The Dark Side of Antibiotic

Antibiotic is a medicine compound that can stop infection process of bacteria (not a virus) in our body. Antibiotic becomes effective medicine to heal much kind of diseases at many years. This medicine almost becomes a first step for medic expertise’s to recover their patient from illness. Many doctor give antibiotic prescription without consider the age, the seriousness of illness, and the condition of their patient. If children suffer fever, cough, and influenza, doctor who controls them is possible to give antibiotic prescription, whereas 90 % of those diseases are caused by virus. If antibiotic used in wrong way continuously, antibiotic would become dangerous medicine because it can cause resistance of bacteria, stimulates new disease, and gives side effects that might cause mortality.

First danger that caused by the wrong using of antibiotic is resistance of bacteria. A wrong consumption and an incomplete consumption of antibiotic cause the bacteria that cause illness on body aren’t totally extinct. That thing exactly will stimulate the bacteria to evolve and create gene that more prevent to that antibiotic. Nowadays, lots of bacteria prevent to any kind of antibiotics. A Publication that publish by Medicine Faculty of University of Indonesia claimed that in Indonesia they have found 23 types of Escherichia coli and 33 types of Klebsiella pneumonia that immune toward antibiotic medicine, as a cause of the use of a wrong method in consuming antibiotic medicine. The level of that bacteria’s immune are increase 2-3 times since 1997. That problem makes the kind and the doze of same antibiotic can’t be relying on to kill that kind of bacteria.

Second danger, the use of antibiotic can stimulate a new disease. A publication on Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 18 July 2007 reported that a “population based” research has done a longitudinal research to 13.116 children in Canada who’s born in 1995 and had a treatment with antibiotic in their first year. This research is done to study the factors of risk that cause asthma on children. Children that diagnosed suffer asthma in their first year are out from the research. The result is 65% of children that had antibiotic treatment suffer asthma. The research shows that the relationship between asthma and the use of antibiotic increasing in children who lives in village, who doesn’t have asthma track record on their ancestor, haven’t history having a pet especially dog in their house, and they had antibiotic for several times. This research confirms the result of previous research that the early use of antibiotic on child (aged less than 1 year old) can increase the risk of strung out asthma on children. So it advised not to give antibiotic to children that aged less than 1 year old if that isn’t needful because it can stimulate other disease.

Third danger is the side effects that might cause mortality. Side effects of using antibiotic aren’t happen in long-term use, in short-term use antibiotic can cause side effects. Malfunction on digestion system (diarrhea, vomiting, and stomachache), allergic reaction, and blood malfunction until malfunction of liver like Steven Johnson syndrome that might cause a death in many cases. Longer use of antibiotic means more easily for us to catch by the side effects from antibiotic.

In conclusion, besides having a great effect to heal some disease, antibiotic can give a great negative effect too. We must consider that antibiotic like a sword with two edges. If we are not aware of its negative edges, we will get many disadvantages. We must try to use antibiotic wisely.

Let's Go Green!!

Nowadays, our beloved planet, the earth, became hotter and hotter each day. It is getting hotter because the sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research. Dr Solanki said that the brighter sun and higher levels of "greenhouse gases", such as carbon dioxide, both contributed to the change in the Earth's temperature but it was impossible to say which had the greater impact. If this situation continues, it can damage our life. I believe that there are several individual actions we can take to save the environment and save our life.


Firstly, we have to save the energy, because the energy such as electricity needs
fuel, while the fuel supply is running low and become expensive. Moreover, the fuel produces pollution which is make global warming. It’s not as difficult as we think to save the energy. We can save a lot of the energy by turn off the electronic equipments when it’s not used and don’t let them in a stand-by position. By doing this little action, we can reduce the production of CO2 up to 500 kg in a year.

Secondly, we have to saves the water, water is one of the vital needs for the people. Besides, water has a huge function to balance and conserve the nature. We can save water by put the faucet out when we are brushing our teeth. It’s very useful, because we can reduce the production of CO2 up to 750L in a year.

In addition to reduce the production of carbon dioxide, we can follow the 3R rules (reduce, reuse, recycle). There are some action we can take, for example, write in the both side of the paper. By using both side of the paper, we can reduce the felling off of the trees to make more pulp to produce a paper. It can decrease the production of CO2 up to 550kg in a year.

But, some people think that there is nothing to do for us if the government takes no action and all we have to do is just waiting for the government to move. They believe that little action we have done, didn’t change the situation.

