Friday, January 2, 2009
Israeli airstrike kills a top Hamas leader
The airstrike on Nizar Rayan was the first that succeeded in killing a member of Hamas' highest echelon since Israel began its offensive Saturday. The 49-year-old professor of Islamic law was known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a 2001 suicide mission that killed two Israelis.
The attacks continued Friday. Before dawn, Israeli aircraft hit 15 houses belonging to Hamas militants, Palestinians said. They said the Israelis either warned nearby residents by phone or fired a warning missile to reduce civilian casualties. Twelve people were hurt in the attacks, hospital officials said.
Even as it pursued its bombing campaign, Israel kept the way open for intense efforts by leaders in the Middle East and Europe to arrange a cease-fire. Israel said it would consider a halt to fighting if international monitors were brought in to track compliance with any truce.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
ABU BAKR c.570 - 634 First Caliph
After Mohammed died (632), an assembly of Moslems in Mecca elected Abu Bakr as the first 'khalifat rasul Allah' (successor of the Prophet of God), or caliph.
Under him the collection of Mohammed's revelations was recorded in the Koran. Abu Bakr suppressed tribal uprisings and brought central Arabia under Moslem control, after which he directed Arab armies into Iraq and Syria initiating thus the Moslem conquests.
ABUL ABBAS 722 - 754 Arab Caliph
He eliminated the corrupt power of the Omayyads in Damascus and initiated the dynasty of the Abbasids. Abbas safeguarded his victory by killing most of the surviving members of the Omyyad house.
The Omyyads had governed from Damascus, leaving Mecca only its religious predominance. The Abbasids founded a new city, Baghdad, from which to rule their territories. There remained only one province which refused to recognize the Abbasids, that was Spain. There, one of the few Omayyads to survive founded an independent state in 756.
Islamic Science
In Baghdad Al-Karismi developed the decimal system by using the Indian notion of Zero, and he invented the term 'algebra'. His works were instrumental in introducing the subjects of algebra and Hindu numerals into European mathematics.
Al-Hassan was a famous optician in Cairo who was the first to recognize the optical nerve in the human eye.
Ibn Sina (Avicenna) from Bukhara collected in over 100 books the entire scientific knowledege of his time and is called the 'Prince of Science'. His 'Canon of Medicine' is among the most famous books in the history of medicine.
Al-Biruni of Ghazni traveled in India and corresponded with Ibn Sina. Conversant in Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic Al-Biruni became the most important interpreter of Indian science to Islam. In astronomical works he discussed the theory of the earth's rotation on its axis, and in geography he advanced the visionary view that the Indus valley had once been a sea basin.
Al-Battani of Harran carried out astronomical observations in Syria and wrote on mathematics, improving the calculation for sinus functions. His great astronomical work 'De motu stellarum' exercised a great influence on European astronomy. He determined the exact solar year to within a few seconds of today's estimates.
Abu Kasim was a physician in Cordoba, Spain. He was the most famous physician of his time and he treated patients from all over Europe. He employed vivisection of animals for his research, and wrote a standard text book on surgery.
CONSTANTINE 280 - 337 Roman Emperor
| | |
| Constantine the Great brought the moral force of Christianity to revive the spirit of the declining empire and he decided to create a new capital at Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople. Constantine was brought up at the court of Diocletian. After a series of civil wars Constantine became first western emperor (by his time the empire was ruled by two co-emperors) and then sole emperor (324). He ascribed his success to a vision of a Christian cross and began favourable treatment of Christians. As the Christian church grew in power disputes arose. The dispute over the question of Trinity threatened to split the church. | |
L-GHAZALI 1058 - 1111 Arab Reformer
Al Ghazali was a Muslim jurist, theologian and mystic. He was born in Iran, but educated in Baghdad.
He taught philosophy and religion in Baghdad but later adopted a monastic existence after a spiritual crisis. His influential work 'The Revival of the Religious Sciences' made Sufism (mysticism in Islam) an acceptable part of orthodox Islam.
