Article

Cegah Kasus 'Innocence of Muslims', SBY Tawarkan Konsensus Internasional

New York, - Di tengah ruang sidang utama Markas Perserikatan Bangsa Bangsa (PBB), Presiden SBY dengan lantang menyuarakan konsensus internasional untuk mencegah permusuhan berlatar agama seperti kasus Innocence of Muslims yang menggemparkan dunia. Menurut SBY, kebebasan berekspresi itu tidak mutlak.

Hal ini disampaikan SBY saat menyampaikan pidato dalam Debat Umum Sidang Majelis Umum ke-67 PBB, di markas PBB, New York, Amerika Serikat, Selasa (25/9/2012) waktu setempat. Mendapat nomor urut 9 setelah antara lain Presiden AS Barack Obama, SBY menyampaikan pidato selama 15 menit.

Dalam pidatonya, SBY menekankan mengenai budaya universal saling toleransi dan menghargai keyakinan beragama satu sama lain. Sebagai bangsa yang menjunjung tinggi keragaman budaya dan agama, Indonesia menyerukan saling menghormati dan pengertian di antara orang-orang yang memiliki keyakinan berbeda-beda.

SBY prihatin bahwa pencemaran nama baik agama itu sampai sekarang masih ada. "Meskipun ada inisiatif dari negara-negara PBB dan juga forum lain, pencemaran nama baik agama terus berlanjut. Kami telah melihat lagi salah satu wajah yang buruk dalam film 'Innocence of Muslims' yang sekarang menyebabkan kegemparan internasional," kata SBY.

Deklarasi Universal Hak Asasi Manusia menegaskan bahwa dalam melaksanakan kebebasan berekspresi, setiap orang harus memperhatikan moralitas dan ketertiban umum. "Kebebasan berekspresi itu tidak mutlak. Oleh karena itu, saya meminta sebuah instrumen internasional untuk secara efektif mencegah hasutan permusuhan atau kekerasan berdasarkan agama atau kepercayaan. Instrumen ini, produk dari konsensus internasional, yang masyarakat dunia harus mematuhinya," ujar SBY.

Untuk mendukung hal ini, SBY mendorong adanya dialog antar agama, peradaban, dan kebudayaan. "Tapi tentu saja dialog ini tidak hanya sekadar dialog, tetapi harus diterjemahkan ke dalam kerjasama yang sebenarnya sehingga masyarakat dari berbagai budaya dan agama dapat datang menghormati satu sama lain. Komunitas ini akan menjadi benteng bagi perdamaian," terang SBY.

Dalam pidatonya, SBY juga menyinggung mengenai konflik Suriah. Menurut dia, konflik Suriah ini sebagai bukti bahwa belum ada instrumen yang memadai di PBB dalam menangani seluruh spektrum konflik masyarakat di semua belahan dunia. "Oleh karena itu, Indonesia menegaskan kembali seruannya bagi penghentian segera kekerasan di Suriah, yang telah mengambil banyak korban dari warga sipil tak berdosa," jelas dia.

SBY berharap PBB bisa menemukan cara yang lebih baik dalam menangani perselisihan dan pertikaian sebagaimana PBB bisa menyelesaikan konflik-konflik seperti di Angola, Bosnia, Kamboja, Timor Leste, dan banyak lagi. SBY juga berharap konfik di Laut China Selatan juga akan selesai dengan damai.

Menurut SBY, PBB juga harus bisa mengantisipasi tantangan keamanan abad ke-21. Saat ini, sudah tidak ada ancaman bencana nuklir dan tidak ada prospek perang dunia yang telah dua kali merusak dunia pada abad ke-20. Ekonomi global telah berkembang sangat baik. Setiap bangsa saling bergantung dan perlu mengedepankan kerja sama internasional.

"Kini, kita telah pindah dari era perang dingin ke era perdamaian yang hangat. Dalam hal 'perdamaian yang hangat', saat ini dunia tetap terjebak dengan arsitektur keamanan internasional yang sudah usang yang masih mencerminkan kondisi abad ke-20, padahal seharusnya dengan arsitektur ekonomi global yang telah berkembang lebih baik untuk menyongsong abad ke-21," jelas SBY.

Comment:                                                                                                            

in this case the conflict should be related to the belief that the trust should be minimized because it is very personal and is not equal among each other. So as believers we should have mutual respect among one another and respect for religious differences among us.

Article

Religious freedom concerns

November 08, 2012

Religious freedom is an entirely new issue. The issue at hand is whether people should be allowed to express and live by their religious beliefs in public or whether the state to ensure equality should be allowed to confine religious behavior to various worship services.

The former is the status quo of American law. It has been held that it is an affront to force a people to go against their religious consciences. An example of this is the provision in American law that citizens of Amish or Mennonite profession do not have to serve in the armed forces because of the fact that war is against the professed beliefs of their religion.

The HHS mandate supported by governmental leaders such as Obama, Clinton, and Pelosi, proposes that Catholic Institutions in order to ensure a fair society should provide insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion inducing drugs, all of which are contrary to the professed beliefs of the Catholic Church. This hasn't been proposed before in American law. This legislation sets the precedent that religious conscience should only be respected when it does not conflict with the wishes of the state.

Such a precedent when investigated more closely would make it easier for the state to force people of other religious beliefs to go against their consciences whenever they come in conflict with the needs of the state such as forcing Mennonites engage in war for the protection of society. Such an intolerant precedent must not be taken lightly.