In conclusion, even though all we can do is just doing a little action, one individual could make a change. Because, if we waiting on the government to move, when we will take an action. If we’re lucky enough, Antartica will not be an ice free as the scientist taught.

andriani oktadianti
16107065

Indonesia's culture

Several years ago, we lost two kind of our culture, Reog Ponorogo and Angklung. They have been taken by other country, even the countries have made their right of our culture. From my point of view, it wouldn’t be happened if Indonesian citizenship showing their care about the tragedy that already happened. At least, respecting and knowing our culture shows that we do taking care and looking out four our culture’s conservation.

Indonesia is a country which has many interesting culture to enjoy. Its location that spread out from Sabang until Merauke has an impact to Indonesia’s rich culture. The dances, traditional music instrument, and several kinds of custom ceremony are some variation of arts that reflect Indonesia’s custom tradition. Indonesia’s culture is truly as an identity of Indonesia inhabitant.

Culture is a spot where we can explore our talent and sense of belonging of our country. Some of people maybe know not if a culture can be one of a way out from a common problem that we’re facing now, a nation’s dissension. By learning one kind of art from our culture, unconsciously, we will blowing up our deeply feeling to our country, Indonesia.

Finally, we know that we could show our love sensation of Indonesia by loving its culture first. On the other hand, we also indirectly rescuing our interesting culture and our unity. So, keeping Indonesia’s culture isn’t useful only for ourselves, but also for the sake of our country. And we can start it by our movement first.

Laksmi Larastiti-16107059

Television: its function and effect

It’s not a strange view anymore if every single house has its own television inside. Now, most of people need television. Television is an electrically instrument that helps us in gaining or share some information surround us. Each of audience targets has their different kind of favorite television program. Meanwhile, we can’t see more than one television channel at one time. Therefore, there are so many symptoms that show us if the deviation of the television function is currently occurred.

Generally, TV is beneficial for our daily life to increase our knowledge and perception. So we might not be left behind about what’s going on around us. Unfortunately, nowaday, the situation do not showing us as well as the advantages of TV should be.

In a family life, sometime we find a main problem because of television. A father needs some news, a mother needs a live cook course, a big brother needs a teenager entertainment, and a little sister wants a kid entertainment.

In some of case, the TV program may presents at the same time. Reducing the dispute, the parents would buy a personal television for their child. Unfortunately, this act will create a brand new problem. The individuality will be appeared inside the house and there will be no warmth also.

Watching TV is a relaxing activity which is allows us to do another kind of activity at the same time. We could share some opinion about what’s the TV has shown us with our parents, or even we could judging what is the suitable TV program for our little brother. Those are the moments that we can’t buy anywhere. But if we have had our individually TV inside our room, perhaps we wouldn’t find those kind of moments.

In conclusion, is a good deal if there’s only a unit of TV placed inside a house. Beside it’s going to reduce the electricity using, the warmth between each of family member to the other will be increased. Because, if a TV blocked our communication with our family, it should have been missed from its main purposes.

Laksmi Larastiti- 16107059

Thanks

Dear All,
Thanks for posting and will comment soon via email.
Regards
jati

The Waning of IQ

The title above quoted from the book written by David Brooks in 2007. He wrote that there is a new consideration which bring us back to history, literature, humanity, and even to individual speciality. IQ, which stands up for Intelligence Quotient, is no longer being an indicator for judge people intelligence because there are other intelligences which common people may not consider those are exist. Someone with high IQ has no problem with his grade, he always get the first rank or the highest grade of exam in whatever class he attended. But sometimes, it is proven that he cannot get success in his career or even failed. In a career world--and also in the entire life--IQ is not the only one inteligence people should have. Howard Gardner wrote in his book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence, that there are seven kind of intelligences.

First, lingustic intelligence. People with this intelligence able to make a coherence sentences or remarkable speech from chosen words. They can understand the complexity that words build. Writer, poetry, journalist, author, and an orator have a high level of this intelligence. Second, logical-mathematical intelligence. This intelligence is most common measured as 'intelligence'. The abilities are abstract pattern recognition, scientific thinking, and perform complex calculations. Scientist, mathematicians, and economist are good example of this intelligence. Third, musical intelligence. Those with high level of this intelligence display greater sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music. They are also able to sing, play musical instrument, and compose music. Instrumentalist, singer, conductor, and composers are absolutely have this intelligence. Fourth, spatial intelligence. People with strong spatial intelligence are tipically very good at visualizing and manipulating objects. They are artists, architects, and engineers who great at understand picture and recreate it. Fifth, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. People with high level of this intelligence enjoy with their body movement and learn best by physically doing something. Actors, dancers, and athletes show this intelligence. Sixth, interpersonal intelligence. This intelligence is characterized by sensivity other's mood, feelings, temperaments, and motivations. People with this intelligence enjoy work with others and debate, those are politicians, diplomats, and good teachers. Seventh, intrapersonal intelligence. People with high level of this intelligence understand theirself well. They know exactly their own emotions, goals, and motivations. Philosophers and psychologists show this intelligence.


