Batik

Batik (Javanese pronunciation: [ˈbateʔ]; Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈbaːtik]; English: /ˈbætɪk/ or /bəˈtiːk/) is cloth which traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Due to modern advances in the textile industry, the term has been extended to include fabrics which incorporate traditional batik patterns even if they are not produced using the wax-resist dyeing techniques. Silk batik is especially popular.[citation needed]
Javanese traditional batik, especially from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, has special meanings rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colours include indigo, dark brown, and white which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahmā, Visnu, and Śiva). This is related to the fact that natural dyes are only available in indigo and brown. Certain patterns can only be worn by nobility; traditionally, wider stripes or wavy lines of greater width indicated higher rank. Consequently, during Javanese ceremonies, one could determine the royal lineage of a person by the cloth he or she was wearing.
Other regions of Indonesia have their own unique patterns which normally take themes from everyday lives, incorporating patterns such as flowers, nature, animals, folklore or people. The colours of pesisir batik, from the coastal cities of northern Java, is especially vibrant, and it absorbs influence from the Javanese, Chinese and Dutch culture. In the colonial times pesisir batik was a favorite of the Peranakan Chinese, Dutch and Eurasians.[citation needed]
Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are also found in several countries such as Malaysia, Japan, China, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore. Malaysian batik often displays plants and flowers in basic patterns.

China marks 60 years with spectacle of power

China celebrated its wealth and rising might with a show of goose-stepping troops, gaudy floats and nuclear-capable missiles in Beijing on Thursday, 60 years after Mao Zedong proclaimed its embrace of communism.
Tiananmen Square in central Beijing became a high-tech stage to celebrate the birth of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, with the Communist Party leadership and guests watching a meticulously disciplined show of national confidence.
Celebrations began in the morning with troops firing cannons and raising the red national flag while President Hu Jintao, wearing a slate grey "Mao" suit, looked on from the Gate of Heavenly Peace over the Square.
Hu descended to Beijing's main thoroughfare and inspected rows of troops, riding past them in a black limousine and bellowing repeatedly, "Hello comrades, hard-working comrades!"
"From here it was that Chairman Mao solemnly announced the founding of the People's Republic of China, and from then the Chinese people stood up," Hu told the guests and troops.
"Today a socialist China embracing modernization, embracing the world and embracing the future stands lofty and firm."
The two-hour parade of 8,000 soldiers, tanks and missiles, 60 elaborate floats and 100,000 well-drilled civilians was a proud moment for many Chinese citizens, watching the spectacle across the country on television. Later in the evening, Tiananmen Square will be lit up with a huge fireworks display.
"I am very proud of the military today. You can see we are getting stronger and stronger as a nation," said Qiu Chengjie, a 25-year-old businessman from southern Guangdong province.
The government also wanted the day of extraordinary spectacle and security to make the case that its formula of strict one-party control and rapid growth remains the right one for hauling the world's third-biggest economy into prosperity.
China has enjoyed growing economic and diplomatic sway in the wake of the global financial crisis, but its leaders remain nervous about their grip on power and international standing.
The surprises of the last six decades -- including upheavals like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution -- have not deterred an army of pundits from trying to peer into China's future, making forecasts not just a few years ahead, but decades.
"China is poised to have more impact on the world over the next 20 years than any other country," the U.S. National Intelligence Council's "Global Trends 2025" report said.
The soldiers goose-stepping past at exactly 116 steps a minute carried the theme that the Party knows how to run a show -- and a huge country.
"This was for the leaders, for them to show they're in command, so everything was completely controlled," Zhang Ming, a historian at Renmin University in Beijing, told Reuters.
"Ordinary people will feel excited and proud, but in the end the public was not a part of this. This was for the leadership to show them and the world they are fully in charge."
MILITARY MUSCLE
Beijing also brandished its military muscle, with a flyover and show of weapons, including rows of what state TV said were Dongfeng 31 missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads more than 10,000 km (5,400 miles).
China is spending billions of dollars modernizing its 2.3 million strong military to make it more high-tech and flexible. Two sources with ties to the People's Liberation Army have told Reuters that China aims to cut its army by 700,000 over two to three years while boosting the navy and air force.
But the overwhelming security controls highlighted a central paradox of present-day China. The government claims it has never been stronger and closer to its people, yet appears afraid of even small incidents that could tarnish its authority.
Even as the displays celebrated the People's Republic, security cordons prevented residents from seeing the parade, with central Beijing emptied of all passers-by.
"It's not really for us ordinary people, is it?" said Wang Chenggong, a migrant worker from rural central Henan province trying to watch a TV near a crowded streetside stall.
Residents on the parade route were banned from peeking out their windows.
"Go home! Leave now! Go watch TV at home!" a policeman yelled through a bullhorn at a crowd gathering miles from the square.
After the military parade, floats lauding China's history, achievements and regions passed by.
They included a farm produce float with two model cows; one showing China's space programme with a lunar orbiter; and an Olympic Games display with a model of the Bird's Nest stadium.
China is a country of yawning social contradictions, with hundreds of millions of farming families living in dirt-poor hardship despite the rapid economic growth, and restive ethnic minorities in the western Tibet and Xinjiang regions.

