Kakangmaz's Weblog

kakangmaz — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:16:02 +0000

sering kali aku merasa kau tidak mencintaiku

kadang aku merasa tidak berarti bagimu
sering kali kau mengacuhkan aku
dan menghilang berhari-hari tanpa mengabariku

keketusanmu kadang bisa sangat menyebalkan
kegaranganmu terkadang membuatku tak nyaman
kesibukanmu kadang membuatku terabaikan
dan kemisteriusanmu sangat mengesalkan

jadi, aku diam dan berfikir…
apa yang membuatku mencintaimu?

mungkin karena keindahan jiwamu
aku belajar menjadi bijak darimu
atau mungkin karena kebaikan hatimu
karena kau tak ingin menyakiti orang lain

yang pasti, karena caramu tersenyum
caramu tertawa sampai bahumu bergetar
caramu menatapku dengan kelembutan yang dalam
caramu membiarkanku bersandar pada dadamu yang bidang
dan menjaga agar kepalaku tetap diposisi yang nyaman

caramu selalu membiarkanku menang untuk hal-hal kecil
caramu bersikeras menang untuk hal-hal yang lebih besar
caramu memegang tanganku dan membuatku merasa aman
caramu melindungiku dan sabar meredakan aku dalam kemarahan

caramu mengalah tapi lalu membuatku merasa bersalah
caramu berkata tegas dalam kalimat yang lugas
caramu memelukku, membuatku merasa sangat kecil
caramu menciumku, salah satu keajaiban di duniaku…

caramu mencintaiku, itulah yang membuat aku mencintaimu
hal-hal kecil yang kau lakukan, namun sangat berarti bagiku

yup, kau tahu,
aku mencintaimu…

Entah kenapa q sangat mencintai mawar……..

begitupun pertanyaan ini ingin q ungkapkan,entah kenapa q bisa begitu mencintai dia,walaupun q sadar q hanya menggali kuburan cinta bagi cintaq yang tak akan pernah terjamah oleh pertemuan yang akan membwt cintaq bersatu,layaknya asam dan garam dalam belanga……….

q sadari we are in vain,tapi itu tak masalah,
yang terpenting bahwa ia pernah mencintaiq
dan menyayangiku,walaupun hanya sesaat.

kakangmaz — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:06:48 +0000

Fajar

Kala fajar……
Indah merona lukisan alam
jingga meruak di gugusan awan
mengantar mentari melenggang
menebar jaring kehidupan

Kala fajar……..
Setetes embun jatuh melentik
memercik halus di daun jati
seraya mengumandangkan pujian semesta
ke seluruh pemuja kehidupan

Kala fajar……..
wangi menyeruak membela pagi
menyembunyikan lagu kidung malam
mengganti mimpi menjadi saksi
dalam deretan huruf bermakna.

Bendungan karet,somba opu,10/4/09

DUNIA SUNYI

bagai dalam kota mati
menjebak raga dalam hampa hati
dalam kesunyian yang tak terganti
membutakan hati serta nurani

tak ada raga rindu pada sepi
terpenjara dalam dunia sunyi
tapi…….
sekarang ragaku berada di sini
terpatri dalam aliran nadi

tak enak rasanya berada di sini
segalanya berasa tak berarti
ingin rasanya raga berlari
mencari tawa dan bahagia hakiki

Raga ini rindu sahabat sejatiku………

teruntuk….
sahabat-sahabatku yang telah hilang
aku rindu…….
kalian tak terganti………

kamar,10 April 09

kakangmaz — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:31:55 +0000

sering kali aku merasa kau tidak mencintaiku kadang aku merasa tidak berarti bagimu sering kali kau mengacuhkan aku dan menghilang berhari-hari tanpa mengabariku keketusanmu kadang bisa sangat menyebalkan kegaranganmu terkadang membuatku tak nyaman kesibukanmu kadang membuatku terabaikan dan kemisteriusanmu sangat mengesalkan jadi, aku diam dan berfikir… apa yang membuatku mencintaimu? mungkin karena keindahan jiwamu aku belajar menjadi bijak darimu atau mungkin karena kebaikan hatimu karena kau tak ingin menyakiti orang lain yang pasti, karena caramu tersenyum caramu tertawa sampai bahumu bergetar caramu menatapku dengan kelembutan yang dalam caramu membiarkanku bersandar pada dadamu yang bidang dan menjaga agar kepalaku tetap diposisi yang nyaman caramu selalu membiarkanku menang untuk hal-hal kecil caramu bersikeras menang untuk hal-hal yang lebih besar caramu memegang tanganku dan membuatku merasa aman caramu melindungiku dan sabar meredakan aku dalam kemarahan caramu mengalah tapi lalu membuatku merasa bersalah caramu berkata tegas dalam kalimat yang lugas caramu memelukku, membuatku merasa sangat kecil caramu menciumku, salah satu keajaiban di duniaku… caramu mencintaiku, itulah yang membuat aku mencintaimu hal-hal kecil yang kau lakukan, namun sangat berarti bagiku yup, kau tahu, aku mencintaimu…