Naturalistic intelligence lately said by Howard Gardner as eighth intelligence. This make someone able to recognizing and classifying species. Charles Darwin, our great naturalist, is a good example who has high level of this intelligence. From the evidences above, we know that human has complex intelligences and IQ is not stand alone to judge someone clever or not. As David Brooks wrote in his book, IQ is like a blackbox in an airplane. It can measure something, but we don't know for sure what it is. It is true that IQ is important, but it is not everything. Human multiple intelligences show that each person is unique and has their own way to express their intelligences.


hawa firdausi. 16107072.

TELEVISION : ABSOLUTELY NOT A BAD THING

Commonly, people have two main opinions about the most wide spread invention called television that nowadays could be seen in every house. The first opinion of television said that television is a good thing because it gives us very big amount of information. Then the rest said television is dangerous because it destroy family life and any sense of community. Instead of visiting someone or talking with the other family members, people just watch television. Personally, I agree with the first opinion. Television becomes an important part of human life that gives people so many advantages since it found.

Television is the best media that give people very big amount of information every day. They could know what is happening around this world by watching television because it provides the latest world news every day. The programmes that served the world news are CNN, BBC and also Metro TV. Instead of reading newspapers and magazines, finding the latest news on television is more realistic and faster because television use satellite so that it can broadcast live at the moment when something happen and also served with pictures and sounds. For example, when tsunami destroyed Aceh in 2004, most of the Indonesians and people around the world know that disaster happen from television that made other countries also helped Indonesia to rescue the victims.

Television also provides educative programmes for all age groups from child to adult such as National Geography, Discovery Channel, Animal planet, Science Today and Disney’s Playhouse. By watching those programmes we could learn more about the world history and treasure, the way animals’ life, the latest scientific invention nowadays etc. Also the parents could still communicate with their children by accompanying them to learn something by watch educative programmes for children. Children can learn much from this, such as talking, remembering alphabets, calculating simple numbers, finding objects and finding the difference between two or more objects.

Last but not least, television doesn’t destroy the family life it is just exactly unites all of the family members to sit in the living room and watch television together. Families all around the world usually spend their quality time together by watching television. Here, they can choose the programme that they all like and discuss them such as cartoons, family movies and quiz shows. They can still have fun and do not have to spend a lot of money to have their quality time together. This can improve the relationships between family members and obviously doesn’t destroy any sense of communication.

In conclusion, television is not bad thing as long as people use it wisely. It gives people so many advantages and changes their life better.

Social Security: Retirement

According to Wikipedia, the idea of a fixed retirement age is being introduced during the 19th and 20th centuries. Before then, the absence of pension arrangements meant that most workers continued to work until death, or relied on personal savings or the support of family or friends. Nowadays, the retirement age varies from country to country, but it is generally between 55 and 70. In some countries, this age is different for male and females. Sometimes certain jobs, the most dangerous or fatiguing ones in particular, have an earlier retirement age.

In my opinion, people should be encouraged to remain in paid employment until they reach the age of 62. However, Christian E. Weller (2000) argued that there are some reasons why an individual choose to retire before the age required for unreduced Social Security retirements benefits. Some of these reasons include poor health, an individual’s wealth, or retirement savings that allow for early retirement (Crimmins et al. 1996, in Weller 2000).

The first reason is that everyone’s situation and life is unique. Sometimes a worker’s health has already deteriorated to a point where working additional years is not possible. This is especially true for low-income and blue-collar workers, women, and African Americans (Garrett 1995; Iams and McCoy 1991; SSA 1986, in Rose and Larimore 2001). In this point, the workers have no other choice to retire, even if they have not reached the age of 62. However, individuals who are in excellent health and who has a family history of longevity would generally benefit from delaying retirement, especially if they still enjoy their jobs (Rose and Larimore, 2001).

Second, we may also have to consider other important factors, for instance an individual’s wealth, sources of retirement incomes, and desire or need to continue employment after early retirement. Some people think that they do not have to work until the retirement age because they have adequate savings. Other people may be forced to retire before reaching the age of 62 due to employment downsizing or health condition. In this case, they may need to work longer to avoid retirement in poverty, but sometimes their health may prohibit them for doing so. Another consideration is the effect of early retirement on an individual’s current fringe benefits such as health insurance, dental insurance, long-term care insurance and life insurance.

References
Rose, Clarence C. and L. Keith Larimore (2001) Social Security Benefit Considerations in Early Retirement.

Weller, Christian E. (2000) Raising the Retirement Age: The Wrong Direction for Social Security.

