Dragon Anatomy

Bromo Trip

Kedua kalinya kami akan melakukan perjalanan ke Bromo dengan status yg berbeda. Now, I am married to Yoses ”Otep” Adrianto. Perjalanan yg pertama tidak terlalu banyak diulas di http://http//claudiadoetz.multiply.com/photos/album/22. At least I put how much we spent for this Bromo trip :P



Pertama kalinya stepping our feet di Terminal 3 – Soekarno Hatta International Airport. It is so cool! (baca : norak) Dan kami berangkat pukul 06.50 dengan http://airasia.com/ ke Surabaya. Dijemput dari Lisa Travel dan langsung menuju Batu-Malang. Tidak disangka klo kami akan berkunjung ke Wisata Lumpur Lapindo. Dilemma? Yes … Berwisata di atas penderitaan orang tapi kami jg penasaran dengan kejadian yg biasanya kami lihat di TV. Yasudahlah …. Perjalanan memakan waktu kurang lebih 2-3jam karena kami harus melewati Pasar Porong di siang hari. Sesampainya di Batu, masakan tradisional Jawa Timur, yaitu Rawon yg sdh menanti di meja makan Hotel Santoso (bertetangga dekat dengan Hotel Selecta – Batu Malang). Tidak lama kami menghabiskan makan siang, kami melanjutkan perjalanan hunting oleh-oleh khas Batu – Malang, berbagai macam kripik di Toko Macan. Setelah itu, barulah kami beristirahat di hotel sebelum bersiap-siap pergi ke Bromo pd pukul 01.30 dini hari.



Pak Chandra dari Lisa Travel sudah siap pada pukul 01.00 dan menunggu kami yg bersiap-siap. Pas jam 01.30, kami meninggalkan Hotel Santoso dan took 3 hours to be there (Pananjakan). Sesampainya, we had early breakfast at warong Indomie. Full tank then we walked and melted with bunch of peoples from different nations. Staying around 3 hours at Pananjakan then continued to Lautan Pasir. Parked our car, grab 6 horses with IDR 30,000 (pulang pergi). Supposed to be IDR 60,000 :P Thanks ya, Mas! Naik tangga ke kawah dan yg rajin berhitung adalah mertua gw. Dan inilah pernyataannya “Kok, mama itung pas naik dr sebelah kanan 217. Klo turun dr sebelah kiri, 245 ... ” Hehehehe ....

Sekitar pukul 09.30, kami sudah bersiap menuju ke Kota Malang dan akan lunch di Toko Oen yg terkenal itu. Makan steak lidah sapi! Yummy .... Full tank and gotta go back to Santoso. Get some rest …

Preparation to go back to Jakarta, spent half day playing at Selecta Swimming Pool, special lunch and headed to Juanda International Airport.

Sangkuriang

In the time when West Java was still thickly covered with woods and undergrowth and wonders existed, there reigned a king, named Raden Sungging Pebangkara. He was a good ruler and to convince himself of the welfare of his subjects, he used to visit them. But the thing he liked most was hunting in the forest.

It happened that in one of the forests the king often visited there lived a she-pig, actually a cursed goddess. One day, as it was very warm, she came out of her hiding place looking for water. There she saw a coconut-shell, filled with water. Glad to have found something and expecting it to be coconut-milk, she drank it at a draught, having no suspicions whatsoever that it was the King’s urine left there the day before when hunting. The consequence was very strange. She became pregnant. In a few months she gave birth to a very pretty girl. When the king was once again hunting in the forest, he saw the girl and, attracted by her beauty, he took her to his palace, called her Dayang Sumbi and treated her as his own daughter.

Time passed and Dayang Sumbi grew up into a fine young girl. She was fond of weaving and thus passed her time. One bright morning, as she was absorbed in weaving, her weaving-spool suddenly got loose. Before she could prevent it, it flew out of the window to the field below. It was out of her reach, as her room was about three stories high. Furthermore she was very tired and had no wish to descend the stairs to fetch the spool. Quite at ease, she mumbled: “Whoever is willing to help me pick up the spool, I’ll treat as my sister, if she is a girl. If he is a man, I’ll take him as my husband.” These words were overheard by a dog, called Tumang, who happened to come along. He immediately picked up the spool and brought it to Dayang Sumbi. Tumang was in fact a cursed god too, like the she-pig. Seeing the dog with the spool in his mouth, Dayang Sumbi fainted. The gods had decided her for her to undergo the same fate as her mother, the she-pig. She too become pregnant and a short time afterwards she gave birth to a strong healthy son, whom she called Sangkuriang.