kakangmaz — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:59:47 +0000

Lukisan Gaza

Tergalerikan dalam sejarah manusia
wajahmu yang dulu rupawan
Kini berubah jadi kuburan
Kuburan bernisankan kemanusiaan

Terkanfaskan dengan cucuran darah
berhiaskan bubuk butiran mesiu
menciptakan kengerian gradasi kematian
berlangitkan kepulan awan gelap

Terbingkai oleh tubuh-tubuh kaku
dalam tatapan hampa dan kosong
seakan menjerit,
“kenapa?”
“Ini sia-sia!”
jeritan yang keluar dari bibir lukisan
bergincukan darah
berbedak debu reruntuhan zaman

Itulah lukisan Gaza
potret ketamakan dan keserakahn
Dalam Galeri kesia-siaan

nurfadillah salsabillah zhulfa

kakangmaz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:32:58 +0000

Cara Jitu

Menunjukkan Cinta

Cinta kadangkala sukar diungkapkan dan seringkali karena tidak berani atau tidak tahu caranya Anda kehilangan si dia. 50 cara berikut ini memberikan ide-ide menyatakan cinta pada si pujaan hati :
 Cintailah diri Anda terlebih dahulu. Bukan berarti egois, tapi Anda menerima diri Anda sebagai pribadi yang unik dengan segala kelebihan dan kekurangannya.
 Katakanlah “Saya cinta Kamu” setiap kali Anda berada di tempat yang jauh.
 Hargailah setiap perbedaan yang ada diantara Anda berdua.
 Tuliskanlah surat cinta yang tak terduga.
 Hiduplah seolah-olah merupakan hari terakhir Anda hidup.
 Menanam dan merawat tanaman bersama.
 Berikanlah bunga tanpa perlu adanya alasan khusus.
 Hentikan kegiatan dan ciumlah aroma bunga yang diberikannya.
 Bila Anda berbuat salah, mintalah maaf dengan sepenuh hati.
 Bersedia memaafkan kesalahan pasangan.
 Menerima dan menyukai keluarga dan teman-temannya.
 Kalau berjalan di mall, gandenglah tangannya.
 Toast atas keutuhan cinta dan komitmen Anda berdua.
 Lakukanlah sesuatu yang heboh.
 Tertawalah atas lelucon yang dibuatnya.
 Berikanlah cinta yang dibutuhkan pasangan Anda.
 Berikanlah cinta yang Anda butuhkan
 Hormatilah satu sama lain.
 Tunjukkan rasa tertarik pada apa yang dikerjakan pasangan.
 Mulailah membuat jurnal cinta dan dokumentasikan peristiwa spesial Anda.
 Berilah pujian pada “inner beauty” pasangan.
 Mengamati matahari terbenam berdua.
 Katakan “Saya Cinta Kamu” dengan mata hanya tertuju padanya.
 Jalan kaki berdua di pantai dengan kaki telanjang.
 Beranilah memiliki impian yang indah.
 Mengatasi ketakutan dengan saling membantu satu sama lain.
 Jadikanlah diri Anda, penggemar terbesar pasangan Anda.
 Memberikan perhatian terhadap apa yang dikerjakan pasangan
 Biarkanlah pasangan Anda menunjukan jalan bila Anda tersesat.
 Bekerja pada satu project bersama.
 Berikanlah pesan cinta tanpa adanya maksud tertentu.
 Tunjukkanlah di depan umum cinta Anda pada pasangan misalnya: merangkulnya saat berjalan.
 Saling mendoakan satu sama lain.
 Berikanlah pujian pada pasangan sesering mungkin.

