Selasa, Mei 31, 2005

FireTune 1.0.4

FireTune 1.0.4


FireTune for Mozilla Firefox v1.x was developed for an easy and fast optimization of your browsing experience with Firefox. It is based on a collection of popular and well working optimization settings used and tested by the experts. Usually you have to optimize Firefox manually, which can be time consuming and difficult for the novice user. FireTune helps you here - it includes all the performance optimizations. The only thing you must do is: make your selection. FireTune does the work for you.

According to your specific computer speed and internet connection speed, FireTune will optimize several internal settings of Firefox for better performance. FireTune does NOT modify the Firefox executable, or any other Firefox binary file. Everything can be undone easily provided you saved your original profile configuration file with FireTune's profile backup feature before.

In most of all cases you'll notice an improved browsing speed after optimizing Firefox with FireTune. FireTune is Freeware and can be downloaded from the link below.

Download: FireTune 1.0.4 | 915KB (Freeware)

Kenapa diuji?


Kenapa  aku diuji?
"Apakah manusia itu mengira bahawa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan; `kami telah beriman,' sedangkan mereka tidak diuji? Dan  sesungguhnya kami telah menguji orang-orang yg sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya  Allah mengetahui orang-orang yg benar dan sesungguhnya Dia
mengetahui  orang-orang yg dusta." (Al-Ankabut : 2-3)  

Kenapa aku tak dapat apa yg aku  idam-idamkan?
"boleh jadi kamu membenci sesuatu padahal ia amat baik  bagimu, dan boleh jadi pula kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu,  Allah mengetahui sedang kamu tidak mengetahui." (Al-Baqarah : 216)

Kenapa ujian seberat ini?
"Allah tidak membebani  seseorang itu melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya." (Al-Baqarah : 286)  

Kecewa?
"Jgnlah kamu bersikap lemah, dan  jgnlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah org2 yg paling tinggi darjatnya,  jika kamu orang-orang yg beriman." (Al-Imran : 139)  

Bagaimana harus aku  menghadapinya?
"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu  (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang  berkebajikan), dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di  medan perjuangan), dan bersedialah (dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah- daerah  sempadan) serta bertaqwalah kamu kepada Allah supaya, kamu berjaya (mencapai  kemenangan)." (Al-Imran : 200)

"Dan mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah)  dengan jalan sabar dan mengerjakan sembahyang; dan sesungguhnya sembahyang itu  amatlah berat kecuali kepada orang-orang yang khusyuk." (Al-Baqarah : 45)  

Apa yang aku dapat drpd semua  ini?
"Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari orang-orang mu'min, diri,  harta mereka dengan memberikan syurga utk mereka..." (At-Taubah : 111)  

Kepada siapa aku  berharap?
"Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada Tuhan selain daripadaNya.  Hanya kepadaNya aku bertawakkal." (At-Taubah : 129)  

Aku tak dapat tahan!!!
"...  dan jgnlah kamu berputus asa dr rahmat Allah. Sesungguhnya tiada berputus asa dr  rahmat Allah melainkan kaum yg kafir." (Yusuf : 12)

Diari Negeri Sembilan

Diari Negeri Sembilan

Ahad, Mei 29, 2005

NKE6.0

NKE6.0

Like the product line, the NKE6.0 site is geared for kids who participate in extreme sports. Using Macromedia Flash MX 2004, NKE6.0 profiles future superstars of the action sports world and serves as a resource for finding nearby sports events and contests.

Gmail account now freely avilable


For Your Information:
You can Signup for google account at
http://www.google.com/accounts/

Please see the features below,
After this signup you do not neet to have invitation from gmail member, and Gmail will invite you for their service.you  will  receive an invitation directly from google at your current mail address. After requesting invite do check bulk folders before deleting as other mail services filter Gmail invites in that folder

Sabtu, Mei 28, 2005

Metal Storm - Epica - Consign To Oblivion - review

Epica - Consign To Oblivion
2005

01. Hunab K’u ”A New Age Dawns” (Prologue)
02. Dance of Fate
03. The Last Crusade “A New Age Dawns” I
04. Solitary Ground
05. Blank Infinity
06. Force of the Shore
07. Quietus
08. Mother of Light “A New Age Dawns” II
09. Trois Vierges
10. Another Me “In Lack’ech”
11. Consign to Oblivion “A New Age Dawns” III


Reviewer's rating: 9 | User rating: 8.6 | Votes: 36



Review by Lost One

Finally, the day has come! Epica’s second album, Consign to Oblivion, the follow-up to their praised debut album The Phantom Agony has been released. What a beautiful piece of metal art it has become! I will be quick about the facts but I must tell you a bit about the musical background first.

As you all know, Epica’s first release was in many ways inspired by the culture and music of the East. In fact, before the band name was changed to Epica, Mark Jansen’s project was called Sahara Dust, which gives away quite a lot about the personality of this still young man. He loves to travel a lot and all the influences that he encounters somehow find their way into his music. This time the influence is the Mayan culture which Mark came across while reading a book with photos of the ancient cities. Four of the albums’ songs form a quadrilogy which revolves around one concept, namely the rise, prosper and downfall of the Mayan empire. And that, my friends, is where this CD takes off…

The first song of the album is an intro, a type of song that is getting more and more popular in the gothic scene these days. We’ve seen Epica, Nemesea, Within Temptation and many other bands do it before, and this new album is no exception. The orchestral parts are much more important on this album and it’s evident immediately in this song which is performed by the orchestra alone. It’s beautiful, but above all epic. In a way, it makes you feel like you’re flying over the mountain passes where the great Mayan civilization was founded. Amazing!

The second song, Dance of Fate, shows us how much Simone has improved her singing and just how much more self-confident she has become. The vocals aren’t all that opera-like in this song and it’s quite easy to understand the lyrics. Dance of Fate, with its nice riffs and catchy drum rythm, has death as its sad subject, and what we can do to prevent it from coming. This song is somehow very striking, and it definitely had me begging for more!

Now for my personal favourite off the new album: The Last Crusade. This song is catchy, cool, has amazing live potential (read my Epica gig review for more info on that one) and is above all an indismissable part of the ‘A New Age Dawns’ quadrilogy. In this song, the orchestra, choir and band come to a perfect symbiosis. This is undoubtedly the result of a long production period and an amazing mix by Miro and Sascha Paeth, a duo with whom Epica has worked with before. I can’t help but hit the repeat button a couple of times before continuing to the next song: Solitary Ground…

This has been chosen as the first single, and it’s quite evident why. It’s very beautiful, it’s quite a little slower than the other songs up until now and Simone’s singing is both beautiful and understandable. I love the lyrics on this one, and I cannot tell you much more about it other than that it’s pretty darn good for what it is, i.e. a ballad.

However, personally I’m a big fan of Epica’s heavy side, which is why I find Blank Infinity a little more to my own liking. The soprano voice we know so well is back here, but it’s combined with a deep singing voice of Simone we’ve never heard before. And it works too! This song is simply magnificent! You need to hear it to believe I guess, because I simply cannot explain why this works so well.

Next up: Force of the Shore. I absolutely love the beginning of this one. It hits you in the face and doesn’t let go until it’s over. The grunts get more important on this song, and it is with great happiness that I tell you how much the integration of the grunts has improved compared to ‘The Phantom Agony’. On that album, I found the grunts to be quite annoying after a while, but I never got that feeling on ‘Consign to Oblivion.” Overall, this song is very powerful, and it basically shows us exactly what Epica stands for as a band. All the elements are here, and they’re in perfect harmony once more.

Quietus. This is a very strange song, but I love it all the same. The song opens with a very medieval sounding melody, soon accompanied by the guitars and drum kit of the band. The entire song has an aura of folk music about it, and Simone’s vocals are particularly lovely in it as she once again alters between soprano vocals and more plain singing. I really love the way she has evolved herself and her voice in different directions, this song shows it!

Now for another installment in the ‘A New Age Dawns’ quadrilogy, I adore this song!! There’s simply no other way to say it. It all fits: singing, rythm, use of orchestrated parts, grunts by Mark, everything. The chorus is amazing, really catchy, almost sounding like one of those good ol’ rythm & blues songs with many new touches added. This is quite a lengthy song among the others and it doesn’t get boring anywhere. Good thing too!

Then Trois Vierges, a vocal collaboration between Simone and Roy Khan from Kamelot, the band that inspired Epica to change their initial name to what it is now. It appears that Khan was quite arrogant about his guest performance, not wanting to do it at first because he felt that singing just one song on Epica’s new album wasn’t worth the trouble. However, when Kamelot was in need of a female singer for the vocals on their song ‘The Haunting’, Simone was first to the scene and Khan could no longer refuse them his help, especially after Mark convinced him that this song was written for him and him alone. The result is a beautiful duet with a somewhat medieval feel to it, and although it may sound a little dull after Mother of Light on the first go, this song will get your attention for sure once you’ve listened to the album a couple of times more.

So we have come to the second last song of the album, a rather heavy and lovely song that goes by the name of Another Me “In Lack’ech.” The title may sound very strange, but the song is fantastic. The vocals are once again switched between, and the choir is specifically good on this song. It makes up an important part of the song’s vocals and this song surely wouldn’t be the same without it. The musical composition is spot-on too, which makes this song very easy on the ear from the beginning right on to the end.

Now there’s just one more song left for me to review. Consign to Oblivion, the epic title track and conclusion of the ‘A New Age Dawns’ story. Epica has listened well to its fans, and granted their wish of an epic, lengthy song that combines all elements and styles into one production. And so this masterpiece was born. It’s heavy, epic, fast, slow, cheerful and melancholic all at the same time. Surely, the subject is a very sad one, as this song symbolizes the defeat and destruction of the great Mayan empire. The song works, and I was speechless upon listening to it for the first time around. I can’t tell you much more about it, just listen to it yourself. You’ll fall in love with it for sure...

Well, I guess that is about all I have to say of this new gothic metal masterpiece from my little home country of Holland. Fans, be advised that the special digibook version of the album comes with a nice making-of DVD, and that the Super Audio CD version comes with two bonus tracks I will not include in this review as I haven’t heard them yet.

If you’re a fan of gothic metal, this album is an absolute must have! If you’d like to sample this style of music and see if it’s your thing, you can’t go far wrong with this one. It’s got something for everyone, and even the most hardened metal heads will be melted by Simone’s beautiful voice sooner or later. Get this if you can!

TheKansasCityChannel.com - Irresistible Headlines - Twins Give Birth On Same Day

TheKansasCityChannel.com - Irresistible Headlines - Twins Give Birth On Same Day: "Twins Give Birth On Same Day
One Delivers Boy, One Has Girl

POSTED: 2:15 pm CDT May 27, 2005

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Twin sisters Rachel Haak and Rebecca Bradstreet found out they were pregnant on the same day.

So it's only fitting that the 28-year-old women gave birth on the same day in the same Rochester hospital.