Sangkuriang became a handsome young man, as time went by. Like his grandfather, he was fond of hunting in the forest and Tumang was his faithful friend when roaming the woods. He loved this creature very much; having no idea at all that it was his own father. One day while hunting, they came across a fat pig. Sangkuriang strung his bow and z-z-z-z-z-z-z! the arrow hissed towards the she-pig, and hit but did not kill her. Wounded, she vanished into the undergrowth.

“Come on, Tumang, run after her!” Sangkuriang shouted, eager to taste the pork. Tumang, however, did not move. Whatever Sangkuriang said to urge Tumang to pursue the pig, it left him unmoved. Sangkuriang lost his self control. In his anger he killed Tumang, cut up his flesh and took it home to his mother. She prepared a tasty dish of it and after the meal she asked:

“Sangkuriang, what kind of flesh is this? It is delicious!”

“This is Tumang’s, mother,” Sangkuriang responded. “I killed him, as he did not obey my command to pursue a fat pig.” For one moment Dayang Sumbi was speechless. Then in rage she took a spool and flung it at him. It struck his forehead and blood dropped out of the wound. This left later on a scar on the spot. Then Dayang Sumbi sent him away.

Deeply grieved, Sangkuriang left and wandered through the woods. He walked for years. Finally he returned to his native place, but did not recognize it any longer. There he stood, looking around him, all alone, musing about the past. At the end of a vast rice-field, which stretched in front of him, he noticed a house on stilts. Looking closely, he saw a young girl sitting at her weaving-loom. He approached her and, charmed by her beauty, he immediately proposed to her, unaware that she was his own mother. The girl looked at him and, noticing his good looks, she promised to marry him. For some time they loved each other tenderly, making plans for their wedding day, but one day she discovered the scar on his forehead.

“That wound!” she whispered, and at the moment she realized that he was no other than her own son who had come back to his village. After being left by Sangkuriang, Dayang Sumbi had been given eternal beauty by the gods, which was why she looked so young and Sangkuriang did not recognize her as his mother. She made efforts to make him understand that a marriage between them was impossible and withdrew her promise to marry him. But Sangkuriang refused to accept the truth and was determined to get his own way. Dayang Sumbi was very sad, as she was ashamed to reveal her secret.

“What is to be done?” she pondered. She had an idea and said to him: “All right then, you shall marry me only on condition that you fulfill a wish of mine. Dam up the Citarum River and build a big vessel, which we shall use after being married. But you have only one night to complete the work.” Sangkuriang agreed and started to work. Only at daybreak did he approach the end, in spite of his magic powers and his prayers to the gods for help. Noticing this, Dayang Sumbi got alarmed and hit upon another plan to prevent the marriage. She stretched the red woven veil which covered her head over the eastern side of the plain. Through her magic powers, red light spread over the landscape, giving the impression that the sun was rising, which meant that time was up for Sangkuriang. He was astonished.

“In vain!” he shouted in despair and at the same time, filled with rage; he kicked the vessel, which was almost finished, upside-down. Then he made for the south, for the Indian Ocean. He had not gone very far when the water of the lake rose and overflowed its banks, dragging everything in its way. Sangkuriang himself had no chance of escape and with all his workers he was driven away. Sometime later the lake dried up. The mountain of Tangkuban Prahu on the northern side of Bandung is thought to be the overturned vessel of Sangkuriang. In time it became covered with trees and the lake became the present fertile rice-fields around Bandung area, every year yielding great benefits for all the people.

Source: "Folk Tales from Indonesia" by Aman, S.D.B.

Telaga Warna

Long long ago there was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king. People called their king His Majesty Prabu. Prabu was a kind and wise king. No wonder if that country was prosperous. There's no hunger in this kingdom.

It was a very happy condition. But it was a pity that Prabu and his queen hadn't got any children. It made the royal couple very very sad. Some old men and women who was respected by Prabu suggested the king to adopt a child. But Prabu and the queen didn't agree. "No, thank you. But for us, our own daughter or son is better than adopted children."

