Friday, November 30, 2007

George Orwell's Animal Farm (Chapter I), as adopted from gutenberg



Chapter I


Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal.

Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work. After the horses came Muriel, the white goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark--for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never speaking.

The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on. Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with. Last of all came the cat, who looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was saying.

All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door. When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

"Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish to speak to you.

"Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it:
our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

"But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep--and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word--Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilises it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid in this last year, and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old--you will never see one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?

"And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. For myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones.

I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end.

You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come--cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.

"Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious.

"And remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades."

At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them, and it was only by a swift dash for their holes that the rats saved
their lives. Major raised his trotter for silence.

"Comrades," he said, "here is a point that must be settled. The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits--are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"

The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. There were only four dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on both sides.

Major continued:
"I have little more to say. I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

"And now, comrades, I will tell you about my dream of last night. I cannot describe that dream to you. It was a dream of the earth as it will be when Man has vanished. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. Many years ago, when I was a little pig, my mother and the
other sows used to sing an old song of which they knew only the tune and the first three words. I had known that tune in my infancy, but it had long since passed out of my mind. Last night, however, it came back to me in my dream. And what is more, the words of the song also came back-words, I am certain, which were sung by the animals of long ago and have been lost to memory for generations. I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called 'Beasts of England'."

Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. As he had said, his voice was hoarse, but he sang well enough, and it was a stirring tune, something between 'Clementine' and 'La Cucaracha'. The words ran:

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time.

Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be overthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.

Rings shall vanish from our noses,
And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day.

Bright will shine the fields of England,
Purer shall its waters be,
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free.

For that day we all must labour,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well and spread my tidings
Of the golden future time.


The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. Even the stupidest of them had already picked up the tune and a few of the words, and as for the clever ones, such as the pigs and dogs, they had the entire song by heart within a few minutes. And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it. They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession, and might have continued singing it all night if they had not been interrupted.

Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr. Jones, who sprang out of bed, making sure that there was a fox in the yard. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. The birds jumped on to their perches, the animals settled down in the straw, and the whole farm was asleep in a moment.

(Chapre II will be available on my multiply at http://elninoaraujo.multiply.com)

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Anak Sekecil Itu.... Iwan Fals Day

Gak tau What's Happen that day.... udah lama gue gak denger, nyanyi'in lagu2nya yang udah lama gue kenal.

Bayangin aja pertama kali otak gue dicekokin sama lagu-lagu macam tampomas, 1910, nona, bongkar, mata dewa, badut, oemar bakri, tince sukarti, mungkin waktu itu gue belum kenal sama seragam putih merah, lendir masih sering keluar masuk idung gue. tapi dibalik perelisihan abang2 gie buat milih kaset mana yang kudu diputer di satu2nya tape merk "grundig" hasil bokap gue nabung, sementara 5 abang2 gue punya selera masing-masing, ada yang seneng fariz RM, Genesis, Chrisye, ada yang demen sama Mus Mujiono dan konco2nya, ada yang demen Gong 2000 and soneta group sampe beatles, the who, rolling stones etc lah. abang2 gue mungkin gak tau kalo bokap beli itu grundig buat nyetel waldjinah kedemenan bokap and nyokap gue. kalo udah gini rumah jadi rame kayak kapal pecah, ada aja yang protes. nyokap (alm) yang diem2 punya koleksi nasyida ria and tarling lebih memilih diam.

Cuma satu yang bisa jadi jalan tengah. setiap kaset Iwan Fals masuk ke itu grundig, gak ada yang komplain. Suara parau yang keluar dari grundig tanpa garansi (jaman itu belum kenal garansi) seakan menjadi pemersatu perbedaan yang ada dikeluarga gue. mungkin itu yang juga merangsang gue buat naek sepeda 10 km dari rumah gue di pancoran ke pasar rumput, buat beli gitar yamaha-yamaha an. ceban boss, and gue bisa belajar pesawat tempur sepuas-puas acan.

By the way, selera musik gue-pun berkembang dengan mengadopsi dan menyadur semua coba memahami setiap keinginan abang2 gue, itung2 memperkaya wawasan musik booo, tanpa batas, mau keroncong, seriosa, rock, pop cengeng ala betharia sonata sampe lagu perjuangan and begadang ala soneta gue lahap. gak keitung lagu2 dari the police, beatles, pink floyd, genesis, roxette yang mengisi otakku, sampe mettalica yang gue bela2in bolos sekolah demi nonton konsernya di lebak bulus.

Setelah lebih dari 20 tahun gue kenal sosok Virgiawan Listatnto dan karya-karyanya, seakan moment-moment itu kembali hadir di hadapan muka gue, gak tau kenapa, di kedai halimun sebelah tiba tiba lagu badut mengalun dengan keras, belum lagi Pesawat Terbang dan segala macemnya. memancing gue buat ngambil gitar yamaha beneran, and nyanyi'in lagu'lagu bang iwan.

sorenya gue main ke "cafe gue" di bilangan pajajaran. eh lagi-lagi mp3 iwan dinyanyi'in, ibu2 yang ada malah berkaraoke pake lagu-lagu itu, padahal acaranya ulang tahun anak2 mereka. gue cuma senyum-senyum. coba nenangin diri nyomot majalah yang emang disedia'in buat pengunjung cafe and boutique ini, tenyata yang kepilih itu majalah rolling stone special issue: editor's choice 2007 (terbitan mei 2007) dengan cover gede menghias gambar sang bapak tanpa kumis baplang yang dulu jadi ciri khasnya... "Iwan Fals".

Pulang dari cafe di jalan udah gak keliatan matahri lagi, pantes emang lha wong udah jam 8 malem, mana ada matahari. naek angkot 03 nganter do'i ke sindang barang... eh tuch anak kecil yang duduk di pinggir pintu penumpang kayak ngerti aja, dengan iringan ukulele and ketipung ala pipa dan ban dalem, mereka gak ragu2 nyanyi'in

tince sukarti binti mahmud
gadis desa yang berwajah lembut
kuning langsat warna kulitmu
maklum ayah arab, ibunda china

gak ragu gue keluarin seceng-an dari kantong, gak peduli waktu itu tanggal tua. gue pikir2 mungkin waktu lagu itu pertama ngetop, bokapnye tuch anak paling masih pake putih-biru, belum ada niat punya pacar, apalagi bikin anak, masih sibuk mencetin jerawat and pusing sama perubahan tone suaranya.

darimane tuch anak tau lagu itu yaa.....

dan satu lagi, di majalah-majalah, blog fan ditulis, bang iwan tinggal di desa leuwinanggung bogor. sama gak ya sama leuwinanggung deket leuwiliang Kab Bogor Barat...??? karena gue sering banget lah ke leuwinanggung yang deket leuwiliang. sapa tau bisa mampir trus nyanyi bareng bang iwan atau sekedar ngopi - ngopi lah

one thing for sure. Virgiawan Listanto, U give Indonesia a Brighter Colour to face life.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Guy De Maupassant "Henri René Albert" (1850-1893)



Of the French writers of romance of the latter part of the nineteenth century no one made a reputation as quickly as did Guy de Maupassant. Not one has preserved that reputation with more ease, not only during life, but in death. None so completely hides his personality in his glory. In an epoch of the utmost publicity, in which the most insignificant deeds of a celebrated man are spied, recorded, and commented on, the author of "Boule de Suif," of "Pierre et Jean," of "Notre Coeur," found a way of
effacing his personality in his work.