The sisters both delivered their firstborn on Wednesday at Rochester General Hospital. Haak delivered a son early that morning. Bradstreet gave birth to a girl in the afternoon.

Haak said she called her sister several months ago to tell her she was pregnant. Bradstreet then ran out, got her own pregnancy test and called back to reveal that she, too, was expecting.

The sisters decided to both give birth at Rochester General, where Haak works as an occupational therapist, because it would be easier on their family.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - OZZY OSBOURNE Says He Gets High Now By Working Out

April 20 marked the one-year anniversary of sobriety for rock's seemingly indestructible icon, Ozzy Osbourne. Now he's found a new passion to feed his addictive personality: working out.

To get himself in shape for Ozzfest, now in its tenth year, the 'Mad Man of Rock' is hitting the elliptical machine, the track and the weights instead of the bottle.

'I absolutely ... love it,' Osbourne told The Associated Press, with his trademark profanity of course. 'I get a normal endorphin, it's as good as any drug. I'm addicted to (that), and being yelled at by my wife.'

Osbourne, who is still recovering from an all-terrain vehicle accident last year on his England estate, is working hard to stay healthy.

'I'm getting myself in shape. I no longer smoke, I no longer drink, I no longer use dope,' Osbourne said. 'I'm still ----ing crazy. On the surface I'm pretty normal. I just don't want to drink or be (intoxicated) anymore.'

Although Osbourne spent the majority of his life teetering on the razor's edge of death, he's in great shape for the 26-city tour, which kicks off July 15 in Boston, with BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN as the co-headlining acts.

'I'm trying to get nutritional stuff in my body,' said the 56-year-old legend. 'The grim reaper will be knocking down my door soon. I want to be around a lot longer.'

But don't let Osbourne's newfound healthy habits fool you. His devil-may-care attitude is still going strong, even if he's popping vitamins instead of painkillers. 'I did try retirement a few years back but then I realized when you retire you've got to have something to retire to.'

He does, however, plan to retire one day.

'Have you heard of death?' he asked."

Jumaat, Mei 27, 2005

Addictive SFCave game as a first-person Java applet

Addictive SFCave game as a first-person Java applet

SFCave was the most addictive PalmOS game I ever played. In SFCave, you piloted a spacecraft through a cave with many upthrusting stalagmites and downhanging stalactites. Pressing the sole control button made you rise, and taking your finger off made you fall. Like all great timewasters, the simplicity was the key to the addictiveness.

Now there's a 3D version of it implemented in Java, which can be played in your browser. You see the cave from the PoV of the ship, with hills and dips looking ahead of you, and use the mouse-button to rise. This first-person version of the game is, if anything, even more addictive. Consider yourself warned.





--
In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

Brain wash on Increment & promotion

After 2 years of selfless service, a man realized that he has not been promoted, no transfer, no salary increase no commendation and that the company is not doing any thing about it. So he decided to walk up to his manager one morning and after exchanging greeti ngs, he told his manager
his observation. The boss looked at him, laughed and asked him to sit down saying;

My friend, you have not worked here for even one day. The man was surprised to hear this, but the manager went on to explain.


Manager:- How many days are there in a year?

Man:- 365 days and some times 366

Manager:- how many hours make up a day?

Man:- 24 hours

Manager:- How long do you work in a day?

Man:- 8am to 4pm. i.e. 8 hours a day.

Manager:- So, what fraction of the day do you work in hours?

Man:- (He did some arithmetic and said 8/24 hours ie. 1/3(one third)

Manager:- That is nice of you! What is one-third of 366 days?

Man:- 122 (1/3x366 122 in days)

Manager:- Do you come to work on weekends?

Man:- No sir

Manager:- How many days are there in a year that are weekends?

Man:- 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays equals to 104 days

Manager:- Thanks for that. If you remove 104 days from 122 days, how many days do you now have?

Man:- 18 days.

Manager:- OK! I do give you 2 weeks sick leave every year. Now remove that 14 days from the 18 days left. How many days do you have remaining?

Man:- 4 days

Manager:- Do you work on New Year day?

Man:- No sir!

Manager:- Do you come to work on workers day?

Man:- No sir!

Manager:- So how many days are left?

Man:- 2 days sir!

Manager:- Do you come to work on the (National holiday )?

Man:- No sir!

Manager:- So how many days are left?

Man:- 1 day sir!

Manager:- Do you work on Christmas day?

Man:- No sir!

Manager:- So how many days are left?

Man:- None sir!

Manager:- So, what are you claiming?

Man:- I understood Sir ! thank you sir for all the money you have been giving me, I am sorry for trying to steal from the Company !!!

Muzium tengkorak

Satu hari tu si Tanggang pergi ke muzium pameran tengkorak,masa kat luar dia tengoklah ade satu tengkorak besar,"mungkin orang dewasa puya tegkorak ni",Tanggang berkata dalam hatinya, dia pun masuk kedalam dan melihat banyak lagi tengkorak kat dalam tu, dia berkata sendiri lagi, "apalah diorang ni tak letak nama pun, ntah tengkorak siapalah agaknya ni".Dia pun menoleh sekeliling untuk bertanya siapakah gerangan yang empunya tengkorak itu, dia ternampak security yang jaga kat area tu,
 
Tanggang: "Bang tengkorak yang kecik ni siapa punya"

Security: "Ooo yang ini tengkorak raja mongul"

Tanggang: "Aik..kan yang besar kt luar tu tadi tengkorak raja mongul punya.."

Security: "Ooo.. itu tengkorak raja mongul masa dia dewasa, yang ini tengkorak masa dia kecil"
  
Tanggang pun blah sambil berkata dalam hatinya "macammanalah muzium ni ambik pekerja yang macam telo separuh masak ni.."

Khamis, Mei 26, 2005

Farmasi

Rina menjemput pakwenya.. Tom untuk pergi kerumah berjumpa kedua ibubapanya sambil makan malam..Kalau Tom bersetuju.. Rina berjanji akan  tidur bersamanya selepas makan malam tersebut.. Setelah berfikir agak lama....akhirnya Tom bersetuju dan membuat beberapa persiapan... Dia lalu
pergi ke sebuah farmasi dan bertemu dengan pemilik farmasi tersebut untuk meminta nasihat dan tunjuk ajar...

Tom :"Pakcik.. Malam ni.. buat pertama kalinya saya akan meniduri kekasih saya jadi saya ingin membeli ubat yang paling baik untuk      menguatkan ketahanan dan mempercepatkan ransangan....saya juga ingin.. membeli kondom yang paling tahan.."

Pemilik Farmasi : "Berapa banyak kamu mahu kondomnya?"

Tom : "12 keping...kerana saya mahu mengulangi sebanyak 12 kali"

Selesai berurusan di Farmasi tersebut... Tom terus balik ke rumahnya... Malam pun tiba.. Di Rumah Rina... Tom duduk di sisi makwenya itu.. berhadapan dengan kedua orang tua Rina...

30 minit berlalu.. Tom banyak tunduk dan malu-malu.... akhirnya selesai makan malam... Rina berbisik pada Tom...

Rina : "Saya tidak menyangka yang abang ni pemalu orangnya.. tapi bagus juga.. mesti ayah tidak ada alasan untuk menolak perkahwinan kita nanti..."

Tom : (Sambil berbisik) "Abang tak sangka.. ayah awak tu rupanya seorang pemilik Farmasi....!!!@$$%%&##"

Rabu, Mei 25, 2005

Mount Pinatubo


  Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano located on the island of Luzon in
  the Philippines, at the intersection of the borders of the provinces
  of Zambales, Bataan, and Pampanga.  Before 1991, the mountain was
  inconspicuous and heavily eroded.  It was covered in dense forest which
  supported a population of several thousand indigenous people, the
  Aeta, who had fled to the mountains from the lowlands when the Spanish
  conquered the Philippines in 1565.  The volcano's most recent eruption
  in June 1991 came after 500 years of dormancy, and produced one of the
  largest and most violent eruptions of the 20th century.  Successful
  predictions of the onset of the climactic eruption led to the
  evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the surrounding areas,
  saving many lives, but the surrounding areas were severely damaged by
  pyroclastic flows, ash deposits, and later, lahars caused by rainwater
  remobilising earlier volcanic deposits, and thousands of houses were
  destroyed.  The effects of the eruption were felt world-wide.  It
  injected large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere—more than any
  eruption since that of Krakatoa in 1883.  Global temperatures dropped
  by about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), and ozone destruction increased
  substantially.

Read the rest of this article:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo

Wired Roundabout


1 Posted by Hello


2 Posted by Hello


3 Posted by Hello

musikCube 0.92.4 Released!


musikCube 0.92.4 has been released.

For more details, visit: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/musikCube/1091033963/1

-----------
Copyright (C) 1998-2005 BetaNews, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.



Selasa, Mei 24, 2005

Blue Whale

The Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen  whales.  Blue Whales are believed to be the largest animal ever to have  lived, at up to 30 metres in length and 140 tonnes or more in weight.  Blue Whales were abundant in most oceans around the world up until the  beginning of the twentieth century.  For the first 40 years of that  century they were hunted by whalers almost to extinction.  Hunting of  the species was outlawed by the international community in 1966.  The  current world population is between three and four thousand  individuals.  These are located in four (or possibly five) groups.  The  largest is in the North-East Pacific.  There are two groups in the  North Atlantic and one in Antarctic waters.  Blue Whales found in the  Indian Ocean may or may not be part of the Antarctic group.

Read the rest of this article:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale

Lawak Cucur

Ada sorang bekas samseng tu dia dan  wifenya jual cucur udang setelah dia insaf dan tidak mengaktifkan dirinya  dalam bidang kesamsengan lagi...
setelah beberapa tahun berniaga maka  terkenallah cucurnya seantero negerinya... dan pada satu ari dgn tiba2  datangla sekumpulan manusia yg
jugak samseng sepertinya satu ketika dulu  hendak merasa sendiri kelazatan cucurnya seperti yg diperkatakan ramai  makhluk... maka sekumpulan samseng tu pun memborong habis kesemua  cucurnya... dengan lahapnya ketua samseng tu merasmikan dulu merasai cucur  tersebut...dan dengan tak semene2 ketua samseng tu pon kata... " dah banyak  ketul aku makan cucur ni... tapi satu ekor udang pon aku tak nampak" dan  penjual cucur udang rasa bengang tahap maksima apabila disindir begitu...  dia pun selinsingkan lengan baju dan berkata dengan selambanya...

"ooooo...  cucur udang aku takde udang korang bising... tu... orang yg jual cucur  badak tapi takde badak... korang tak bising pulak"  











*** RANHILL-WORLEY NOTICE  ***    


--
They all think that I am brave,
The strongest link in our chain,
But really I just want a bullet between my eyes.

Ahad, Mei 22, 2005

Photo Of The Day - Beetle

Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Jokes Of The Day


There was a blind man who decided to visit Texas .  

When he arrived on the plane, he felt the seats and said, "Wow, these seats are big!"  