Al-Ghazali attempted to surmount all the differences between faith and knowledge by rejecting rigid dogmas in Islam. He stressed the importance of genuine Sufism which he maintained was the path to attain the absolute truth. In contrast to al-Farabi (870-950), he portrayed the inability of reason to comprehend the absolute and the infinite
MOHAMMED c.570 - 632 Prophet
Mohammed was the founder and Prophet of Islam and of a political unit at Medina that developed into the Arab empire, or Caliphate.
In 610 Mohammed had a vision in which he was taken on a journey to Jerusalem and thence through the heavens to Allah and instructed in his mission.
In Mecca, he began to preach the omnipotence of Allah, the impending day of judgment, and the necessity of complete obedience to Allah's will. He summed up his message under the name of Islam, that is 'submission to Allah'.
The new Prophet was at first rejected by the people of Mecca and he had to flee to Medina. This event, the 'Hegira' marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar (622). Eventually Mohammed returned to Mecca and then went on to unite all of Arabia under the banner of Islam.
Ranjit Singh 1780-1839 Sikh Leader
Known as 'the Lion of the Punjab' he seized Lahore and made himself maharajah in 1801. His aim to unite all Sikh territories in India was thwarted by the British. He inflicted many defeats on Afghans and Pathans in the 1820s and 1830s, and jointly with the British invaded Afghanistan in 1838.
Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 US President


He succeeded to the presidency in 1900 after the assassination of President McKinley. He acquired the Panama Canal Zone in 1903; left office in 1909, and failed to win back the presidency in 1912.
Adolf Hitler 1889 - 1945 German Politician
| | |
| Hitler was the leader of the National Socialist German Worker's Party (Nazi) and the Fuhrer of the Third Reich. Historically he may be called the most destructive man of the 20th century and his reckless war policy contributed greatly to the decline of Europe as the center of world affairs. In 1933, in the midst of the depression, Hitler's Nazi party won the most seats in the Reichstag (parliament). Shortly after the election the Nazis set the Reichstag building afire and blamed it on the communists. The communists were expelled from parliament, and the remaining deputies granted Hitler dictatorial powers. Hitler immediately eliminated his political opponents and began rearmament. Hitler had long argued that the future of the German race could only be assured by colonizing large territories in the East and settling them with Germans. The expansion of German territory began in 1938 when Hitler's army marched first into Austria, and then into Czechoslovakia. The invasion of Poland in 1939 triggered the second World War, a war that lasted for almost five years and cost the lives of nearly fifty million people. | |
Benjamin Franklin 1706-90 American Statesman
Benjamin Franklin was Ambassador to France 1777-85, and President of Pennsylvania 1785-88.
He was the only man to sign the three most important documents in U.S. history, namely the Declaration of Independence, the Peace Treaty of Paris in 1783, ending the American Revolutionary War, and the Constitution of the United States of America in 1787.
All his life, Franklin used his curiosity in the development of creative and at the same time practical inventions and in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
He was a pioneer in the study of electricity, which he understood to be a type of fluid flowing from a positive to a negativ body. Bifocals, the Odometer, the Franklin Stove, and the Lightening Rod are some of his many inventions.
Sukarno 1901-70 Indonesian Statesman
CHENG-HO c.1371 - c.1433 Chinese Admiral
Chinese admiral and commander of several famous naval expedition.
In 1405 his fleet of 300 ships and 27,000 men visited Vietnam, Siam, Java, Ceylon, and the West coast of India. Returning in 1407, Cheng made six more such voyages in the following 24 years, sailing all the way to Arabia and Egypt. From his voyages Cheng brought home the envoys of over 30 states to pay homage to the Chinese Emperor.
Galilei Galileo 1564 - 1642 Italian Scientist
| | |
| Galileo was renowned for his epochmaking contribution to physics, astronomy, and scientific philosophy. He is regarded as the Chief founder of modern science. Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy. He studied medicine at Pisa University, and became professor of mathematics at Padua, where he improved the refracting telescope, with which he found craters on the moon and the moons of Jupiter. He also observed the phases of Venus which indicated that the planets circled around the sun rather than the earth. | |
Lescot, Pierre c.1510/15 - c. 1571/78
Born in Paris Lescot became one of the greatest architects of France. For the decorations of his buildings he associated himself with the sculptor, Trebatti, a pupil of Michelangelo, and the plastic artist Goujon.