The queen was very sad. She often cried. That was why Prabu decided to go. He went to the jungle. There he prayed to God. Everyday he begged for a child. His dream come true. A few months later, the queen got fregnant. All people in the kingdom felt happy. They sent many presents to the palace to express their happiness.

Nine months later a princess was born. People sent their presents again as a gift to a little princess. This baby grew as a beautiful teenager then.

Prabu and Queen loved their daughter so much. They gave what ever she wanted. It made Princess a very spoiled girl. When her wish couldn't be realized, she became very angry. She even said bad things often. A true princess wouldn't do that. Eventhough the princess behaved badly, her parents loved her, so did the people in that kingdom.

Day by day, the princess grew more beautiful. No girls couldn't compare with her. In a few days, Princess would be 17 years old. So, people of that kingdom went to palace. They brought many presents for her. Their presents gift were very beautiful. Prabu collected the presents. There were really many presents. Then Prabu stored them in a building. Some times he could take them to give to his people.

Prabu only took some gold and jewels. Then she brought them to the goldsmith. "Please make a beautiful necklace for my daughter," said Prabu. "My pleasure, Your Majesty," the goldsmith replied. The goldsmith worked with all his heart and his ability. He wanted to create the most beautiful necklace in the world because he loved his princess.

The birthday came. People gathered in the palace field. When Prabu and queen appeared, people welcomed them happily. Prabu and his wife waved to their beloved people.

Cheers were louder and louder when the princess appeared with her fabulous pretty face. Everybody admired her beauty. Prabu got up from his chair. A lady gave him a small and glamourous pillow. A wonderful necklace was on it. Prabu took that necklace. "My beloved daughter, today I give this necklace to you. This necklace is a gift from people in this country. They love you so much. They presented it for you to express their happiness, because you have growing to a woman. Please, wear this necklace," said Prabu.

Princess accepted the necklace. She looked at the necklace in a glance. "I don't want to accepted it! It's ugly!" shouted the princess. Then she threw the necklace. The beautiful necklace was broken. The gold and jewels were spread out on the floor

Everybody couldn't say anything. They never thought that their beloved princess would did that cruel thing. Nobody spoke. In their silence people heard the queen crying. Every woman felt sad and began crying too. Then everybody was crying.

Then there was a miracle. Earth was crying. Suddenly, from the under ground, a spring emerged. It made a pool of water. The palce was getting full. Soon the place became a big lake. The lake sank all of the kingdom.

Nowadays the water on that lake is not as full as before. There is only a small lake now. People called the lake "Talaga Warna". It is mean "Lake of Colour". It's located in Puncak, West Java. On a bright day, the lake is full of colour. So beautiful and amazing. These colors come from shadows of forest, plants, flowers, and sky arround the lake. But some people said that the colours are from the princess's necklace, which spreads at the bottom of the lake.

Source: http://www.geocities.com/kesumawijaya/

Timun Mas

Long long time ago, there was a farmer couple. They were staying in a village near a forest. They lived happily. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had any children yet.

Every day they prayed to God for a child. One day a giant passed their home. He heard what they were praying. Then the giant gave them a cucumber seed.

"Plant this seed, then you’ll get a daughter,” said the giant. “Thank you, Giant,” said the couple. “But in one condition, in her 17-th birthday, you must give her to me,” said the Giant. The couple wanted a child so much that they agreed without thinking first.

Then the couple planted the cucumber seed. Each day they took care the growing plant so carefully. Months later, a golden cucumber grew from the plant. The cucumber was getting heavier and bigger each day. When it was ripe, they picked it. Carefully they cut out the cucumber and how surprised were they when they found a beautiful baby inside. They were so happy. They named the baby Timun Mas, or Golden Cucumber.

Years were passing by and Timun Mas had grown into a beautiful girl. Her parents were very proud of her. But their happiness turned to fear when her 17th birthday came. The giant returned to ask for their promise. He was going to take Timun Mas away.

The farmer tried to be calm. “Just a moment, please. Timun Mas is playing. My wife will call her,” he said. Then the farmer came to his daughter. “My child, take this,” as he was giving her a little bag to Timun Mas. “This will help you from the giant. Now, run as fast as you can,” he ordered. So Timun Mas ran away.

The couple was very sad about her leaving. But they didn’t want the giant to eat Timun Mas. Meanwhile, the giant had been waiting for too long. He became impatient. Somehow he knew that the couple had lied to him. So he destroyed their house and ran for Timun Mas.

