigilant healthcare practitioners. It is clear that early diagnosis and intervention are associated with better outcomes.

Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published an updated guide for the "Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders." In this publication, both background information and management choices are reviewed. In addition the AAP's approved "Surveillance and Screening Algorithm: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs)" is introduced. Currently this translates into the following: All children should be screened for autism at 18 months and again at 2 years of age, and at any time a parent raises a concern about autism spectrum disorders (even if they have no signs of developmental delay). Although many healthcare practitioners were already screening, the process has been formalized and I expect that even more children will be referred, resulting in earlier diagnosis and intervention.

I am a community pediatrician. In my practice I have decided to adopt the CHAT Screening Tool (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers). Because early intervention has been shown to improve outcomes, we also try to educate our parents as early as possible to be aware of the warning signs of autism spectrum disorders, and encourage them to speak to our staff whenever concerned.

We focus on the following simple symptom screens recommended by the CDC:

Does the child babble or coo by 12 months?
Does the child gesture by 12 months (pointing, waving, grasping)?
Does the child say single words by 16 months?
Does the child say two–word phrases independently by 24 months?
Has the child lost any social or language skills?
The CHAT Screening Tool in part focuses on the following:

At 18 months does your child:

Look at you and point when he/she wants to show you something?
Look when you point to something?
Use imagination to pretend play?
There are many other symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders, including social and communication deficits, bizarre or repetitive behaviors, sensory abnormalities and self injurious behaviors.

Most importantly, my advice for parents is that if they are concerned about their child's behavior, they should talk with their doctor. With a working parent–doctor partnership healthcare practitioners will be more capable of achieving optimal care for those with autism.

Am I Pregnant?

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:08:00 +0000

Am I Pregnant?

In the second half of your cycle you may find yourself wondering whether you might have conceived and if you can already detect signs that mean you're pregnant.

You won't get a definite confirmation until about the time your period is due (for more information on when you can test, click here).

However, you may get early pregnancy symptoms after implantation has occurred. This is unlikely to be much before 8 or 9 days after ovulation.

Unfortunately, early pregnancy signs can often be very similar to those experienced pre-menstrually. And whilst some women say they knew as soon as their egg was fertilised, others claim they felt nothing at all until well after their missed period. To confuse matters further, some say they were never more sure their period was just around the corner than when they were actually pregnant. And many women carry on having light periods up to six months into pregnancy.

Nevertheless, here are some of the symptoms that may be experienced in early pregnancy once implantation has occurred:

Sore Nipples or Breasts: darkening of the area around the nipple. Greater appearance of veins in the breast.
More Frequent Need to Urinate: due to increased blood flow to the pelvic region seems to irritate the bladder long before there is any physical pressure in the area)
Light Spotting: this usually occurs about 8 days after ovulation and/or around the time your period is due
Extreme Fatigue: although bear in mind that this can be due to progesterone that is present after ovulation
Heightened Sense of Smell: this often results in nausea
Nausea or Sickness: this can a reaction to certain smells, and can take be experienced, not only in the morning, but throughout the day
A Metallic Taste in the Mouth: you may also experience a change in the foods you like or dislike
Discomfort or Cramping in the Abdomen: some women describe this early pregnancy symptom as a "dragging" feeling

One Getting Pregnant reader told us the following about her possible early pregnancy symptoms:

"I really did feel as if this month was different to the last 5.
1. I always start spotting 3/4 days before my period is due, this month nothing!
2. I had indigestion and gas.
3. Normally my breasts get sore 3 days before menstruation - this time they only got sore 1 day before. They are especially sore on the sides.
4. Before my period I normally get into a really bad mood and my husband has to keep his distance. This month, I haven't experienced any mood swings.
5. I have had lower back pain as well.
This was also the first month of charting BBT and cervical fluid so I felt a little more confident and relaxed, knowing that I had more of an accurate guideline to work on."

But another one said:

I have had absolutely no symptoms what so ever this month except lower back pain, which has now stopped.
No sore breasts, no spotting, nothing, but several positive pregnancy tests!