King Francis I appointed him architect of the Louvre in 1546. For remodelling the old bastions of the fortress into a residence three sides of a square court were to be enclosed by living apartments of royal splendour while the fourth or east side was to open with an arcade. Corner pavilions, remarkable for commanding height and adorned by pillars and statues, replaced the medieval towers.
Lescot could only finish the west side and part of the south side. The building of the Louvre was carried on by several masters, and was finally completed under Napoleon I.
Dore, Gustave 1832-1883
French artist and book illustrator
Gustave Dore provided many literary masterpieces with dramatic and inventive illustrations. These include the Bible, the works of Rabelais and Balzac, Dante's 'Divine Comedy' and Cervantes' 'Don Quixote'.
For some years Dore was a constant contributor to the 'Journal pour Rire'. Later in life he devoted himself to the production of large pictures on religious subjects, such as 'The Dream of Pilate's Wife','The Entry into Jerusalem', and 'Ecce Homo'.perahu yang terbelah
Beberapa hari kemudian seorang wanita tua melihat Tono, dan secara tidak sengaja salah mengenalinya sebagai Tino yang kehilangan istrinya itu.
Kata wanita itu kepada Tono, “Saya turut sedih atas kehilangan anda. Anda pasti merasa sedih.”
Nah si Tono mengira bahwa wanita itu berbicara tentang perahu dayungnya itu, menjawab “Sebenarnya sih saya bisa dibilang malah senang karena bisa menyingkirkannya. Dia sudah amat tua sekali bahkan sudah jelek dari pertama kalinya. Bagian bawahnya sudah lapuk dan berbau amis sekali.
Bagian punggungnyapun sudah sangat jelek dan lubang di bagian depannya sudah sangat lebar. Setiap kali aku menggunakannya, lubangnya bertambah besar dan dia bocor tidak karuan. Saya kira yang mengakhirinya adalah ketika saya menyewakan dia kepada 4 orang pemuda yang sedang bersenang-senang tempo hari.
Saya sudah memperingatkan mereka bahwa dia sudah tidak begitu enak dipakai tapi mereka masih juga mau menggunakannya. Mereka berempat mencoba masuk ke dalam bersamaan dan akhirnya dia terbelah persis di tengah-tengah.”
Wanita tua itupun pingsan…
Kenapa harus bola hitam dan putih????????
Ceritanya ada seorang anak cowok tunggal yang ditinggal mati nyokapnya pas
ngelahirin dia. Sejak itu bokapnya jadi amat sangat workaholic sekali dan nggak married2 lagi.
Ini anak tapi baek hati dan lemah lembut walopun cuma bareng pengasuh aja.
Pas TK, sementara anak2 laen udah punya sepeda dia masih jalan kaki.
Pengasuhnya ngadu ke bokapnya, "Tuan, nggak kasian sama den Bagus ? Masa sepeda nggak punya... apa tuan juga nggak malu?"
Iya..nih..bokapnya tuh tajir banget deh. Punya sekian perusahaan.. maka
dipanggillah si anak, ditawarin mau sepeda yang kayak gimana merek apa..dan
si anak cuma bilang, "Nggak usah repot2 pi, aku dibeliin bola item bola putih aja.."
Lho kok gitu? Bingung dong bokapnya. "Kenapa bola item dan putih?"
"Nggak usah diterangin deh pi. Kalo papi punya uang yaa..beliin itu aja."
Yah, mengingat mereka nggak pernah ngobrol, jadi papinya nerima2 aja. Nggak
berminat lanjutin, maka dibeliin lah tu anak sepeda generasi terbaru saat
itu, yang paling canggih, plus bola item dan bola putih.
Trus ni anak masuk SD lah. Pas itu musim sepatu roda. Sekian lama pengasuh
pratiin, ni anak nggak minta2 dibeliin sepatu roda sama papinya. Sore2 cuma
duduk aja. Sepedanya juga ditaruh di gudang. Lagi nggak musim.