Of De Maupassant we know that he was born in Normandy about 1850; that he was the favorite pupil, if one may so express it, the literary protege, of Gustave Flaubert; that he made his debut late in 1880, with a novel inserted in a small collection,
published by Emile Zola and his young friends, under the title: "The Soirees of Medan"; that subsequently he did not fail to publish stories and romances every year up to 1891, when a disease of the brain struck him down in the fullness of production; and that he died, finally, in 1893, without having recovered his reason.

We know, too, that he passionately loved a strenuous physical life and long journeys, particularly long journeys upon the sea. He owned a little sailing yacht, named after one of his books, "Bel-Ami," in which he used to sojourn for weeks and months. These meager details are almost the only ones that have been gathered as food for the curiosity of the public.

I leave the legendary side, which is always in evidence in the case of a celebrated man,--that gossip, for example, which avers that Maupassant was a high liver and a worldling. The very number of his volumes is a protest to the contrary. One could not write so large a number of pages in so small a number of years without the virtue of industry, a virtue incompatible with habits of dissipation. This does not mean that the writer of these great romances had no love for pleasure and had not tasted the world, but that for him these were secondary things. The psychology of his work ought, then, to find an interpretation other than that afforded by wholly false or exaggerated anecdotes. I wish to indicate here how this work, illumined by the three or four positive data which I have given, appears to me to demand it.

And first, what does that anxiety to conceal his personality prove, carried as it was to such an extreme degree? The answer rises spontaneously in the minds of those who have studied closely the history of literature. The absolute silence about himself, preserved by one whose position among us was that of a Tourgenief, or of a Merimee, and of a Moliere or a Shakespeare among the classic great, reveals, to a person of instinct, a nervous sensibility of extreme depth. There are many chances for an artist of his kind, however timid, or for one who has some grief, to show the depth of his emotion. To take up again only two of the names just cited, this was the case with the author of "Terres Vierges," and with the writer of "Colomba."

A somewhat minute analysis of the novels and romances of Maupassant would suffice to demonstrate, even if we did not know the nature of the incidents which prompted them, that he also suffered from an excess of nervous emotionalism. Nine times out of ten, what is the subject of these stories to which freedom of style gives the appearance of health? A tragic episode. I cite, at random, "Mademoiselle Fifi," "La Petite Roque," "Inutile Beaute," "Le Masque," "Le Horla," "L'Epreuve," "Le Champ d'Oliviers," among the novels, and among the romances, "Une Vie," "Pierre et Jean," "Fort comme la Mort," "Notre Coeur." His imagination aims to represent the human being as imprisoned in a situation at once insupportable and inevitable. The spell of this grief and trouble exerts such a power upon the writer that he ends stories commenced in pleasantry with some sinister drama.

Let me instance "Saint-Antonin," "A Midnight Revel," "The Little Cask," and "Old Amable." You close the book at the end of these vigorous sketches, and feel how surely they point to constant suffering on the part of him who executed them.

This is the leading trait in the literary physiognomy of Maupassant, as it is the leading and most profound trait in the psychology of his work, viz, that human life is a snare laid by nature, where joy is always changed to misery, where noble words
and the highest professions of faith serve the lowest plans and the most cruel egoism, where chagrin, crime, and folly are forever on hand to pursue implacably our hopes, nullify our virtues, and annihilate our wisdom. But this is not the whole.

Maupassant has been called a literary nihilist--but (and this is the second trait of his singular genius) in him nihilism finds itself coexistent with an animal energy so fresh and so intense that for a long time it deceives the closest observer. In an
eloquent discourse, pronounced over his premature grave, Emile Zola well defined this illusion: "We congratulated him," said he, "upon that health which seemed unbreakable, and justly credited him with the soundest constitution of our band, as well as with the clearest mind and the sanest reason. It was then that this frightful thunderbolt destroyed him."

It is not exact to say that the lofty genius of De Maupassant was that of an absolutely sane man. We comprehend it to-day, and, on re-reading him, we find traces everywhere of his final malady. But it is exact to say that this wounded genius was, by a singular circumstance, the genius of a robust man. A physiologist would without doubt explain this anomaly by the coexistence of a nervous lesion, light at first, with a muscular, athletic temperament. Whatever the cause, the effect is undeniable. The skilled and dainty pessimism of De Maupassant was accompanied by a vigor and physique very unusual. His sensations are in turn those of a hunter and of a sailor, who have, as the old French saying expressively puts it, "swift foot, eagle eye," and who are attuned to all the whisperings of nature.

The only confidences that he has ever permitted his pen to tell of the intoxication of a free, animal existence are in the opening pages of the story entitled "Mouche," where he recalls, among the sweetest memories of his youth, his rollicking canoe
parties upon the Seine, and in the description in "La Vie Errante" of a night spent on the sea,--"to be alone upon the water under the sky, through a warm night,"--in which he speaks of the happiness of those "who receive sensations through the
whole surface of their flesh, as they do through their eyes, their mouth, their ears, and sense of smell."

His unique and too scanty collection of verses, written in early youth, contains the two most fearless, I was going to say the most ingenuous, paeans, perhaps, that have been written since the Renaissance: "At the Water's Edge" (Au Bord de l'Eau) and the
"Rustic Venus" (La Venus Rustique). But here is a paganism whose ardor, by a contrast which brings up the ever present duality of his nature, ends in an inexpressible shiver of scorn:

"We look at each other, astonished, immovable,
And both are so pale that it makes us fear."
* * * * * * *

"Alas! through all our senses slips life itself away."

compiled by nino(pic from wikipedia and e-text from gutenberg)

The True Story of Jean "Django Reinhardt" (1910 - 1953)



Django Reinhardt has astounded and thrilled numerous generations of guitar players and jazz lovers with his amazing command of the guitar. January 24th, 1910 at Liberchies Belgium, Django was born into the open air, rambling lifestyle of his gypsy parents. At the age of eight, his mother's tribe settled near the belt of fortifications that surrounded the old Paris, near the Choisy gate. He never wore a suit or lived in a real house until he was twenty years old. These French Gypsies or Manouches were a world unto themselves, medieval in their beliefs, and distrustful of modern science. Django grew up in this world of contradictions, one foot in the bustling big city of Paris and the other in the age-old life of the nomadic gypsy. Though born into poverty Django had the soul of a nobleman and this natural elegance of bearing and attitude expressed itself in his music.

It was at an early age Django became attracted to music. When twelve years old he received his first instrument, a banjo/guitar that was given to him by a neighbor who had noticed his keen interest in music. He quickly learned to play, mimicking the fingerings of musicians he watched. He was soon astounding adults with his ability on the guitar, and before he was thirteen he began his musical career playing with popular accordionist Guerino at a dance hall on the Rue Monge. He went on to play with numerous other bands and musicians and made his first recordings with accordionist Jean Vaissade for the Ideal Company. Since Django could not read or write at the time "Jiango Renard" was how his name appeared on these records.