Khusus bagi pasangan yang sudah menikah :
 Buatkan suatu tanda yang berisi tulisan “Saya Sayang Kamu” dan letakkan di semua ruangan dalam rumah.
 Tidak ada salahnya kalau sekali-kali makan pagi di tempat tidur.
 Mulailah setiap hari dengan saling berpelukan
 Berikanlah ciuman tak terduga misalnya istri Anda lagi memasak, ciumlah ia dari belakang.
 Seminggu sekali pergi berkencan seperti saat pacaran dulu.
 Ingatlah akan hari dimana Anda jatuh cinta dan lakukanlah sesuatu untuk mengenang saat pacaran dulu.
 Jika istri Anda sedang sedih, biarkanlah dia menangis di bahu Anda.
 Katakan bahwa Anda memahaminya
 Jangan pernah membawa kemarahan di tempat tidur.
 Lamarlah dia untuk kedua kalinya.
 Katakan “ya” atas lamarannya.
 Lakukanlah tugas yang seharusnya dilakukan pasangan selama sehari.
 Lakukanlah piknik bersama di dalam rumah sewaktu hujan turun.
 Buatlah suatu benteng dengan selimut.
 Berikanlah ciuman selamat tidur satu sama lain.

kakangmaz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:03:44 +0000

kama sutra

malaysia,kenangan lama,kenangan baru

kakangmaz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:26:34 +0000

Ha…ha…ha… hayooo….siapa yang masih ingat dengan lagu isabelaa? Ketika sedang membelikan eyang putri saya wedang jahe di angkringan dekat rumah, terdengar lamat-lamat lagu itu dari radio usang ibu penjual angkringan. Tapi meski usang, suara yang diproduksi radio itu masih lumayan enak, bisa membuat ingatan saya melayang sekian puluh tahun yang lalu….

Yup, betul, lagu itu berjudul Isabella dari group Search asal negeri Jiran yang sangat ngetop sekali di akhir tahun 80-an sampai sekitar awal tahun 90-an. Ketika itu saya masih SD, dan wabah Amy Search sang vokalis melanda sampai ke tingkat anak SD pula. Bahkan saya ingat kebiasaan sang vokalis yang memakai bando kain yang menutupi lebih dari separoh jidatnya malah menjadi trend fashion gaya mengatur rambut saat itu. Anehnya kok yang mengikuti gaya pakai bando itu kok malah cewek-cewek, padahal modelnya cowok (termasuk saya, hikz…. Sempat punya beberapa bando bergaya Amy Search). Belakangan malah saya belajar kalau itu termasuk trik marketing yang unik dan biasanya berhasil, seperti contohnya ada suatu iklan celana dalam cowok tapi yang mengiklankan malah cewek telanjang dada dan pakai CD cowok. Pesan dari iklan itu sih karena cowok nggak suka lihat bodi cowok. Ha..ha…ha… Lanjut deh, kok malah ngelantur….

Seingat saya, Search merupakan awal dari membanjirnya lagu-lagu dari group musik negara tetangga itu. Amy Search yang menggandeng Inka Christy untuk berduet, masuknya group musik Slam dengan hit-nya Gerimis Mengundang (yang sempat dipakai cowok nembak saya jaman saya SMP kelas 1, ha…ha…ha..), lalu juga lagunya Iklim dengan lagu andalan Suci dalam Debu…..

cinta bukan hanya di mata…
cinta hadir di dalam jiwa…
biarlah salah di mata mereka…
biar perbedaan terlihat antara kita….
Kuharap engkau kan terima walau dipandang hina…
Namun hakikat cinta kita, kita yang rasa…

Duuuuhhh…… kena banget gitu lohh…!! Bagi yang termehek-mehek dengar lagu ini ya silakan aja menangis, asal jangan menelpon orang sambil menangis, nanti dikira abis kehilangan Master Card di ATM. Hi…hi…hi… (maaf ni Z, merangkaikan 2 kisah berbeda, spontan terlintas aja, hi…hi…hi..). Lanjuttt… Era akhir tahun 80-an sampai tahun 90-an memang era berjayanya musik-musik Malaysia di negara kita, bahkan di era modern awal tahun 2000-an siapa sih warga negara kita, penikmat musik kita yang tidak pernah tahu suara Siti Nurhaliza yang melengking sekaligus mendayu itu? Penjualan kasetnya langsung menyabet platinum (entah dobel berapa saya lupa) dari lagu andainya engkau kumiliki, sejak dulu sebelumnya….. andai kucurah rasa hati….mungkin kini ku kan tenang di sampingmu……