Indonesia quake toll rises to 531 dead

PADANG, Indonesia – Rescue workers pulled victims, some screaming in pain, from the heavy rubble of buildings felled by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 531 people. The death toll was expected to rise.
The brunt of Wednesday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake, which originated in the sea off Sumatra island, appeared to have been borne by Padang town where 376 people were killed. Four other districts accounted for the remaining deaths.
The region was jolted by another powerful earthquake Thursday morning, causing damage but no reported fatalities.
More than 500 buildings including hotels, schools, hospitals and a mall were destroyed or damaged in Padang. Thousands of people were believed to be trapped in the rubble. Workers used backhoes to shift debris.
"Oh God, help me! help me!" Friska Yuniwati, a 30-year-old woman, screamed in pain, as she was carried to an ambulance in downtown Padang. She had been pulled out minutes earlier from the rubble of a house, her face covered in bruises and eyes shut.
Padang's state-run Djamil Hospital was overwhelmed by the influx of victims and families. Dozens of injured people were being treated under tents outside the hospital, which was itself partly damaged.
"Let's not underestimate (the disaster). Let's be prepared for the worst. We will do everything we can to help the victims," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Jakarta before flying to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 and capital of West Sumatra province.
A total of 531 people were confirmed dead and 440 were seriously injured, the Social Affairs Ministry's crisis center said. Thousands were believed trapped, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center.
One focus for emergency workers was a collapsed 4-story concrete building in downtown Padang, where 30 children had been taking classes when the quake struck. Four students were found alive and six bodies were dug from the rubble. Dozens were missing, said Jamil, a volunteer. "It's getting very difficult now to find more victims," he said.
Parents of missing students stayed up all night, waiting for signs of life.
"My daughter's face keeps appearing in my eyes ... my mind. I cannot sleep, I'm waiting here to see her again," a woman who identified herself only as Imelda said, tears rolling down her face. She said her 12-year-old daughter Yolanda was in the school for science lessons.
"She is a good daughter and very smart. I really love her. Please, God help her," she said.
In another building, rescue workers passed a plastic bottle of water through an opening in the rubble to a person trapped underneath.
The president ordered the military to deploy emergency response teams from Jakarta, West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces. He said the military will provide earth-moving equipment to clear the rubble.
SurfAid, a New Zealand-based medical aid group, said its program director David Lange narrowly escaped death when he fled the Ambacang Hotel minutes before it collapsed.
"People are trapped and screaming for help but they are below huge slabs which will take heavy equipment to move," Lange was quoted as saying in a statement by SurfAid.
"I saw dozens of the biggest buildings collapsed in town. Most of the damage is concentrated in the commercial center market, which was fully packed," he said.
At least 80 people were missing at the five-story Ambacang Hotel, said Indra, a paramedic who uses only one name.
Terrified residents who spent a restless night, many sleeping outdoors, were jolted by the new quake Thursday morning.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit about 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Padang. It damaged 1,100 buildings, including mosques and homes, in the town of Jambi, according to Mayor Hasfiah, who uses only one name like many Indonesians. He said there were no deaths but dozens of people were injured.
The quake was so powerful that it caused buildings to sway hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in Malaysia and Singapore. In Padang, children screamed as thousands of frantic residents fled in cars and motorbikes, honking horns. They feared the quake would trigger a tsunami, but no giant waves struck.
The quake severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, and the extent of damage in surrounding areas was still unclear.
Indonesia, a poor, sprawling nation, sits on a major geological fault zone and is frequently hit by earthquakes. The latest quakes were along the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen nations.
Geologists said the Indonesia quakes were not related to another deadly quake Tuesday that hit islands in the South Pacific.
Padang's mayor appealed for assistance on Indonesian radio station el-Shinta.
"We are overwhelmed with victims and ... lack of clean water, electricity and telecommunications," Mayor Fauzi Bahar said. "We really need help. We call on people to come to Padang to evacuate bodies and help the injured."
Finance minister Sri Mulyani said the government has allocated $25 million for a two-month emergency response. She said the earthquake will seriously affect Indonesia's economic growth, because West Sumatra is a main producer of crude palm oil.
"This region has been damaged seriously, including its infrastructure," Mulyani said.