On November 2nd, 1928 an event took place that would forever change Django's life. At one o'clock in the morning the 18 year old Django returned from a night of playing music at a new club "La Java" to the caravan that was now the home of himself and his new wife. The caravan was filled with celluloid flowers his wife had made to sell at the market on the following day. Django upon hearing what he thought was a mouse among the flowers bent down with a candle to look. The wick from the candle fell into the highly flammable celluloid flowers and the caravan was almost instantly transformed into a raging inferno. Django wrapped himself in a blanket to shield him from the flames. Somehow he and his wife made it across the blazing room to safety outside, but his left hand, and his right side from knee to waist were badly burned.

Initially doctors wanted to amputate his leg but Django refused. He was moved to a nursing home where the care was so good his leg was saved. Django was bedridden for eighteen months. During this time he was given a guitar, and with great determination Django created a whole new fingering system built around the two fingers on his left hand that had full mobility. His fourth and fifth digits of the left hand were permanently curled towards the palm due to the tendons shrinking from the heat of the fire. He could use them on the first two strings of the guitar for chords and octaves but complete extension of these fingers was impossible. His soloing was all done with the index and middle fingers! Film clips of Django show his technique to be graceful and precise, almost defying belief.

Django was influenced by jazz recordings of Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. This new music found a place deep in Django's heart. It provided the perfect vehicle for his prodigious talent for improvisation. Django rarely if ever played a solo the same way twice. Numerous recordings prove this to be true. His creative genius was not only that of the master improviser, but also that of the composer, and he can be credited with numerous pieces with beautiful melodies and sophisticated, subtle harmonic structures. However, Django could not read or write musical notation and he was at the mercy of others that could to get his ideas down on paper.

1934 proved to be the most important year of his life. The Quintet of the Hot Club of France was born! As the fates would have it, the Quintet was formed by a chance meeting of Django and Stéphane Grappelli. A band of fourteen musicians including Django, Stéphane, Roger Chaput, and Louis Vola were commissioned to play at the Hotel Cambridge at teatime. During intermission Django would find a corner backstage and play his guitar. One day Stéphane joined in and both were so pleased with the exchange they went on to play together more and more frequently joined by Roger Chaput (guitar), Louis Vola (bass), and eventually Django's brother Joseph (guitar). A small record company Ultraphone recorded their first sides Dinah, Tiger Rag, Oh Lady be Good, and I Saw Stars. These first records caused a sensation! The Quintet went on to record hundreds of sides and had a following on both sides of the ocean.

1939 found the Quintet touring in England when the war broke out. Django returned to Paris while Stéphane remained in England. Django played and recorded throughout the war years substituting Hubert Rostaing's clarinet for Stephen's violin. He somehow avoided the fate of many of his kinfolk who went to their deaths in the Nazi concentration camps. After the war he was rejoined by Stéphane and they again played and recorded. He toured briefly with Duke Ellington in America and returned to Paris where he continued his career until 1951 when he retired to the small village of Samois sur Seine.



On May 16th 1953 Django suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and died, leaving behind his wife Sophie and son Babik. His music remains as vital and exciting today as it was when he lived, a legacy of joy to all future generations that rediscover the genius of the Belgian gypsy Django Reinhardt.

Thanks to Joseph Dinkins for the Contribution

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Boum....... by Charles Trenet

The Smilling Chanson's Most Popular Song (besides La Mer)

Don't you ever heard about "la mer"..... come on, it's a very popular song after all,
okay, how about this this one..... "beyond the sea".... it's just the same only it is sang in English, and unfortunately, Sinatra claimed it as an English masterpiece, although Trenet sang it first, Sinatra make it popular at 60's, Trenet make it world wide at 40's. can you imagine that.
well just FYI, there is so many American song, and movie (this era) that came from other country, they they had the right to patent it, the same thing are happening with indonesian art, music and culture, someone want to take it away from us. don't let this happen before it's too late.

but for now let's just sing this marvelous song with, 1... 2... 3... here we go

La pendule fait tic-tac-tic-tic
Les oiseaux du lac pic-pac-pic-pic
Glou-glou-glou font tous les dindons
Et la jolie cloche ding-dang-dong

Mais... boum!
Quand notre coeur fait boum
Tout avec lui dit boum
Et c'est l'amour qui s'éveille

Boum!
Il chante «Love in Bloom»
Au rythme de ce boum
Qui redit boum à l'oreille

Tout a changé depuis hier et la rue
A des yeux qui regardent aux fenêtres
Y'a du lilas et y'a des mains tendues
Sur la mer le soleil va paraître

Boum!
L'astre du jour fait boum
Tout avec lui dit boum
Quand notre coeur fait boum-boum

Le vent dans les bois fait hou-hou
La biche aux abois fait mê-ê-ê
La vaisselle cassée fait fric-fric-frac
Et les pieds mouillés font flic-flic-flac

Mais... boum!
Quand notre coeur fait boum
Tout avec lui dit boum
L'oiseau dit boum, c'est l'orage

Boum!
L'éclair qui, lui, fait boum
Et le bon Dieu dit boum
Dans son fauteuil de nuages

Car mon amour est plus vif que l'éclair
Plus léger qu'un oiseau, qu'une abeille
Et s'il fait boum, s'il se met en colère
Il entraîne avec lui des merveilles

Boum!
Le monde entier fait boum
Tout avec lui dit boum
Quand notre coeur fait boum-boum

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Just For Women and the Future (The Story of Chicken Wing)

Terutama cewe2 yg concern about kista, mudah2an info di bawah ini cukup membantu.

HindaRi ChiCkEN WinGs & LehER AyAm...

Seorang teman saya baru saja ketahuan memiliki kista dalam rahimnya,sehingga dia langsung menjalani operasi.

Kista yang diambil berisi darah yang berwarna hitam pekat . Dia pikir dia akan sembuh setelah menjalani operasi, tetapi ternyata tidak.

Hanya beberapa bulan setelah operasi ternyata tumbuh kista lagi. Dia kemudian menemui ginekolog untuk berkonsultasi.

Saat konsultasi, dokternya menanyakan apakah teman saya ini sering makan chicken wings Dan dia jawab ya, dia jadi tahu kebiasaan makannya.

Seperti yang anda saksikan, pada jaman modern ini ayam disuntik dengan steroid agar cepat besar sehingga dapat memenuhi kebutuhan pasar.

Kebutuhan ini tak lain adalah kebutuhan akan makanan. Biasanya suntikan ini dilakukan pada bagian leher atau sayap. Oleh karena ini pada dua tempat inilah terdapat konsentrasi steroid yang paling tinggi.

Steroid inilah yang memberikan pengaruh pada tubuh sehingga cepat pertumbuhannya. Bahkan lebih bahayanya lagi efeknya bagi hormone wanita,membuat wanita lebih rentan untuk terkena kista rahim. Oleh karena hal itu, saya menyarankan untuk selalu berhati-hati dengan yang anda konsumsi terutama mengurangi makan chicken wings.