Pengasuhnya laporan pandangan mata dong ke tuannya hingga si anak dipanggil lagi. "Nak, kamu mau dibeliin sepatu roda kayak temen2 kamu? kok nggak bilang2 papi. Nggak masalah cuma beli sepatu roda aja...".
Si anak bilang,"nggak pi, bola item dan bola putih saya udah rusak..
dibeliin lagi aja..nggak usah beli sepatu roda. Lagian lebih murah bola kan
pi?" Yee..si papi geram dong. Ni anak ngeremehin papinya sendiri, atau sok
merendah ? So, tetep si papi beliin sepatu roda, plus bola item dan bola putih.
Selang beberapa taun, ni anak masuk SMP. Cerita sama terulang. Sekarang
temen2nya musim rollerblade. Tren baru.
Sementara sore hari, dia masih setia sama sepatu rodanya.
Pas bokapnya pulang dari luar negri dan ngeliat anaknya doang yang pake
sepatu roda, si papi malu banget. Gila, rumah gedong, perusahaan banyak,
keluar negri terus...eeh anaknya ketinggalan jaman.
Besoknya, di kamar anaknya udah ada sepasang roller blade baru dengan note:
"Biar kamu nggak malu".
Malemnya di ruang kerja papinya ada note balesan: "Pi, kok nggak beliin bola
item dan bola putih? Aku lebih suka itu."
Weleh, si papi pas liat note itu dongkol tambah bingung. Apaan sih
istimewanya bola item dan bola putih?
Emang bisa bikin die beken atau nge-tren? Besoknya dan besoknya lagi si papi
berkali2 nemuin note itu...hingga dia nggak tahan dan membelikan anaknya
bola item dan bola putih untuk kesekian kalinya. Bener, setelah dapet tu
bola, si anak nggak ngerongrong bokapnya lagi.
Pas SMA, yang jaraknya rada jauh, si anak masih berbis ria, temen2nya udah
ada yang bawa motor en mobil ke sekolahan.
Suatu hari, tumben papinya di rumah, si anak pulang dianterin temennya yang
mau ditebengin. Papi malu banget.
Masa cuma untuk anak satu nggak bisa beliin mobil? Maka ditawarin anaknya.
Si anak nolak dengan alasan mobil kurang praktis, lagian pengen bola item
bola putih aja. Si bapak nggak terima penolakan. Karna anaknya udah gede,
bisa berunding.
Hingga tercetus keputusan si anak dibeliin motor plus bola item dan bola
putih tentunya. Dan si bapak kesel juga dunk.
Udah berapa taun dia beberapa kali beliin dua macem bola itu tanpa tau
kenapa.
Tapi si anak nggak ada keinginan dan kemauan ngasih tau sih.
Hingga tibalah masa kuliah. Karna seneng dan bangga masuk PTN, si anak
dikadoin mobil. Sampe beberapa bulan si anak masih naek motoor aja. Kuliah,
pacaran, naek motor aja.
Pacarnya juga bingung, kan dia punya mobil? Ditanya sama pacarnya, dijawab,
abis papi nggak beliin bola item bola putih. Nggak ngerti anak sendiri sih!
So, pas makan malem bersama, si pacar bilang sama papi, kenapa si oom nggak beliin bola item bola putih. Si papi sebenernya sensitif sama para bola itu..huh..sampe pacar anak gue nyuruh2..ditanya dong kenapa.
Si pacar bilang kalo mobilnya nggak akan dipake selama nggak dikasih bola
itu juga. Papi bingung dong, di kamar anaknya udah segitu banyak bola item
bola putih. Buat apa sih, pikir papi. Tapi demi gengsi, anak orang lho yang
nanya, maka besoknya udah ada bola item bola putih buat anaknya.
Suatu hari anaknya gaul ke puncak bawa mobil, sama pacarnya.
Yah, namanya anak muda, pas lagi di jalan, si pacar nyium dia en dia jadi
grogi dan kecelakaan!!! Segera di bawa ke rumah sakit si papi juga ditelpon
sama rumah sakitnya.
Tabrakannya parah. Mereka berdua nggak ada yang pake seatbelt, yang cewek mati seketika dan ni cowok udah sekarat.