Empire State Building lit for China, drawing ire

Red and yellow lights shone from the top of the Empire State Building at dusk Wednesday, a tribute to communist China's 60th anniversary that protesters labeled "blatant approval" of totalitarianism and criticized as inappropriate for an icon in the land of the free.
The building is routinely lit with different colors to mark holidays and big events, but opponents questioned whether it's right to commemorate a sensitive political issue, particularly when China has such a poor human rights record.
About 20 supporters of Tibet, which China has ruled since shortly after communists took over in 1949, protested outside the building during a ceremonial lighting of a scale model inside the lobby. They chanted "No to China's empire; free Tibet now," and held signs reading, "Empire State Building celebrating 60 years of China's oppression."
Lhadon Tethong, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, called the lighting "outright, blatant approval for a communist totalitarian system."
"It's a great public relations coup for the Chinese state," Tethong said as tourists gawked at the protesters. "But on the other hand, it's sure to backfire because the American public and the global public will speak against it."
At the lobby ceremony, building manager Joseph Bellina called the lights a high honor and said he was proud of the relationship between "our countries and our people."
Chinese Consul General Peng Keyu, who pulled the switch on the glass-encased model, said he was "honored and delighted."
He said China's reforms of the past 30 years have led to greater openness and "tremendous change."
Keyu and Bellina didn't address critics and declined to answer questions.
Journalist and blogger Marc Masferrer questioned legitimizing a government that continues to repress its citizens' freedoms, including their access to media and the Internet.
"I don't think one of our great landmarks should be turned into a platform to honor a regime and a system responsible for as much tragedy and all the other things that come with a repressive system," he told The Associated Press.
Masferrer pointed out that this year is also the 20th anniversary of the violently crushed student-led movement in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The People's Liberation Army is believed to have killed hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters.
Politicians united in their disdain.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, said the lights should not be used to pay tribute to what he called "an oppressive regime" with a "shameful history on human rights."
Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said it was "a sad day for New York."
"I am strongly opposed to it or any commemoration of the Communist Chinese revolution. It's one thing to acknowledge the government; it's totally immoral to honor it."
The lights atop the building, which is owned by W&H Properties, are often are changed. For example, Italian colors — red, white and green — commemorate Columbus Day, while green, white and orange are displayed for the India Day parade.
For the Chinese anniversary, the lights were to remain on through early Thursday

Bagai seorang bocah kecil tanpa duka

Hati ini terus mendendangkan rasa yang ada

Terkenang semua kenangan Yang telah aku lewati

Bersamanya dirinya yang tidak lagi mempunyai rasa
Mulai ku buka lembar baru

Dalam Buku kehidupan ini

Mencatat sesuatu yang membuatku biru

Melupakan semua derita yang telah teralami
Aku ingin bahagia menjalani hidup ini memulai buka misteri hidup dan cintaku dan berharap semua adalah cerita dongeng yang indah yang membuat hari ini selalu indah
Ku mulai berlari menyusur cerita ini