Ima.... Thanks For The Information

Monday, November 19, 2007

Tidak Mudah Menyiasati Perut Orang Banyak

Apa jadinya kalo orang-orang pintar berkumpul di suatu tempat membicarakan hajat hidup orang banyak, atau lebih tepatnya membicarakan urusan perut masyarakat Indonesia. Yang pasti banyak sekali yang dibicarakan pada hari itu.
Kemiskinan dan kerawanan pangan merupakan masalah utama yang dihadapi dalam pembangunan ketahanan pangan di negara berkembang. Padahal, ketahanan pangan merupakan prasyarat dalam memenuhi hak azasi pangan setiap manusia serta merupakan pilar bagi eksistensi dan kedaulatan suatu bangsa. Pemantapan ketahanan pangan nasional merupakan tujuan dan sasaran yang harus diwujudkan melalui kerja keras seluruh komponen bangsa. Setiap negara tidak akan pernah mengabaikan pembangunan pangan di negaranya, karena percaya bahwa ketahanan pangan merupakan pilar utama sekaligus benteng terakhir ketahanan negaranya Oleh karena itu, kondisi ketahanan pangan suatu negara sangat mempengaruhi kondisi ketahanan nasional negara yang bersangkutan. Namun dalam pelaksanaannya di lapangan, program peningkatan ketahanan pangan masih menghadapi kendala-kendala yang cukup berat untuk diatasi. Demikian salah satu bagian dalam sambutan pembuka diskusi Pra Rakor oleh Sekretaris Dewan Ketahanan Pangan Dr. Ir. Kaman Nainggolan, MS
Mengingat bahwa Indonesia merupakan negara agraria, maka strategi pencapaian swasembada pangan dapat dijadikan tumpuan yang kokoh bagi ketahanan pangan nasional dan wilayah. Oleh karena itu, pemerintah telah berkomitmen untuk meningkatkan produksi pangan nasional terutama komoditas padi, dengan mencanangkan ”Peningkatan 2 juta ton beras di tahun 2007 dan kenaikan produksi 5 persen setiap tahunnya.”. Namun kebutuhan pangan kita tidak hanya terpaku pada beras, beberapa komoditas pangan strategis lainnya juga menjadi fokus utama kita dalam meningkatkan produksi untuk pemantapan ketahanan pangan. Pemerintah telah mencanangkan untuk swasembada Jagung pada tahun 2007 dan swasembada Gula pada tahun 2009.
Akan tetapi, semua program tersebut tidak akan dapat dilaksanakan hanya oleh satu instansi dalam hal ini Departemen Pertanian saja. Dukungan dari berbagai sektor dan stakeholers lainnya menjadi mutlak diperlukan untuk keberhasilan pelaksanaan program tersebut. Karena itulah dalam rangka mensinkronkan peran dan kontribusi berbagai stakeholders terkait, maka dilaksanakan Pra Rakor Pangan Nasional I DKP yang kita hadiri pada hari ini. Inilah tujuan dari pelaksanaan Pra Rapat Koordinasi Pangan Nasional I DKP yakni untuk sinkronisasi dan sinergitas seluruh stakeholders terkait dalam upaya mengatasi masalah ketahanan pangan tahun 2007.
Memang kalau hanya memikirkan satu sisi saja hal ini dengan sangat mudah dapat terselesaikan, bila peruntukkan lahan di Indonesia difokuskan menjadi lahan pertanian. Namun permasalahannya adalah apakah daya dukung lingkungan yang ada di Indonesia mampu mengatasi beban yang ada pada lahan tersebut. Kemiskinan dan kerawanan pangan merupakan masalah utama yang dihadapi dalam pembangunan ketahanan pangan di negara berkembang. Padahal, ketahanan pangan merupakan prasyarat dalam memenuhi hak azasi pangan setiap manusia serta merupakan pilar bagi eksistensi dan kedaulatan suatu bangsa.

Lalu Dimana Posisi LSM yang notabene merupakan pendamping masyarakat untuk dapat berpartisipasi aktif mensukseskan rencana pemerintah tersebut dan memberikan kontribusi melalui program – program yang dapat meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat sekitarnya, …….???.
Bukan lagi saatnya untuk duduk tenang dan senyum, inilah waktu yang tepat untuk kita memberikan segala yang kita miliki untuk bangsa yang sekarat ini.

Memahami dan Mengakui Kearifan Masyarakat Adat Kasepuhan


Perjalanan masyarakat Kasepuhan Cibedug untuk mendapatkan pengakuan dan penghormatan formal dari Pemerintah memang belum mencapai hasil yang diharapkan. Akan tetapi tekad, semangat dan komitmen mereka masih tetap terjaga hingga sekarang, kesan yang ditangkap sejak RMI berkenalan dengan komunitas ini pada tahun 2001.

Pengakuan dan penghormatan dari Negara ingin mereka dapatkan seperti tetangga adat mereka, Urang Kenekes (Baduy). Janji konstitusi bangsa yang mengakui dan menghormati kesatuan masyarakat hukum adat beserta hak tradisionalnya juga ingin ditagih oleh Kasepuhan Cibedug. Buku ini dimaksudkan bukan hanya sebagai pendukung keinginan di atas, tetapi juga sebagai bukti bahwa masyarakat Kasepuhan Cibedug bukanlah warga illegal dan perambah tetapi mereka adalah pemilik dan pengelola sah dari Wewengkon Adat mereka.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Judul Buku : Nyanghulu Ka Hukum Nyanghunjar Ka Nagara "Sebuah Upaya Masyarakat Cibedug Membperoleh Pengakuan
Isi : 110 Halaman
Penerbit : RMI Press
Tahun : 2007
Harga : 25.000 IDR (+ 6.000 IDR if ordered by mail)

How To Order
mail to : elninoaraujo@yahoo.com.sg or rmibogor@indo.net.id
ph: 0251-311097 and 0819-3110-1288 (nino) 24 hours
_________________________________________________________________________________

Edith Piaf - La Vie En Rose


Des yeux qui font baiser les miens,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,
Voila le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

chorus:
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ca me fait quelque chose.

Il est entre dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

C'est lui pour moi. Moi pour lui
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie.

Et des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat

Des nuits d'amour a ne plus en finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des enuis des chagrins, des phases
Heureux, heureux a en mourir.

chorus:
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ca me fait quelque chose.

Il est entre dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

C'est toi pour moi. Moi pour toi
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie.

Et des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat

The Fight that never ends…

Contributed by Lilis Ciyarsih, Nia Ramdhaniaty and Listyana (translated by elnino)

Perhaps that could be the best phrases represent the Ciburial’s woman group condition in a way to fight their economical and household desires.
Kampong Ciburial is one of hamlet (kampong) that administratively includes in the Mekarsari Village. In the area which still hold their tribes and tradition belief of Kasepuhan, inhabited by 425 people (209 men and 216 women), most of them live their life as a farmer, and there is a fact that the number of a farmer lady is higher than a farmer men.

LAND plays a great main production factor to a farmer, both women and men. Land scarcity will lead into poverty, especially to a farmer lady which has always been played a great role in household food accessibility. It is the same reason that we can found in Ciburial women, they have to deal with food scarcity along with land scarcity itself as they admitted.
poor

Woman’s Group as Our Activity Media

It is a “common thing”, which a woman had to be responsible to fill the daily household needs. So that the woman will become confused to figure out on “how to fulfill” that desires, is it on to search for the resources of the income, nor the important available commodities. This Woman’s Group had found one of the ways to create a community media with a name “Kelompok Swadaya Pangan Perempuan (KKSP)” or Food Self-Supporting Woman Group. They have felt the benefit of being “togetherness” in group which has been initiated since April 2005. It is too early to said that this group to be settled. Through collective endeavor activities, it is established some of promising alternative effort choices, economically, and it had been proved at the involvement of KKSP in local economy activities.