Masa berganti, jika di era membanjirnya lagu Malaysia ke negara kita, memang kita masih memiliki sangat sedikit sekali group band, sebutlah Dewa (waktu itu masih pakai nama Dewa 19) yang sudah ada sejak saya SD, lalu Padi (itu waktu saya SMP), Gigi, Slank, beberapa nama band lainnya dan beberapa band agak tua semacam God Bless dan Kantata Takwa maka sudah sewajarnya jika blantika musik kita diwarnai dengan lagu Malaysia.

Tetapi perkembangan selanjutnya, di tahun 2005 ke belakang sungguh sangat menakjubkan. Muncul band-band dan penyanyi-penyanyi baru dengan (beberapa) kualitas yang bisa dikatakan lumayan. Yang penting marketable, bisa dijual. Sebutlah Sheila on Seven, Letto, Nidji, D’Massive, Kerispatih, Samson, ST-12, Kangen Band dan waaaahhh… saking banyaknya band-band baru saya sampai nggak hapal nama-namanya. Yang jelas, yang bisa dibanggakan adalah band-band baru ini bahkan menjadi raja di chart lagu negara Malaysia!!

Yess, membalik keadaan satu hingga dua dekade silam. Para anak muda kita ini berbondong-bondong diundang show di Malaysia, bahkan dengan memperhitungkan pasar Malaysia yang begitu menggiurkan, beberapa group band malah menyesuaikan atribut baik itu lirik lagu ataupun kostum panggung jika album itu dipasarkan ke sana. Bagi saya pribadi, ini merupakan prestasi yang patut diacungi jempol saya sendiri (kalo pinjam JC pasti kebesaran). Tapi yang lebih membanggakan adalah musik kita menjadi raja di negara kita sendiri. Di tengah era suka hal berbau luar-negeri seperti sekarang ini, penikmat musik kita sangat tinggi apresiasinya terhadap musik anak bangsa. Ini sungguh mengharukan….. Dulu jaman saya SMP, nggak ada yang nggak hapal lirik, “I’m the one who wants to be with you….deep inside my heart you fell it too…” yup Mr.Big (tau tuh apanya yang big, hehehe….) tapi anak SMP sekarang, senandungnya adalah, “Ku tak peduli….. bila kubenar-benar cintaaa….mati….” Juliette punya.

Belakangan fenomena terkini, para group band baru anak bangsa kita malah menciptakan musik dengan nuansa melayu. Sementara baru Kangen Band dan ST-12 yang menganutnya. Berciri suara mendayu dengan sedikit ornament cengkok khas melayu. Mencoba masuk pasar dengan genre berbeda, dan langsung diterima pasar dengan tangan terbuka. Melihat fenomena ini, bukan tidak mungkin pemusik negara tetangga melihat peluang akan prospek genre ke-melayu-an ini. Jangan-jangan kita akan set back, kembali ke beberapa dekade silam. Ih, jangan sampai ah…. Karena saya suka banget dengan Ari Lasso, suaranya yang kadang serak, kadang mendayu, kadang melengking, seperti selalu merobek-robek hati saya dan seperti merasa dia hanya menyanyi untuk saya (halah!) maka saya ingin menyebutkan namanya sebagai contoh.

Ari Lasso adalah potret seniman yang konsistensinya patut dicontoh oleh para musisi muda kita. Banyak hal telah dia lewati, tetapi dia selalu menunjukkan performa yang baik dalam bermusik, selalu professional, sehingga namanya selalu lekat dalam perkembangan dunia musik Indonesia. Ini bisa dicontoh oleh musisi generasi setelahnya. Semoga pemusik muda kita punya konsistensi tinggi dan terus mengasah kemampuan mereka, mengingat tak sedikit pula yang ngetop dengan instant, agar musik kita selalu menjadi raja di negara sendiri. Agar cucu cicit saya besok di sela mandi masih bisa menyanyikan lagu Nidji Jr, Letto Jr, D’Massive Jr, Lembayung Langit KoKi (halah, ngapain ni nama ikut muncul, dasar narsis!hi…hi…hi…) dengan penuh cinta dan kebanggaan.