Mengisi dengan nyanyi keceriaan hati

Bersama orang-orang yang menyayangi

Tidak untuk tersakiti lagi
Bagai seorang bocah kecil tanpa duka

Ku terus Menari dan menyanyi bahagiaTanpa ada air mata, hanya tawa ceria

Memberi warna dalam hidup dengan penuhmakna

Membuat diriku ini selalu bahagia Dalam Kesendirianku,

Menikmati kebahagian hati
d perantauan ku
Di saat malam yang sepi

Entah mengapa bergetar keras hati ini

Cucuran keringat mengalir membasahi Ku tak mengerti apa yang sedang terjadi

Yang ada hanya rasa sesal di hati???
Di perantauanku , kumencoba memejamkan mata ini

Wajah mu yang suci selalu datang membayangi

Mama ingin kuberlari menemui mu malam ini namun Perasaan bersalah selalu menahan kaki ku ini

Rasa ini membuatku tak mampu lagi tuk berdiri Andaikan kudapat kesempatan tuk kembali lagi………
Seiring waktu yang menemani malam ku yang panjang ini

Entah mengapa ku rindu tuk kembali ke rumah yang telah lama ku tinggal pergi

Tanpa ada rasa takut yang mengganjal di hati

Yang ingin ku lakukan saat ini hanya pulang dan mengakui semua yang telah terjadi

Oh Mama yang sangat kucintai,ampunilah anak mu yang bersalah ini
d prjalananku
rasa sepi yang telah lama kupendam kini muncul lagi

Oh….Tuhan kemana lagi harus kucari

Bagai memasuki alam mimpi yang tak bertepi.kumencari arti hidup ini

Yang membuat ku tuk tetap bertahan di sini,di dunia yang Engkau sayangi

Sampai kapankah ku harus mempertahankan semua ini,biarlah semua ini menjadi misteri

Untuk Kau sahabat yang kukasihi tetaplah berdiri,bersama kita

Gapai mimpi ini , krn mungkin esok kita kan temui apa yang kita cari

Indah nya cahaya sang mentari esok

Akan menjadi penerang bagi jalan ku untuk mengapai mimpi

Rasa sakit menjalar dalam tubuh dan jiwa ini

Tapi ku tak akan pernah berhenti tuk mengapai mimpi ini

Oh Tuhan bimbinglah kami yang sedang mencari arti hidup ini

JaLaN HiDuP

Alangkah indah hari ini
Langit cerah disertai awan putih mendamaikan hati
Langkahku kini sudah mulai berarti
Entah apa yang akan terjadi
NamunKu kan tetap berlari sampai habis waktuku ini
Untuk semua impian mereka yang kucintai

Rasa sakit dan penat begitu menyiksa tubuh dan bathin ku ini
Namun
Itu semua tak akan lebih berarti untuk impian hidup ini
Akankah kudapat bertahan melalui kerasnya kehidupan ini
Waktu yang akan berbicara
Andai ku bisa memilih kan kucari perjalanan hidup yang lain
Namun ku tetap mensyukuri karena ini kehendak sang Ilahi