With a great hope on the chance of an economics improving, Ciburial woman cultivate and manufactured Cassava as one of agricultural product which can be processed to become assorted of manufactured product, like Cassava flaky (chips). Supported Activity in order to get maximal result is even also conducted, start from community planning, society economical training, training on the added value improvement and comparative study on the food processing to product marketing.

It doesn’t desist to that point, build a support system from various parties is also conducted, either in family storey level, countryside, kasepuhan nor regency. But, still the resistance and barrier have never disappeared in the middle of this exertion. Dozens communities are still assuming that the activity of KSPP during the time only as a leeway filler. Countryside Governmental inattentiveness is also plays as a factor that add the length enlist resistor in implementation KSPP target. On the other side, nowadays the husband support and side kasepuhan become ' sparkling point' of the group member spirit to face group resistance to reach target. Increment on the group cash, group administration regularity, group investment addition and also involvement of all men (husband) in KSPP activity supporting had given a great contribution to KSPP to reach efficacy.

Heaving with high spirit to reach target “with and in” the middle of immeasurable of resistance barrier, nowadays KSPP start to build of support and cooperation with, in this case with the cooperation From the Industrial, Commerce and Capital Investment Department of Lebak Regency. This Woman Struggle which had suffered a never ended long road finally paid off within an adequate response. The Local Government of Lebak Regency finally opens their space Widely to Cooperate with KSPP, whether in the form of support of information and also promotion area.

In the middle of these resistance trying to discredit the role of woman are really cannot be proved by woman which involved in the Food Self-Supporting Woman Group member (KSPP) at Kampong Ciburial, Countryside of Mekarsari. Time has come that the woman esteemed as a society activator which can be self-supporting and can take care of themselves without having to be depended to other party and/or husband. Prosperity, efficiency, equality and highly powered of woman, we have to fight for together.

Mewujudkan Water Front City..... Bisa Gak Ya

Sebagian besar wilayah hulu daerah aliran sungai (DAS) mengalami kerusakan lingkungan. Bila dibiarkan, hal itu bisa menimbulkan berbagai bencana, seperti banjir, tanah longsor, dan kekeringan. Secara umum kerusakan lingkungan itu akibat tindakan manusia. Beberapa tahun terakhir telah terjadi peristiwa penjarahan hutan besar-besaran. Akibatnya, banyak hutan dan lahan menjadi gundul. Agar kerusakan lingkungan tidak berlanjut, perlu ada upaya pemulihan dan peningkatan kemampuan fungsi serta produktivitas hutan dan lahan melalui kegiatan rehabilitasi hutan dan lahan (RHL).

Pada era otonomi daerah saat ini, pembangunan yang berkelanjutan menjadi suatu yang penting. Berbagai praktisi menilai pada saat inilah pembangunan berkelanjutan dapat dilakukan, karena daerah kabupaten sudah mampu melakukan identifikasi, analisis, dan pengambilan keputusan yang didasarkan atas kondisi daerahnya, sehingga setiap pengambilan keputusan selalu didasarkan atas kondisi aktual kabupaten yang bersangkutan. Akan tetapi banyak juga praktisi yang berpendapat bahwa pendekatan pembangunan otonomi kabupaten akan memunculkan permasalahan akan adanya eksplotasi yang tak tertahankan pada sumberdaya alamnya. Oleh sebab itu diperlukan pendekatan yang cocok untuk tiap kabupaten, dimana memiliki kondisi yang sangat spesifik.
Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) merupakan satu kesatuan ekosistem yang unsur-unsur utamanya terdiri atas sumberdaya alam tanah, air dan vegetasi serta sumberdaya manusia sebagai pelaku pemanfaat sumberdaya alam tersebut. Sebanyak 25 daerah aliran sungai (DAS) yang ada di daerah Jabar, saat ini kondisinya kritis, terutama DAS Cimanuk, Citarum, Ciliwung, dan Citanduy. Akibatnya, kerusakan ini bisa menimbulkan banjir, mengakibatkan beberapa bendungan kritis karena airnya dimanfaatkan untuk tenaga listrik atau budi daya air tawar .

DAS di beberapa tempat di Indonesia memikul beban amat berat sehubungan dengan tingkat kepadatan penduduknya yang sangat tinggi dan pemanfaatan sumberdaya alamnya yang intensif sehingga terdapat indikasi belakangan ini bahwa kondisi DAS semakin menurun dengan indikasi meningkatnya kejadian tanah longsor, erosi dan sedimentasi, banjir, dan kekeringan. Disisi lain tuntutan terhadap kemampuannya dalam menunjang system kehidupan, baik masyarakat di bagian hulu maupun hilir demikian besarnya. Sebagai suatu kesatuan tata air, DAS dipengaruhi kondisi bagian hulu khususnya kondisi biofisik daerah tangkapan dan daerah resapan air yang di banyak tempat rawan terhadap ancaman gangguan manusia. Hal ini mencerminkan bahwa kelestarian DAS ditentukan oleh pola perilaku, keadaan sosial-ekonomi dan tingkat pengelolaan yang sangat erat kaitannya dengan pengaturan kelembagaan (institutional arrangement).

Peranan pemerintah daerah yang selama ini menjadi aktor utama pelaksana pembangunan harus berubah menjadi fasilitator pembangunan, dimana aktor utama pelaksana pembanguanan adalah setiap stake-holder yang ada didalam DAS yang bersangkutan. Pelaksanaan penataan ruang dalam mewujudkan pembangunan, pada dasarnya ditujukan untuk meningkatkan pelayanan kepada masyarakat, dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat. Hanya saja, dalam pelaksa¬naanya, RTRW belum bisa berjalan dengan baik. Masih ada masalah penataan ruang akibat ketidaksesuaian antara perencanaan dengan pelaksanaan.

Tidak optimalnya kondisi DAS antara lain disebabkan tidak adanya adanya ketidakterpaduan antar sektor dan antar wilayah dalam pengelolaan sumberdaya alam dan lingkungan DAS tersebut. Dengan kata lain, masing-masing berjalan sendiri-sendiri dengan tujuan yang kadangkala bertolak belakang. Sulitnya koordinasi dan sinkronisasi tersebut lebih terasa dengan adanya otonomi daerah dalam pemerintahan dan pembangunan dimana daerah berlomba memacu meningkatkan Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD) dengan memanfaatkan sumberdaya alam yang ada. Permasalahan ego-sektoral dan ego-kedaerahan ini akan menjadi sangat komplek pada DAS yang lintas kabupaten/kota dan lintas propinsi. Oleh karena itu, dalam rangka memperbaiki kinerja pembangunan dalam DAS maka perlu dilakukan pengelolaan DAS secara terpadu.