The giant was chasing Timun Mas and he was getting closer and closer. Timun Mas then took a handful of salt from her little bag. She spread out the salt behind her. Suddenly a wide sea appeared between them. The giant had to swim to reach her

Timun Mas was still running, but now the giant almost caught her. Then she took some chilly and threw them to the giant. The chilly suddenly grew into some trees and trapped the giant. The trees grew some thorns as sharp as a knife. The giant screamed painfully. At the mean time, Timun Mas could escape again.

But the giant was very strong. Again he almost caught Timun Mas. So Timun Mas took the third magic stuff, the cucumber seeds. She threw the seeds and suddenly they became a wide cucumber field. The giant was very tired and hungry so he ate those fresh cucumbers. He ate too much that he felt sleepy and fell asleep soon.

Timun Mas kept on running as fast as she could. But soon she was very tired herself. To make things worse, the giant had woken up! Timun Mas was so scared. Desperately she then threw her last weapon, terasi (a kind of shrimp pasta). IT did a miracle again. The pasta became a big swamp. The giant fell into it but his hands almost reached Timun Mas. Suddenly the lake pulled him to the bottom. The giant panicked and he couldn’t breathe. At last he was drown.

Timun Mas was very relieved. She was safe now. Then she returned to her parents’ house. Her parents were of course very happy to see their daughter safe and sound. “Thanks God. You have saved my daughter,” they cried happily. From then on, Timun Mas lived happily with her parents with no fear anymore.

Source: http://www.geocities.com/kesumawijaya/

Adora Svitak - The Youngest Teacher in the World

Is Adora Svitak the cleverest child in the world?

An 11-year-old American girl is in big demand on the world lecture and classroom circuit. Kate Corr discovers what makes 'Dora the Explorer' tick.

Adora Svitak is off to primary school with her mother. Today's lesson is about poetry and she's really looking forward to it. But 11-year-old Adora isn't a pupil… she's the teacher.

Described as "a tiny literary giant", there is, it seems, no end to Adora's talents. She started teaching at seven and in the same year had her first book Flying Fingers (a collection of short stories which contains tips and hints for other aspiring writers) published internationally. Her second, Dancing Fingers (a collection of poetry written with her older sister), was published last year and she's currently working on another four. Historical fiction and fantasy are her favourite genres, although she prefers J K Rowling to Charles Dickens, whose sentences are, she tells me, "a little convoluted" for her liking.

Adora is quick; she types between 80 to 112 words per minute, reads two to three books per day, and writes around 330,000 words per year. She sees herself as an "educator, poet and humanitarian," but to the rest of the world she is simply a child with an adult brain – and a gruelling daily schedule which often doesn't end until 11pm.

Adora has never taken an IQ test. They are "not necessarily the best way to determine one's literary intelligence," she explains in the carefully considered manner of a benign professor. "But I was thrilled to be able to read at three. I just thought everyone loved reading as much as I did."

On discovering otherwise, Adora quickly set about spreading the joy of literature to others at her own request and becoming, according to her mother Joyce, the youngest teacher in the world. She has travelled, all expenses paid, to more than 300 schools and classrooms worldwide including China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and once to a primary school in the UK, gaining the nickname "Dora the Explorer" for the way she opens up the experiences of reading and writing to children.

Her family has now converted the basement of their home in Redmond, Washington DC, into a TV studio from which Adora gives daily video conferences to children, adults and teachers, earning $300 per 50-minute lesson. She's in big demand in the corporate world, too, where she can command up to $10,000 for an appearance speaking to educators and business people about the impact technology can have on the creative process and has recently been hired by Microsoft to do demonstrations about educational computing.

Watching her teach, it's impossible not to be impressed by Adora's slick performance. She's full of praise for her pupils, whatever their age or ability. "When I was a kid, I needed encouragement," she says. Has she forgotten that she's still only 11? Apparently not. "When I talk about childhood in the past tense I'm usually describing myself between the ages of two to nine," she adds, to clear up any confusion. "I realise I'm still a child, though I do feel older. I recently did an on-line test called 'What's Your True Age?' My result was 50-60 years old. My family joke that I'm really a very senior person who accidentally happens to be 11."

Her family may be right, although they are surely in part responsible for Adora's outlook on life. They're all very bright, of course. Father John has a PhD in physics and is a software engineer, while their eldest daughter, Adrianna, 13, is a gifted musician. Joyce was raised in China during the Cultural Revolution and was prevented from having books. Determined her children should not be stifled academically, she decided to home-school.