Comment:

Every human being has the right to choose their own religion. When someone has to choose their religion, then they are already convinced that their chosen beliefs. the most important thing is one's belief that their religion is very personal and should never be combined with other things like business

Task 2

Task 2

1. What do you know about melting pot and salad bowl?

Melting pot is a place where a variety of races, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole.

Salad bowl is a the variety of different ethnic group in the modern american society symbolize the "ingredients" which reserve their own flavor and texture while constributing to the aggregate "salad"

2. Did American people see melting pot as a model to follow? Explain!

I think America has no native culture, but get rid of the original culture of the Indian tribes. Along with the increasingly modern times, people of different ethnicities coming to America now dominated by ethnic whites. By because it is united to become one of the dominant culture "melting pot". "melting pot" itself has meaning a place where a variety of races, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole.

Being a christian in pluralistic society

Only a few decades ago, well past the Second World War and into the early Sixties, American culture was almost universally regarded as based upon Christianity. Most leaders, as well as people generally, not only accepted this basis as a fact, but also more-or-less firmly agreed that that is how things ought to be.

This was especially true of educational institutions. Speeches by the Presidents of even the state schools, such as the University of California at Berkeley, often could have passed for Christian sermons. And even as late as 1965, when I came on the faculty of the University of Southern California, the prayers which the Chaplain delivered on public occasions were noticeably Christian prayers by a clearly Christian person. While that was viewed by some individuals with scepticism, boredom, or even resentment, the cultural prerogative that Christianity enjoyed was generally conceded a certain right.

No longer!

Now the university Chaplain, here or at other secular schools where there still is such an office, would never mention the name of Jesus as a basis of public prayer, but will with great care work in a little Taoism, some Vedanta or Islam, or even words that can be construed as invoking "The Goddess." And the university President may be a member of some Christian denomination. But Christian ideas and motivations will no longer be appealed to in whatever directions or appeals he or she may publicly express.

Anyone who now uses distinctively Christian language in the general university setting will at bestbe treated as giving voice to just one cultural bias among others. More likely, they will be treated as especially benighted or obnoxious precisely because of the exclusive role assumed for Christianity in past American culture.

Today the Christian is often regarded as the big, bad bully who has been humbled and must be punished for past misdeeds. One must accept as a fact that university life is now immersed in an irrational, but historically powerful swing against Christianity. Nothing can be done about this in the short run except recognize it and prepare to stand in the midst of it.

As followers of Jesus, it will be helpful to keep a number of things in mind:

First, pluralism is not a bad arrangement. It is a good thing. It is, in fact, a social expression of the kind of respect and care for the individual that is dictated by trust in God and love of neighbor. Therefore the Christian does not oppose pluralism as a social principle. Pluralism simply means that social or political force is not to be used to suppress the freedom of thought and expression of any citizen, or even the practice that flows from it, insofar as that practice is not morally wrong.

Pluralism does not mean that everyone is equally right in what they think and do. It does not mean that we must agree with the views or adopt the practices of those of other persuasions. It does not mean that we must like those views or practices. It does not mean that we will not appropriately express our disagreement or dislike for other viewpoints.

Pluralism also does not mean that we will not try, in respectful ways, to change the views or practices of others, by all appropriate means of persuasion, where we believe them to be mistaken. In fact, pluralism should, precisely, secure a social context in which full and free interchange of different views on life and reality can be conducted to the greatest advantage of all. Thin-skinned and narrow-minded people may not particularly enjoy a pluralistic society, but their discomfort is vastly outweighed by the benefits to all of open and free interchange of information and ideas. The Christian, perhaps more than anyone else, has reason to favor such interchange and be confident about its outcome.

Second, the Christian gospel does not require cultural privilege or even social recognition in order to flourish. God's work is not disadvantaged by persecution, even to death, and much less then by mere pluralism. As Christians we stand now in the Kingdom of the Heavens, and it is always true that they who are for us are more than they that be against us. (I Kings 6:16) It is always true that the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world. (I John 4:4)

On the other hand, there can be little doubt that if the teachings and example of Jesus were generally followed in a given society, that society would be remarkably better off than any which followed another way. The constant drumbeat of moral failure and incompetence now heard from American institutions--from the universities and scientific or artistic communities to business corporations, the Church and sports--simply would not exist if Jesus were trusted and obeyed. There would be no sexual harassment, no gutted savings and loans, no homelessness or gang violence in a society that substantially accepted Christian principles of life. It is not the Christian who loses when social prejudice goes against Christ, but the society itself.

Third, pluralism in American society means that the Christian has just as much right to be explicitly a follower of Jesus, or a practitioner of traditional Christian culture, as any non-Christian or anti-Christian has to be explicitly what they are.

The pronounced "victimization" structure of contemporary moral thinking obscures this. Non-Christian perspectives see themselves as victims of past Christian domination of the social order. This often translates into an atmosphere where the non-Christian group is permitted to be assertive in ways that Christians or Christian groups are not. A kind of "redress" is thought to be in order, with the effect that the Christian becomes "fair game" for attacks and abuse that would quickly be branded as discriminatory if directed at anyone else.

From within our faith, of course, we should expect to be attacked, and even attacked "unfairly." So we are not thrown off course or even particularly surprised when it occurs. But we should also understand that that is not a part of what it means to be a good citizen in a pluralistic society. In appropriately Christlike ways we should point out to those involved that they are discriminating against us on the basis of our religion, and remind them that there is legal recourse available to us in such matters. This is especially needed in the university setting, as a shock to its internal authority system. It might provide the university with an occasion for re-evaluating its current anti-Christian biases, which are badly in need of review.