Retirement (2008, April 18) [Online article], Retrieved April 19, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.wikipedia.org/Retirement.htm

Television as Inhibitor

Nowadays, television is the main media of communication for almost every people in our country. There is not other media that can equal television in the number of spectator. This condition is happened because television is an audio visual media. Television can show event, entertainment, news, or fantasy that is not reached by other media. Even though television offers lots of information, I believe that television gives bad influence to people especially for children and adolescent. This is because television can inhibit the socialization skill and makes intelligence and mentality of children and adolescent become less.

First, television can inhibit the socialization skill of children and adolescent. A research two years ago found that children and adolescent watch television 68 hours a week. This number means that children and adolescent would prefer to spend their time by watching television rather than playing with their friends. As a result, they will grow with lack of communication. Although some people say that television gives the way of communication, but the communication there is passive. Children need to practice the way of communication in a real world. They can do it by talking and socialize with other people. Because of television, their socialization time become less. This condition is bad for their characteristic growth. Children and adult can grow become individualism people because of lack socialization.

Second, television makes intelligence and mentality of children and adolescent become less. At this moment, almost 70 % television program in Indonesia is drama, not an educate program. Most of drama show sex exploitation, toughness, mystical, consumerism and hedonism culture, and sexual or profession insulting. This minim education quality programs give bad influence to people who don’t have strong principle, at this case are children and adolescent. At normal adolescence, more intensity of watching toughness make their activity of thinking, studying, making a judgment, and emotion control in brain become less. At childhood, the influence of television of children is more susceptible. Children have weak position of television program because they are difficult in differentiate the good or bad thing and don’t have value limited. So everything watched by them will be believed as a fittingness. This condition is very dangerous, consider that children spend 68 hours a week for watching television, the bad program in television will reduce their intelligent and mentality.

From the facts and argumentation above, it is clear that television gives bad influence to children and adolescent. Even though television is great media, television can inhibit the socialization skill of children and adolescent and makes their intelligence and mentality become less.

The Negative Side of Global Warming

Global warming, the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans, had already happened since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. During the hundred years ending in 2005, the average global air temperature near the Earth's surface increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F). This environmental change should have some impacts to the environment. In my opinion, global warming can causes some negative effects to the environment.
Firstly, there are some negative impacts influences by global warming. The average global surface temperature rise about 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other negative effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Yet, global warming also has a positive impact. Theory predicts and observations confirm that human-induced warming takes place primarily in winter, lengthening the growing season. Satellite measurements now show that the planet is greener than it was before it warmed. There are literally thousands of experiments reported in the scientific literature demonstrating that higher atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, cause by human activity, dramatically increase food production.
Nevertheless, global warming gives another negative effect to the environment. Global warming changes in agricultural yields, trade routes, and glacier retreat. Even it can cause the certain species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
In conclusion, global warming has a negative aspect to the environmental life. Global warming can change the environmental badly. The negative side of global warming had already felt by the world citizens.

Car,Should be Banned in Cities?

Car becomes one of important thing in human life. Many people can waste their money to buy a new released car. Car becomes prestige thing. in my opinion car should be banned in cities because some reasons.
Firstly, car can produce some dangerous material like SO2, CO2, NO, etc. those materials are very dangerous. For example, NO can compound with Haemoglobin (important substance in blood) faster than O2, it can make blood lack of O2 and can causes some serious diseases. SO2 and NO2, if those materials compound with vapour in the air, it can be a compound with low PH or acidic compound. If those acidic compound fall on to surface of the earth, it can make rain acid which can break some things
Secondly, car is wasted, as we know, now days the price of oil is increasing, now the price of oil is USD 106.60 per barrel. The more car, the more money must we waste to buy oil
Then, car can make a distance between rich man and poor man. Rich man can go everywhere by his car, so they rarely communicate with others
Then, car always make traffic jam, many car produced but there is a few car out, that caused populated of car in cities. so traffic jam will happen in cities .
Beside that car also has some good side. Car can bring something which people difficult to bring. Car can help us to distribute something in big number, or bring something in big size with a long distance
In conclusion, although car can help human, some reason can tell us that car gives many disadvantages for people in cities. So I thing car should be banned in cities. It’s better to use bicycle to go everywhere, it healthier, cheaper, and more enjoyable than go by car

task 6

Children Playing Games ? It’s Okay!!

Nowadays, you can see children and teenager in every internet rental in Bandung playing games like Ragnarok Online, Counter Strike, and many other online games. It seems to be a common view now. They play games and spend a lot of time in internet rental.

Many parents are worried about this new habit which spread all around the world. They are worried because they children are playing games instead of studying. Parents as older people see games as a threat which would make their children failed academically.

I think many people should see games from a new different perspective. Children who play games, is stimulated to develop their soft skills. In games, children can learn how to find a solution to solve a problem. They can develop their competitiveness, leadership and communication skill. They also not afraid to have failure and do not easily give up.

