Revolusi dunia arab

Saya turut bangga atas kebangkitan negeri-negeri arab melawan pemimpinnya yang dzalim. Anehnya ada saja pandangan yang mengatakan kalau aksi mereka adalah provokasi atau ditunggangi oleh yahudi dan amerika. Anehnya lagi pandangan ini disampaikan oleh sesama muslim yang cukup berilmu.
Tega-teganya sesama muslim berprasangka buruk kepada saudaranya yang sedang menyabung nyawa berjuang melawan penguasa yang dzalim.

Masih teringat dua minggu yang lalu ketika jumatan di masjid Estrecho, seruan doa untuk Libya yang disambut dengan "amin" yang mampu membuat saya merinding, menggetarkan sanubari.

Learning math by writing program

A bright idea grab from a talk below. In general he is questioning the mathematics curriculum in this computer age. One suggestion is instead of teaching students to have magnificent skill being computing machinery, it would be better if students are taught to develop that machinery by writing a computer program.

However there is a question left, how we can teach student to have skill for solving basic problems that usually solve without any tool. I feel somehow there are something can be learnt by learning this skillful calculating machinery that might develop our understanding in other field of knowledge.

modest

Just lost important entries on my pda! Apparently a pair of AA batteries can last for two months in this m105.

In today's modern society, it is very rare to see women in modest dress. Even in muslim society, fully veil covered young women still often reveal other part of their body for the sake of up to date fashion.

Few days ago I saw two mormon LDS women missionary on the train. They are young, in the beginning of twenty, wear long skirt, modest dress, just so beatiful. Even thogh I don't agree with mormon religious teaching, as Catholics also consider that it is cult, I really admire their modest dress code. I wonder how hard to live those way of life in this so secular society.

I rarely saw mormon women, but I often saw the young men. They wear modest dress code as well, formal suit, with tie, helmet and bicycle. Here is a movie about this young mormon men during their missionary journey, in comedy plot though, the best two years.

Some Jewish orthodoxes also have modest dress code, here is an example. A good example of humble language, instead of harsh and arrogant that we often see in many religious places.

U or V

It has been long time I curious about latin words that have no 'u'-letter. I wonder how 'u' and 'v' are interchange. Finally I got the clue after I learnt Italian pronounciation. Italians pronounce 'v' exactly as 'u' in today's languange. Therefore 'u' can be eliminated just like in old latin alphabet. A concise example is the word 'university'. By pronouncing it as 'uniuersity', it will sound almost the same, thus since latin doesn't have 'u', it is written as 'vniversity'.
Apparently the same argument applies to 'y' and 'i', Yves, Ysabel and so on.

last edited:24 March 2011

young man

It was in a city bus in nothern Italy. A twenty something man with his at most 10 years old brother. Apparently come from low class Italian family. On a very short time stalking, I really admired them. A very touching moment of heartbreaking conversation. How the the little brother reluctantly left his brother, and how the big brother advice him to hurry go to school and tell him that he must go for working. Wisdom is everywhere.

Woman

A touching scene of Bjork's movie last night, "dancer in the dark", made me realize how tough women are. Her child asked her "Why do you keep asking me stupid questions?". I feel really angry and sad to hear that. Angry for the rude question and sad for it somehow resembled myself. Suddenly a really deep sorry clung me. So bad I've treated the woman who always loves me unconditionally.
Forgive me God, forgive me Mom.

A tiny present in women's day.

last updated: 24 March 2011

citation

Nashiruddin Al-Albani. Here is the wiki entry. I shall not give any opinion about his relation to wahabbism or his teaching and judgement on hadits that are considered to be valid for centuries long. I shall only remark his very good and strict understanding of 'sanad' to comprehend Hadits.
He used very strict scientific approach to examine the validity of hadits. Since hadits is not 'provable', its validity depends on the credibility of every person who are listed on citation. Their honesty, ability to remember or even morality are measurements of their credibility.
Al-Albani re-discovered that there are many well known hadits which do not have credible citation path, so these hadits are considered as weak or even fabricated. This finding left a great legacy to give citation on every occasion when a hadits is told, so audiences can examine its correctness by themselves.
The notion of citation also closes the opportunity of miraculous twisted religious teaching. But it opens opportunity of ordinary people who have knowledge to argue with 'holy' people. Using the help of technology, this act is even easier, therefore single interpretation that might be twisted can be avoided. Everybody will be able to contribute and argue logically, regardless their background knowledge. However it may ignite reluctancy to people who think that ordinary people CANNOT interpret religious teaching. Only the ones with broad knowledge are allowed to do that. Agree with that, however when these 'knowledgable holy' people issue a decree that has no valid citation or cannot be inferred from valid citation then this kind of decree should be simply rejected.