For a definite confirmation that you're pregnant, the implanted embryo has to be generating sufficient quantities of hCG for it to be detected by a pregnancy test. Whilst this is generally likely to be the around the day your period is due, a new study found that in up to 10% of pregnancies, the embryo was not implanted by that stage and therefore a negative Home Pregnancy Test (HPT) result was given. So if you do get a negative result, it's worth re-testing after a few more days. (Getting Pregnant readers can buy packs of 10 pregnancy test kits at a special rate - click here for more details)

If you're using Natural Fertility Management, you'll know how many days of elevated temperatures you normally experience. If you exceed these significantly, and particularly if you experience 18, there is a good chance you have conceived. Some women experience a third shift in temperatures after implantation has occurred.

While you're waiting to find out if you're pregnant, try flower remedies in order to keep calm and stres-free.

And if the outcome of all the waiting is good news, you might want to visit this page.

Study conducted by Dr Allen J Wilcox, senior investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina

Writings on Mullah Nassr Eddin, quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:01:00 +0000

Writings on Mullah Nassr Eddin, quotes
by : Sufism Comunity

These anecdotes and quotes are from the Beelzebub's Tales 1931 manuscript.Book I - Gurdjieff Quotes Although I have began to write in Russian, nevertheless as the wisest of the wise, Mullah Nassr Eddin would say, in that language "you-cannot-go-far".

Mullah Nassr Eddin, or as he is also called, Hodja Nassr Eddin, is, it seems, little known in Europe and America, but he is very well known in all the countries of the continent of Asia. This legendary personage corresponds somewhat to the German Till Eulenspiegel. Numerous tales popular in the East, akin to wise sayings, are ascribed to this Nassr Eddin; and various witticisms, some of long standing and others newly arisen, still continue to be ascribed to him also.

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I recalled this saying from among the many "infallible" and "indisputable'' sayings of that, in my opinion, universal teacher, the wisest of all the terrestrial sages, one whom I particularly esteem, and one who, again, of course, in my opinion, ought to be esteemed and respected by everybody without exception - Mullah Nassr Eddin, and I have set it down at this point in my Warning, because of my proposed subsequent writings I intend often to touch upon philological questions also.
That Greek language, the spirit and essence of which were transmitted to me by heredity, and the language now spoken by contemporary Greeks, are as much alike, as, according to the expression of Mullah Nassr Eddin, "a-nail-is-like-a-requiem".
...that the so-styled "grammar" of any laguage is compiled by people who not only in respect of knowledge of the given language are those biped "somethings" which His Uniqueness Mullah Nassr Eddin characterizes by the words "all-they-can-do-is-to-wrangle-with-pigs-about-the-quality-of-oranges"...
Meanwhile I boldly or, if you like, impudently, take it upon myself in advance to advise you to absorb with, as might be said, an "intensive-mobilization" of all your perceptive organs, the information elaborating the rest of this story, in order that the crystallization in you of the new impression may proceed normally and not in the manner in which it has already become habitual for this to proceed, that is to say, as the great sage Mullah Nassr Eddin defines and expresses it: "One part is used up for one's own welfare, and that only for today, while all the rest going in at one ear, is exhausted in the process of trying to get out at the other."

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...I cannot do otherwise than as the most exalted great terrestrial sage Mullah Nassr Eddin would say, "tangle-and-entangle" the whole of you, or as he also sometimes says, "put-you-in-goloshes", in full face of the fact that I am counting on your help, or rather on your money, which I shall receive thanks to your purchase of writings; for the full possibility of accomplishing even with a "flourish", my self-imposed and perhaps from your point of view, purely egoistic aim.

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...that since in the present period of my existence I must become a professional writer, I am compelled to employ this new profession of mine, at whatever cost, as our esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin has expressed it, to "tangle-and-entangle" all your, as you call them, "images" and "notions"...

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"Really I do not know how to advise you, my dear captain. Ah, yes... in that solar system where I existed for a long time, there is a planet called 'Earth'. On that planet 'Earth' very peculiar three-centered beings arose and still continue to arise. And among the beings of a continent of that planet called 'Asia' there arose and existed a very wise three-brained being whom they called there 'Mullah Nassr Eddin'.