For example, Ragnarok Online game is one kind of game which stimulate children develop their soft skills. Ragnarok Game is an adventure game in which a player become a warrior who has to fight against a monster to save a country. In this game, children learn that to win against the monster, they have to level up the ability of their character and level up the weapon they have. In this way, children are stimulated to learn strategy to win. And sometimes, in order to reach their goals, they have to trade things and fight the monsters with other player. In this way, children learn that they need to communicate with other people and learn to be part of teamwork.

The fact is children who play games will grow up into a better adult was proofed from a research. The next generation of gamer generation was proofed has better personality and more stabile emotion.

So, it is good for children having a few times playing games. What we adults have to do is giving them some times to play games and supervising the game they are playing.

Television destroy our culture

Indonesia, as an eastern country, is a very traditional country. We have the tradition to visit our neighbors, relatives and friends. In the past time, when a man goes home after work, he would have this comfortable chat with his wife and children. Sometimes this family visits their neighbors. While the parents have a little chat, children play together. And if someone or a family moves into the neighborhood, all of the neighbors must have come. They bring food or just come to say hello and be acquainted with the new faces.

When technology television was known in Indonesia, the tradition changed. All of the family is sitting in front of television as they are having meals. They do not have nice chat because when the children want to tell father story about how they spend time in school, father does not have time to listen because he feel that the latest news broadcasted on TV is more important than a story about how the kids find their first friend through a game. They do not visit their neighbors because the mother does not want to lose any series of Desperate Housewives. And now the problems brought by television are more complicated. Since the children have grown bigger, they have their own choice of television program. One television is not enough for the whole family. So the parents decide to give their children a television each in their rooms. And since then, they become more and more separated. They rarely gather and have chat. The same thing happened to neighborhood. The family knows what Carissa Putri’s hobby better than their neighbor’s hobby.

Actually, television is only one of mechanical thing created by human. But when it becomes one part of human lives, it will be so hard to separate with. It destroys family life and any sense of community; instead of visiting people or talking with our family we just watch television, because it has already become our part of lives.

A Little White to Hide

Naked truth always better than dressed lie. Classic proverb, isn’t it? For some people, any kind of lie is undoubtedly unforgiven. But sometimes we met some kind of special case. Sometimes we make an exception, and it called white lie. It is when you tell lie to make others feel better, or when you try to fix someone’s spirit, or when you prevent some kind of breakdown. But lie is still a lie. There’s a lot of reason why I can’t accept a white lie.

The first is white lie is a lie, what you tell is not the truth. So, when you want to make other feel better, maybe you would make them feel better, temporarily. For example, your friend asking you about his/her clothes for their job interview. You think their polo shirt is too casual for an interview. But you see your friend is being too nervous and you don’t want they think about details like clothes, so you tell a white lie to them, and said “Just wear what you feel comfort to wear!”. And then they go to their job interview, what would they hear? They would be get a harsh comment about their polo shirt. You know it would happen, but you don’t tell your friend.

The second is you can’t forever keep the lie, some time it would be discovered. For example, one of your friend is freshly broke up with her boyfriend, the boy said that he is kind of bored with the relationship. But you know the truth, he is cheated your friend. To prevent her from breakdown, you keep the truth for yourself (this is one of white lie). Hear the mouth-to-mouth-gossip your friend discover the truth, and also she knows that you know the truth from the first place, she would feel being cheated twice, from his boy and from you. She is still get hurts, worse.

The third is a lie would lead you to another lie. This is one of my experience with a white lie. My grandmother is fourth child from 5 siblings. Years ago, she still had her second sister in Australia. But, 4 years ago, her sister died. My big family decided to keep the truth away from her, so whenever she ask about her sister we would change the topic. At first everything was fine. But, my Grandma is getting worry and worry when her sister never called her. Then we said, maybe my Grandma’s sister is become more deaf. Then to make her feel better, we promised her to go to Australia, when she ask the promise, we would say another lie and another lie until we become confuse of our own lies. Until one day, I don’t know how, one of my cousin, slipped the truth. And my grandmother was sick than ever. She can’t wake from her bed, and thought that she was deceived by all the whole family. Fortunately, several months later, she could accept it. You need more than a little white to hide the black.

So I just totally agree with the proverb, sounds cliché, sounds classic, that naked truth is always better than dressed lie. (Adiajeng Warastuti. 16207003)

Television, Is It Really a Community Life’s Enemy?

Some people said that television is the community life’s enemy because sometimes we prefer to watch the tv than visiting or chatting with our own family or friend. But, in my opinion television has its own function for the community life. For example, television is one of the information’s source, and also the ‘agent of change’ for the public. And, don’t you realize that sometimes your best quality time with your family or friend is when you altogether watching the tv?