The person next to him answered, "Everything is big in Texas."

When he finally arrived in Texas , he decided to visit a bar. Upon arriving in the bar, he ordered a beer and got a mug placed between his hands.  

He exclaimed, "Wow these mugs are big!"  

The bartender replied, "Everything is big in Texas ."

After a couple of beers, the blind man asked the bartender where the bathroom was located.  

The bartender replied, "Second door to the right."  

The blind man headed for the bathroom, but accidentally tripped over and skipped the second door.  

Instead, he entered the third door, which lead to the swimming pool and fell into the pool by accident.  

Scared to death, the blind man started shouting,

"Don't flush, don't flush!"

Sabtu, Mei 21, 2005

SYSTEM OF A DOWN Drummer Doesn't Understand Hoopla Surrounding 'Saturday Night Live' F-Bomb - May 20, 2005

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan has commented on the band's "Saturday Night Live" appearance earlier in the month in which guitarist Daron Malakian got a spontaneous cry of "Fuck yeah!" past NBC-TV censors during the band's performance of its current single, "B.Y.O.B." The use of the F-word in the song's actual lyrics was muted during the broadcast.

Speaking to Canada's Chart Attack, Dolmayan said he and his bandmates hadn't thought about the incident since their appearance on the show and he claimed he didn't understand why the press ate it up.

"It's ridiculous that people make a big deal out of it. Incredibly ridiculous that it's newsworthy," he said. "It's just a word. We didn't kill anybody. People should relax. If you're old enough to be up at 11:30, I'm sure that you've heard that word before and it's not going to affect your delicate sensibilities if you hear it again. We act like these words are never spoken. The whole country tripped out because of Janet Jackson's breast. Who gives a fuck? How many times have you seen a breast before in your life? It doesn't offend me."

Dolmayan also spoke about the second half of their "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" double-album concept, which is due this fall. Refusing to give away any hints about the upcoming CD, Dolmayan said that they want people to enjoy the just-released "Mezmerize" to the fullest and still have some anticipation left for when the "Hypnotize" half comes out.

"No hints. I'm leaving it open, so you can have that mystery and hopefully it won't get leaked two weeks before the album comes out," Dolmayan said. "You'll be able to enjoy, like in the old days when you would wait until an album came out and then listen to it, as opposed to getting it three weeks in advance."

--

Kisah Suami & Isteri

Akhirnya setelah dua tahun menghilang diri, Normah kembali ke rumahnya. Seperti dahulu, dia masih cantik bergaya. Lenggoknya masih gemalai, pinggang masih ramping, gincu masih merah dan mekap masih tebal. Jika berselisih, aroma pewanginya masih kuat menusuk hidung.

Namun bezanya, Normah kelihatan tidak begitu ceria. Zahirnya dia begitu anggun tapi wajahnya terlukis warna yang muram dan lesu. Tutur katanya perlahan dan tidak bermaya seperti orang keresahan.

"Kenapa awak balik? Pergilah ikut jantan. Awak tak ada pun saya boleh jaga anak-anak kita ni!!" jerkah suaminya, Halim sebaik melihat Normah pulang dengan menjinjing sebuah beg besar.

Normah tidak menjawab kerana dia tahu, itu memang salahnya. Dia Cuma berdiri di pintu dan menundukkan muka. Halim sebaliknya terus membelasah isterinya itu dengan kata-kata keras. Sudah lama geram itu menggelodak di hati, lalu inilah masa untuk melepaskannya.

Normah masih terpaku di muka pintu. Dikesat air mata yang bergenang. Tiada sepatah perkataan pun di balasnya kata-kata Halim itu kerana hajatnya pulang bukanlah untuk bertengkar. Hasratnya Cuma satu, untuk pulang ke pangkuan suami dan anak-anak.

Jika diikutkan hati memang hendak dihalaunya Normah, tapi disebabkan anak-anak, Halim menahan juga kemarahannya. Dibiarkan Normah masuk ke rumah yang telah lebih dua tahun ditinggalkannya itu.

Bagi Halim, kepulangan Normah tidak membawa apa-apa erti lagi dalam hidupnya. Malah ia cuma memulakan semula kekalutan yang sudah dirungkaikannya, mengeruhkan hidup yang mula jernih dan memarakkan semula api yang telah dipadamkan.

Dua tahun dahulu, Normah meninggalkan Halim dan dua anaknya, Iffa, 5, dan Aina, 2.Yang ditinggalkan hanyalah sekeping nota menyatakan yang dia ingin hidup bersama kekasihnya.

" Saya rasa kita dah tak ada persefahaman lagi. Saya mahu hidup bahagia dengannya" demikian antara lain nota yang ditinggalkannya untuk Halim.

Kesalnya dia dengan tindakan Normah tidak terkata. Halim akui sejak akhir-akhir ini Normah sudah berubah. Kalau dulu layanannya begitu baik, sekarang mula dingin. Pantang silap sedikit, mulalah naik angin. Kata-katanya pula, selalu saja diiringi sindiran. Sudahlah begitu, sering pula Normah meminta barang-barang mewah di luar kemampuan Halim. Itulah yang menghairankan Halim.

Lama-kelamaan, Halim terhidu pula berita Normah menjalin hubungan sulit dengan lelaki berada. Dia ada bertanya tentang hal itu, namun Normah pantas menafikannya. Walaupun Halim menekannya dengan cerita dan bukti-bukti, tapi Normah tetap tidak menidakkannya. Malah dituduh pula suaminya cemburu buta.

Nah, sekarang terbukti sudah kebimbangannya itu. Tapi apa yang boleh dilakukan, nasi sudah menjadi bubur.

Sejak Normah meninggalkannya, hidup Halim tidak terurus. Terpaksalah dia membesarkan anaknya itu sendirian. Dialah ibu dialah bapa. Dengan gajinya sebagai penyelia kilang yang tidak seberapa dan menyewa pula di sebuah rumah di pinggir Kuala Lumpur, tentulah sukar untuk dia menguruskan hidup.

Kalau kanak-kanak lain selalu bertukar pakaian, anak-anaknya dengan baju dua tiga pasang itulah. Makan yang mewah jauh sekali, kecuali apabila dia mendapat gaji.

Rutin hidupnya, awal pagi menghantar anak-anaknya ke rumah ibunya dan malam menjemput mereka pulang. Dialah yang memasak dan mengemas rumah. Kadangkala adik
perempuannya turut membantu menguruskan keluarganya.

Memang hidpnya sukar, tapi Halim belum tergerak untuk berkahwin lagi. Baginya, biar susah macam mana pun, semua halangan itu akan dirempuhinya. Tambahan pula Normah masih tidak diceraikan.

Halim juga mahu membuktikan kepada Normah bahawa tanpa wnita itu, dia boleh menguruskan keluarga. Dan juga, kalau kemewahan yang menyebabkan Normah meninggalkannya, Halim ingin buktikan bahawa tanpa wang yang banyak sekalipun dia boleh hidup bahagia.

Ternyata tanpa Normah, Halim mampu membesarkan anak-anaknya seperti ibu bapa lain. Iffa dan Aina juga kian lama kian melupakan ibu mereka. Malh melihat gambar pun mereka benci.

Bukan Halim yang menghasut tapi kerana Normah sendiri yang bengis terhadap anak-anak.

Kerana itulah, kepulangan Normah membangkitkan semula kemarahan Halim. Tambahan pula Halim mendapati ada sesuatu yang tidak kena dengan perut Normah. Ia membuncit seperti sedang hamil. Bagaimanapun dia tidak mahu bertanya kepada wanita itu.

"Tempat awk di sana!" kata Halim menunjukkan Normah ke arah sebuah bilik kecil. Di dalamnya ada sebuah tilam bujang yang kusam. Bertompok sana, bertompok sini.

"Nak alas, cari sendiri," kata Halim, lalu menyindir "itupun kalau awak ingat kat mana nak cari... ." Normah ditinggalkan sendirian.

Malam itu, Normah tidur seorang diri dalam bilik sempit dan penuh barang-barang. Sementara Halim tidur bersama dua anaknya di bilik lain. Bila anak-anaknya pulang, Normah cuba membelai mereka tapi Iffa dan Aina segera menjauhkan diri. Dipujuk dengan bermacam-macam cara pun tidak berkesan. Terpaksalah Normah membawa diri ke dalam bilik dan menangis teresak-esak.

Begitulah keadaan mereka setiap hari. Normah menjadi orang asing di dalam rumahnya sendiri sementara Halim meneruskan hidup seperti biasa. Mereka tidur berasingan dan setiap pagi, anak-anak dihantar ke rumah ibunya tidak jauh dari situ.

Ternyata telahan Halim tepat. Dari sehari ke sehari dilihatnya perut Normah semakin membusung. Lain macam bulatnya. Setelah didesak dan dijerkah berkali-kali, Normah terpaksa mengaku dirinya berbadan dua.

"Aku dah agak. Patutlah awak balik... nak suruh aku jadi bapak pada budak tu, kan? Nak jadikan aku pak sanggup?" Halim melepaskan paku buah keras.

"Bukan macam tu bang, saya... " tapi belum pun sempat Normah menghabiskan cakap, Halim memintas " Saya apa?! Saya tak buat benda tak senonoh tu? Budak tu anak aku?
Tolong sikit... .bila masa aku sentuh badan kamu tu?Hah?"

Bagi menutup malu, Normah memakan makanan yang tajam, pedas dan berasid untuk menggugurkan kandungannya, tetapi gagal. Perutnya terus-menerus membesar.

Gagal cara itu, dia pergi ke klinik swasta pula. Bagaimanapun doctor tidak mengizinkan kerana risikonya terlalu tinggi. Kata doktor, kandungannya sudah besar dan jika digugurkan, ia boleh mengundang maut.

Semakin hari jiwa Normah semakin tertekan. Perut kian memboyot sedangkan anak dan suami pula tidak menghiraukan kehadirannya. Dia menjadi melukut di tepi gantang dalam rumah sendiri. Suami menjauhkan diri bila hendak mengadu dan anak pula tidak menganggapnya ibu untuk mereka bermanja.

Tidak ada jalan lain, Normah meminta Halim menghantarkan dia ke rumah ibunya. Tentu saja Halim tidak membangkang. Memang itu yang dia mahukan. Namun sambutan ibu bapanya juga mengecewakan.

"Dua tahun kamu tinggalkan suami dan anak, tiba-tiba baru dua bulan balik perut kamu dah besar macam ni. Huh... memang patut pun Halim buat macam ni. Kamu derhaka pada dia!" kata bapa Normah, Haji Shafie bila mendapati anaknya itu hamil.

Dari sehari ke sehari tekanan perasaannya tambah menebal. Ia kian merundung bila tumbuh pula cacar di badannya. Dari kecil ia membesar, dan dari sebiji-sebiji ia merata memenuhi badan. Di dalam cacar itu, menguning nanah busuk dan jelik baunya. Pada waktu yang sama, Normah mengidap darah tinggi pula.