Mullah Nassr Eddin or, as he is otherwise called, Hodja Nassr Eddin, is, it seems, little known in Europe and America. He is very well known, however, in all the countries of the continent Asia. This legendary personality is like the Russian 'Kusma Prutkov', the American 'Uncle Sam', or the English John Bull'. To this Mullah Nassr Eddin are ascribed numerous popular tales of the East, akin to sayings of the wisdom of daily life. They also now continue to ascribe to him various witticisms recalled from long ago as well as those newly made.
"For each and every peculiar situation, whether great or small in the existence of the beings there, this same terrestrial sage, Mullah Nassr Eddin, had an apt and pointed saying.
"As all his sayings were full of the sense of truth for existence there, I also aways used them in order to have a comfortable existence among the beings of that planet.
"In the given case also, my dear Captain, I intend to profit by one of his wise sayings.
"In such a situation as has befallen us he would probably say:
"You cannot jump over your knees and it's absurd to try to kiss your own elbow.
...while there on the planet which interests you, the action of this astonishing and exceedingly ingenious invention bloomed and blossomed from the very first day, as the wise Mullah Nassr Eddin would say - 'Like the trumpets of Jericho in full blast.'

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"At best they would so thrash you that as our Mullah Nassr Eddin there says: 'You wouldn't recover your senses before the next crop of birches'.

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...the result for him was as the highly esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin once again says: simply "Roses,roses."

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"But, as a matter of fact, when I was on that planet for the last time and, having heard of the said writer, once went myself specially to see him, on quite another matter, he seemed to me to be not only like all the other contemporary writers there, that is to say, extremely limited, and also as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin would say: 'seeing no further than his nose,' but as regards any knowledge of the real psyche of the beings of that planet in real conditions, he might safely be called 'totally illiterate'.
"And as for the given case, there is no harm in recalling again one of the wise sentences of our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin who says:
"'Struth! What only may not happen in the world! A flea might swallow an elephant!'"

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restrain yourself from such laughter, if only it were to come about that they should suddenly clearly sense, in some way or another, and understand without any doubt whatever, that to their planet from their Sun itself, not only does nothing of any such thing as 'light', 'darkness', 'heat', and so on, come, but that their supposed source of heat and light is itself almost always freezing with cold like the hairless dog of our highly esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin.

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"Not a single one of those 'sorry scientists' has ever thought that the difference between these two cosmic processes is just about the same as that which the highly esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin once expressed in the following words:
"'They are as much alike as the beard of the famous English Shakespeare and French Armagnac, no less famous'.

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"It is the same with your favourites on the planet Earth. They also have invented the addition to the name of every other person the word 'mister' or sometimes a whole meaningless phrase expressing such conception as our honourable Mullah Nassr Eddin has the following sentence for:
"And namely, he says:
'All the same, there is more reality in it than in the wise-acreings of an expert in monkey-business.'

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"The following is what happened:
"Gornahoor Harharh with all those unusual heavy appliances which had been put on him as well, suddenly found himself at a certain height above the chair, where he began to wriggle, as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin says, 'like a puppy in a well'.

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"But to the grief of every Individual with Pure Reason of any gradation whatsoever and to the misfortune of the three-brained beings of all succeeding generations who arise on that planet, the first succeeding generation of the contemporaries of this genuine Messenger from Above, Saint Buddha, already also began, owing once again to that same particularity of their psyche, namely, of wiseacreing, which until now is one of the chief results of the conditions of the ordinary being-existence abnormally established there - to wiseacre with all His indications and counsels, and this time to 'superwiseacre' so thoroughly that there reached the beings of the third and fourth generations no more than what our Honourable Mullah Nassr Eddin defines by the words:
"'Only-information-about-its-specific-smell'.