Everyday in our daily life, different things, big or simple, happen in the world, that’s why you need a newspaper, radio, internet, or television to get the latest news. it is easier to get the information from tv than from the other source, cause you could watch it and doing something else too. For example, you wake up in the morning, and all you need to do is just turn on the tv, and tadaa! By a blink you know what happen in the other side of the world, and in the same time you could also having your breakfast, or discuss the news with your family. See? you could even doing both of watching the television and chatting.

Television also has some kind of ‘power’ for changing the public’s level of life. As a source of information, tv could change public’s point of view by increasing the people’s awareness of their community. For example, people could be more paying attention of global warming’s problem because they watch the discovery channel that talk about it. Another example, people could know about poor people’s life and decide to do something to help another people.

However, realize it or not, our best quality time often we spend it by watching tv together. When I was a little child, after having the dinner, every night the entire family would sit in the livingroom to watch the tv. We could watch anything, from reality show or game or even tv series called “Tersanjung”. While we watch any program, we would gossiping the actress, laughing the scene, or just debating the quiz. And for me, that is one of the best quality time I had with my family.

Life is full of choices, you could always pick either to watching television or chatting with your familly or friend. It is depend on your own personality, if you love to being in community, how interesting the tv’s program, you would pick to visiting your relative. But if you are anti social, how boring the tv’s program you would prefer to watch it. For me, if I have to choose I would prefer to having a good conversation with anyone than watching my favorite tv series, “Aly McBeaL".(Adiajeng Warastuti. 16207003)

I Love Holidays! x) - Chastity Emmanuelle (16207065)

Life of college students, especially ITB students, is very hectic. Our daily routines include attending classes, doing laboratory activities, and taking exams. As long as we are dedicated college students, we might be extremely busy almost every day. Not just that, some of us are even stressed out. That is why, in my opinion, holidays are important to balance our lives and keep us sane.

First of all, I think holidays are important because during holidays, you can do whatever you want to do which does not need to relate to your studies. You can relax all day long, doing activities such as watching interesting television shows, listening to your favourite music, or reading your abandoned comic books or novels. You can also join crash courses to better yourself, such as cooking classes, driving lessons, or even going to the gym to stay fit. If you like adventures, you might want to spend your holidays by visiting interesting places you have not been to before. Basically, you can do anything you like to refresh your mind and relax your brain.

Secondly, during holidays, you can take a break and just sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. Especially for the girls, you have been so busy working hard at campus you probably did not have enough time to get treatments for your body, such as creambath, spa, or massage. Most college students have also been sleeping late almost every night due to studying or doing assignments. Therefore, when they are on holidays, they can have enough sleep and get rid of their exhaustion. Holidays can provide you with all the rest and relaxation your body needs to remain healthy.

Last, but certainly not least, holiday is the perfect time to reconnect with your family, friends, and loved ones. You probably have been way too busy to spend some quality time with them due to your tight schedule. Therefore, you can spend your holiday by eating out with your family or hanging out with your friends at the mall, for example. Holiday can be a way to show your loved ones that you care and that you are grateful to have them in your life.

Holidays are very essential, especially for those who are busy and tired most of the time. Therefore, when you are on holidays, make the best out of them and it is guaranteed that they can make you feel brand new and get you ready for whatever you need to accomplish in the future :)

Evolution, Between Fact and Fiction

One of the very oldest theory that is still becoming the basic knowledge in Biology is evolution. There were so many theories coming from the biggest scientist. Darwin with the natural selection, a mechanism by which evolutionary change cloud occur, Mendel, the father of genetics with modern evolutionary synthesis and also Jay Gould with the mutation of segments of DNA. There were so many evidences that they have found, from morphological evidence, molecular evidence until theoretical evidence with the morphological similarities in the Homonidae family. In many centuries, evolution theories have been trusted as the mother of phylogenetic tree of life, the tree that shows the evolutionary history of the three domains of life, bacteria, and eukaryotes. But nowadays, many scientists have proved that evolution is one of the wrong theory that had ever been made. Now, we will try to research, is the evolution a fact or just a fiction? Evolution, the changing heritable traits of population through natural selection, development molecular genetics, morphological differentiate and physiographic changing.

