Signs of Good Luck from Around the World

Do you believe in luck? What symbol do you consider as a lucky symbol? Well, there are many signs and symbols from around the world that are seen as lucky. There are various symbols of good fortune, grant wishes, or even heal the sick. There are also symbols for warding off the evil and curses.

1. Insects Known to Bring Luck
Crickets, ladybugs, dragonflies and scarabs are knows as the symbol of good fortune. The belief that crickets bring luck could stem from prehistoric times, when cricket’s chirping provided a kind of companionship. In China and other Asian countries, the cricket served as a watchdog: at any sign of danger, the chirping will stop. In the Far East as well as across Europe, it is considered very bad luck to kill a cricket, even by accident.

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Lomba lari 11 km Meriahkan Dies Natalis

Salah satu UKM di Universitas Sebelas Maret, UKM KMS MENWA Sat. 905 Jagat Abilawa mengadakan lomba lari Open Nasional untuk memperingati Dies Natalis UNS XXXIV. Acara ini diadakan pada hari Minggu, 14 Maret 2010.

Ketua panitia lomba ini, Sulaiman Rasyid menjelaskan bahwa lomba ini diadakan dengan tujuan sebagai eksistensi MENWA sebagai salah satu UKM di UNS, sebagai salah satu tridharma Perguruan Tinggi dalam bidang pengabdian masyarakat, dan untuk merealisasikan program UNS menjadi “World Class University”.

Tepat pukul 06.30 lomba lari telah dimulai. Start berada di boulevard belakang UNS di depan Student Center. Peserta lari melewati route UNS-Pedaringan-Mojosongo dan finish di boulevard depan UNS. Route ini berbeda dengan route lari yang biasa diadakan oleh intansi lain. Jika lomba lari lain biasanya menggunakan route sepanjang 10 km, maka lain halnya dengan lomba lari ini. Jarak route lomba ini adalah 11 km agar sama dengan nama Universitas tempat dimana UKM MENWA ini bereksistensi yaitu, Universitas Sebelas Maret.

Total peserta yang mengikuti lomba ini sebanyak 957 orang. Peserta berasal dari berbagai kota di Indonesia dan berbagai usia. Lomba ini dibagi menjadi 4 kategori yaitu kategori umum putra, kategori umum putri, kategori pelajar putra, kategori TNI/ POLRI/ MENWA.

Berikut ini adalah rincian pemenang:
1.Kategori Umum Putra:
Juara 1 : Ari Swandana dari instansi Lokomotif Salatiga
Juara 2 : Sukarno dari instansi Yon Pandawa 441
Juara 3 : Noce dari Cepu, Blora
2.Kategori Umum Putri:
Juara 1 : Trianingsih dari instansi Lokomotif Salatiga
Juara 2 : Novi dari Cepu, Blora
Juara 3 : Sri Agustin dari Lokomotif Salatiga
3.Kategori TNI/ POLRI/ MENWA:
Juara 1 : Oktavianus dari Salatiga
Juara 2 : Agustinus Beno dari Kediri
Juara 3 : Sa’in Alim dari Depok
4.Kategori Pelajar Putra:
Juara 1 : Tri Sutrisno dari SMA PGRI Cepu, Blora
Juara 2 : Khamid dari instansi Lokomotif Salatiga
Juara 3 : Beni dari Salatiga

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Angel and Devil Stereotype in United 93

Today, I opened my laptop to see what’s inside my moopi folder. Three films wait in my waiting list. I choose United 93, it is a hollywood documentary drama about hijacking. United 93 brings back our memories to the 11th September 2001 when 2 commercials airplane crashed World Trade Center. The story is based on true story, but it’s not about those two planes crashed WTC, it’s about another commercial airplane hijacked in the same time with the same groups, but it’s not success to reach the target.


The story began with an Arabs read a holly Quran. Those people WERE the ones who did the hijacking or nowadays they are called Terrorist. In the beginning of the story, the Arabs depicted as a pious Muslim, they prayed and read holly Quran to calm their selves down before doing the action of hijacking that they would do in United 93.

I was not surprise about the depiction of the hijacker in this film as media depict the same picture of Terrorist especially when it relates to USA and WTC. It’s usual to see terrorist labeled to Arabs or Muslims, especially after the 11th September. This stereotype grows well as the media also keep this depiction. It’s not only news media but also film. It’s been many American movie made portray Arabs-Muslims as Terrorist with turban and bomb. United 93 shows clearly about devil and angel, on how the hijacker will kill the passenger who defend themselves with a knife while their mouth said AllahuAkbar and the passengers pray to God to save them in Christian and Catholic way. This is how film can brainwash people’s mind about the teaching of a religion whereas it’s not about the teaching but it’s about the people.

The problem of stereotyping never can be separated from film and media as it’s a nature that media will be the best weapon to label a group of people and to spread an ideology. This is also stereotyping which create a gap between communities because they have a bad idea about something and in this case a religion.

I will not deny that until the end of the film I was touched by the story and hatred came to my heart when I saw the hijacker. People who do not know the real teaching of a religion, in this case is Islam will give a bad judgment, even it will emerge hatred towards Islam itself.

I think it’s a hard task to movie maker to create such a good movie based on true story without involving a stereotype, but it will be better if the movie do not involve a pray or religious aspect in the movie or what will emerge is bias that will create a hatred toward a group of people.

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