Fourth, we must keep in mind that truth and reality are not in themselves pluralistic. If your gas tank is empty, social acceptance of your right to believe that it is full will not help you get your car to run. Everything is just exactly what it is, and you can develop cultural traditions, vote, wish, or whatever you please, and that will not change a thing.

Truth and reality do not adapt to us. It is up to us to adapt to them. A four thousand year old tradition does not become truer as the years go by. If it is false or wrong, it simply continues to be a long-standing error. If it is popular, it is widespread. If adopted by the powerful, it is authoritative. But it is still wrong. Acceptance of its right to exist in a pluralistic society does not make it any more correct, and will be of no help to those following it when they finally run into reality.

Some of my intellectual friends say that this is true in the domain of "fact," but that religion is the realm of "faith." They are victims of the unfortunate delusion of current culture that "fact" is limited to what is sense-perceptible. Hence they say that whether past or current living species where created by God or not, for example, is a matter of "faith." The implication is that for faith things are, somehow, as you think them to be. Much of what is now written in support of pluralism or "inclusivism" in religion assumes that there is no "way things are" with God, or at least that we cannot know how they are. Hence all views of God are said to be equally true because all are equally in the dark--an astonishingly fallacious inference.

Now we must keep in mind that all of this really has nothing to do with pluralism as a social principle. We have already pointed out that pluralism, the rejection of social force to suppress divergent opinions or practices, does not mean that we concede all views to be equally right. Nor does it mean that they are all equally wrong, and therefore have an equal right to exist.

"Inclusivism" stabs at the heart of Christian faith, which claims that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. This claim is either true or it is not, just as God either created life on earth or not. And it matters a great deal what the truth is here and whether or not we believe it. As Christians we cannot just say: "Anything goes." And we most certainly are not saying that when we stand up for the right of all groups to be free of social suppression of their beliefs.

Finally, Christians in a pluralistic society, where there is no presumption in favor of their beliefs or practices, but perhaps a strong bias against, are in the very best position to show the true excellence of the Way of Christ. When Elijah called the prophets of Baal to the contest on Mount Carmel, he gave them every advantage that could be given. And when it came his turn to call for fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, he had his altar and sacrifice flooded three times over with water before he prayed. The "disadvantage" of the water proved to be no problem for Jehovah, who answered by fire to consume the sacrifice.

Things have not much changed. Our Mount Carmel may be our university, or our business or profession, and the floods of social discrimination may flow against us. This is only to make all the more obvious, to those with eyes to see, that God is with us, and that the life of His resurrected Son is effectual in every dimension of our existence. We welcome our life in a pluralistic society as the very condition most favorable to our own sure knowledge of God, as our aspirations and our accomplishments testify that He is the one at work in us to will as well as to do the good things He desires for His world.

Comment:

            America is now a democratic country, as in the case of the Christian religion in particular every citizen the the freedom to embrace Christianity or not, and also the language of the bible can be used in teaching.

Negara dan agama dalam masyarakat pluralistik

Masih adakah Indonesia di masa depan jika kekerasan berlatar agama terus terjadi? Ada apa dengan toleransi antar umat beragama dewasa ini hingga perbedaan selalu berujung pertikaian? Ke mana spirit kerukunan yang merupakan identitas bangsa Indonesia? Lantas, kebijakan apa yang mestinya diperankan negara untuk merawat pluralitas Indonesia?

Pertanyaan-pertanyaan di atas relevan diajukan seiring masih kerap terjadinya amuk massa berlabel agama, sekaligus merupakan refleksi atas peringatan hari ulang tahun Sumpah Pemuda ke-83 beberapa hari lalu.

Terjadinya konflik berlatar SARA sesungguhnya menegaskan bahwa intoleransi masih merajalela, Bhineka Tunggal Ika dalam ancaman, dan kerukunan antarumat beragama dan penganut kepercayaan berada pada titik mengkhawatirkan.

Tentu Bung Karno dan Bung Hatta, tidak pernah menduga bahwa Indonesia bakal diporak-porandakan aneka konflik horisontal bernuansa agama. Padahal, dahulu kedua tokoh berhasil menyatukan anak bangsa dari berbagai latar belakang suku, agama, ras, dan golongan untuk melawan kolonialis. Bahkan jauh sebelum proklamasi 1945, Soekarno, Hatta dan para pendiri Republik lainnya telah sukses mewujudkan kebhinekaan dalam keekaan melalui ikrar Sumpah Pemuda 28 Oktober 1928.

Tragisnya, kini spirit “berbeda dalam persatuan” dan “bersatu dalam perbedaan” yang diinisiasi lewat Sumpah Pemuda tampak makin redup. Kebersamaan terasa rapuh. Hal ini membuktikan Indonesia sesungguhnya belum merdeka dalam toleransi dan kemajemukan. Kebangsaan Indonesia tengah terpental jauh ke belakang.

Peran Negara

Menyikapi berbagai peristiwa anarkis berlatar agama, pemerintah berupaya mencari solusi terbaik. Namun, tepatkah dalam negara demokrasi, negara (baca: pemerintah) bertanggung jawab terhadap kualitas keimanan warganya agar masuk surga? Berwenangkah negara memberi stigma sesat dan tidak sesat pada warganya?

Terkait dengan hal ini, negara tampaknya telah salah kaprah menjalankan tanggung jawabnya. Urusan yang mestinya menjadi wewenang negara semisal memberantas korupsi, mengatasi kemacetan, menangani banjir, memerangi kemiskinan, menyediakan pendidikan dan kesehatan murah-berkualitas, jauh dari optimal dikelola dan dijalankan negara. Sebaliknya, negara latah mengurus iman umat yang sebenarnya di luar tanggung jawabnya.