Sungai selama ini merupakan tempat untuk membuang limbah, limbah domestik menjadi salah satu penyebab polusi yang terjadi di sungai dan dapat mengakibatkan menurunnya kualitas air sungai, khususnya di DAS Cisadane. Beberapa limbah domestik ini berupa; Plastik atau bungkus kemasan produk, buangan deterjen, limbah industri Pertambangan pada bagian hulu sungai, kemudian pada bagian tengah ditambah dengan adanya aktifitas penambangan pasir yang mengakibatkan sedimentasinya di buang ke sungai, pada bagian hilir oleh adanya kegiatan industri besar selain limbah rumah tangga, industri rumah tangga, dan masih banyak lagi

Implementasi/pelaksanaan, pemantauan dan evaluasi terhadap upaya - upaya pokok berikut:

1. Pengelolaan ruang melalui usaha pengaturan penggunaan lahan (landuse) dan konservasi tanah dalam arti yang luas.
2. Pengelolaan sumberdaya air melalui konservasi, pengembangan, penggunaan dan pengendalian daya rusak air.
3. Pengelolaan vegetasi yang meliputi pengelolaan hutan dan jenis vegetasi terestrial lainnya yang memiliki fungsi produksi dan perlindungan terhadap tanah dan air.
4. Pembinaan kesadaran dan kemampuan manusia termasuk pengembangan kapasitas kelembagaan dalam pemanfaatan sumberdaya alam secara bijaksana, sehingga ikut berperan dalam upaya pengelolaan DAS.

Jelas disini bahwa manusia memegang peranan penting dalam mengupayakan kelestarian lingkungannya termasuk daerah aliran sungainya. Air di kawasan Halimun, juga merupakan bagian yang tidak terpisahkan dari kehidupan, beberapa falsafah penting tentang Air seperti diungkapkan oleh masyarakat Halimun adalah sebagai berikut:

1. ”Ngeunah Cicing Ngeunah Ngising” (bermukim tenang buang airpun tentu bisa tenang), merupakan salah satu falsafah masyarakat Gunung Eusing yang diambil dari bahasa ibu setempat (sunda), yang mempunyai makna kesejahteraan dan keberlanjutan hidup masyarakat sangat berkaitan erat dengan ketersediaan sumber daya air. Bahkan masyarakat mempunyai istilah yang khas apabila menyebut sumber mata air yang dikelilingi oleh pohon bambu yaitu pabangbon, artinya bagian dari kampung yang terdapat banyak pohon bambu kemudian dibawahnya mengalir mata air.

2. Warga Kp. Cisangku adalah air merupakan sumber kehidupan yang dapat dimanfaatkan untuk keperluan sehari-hari dan pertanian. Adapun falsafah air menurut warga adalah “Cai mah bisa direka, hirup ku cai maot jeung cai”.

Cai mah bisa direka dalam artian masyarakat kp. Cisangku mempunyai pandangan terhadap air, bahwa air tersebut banyak manfaatnya.
Hirup ku cai mengandung pengertian, bahwa syariatnya kita hidup salah satunya memerlukan air (taharah memakai air, mandi dengan air, minum dengan air, sebagian besar tubuh kita tersusun oleh air, dsb).
Maot jeung cai, dalam hal ini bukan berarti mati oleh air, akan tetapi air juga dapat digunakan untuk memandikan jenazah (mensucikan/membersihkan tubuh).

3. Air merupakan sumber penghidupan merupakan falsafah hidup tentang air bagi masyarakat yang tinggal di Kp. Nyungcung.
4. Air sebagai kebutuhan pokok, hal ini didasarkan pada kepentingan air di kampung Parigi Tonggoh digunakan untuk kebutuhan rumah tangga, ternak, pertanian dan perusahaan. Keberadaan air menjadi hal yang sangat penting.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

MEMBANGUN EKONOMI MASYARAKAT CIBULUH (Bogor Barat)

contributed by: Rojak Nurhawan (FL Pengorganisasian, RMI-The Indonesian Institute for Forest and Environment)

Cibuluh satu kampung yang terletak pada Kawasan ekosistem Halimun, secara administratif di Kabupaten Bogor, untuk menuju kesana membutuhkan waktu sekitar tiga jam perjalanan dengan menggunakan kendaraan dari kota Bogor. Kampung, yang dihuni penduduk 429 jiwa.

Pendapatan warga yang pas-pasan karena jarak, menyebabkan warga hanya mampu menyelesaikan pendidikan hingga sekolah dasar, yang menghabiskan 45 menit bila ditempuh berjalan kaki. Puskesmas belum tersedia apalagi rumah sakit. sehingga untuk mengatasi persoalan seperti melahirkan warga terbiasa menggunkan jasa dukun beranak atau dikenal dengan ema beurang.

Dulu penduduk kampung itu biasa bekerja sebagai penebang kayu di hutan. Dimulai sekitar lima tahun yang lalu, tepatnya tahun 2002, berkat kerja keras Husin, seorang pendatang asal Lampung dan Sasra penduduk asli kampung itu, yang menyadari keterbelakangan kampungnya dari kampung lain yang ada di sekitarnya.

Dari keprihatinan tersebut, ada harapan untuk mewujudkan kampung yang mandiri, dimana pangan, sandang dan papan dapat terpenuhi tanpa harus merusak alam, dan bergantung pada barang dari luar.

Kini mereka berdua dapat tersenyum lega, perjuangan yang dirintis selama 5 tahun. hasilnya sudah dapat dirasakan. Melihat keberhasilan kedua orang, satu persatu warga mengikuti jejaknya untuk bekerja menggarap lahan yang sudah lama mereka tinggalkan.

‘Apa yang kami lakukan sesungguhnya sebagai upaya untuk menjawab, bagaimana pengelolaan hutan yang menguntungkan semua pihak, baik pemerintah maupun masyarakat ujar Husien. Beralihnya pekerjaan dari tukang kayu menjadi petani. adalah sebuah kerja keras. Tak jarang mereka berdua mendapat cemoohoan dari para tetangga.

Akhirnya mampu membawa 56 kepala keluarga penebang kayu tergabung di kelompok tani. Disisi lain mata pencaharian penduduk sebagian besar telah beralih menjadi buruh tani dan petani. Hanya tinggal sebagian kecil saja bekerja pada bidang lain seperti menjadi pedagang dan buruh diperkotaan.

Terputusnya informasi tentang aturan masyarakat dalam mengelola hutan, mendorong RMI untuk menapakan kakinya di Kampung Cibuluh dan melakukan proses belajar dan bekerja bersama masyarakat. Salah satu kegaiatan yang lakukan bersama adalah menggali kembali aturan kampung, lingkungan dan hutan.
Diketahui bahwa aturan adat masih ada. Tetapi hanya dipatuhi oleh segelintir orang dari kalangan tua. Masalahnya aturan yang diwarisakan oleh para tetua, tidak diketahui secara pasti oleh generasi muda. Sebagai contoh aturan tidak boleh bekerja pada hari jum’at dan minggu. Tidak boleh nebang bambu, kayu pada hari rabu dan sabtu.

Maka melalui serangkaian proses akhirnya aturan tersebut dapat dituliskan kembali dan dijadikan kesepakataan bersama. Kekuatan dari aturan yang dituliskan menjadi bahan bagi masyarakat, yang dimandatkan kepada kelompok tani ketika berjuang bersama kelompok lain di Halimun dalam memastikan terjaminya keamanan pengeloaan lahan

Selain untuk sebagai alat kompromi dengan taman nasional selaku pengelola kawasan. Aturan dibangkitkan kembali untuk memperbaiki dan menata kehidupan kampung menjadi lebih baik. Saat ini sebagian masyarakat telah merasakan dampak dari penerapan aturan tersebut. Ketika ada warga yang meninggal satu sama lain saling membantu, pengerjaan pembangunan rumah dilakukan bersama-sama (lebih dikenal dengan sebutan kuriak), gotong-royong pembangunan sarana umum seperti masjid, jalan, sarana air bersih dan listik.