Tekanan perasaan yang melampau itu menyebabkan Normah dibawa oleh ibu bapanya berjumpa dengan pakar jiwa. Bermacam-macam ubat dan rawatan diberikan tapi ternyata begitu sukar untuk dia dipulihkan.

Disebabkan badannya terlalu lemah, doktor mencadangkan supaya Normah bersalin melalui cara pembedahan apabila usia kandungannya mencecah tujuh bulan lebih sedikit.

Pada waktu yang ditetapkan, Normah dimasukkan ke wad. Seminggu sebelum dibedah, dia mula meracau-racau dan meraung. Bermacam-macam dijeritkannya tanpa hujung
pangkal. Dimaki hamunnya emak dan ayah seta jururawat yang datang. Kemudian Normah menangis pula hendak balik dan melihat anak-anak.

Dalam keadaan yang kritikal itulah ayahnya, Pak Cik Shafie menelefon saya dan menceritakan keadaan anaknya itu secara ringkas.

" Pak cik tak mahu nak salahkan sesiapa. Dua-dua ada buat silap. Tapi sekarang ni pak cik minta ustaz usahakanlah ubat anak pak cik tu," katanya. Daripada suaranya itu saya tahu dia sedang menahan sebak.

" Saya di Sarawak sekarang ni pak cik. Dua hari lagi saya balik. Tapi buat sementara ni, usahakan baca Yasin dulu. Bila saya balik nanti, saya terus ke sana," jawab saya.

Sekembalinya ke Semenanjung saya terus menziarahi Normah. Keadaannya sama seperti yang diceritakan oleh bapanya.Mengerang kesakitan, meracau, meronta-ronta, dan bercakap tidak keruan. Keadannya ketika itu memang menyedihkan kerana dalam keadaan perut memboyot dia meraung seperti hilang akal.

Namun timbul pertanyaan di fikiran saya selepas dibacakan Yasin, keadaan Normah bertambah buruk. Keadaanya ibarat mencurah minyak ke api, makin disiram makin besar maraknya. Ibu bapa dan adik beradik Normah menangis milihat keadaan dirinya.

"Pak cik mana suami dengan anak-anaknya?" saya bertanya bila melihat suami dan anak-anak Normah tidak menziarahinya.

" Itulah yang saya nak cakap pada ustaz. Saya dah pujuk, rayu dia datanglah tengok anak saya ni. Kata saya, walau besar mana pun dosa anak saya, kalau dia menderhaka sekalipun, tapi dalam keadaan macam ni bukankah elok kalau dia di ampunkan? Tapi dia tak mau. Jengah pun tidak," kata Haji Shafie kesal.

"Dia marah lagi agaknya," saya menyambung.

"Saya tau... kalau jadi pada kita pun kita marah. Saya bukanlah nak salahkan dia, tapi yang sudah tu, sudahlah. Anak saya pun bersalah, saya mengaku," tambah Haji Shafie.

"Kalau macam tu," tambah saya," bawa saya jumpa menantu pak cik tu. Insya-Allah kita sama-sama pujuk dia."

Seperti yang dipersetujui, beberapa hari kemudian saya dibawa oleh Haji Shafie berjumpa dengan menantunya itu.

"Yang sudah tu sudahlah Lim, ampunkanlah dia. Normah tengah tenat tu," Haji Shafie merayu.

" Dua tahun dia tinggalkan kami anak beranak. Balik-balik, mengandung... suami mana yang tak marah, ayah ?. Mana saya nak letak muka saya ni ? Dayus, pucuk layu , tak ada punai, tak tau jaga bini, macam-macam lagi orang hina saya... ' tambah Halim melepaskan segala yang terbuku di hati. Bermacam-macam lagi di rungutkan hingga tidak sanggup kami
mendengarnya.

" Ayah faham perasaan kau. Ayah tau Normah yang salah, derhaka pada kau , tapi dia tengah tenat sekarang ni," Haji Shafie merayu lagi , Halim tidak menjawab sepatah pun . Nafasnya saja yang turun naik manakala muka merah padam menahan marah.

Bila keberangan nya semakin reda saya menasihatkan Halim supaya melupakan perkara yang telah berlalu itu. "Mengampunkan orang lain lebih baik daripada membalas dendam . Isteri awak menderita sekarang ini pun sebab dia sudah sedar dengan kesalahan dia, jadi eloklah awak maafkan," kata saya.

Lalu saya ... hadis dan firman Allah berkaitan ... Ternyata Halim sudah berpatah arang berkerat rotan . " Saya tak akan jenguk dan saya tak akan ampunkan dia. Isteri durhaka ! " katanya.

Sampailah hari Normah di bedah , Halim langsung tidak menjengukkan mukanya. Iffa dan Aina juga di larang daripada menjengah ibu mereka.

Bagaimanapun , di sebabkan keadaan Normah yang tenat, makan minum tidak menentu , bayi yang di lahirkannya meninggal dunia beberapa hari kemudian. Normah pula sejak sedar daripada pembedahan semakin teruk jadinya.

Setiap hari, terutamanya tengah malam dan senja dia akan meracau. Yang mengibkan , racauannya kini mendedahkan segala pelakuan jelik yang di lakukannya selama meninggalkan Halim dan anak-anak.

Antaranya, Normah menceritakan yang dia telah mengikut lelaki hingga ke Siam dan kemudian hidup seperti suami isteri. Selepas berpisah dengan lelaki itu, dia bersekedudukan pula dengan lelaki lain. Tidak kurang dengan tiga lelaki telah dia berzina.

"Abang..ampunkanlah saya. Saya derhaka, saya jahat, saya malukan abang... maafkanlah saya... "dia terus  menangis dan meratap.

Setiap hari bermacam-macam rahsia di dedahkannya; tentang tempat-tempat maksiat yang pernah dia pergi bersama teman lelaki, kawan-kawan lain yang sama saja perangai dengannya juga kekecewaannya bila di permainkan lelaki-lelaki terbabit.

"Abang, Iffa, Aina... marilah tengok emak . Emak tak jahat lagi,. Emak nak jadi baik. Emak nak jadi lawa, pandai, suka masak, kita pergi sungai... " ratapnya lagi bercampur dengan kata-kata yang melalut.

Tidak dapat hendak di gambarkan bagaimana malunya Haji Shafie dan isterinya setiap kali Normah menelanjangkan keburukannya sendiri. Berbagai-bagai cara mereka lakukan supaya Normah berhenti meracau seperti menutup mulut, memujuknya diam dan kadangkala turut sama bercakap supaya orang-orang di sekeliling tidak mendengar , tetapi usaha itu tidak berhasil.

Setelah hampir sebulan Normah mendedahkan kecurangannya, keadaan wanitaitu bertambah parah . Tekanan darahnya menurun dan kerap tidak sedarkan diri. Badannya yang kurus makin melidi kerana Normah tidak mahu menjamah makanan . Yang di lakukan sepanjang hari hanyalah menangis dan meminta ampun kepada Halim. Setelah itu dia kembali terkulai tidak sedarkan diri.

Haji Shafie sekali lagi menemui saya.

"Ustaz pujuklah menantu saya tu. Mintalah dia datang jenguk Normah dan ampunkan lah kesalahan dia. Memang anak saya bersalah , tapi dalam keadaan sekarang , Cuma keampunan suami saja yang boleh selamatkan dia," kata haji Shafie. Isterinya sejak tadi saya tengok tiada berhenti-henti mengesat air mata .

"Kalau begitu, mari kita pergi jumpa Halim," kata saya.

Puas kami memujuknya . Alhamdulillah, setelah berbagai-bagai alas an di beri, akhirnya Halim bersetuju. Bagaimanapun saya lihat dia seperti terpaksa saja. Langkahnya berat dan nampak kurang ikhlas.

" Sudahlah Lim, lupakan yang lepas-lepas. Buangkan dendam, gantikan dengan kemaafan. Insya-Allah, semua pihak akan dapat keberkatanNya," kata saya semasa Halim hendak memasuki kereta. Dia cuma tersenyum tawar.

Demi terpandang saja Halim datang menjenguk, Normah dengan suara yang amat lemah memohon maaf kepada suaminya itu.

" Sa..sa..ya der... haa..ka pada abaaaang.." katanya antara dengar dengan tidak. Sambil air mata jatuh berlinangan , dia mengangkat tangannya untuk meminta maaf, tapi terlalu sukar. Ibunya cepat-cepat membantu.

" Yalah... "jawab Halim perlahan lantas menyambut tangan Normah. Reaksinya masih tawar. Dia belum benar-benar ikhlas.

Petang itu kami bersama-sama membacakan surah Yasin dan ayat-ayat suci al-Quran untuk Normah yang kelihatan semakin teruk. Bagaimana pun bila Normah meminta ampun sekali lagi, saya lihat Halim semakin ikhlas menyambutnya. Saya tersenyum. Mungkin hatinya sudah sejuk melihat penderitaan Normah.

Lebih kurang pukul 5.00 petang saya meminta diri kerana ada urusan penting. Sebelum pulang saya berpesan; " Lim, sekarang ni awak saja yang boleh selamatkan Normah. Dia harapkan sangat keampunan aripada awak. Selepas itu, serahkan kepada Allah. Kalau sembuh, alhamdulillah, kalau tidak biarlah dia pergi dengan aman ".

" Terima kasih ustaz," balas Halim.

Seminggu kemudian Halim datang ke rumah saya dan memaklumkan bahawa Normah telah meninggal dunia . Bagaimanapun , dia membawa juga kisah yang menginsafkan mengenai pemergian Normah.

"Ustaz," Halim memulakan ceritanya, " malam tu Cuma tinggal saya dan anak-anak saja duduk di tepi Normah. Ibu dan bapa dia ke kantin untuk makan. Bila saya bacakan Yasin , saya tengok air mata arwah mengalir setitik demi setitik. Saya tau dia benar-benar insaf dengan kesalahannya dulu, curang pada saya, derhaka pada suami, tinggalkan anak-anak.

' Sampai di ayat salamun qaulam mirrabir rahim, saya ulang tiga kali. Setelah habis, saya usap dahi arwah. Saya lakukannya dengan ikhlas sebab tidak sampai hati tengok hati dia menderita.

" Setelah menciumnya tiga kali tiba-tiba dia nazak. Nafasnya di tarik dalam-dalam tapi nampak susah sangat. Sekejap kemudian nafasnya laju, tapi lepas itu lambat betul. Saya cemas. Dah dekat ke ?

" Tiba-tiba Aina menangis . Entah apa yang di gaduhkan dengan kakaknya saya pun tak tau . Kuat betul dia menangis sampai saya tak sanggup nak dengar.

" Berbelah bagi juga sama ada antara anak dan isteri yang tengah sakit, tapi bila fikirkan tangisan budak itu mengganggu pesakit lain, saya terus ambil Aina dan pujuk dia. Susah pula nak pujuk dia hari tu sampai terpaksa dukung dan bawa ke luar wad."