"My childhood experiences do influence the way I raise my kids," she admits. "I tell them stories about my childhood, the deprivation of books, not having enough food, but I don't take credit for how Adora has turned out. There are many brilliant kids born every day. What makes Adora exceptional is largely due to her own hard work and dedication. Besides, knowing how to write is one thing, but to teach how to write is another game."

Is she a pushy parent? Joyce insists it's the other way around. "It's not me who's doing the pushing," she says. "Adora is self-motivated. She would work till 11 or 12pm for the next day's presentation. I'm the one who asks her to take a break."

Joyce also denies that her daughter is driven by a desire to gain approval from her parents. "Adora knows she doesn't have to work to please me," she says firmly. "She's just a very wise, lovely child."

Nevertheless, Adora's timetable would cause even the most work-obsessed to break into a cold sweat. Apart from meal breaks and a power nap at 2pm, Adora works all day and most of the evening, too, although being Adora, she doesn't consider this a bad thing. "It's all really fun for me," she says simply. "And I love to watch the news. I watch three different channels of evening news (ABC, NBC, and CBS), as well as special programmes at weekends."

While acknowledging that her daughter's childhood isn't normal, Joyce is sure she's happy. "When I see her jumping up and down with joy when her textbooks arrive, dancing across the room when I buy her favourite yoghurt or shouting with excitement when she sees some news on TV that I would enjoy, I know she's living a happy childhood."

Adora is keen to point out that she has many friends and has never been bullied. "I believe that's largely because I've been able to share my talent and skill with other people," she says. "I'm not scary."

To prove it, she lists all the activities she does for fun, including roller skating, ice-skating, cooking and eating cheese. "I also enjoy hide and seek, tag and truth or dare," she adds.

For a moment, she begins to sound like an all-American kid, although how she manages to fit all this "fun" into her schedule is perplexing.

So does Adora worry about anything? "The world economy I suppose," she says. "Also global warming, cholera in Zimbabwe, the decline of the quality of US education and world hunger." (She keeps an on-line blog in which she comments on events of "international significance".)

"But mostly, I avoid worrying since the time spent doing it could be spent more constructively."

Indeed. Could this deep-thinking 11-year-old be one of the world's cleverest children? Broadcaster Mark Dolan certainly thinks so. He chose her as one of only three children to feature in his forthcoming Channel 4 documentary The World's Cleverest Child & Me. "Adora is certainly in the elite as far as writing and language skills go and may well be the youngest teacher in the world," says Dolan. "She's also a genuinely charming girl who makes J K Rowling look like a bit of a slouch in the writing department. But it's difficult to gauge how responsible she really is for her huge workload.

"She certainly isn't harassed into it and shares her mother's vision and ambitions for her, but she's got all these opportunities mostly because of her age. What will happen when she loses the cachet of being a child genius?"

Professor Joan Freeman, a distinguished psychologist and author of How to Raise A Bright Child (Vermillion £9.99), has been studying gifted children for 34 years and believes Adora may have a tricky few years ahead. "There's a big difference between a gifted child and a gifted adult," she says. "All a child has to do is be advanced for their age. An adult has to push the frontiers of knowledge.

"Currently, Adora loves what she does and gets glory and praise. Problems may arise when she hits adolescence. You can't work as hard as she does whilst also giggling with girlfriends, hanging out with boys, stomping around and slamming doors. Life could get very difficult."

• To read more about Adora and her work, visit www.adorasvitak.com

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

By Kate Corr
Published: 6:27PM GMT 14 Jan 2009

The Smallest House in Great Britain

The Smallest House in Great Britain can be found on the Quay, in Conwy, Wales. It has its own entry in the Guinness Book of Records. This house is also known as the Quay House.

Its dimensions are 3.05 metres x 1.8 metres.

It has been lived in since the sixteenth century. It was even inhabited by a family at one point. It was lived in until 1900, when the owner was a 6ft 3 inch fisherman named Robert Jones. The rooms were too small for him to stand up in fully and he was eventually forced to move out when the council declared the house unfit for human habitation. The house is still owned by his descendants.