Terakhir, sekedar nostalgia lagi untuk melihat betapa sudah jauh sekali perkembangan musik negara kita….. sebuah lagu Malaysia di tahun 90-an yang sepertinya sangat cocok didengarkan sambil membaca KoKi, terutama KoKi akhir-akhir ini (hi…hi..h.i…), dari EXIST- Mencari Alasan…. (fiuh…!)

kakangmaz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:53:06 +0000

Hamas chief says

no chance of deal with Israel

By IBRAHIM BARZAK and JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press Writers Ibrahim Barzak And Josef Federman, Associated Press Writers – Sat Jan 10, 3:37 pm ET

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – A top Hamas leader says the Gaza war has killed the last chance for settlement and negotiations with Israel.

Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal condemned Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip as a “holocaust” in a fiery speech broadcast on the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera

Mashaal’s comments Saturday come as Hamas teams are in Cairo to negotiate over an Egyptian-proposed cease-fire to end Israeli attacks on the militant organization that rules Gaza.

Mashaal also called for an end to Israeli attacks, the removal of its forces from Gaza, and a lifting of the Gaza blockade.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel pounded rocket sites and tunnels Saturday while its planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas predicted a “waterfall of blood” unless all parties adhere to the U.N.’s call for a durable cease-fire.

Hamas fighters kept up attacks on southern Israel, launching 15 rockets. And with neither side ready to step down, the death toll in two weeks of fighting rose to more than 800 Palestinians, according to Palestinian medical officials, and 13 Israelis.

Flames and smoke rose over Gaza City amid heavy fighting.

Diplomacy was not finished, but it appeared to be in retreat following both sides’ defiance of Thursday’s U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a halt to fighting. Struggling to keep peace efforts alive, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak invited representatives of Gaza’s Hamas rulers to Egypt for further talks on his cease-fire initiative.

Defying the international calls for a cease-fire, Israel threatened to launch a “new phase” in its offensive.

“The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will escalate the operation in the Gaza Strip,” said the leaflets in Arabic dropped from planes. “The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only. Stay safe by following our orders.”

The leaflets urged Gaza residents not to help Hamas and to stay away from its members.

Israel launched the offensive on Dec. 27 to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel. A week later, ground troops moved in.

Israeli defense officials say they are prepared for a third stage of the offensive, in which ground troops would push much further into Gaza, but are still waiting for approval from the government.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified information, said the army also has a fourth stage planned that calls for a full reoccupation of Gaza and toppling of Hamas.

The dropping of leaflets appeared to be partly a psychological tactic.

The Israeli military said more than 15 militants were killed in overnight fighting. It said aircraft attacked more than 40 targets including 10 rocket-launching sites, weapons-storage facilities, smuggling tunnels, an anti-aircraft missile launcher and gunmen.

In the day’s bloodiest incident, an Israeli tank shell killed nine people in a garden outside a home in the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya, said Adham el-Hakim, administrator of Kamal Adwan hospital.

The Israeli military disputed the account, saying its forces did not carry out attacks in that area on Saturday.

Israel has come under international criticism for the rising number of civilian casualties. Palestinian paramedics said the nine people killed in the garden were from the same clan and included two children and two women.

“Residents brought them to the hospital in a civilian car. They put them all in the trunk because their bodies were mangled,” Hakim said.

Separately, a woman was killed by tank fire in the nearby town of Beit Lahiya.

The Israeli army has repeatedly accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields and launching attacks from schools, mosques and homes. Earlier this week, an Israeli attack outside a U.N. school killed nearly 40 people. Both Israel and Palestinian witnesses said militants carried out an attack from the area moments earlier.

Palestinian medical officials say roughly half of the more than 800 Palestinians who have been killed were civilians.

Israel and Hamas ignored the U.N. resolution calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire that would lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

Israel dismissed the resolution as impractical, while Hamas, whose government in Gaza is not recognized internationally, is angry it was not consulted in the diplomatic efforts.

In Cairo, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority president urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to a truce.

After meeting Mubarak, Abbas warned there was no time to waste in ending the bloodshed in Gaza, home to 1.4 million people.

“If any party does not accept it (the truce), regrettably it will be the one bearing the responsibility. And if Israel doesn’t want to accept, it will take the responsibility of perpetuating a waterfall of blood,” Abbas said.

Hamas officials from both Gaza and Syria are also in Cairo for separate talks with Egyptian officials on a truce. Israeli officials were in Cairo earlier this week.

Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah party, which dominates the West Bank, are fierce political rivals, but the president still claims authority over Gaza. Hamas violently took control of Gaza from Fatah forces in 2007.

In Damascus, Syria-based Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, on Saturday rejected any deployment of international observers or troops in Gaza.

A statement issued by the groups after a meeting attended by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal also rejected any security arrangement that “infringes on the right of resistance against Israeli occupation.”

Palestinian security officials said some of the heaviest fighting Saturday occurred on the strategic coastal road north of Gaza City, home to 400,000 Palestinians. Israeli forces moved to within about 1 mile of the city before pulling back slightly.

While Israel has largely taken control of the road, militants operate from hidden positions in the area. The road is often used to fire rockets into Israel or attack Israeli navy boats off the Mediterranean coast.

At least 15 rockets landed in Israel, the army said. One hit an apartment building in the southern city of Ashkelon, lightly wounding two people and heavily damaging the structure.

The offensive has caused extensive damage throughout Gaza. The United Nations estimates two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.4 million people are without electricity, and half don’t have running water.

The Israeli military announced a three-hour halt to operations in Gaza on Saturday to let besieged residents leave their homes and stock up supplies. Medics use the lull to rescue casualties, and aid groups also rush through food distribution.

But for the second straight day, fighting continued even during the lull.

Israel has called for the 3-hour breaks in fighting for the past four days. But aid groups say it isn’t enough time to do their work.

Salam Kanaan of Save the Children said that in previous lulls, the agency distributed food to 9,500 people — far short of the 150,000 people it serves.

U.N. official Adnan Abu Hasna said the Palestinian refugee agency would distribute aid to about 40,000 people, half of them holed up in U.N. schools that have been transformed into makeshift shelters.

All deliveries were coming from supplies already in Gaza. U.N. officials said a halt on aid shipments into Gaza through Israeli-controlled border crossings remained in effect. The ban was imposed Thursday after a U.N. truck driver was shot and killed by Israel. It was unclear when the deliveries will resume.

“As each day goes by, and for each moment that the cease-fire demanded by the Security Council is not observed, the crisis continues,” said U.N. spokesman Chris Gunness.

Israel says any cease-fire must include assurances that Hamas will halt attacks and end the smuggling of weapons into Gaza through the porous Egyptian border.

Hamas has said it won’t accept any cease-fire deal that does not include the full opening of Gaza’s border crossings. The U.N. resolution emphasized the need to open all crossings, which Israel and Egypt have kept sealed since Hamas militants forcibly seized control of the territory 18 months ago.

Israeli leaders oppose that step because it would allow Hamas to strengthen its hold on Gaza.

kakangmaz — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:48:35 +0000

Israel tells Gazans to brace for war escalat

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel dropped bombs and leaflets on Gaza on Saturday, pounding suspected rocket sites and tunnels used by Hamas militants and warning of a wider offensive despite frantic diplomacy to end the bloodshed.

Egypt hosted talks aimed at defusing the crisis, but war had the momentum on a bloody day on which more than 30 Palestinians, many of them noncombatants, were killed, according to Gaza medics. Hamas fighters launched 15 rockets at southern Israel, injuring three Israelis in the city of Ashkelon, the Israeli military said.

At hospitals, distraught relatives — men in jeans and jackets and women in black Islamic robes — sobbed and shrieked at the loss of family. Flames and smoke rose over Gaza City amid heavy fighting.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas predicted a “waterfall of blood” unless all parties adhere to a United Nations call for a cease-fire. But Israel has said the Security Council resolution passed Thursday was unworkable and Hamas, the Islamic group whose government controls Gaza but is not recognized internationally, was angry that it was not consulted.

Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal made a fiery speech on Arab news channel Al-Jazeera, describing the Israeli assault as a “holocaust.” Still, Hamas teams were in Cairo to discuss a cease-fire proposed by Egypt.

At least 814 Palestinians, roughly half of them civilians, have died since war broke out on Dec. 27, according to Palestinian medical officials. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have been killed.

Weary Palestinians watched from apartment windows as thousands of leaflets fluttered from aircraft with a blunt warning: Israeli forces will step up operations against Islamic militants who have unleashed a daily barrage of rocket fire on southern Israeli towns.

“The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only,” the leaflets said in Arabic. “Stay safe by following our orders.”