Negara perlu belajar dari syair lagu Iwan Fals berjudul “Manusia Setengah Dewa”. Lewat lagunya, sang musisi menjelaskan distingsi antara tanggung jawab negara dan yang bukan tanggung jawab negara. Berikut petikan syairnya, “…Masalah moral masalah akhlak, biar kami cari sendiri. Urus saja moralmu, urus saja akhlakmu. Peraturan yang sehat yang kami mau. Tegakkan hukum setegak-tegaknya. Adil dan tegas tak pandang bulu. Pasti kuangkat engkau, menjadi manusia setengah dewa”.

Yang tepat, dalam perspektif konstitusional tidak ada kategori warga negara yang sesat atau saleh, yang ada adalah warga negara yang disiplin dan warga negara yang kriminal karena melanggar hukum. Pengajar Filsafat dari Universitas Indonesia (UI), Rocky Gerung menyatakan negara wajib memisahkan keyakinan iman individu dengan perilakunya di hadapan hukum. Negara tidak bisa menghukum warganya karena pikiran maupun keyakinan religiusnya. Maka, sesat atau salehnya warga negara, bukan wilayah otoritas negara sebab yang berdaulat di Republik Indonesia adalah pasal-pasal konstitusi, bukannya ayat-ayat kitab suci.

Konstitusi Republik Indonesia tegas mengamanatkan agar negara melindungi dan menjamin hak hidup segenap warga negara Indonesia, apapun keyakinan yang dianutnya. Maksudnya, negara tidak boleh memusuhi keyakinan apapun. Negara harus netral dan mengambil jarak yang sama terhadap semua agama dan keyakinan sesuai prinsip persamaan dan keadilan yang merupakan nilai fundamental dalam demokrasi.

Itu berarti, perlu etika dalam berbeda pendapat. Wacana harus dilawan dengan wacana, bukan dengan pentungan atas nama Tuhan, atau fatwa sesat. Karena itu, sikap toleransi dalam perbedaan menjadi penting. Menghargai pluralitas kehidupan berbangsa merupakan bagian dari penghayatan Bhineka Tunggal Ika dan Pancasila.

Penting disadari, peran negara adalah menjamin kebebasan atau otonomi warganya, bukan meniadakannya. Termasuk kebebasan menganut atau menetapkan agama atau kepercayaan sesuai pilihannya. Karena itu, negara wajib menindak tegas pelaku kekerasan yang merenggut kebebasan warga lainnya. Pantang bagi negara mendiamkannya, sebab itu berarti negara melakukan kejahatan terhadap kemanusiaan (violence by omossion).

Dalam tatanan demokrasi, tidak ada entitas lain di masyarakat yang boleh menggunakan instrumen kekerasan, kecuali (aparat) negara. Max Weber menyatakan, negara memegang the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force. Hal ini bukan hanya bertujuan menjaga kedaulatan negara, tetapi sekaligus menjaga ketertiban di masyarakat. Tanpa monopoli penggunaan kekerasan oleh negara, tertib masyarakat akan punah.

Kesalehan Sosial

Pemahaman atas nilai-nilai agama seringkali memunculkan wajah paradoksal agama. Pada satu sisi menampilkan sosok lembut, pada sisi lain sosok sangar-menakutkan. Tak heran, hanya karena berbeda keyakinan, ada kelompok warga yang merasa berhak menindas hak hidup warga lainnya. Maka, terkait pemahaman atas nilai-nilai agama, teolog legendaris Karen Armstrong menyatakan setelah ia berinteraksi dengan hal-hal ilahiah, ia sampai pada satu kesimpulan bahwa teologi yang baik adalah yang menawarkan keramahan dan kedamaian kepada mereka yang berbeda, bukannya permusuhan dan kekerasan. Itu berarti, teologi yang buruk adalah yang mengajarkan permusuhan, merawat kebencian serta menyuburkan pertikaian. Yang pasti, Tuhan yang disembah adalah Tuhan yang mengajarkan perdamaian, kasih dan persaudaraan. Maka, sebagai umat beragama, agar masuk surga, selain fokus mencapai kesalehan indivual dengan menjalin relasi intim dengan Tuhan, umat beragama perlu mengupayakan kesalehan sosial dengan berempati, berdamai dan bersolider dengan sesama yang berbeda,

Di sinilah negara dan pemerintah bisa berperan, yaitu dengan memfasilitasi dan mendorong suasana di mana kesalehan sosial bisa tumbuh subur dan bukannya malah bernafsu mengurus moralitas dan iman pribadi warganya, yang sesungguhnya merupakan perbuatan lancang karena mencaplok otoritas Tuhan. ***

*Penulis, Staf Pengajar Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik (FISIP) Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, Presenter News and Talks TVRI Nasional, Jakarta.

Comment:

            Current sense of tolerance of Indonesian society began to fade. It can be seen from the fighting between students lately. Differences should there be diversity in the community. When there is no longer diversity anymore, Indonesia as a bigger cultural diversity will be lost.

Task 1

Task 1 (pluralistic societies)

1. Give the explanation of pluralistic societies?

            Pluralistic societies ia a society comprised of people from numerous different cultural and ethnic background. Although some integration and acculturation is only natural, a pluralistic society is one that acknowledges and allows for the cultural diversity of its citizens.