In June 2006, there was a 50% loss of tourists to the house because of the road work that was being done near the house. The BBC recorded the event which was subsequently reported on One Minute

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Smallest Country in the World

Principality of Sealand
Flag	Coat of Arms
Motto: E Mare Libertas (English: From the Sea, Freedom) Anthem: E Mare Libertasby Basil Simonenko
Status	Current
Area claimed	550 m2
Membership	27 (2002)
Date of foundation	2 September 1967
Leadership	Prince Roy Bates, Prince Regent Micahel Bates
Organisational structure	Oligarchy, Constitutional monarchy
Language	English
Purported currency	Sealand dollar (pegged in value to USD)
Capital	HM Fort Roughs
Ethnic groups	Europen, North American
Demonym	Sealander
Claimed GDP	US$600,000 (US$22,200 per capita)
Time Zone	GMT

The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a formerWorld War II Maunsel Sea Fort in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England.

Since 1967, the facility has been occupied by former radio broadcaster British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates; his associates and family claim that it is an independent sovereign state. External commentators generally classify Sealand as a micronation. It has been described as the world's best-known micronation. Sealand is not currently officially recognized as a sovereign state by any United Nations member.


Source: wikipedia.org

Writing God's Law

I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people”

Hebrews 8:10

When we have our child still young, we mark out clear boundaries, and as the child matures into adolescence, we begin pulling up those boundaries just a little at a time. As they graduate from high school and move into college, most of the boundaries are gone, and we pray with all our might that they will remember where those boundaries are.

I believe the Holy Spirit taps on our children’s hearts, and warns them not to cross the boundaries set by their parents. Sometimes they will proceed to cross the boundaries anyway. That’s when the shock comes in. It might be in the form of discipline and it might be in the form of living with some very unpleasant consequences.

In the Old Testament, God wrote the Law (the Ten Commandments) on tablets of stone, but in the New Testament, He wrote the Law of Love on our hearts. Isn’t that our prayer? Yes, we have to spell out the boundaries for our children and point them in the right direction when they are young. But as they move into adulthood, we pray the boundaries will be written on their hearts.

Consider the boundaries listed below:

-Be careful what you see.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness“ Matthew 6:22, 23

-Be careful what you love.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money“ Mathew 6:24.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” Proverbs 5:23

-Be careful who you listen to.
“My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body” Proverbs 5:20-22

-Be careful what you say.
“Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips” Proverbs 5:24

-Be careful where you go.
“Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” Proverbs 5:26, 27

-Be careful whom you choose for close friends.
Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character" 1 Corinthians 15:33

18 Reasons: Manchester United

United are champions of England for a record-equalling 18th time! Here are 18 reasons why, in no particular order...

1. The reinvention of Ryan

When he finally hangs up his boots, Ryan Giggs will be remembered as one of the best left wingers to ever play the game. But this term he’s been inspirational in the centre of midfield, where his cool head and ability to pick the perfect pass has done untold damage to opposition defences. His form wasn’t lost on his fellow professionals, either: in May he was voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.

2. That boy Macheda

Every 17-year old dreams of scoring an injury-time winner on his debut in front of the Stretford End, but Federico Macheda actually did it. With time slipping away against Aston Villa, the Italian took one exquisite touch before curling an unstoppable shot past Brad Friedel and into the far corner. Cue pandemonium in the stands as the teenager became an instant hero. And as if that wasn’t enough, six days later he came off the bench again to score the winner at Sunderland. Magnifico!

3. He comes from Serbia

Hotly tipped to win United’s Player of the Season award, Nemanja Vidic has been outstanding this term. He was the only constant feature of the Reds’ back four during the record-breaking clean-sheet run and also chipped in with valuable goals at the other end (remember Sunderland at home in the last minute?). Of course, he’ll want to forget Liverpool’s opening goal at OT, but that mistake merely proved he’s human after all...

4. Keeping it clean

You don’t win football matches if the opposition score more goals, so the best platform you can give yourself is to keep a clean sheet. The Reds did just that in 14 consecutive league games between 8 November and 18 February, setting a new English record in the process. In fact, by the time Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz poked the ball past Tomasz Kuszczak at OT, the Reds had gone 1334 minutes without conceding a league goal. The word “watertight” springs to mind.

5. Home rule

When Liverpool take stock of where it all went wrong they’ll probably point to the number of points dropped at Anfield (12 prior to the final day). But while Rafa’s men were drawing at home to the likes of Stoke and Fulham, United’s only Old Trafford wobbles came against Newcastle (1-1), Liverpool (1-4) and Arsenal (0-0, when a point won the title).