Si papi dateng ke RS.."gimana dok, anak saya?"
Dokter (dengan tampang empati penuh duka cita) :"Maaf pak, kami tidak dapat berbuat banyak.. sepertinya memang sudah waktunya... sebaiknya bapak manfaatkan waktu terakhir.."
Perlahan si bapak masuk, nyamperin anaknya. "Pap, maafin saya..nggak hati2
bawa mobilnya.."
Si anak juga nangis karna pacarnya nggak tertolong. Si papi nenangin
dia...akrablah dua manusia itu beberapa saat. Hingga si papi beranggapan ini
saat terakhir. Dia inget penasaran dia tentang kenapa si anak selama ini
selalu minta bola item bola putih.
"Nak, maafin papi selama ini yang selalu sibuk..kamu jadi kesepian..maafin
papi, nak. Nggak sempet jadi orang tua yang baik."
Anaknya jawab,"nggak apa-apa pi, saya ngerti kok..Cuma sempet kesel kalo
papi punya uang lebih malah beliin yang macem2....saya cuma minta bola item
dan bola putih aja kan?"
Si papi rasa timing-nya tepat nih, "KENAPA SIH KAMU SELALU MINTA BOLA ITEM BOLA PUTIH... ADA APA DENGAN BOLA2 ITU?"
(pembaca juga penasaran ya..?)
Si anak jawab dengan terpatah2 dan susah banget, abis udah sekarat dan
masanya udah hampir sampe... "sebab pi...saya..."
*hep*
Kepalanya rebah dan nafasnya ilang. Si anak udah meninggal sebelum kasih tau
papinya.
Nah, si papi aja yang udah hidup bareng anaknya nggak tau...apalagi saya
yang cuma bercerita?
penasaran kan...saya juga korban hehhehe....
Naek Unta
Ia pergi dengan heli pribadi'a..
Saat ada angin kencang,,,, wuuusssshh, heli pun terguncang, dan pak Kardi jatuh..
Whhooooooaa.....
Geebbrrruuuuukkk... Adduuuuhh.. Ia jatuh di dekat seorang penjual unta, di gurun..
Pak Kardi bingung,, ahh, gmn niech??
Dia mendekati sang penjual unta untuk membelinya dan dijadikan alat transportasi..
Untung lah si penjual unta mau menerima uang rupiah..
Pak Kardi berusaha mengatakan "berapa harga unta ini??" dengan menggunakan bhs isayrat, karena ia tak bisa berbahasa Arab..
"Hmmm. 11,5 juta rufiah.."
"Ebuseedd!! 9 juta?"
"11 Juta.."
"9 juta??
"10,5 juta"
"9 juta..?"
"10 juta?
"9 juta??"
"9,5 juta??"
"9 juta!!!" kata pak Kardi mulai kesal..
Baiklah, 9 juta..
Yyyeeeee, punya unta... Bagaimana mengendalikannya..?
"Belok kanan= Insya Allah
Belok kiri= Subhanallah
Maju= Alhamdulillah
Mundur= Laillahailallah..
Stop= Innalilahi" jelas si penjual.
Baiklah!!
Bismillah..
Alhamdulillah!! Sang unta pun berlari kencang..
Yee..
Alhamdulillah!!! Si unta lebih kencang..
Subhanallah!! si unta belok kiri..
Weeehh,, asik!!
Gak sadar, mereka sampai di sebuah jutang yang dalem bbuuuuanngggggeeetttt...
Innalillahi!!!
Chiiiiiittt,, si unta berenti mendadak
Pfuhh,, selamat,, Alhamdulillah....
Waaa. dya lupa, bhw "ALHAMDULILLAH" ADALAH PERINTAH BAGI UNTA UNTUK MAJU!!
Mereka pun masuk ke jurang..
Interview
C : calon pegawai
——————
H : Kamu sudah punya rumah ?
C : Belum pak !
H : Wah nggak bisa diterima di sini
C : Lho kok gitu .. ?
H : Pasti nanti kamu ngajuin utang ke perusahaan.