2. Whether Indonesian is pluralistic societies? If yes, then give the evindences of it.

Indeed yes, Indonesian is pluralistic societies. As you can see so many cultures, arts and languages in Indonesia. Those are the product of every single region from Sabang to Merauke. Every culture from different region have their own characteristic and it makes culture in Indonesia uniqueness. Bali for example, when local people had a great day like “nyepi”, muslims don’t use a microphone to voice azan. It means that muslims have a great respect to hindu. That bit of example of evidences of pluralistic societies. Other example of pluralistic societies in Indonesia is Bangka Belitung people. Although different religions and races, harmony created between the descendants of the Chinese and muslims.

3. Based on your own definition, what is culture? What are the relationships between cultures to society?

            Culture is a learned pattern of behavior and is a way in which person lives his life. The relationships between cultures to society is because cultures is a product of society. Every culture interpret their society, so that’s why cultures related to society itself.

Ragunan Zoo

Ragunan zoo is one of the recreation place in Jakarta. Ragunan zoo was established in 1966, ragunan zoo have almost 4000 animals and including of 295 species. Ragunan zoo is the famous one when you asked someone about recreaction places. I think Ragunan zoo is very recommended for everyone who want to increase his/her knowledge about animals actually. Ragunan zoo is flexsible i think, because this place doesn't classify the visitors. When you don't have enough money to recreation so Ragunan zoo is the answer. The price of the ticket of Ragunan zoo is the cheapest one, we just have to spend Rp 4.500 for adult and Rp 3.500 for children, with 5.000 rupiahs we can enjoy every places there and improve our knowledge about animals.

Ragunan zoo have some facilities for the visitors like bike rent, food court, travel car, travel with elephant and so on. The managers of ragunan zoo provides those facilities to make the visitors enjoy all of ragunan zoo, either the knowledge they get from the animals and know the species of those animal clearly. But with those benefit, ragunan zoo has the biggest problem to solve as soon as possible. it's about the cleanliness of ragunan zoo. Some places in ragunan zoo is very dirty like a landfill, too many trash in those places and the janitors don't completely clean it. I think for the managers of ragunan zoo they have to improve the condition of ragunan zoo itself to improve the visitors too and have to solve the problem of ragunan zoo.

Waterboom Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK)

Nih lagi salah satu tempat rekreasi yang cukup ok dijakarta, Waterboom Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK). Tempat ini termasuk rekrasi baru di Jakarta, karna waterboom ini baru dibuka sekitar tahun 2010 atau 2011. Lokasi waterboom ini di Jln. Pantai indak barat no.1 pantai indah kapuk, Jakarta. Mungkin bagi yang sudah pernah ke waterboom PIK ini pasti sangatlah tahu kenapa saya merekomendasikan tempat ini. Waterboom PIK ini tergolong sangat luas untuk ukuran tempat rekreasi air dan permainan air yang disedia disini juga cukup beragam. Dari mulai permainan untuk anak-anak sampai permainan untuk menguji nyali orang dewasa. Pertama kali saya mengunjungi tempat ini, hal pertama yang saya ucapkan adalah "mahal banget tiket masuknya" ya maklum saja, saya sebagai mahasiswa yang mempunyai uang saku pas-pasan Rp 150.000/orang weekday dan Rp 190.000/ orang untuk weekend itu tergolong harga yang cukup mahal untuk sebuah waterboom. Ketika saya datang kesana, hari itu tergolong weekend dan saya harus membayar Rp 190.000 untuk bisa mendapatkan tiket masuk waterboom PIK. Pada awalnya saya cukup kecewa karna harganya yang cukup mahal, tetapi ketika saya sudah sampai didalam dan melihat sendiri suasana didalam rasanya cukup imbang harga yang saya harus bayar dengan fasilitas dan pemandangan waterboom PIK. Tempat pertama yang saya lihat adalah ruang loker penyimpanan tas dan kamar mandi ganti. Untuk hal yang satu ini saya sangat menyukai tempat tersebut, karna kebersihan loker dan kamar mandi sangat terjaga serta ruangannya cukup luas jadi cukup bisa untuk mengurangi antrian orang yang ingin ganti ataupun bilas setelah berenang.

Setelah dari kamar ganti dan loker room saya melanjutkan untuk berjalan-jalan dahulu sebelum mencoba setiap wahana permainan yang disediakan oleh waterboom PIK ini. Ketika saya berjalan-jalan berkeliling area waterboom saya melihat cukup banyak wahana permainan disana. Dari mulai Kiddy Slide, Aquatube, The Haipin, The Whizzard, Twizter, Bomblazter, Pleasure Pool, Wild River, Wave Pool dan yang paling terkenal adalah Speed Slide. Dari setiap wahana permainan air yang tersedia disana memang hanya Speed Slide lah yang paling menantang. Selain dari ketinggiannya yang diatas 20m, Speed Slide ini pula memiliki kecepatan yang paling tinggi diantara wahana permainan lain yang ada diwaterboom PIK. Sebagai orang yang suka akan hal-hal yang berbau menantang, saya sangat tertantang untuk mencoba wahana Speed Slide ini. Hal pertama yang saya rasakan sebelum mencoba wahana tersebut adalah "Cape" naik tangganya itu yang bikin nafas abis duluan sebelum sampai diatas Speed Slide. Tapi ketika sampai dipuncak Speed Slide itu, saya merasa orang yang paling tinggi, karan saya bisa melihat pemandangan kota serta perumahan PIK dari atas Speed Slide. Dan ketika saya meluncur dari Speed Slide, wah rasanya benar-benar seru dan mengasikkan. Selain adrenalin terpacu, jantungpun dibuat berdebar kencang karna kecepatan dari Speed Slide tersebut.