Tsunami in South Pacific islands kills nearly 100

APIA, Samoa – A massive tsunami hurled by a powerful earthquake flattened Samoan villages and swept cars and people out to sea, killing at least 99 and leaving dozens missing Wednesday. The toll was expected to rise.
Survivors fled the fast-churning water for higher ground on the South Pacific islands and remained huddled there hours after the quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn Tuesday.
The quake was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Samoa, an island nation of 180,000 people located about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. It was about 120 miles (190 kilometers) from neighboring American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people.
Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman.
The same day, western Indonesia was rocked by a strong underwater quake, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean and sending panicked residents out of their houses. The alert was later canceled.
The Samoan capital, Apia, was virtually deserted by afternoon, with schools and businesses closed. Hours after the waves struck, fresh sirens rang out with another tsunami alert and panicked residents headed for higher ground again, although there was no indication of a new quake.
In American Samoa's capital of Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort continued into the night. Several buildings in the city — just a few feet above sea level — were flattened. Several areas were expected to be without electricity for up to a month.
In Washington, President Obama has declared a major disaster for American Samoa.
In a statement issued early Wednesday, Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, "will keep those who have lost so much in our thoughts and prayers."
Hampered by power and communications outages, officials in the South Pacific islands struggled to determine damage and casualties.
Samoan police commissioner Lilo Maiava told The Associated Press that police there had confirmed 63 deaths but that officials were still searching the devastated areas, so the number of deaths might rise soon.
At least 30 people were killed on American Samoa, Gov. Togiola Tulafono said, adding that the toll was expected to rise as emergency crews were recovering bodies overnight.
"I don't think anybody is going to be spared in this disaster," said Tulafono, who was in Hawaii for a conference. He added that a member of his extended family was among the dead in the disaster.
Authorities in Tonga confirmed at least six additional people dead in the island nation west of the Samoas, New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Bill English said. He said Tongan officials told him that four people were missing after the tsunami swept ashore on the northern island of Niua.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Seven Network in Australia that two Australians had died, including a 6-year-old girl. The British Foreign Office said one Briton was missing and presumed dead.
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi looked shaken Wednesday on board a flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to the Samoan capital of Apia.
"So much has gone. So many people are gone," he told reporters on board. "I'm so shocked, so saddened by all the loss."
Malielegaoi said his own village of Lepa was destroyed.
"Thankfully, the alarm sounded on the radio and gave people time to climb to higher ground," he said. "But not everyone escaped."
Gov. Tulafono said that because the closeness of the community, "each and every family is going to be affected by someone who's lost their life." He spoke to reporters before boarding a Coast Guard C-130 plane in Hawaii to return home. The plane, which also carried officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and aid, was scheduled to arrive at about 7 a.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT; 1800 GMT). The U.S. disaster agency said it was also preparing supplies stored in Hawaii for transport to the island chain.
A New Zealand P3 Orion maritime surveillance airplane had reached the region Wednesday afternoon and had searched for survivors off the coast, he said. It was expected to resume searching at first light.
The Samoa Red Cross estimated that about 15,000 people were affected by the tsunami.
New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the Samoan beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled.
"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here."
Residents in both Samoa and American Samoa reported being shaken awake by the quake early Tuesday, which lasted two to three minutes and was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) below the ocean floor. It was followed by at least three large aftershocks of at least 5.6 magnitude.
The quake came Tuesday morning for the Samoas, which lie just east of the international dateline. For Asia-Pacific countries on the other side of the line, it was already Wednesday.
The dominant industry in American Samoa — tuna canneries — was also affected. Chicken of the Sea's tuna packing plant in American Samoa was forced to close although the facility wasn't damaged, the San Diego-based company said.
The effects of the tsunami could be felt nearly 5,000 miles away (7,500 kilometers) on a Japanese island, though there were no reports of damage or injuries there.
U.S. officials said strong currents and dangerous waves were forecast from California to Washington state. No major flooding was expected, however. In Los Angeles, lifeguards said they would clear beaches at about 8 p.m.
While the earthquake and tsunami were big, they were not on the same scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, said Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle. That tsunami killed more than 230,000 in a dozen countries across Asia.
___
Sagapolutele reported from Pago Pago, American Samoa. Associated Press writers Ray Lilley in Wellington, New Zealand; Jaymes Song and Herbert A. Sample in Honolulu and Seth Borenstein and Michele Salcedo in Washington contributed to this report.

Pilihan atau Kesempatan

Ketika kita bertemu orang yang tepat untuk dicintai, ketika kita berada di tempat pada saat yang tepat. Itulah kesempatan.
Ketika kita bertemu dengan seseorang yang membuatmu tertarik. Itu bukan pilihan, itu kesempatan.
Bertemu dalam suatu peristiwa bukanlah pilihan, itupun adalah kesempatan.
Bila kita memutuskan untuk mencintai orang tersebut, bahkan dengan segala kekurangannya. Itu bukan kesempatan, itu adalah pilihan.
Ketika kita memilih bersama dengan seseorang walaupun apapun yang terjadi. Itu adalah pilihan.
Bahkan ketika kita menyadari bahwa masih banyak orang lain yang lebih menarik, lebih pandai, lebih kaya daripada pasanganmu
Dan tetap memilih untuk mencintainya, itulah pilihan.
Perasaan cinta, simpatik, tertarik, datang bagai kesempatan pada kita. Tetapi cinta sejati yang abadi adalah pilihan. Pilihan yang kita lakukan.
Kita mungkin kebetulan bertemu pasangan jiwa kita, tetapi mencintai dan tetap bersama pasangan jiwa kita, adalah pilihan yang harus kita lakukan.
Kita ada di dunia bukan untuk mencari seseorang yang sempurna untuk dicintai TETAPI untukbelajar mencintai orang yang tidak sempurna dengan cara yang sempurna.