Untuk memastikan aturan dapat berjalan, maka masing –masing pihak diharapkan dapat berperan aktif. peran sesepuh kampung berfugas untuk melayani warga dalam kegiatan adat seperti seren taun. Seren tahun adalah pesta panen yang dilakukan selama satu tahun sekali di kasepuhan urug atau Cipatat. Juga menentukan jadwal tanam.

Sedangkan peran tokoh agama memperkuat dalam kegiatan seperti pengajian dan peringatan hari hari besar keagamaan. Peran tokoh masyarakat dan RT menggerakan warga dalam kegiatan pembangunan sarana umum seperti jalan, masjid saluran air. kegiatan social juga tak luput dari perhatian warga seperti membangun rumah jompo, memberikan santunan bagi anak yatim.

Di samping ada kelembagaan seperti yang telah disebutkan, terdapat pula kelompok pemuda, kegiatan kelompok ini lebih focus pada bidang olaharaga, sedangkan untuk kegiatan yang lain hanya bersipat membantu.

Perjuangan masyarakat Kampung Cibuluh masih sangat panjang dan melelahkan , namun setidaknya ketika kita mau mencoba perubahan pasti ada. Entah perubahan bersipat postif atau sebaliknya. Tentunya sangat bergantung pada keinginan kita sendiri.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

YOU COULD BE HERO TOO

After Spending 6 days watching full first session of tv serial "HEROES" in dvd version...

thank's to TIM KRING and team.


it really opened my eyes, that life supposed to be dealt with learn and learn.
how to make a decision
how to face a destiny
how to believe something that you have and thanks that you have it
with something that you have you could do things
draw your future in the sky, rock or even you started with writing your name on the sand in the beach..... it's life

climate change is coming our way
with things that you have...
you can deal with that
you can help each other
do not think of what you don't have
even though you only have a little, you might do something

Let's Move Farmers

Mungkin minggu itu cuma merupakan minggu yang biasa bagi kita, tapi tidak bagi para petani di kawasan Taman Nasional Gunung Halimun Bagian Utara, khususnya petani yang tinggal di daerah kecamatan Nanggung dan Desa Kiara Sari. Hari itu, tanggal 27 Agustus 2006, seperti bulan – bulan terdahulu yang sudah dilakukan, para petani berkumpul untuk mengadakan pertemuan bulanan kelompok petani yang berada di wilayah Kecamatan Nanggung dan Sukajaya. Pertemuan ini merupakan tindak lanjut dari acara sarasehan petani nanggung yang dilaksanakan pada tanggal 22 Desember 2005.
Sifat keterbukaan dan kekeluargaan sangat melekat dari setiap pertemuan yang di lakukan menggambarkan begitu cair hubungan yang terbina diantara para petani, tidak ada batasan pendidikan, kedudukan sosial, usia ataupun lokasi. Semua begitu membaur menyuarakan keinginan dan inisiatif yang tinggi untuk bersama – sama meningkatkan kesejahteraan petani.
Banyak sudah yang mereka bahas pada setiap bulannya, mulai dari teknis pertanian, peningkatan kualitas sumber daya petani sampai pada upaya penggalangan kegiatan – kegiatan yang mendukung segala aspek dalam kehidupan para petani. Segala permasalahan yang terjadi dalam masing – masing kelompok tani di tiap kampung atau desa coba dicarikan jalan keluarnya bersama – sama melalui pertemuan ini. Diharapkan banyak masukkan datang dari kelompok tani lain yang berada di Kecamatan Nanggung dan Sukajaya.
Beberapa program coba disosialisasikan diantara para petani, tengok saja KDTK di Kampung Nyungcung Desa Malasari, atau K2LPR di kampung Parigi Desa Cisarua menjadi gambaran keinginan yang kuat dari para petani untuk mengelola ruang hidupnya secara lestari dan berkelanjutan.
Konsep yang begitu mudah diterima dan dijalankan karena memang merupakan dari budaya yang sudah melekat pada diri para petani dalam mengelola lahannya, Gunung Kayuan, Lamping Awian, Lebak Sawahan, Legok Balongan, Datar Imahan merupakan gambaran pengelolaan yang begitu bijak merupakan bentuk perwujudan kearifan lokal yang sudah mereka terapkan sejak dulu kala.
Ketika para petani akan berbicara lebih luas lagi untuk mendapatkan pengakuan dari pemerintah, banyak kelemahan yang harus diperbaiki. Untuk itu setelah serangkaian proses belajar bersama yang telah dilakukan dan juga kesempatan berbagi yang dilakukan tiap bulan.
Setelah rangkaian proses ini mencapai pada titik kulminasi dan berangkat dari segala persamaan yang telah mereka bagi, beberapa perasaan dan hasrat yang besar untuk menjadikan kelompok – kelompok petani ini menjadi suatu kesatuan yang kuat dalam upaya meraih dukungan dari Pemerintah sebagai bentuk pengakuan atas keberadaan dan upaya yang telah dilakukan dalam mensukseskan program – program khususnya di sektor pertanian dan kehutanan.
Beberapa hal yang menjadi pertimbangan untuk terbentuknya sebuah media yang akan diimplementasikan dalam bentuk Forum Petani Nanggung diharapkan akan menjadi salah satu jalan keluar yang terbaik untuk mengatasi masalah – masalah yang mereka hadapi dalam memperjuangkan Hak para petani serta menjalankan kewajibannya sebagai bagian dari warga negara Indonesia
Munculnya organisasi – organisasi pemersatu terdahulu seperti P2KB, FKMHJBB seakan menjadi cambuk dan pengalaman berharga yang akan diperbaiki lagi dalam organisasi yang baru ini. Dan menjadi pertanyaan dan tugas bagi kita bersama untuk tetap mempertahankan nilai – nilai luhur yang ada pada petani Nanggung. Selama perubahan itu membawa kepada suatu yang baik, yang dapat kita lakukan adalah mendukung para petani.
Pertanyaan besarpun muncul, sudah siapkah kita dengan perubahan yang akan terjadi ?

Jangan Biarkan Tarian Itu Terhenti


Lenggak – lenggok beberapa pasang kaki kecil itu seakan tak sadar kalau lantai ruangan sekolah itu hanya berdasar tanah liat, beberapa lubang di dinding tampak menganga. Belum lagi langit-langit yang terlihat sudah mulai rapuh. Hal tersebut tak menyurutkan semangat para siswa sekolah dasar negeri disuatu sudut kampung di Kasepuhan Lebak Cibedug, Kabupaten Lebak - Banten .

Anak lain sabar menunggu gilirannya untuk melatih gerakannya, sambil duduk berdesakan di bangku yang sudah mengeluarkan bunyi, sambil menyilangkan tangan diatas meja beberapa diantaranya hanya memiliki tiga kaki penahan saja. Papan tulis itu masih dapat berdiri walau ditahan oleh meja pada satu sudutnya. Hari itu merupakan hari terakhir persiapan acara kenaikan kelas yang sudah menjadi satu bagian dari budaya yang berkembang di tanah halimun.