Dan menurut saya memang harga tidak pernah bohong. Harga yang cukup mahal kita bayarkan untuk bisa masuk ke waterboom PIK terbayarkan oleh berbagai macam wahana dan sarana yang disediakan pengelola disana. Hal ini yang melandaskan saya merekomendasikan waterboom PIK ini menjadi tempat refreshing yang sangat tepat untuk dikunjungi.

Seven Eleven (SEVEL)

Almost every people knew about Seven Eleven or we called it SEVEL. Sevel is kind of mini market but it has a special product and make it different with others mini market. As we've known before Sevel is kind of mini market but it desained to be an alternative hang out place. The desain of that mini market is totally different with the others, Sevel makes his mini market cozy to be a hang out place, and it opens 24 hours. that is why so many teenagers hang out with those friend there. Sevel have many different product with others mini market such as hot chocolate, vanilla latte, cappucino, tea, slurpee, gulp, big bites, chicken terriyaki etc. Those product is ready to serve for the customer and we can dine in there, because Sevel provide some space for dine in.

I think this place is very recommended for all people who want to spend a lot of time with friends or girl/ boy. We can  talk, share, hang out or just spend our time with our friends there. Sevel operational time very flexsible for teenagers to come there every time. To enjoy this place we don't have to pay a lot of money, because we can buy some food or drink appropriate with our money. So many product there and the price of the sevel product approximately 10.000 - 30.000 rupiah. I think with 10.000 rupiah is not an expensive price to hang out with friends, so that is why I give this place to be a recomended place for hang out.

Ancol

Kali ini saya akan membagikan merekomendasi tempat yang cukup menarik lagi untuk dikunjungi. Ancol atau Pantai Ancol biasa orang menyebutnya. Kenapa saya merekomendasikan tempat ini kepada anda.? karna tempat ini cukup terjangkau untuk dikunjungi dan suasana pantainya sangat diminati untuk sebagian besar warga ibukota yang lebih terbiasa dengan gedung-gedung pencakar langit. Pantai Ancol ini sangat diminati oleh warga ibukota karan  Ancol ini satu-satunya pantai yang berada dijakarta yang bisa dijadikan tempat rekreasi dan bersantai bersama keluarga, saudara, teman bahkan pacar. Selain Ancol tempat yang cukup nyaman untuk dikunjungi, budget yang dikeluarkan untuk menikmati pemandangan dipantai Ancol ini juga cukup terjangkau. Hanya dengan membayar 10rb/orang, 15rb untuk motor dan 20rb untuk mobil (jika anda membawa kendaraan). Dipantai Ancol ini pula fasilitas untuk pengunjung cukup lengkap tersedia, dari mulai sepeda sewaan untuk berkeliling pantai, lalu ada pula perahu yang bisa disewa untuk menyusuri pantai dan untuk restoran pun tersedia lengkap disana.

Dipantai Ancol ini sering juga terdapat acara-acara dari stasiun televisi dan konser-konser band-band luar negri papan atas. Menurut saya pribadi pula Ancol ini tempat yang sangat tepat untuk melepaskan penat akan kerjaan, tugas kuliah ataupun masalah-masalah yang dihadapi sehari-hari. Menikmati tiupan angin dari pantai sambil menikmati pemandangan pantai yang cukup enak dilihat oleh mata, itu membuat perasaan kita menjadi lebih damai dan bisa lebih releks dari sebelumnya. Itu kenapa saya merekomendasikan pantai Ancol sebagai salah satu tempat untuk refreshing yang cukup recommended untuk dikunjungi.

Theory of Intelligence by Sternberg

Overview of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence (1977, 1985, 1995) subsumes both Spearmans g and underlying information processing components. His triarchic theory includes three facets or subtheories:

• Analytical (componential)
• Creative (experiential)
• Practical (contextual)

Sternberg's theory builds on his earlier componential approach to reasoning. His theory is mostly based on observing Yale graduate students. Sternberg believes that if intelligence is properly defined & measured it will translate to real-life success.

Sternberg's Triarchic Theory is an important effort to synthesize the various theories of intelligence.

Analytical (componential) Facet (or Subtheory)

Analytical Intelligence similar to the standard psychometric definition of intelligence e.g. as measured by Academic problem solving: analogies and puzzles, and corresponds to his earlier componential intelligence. Sternberg considers this reflects how an individual relates to his internal world.

Sternberg believes that Analytical Intelligence (Academic problem-solving skills) is based on the joint operations of metacomponents and performance components and knowledge acquisition components of intelligence

Metacomponents: control, monitor and evaluate cognitive processing. These are the executive functions to order and organise performance and knowledge acquisition components. They are the higher-order processes that order and organise the performance components. Used to analyze problems and pick a strategy for solving them. They decide what to do and the performance components actually do it.

Performance Components: execute strategies assembled by the metacomponents. They are the basic operations involved in any cognitive act. They are the cognitive processes that enable us to encode stimuli, hold information in short-term memory, make calculations, perform mental calculations, mentally compare different stimuli, retrieve information from long-term memory.

Knowledge acquisition components: are the processes used in gaining and storing new knowledge - i.e. capacity for learning. The strategies you use to help memorize things exemplify the processes that fall into this category.

Sternberg feels that IDs in intelligence are related to IDs in the use of these cognitive processes. He feels that people with better reasoning ability generally spend more time understanding the problem but reach their solution faster than those who are less skilled at the task.

Creative (experiental) Facet (or Subtheory)

Creative Intelligence: this involves insights, synthesis and the ability to react to novel situations and stimuli. This he considers the Experiential aspect of intelligence and reflects how an individual connects the internal world to external reality.