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"And as for the objective reality of the theories of both these 'great' terrestrial 'learned-beings', I am reminded and willy nilly impelled to utter one of the wise sayings of our esteemed Mullah Nassr Eddin, namely: 'They both succeeded, though of course not without luck, in finding the authentic god-mother of the incomparable Scheherazade on an old dung-hill'.
"These favourites of yours would in my opinion get quite a correct answer to this question which always excites them, that is, the question how the apes arose, if they were able in the given case to apply one of those sayings again of our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin, who often used to say: 'The-cause-of-every misunderstanding-must-be-sought-only-in-woman'.

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"Well then, it was after these 'partnerships' that those kinds of beings also began to appear in our Great Universe who in themselves are, as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin would say, 'Neither-one-thing-nor-the-other'.

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"As for those beings there who are going to carry out this 'scientific-experiment', and as for any benefit from it for the other three-brained beings there, it can all be pictured if one remembers the profoundly wise saying of our same honourable Mullah Nassr Eddin, in which he says: 'Happy is that father whose son is even busy with murder and robbery, for he himself will then have no time to get accustomed to occupy himself with 'titillation'.

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"The decline of those being-factors by inheritance from generation to generation has brought it about that instead of a real being-psyche, such as should exist in the presence of every kind of three-brained being, there now already exists in the presence of your contemporary favourites, although a 'real psyche' also, nevertheless one that can be very well defined by the wise sayings of our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin, which consists of the following words: 'There is everything in it except core, or even kernel.'
"Note, by the way, that for the definition of the importance of the scientists there, our venerated Mullah Nassr Eddin also has a sentence expressed as follows:
"'Everybody talks as if our learned know that half a hundred is fifty'.

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"As for the information which passed from generation to generation through the ordinary mass of beings of that planet, it either completely disappeared, having been soon forgotten, or there remains of it, as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin expressed himself, only the 'tail-and-mane-and-food-for-Scheherazade!

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"How the contemporary learned beings of the planet Earth concoct their hotchpotch from the scraps of information which reach them, is very well defined by one of the wise sentences of our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin; it consists of the following words: 'A flea exists in the world just for one thing......so that when it sneezes, that deluge should occur which our 'learned beings' love so much the job of describing.'

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"'Every real happiness for man can arise exclusively only from some unhappiness - but also real - which he has already experienced.'

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The Greeks were the cause why the Reasons of the three brained beings there began gradually to degenerate and became at last so degenerate that among contemporary beings it is already as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin says, 'a real nonsense mill'.

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As examples of the very many particularly-maleficent 'inventions' of those German beings, let us just take those five of what are called 'chemical-substances', now existing there under the names of l)Satkaine, 2)Aniline, 3)Cocaine, 4)Atropine, 5)Alisarine, and which chemical substances are used there at the present time by the beings of all the continents and islands, as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin says: 'even without moderation'.

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When their ancestors had that invention in themselves of the Great Angel Louisos, then thanks to it, they were always exactly in the same state as the contemporary beings are when they take this German invention called 'Cocaine'.
I must warn you my boy, of course that even if the action of that German invention was similar to the action of the famous organ Kundabuffer, it happened without any conscious intention on the part of the contemporary beings of the community Germany; the became colleagues of the great Angel Louisos only by chance.
At the present time almost all the beings who become genuine representatives of contemporary civilization very meticulously and with the greatest delight and tenderness introduce into themselves this 'blessing' of contemporary civilization, of course, always to the glory, as our dear Mullah Nassr Eddin says, of the 'one-eyed-General'.

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"Hence it is that there just proceeds in them that particularity of their general presence which is expressed thus: that with one part of their essence they always intend to wish one thing; at the same time with another part they definitely wish something else; and thanks to the third part, they already do something quite different.
"In short, what happens in their psyche is just what our dear teacher Mullah Nassr Eddin defines by the word a 'mix-up'.

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How Long Will it Take Me to Get Pregnant?

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:58:00 +0000

How Long Will it Take Me to Get Pregnant?
by :www.gettingpregnant.co.ukOne of the most frustrating parts of getting pregnant is waiting to get pregnant. Most women trying to conceive wonder: how long will it take for me to get pregnant? And, what are my chances? And while there are certain steps you can take to improve your chances of getting pregnant, you should be aware of the average length of time it takes every woman to conceive.