" Namun bila kembali ke wad, saya dapati Normah dah tidak bernafas lagi.

" Luka memang berdarah lagi, ustaz, tapi bila dia meninggal tanpa ada sesiapapun di sebelahnya, menitis juga air mata saya. Yalah, kalau orang lain pergi dengan baik, ada orang tolong bisikan syahadah, bacakan Yasin, dia pula pergi macam tu. Agaknya itulah balasan untuk isteri yang derhaka '.

New Sweetheart's Birthday

A young man wanted to purchase a gift for his new sweetheart's birthday, and as they had not been dating very long, after careful consideration he decided a pair of gloves would strike just the right note: romantic, but not too personal.

Accompanied by his sweetheart's younger sister, he went and bought her a pair of white gloves. The sister purchased a pair of panties for her-self.

During the wrapping of the packages, the store clerk mixed up the items and the sister got the gloves while the young man ended up with the panties. Without checking the contents, the young man sealed the package and sent it to his sweetheart with this note:

'I chose these because I noticed that you are not in the habit of wearing any when we go out in the evening. If it had not been for your sister, I would have chosen the long ones with the buttons, but she wears the short ones that are easier to remove. These are a delicate shade, but the lady I bought them from showed me the pair she had been wearing for the past three weeks and they were hardly soiled. I had her try yours on for me and she looked really smart. I wish I could be there to put them on for you the first time, as no doubt other hands will come in contact with them before I have a chance to see you again. When you take them off, remember to blow in them before putting them away as they will naturally be a little damp from wearing. Just think how many times I will kiss them during the coming year. I hope that you will wear them for me on Friday night.'


All my love

RM1000

Seorang mahasiswa semester akhir menulis surat kepada ayahnya:


Ayah,
Saya merasa tidak selesa kerana terus menerus menulis surat kepada
ayah untuk meminta wang. Saya merasa malu dan sedih. Saya ingin
meminta wang sebanyak Rm1000 dari ayah, walaupun setiap bahagian
tubuh saya memberontak. Saya meminta dengan tulus dari hati saya yang
paling dalam, ayah maafkan saya.

Salam dari anakanda,
Sarip.

p/s Saya merasa berat hati untuk mengirimkan surat ini, jadi saya cuba
untuk mengejar posmen yang mengambil surat ini dari dalam peti surat.
Saya ingin mengambil kembali surat ini dan membakarnya, kerana surat
ini pasti menyusahkan hati ayah. Saya berdoa dalam hati agar saya
dapat semula surat ini, tapi sudah terlambat.



Beberapa hari kemudian dia menerima balasan surat dari ayahnya yang
mengandungi ayat yang ringkas:-



Kepada Sarip,
"Nak, doamu sudah dimakbulkan. Suratmu tidak pernah ayah terima"

Dari Ayahmu.

Iskandariah

Menurut majalah tersebut, pada suatu hari, seorang gadis yang terpengaruh dengan cara hidup masyarakat Barat menaiki sebuah bas mini untuk menuju ke destinasi di wilayah Iskandariah. Malangnya walau pun tinggal dibumi yang terkenal dengan tradisi keislaman, pakaian gadis tersebut sangat menjolok mata. Bajunya agak nipis dan seksi hampir terlihat segala yang patut disembunyikan bagi seorang perempuan dari pandangan lelaki ajnabi atau mahramnya.

Gadis itu dalam lingkungan 20 tahun. Di dalam bas itu ada seorang tua yang dipenuhi uban menegurnya.

"Wahai pemudi! Alangkah baiknya jika kamu berpakaian yang baik, yang sesuai dengan ketimuran dan adat serta agama Islam kamu, itu lebih baik daripada kamu berpakaian begini yang pastinya menjadi mangsa pandangan liar kaum lelaki...." nasihat orang tua itu.

Namun, nasihat yang sangat bertetapan dengan tuntutan agama itu dijawab oleh gadis itu dengan jawapan mengejek. "Siapalah kamu hai orang tua? Apakah di tangan kamu ada anak kunci syurga? Atau adakah kamu memiliki sejenis kuasa yang menentukan aku bakal berada di syurga atau neraka?"

Setelah menghamburkan kata-kata yang sangat menghiris perasaan orang tua itu gadis itu tertawa mengejek panjang. Tidak cukup setakat itu, si gadis lantas cuba memberikan telefon bimbitnya kepada orang tua tadi sambil melafazkan kata kata yang lebih dahsyat.

"Ambil hanphone ku ini dan hubungilah Allah serta tolong tempahkan sebuah bilik di neraka jahannam untukku," katanya lagi lantas ketawa berdekah-dekah tanpa mengetahui bahawasanya dia sedang mempertikaikan hukum Allah dengan begitu biadab.

Orang tua tersebut sangat terkejut mendengar jawapan dari si gadis manis. Sayang wajahnya yang ayu tidak sama dengan perilakunya yang buruk. Penumpang-penumpang yang lain turut terdiam ada yang menggelengkan kepala kebingungan. Semua yang di dalam bas tidak menghiraukan gadis yang masih muda itu yang tidak menghormati hukum hakam itu dan mereka tidak mahu menasihatinya kerana khuatir dia akan akan menghina agama dengan lebih teruk lagi.

Sepuluh minit kemudian bas pun tiba perhentian. Gadis seksi bermulut celupar tersebut di dapati tertidur di muka pintu bas. Puas pemandu bas termasuk para penumpang yang lain mengejutkannya tapi gadis tersebut tidak sedarkan diri. Tiba tiba orang tua tadi memeriksa nadi si gadis. Sedetik kemudian dia menggelengkan kepalanya. Gadis itu telah kembali menemui Tuhannya dalam keadaan yang tidak disangka. Para penumpang menjadi cemas dengan berita yang menggemparkan itu.

Dalam suasana kelam kabut itu, tiba tiba tubuh gadis itu terjatuh ke pinggir jalan. Orang ramai segera berkejar untuk menyelamatkan jenazah tersebut. Tapi sekali lagi mereka terkejut. Sesuatu yang aneh menimpa jenazah yang terbujur kaku di jalan raya. Mayatnya menjadi hitam seolah olah dibakar api. Dua tiga orang yang cuba mengangkat mayat tersebut juga kehairanan kerana tangan mereka terasa panas dan hampir melecur sebaik saja menyentuh tubuh si mayat.

Akhirnya mereka memanggil pihak keselamatan menguruskan mayat itu. Begitulah kisah ngeri lagi menyayat hati yang menimpa gadis malang tersebut. Apakah hasratnya menempah sebuah bilik di neraka dimakbulkan Allah? Nauzubillah, sesungguhnya Allah itu Maha Berkuasa di atas segala sesuatu. Sangat baik kita jadikan ikhtibar dan pelajaran dengan kisah benar ini sebagai muslim sejati. Jangan sekali sekali kita mempertikaikan hukum Allah dan mahupun sunnah RasulNya saw dengan mempersendakan atau ejekan.

Kata kata seperti ajaran Islam tidak sesuai lagi dengan arus kemodenan dunia hari ini atau sembahyang tidak akan buat kita jadi kaya dan seumpamanya adalah kata kata yang sangat biadab dan menghina Allah, pencipta seluruh alam. Ingatlah teman, kita boleh melupakan kematian, tetapi kematian tetap akan terjadi bagi kita. Hanya masanya saja yang akan menentukan bila kita akan kembali ke alam barzakh.

Janganlah menjadi orang yang bodoh, siapakah orang yang bodohitu? Mereka itulah orang yang ingin melawan Tuhan Rabbul alamin. Apabila anda enggan melaksanakan suruhan Tuhan bererti anda ingin melawan arahan Tuhan. Sewaktu di sekolah anda tertakluk dengan undang-undang sekolah, dalam pekerjaan anda tertakluk dengan undang-undang yang di lakar oleh majikan anda, di dalam negeri anda tertakluk di bawah undang-undang negara anda. Begitu taksub sekali anda terhadap undang-undang itu hingga terlalu prihatin takut kalau melanggar undang-undang itu.

Apabila anda berpijak di bumi ini, anda juga tertakluk dengan undang-undang yang telah di gubal oleh yang menjadikan bumi ini. Setiap Sultan ada taman larangannya, begitu juga Allah swt. Taman laranganNya adalah perkara-perkara yang telah diharamkan bagi hamba-hambaNya di muka bumi ini.

Sama samalah kita memohon agar Allah sentiasa memberi kita petunjuk di atas jalan yang benar dan kekuatan agar sentiasa dapat menjaga lidah kita.

*Dipetik dari majalah Iskandariah Mesir 'MANAR ISLAM'

Dadah sintetik terapi pulih penagih

Oleh Fazli Abdullah

ISU memberi dadah percuma kepada penagih menarik perhatian banyak pihak selepas Ahli Parlimen Sekijang, Baharum Mohamad, membangkitkannya di Parlimen, baru-baru ini. Cadangan itu dianggap ‘bodoh’ oleh sesetengah pihak, tetapi sebenarnya kerajaan sedang mempertimbangkan pendekatan seumpamanya.

Cadangan yang dibangkitkan itu ada kaitan dengan pendekatan baru yang sedang dipertimbangkan kerajaan dalam program rawatan dan pemulihan di negara ini, iaitu menerusi penggunaan dadah sintetik jenis metadon.

Cuma, jika Baharum mencadangkan dadah (mungkin sama jenis) diberi supaya penagih mati cepat, kerajaan pula mahu menggunakan dadah sintetik bagi mengurangkan ketagihan dan seterusnya memulihkan pesakit terbabit.

Isunya di sini ialah adakah pemberian dadah kepada penagih secara sah dari segi undang-undang itu dapat membantu kerajaan memerangi musuh nombor satu negara atau sebaliknya memburukkan lagi keadaan?

Melihat kepada model perubatan atau dikenali rawatan terapi gantian menerusi penggunaan dadah sintetik, ia sememangnya terbukti berjaya di kebanyakan negara, malah pusat pemulihan persendirian di Malaysia turut menggunakannya.

Sebenarnya, model perubatan menerusi penggunaan dadah sintetik bagi rawatan dan pemulihan dadah bukan sesuatu yang baru, malah terbukti kejayaannya di luar negara serta pusat pemulihan persendirian di negara ini.

Dalam konteks ini, kesediaan Majlis Tindakan Membanteras Dadah Kebangsaan (MTMD) yang dipengerusikan Datuk Seri Najib Razak, mengkaji kesesuaian pendekatan itu, membuka satu dimensi baru dalam rawatan dan pemulihan dadah di Malaysia.

Tiga jenis dadah sintetik – metadon, buprenorphine dan naltroxone - yang digunakan di negara lain akan dikaji kesesuaiannya. Jawatankuasa Bertindak Rawatan dan Pemulihan dipengerusikan Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, sudah diberi taklimat mengenai perkara itu, baru-baru ini.