Sternberg considers the Creative facet to consist of the ability which allows people to think creatively and that which allows people to adjust creatively and effectively to new situations.

Sternberg believes that more intelligent individuals will also move from consciously learning in a novel situation to automating the new learning so that they can attend to other tasks.

Two-Facet Subtheory (Novelty & Automatization)

Basic assumption: That there are two broad classes of abilities associated with intelligence: novelty skills and automatization skills.  A task measures intelligence if it requires the ability to deal with novel demands or the ability to automatize information processing (two ends of a continuum).

Novel tasks or situations are good measures of intellectual ability because they assess an individual's ability to apply existing knowledge to new problems.

Practical (contextual) Facet (or Subtheory)

Practical Intelligence: this involves the ability to grasp, understand and deal with everyday tasks. This is the Contextual aspect of intelligence and reflects how the individual relates to the external world about him or her.

Sternberg states that Intelligence is: "Purposive adaptation to, shaping of, and selection of real-world environments relevant to one's life" (Sternberg, 1984, p.271)

Purposive means that intelligence is directed towards goals, however vague or subconscious they may be. This means that intelligence is indicated by one's attempts to adapt to one's environment.

Practical Intelligence can be said to be intelligence that operates in the real world. People with this type of intelligence can adapt to, or shape their environment. It might also be called Street-smarts. In measuring this facet, not only mental skills but attitudes and emotional factors that can influence intelligence are measured.

So this practical intelligence is a combination of:

(a) adaptation to the environment in order to have goals met

(b) changing the environment in order to have goals met

(c) or, if (a) and (b) don't work moving to a new environment in which goals can be met

Sternberg believes that individuals considered intelligent in one culture may be looked on as unintelligent in another.

An important asset of this theory is to avoid defining intelligence in terms of intelligence tests rather than performance in the everyday world (which is, after all, what intelligence tests try to predict!).

Measuring practical intelligence:

• Sternberg Multidimensional Abilities Test measures all 3 intelligences, on separate scales
• Sternberg and Wagner’s test of Practical Managerial Intelligence measures:
• ability to write effective memos
• ability to motivate people
• knowledge of when to delegate
• ability to read people

When measuring practical intelligence Sternberg looks at things such as how people decode nonverbal messages e.g. can you tell who are the real couples?

Source: http://wilderdom.com/personality/L2-2SternbergTriarchicTheory.html

Theory of Feminism

Feminism

To speak of "Feminism" as a theory is already a reduction. However, in terms of its theory (rather than as its reality as a historical movement in effect for some centuries) feminism might be categorized into three general groups:

1. theories having an essentialist focus (including psychoanalytic and French feminism);
2. theories aimed at defining or establishing a feminist literary canon or theories seeking to re-interpret and re-vision literature (and culture and history and so forth) from a less patriarchal slant (including gynocriticism, liberal feminism); and
3. theories focusing on sexual difference and sexual politics (including gender studies, lesbian studies, cultural feminism, radical feminism, and socialist/materialist feminism).

Further, women (and men) needed to consider what it meant to be a woman, to consider how much of what society has often deemed inherently female traits, are culturally and socially constructed. Simone de Beauvoir's study, The Second Sex, though perhaps flawed by Beauvoir's own body politics, nevertheless served as a groundbreaking book of feminism, that questioned the "othering" of women by western philosophy. Early projects in feminist theory included resurrecting women's literature that in many cases had never been considered seriously or had been erased over time (e.g., Charlotte Perkins Gilman was quite prominent in the early 20th century but was virtually unknown until her work was "re-discovered" later in the century). Since the 1960s the writings of many women have been rediscovered, reconsidered, and collected in large anthologies such as The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women.

However, merely unearthing women's literature did not ensure its prominence; in order to assess women's writings the number of preconceptions inherent in a literary canon dominated by male beliefs and male writers needed to be re-evaluated. Betty Friedan's The Feminist Mystique (1963), Kate Millet's Sexual Politics (1970), Teresa de Lauretis's Alice Doesn't: Feminism, Semiotics, Cinema (1984), Annette Kolodny's The Lay of the Land (1975), Judith Fetterly's The Resisting Reader (1978), Elaine Showalter's A Literature of Their Own (1977), or Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic (1979) are just a handful of the many critiques that questioned cultural, sexual, intellectual, and/or psychological stereotypes about women.

Key Terms (this list is woefully inadequate; suggestions for additional terms would be appreciated):

Androgyny - taken from Woman Studies page of Drew University - "'...suggests a world in which sex-roles are not rigidly defined, a state in which ‘the man in every woman' and the ‘woman in every man' could be integrated and freely expressed' (Tuttle 19). Used more frequently in the 1970's, this term was used to describe a blurring, or combination of gender roles so that neither masculinity or femininity is dominant."

Backlash - a term, which may have originated with Susan Faludi, referring to a movement ( ca. 1980s) away from or against feminism.

Écriture féminine - Écriture féminine, literally women's writing, is a philosophy that promotes women's experiences and feelings to the point that it strengthens the work. Hélène Cixous first uses this term in her essay, "The Laugh of the Medusa," in which she asserts, "Woman must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as violently as from their bodies. Écriture féminine places experience before language, and privileges the anti-linear, cyclical writing so often frowned upon by patriarchal society' (Wikipedia).

Essentialism - taken from woman Studies page of Drew University - "The belief in a uniquely feminine essence, existing above and beyond cultural conditioning...the mirror image of biologism which for centuries justified the oppression of women by proclaiming the natural superiority of men (Tuttle 90)." Tong's use of the term is relative to the explanation of the division of radical feminism into radical-cultural and radical libertarian.