"Merokok Itu Bahaya"

Wanita merokok adalah a big NO NO, semua orang tahu itu. Apalagi merokok di kala hamil! Tapi tidak fair kalau tidak ada yang menulis positifnya merokok, setidaknya di antara puluhan juta orang Indonesia yang tidak merokok ada puluhan juta juga yang kecanduan, yang tentunya akan senang membaca tulisan ini. Apa positifnya merokok?

Merasakan Jadi Orang Kaya

Robinhood mencuri dari si kaya untuk dibagi-bagikan kepada si miskin. Nah, perokok adalah ibaratnya orang kaya yang diambil duitnya oleh Robinhood (bea cukai), kalau petugas bea cukainya jujur dan mengabdi, jutaan rakyat ikut merasakan duit para perokok. Tidak bisa dipungkiri, perokok menyumbang banyak pendapatan daerah dari cukai bandrol. Selain bandrol, rokok juga menghasil pajak penghasilan yang cukup sinifikan, lihat dari pembayaran pajak terbesar di Indonesia, banyak nama di posisi 50 besar adalah dari perusahaan rokok. Belum lagi dari pendapatan pajak atas iklan yang menjamur di mana-mana. Singkat kata, karena perokok yang rela uangnya dibagi-bagi, ribuan orang merasakan manfaatnya. Konon menurut sebuah cerita dari mulut ke mulut, kota Kediri bisa tetap ada dan masyarakatnya bisa cukup makmur, karena jasa perokok Indonesia yang setia membeli "Garam".

Mati Satu Hidup Seribu

Berapa banyak orang mati karena rokok setiap tahun? Tidak ada yang pernah melakukan studi serius soal ini karena mungkin sponsor-sponsor besar di tanah air (yang notabene pada umumnya adalah perusahaan rokok) tidak ada yang mau mendanai. Tetapi kalau kita lihat dari sisi ketenagakerjaan, jutaan orang hidup dari rokok, mulai dari buruh pekerja di pabrik rokok, para penjual rokok dari perusahaan kelas besar ala Dewi Hughes sampai penjaja rokok kurus pinggir jalan, belum lagi para pedagang asongan di pinggiran tol yang bisa mengais keuntungan dari menjual sebatang rokok (bukan satu pak), ditambah juga pemulung-pemulung yang masih bisa menguangkan ampas. Realitanya, biar tubuh perokok mungkin akan terkena resiko kanker, tapi yang pasti perokok mengurangi jumlah kantong kering. Yang mati karena rokok, bisa jadi melebihi jumlah yang dihidupi oleh rokok.

Perusahaan Listrik Pribadi

Berapa banyak rakyat yang tidak bisa menikmati terang lampu? Kalau Anda sempat jalan di jalanan kecil di pulau Lombok atau di daerah terpencil di Jawa, atau bahkan di daerah wisata di Bali, jam-jam tujuh malam, jalanan sudah gelap gulita, tidak ada terang lampu di jalan. Apalagi kalau petugas lampu jalan tidak menjalankan tugasnya dengan baik, bolam rusak tidak diganti atau tiang lampu patah dibiarkan patah, lebih-lebih kalau lupa menyalakan lampu, gelap gulita di jalan tidak bisa dihindari. Untungnya, kini ada banyak billboard di jalan yang terang lampunya melebihi lampu kelurahan, dari banyaknya billboard, perusahaan rokok menguasai kuantitasnya, ada puluhan ribu terpasang di jalan-jalan di Indonesia, sampai ke pelosok-pelosok terpencil. Tempat yang dulunya gelap, sekarang punya mercu suar. Billboard bagi banyak orang juga menjadi petunjuk jalan, "Mbak, terus saja lurus, belok kiri nanti terlihat papan reklame koboi, nah rumah si Atun persis di bawahnya." Terima kasih kepada para perokok, kini banyak jalan di Indonesia jadi terang.Enak,