Secara perbandingan, metadon dilihat akan menjadi pilihan terbaik jika kerajaan sedia menerima pakai pendekatan perubatan kerana beberapa kelebihan dadah sintetik yang mula diperkenalkan di Jerman.

Secara teorinya, metadon digunakan oleh penagih dadah jenis heroin dan morfin. Menerusi konsep pemuliharaan metadon, penagih dapat melepaskan diri daripada terus mengambil heroin dan morfin. Pada masa sama, mereka akan mengurangkan kadar pengambilan secara berperingkat dan akhirnya tidak lagi menggunakan metadon.

Dengan pengambilan metadon, penagih boleh tinggal dalam masyarakat dan meneruskan kehidupan seharian bersama keluarga, sekali gus tidak tersisih. Lebih penting lagi, mereka juga tidak akan terbabit dalam kegiatan jenayah kerana berada dalam keadaan waras.

Bagaimanapun, metadon perlu diambil mengikut protokol yang ditetapkan dan disusuli sesi kaunseling. Sebarang pelanggaran protokol akan menggagalkan program itu, malah pengambilan tanpa mematuhi dos boleh mengancam nyawa.

“Penggunaan ubat ini perlu mematuhi peraturan yang ketat dan kalau penagih mengambilnya melebihi dos ditetapkan, ia boleh membawa kepada kematian,” kata Ketua Pengarah Agensi Anti Dadah Kebangsaan (AADK), Datuk Hamzah Abdullah.

Pensyarah Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Prof Dr Mahmood Nazar Mohamed pula berkata, penagih yang mengambil metadon akan dipengaruhi ubat berkenaan untuk tempoh tertentu dan sepanjang tempoh itu, penagih tidak ada simpton tarikan dadah.

Bagaimanapun, apabila pengaruh metadon habis, penagih perlu mengambilnya semula. Apa yang penting, mereka perlu menyedari bahawa dia bukannya bergantung kepada metadon kerana ini membolehkannya mengurangkan penggunaan ubat itu dan seterusnya membebaskan diri daripada metadon.

“Lama-kelamaan dia tidak akan ketagih metadon, sebaliknya menggunakan metadon untuk melepaskan diri daripada ketagihan dadah,” katanya sambil menegaskan metadon selalunya bagi rawatan di luar institusi.

Secara perbandingan, pengambilan metadon bagus kerana mampu membebaskan penagih daripada terus bergantung kepada dadah, selain mengelak mereka tersisih daripada masyarakat.

Lebih penting mereka tidak akan terjebak dalam jenayah, sekali gus mengurangkan indeks jenayah. Ini penting kerana sebahagian besar daripada jenayah yang berlaku di Malaysia ada kaitan dengan dadah.

Persoalannya, sejauh manakah penggunaan metadon boleh menjamin mereka tidak lagi terjebak dalam jenayah? Apakah jaminan penggunaan dadah sintetik itu tidak akan mewujudkan satu bentuk penagihan baru?

Selain itu, adakah penagih ini mampu membeli metadon atau kerajaan sanggup membiayainya yang mungkin membabitkan ratusan juta ringgit setiap tahun dan apakah jaminan golongan ini menggunakan metadon mengikut protokol ditetapkan kerana aspek kawalan dan pemantauan satu perkara sukar.

Inilah antara beberapa isu yang perlu diperhalusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Rawatan dan Pemulihan yang diberi tanggungjawab melaksanakan projek percubaan penggunaan metadon yang dijangka dilakukan akhir tahun ini.

Perlu juga disebut bahawa metadon hanya boleh digunakan ke atas penagih dadah jenis heroin dan morfin. Bagaimana pula dengan penagih yang mengambil dadah lain termasuk syabu yang semakin meningkat penyalahgunaannya.

Sebenarnya, metadon akan membuat seseorang itu akan terus bergantung kepada dadah yang dibenarkan itu. Ia bukan satu program yang menjamin dapat membebaskan seseorang sepenuhnya daripada dadah, sebaliknya digunakan untuk menarik mereka mengikuti motivasi supaya memulihkan diri dan akhirnya berharap dapat membebaskan diri.

Dr Mahmood pula menegaskan dalam kebanyakan kes penagih yang mengambil metadon akan terus bergantung kepada dadah sintetik itu hingga akhir hayat.

“Tapi, yang penting mereka tidak akan menjadi beban atau sampah masyarakat. Kalau penagih, dia akan menjadi beban kepada masyarakat seperti mencuri dan tidak boleh bekerja,” katanya.

Beliau turut mengakui kebanyakan penagih yang mengambil metadon akan terus bergantung kepada dadah sintetik itu sepanjang hayat, sesuai dengan konsep pemuliharaan metadon.

“Ada sebilangan kecil yang berjaya mengurangkan pergantungan tetapi mereka yang betul-betul pulih tidak ramai,” kata Dr Mahmood.

Kerajaan juga perlu mengambil iktibar daripada kesilapan lalu dalam usaha menggunakan model perubatan dalam rawatan dan pemulihan dadah. Pada 1997, kerajaan memutuskan untuk menggunakan dadah sintetik jenis naltroxone. Seramai 4,000 pelatih pusat serenti dicadangkan menggunakan ubat berkenaan yang membabitkan perbelanjaan kira-kira RM3 juta.

Malangnya, projek berkenaan gagal kerana berlaku pelanggaran protokol berikutan kegagalan agensi yang terbabit dalam program berkenaan memantau pelaksanaannya.

Mungkin sesetengah pihak menganggap kerajaan terlalu konservatif dari segi pendekatan rawatan dan pemulihan, tetapi apa juga model yang mahu dilaksanakan perlu diperhalusi dan dipertimbangkan baik buruknya serta mengambil kira faktor persekitaran yang banyak mempengaruhi keberkesanannya.

Faktor ‘kualiti’ penagih juga perlu diberi perhatian dan sejauh mana kesediaan mereka untuk dipulihkan. Kalau penagih ini tidak bersedia untuk dipulihkan, apa juga program dan pendekatan yang dilaksanakan akan menemui kegagalan.

Seperti kata Hamzah: “Apa-apa pun terpulang kepada penagih itu sendiri. Tak payah metadon pun boleh pulih. Saya pernah tanya penagih macam mana nak ubati dia, dia kata Datuk buatlah apa nak buat, kalau saya nak berubah, saya akan berubah.”

Jumaat, Mei 20, 2005

Kekura

Pada suatu hari, ada 3 ekor kekura (kura-kura) nak gi bekelah bersama-sama.

Kekura pertama membawa makanan, Kekura kedua membawa minuman, sedangkan kekura ketiga tidak membawa apa-apa pun selamber jek lenggang perut.

Didalam perjalanan tiba-tiba ujan pun turun dengan lebat dan derasnya, sehingga mereka tak boleh meneruskan perjalanan. Kemudian timbul perbualan di antara mereka.


Kekura I : "ERmmm..... salah sekor dari kita mesti balik untuk amik payung. Siapa yang nak pegi ni?"

Kekura II dan I saling pandang memandang, dan sepakat menuding Kekura III.

Kekura III : "Tak nak ahhh. Aku jalan lambat dan nanti aku nak sampai sini lagilah terlambat. Sure nkorang akan bedal mengkanan ni semua."

Kekura I & II : "Takk lah. Kita orang tunggu sampai nko datang."

Kekura III : "Betul??? Kalau aku lambat 1 jam?"

Kekura I & II : "Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "Kalau 3 jam ??"

Kekura I & II "Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "Kalau 1 hari ?? "

Kekura I & II : "Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "3 hari ???"

Kekura I & II :"Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "5 hari???? "

Kekura I & II : "Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "1 minggu? "

Kura I & II : ""Kita orang akan tetap tunggu."

Kekura III : "2 minggu?"

Kekura I & II : "Kita orang akan tetap tunggu. nko pegi jek lah"

Dengan berat hati, akhirnya Kekura III pun berangkat. Kekura I & II menunggu dengan setia. Sehari, dua hari dan seminggu telah berlalu. Kekura III tak jugak balik balik.

Setelah dua minggu berlalu, Kekura I & II sudah tidak dapat menahan lapar.

Kekura I : "Aku dah tak tahan lapar ni . Kita makan jek lah"

Kekura II : "Aku pun dah nak pensan ni. Jom ahh kiter perabih mengkanan ni"

Tiba-tiba Kekura III muncul dari semak-semak dan berseru "Hoii!!!!!!!! Nasib baik aku belom pegi lagi... kalau tak sure nkorang abiskan mengkanan ni kan kan????!!!!!!!!"

Star Wars film found on the net

Within a few hours of the first screenings of the latest instalment of Star Wars being shown in the cinemas, a copy of Revenge of the Sith has been leaked onto a major file-sharing network.

According to www.Waxy.org, one print was leaked on Wednesday before the film was even released in theatres. The movie was time-stamped and came from within the industry rather than from someone who videotaped an advance screening.

The Motion Picture Association of America has been aggressive in going after websites that provide "tracker" links that enable BitTorrent downloads of copyrighted material, including six lawsuits this week against sites with links to TV shows.

The BitTorrent community yesterday responded by releasing a version of the software which installs tracker information on the client rather than the server. 

What Can Female Soldiers Do?

The House Armed Services Committee approved a bill on Thursday to codify Defense Department policy on women in the military. If passed, the bill would exclude women from units that participate in direct ground combat and would require the military to seek congressional approval before easing current restrictions. What have female soldiers been doing in Iraq, and will this bill change anything?

Women soldiers serve as engineers, truck drivers, communications specialists, and military police officers, as well as in many other supporting roles. They are trained to defend themselves, they carry weapons, and their support units can work closely with ground combat units. They are not allowed to serve on the front lines, though.

In 1992, Congress repealed existing laws on the role of women in the military. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin then eased administrative restrictions by issuing 1994's "Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule." Before the mid-1990s, women in the Army could only serve in positions that carried almost no risk of combat, like those based at military headquarters. But under Aspin's directive, women could fill any position in the military except those directly involved in ground combat on the front lines. Pentagon rules also prohibit women from taking jobs that "collocate routinely" (i.e., tend to move around) with direct combat units.

In the Army, women can not be assigned to ground combat units at the battalion level or below. (Each level corresponds to a nested unit of increasing size: Squads, platoons, companies, and battalions can participate in direct combat, while brigades, divisions, and corps tend to be more removed.) But the "collocation" provision has proven more open to interpretation, and women have often served in support roles that carry significant risk.

Two factors in the war in Iraq have made the definitions of "direct ground combat" and "collocation" less clear. First, the concept of a "front line" has evaporated as major ground fighting has given way to sporadic bombings, and support units are at greater risk than they once were. (Thirty-two female soldiers have died in Iraq, 22 as a result of hostile action.) Second, the Army has begun to reorganize itself such that smaller forces can deploy more quickly. As a result, support units that once operated at the division level have begun to split into smaller groups ("forward support companies") assigned to specific combat units.

The Army says the support teams will be doing exactly the same work they did before—and that female soldiers will be no more exposed to direct ground combat than they were. But critics of the system in place in Iraq have argued that women in forward support companies "collocate" with ground forces in combat zones, which violates Pentagon policy.