The Average Time it Takes to Get Pregnant
On average, 20% of all couples trying to get pregnant will not conceive in the first year of trying.

According to one study, 25% of couples get pregnant in the first month of trying, while 60% of couples trying to get pregnant do so within six months. On the other hand, 75% of couples get pregnant within nine months while 80% get pregnant within a year. Finally, some 90% of couples get pregnant within eighteen months of trying.

However, there are a variety of factors that can affect your chances of getting pregnant, including your diet and lifestyle, and how physically fit you are. Mental health factors like depression and stress can also affect your odds of getting pregnant.

Infertility is another, though less common, cause of getting pregnant problems. Infertility affects about 2% of the American population, or about 1.2 million people. Interestingly, in couples that are experiencing difficulty trying to conceive, the problem lies equally with both the man and the women, with both female and male factors accounting for 30% of infertile couples.

It is advised that you see a fertility specialist if you’ve been trying to get pregnant for more than a year without success. If you’re 40 or over, it is generally advised that you see a fertility specialist earlier in order to conduct fertility tests such as ultrasound scanning and blood tests to check for possible infertility issues.

Talking to a fertility specialist sooner rather than later can also help assess your and your partner’s medical history, as well as your overall health.

The Average Chance You Have of Getting Pregnant
Even if your reproductive health is excellent, the average chance a woman has of getting pregnant each time she has intercourse is about 20%.

However, timing sex around ovulation is good way to improve your chances of getting pregnant.

Peran Bermain dalam Proses Perkembangan Anak

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:53:00 +0000

Peran Bermain dalam Proses Perkembangan Anak
Penulis: Rini Sekartini

Beberapa ahli mengatakan bahwa bermain pada anak merupakan sarana untuk belajar. Bermain dan belajar untuk anak merupakan suatu kesatuan dan suatu proses yang terus menerus terjadi dalam kehidupannya.

Bermain merupakan tahap awal dari proses belajar pada anak yang dialami hampir semua orang. Melalui kegiatan bermain yang menyenangkan, seorang anak berusaha untuk menyelidiki dan mendapatkan pengalaman yang banyak. Baik pengalaman dengan dirinya sendiri, orang lain maupun dengan lingkungan di sekitarnya. Melalui bermain anak dapat mengorganisasikan berbagai pengalaman dan kemampuan kognitifnya dalam upaya menyusun kembali gagasan yang cemerlang.