PeDe, dan Gaya

Sisi positif lain ini lebih bersifat pribadi, ada yang merasa lebih PeDe karena mengepit rokok di sela jari, ada yang merasa diterima menjadi bagian dari metropolitan yang angkuh, ada juga yang merasakan enaknya sedotan demi sedotan. Itu semua adalah manfaat personal, lagi pula siapa yang mau mengeluarkan uang saku pribadi kalau tidak ada keuntungan personal? Banyak tempat di tanah air yang masih disediakan khusus untuk para perokok, non-perokok tidak punya banyak tempat. Loh kok? Iya, non-smoking room adalah ruangan untuk bukan perokok, perokok tidak boleh masuk; tapi selain non-smoking room harusnya adalah ruang perokok, tapi karena perokok adalah baik hati, maka para non-perokok pun boleh masuk. Ini salah satu keuntungan perokok, menjadi bagian dari kelompok baik hati.

Mengatasi Bau Badan

Ada seorang wanita berkata demikian, "Aku suka merokok karena apa tau gak? Karena merokok bisa menghilangkan bau badan! Kadang pas pulang kerja, rasanya kurang pede karena bau badan kurang sedap, tapi pas dibuat merokok, bau badan jadi tertutup bau rokok!"

Tanda-Tanda Malam Lailatul Qadar dan Koreksi Terhadapnya

Diantara kita mungkin pernah mendengar tanda-tanda malam lailatul qadar yang telah tersebar di masyarakat luas. Sebagian kaum muslimin awam memiliki beragam khurofat dan keyakinan bathil seputar tanda-tanda lailatul qadar, diantaranya: pohon sujud, bangunan-bangunan tidur, air tawar berubah asin, anjing-anjing tidak menggonggong, dan beberapa tanda yang jelas bathil dan rusak. Maka dalam masalah ini keyakinan tersebut tidak boleh diyakini kecuali berdasarkan atas dalil, sedangkan tanda-tanda di atas sudah jelas kebathilannya karena tidak adanya dalil baik dari al-Quran ataupun hadist yang mendukungnya. Lalu bagaimanakah tanda-tanda yang benar berkenaan dengan malam yang mulia ini ?Nabi shallallahu’alaihi wa sallam pernah mengabarkan kita di beberapa sabda beliau tentang tanda-tandanya, yaitu:1. Udara dan suasana pagi yang tenangIbnu Abbas radliyallahu’anhu berkata: Rasulullah shallahu’alaihi wa sallam bersabda:“Lailatul qadar adalah malam tentram dan tenang, tidak terlalu panas dan tidak pula terlalu dingin, esok paginya sang surya terbit dengan sinar lemah berwarna merah” (Hadist hasan)2. Cahaya mentari lemah, cerah tak bersinar kuat keesokannyaDari Ubay bin Ka’ab radliyallahu’anhu, bahwasanya Rasulullah shallahu’alaihi wa sallam bersabda:“Keesokan hari malam lailatul qadar matahari terbit hingga tinggi tanpa sinar bak nampan” (HR Muslim)3. Terkadang terbawa dalam mimpiSeperti yang terkadang dialami oleh sebagian sahabat Nabi radliyallahu’anhum4. Bulan nampak separuh bulatanAbu Hurairoh radliyallahu’anhu pernah bertutur: Kami pernah berdiskusi tentang lailatul qadar di sisi Rasulullah shallahu’alaihi wa sallam, beliau berkata,“Siapakah dari kalian yang masih ingat tatkala bulan muncul, yang berukuran separuh nampan.” (HR. Muslim)5. Malam yang terang, tidak panas, tidak dingin, tidak ada awan, tidak hujan, tidak ada angin kencang dan tidak ada yang dilempar pada malam itu dengan bintang (lemparan meteor bagi setan)Sebagaimana sebuah hadits, dari Watsilah bin al-Asqo’ dari Rasulullah shallallahu’alaihi wa sallam:“Lailatul qadar adalah malam yang terang, tidak panas, tidak dingin, tidak ada awan, tidak hujan, tidak ada angin kencang dan tidak ada yang dilempar pada malam itu dengan bintang (lemparan meteor bagi setan)” (HR. at-Thobroni dalam al-Mu’jam al-Kabir 22/59 dengan sanad hasan)6. Orang yang beribadah pada malam tersebut merasakan lezatnya ibadah, ketenangan hati dan kenikmatan bermunajat kepada Rabb-nya tidak seperti malam-malam lainnya.Wallahua’lam