The original version of the bill in the House of Representatives reflects this dispute: It applied only to the Army, and banned women from participating in forward support companies. The version that made it out of committee uses softer language that applies to all armed services: If it passes, the military would be required by law to follow the Pentagon policy from 1994, with fewer exceptions.

Khamis, Mei 19, 2005

Winamp 5 Full 5.091

Winamp 5 Full
Premier digital audio player for Windows

Find out more at:
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Winamp_5_Full/1066336873/1

-----------
Copyright (C) 1998-2005 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Stop Yahoo From Tracking You !

As you all know, Yahoo! upgraded its features and the capacities of
the mail accounts have grown to 1000 MB. That's good for sure, but
the "monitoring" methods that we all have been far too familiar with
in the last couple of years have been renewed with this move also.
Yahoo! is now keeping track of which sites its members that are
getting into groups or using Yahoo! services are visiting and storing
this data with a method called "Web Beacons". The aim is to give
these statistics to the partner companies arranged by agreement and
to improve the "advertisement guiding" function.

However, those who are bothered by this and do not want to be kept
track of have still a choice. Yahoo! has hidden this option way deep
inside somewhere but I'm declaring it here in case there are people
who want it anyway:

1. Go to the address
http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy
and click the "Cookies" link under the "Special Topics" column.

2. Click the "Web Beacons" link under the "Reference Links" Column.

3. On this page, click the "click here to opt out" link toward the
end of the third paragraph under the "Outside the Yahoo! Network"
title.

4. After a while, a page that says you have been out of the
monitoring program will load. Without doing anything, close that page
or continue your usual surfing by typing another address in the
address bar. (Do NOT click the "Cancel Opt-out" button, your action
will be cancelled!)

5. You're done! Now Yahoo! will not record what you're doing during
surfing.

You can let your friends that might be interested know about this;
since no matter how "innocent" it may seem, it's still a violation of
privacy.

Jokes Of The Day

A married couple was celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

At the party everybody wanted to know how they managed to stay married so long in this day and age.

The husband responded, "When we were first married we came to an agreement. I would make all the major decisions and my wife would make all the minor decisions."

At which point the wife took up the tale, "And in 60 years of marriage we have never needed to make a major decision."

Rabu, Mei 18, 2005

German Sober.Q Worm Floods Inboxes

A new variant of the Sober worm has begun to flood inboxes with hundreds, and even thousands, of junk messages that link to news stories about Sober. Dubbed Sober.Q, the variant is being spread by computers infected with Sober.N, which posed as tickets for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Sober.Q messages contain various subject lines in German, including: 'Dresden Bombing Is To Be Regretted Enormously', 'Armenian Genocide Plagues Ankara 90 Years On', 'Dresden 1945' and 'Turkish Tabloid Enrages Germany with Nazi Comparisons'.

Because Sober.Q is spreading through previously infected PCs, antivirus firms say the virus authors may have remote control over tens of thousands of machines. The messages also include the text: 'I'm not a spammer, but perhaps I should become one :)'.

"By including links to news stories about previous variants of the Sober worms, it seems that the author is looking for notoriety, but it's unlikely that the thousands deluged with this spam will take kindly to his tactics," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"This latest piece of malware highlights the links between virus writers and spammers and reinforces the need for everyone to deploy regularly updated anti-virus and anti-spam software as well as a firewall."

E-mail security firm MX Logic says it has seen 125,000 instances of the Sober.Q worm and has deemed the variant "high severity."

Selasa, Mei 17, 2005

Napoleon Bonaparte & Islam

Siapa yang tidak mengenal Napoleon Bonaparte, seorang Jendral dan Kaisar Prancis yang tenar kelahiran Ajaccio, Corsica 1769. Namanya&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; terdapat dalam urutan ke-34 dari Seratus tokoh yang paling berpengaruh dalam sejarah yang ditulis oleh Michael H. Hart.<br> <br>Sebagai seorang yang berkuasa dan berdaulat penuh terhadap negara Prancis sejak Agustus 1793, seharusnya ia merasa puas dengan segala apa yang telah diperolehnya itu.<br> <br>Tapi rupanya kemegahan dunia belum bisa memuaskan batinnya, agama yang dianutnya waktu itu ternyata tidak bisa membuat Napoleon Bonaparte<br>merasa tenang dan damai.<br> <br>Akhirnya pada tanggal 02 Juli 1798, 23 tahun sebelum kematiannya ditahun 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte menyatakan ke-Islamannya dihadapan dunia Internasional.<br> <br>Apa yang membuat Napoleon ini lebih memilih Islam? Berikut penuturannya sendiri yang pernah dimuat dimajalah Genuine Islam, edisi Oktober 1936 terbitan Singapura.<br> <br>&quot;I read the Bible; Moses was an able man, the Jews are villains, cowardly and cruel. Is there anything more horrible than the story of Lot and his daughters?&quot;<br> <br>&quot;The science which proves to us that the earth is not the centre of the celestial movements has struck a great blow at religion. Joshua stops the sun! One shall see the stars falling into the sea... I say that of all the suns and planets,...&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Saya membaca Bible; Musa adalah orang yang cakap, sedang orang Yahudi adalah bangsat, pengecut dan jahat. Adakah sesuatu yang lebih dahsyat daripada kisah Lut beserta kedua puterinya ?&quot; (Lihat Kejadian 19:30-38)<br> <br>&quot;Sains telah menunjukkan bukti kepada kita, bahwa bumi bukanlah pusat tata surya. Yosua menghentikan matahari (Yosua 10: 12-13). Orang akan melihat bintang-bintang berjatuhan kedalam laut.... saya katakan, semua matahari dan planet-planet ....&quot;<br> <br>Selanjutnya Napoleon Bonaparte berkata : &quot;Religions are always based on miracles, on such things than nobody listens to like Trinity. Yesus called himself the son of God and he was a descendant of David. I prefer the religion of Muhammad. It has less ridiculous things than ours; the turks also call us idolaters.&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Agama-agama itu selalu didasarkan pada hal-hal yang ajaib, seperti halnya Trinitas yang sulit dipahami. Yesus memanggil dirinya sebagai anak Tuhan, padahal ia keturunan Daud. Saya lebih meyakini agama yang dibawa oleh Muhammad. Islam terhindar jauh dari kelucuan-kelucuan ritual seperti yang terdapat didalam agama kita (Kristen); Bangsa Turki juga menyebut kita sebagai orang-orang penyembah berhala dan dewa.&quot;<br> <br>Selanjutnya : &quot;Surely, I have told you on different occations and I have intimated to you by various discourses that I am a Unitarian Musselman and I&nbsp;&nbsp; glorify the prophet Muhammad and that I love the Musselmans.&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Dengan penuh kepastian saya telah mengatakan kepada anda semua pada kesempatan yang berbeda, dan saya harus memperjelas lagi kepada anda disetiap c eramah, bahwa saya adalah seorang Muslim, dan saya memuliakan nabi Muhammad serta mencintai orang-orang Islam.&quot;<br> <br>&nbsp;Akhirnya ia berkata : &quot;In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate. There is no god but God, He has no son and He reigns without a partner.&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pengasih dan Maha Penyayang. Tiada Tuhan selain Allah. Ia tidak beranak dan Ia mengatur segala makhlukNya tanpa pendamping.&quot;<br> <br>Napoleon Bonaparte mengagumi AlQuran setelah membandingkan dengan kitab sucinya, Alkitab. Akhirnya ia menemukan keunggulan-keunggulan AlQuran daripada Alkitab, juga semua cerita yang melatar belakanginya.<br> <br>

The Shirt

As with all these designs, try to start with a relatively clean, crisp bill. It will make it much easier. All folds should be sharply creased. It helps to go over the fold with a fingernail on a flat, hard surface.
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Start by folding the bill precisely in half lengthwise. (I prefer to fold in toward the front of the bill. I think it produces a nicer design on the end product. For your first attempt, it will be easier to follow exactly the same orientation on the bill as shown in the photos.) Unfold the bill, leaving the crease produced by the fold for the next step.
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Fold the bill one quarter of the way in from each side lengthwise. The edge of the bill should just meet the crease made by the fold in the previous step. Do this for both sides as shown.
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Turn the bill over. Fold the white of one end over as shown. This will become the collar in the next step. (If the bill is printed unevenly, use the wider edge.)
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Turn the bill over again. From this side, angle-in the two corners from the end you folded in the last step. The two points should meet precisely at the centerline. The angle is not terribly important, but should be about the same as shown in the photo.
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Fold a little less than one third of the bill lengthwise from the opposite end as shown. If you're following in the same orientation as the photos, use the markings on the bill for a fold point. (Notice that the edge of the bill just meets the word "OF" on the reverse printing.) If you fold too little, the shirt will appear too long in the end. If you fold too much, the next step will not work. See below.
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Now you will fold inward in the same direction, tucking the previous fold under the "collar" created in step 4. So far it looks kinda 'nifty, and if you know it is supposed to look like a shirt, you get the collar concept. But wait, there's more...
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Gently unfold the previous two folds, keeping the creases. On the lateral fold furthest from the collar, refold it strait across as shown. (On the flatbed scanner, this made a bit of a mess of it, but it is fairly easy in 3D.)
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(This step is hard to describe, but it is actually fairly easy.) You are going to introduce two new folds on each "sleeve". I do this by holding each side of the previous fold between thumb and forefinger in the orientation shown, just on either side of the vertical fold as shown. Just force the angle to close slightly, and force the extra paper inside the vertical folds. Once you've got it looking right, force the insides to crease by pressing on a hard surface. (Try looking at the next photo - like I said, it is hard to describe!)
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(This is a close-up of what the fold should look like when complete.) Do this for both sides.
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(This is what it should look like after both sides are complete.)
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When you re-tuck the fold you've been working on back under the collar, you're done! It should look about like this. With the basic shape, the collar and the sleeves, it should be recognizable. Once you've done a few, you can try folding the whole thing into the reverse side, leaving the obverse side out. (Like I said, I think this looks better. This is especially true with 1 dollar bills where the edge seal on the reverse under the collar looks a little bit like a necklace.)

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Tada!!! versi Ringgit Malaysia

Isnin, Mei 16, 2005

'Original men' of Malaysia tell story of migration

The International Herald Tribune

By Nicholas Wade The New York Times
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2005

NEW YORK A team of geneticists believe they have illumined many aspects of how modern humans emigrated from Africa by analyzing the DNA of the Orang Asli, the original inhabitants of Malaysia.

Because the Orang Asli appear to be directly descended from the first emigrants from Africa, they have provided valuable new clues about that momentous event in early human history.

The geneticists conclude that there was only one migration of modern humans out of Africa, that it took a southern route to India, Southeast Asia and Australasia, and that it consisted of a single band of hunter-gatherers, probably just a few hundred people strong.