There are so many theories of evolution, the best well known is the natural selection derived by Charles Darwin. The transmutation was accepted by many scientists before 1859, but Charles Darwin’s on The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection provided the first convincing exposition of a mechanism by which evolutionary change could occur; natural selection. The theory was explaining about the changing of the species by a kind of selection so that the survivors of the species were the best species that winning by selection. After many years of working, Darwin was motivated to publish his work on evolution when he received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, the man who supported his new theory. The publication of Darwin 's book made a great social debate to many scientists. Other theory came from Gregory Mendel; he worked in inheritance of traits in pea plants laid the foundation for genetics. In 1930’s and 1940’s he synthesized Darwinian evolution with genetics, creating the modern evolutionary synthesis, the evolution that based on the mutation of molecular genes. Completing the theory based on Gregory Mendel, Stephen Jay Gould identified DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) as the “transforming principle”, the molecular that was responsible for every changing of the structure in a species.

The scientists have found the evidences that evolution happened and that's true. The first evidence was the morphological evidence. Fossils are critical evidence; the fossil of coelacanth from 520 million years ago shows us that it has undeveloped legs in their vestigial. They have made a conclusion that coelacanth was one of the transfer species, the meanwhile species between fish to become a mammal. Second, molecular evidence is also one of the significant proofs of the evolutions. The scientists have classified some group of species by the comparison of their DNA, the sequence similarity. They have made a statement that our ancient ancestors came from the ancient family of apes which were evolving. It was because the scientists have found the similarity of our DNA with the family of apes. We have only differences about 1.2% from chimpanzee, 1.6% different from gorillas and 6.6% from baboons. They still believed that evolution happened because of the changing and the improvement of the molecular substantial, and they have thought that we were the truly example as human evolutionary. The last is theoretical evidence; this evidence is based on the theory. Mathematical Models of evolution based on the fossil that they have found, they classified the fossil and arranged them with their similarity, after that they stuck them. They found that almost every species in the world were descended from common ancestors. Begin with the ancient ancestors as the pioneer until us, the modern and the developed species. This evidence is the closest evidence with the reality, because it combines the morphological evidence with the molecular evidence.

Evolution has it's mechanism itself. There are several mechanisms of evolution and how the evolution happens. Mutation, the deviation of molecular substantial by the copy errors has caused the new genetics variation and the impact is the different of morphological forms. Selection and adaptation just made only the superior species who survived. In the selection and adaptation, there are two kinds of basics selection; ecological selection that occurs when the survivor species can survive in a new safe ecology and make a new community and the sexual selection that occurs when the survivor selection breeds its species and makes a new community too.

In asexual organism, variants in genes have made the different organism. Although the first difference is just only in their chromosome but after some millions years, its can make a crucial different in the morphological form. Gene flow/ the migration and population structure have made a great deal of evolution. This is the exchange of genetics variation between populations, when geography and culture were not obstacles. When there were an isolated species, they would become more speciation among other species that have been migrated. We can see the fact in the Madagascar Island which has the most different species among other islands around the word. Genetics drift describes changes in allele frequency in DNA from one generation to other generation. Although it happened through some millions years, the effect of an allele was quite dominant, changing the ancient species to modern species. Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the transfer’s genetic materials, was almost the same as a drift, but in the HGT, the changes happened not in the offspring species. HGT has been shown in bacterial populations and also has been a major mechanism for prokaryotic and eukaryotic evolution.

The last are speciation and extinction. Speciation is the process by which new biological species arise. Allopatric speciation occurs in populations that become isolated geographically, such as by migration. Sympatric speciation occurs when new species emerge in the same geographic area. Extinction, the disappearance of one kind of species, the moment of extinction generally occurs at the death of the last individual of that species so that no more species like that can be founded in the surface of the world. The most severe extinction ever was the extinction in the Permian-Triassic age. These phenomena rendering extinct 90% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrata species, it caused the extinction of dinosaur’s species from the world. Many scientists are still confused even how the dinosaur’s species can extinct from the world. Some scientists concluded that it was caused by one giant comet that made the surface of the world became colder so that they couldn’t survive for live. And some others concluded that it was by the biggest volcano eruption with caused the same condition, it happened by the dust of the volcano which covered the atmosphere of the world when the sun lights couldn’t go into earth.

Nowadays, many scientists believe that evolution doesn’t ever exist. They believe evolution is just a big lying coming from the biggest thinker. They have some new evidences that evolution never happened. First, the mistakes of evolutionary theories, if evolution truly happened, we could find so many fossils of transfer species. But none of the fossils of transfer species could ever be found. Coelacanth is just some different species of fish, the undeveloped legs is just sensitive bone, not the leg, as the scientists said before. Evolution is only a fiction, an old concept and a mite without any purposes that was created in the 19^th century. There are big differences between the evolution and the devolution. Scientists now believe that the true concept is devolution, the changes of species by the extinction of another species. It happened not because of the selection and adaptation but it happened because of one big power, the God Allah the Mighty. It’s because, none of every species in the world that was created without perfection. Everything is settling up in the best condition without any deformity or unnecessary false.