The leaflets urged Gaza residents not to help Hamas and to stay away from its members. There was no immediate sign of an escalation, though earlier in the day, witnesses said Israeli troops moved to within one mile of Gaza City before pulling back slightly.

Israeli defense officials say they are prepared for a third stage of their offensive, in which ground troops would push further into Gaza, but are waiting for approval from the government. Early on Sunday, Israeli tanks were heard moving near the central Gaza border as Israeli artilley pounded the area, indicating the possibility of a larger operation.

Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired phosphorus shells at Khouza, a village near the border, setting a row of houses on fire. Hospital official Dr. Yusuf Abu Rish said a woman was killed and more than 100 injured, most suffering from gas inhalation and burns. Israeli military spokesman Capt. Guy Spigelman categorically dened the claims.

The Israeli military said it did not know of such an incident. Also, Hamas security officials said fierce battles were in progress early Sunday in eastern Gaza City and northern Gaza.

The leaflets reflected Israeli efforts to cast Hamas as the source of the conflict that has brought additional misery to Gaza’s 1.4 million people, who live in poverty in the densely inhabited shard of land along the Mediterranean. Israel hopes the suffering will erode support for Hamas, which won 2006 elections and engineered a violent takeover of Gaza in June 2007, overrunning the forces of its Palestinian rival Fatah.

For now, though, the fury of the Israeli onslaught has deepened bitterness toward Israel among trapped Gaza residents. Traffic through border crossings with Egypt and Israel is heavily restricted, and many Gazans survive on international handouts or goods smuggled through tunnels that are also used by Hamas to bring in weapons.

Israel launched the offensive on Dec. 27 after years of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, and has attributed many civilian casualties in the past two weeks to Hamas’s alleged use of civilian areas as hiding places and staging grounds for attacks.

On Jan. 3, Israeli ground troops moved into Gaza, but they have largely avoided deployment in built-up areas where they would be more vulnerable to hit-and-run assaults. Israel holds elections in one month, and its leaders know staunch support for the military campaign could dwindle if the forces take heavy casualties.

The 15 rockets launched at southern Israel are part of a daily ritual that has severely disrupted life for hundreds of thousands of civilians. Three Israelis were injured in the city of Ashkelon.

The Israeli military said aircraft attacked more than 40 Hamas targets including 10 rocket-launching sites, weapons-storage facilities, smuggling tunnels, an anti-aircraft missile launcher and gunmen. At least 15 militants were killed, it said.

The Israeli military, however, said its forces did not carry out attacks in that area on Saturday.

Struggling to keep peace efforts alive, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Abbas urged Israel and Hamas to agree to a truce.

After meeting Mubarak, Abbas warned there was no time to waste in ending the bloodshed in Gaza.

Hamas and Abbas’s Fatah party, which dominates the West Bank, are fierce political rivals.

Hamas officials from both Gaza and Syria are also in Cairo for separate talks with Egyptian officials on a truce. Israeli officials were in Cairo earlier this week.

U.S. President George W. Bush spoke by telephone to President Abdullah Gul of Turkey, which is involved in Mideast peace efforts, about the situation in Gaza, said a spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington.

“President Bush emphasized the importance of bringing an end to rocket fire against Israel and preventing arms smuggling into Gaza as the basis for a durable cease-fire,” spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on a peace mission to the region, visited the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and saw a fireball from a large detonation in Gaza. He felt the pressure from the blast, which caused windows to rattle.

“We are standing here while the fighting is still on back there,” said Steinmeier, who later traveled to Israel. “It is right and correct to be concerned about the injured and the dead, but the European foreign ministers must do more so that words can be turned into deeds.”

The U.N. estimates two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.4 million people now lack electricity, and half don’t have running water.

The Israeli military announced a three-hour halt to operations in Gaza on Saturday to let medics use the lull to rescue casualties and aid groups to rush through food distribution. But for the second straight day, fighting continued even during the lull.

Israel has called for the three-hour breaks in fighting for the past four days. But aid groups say it isn’t enough time to do their work.