A further inference is that because these events took place during the last Ice Age, Europe was, at first, too cold for human habitation and was populated only later, not directly from Africa but from an offshoot of the southern migration that trekked back, through the territory that is now taken up by India and Iran, to reach the Near East and Europe.

The findings depend on analysis of mitochondrial DNA, a type of genetic material inherited only through the female line. They are reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science by a team of geneticists led by Vincent Macaulay, of the University of Glasgow.

Everyone in the world can be placed on a single family tree, in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, because everyone has inherited that piece of DNA from a single female, the mitochondrial Eve, who lived some 200,000 years ago. While there were other women in that ancient population, over the generations one mitochondrial DNA replaced all the others through the process known as genetic drift. Based on the one surviving copy, geneticists can arrange people in lineages and estimate the time of origin of each lineage.

Macaulay's team calculates that the emigration from Africa took place around 65,000 years ago, pushed along the coastlines of India and Southeast Asia, and reached Australia by 50,000 years ago.

The Orang Asli - meaning "original men" in Malay - are probably one of the relict populations descended from this first migration since they have several ancient mitochondrial DNA lineages that are found nowhere else. These lineages are between 42,000 and 63,000 years old, the geneticists say.

Groups of Orang Asli like the Semang have probably been able to remain intact because they are adapted to the harsh life of living in forests, said Stephen Oppenheimer, the member of the geneticists' team who collected blood samples in Malaysia.

Some archaeologists believe that Europe was colonized by a second migration, which traveled north out of Africa. This fits with the earliest-known modern human sites, which date to 45,000 years ago in the Levant and 40,000 years ago in Europe. But Macaulay's team says there could only have been one migration, not two, because the mitochondrial lineages of everyone outside Africa converge at the same time to common ancestors.

Therefore people from the southern migration, probably in India, must have struck inland to reach the Levant, and later Europe, the geneticists say.

Macaulay said it was not clear why only one group had succeeded in leaving Africa. One possibility is that since the migration occurred by one population budding into another, leaving people in place at each site, the first emigrants may have blocked others from leaving. Another is that the terrain was so difficult for hunter-gatherers, who must carry all their belongings with them, that only group succeeded in the exodus.

Although there is general, but not complete, agreement that modern humans emigrated from Africa in recent times, there is still a difference between geneticists and archaeologists as to the timing of this event. Archaeologists tend to view the genetic data as providing invaluable information about the interrelationship between groups of people, but they place less confidence in the dates derived from genetic family trees.

There is no evidence of modern humans outside Africa earlier than 50,000 years ago, says Richard Klein, an archaeologist at Stanford University. Also, if something happened 65,000 years to allow people to leave Africa, as Macaulay's team suggests, there should be a record of it in the archaeological record within Africa, Klein said. Yet signs of modern human behavior do not appear in Africa until the transition between the Middle and Later Stone Age, 50,000 years ago, he said.

"If they want to push such an idea, find me a 65,000-year-old site with evidence of human occupation outside of Africa," he said.


Ahad, Mei 15, 2005

Contest

  
Two idiots drive to a gas station in a remote district for a fill-up because they heard about a contest being offered by the patrons of the station to anybody who purchases a full tank of gas. When they go inside to pay, the man asks the attendant about the contest.

The attendant says, "If you win, you're entitled to free sex," and the man asks how he can enter the contest. The attendant explains, "Well, I'm thinking of a number between 1-10, if you guess it right you win free sex."

So the idiot fills up and asks to play the contest and says, "I Guess 7."

"Sorry I was thinking of 8," replies the attendant.

The next week, the two return to the same gas station to get gas. When they went inside to pay, one idiot asks  the attendant if the contest is still going on. "Sure," replies the attendant. "I'm thinking of a number between 1-10, if you guess right, you win free sex."

"2," says the idiot.

"Sorry, I was thinking of 3," replies the attendant. "Come back soon and try again."

As the two idiots are walking back to the car, one idiot says to the other, "You know, I'm beginning to think this contest is rigged."

"No way," says the other idiot, "My wife won TWICE last week!"
  

Humboldt Squid

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The Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas), also known as the Jumbo Squid or Jumbo Flying Squid, is a large, aggressive predatory squid found in the waters of the Humboldt Current in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. They are most commonly found at depths of 600 to 2300 feet, from Tierra del Fuego to California. There is some evidence that they are spreading north into the waters of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.

Humboldt Squid are social animals, hunting in schools of up to 1200 individuals. They swim at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, propelled by water ejected through a hyponome (siphon) and by two diamond shaped fins. Their tentacles bear barbed suckers with which they grasp prey and drag it towards a mouth containing a large, sharp beak.

Humboldt Squid have a lifespan of only about one year, though they may grow to six feet and weigh 100 pounds. They can vary their skin colour from deep purplish red to white using chromatophores, specialized skin cells. Their colouring and aggressive nature has earned them the nickname diablos rojos (red devils) from fishermen off the coast of Mexico. The squid are fished at night, when they rise to the surface to feed. Hand-lines with luminous jigs are used to attract and catch the squid, which are sold as a delicacy in the Far East. There are numerous accounts of the squid attacking fishermen and divers in the area and cannibalistic behaviour is regularly seen.

Sabtu, Mei 14, 2005

Tulisan al-Quran hilang dari naskahnya

Tulisan al-Quran hilang dari naskahnya
 
 
Malam tadi dalam rancangan Misteri Nusantara yang sempat saya rakam, antara paparannya adalah lenyapnya tulisan al-Quran dari naskahnya yang berlaku baru2 ini di sebuah kampung di Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
 
Wartawan Misteri Nusantara Shahnun Hanif Suhaimi yang mendapat panggilan seorang lelaki di Kampung Kota Lama, Kuala Kangsar, Perak telah bergegas ke lokasi menemui pemilik al-Quran iaitu seorang guru agama yang merasa pelik dan hairan apabila mendapati 4 pages dalam naskah al-Qurannya yang dimiliki selama 40 tahun hilang tulisannya begitu sahaja, sedangkan dia menggunakannya hampir setiap hari khususnya ketika mengajar anak2 muridnya mengaji.
 
Berdasarkan hadis Sahih Bukhari dan Muslim, antara tanda2 Kiamat ialah apabila al-Quran diangkat ke langit.
 
Penduduk kampung mengaitkan kejadian aneh ini dengan tanda2 Kiamat tetapi sejauh mana kebenarannya masih menjadi tanda tanya.
 
Hajah Khatijah seorang guru agama berusia 74 tahun telah menggunakan naskah al-Quran ini 40 tahun lamanya. Ia diterima sebagai barangan pusaka ibu saudaranya yang mewasiatkan agar selalu membacanya.
 
Kejadian ini disedari ketika Hajah Khatijah membaca al-Quran selepas sembahyang Isyak dan apabila sampai ke juzuk 13 dia mendapati tulisannya telah lenyap walaupun sebelum ini tulisan ini ada. Menurutnya yang telah khatam membaca naskah al-Quran ini lebih 40 kali tidak pernah melihat adanya helaian kosong atau misprint. Katanya jika ia disebabkan oleh tindak balas kimia, mengapa hanya 4 helai sahaja yang hilang dan tidak di muka surat lain. Naskah ini juga menurutnya disimpan dengan baik tidak terkena air atau bahan kimia.
 
Kehilangan ayat dalam naskah al-Quran ini membabitkan ayat dalam surah Ibrahim dan surah al-Hijr.
 
Naskah al-Quran lama ini yang dicetak oleh Sulaiman Press di 85, Lebuh Acheh, Penang, tidak lagi dijual.
 
Wartawan Shahnun Hanif Suhaimi yang melihat lebih dekat naskah tersebut mendapati tiada kesan ianya dipadam atau kemungkinan helaiannya ditukar.
 
Walau apa pun yang berlaku hanya Allah sahaja yang tahu dan Allah maha berkuasa ke atas segala sesuatu.
 

Jumaat, Mei 13, 2005

Leaves' Eyes - Vinland Saga

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Vinland Saga

This song is our introduction (sung in both Norwegian and English) to the Vinland Saga; the Vikings' discovery of America, moreover, to our own story of a young couple.


Farewell Proud Men
According to the sagas, about 1.000 years ago, a stout vessel left the West coast of Norway, heading for Greenland. The leader of the crew was Leif Eiriksson; son of Eirik the Red. Our main character is one of Eiriksson's favourite crew members, Tyrkir the German, leaving his wife at home in Norway. The saga tells us that Tyrkir the German, straying from the settlement one day, found grapes growing wild in the forest. Obviously, he knew grapes from Germany. Eiriksson thus decided to call the new land Vinland, Land of Wine.


Elegy
Here, our man describes the moment he leaves her in a dream-like sphere. He wishes to "release hopes from fears" and soon to be in her arms again.


Solemn Sea
The lyrics are sung in both Norwegian and English. It describes the fear that the ocean can awaken in us, however, how its music "brightens our hearts", i.e. our love and passion towards the sea.


Leaves' Eyes
This ballad is a description of the cycle of the seasons as well as how generations are passing by, seen through the "eyes" of a tree. The chorus is dedicated to the moon, which is "mani" in Old Norse. "Sunna" ("the sun") and the stars also have their important roles in the universe and in our song.


The Thorn
This main theme of this track is her longing for her husband ("I hope that he will be safe/Hopefully return in April"). In the chorus the man describes the pains he is going through in the middle of a fight. She is aware that she "can't escape what she feels", i.e. deep within she somehow knows that he is in danger. Her feelings terrify her like "a thorn". She hopes that they will be together again "until the end of time".


Misseri (Turn Green Meadows into Grey)
The title means "half year", as the Vikings divided the year into two halves; summer and winter. This song is about the approaching of the winter ("ice-cold rivers turn to blue"). She is watching the seasons passing by. Moreover, she is dreaming about "flying to him" like the "migrants travel to a far-away world".


Amhrán (Song of the Winds)
This song consists mainly of vocals. The title means "song" in Gaelic and is inspired by both Middle Ages and Celtic tunes.


New Found Land
The song describes the newcomers' discovery of Vinland ("Land of Wine") and New Found Land ("we have found new land/I see New Found Land"), being lost "hundreds of miles off the course" (originally they had planned to sail to Greenland, but due to fog and bad weather they missed their destination). One year has passed since the ships left Norway. Moreover, we are now 500 years ahead of Columbus!


Mourning Tree
This track is dedicated from her to one special tree by the North Sea which serves as a medium between her and her husband as a means of communication by the winds and the leaves ("Tell him through the winds I am here/Whisper through the breeze not to fear"). However, it is also a declaration of love towards him ("The meaning of life comes true when I'm with you").


Twilight Sun
Here, the young man receives the messages from his beloved by the wind across the North Atlantic ("Hear the tune of northern winds"). The "shivering leaves" remind him of home. He and the crew then decide to sail home to Norway after one year abroad.


Ankomst
The last song on the album concerns the arrival of the ships at Norway's West coast, returning from "Vinland".


~http://leaveseyes.de