In summary, I think that evolution doesn’t exist anymore and the evolution theory is just a fiction, a mite that can’t be proved in a right way. All of the creatures and the species in the world are made by the God, Allah the mighty. With the devolution, the changing of species sometimes happened with unknown ways. We can conclude that evolution, the changing heritable traits of population through natural selection, development molecular genetics, morphological differentiate and physiographic changing are not true.

Smoking; an Inch Closer to Deadly Diseases

The habit of smoking has influenced the lifestyle of many people. Some society, in any type of social classes, includes cigarettes in their activities. Personally, I think smoking is hazardous to one’s health. The chemicals in one single cigarette are major causes of many deadly diseases such as lung cancer and heart attack.

Smoking habit shortens people’s life. The fact that smoking causes impotency, and pregnancy and womb disturbance have been widely known by the community. Even more, cigarette contains tar and nicotine, which has benzopyrene. Benzopyrene is, in short, the chemical substance that activates the p53 gene (the gene which causes lung cancer) in human body. Moreover, people who have smoking habit have a bigger tendency to suffer heart attack than the people who don’t.

But, some group of people say that smoking makes they feel more relaxed and motivated to do their daily activities. They say that without cigarette, their life feels so plain. They feel that cigarette in one of their basic needs.

On the contrary, smoking weakens their body. The work of the lungs becomes heavier because they have to filter the inhaled smoke of the cigarette. This automatically affects the amount of the air that they breathe. The fewer amount of air that is inhaled, the quicker people feel exhausted. Cigarette also triggers the heart to pump blood faster. It is a true fact that this makes people feel more awake and spirited. But the heart cannot always be forced. There are times when the heart fatigued. When this happens, usually people get a mild heart attack symptom such as dizziness and the loss of consciousness.

In conclusion, smoking decreases the degree of health in one’s body. The analogy is like putting poison in your own body by your own will. People should prevent smoking habit. And people who have this habit are suggested to quit right away, before it is too late.

Dormitory for University Student with More Ability

Dormitory is important facility for university students. Every university usually facilitates their students with a dormitory, because a dormitory has a lot of functions for their students. For example, every student can stay in a dormitory with a cheaper cost than if they rent room and board in other place. Beside of that, university students are able to go to their university quickly because their university is close from their dormitory. But, there are more important functions of a student dormitory those are developing individual and social skills of a university student.

University student can be an autonomous person by living in a dormitory. If we are living in a dormitory, it means that we stay far from our family. So, we must try to take care about ourselves. This situation accustoms us to do our assignment by ourselves, for a simple example we must do our daily assignments like wash our clothes and clean our room everyday by ourselves. But after we can do those simple assignments, we are going to accustoms to do more important things. Those important things are we can try to solve our problems by ourselves and be a mature person.

Living in a dormitory develops our social skills. In a student dormitory we are going to live with different peoples from different regions. It means that we live in a small social society. This small social society gives us a chance to learn about empathy and communication skill. Those two skills are main important social skills to live in a true social society after we graduate from our university. So, living in a dormitory makes us to be a university student with more ability.

PP No. 2 Year 2008: Sacrificing Forest to Mine?

Peraturan Pemerintah (PP) No.2 Year 2008 is probably the most ridiculous PP ever made. Briefly speaking, this PP permits acts of clearing for mining, telecommunication infrastructure, and toll road for just three hundred rupiahs per square meters per year. In my opinion, this PP will bring harm, to environment and eventually to us humans, if applied.

First, the act of clearing means sabotaging human life. Forest gives us many benefits: fresh air to breathe, pure water that flowing out from springs, woods and logs, and home for wild animals. People who can think clearly will agree that those benefits are too large to be compared with minerals that are buried under it. If clearing is commenced, there will be less water and fresh air, and those wild animals will attack villages and towns in search of food. In the end, our life is affected and—possibly—shortened by them.

Second, mining makes reforestation difficult. The rich and nutritious soil, called top soil, is only thirty centimeters deep from the surface, and—of course—those minerals lies deeper than that. In order to extract minerals, the earth must be dug up. Because of that, the top soil will be mixed with less nutritional soil, which is bad because trees won’t grow well there. Plus, it’s common knowledge that miners—especially illegal ones—don’t take all of mined minerals. Sometimes they leave behind those that are un-extract-able. This is bad because those minerals will poison water and plants, make them harder to grow.

Of course, we cannot forget that the PP isn’t fully about mining. It’s about transportation and telecommunication. Those two aspects are probably most important in this globalization era.

In conclusion, the government should inspect this PP more closely. It should be adjusted so the forest won’t be sacrificed for only one act of mining. After all, human wellbeing is more or less linked with forest wellbeing.

-M. Ferdyansyah Sechan 16107056-