Also on Saturday, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in European cities and Lebanon, shouting protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

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kakangmaz — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:40:05 +0000

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Effective ways to increase your wordpower

If you want to be a great communicator, do you need to have a great vocabulary? You might be very surprised to learn that a really big vocabulary is not required in order to express yourself and to move others. Some of the most dramatic messages that have ever been uttered in the English language used very simple words to stir the blood, or touch the heart. Look at any well-known passage in the Bible. Chances are that the passage does not rely on sophisticated words to create its power. Think of Lincoln’s Gettysberg Address. Although the language that President Lincoln used is not the verbal style that is common today, his words still move us deeply with their clarity and their deep emotion. During the darkest days of World War II, Winston Churchill’s rousing speeches to the British people used very simple, common, powerful words to successfully ignite the courage and determination of his people.

So if it’s possible to communicate effectively even when we don’t use without having a very large number of words in our mental vocabulary, why should we try to expand our vocabulary?. The reason is that learning new words expands our understanding and improves our “mental muscles”. Every new word we learn entices our mind to stretch into new areas. We improve our ability to think and express ourselves when we have a larger bank of words to draw on. Our thinking will become more fluid and supple, and we will understand more of the world around us and within us, when we have a larger vocabulary. In the modern world the ability to use words effectively is often highly rewarded.

The English language has an enormous number of words, perhaps more than half a million of them. Most people however, use a vocabulary of just a few thousand common words on a daily basis. It is possible to get by in the English language with a limited number of words, but you expand your options as you expand your vocabulary. When you understand very few words it limits your ability to learn new information.

If you want to increase your vocabulary, there are many approaches you can use. One good way is to read books or articles that are slightly more difficult than what you are accustomed to. When you come across a word you don’t know, see if you can figure out its meaning from the context. Look at the way the word is made up, with its letters and syllables. Does it remind you of any words you already know? What parts of it are familiar?

Many words in the English language are made up of common roots they share with other words. You may be able to deduce the meaning of the new word from the way the syllables are put together and the way it is used. You should consult a dictionary to be sure. If you come across a word you don’t understand during the course of a lecture or a conversation, you can ask either the speaker or someone else for the meaning of the word. Many people are reluctant to do this because they are afraid of exposing their ignorance by asking. It is occasionally true that other people may choose to look down on you if you confess that you don’t understand a certain word. On the other hand, they may be happy to teach you something new. If you decide not to ask anyone for the meaning of a word, be sure to make a note of the new words you have encountered and look them up later.

Should you try to learn new words directly from a dictionary? It depends on your learning style and your preference. Some people will become bored very quickly while reading a dictionary, while others will find it fascinating. All dictionaries are not alike, and you may find a certain version far more useful than the rest. Good dictionaries will do more than just give a definition of a word. Some will show you an example of the word used in a sentence. Often they will show you alternate spellings, and give the plural forms of nouns and the past tense of verbs. Most dictionaries will show you correct pronunciation. Some will tell you the historical derivation of the word. Many English words have their roots in ancient Anglo-Saxon, French, or German.

Language is always evolving and new words are being created every day. New words can come from technology, from scientific discoveries, from other languages, from pop culture, and from the streets. When learning new vocabulary, you can better integrate it into your brain if you actively involve yourself in the learning process. When you encounter a new word, write out a definition of it in your own words, and write one or more sentences using the new word in context. Visualize the word in its printed form. Say the word out loud, and spell it out loud. Say a sentence out loud that uses the new word. Make up an image in your mind that will help you remember the word. If you make the image funny or bizarre, you will probably remember it better.

To improve your use of language and your ability to think, practice summarizing the theme of an entire article or book using just one or two paragraphs. After you have read an article or book, try writing out two different versions summarizing your ideas. Do one version using very simple, everyday words. Make it as clear and simple as you possibly can while still maintaining accuracy. Do another version that uses very complex sentences and advanced vocabulary, like you imagine a university professor might write. This will give your brain a good work-out and increase your verbal and mental flexibility.

If you are committed to expanding your vocabulary, how many new words should you try to learn in a day? It’s up to you. Just two new words a day will add up to more than 7000 words in ten years. Ten words a day would add 36,000 words in ten years. Once you have learned a lot of new words, should you work them into your conversation every chance you get? The kind of vocabulary you use should always be appropriate to the context in which you are writing or speaking.

For example, if you are speaking to a group of high school dropouts you may want to use different words than if you are speaking to a group of scientists. Don’t use an impressive vocabulary merely as a means of showing off, always using big words when small ones would do. People can often intuitively feel when you are using fancy words merely for effect, and not because you need them to communicate. But if your new vocabulary really has become a part of you and has a useful place in your writing and conversation, by all means, go ahead and use it!