Ada 5 karakteristik bermain yaitu:
1. Bermain merupakan sesuatu yang menyenangkan dan memiliki nilai yang positif bagi anak.
2. Bermain berasal dari motivasi yang muncul dari dalam diri si anak. Anak melakukan kegiatan tersebut atas kemauannya sendiri, tanpa harus disuruh atau diberi imbalan oleh orang lain.
3. Bermain sifatnya spontan dan sukarela, bukan merupakan kewajiban. Anak bebas memilih apa saja yang ingin dijadikan alternatif bagi kegiatan bermainnya.
4. Bermain senantiasa melibatkan peran aktif anak. Anak benar-benar aktif dalam kegiatan tersebut, baik secara fisik maupun mental.
5. Bermain memiliki hubungan sistematik yang khusus dengan sesuatu yang bukan bermain, seperti kemampuan kreativitas, memecahkan masalah, kemampuan berbahasa, kemampuan bersosialisasi dengan teman sebaya dan sebagainya.
Adapun bermain mempunyai manfaat bagi perkembangan anak. Bermain merupakan pengalaman belajar yang sangat berguna untuk anak, yaitu:
1. Aspek fisik, bila anak mendapat kesempatan untuk melakukan kegiatan yang banyak melibatkan aktivitas fisik terutama motorik kasar, akan membuat tubuh menjadi sehat.
2. Permainan yang melibatkan kemampuan motorik kasar dan motorik halus akan meningkatkan keterampilan anak.
3. Keterlibatan anak dengan orang lain dapat membantu anak untuk bersosialisasi dengan teman sebaya atau orang lain, anak akan belajar berpisah dengan ibu dan pengasuh, belajar berbagi dengan orang lain, melakukan pemecahan masalah, meningkatkan perkembangan bahasa baik bahasa ekspresi maupun bahasa reseptif, dan sebagai lahan bermain peran sosial.
4. Aspek perkembangan bahasa, melalui kegiatan bermain anak akan memperoleh kesempatan yang luas untuk berani berbicara. Kegiatan ini akan melatih kemampuan mengkoordinasikan antara apa yang terpikir dengan gerakan motorik organ-organ dalam rongga mulut. Hal ini penting untuk kemampuan anak dalam berkomunikasi dan memperluas pergaulannya di kemudian hari.
5. Aspek emosi dan kepribadian, melalui bermain seorang anak dapat melepaskan ketegangan yang dialaminya. Kegiatan bermain bersama sekelompok teman sebaya akan memberikan kesempatan bagi anak untuk menilai diri sendiri tentang kelebihan-kelebihan yang dimilikinya, sehingga dapat membantu pembentukan konsep diri yang positif, mempunyai rasa percaya diri dan harga diri karena merasa mempunyai kompetensi tertentu.
6. Aspek kognitif, dengan bermain akan memberikan pengetahuan yang luas dan daya nalar anak, menumbuhkan kreativitas, kemampuan berbahasa dan peningkatan daya ingat anak.
7. Aspek ketajaman panca indera, dalam bermain seorang anak akan menggunakan sebagian besar pancainderanya dalam kegiatan tersebut. Secara tidak langsung pancaindera tersebut akan terasah sehingga menjadi lebih peka pada hal-hal yang berlangsung di lingkungan sekitarnya.
Bermain untuk seorang anak perlu juga menggunakan alat permainan, beberapa hal yang perlu diperhatikan dalam memilih alat permainan adalah:
1. Tidak berbahaya, alat permainan sebaiknya terbuat dari bahan yang aman untuk anak, bentuknya juga tidak berbahaya seperti memiliki sudut yang runcing, mengandung zat warna yang beracun, sambungan kurang kuat atau mudah rusak.
2. Bukan semata pilihan orang tua, berikan kesempatan pada anak untuk memilih sendiri mainan yang disukainya tetapi orangtua tetap perlu mengarahkan saat memilih mainan tersebut. Bila orangtua cenderung memaksakan pilihannya, sementara anak tidak senang maka anak akan menolak meskipun alat tersebut sangat bermanfaat.
3. Sesuaikan alat permainan dengan usia anak.
4. Berikan alat permainan yang sederhana, jangan terlalu rumit atau terlalu mahal harganya.
Bermain merupakan kegiatan yang sangat penting bagi anak. Melalui bermain seorang anak akan memperoleh berbagai keuntungan sekaligus belajar berbagai hal yang dapat memperluas wawasan, pengetahuan dan keterampilan yang dapat digunakan pada saat dewasa nantinya.

noreply@blogger.com (Rizky_Fryansyah) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:27:00 +0000

Referensi Nikah

Sesungguhnya, apabila seorang suami memandang isterinya (dengan kasih & sayang) dan isterinya juga memandang suaminya (dengan kasih & sayang), maka Allah akan memandang keduanya dengan pandangan kasih & sayang. Dan apabila seorang suami memegangi jemari isterinya (dengan kasih & sayang) maka berjatuhanlah dosa-dosa dari segala jemari keduanya" (HR. Abu Sa'id)

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"Shalat 2 rakaat yang diamalkan orang yang sudah berkeluarga lebih baik, daripada 70 rakaat yang diamalkan oleh jejaka (atau perawan)" (HR. Ibnu Ady dalam kitab Al Kamil dari Abu Hurairah)
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"Dan diantara tanda-tanda kekuasaanNya ialah Dia menciptakan untukmu isteri-isteri dari jenismu sendiri, supaya kamu cenderung dan merasa tenteram kepadanya, dan dijadikanNya diantaramu rasa kasih dan sayang. Sesungguhnya pada yang demikian itu benar-benar terdapat tanda-tanda bagi kaum yang berpikir" (Ar-Ruum 21)