Sementara diluar tampak orang tua mereka tengah bahu membahu membangun sebuah panggung sederhana di halaman sekolah, tak peduli walaupun sejak pagi hujan terus mengguyur dan membasahi halaman sekolah. Tidak terlihat satu orangpun yang ada disawah, karena semuanya sibuk mempersiapkan hari besar itu, tak terkecuali ibu-ibu di dapur yang bersama-sama mempersiapkan penganan dan masakan seadanya, hasil bumi mereka.

Di ruang lain para guru yang hanya terdiri dari dua guru tetap dan satu guru bantu tengah berdiskusi mengenai acara esok hari. Di sudut ruang itu tergeletak susunan lemari tak berpintu yang terisi oleh buku-buku bantuan usang tak bersampul, dan kadang beberapa halamannya sudah hilang entah kemana dan jumlahnya tak mungkin bisa untuk dipakai oleh semua murid. Dari 30 murid dalam suatu kelas, hanya 5 saja buku pelajaran yang tersedia, bila pelajaran tiba, enam anak harus berbagi untuk satu buku.

“Semua ini merupakan wujud rasa syukur kami, kami sadar bahwa kami bodoh, dan kami tak ingin anak cucu kami mengikuti jejak kami menjadi orang bodoh” ucap Pak Basri, 60 tahun salah satu baris kolot Kasepuhan Cibedug. “Dulu kami tak punya kesempatan untuk bersekolah dan tak tau pentingnya bersekolah”.

Dimong, anak tertua Pak basri sebagai salah satu tokoh pemuda ikut bicara. “Kami tak ingin seumur hidup selalu dibodohi dan dipinggirkan”. “Walaupun Cuma bangunan sekolah ini yang kami punya dan cuma bisa mengenyam bangku sekolah dasar atau sekolah menengah pertama terbuka yang diadakan digedung yang sama di sore harinya”. Tambah beliau. Dimong, 28 tahun, merupakan satu dari pemuda di Kampung Cibedug yang cuma bisa mengenyam pendidikan sekolah dasar, itupun putus ditengah jalan.

Memang untuk melanjutkan pendidikan, sekolah menengah pertama terdekat berjarak 9 kilometer, di Desa Citorek atau Desa Calebang disebelah barat laut Cibedug dengan medan jalan setapak berbukit-bukit, membelah leuweung kolot dan leuweung titipan yang membatasi dua wewengkon. Sampai sekarang jalan setapak itu cuma bisa dilalui oleh sepeda motor, itupun oleh pengendara yang cukup ahli.


Cuaca masih tak bersahabat keesokan harinya, hujan masih saja turun, tapi tetap tak menggoyahkan keinginan warga kampung Lebak Cibedug dan kampung sekitarnya seperti kampung Lebak Kalahang, Ciara, Cinakeum yang masih berada dalam Wewengkon Kasepuhan Cibedug dan juga beberapa warga dari Kampung Lebak Tugu, wewengkon Kasepuhan Citorek.

Hari itu telah ditunggu, tidak hanya untuk siswa yang akan diumumkan kenaikan kelas dan kelulusannya, namun juga bagi para orang tua yang mungkin tidak mempunyai kesempatan seperti yang anak-anak mereka miliki sekarang. Penganan, mainan dan aneka barang dijajakan disekitar halaman sekolah yang becek itu. Tampak para tetua kampung duduk dengan anggun berpakaian sederhana, berdesakan di lorong kelas dengan Kepala Sekolah, undangan dan orang tua murid.

Sejenak mereka melupakan proses perjuangan yang mereka lakukan untuk mendapatkan pengakuan dan kepastian hukum dari pemerintah atas keberadaan mereka, dan ruang hidup yang mereka miliki. Proses ini dimulai dari tahun 2003, memang merupakan perjalanan yang berat.

Kini perjuangan mereka sudah menampakkan hasil, gayung bersambut dari semua pihak. dukungan dari DPRD dan Bupati Lebak terlihat dengan dikeluarkannya draft SK Bupati, sebagai awal dari pembentukan perda pengakuan keberadaan masyarakat adat Cibedug. Memang untuk menghasilkan perda, bukanlah suatu hal yang mudah, belajar dari pengalaman perda pengakuan Masyarakat Baduy pada tahun 2001.

Rangkaian acara mengalir dengan indah, tak peduli rintik hujan yang masih terus turun. Diawali dengan menyanyikan lagu “Mars Cibedug” yang dinyanyikan penuh hikmat oleh siswa kelas enam yang akan diumumkan kelulusannya menandakan kesan mendalam bagi sekolah tercinta yang akan mereka tinggalkan. Iringan musik dari pengeras suara sewaan tak jelas terdengar, tarian digelar.

Sambil mencoba menghapal gerakan yang mereka latih, anak-anak menari dengan jenaka, tak jarang diiringi gelak tawa dan sorak sorai dari para tamu undangan, dan yang mengejutkan beberapa orang tua juga turut bersuka ria dan terkadang mereka pun ikut naik ke pentas dan larut dalam tarian iringan musik dari aki soak itu. Setiap nama anak mereka dipanggil, maka orang tuanya akan bangun dari tempat duduknya, tak tanggung-tanggung berjingkrak dan menari ditengah gerimis, meluapkan kegembiraan untuk anak mereka.

Tak ada sedikitpun kesedihan yang terpintas dalam benak mereka, seakan semua jerih payah mereka membuahkan hasil. Sejenak mereka melupakan semua tekanan yang selama ini mereka terima dari pihak-pihak yang terus saja meminggirkan mereka dan mencoba mengindahkan keberadaan mereka di situ, semua perjuangan mereka untuk mempertahankan keberadaan mereka dari pemerintah. Wilayah hidup mereka seluas 2.104,4 ha kini berada didalam perluasan Taman Nasional Gunung Halimun-Salak .

Sementara pikiran melayang kembali pada masa sekolahku dulu di Jakarta, ruang terang benderang, bau pernish masih terasa dari meja dan bangku yang ada. Sungguh dua pemandangan yang bertolak belakang bila melihat keadaan di depan mataku. Aku jadi malu berada diantara anak-anak itu, malu dengan keberuntunganku yang terlahir diantara semua kemudahan dan kemewahan gemerlap kota besar.

Aku berharap, mimpi Pak Basri dan Dimong suatu hari bisa terwujud, karena mimpi mereka sungguh sangat luhur. Kita harus berbuat sesuatu, melakukan perubahan berarti bagi mereka. Aku yakin dengan dukungan dari semua pihak, cita-cita masyarakat wewengkon Kasepuhan Cibedug untuk mendapat pengakuan akan hak hidup dan hak pendidikan yang lebih layak akan terwujud.

Diakhir hari, aku merenung dalam hati “Itukah harga pendidikan sebenarnya, Apakah kita hanya bisa diam tanpa berbuat apa-apa melihat semua kenyataan didepan mata kita. Apakah langkah-langkah mereka harus terhenti pada detik selesainya acara kenaikan kelas itu saja”. Dan langkah-langkah kecil itu akan terus diayunkan.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

me, my self and my life