Gynocentrics - "a term coined by the feminist scholar-critic Elaine Showalter to define the process of constructing "a female framework for analysis of women's literature [in order] to develop new models [of interpretation] based on the study of female experience, rather than to adapt to male models and theories'" (Bressler 269, see General Resources below).

Jouissance - a term most commonly associated with Helene Cixous (seek-sou), whose use of the word may have derived from Jacques Lacan - "Cixous follows Lacan's psychoanalytic paradigm, which argues that a child must separate from its mother's body (the Real) in order to enter into the Symbolic. Because of this, Cixous says, the female body in general becomes unrepresentable in language; it's what can't be spoken or written in the phallogocentric Symbolic order. Cixous here makes a leap from the maternal body to the female body in general; she also leaps from that female body to female sexuality, saying that female sexuality, female sexual pleasure, feminine jouissance, is unrepresentable within the phallogocentric Symbolic order" (Dr. Mary Klages, "Postructuralist Feminist Theory")

Patriarchy - "Sexism is perpetuated by systems of patriarchy where male-dominated structures and social arrangements elaborate the oppression of women. Patriarchy almost by definition also exhibits androcentrism, meaning male centered. Coupled with patriarchy, androcentrism assumes that male norms operate through out all social institutions and become the standard to which all persons adhere" (Joe Santillan - University of California at Davis).

Phallologocentrism - "language ordered around an absolute Word (logos) which is “masculine” [phallic], systematically excludes, disqualifies, denigrates, diminishes, silences the “feminine” (Nikita Dhawan).

Second- and Third-Wave feminism - "Second-wave feminism refers to a period of feminist thought that originated around the 1960s and was mainly concerned with independence and greater political action to improve women's rights" (Wikipedia). "Third-wave feminism is a feminist movement that arguably began in the early 1990s. Unlike second-wave feminism, which largely focused on the inclusion of women in traditionally male-dominated areas, third-wave feminism seeks to challenge and expand common definitions of gender and sexuality" (Wikipedia).

Semiotic - "[Julia] Kristeva (kris-TAYV-veh) makes a distinction between the semiotic and symbolic modes of communication:

• Symbolic = how we normally think of language (grammar, syntax, logic etc.)
• Semiotic = non-linguistic aspects of language which express drives and affects

The semiotic level includes rhythms and sounds and the way they can convey powerful yet indefinable emotions" (Colin Wright - University of Nottingham).

Source: http://www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htm#feminism

Theory of Intelligences

Howard Gardner

Some researchers in the field of intelligence have long argued that people have a variety of different intelligences. A person may be good at learning languages and terrible at learning music--or vice versa. A single number (a score on an IQ test) cannot adequately represent the complex and diverse capabilities of a human being.

Howard Gardner has proposed a theory of multiple intelligences. He originally identified seven components of intelligence (Gardner, 1983). He argues that these intelligences are relatively distinct from each other and that each person has some level of each of these seven intelligences. More recently, he has added an eighth intelligence to his list (Educational Leadership, 1997).

Many PBL-using teachers have studied the work of Howard Gardner and use some of his ideas in their teaching. For example, in creating a team of students to do a particular project, a teacher may select a team whose collective "highest" talents encompass most of the eight areas of intelligence identified by Gardner. The teacher may encourage a team to divide up specific tasks in line with specific high levels of talents found on a team. Alternatively, a teacher may encourage or require that team members not be allowed to work in their areas of highest ability in order to encourage their development of knowledge and skills in other areas.

The following table lists the eight intelligences identified by Howard Gardner. It provides some examples of the types of professionals who exhibit a high level of an intelligence. The eight intelligences are listed in alphabetical order.

Intelligence	Examples	Discussion
Bodily-kinesthetic	Dancers, athletes, surgeons, crafts people	The ability to use one's physical body well.
Interpersonal	Sales people, teachers, clinicians, politicians, religious leaders	The ability to sense other's feelings and be in tune with others.
Intrapersonal	People who have good insight into themselves and make effective use of their other intelligences	Self-awareness. The ability to know your own body and mind.
Linguistic	Poets, writers, orators, communicators	The ability to communicate well, perhaps both orally and in writing, perhaps in several languages.
Logical-mathematical	Mathematicians, logicians	The ability to learn higher mathematics. The ability to handle complex logical arguments.
Musical	Musicians, composers	The ability to learn, perform, and compose music.
Naturalistic	Biologists, naturalists	The ability to understand different species, recognize patterns in nature, classify natural objects.
Spatial	Sailors navigating without modern navigational aids, surgeons, sculptors, painters	The ability to know where you are relative to fixed locations. The ability to accomplish tasks requiring three-dimensional visualization and placement of your hands or other parts of your body.

Table 4.1 Examples for each of the eight intelligences.

You might want to do some introspection. For each of the eight intelligences in the Howard Gardner list, think about your own level of talents and performance. For each intelligence, decide if you have an area of expertise that makes substantial use of the intelligence. For example, perhaps you are good at music. If so, is music the basis of your vocation?

Students can also do this type of introspection, and it can become a routine component of PBL lessons. Students can come to understand that they are more naturally gifted in some areas than in others, but that they have some talent in all of the eight areas identified by Howard Gardner. Curriculum and instruction can be developed to help all students make progress in enhancing their talents in each of these eight areas of intelligence.

Conclusion of theory of Intelligences is many kind of intelligences were given by God, one of them is obviously being our skill. Every part of intelligence has many kind of advantages, as a human we have to build the intelligences were given and practiced it to make it better. 

 Source: http://otec.uoregon.edu/intelligence.htm