"Dan nikahkanlah orang-orang yang sendirian di antara kamu, dan orang-orang yang layak (menikah) dari hamba sahayamu yang lelaki dan hamba-hamba sahayamu yang perempuan. JIKA MEREKA MISKIN ALLAH AKAN MENGKAYAKAN MEREKA DENGAN KARUNIANYA. Dan Allah Maha Luas (pemberianNya) dan Maha Mengetahui." (An Nuur 32)

"Dan segala sesuatu kami jadikan berpasang-pasangan, supaya kamu mengingat kebesaran Allah" (Adz Dzariyaat 49)

"Janganlah kalian mendekati zina, karena zina itu perbuatan keji dan suatu jalan yang buruk" (Al-Isra 32)

"Dialah yang menciptakan kalian dari satu orang, kemudian darinya Dia menciptakan istrinya, agar menjadi cocok dan tenteram kepadanya" (Al-A'raf 189)

"Wanita-wanita yang keji adalah untuk laki-laki yang keji, dan laki-laki yang keji adalah buat wanita-wanita yang keji (pula), dan wanita-wanita yang baik adalah untuk laki-laki yang baik dan laki-laki yang baik adalah untuk wanita-wanita yang baik (pula)" (An-Nur 26)

"Berikanlah mahar (mas kawin) kepada wanita (yang kamu nikahi) sebagai pemberian dengan penuh kerelaan" ( An Nisaa : 4)

"Nikah itu sunnahku, barangsiapa yang tidak suka, bukan golonganku" (HR. Ibnu Majah, dari Aisyah r.a.)

"Empat macam diantara sunnah-sunnah para Rasul yaitu : berkasih sayang, memakai wewangian, bersiwak dan menikah" (HR. Tirmidzi)

"Janganlah seorang laki-laki berdua-duan (khalwat) dengan seorang perempuan, karena pihak ketiga adalah syaithan" (Al Hadits)

"Wahai para pemuda, siapa saja diantara kalian yang telah mampu untuk kawin, maka hendaklah dia menikah. Karena dengan menikah itu lebih dapat menundukkan pandangan dan lebih menjaga kemaluan. Dan barang siapa yang belum mampu, maka hendaklah dia berpuasa, karena sesungguhnya puasa itu bisa menjadi perisai baginya" (HR. Bukhori-Muslim)

"Janganlah seorang laki-laki dan wanita berkhalwat, sebab syaithan menemaninya. Janganlah salah seorang di antara kita berkhalwat, kecuali wanita itu disertai mahramnya" (HR. Imam Bukhari dan Iman Muslim dari Abdullah Ibnu Abbas ra).

"Barangsiapa yang beriman kepada Allah dan Hari Akhir, hendaklah tidak melakukan khalwat dengan seorang wanita yang tidak disertai mahramnya, karena sesungguhnya yang ketiga adalah syetan" (Al Hadits)

"Dunia ini dijadikan Allah penuh perhiasan, dan sebaik-baik perhiasan hidup adalah istri yang sholihah" (HR. Muslim)

"Jika datang (melamar) kepadamu orang yang engkau senangi agama dan akhlaknya, maka nikahkanlah ia (dengan putrimu). Jika kamu tidak menerima (lamaran)-nya niscaya terjadi malapetaka di bumi dan kerusakan yang luas" (H.R. At-Turmidzi)

"Barang siapa yang diberi istri yang sholihah oleh Allah, berarti telah ditolong oleh-Nya pada separuh agamanya. Oleh karena itu, hendaknya ia bertaqwa pada separuh yang lain" (Al Hadits)

"Jadilah istri yang terbaik. Sebaik-baiknya istri, apabila dipandang suaminya menyenangkan, bila diperintah ia taat, bila suami tidak ada, ia jaga harta suaminya dan ia jaga kehormatan dirinya" (Al Hadits)

"Tiga golongan yang berhak ditolong oleh Allah : a. Orang yang berjihad / berperang di jalan Allah. b. Budak yang menebus dirinya dari tuannya. c. Pemuda / i yang menikah karena mau menjauhkan dirinya dari yang haram" (HR. Tirmidzi, Ibnu Hibban dan Hakim)