C : Ah.. nggak kok, sebenarnya khan ortu saya cukup kaya pak
H : Oh gitu … malah nggak keterima
C : Lho kok gitu …..?
H : Kayaknya kamu kerja Cuma hiburan .. nggak bener2 .. malah godain karyawan cewek
———— ——— ———
H : Kamu punya motor nggak ?
C : Nggak, pak.
H : Wah nggak keterima
C : Lho kok gitu … ?
H : Soalnya nanti kamu pasti minta bantuan kredit.
C : Sebenarnya punya sih, tetapi di kampung. Nanti bisa saya bawa ke sini
H : Wah malah nggak diterima….
C : lho kok ?
H : Soalnya tempat parkirnya sudah nggak cukup
———— ——— ———
H : kamu sudah lulus sarjana beneran….. ?
c : Sudah pak….
H : Ya sudah, nggak diterima ?
c : Sebenarnya masih belum sih …. masih selesaikan skripsi
H : Malah ga keterima…..
c : Lho gimana sih bapak ini ….?
H : Nanti kerjaanmu Cuma ngetik skripsi, setelah lulus malah nglamar tempat lain.
———— ——— ———
H : Kamu suka bercanda nggak ?
C : Nggak pak, saya serius kalau kerja.
H : Ndak diterima …..
C : waa……kok gitu ?
H : nanti temen2mu pada stress.
C : Sebenarnya sih sedikit2 saya juga senang bercanda
H : Malah nggak diterima .
C : Lho kok……
H : Nanti kerjaanmu cuma bikin email emailan yang lucu…….
———— ——— ———
H : Tadi kamu naik apa ke sini ?
C : naik mobil pak
H : Wah ya ndak diterima
C : Kenapa gitu ?
H : Lho jelas … BBM naik terus. Nanti kamu minta gaji naik teus
C : Lha saya tadi Cuma numpang temen kok
H : Tambah nggak diterima
C : Lho, kok … ?
H : Lebih jelas … nanti kamu suka nebeng mobil kantor…ngrepotin!
———— ——— ———
H : Anakmu berapa ?
C : lima pak
H : wah ya ndak diterima di sini
C : Kenapa gitu ?
H : Lha... kerja saja blm beres kok bikin anak banyak2.
C : Lha... anak itu saya adopsi, kok.
H : Tambah nggak diterima
C : Lho kok … ?
H : Bikin anak saja ogah2an, apalagi kerja keras
———— ——— ———
H : Kamu sudah tahu pekerjaanmu ?
C : Belum
H : Ya jelas nggak diterima
C : Lho kok gitu ?
H : Lha kamu mau kerja belum ngerti apa yang mau dikerjakan ?
C : ya…secara garis besar tahulah pak ….
H : Tambah nggak keterima
C : Lho, lha kok … ?
H : Yang tahu garis besar itu Cuma bos… Memangnya kamu mau jadi boss ??
———— ——— ———
H : Kamu sering sakit nggak ?
C : Nggak pak
H : Lha nggak keterima
C : Kok aneh ?
H : Kalau nggak pernah sakit berarti kamu banyak waktu olah raga … berarti kerjamu kurang.
C : Wah, sebenarnya agak sering juga flu ..
H : Tambah nggak keterima
C : Lho, kok … ?
H : Kantor ini khan bukan untuk orang sakit-sakitan.
———— ——— ———
H : Kamu bisa Internet ?
C : Nggak bisa pak
H : Ya nggaka keterima
C : kenapa pak ?
H : Perusahaan tidak terima orang2 BI (Buta Internet)
C : Sebenarnya bisa sih pak
H : Tambah nggak keterima
C : Lho, lha kok … ?
H : Pasti kamu nggak akan kerja … internetan terus. Habis2in pulsa saja
———— ——— ———
H: Kamu sebenarnya waras nggak ?
C : Lha? ya waras Pak.
H : Nggak diterima .
C : Kok aneh pak …..?
H : Pasti nggak kerasan di sini karena di sini gila2 …
C : Saya juga rada gila kok pak …
H : Malah nggak diterima ..
C : Lho gimana sih pak ….?
H : Nanti jadi sainganku… ……