"Wahai generasi muda ! Bila diantaramu sudah mampu menikah hendaklah ia nikah, karena mata akan lebih terjaga, kemaluan akan lebih terpelihara" (HR. Bukhari dan Muslim dari Ibnu Mas'ud)

"Kawinlah dengan wanita yang mencintaimu dan yang mampu beranak. Sesungguhnya aku akan membanggakan kamu sebagai umat yang terbanyak" (HR. Abu Dawud)

"Saling menikahlah kamu, saling membuat keturunanlah kamu, dan perbanyaklah (keturunan). Sesungguhnya aku bangga dengan banyaknya jumlahmu di tengah umat yang lain" (HR. Abdurrazak dan Baihaqi)

"Seburuk-buruk kalian, adalah yang tidak menikah, dan sehina-hina mayat kalian, adalah yang tidak menikah" (HR. Bukhari)

"Diantara kamu semua yang paling buruk adalah yang hidup membujang, dan kematian kamu semua yang paling hina adalah kematian orang yang memilih hidup membujang" (HR. Abu Ya¡¦la dan Thabrani)

"Dari Anas, Rasulullah SAW. pernah bersabda : Barang siapa mau bertemu dengan Allah dalam keadaan bersih lagi suci, maka kawinkanlah dengan perempuan terhormat" (HR. Ibnu Majah,dhaif)

"Rasulullah SAW bersabda : Kawinkanlah orang-orang yang masih sendirian diantaramu. Sesungguhnya, Allah akan memperbaiki akhlak, meluaskan rezeki, dan menambah keluhuran mereka" (Al Hadits)

"Barangsiapa yang menikahkan (putrinya) karena silau akan kekayaan lelaki meskipun buruk agama dan akhlaknya, maka tidak akan pernah pernikahan itu dibarakahi-Nya, Siapa yang menikahi seorang wanita karena kedudukannya, Allah akan menambahkan kehinaan kepadanya, Siapa yang menikahinya karena kekayaan, Allah hanya akan memberinya kemiskinan, Siapa yang menikahi wanita karena bagus nasabnya, Allah akan menambahkan kerendahan padanya, Namun siapa yang menikah hanya karena ingin menjaga pandangan dan nafsunya atau karena ingin mempererat kasih sayang, Allah senantiasa memberi barakah dan menambah kebarakahan itu padanya" (HR. Thabrani)

"Janganlah kamu menikahi wanita karena kecantikannya, mungkin saja kecantikan itu membuatmu hina. Jangan kamu menikahi wanita karena harta / tahtanya mungkin saja harta / tahtanya membuatmu melampaui batas. Akan tetapi nikahilah wanita karena agamanya. Sebab, seorang budak wanita yang shaleh, meskipun buruk wajahnya adalah lebih utama" (HR. Ibnu Majah)

"Dari Jabir r.a., Sesungguhnya Nabi SAW. telah bersabda : Sesungguhnya perempuan itu dinikahi orang karena agamanya, kedudukan, hartanya, dan kecantikannya ; maka pilihlah yang beragama" (HR. Muslim dan Tirmidzi)

"Wanita yang paling agung barakahnya, adalah yang paling ringan maharnya" (HR. Ahmad, Al Hakim, Al Baihaqi dengan sanad yang shahih)

"Jangan mempermahal nilai mahar. Sesungguhnya kalau lelaki itu mulia di dunia dan takwa di sisi Allah, maka Rasulullah sendiri yang akan menjadi wali pernikahannya." (HR. Ashhabus Sunan)

"Sesungguhnya berkah nikah yang besar ialah yang sederhana belanjanya (maharnya)" (HR. Ahmad)

"Dari Anas, dia berkata : " Abu Thalhah menikahi Ummu Sulaim dengan mahar berupa keIslamannya" (Ditakhrij dari An Nasa'i)

"Adakanlah perayaan sekalipun hanya memotong seekor kambing." (HR. Bukhari dan Muslim)
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