6. A day to forget

Most Reds would prefer to erase this fixture from their minds but there’s no denying the role it played in United’s title charge. Losing 4-1 at home to your biggest rivals is never enjoyable, but at least it brought everyone back down to earth at a time when some fans and members of the press were starting to think an 18th title was a mere formality. A timely reminder that you can’t take anything for granted in football.

7. Sharing it around

All successful teams contain at least one forward who bangs in goals for fun. For the Reds, Ronaldo and Rooney have hit the back of the net more than most, but they’re just two of 15 United players to get on the scoresheet in the league in 08/09. It’s a terrifying thought if you’re an opposition defender... and the perfect riposte to those critics at the beginning of the season who claimed the Reds relied too heavily on Ronaldo’s goals.

8. That winning feeling

Far from disrupt the Reds’ momentum, act as a distraction or tire players out, the trip to Japan in December for the FIFA Club World Cup simply energised United and made the players hungrier for more success. The returning world champions won 19 of the next 20 fixtures after touching down back in England, beginning with a gritty 1-0 win over Stoke City on Boxing Day.

9. The fab four

On more than one occasion this season Sir Alex has admitted to "selection headaches” when it comes to his forward line. Managers around the country often spend Friday afternoons sweating over the fitness or form of their star striker, but Sir Alex has the “luxury” of deciding who to leave out. Carlos Tevez offers industry and energy, Dimitar Berbatov sublime control and the ability to bring others into the game. Wayne Rooney feeds others as well as he finds the net himself, while Cristiano Ronaldo has proved he’s just as effective up front as he is on the wing. Of course, sometimes not even Sir Alex can choose and plays all four at once! Well, can you blame him?

10. Ronny’s rockets

Let’s be honest: Ronaldo was never going to eclipse last season’s incredible tally of 31 league goals. But 18 so far isn’t too shabby, is it? In fact, it’s better than anyone else in the Barclays Premier League! We’ve seen some scorchers, too. Remember his two free-kicks against Stoke? How about the one against Blackburn from wide on the left? And don’t forget the headed third (or the shirt-off celebration) against Spurs to complete an incredible turnaround at Old Trafford in April. And to think some outsiders still question his status as one of the world’s best...

11. Size does matter

How must Sunderland’s players have felt in April when they saw (among others) Ronaldo, Tevez, Evra and Giggs sitting on the bench? The array of talent at Sir Alex’s disposal is frightening, but it’s also absolutely vital in a season that will see the Reds play an energy-sapping 66 competitive matches. That’s 26 more than some other top-flight clubs (and, it’s worth mentioning, 11 more than Liverpool)! It helps explain why United have used 31 different players in the league this term.

12. Young stars

Okay, so we’ve already shown Alan Hansen and the rest of the football world that you can actually win things with kids, but that’s no reason to gloss over the contribution from United’s youngsters this term. Jonny Evans and Rafael da Silva, in particular, regularly slotted into the Reds’ back four and, more often than not, looked like seasoned pros. Both were nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck scored screamers on their league debuts, and Richard Eckersley, Rodrigo Possebon, Darron Gibson and Zoran Tosic also sampled the big stage.

13. Leaving it late

It wouldn’t be United without late drama, would it? Late winners are woven into the fabric of the club and the 2008/09 season has been no different. The Reds have scored more league goals after the 75th minute than in any other 15-minute period, with five arriving in the 90th minute or later. Three of those – Berbatov v Bolton, Vidic v Sunderland, Macheda v Villa – turned draws into wins (or, put another way, earned United six additional points).

14. The 12th man

The Reds’ travelling support is widely regarded as the best in the country and even Wayne Rooney admits he wishes he could sample the experience (“It looks mad!”). But at Old Trafford this season, too, United supporters often raised the roof to roar the Reds to victory. Against Villa and Tottenham in April the crowd became a 12th man, just as they had when every Chelsea touch in January was met with intimidating jeers and whistles. But perhaps the best testimonial for United’s unwavering support came at half-time when the Reds were trailing to Spurs: “We came off at half-time 2-0 down,” Patrice Evra recalls, “and we were clapped off the pitch. That’s unbelievable.”

15. Comeback kings

How many times have you heard commentators claim: “United never know when they’re beaten”? It’s true, though. When the going gets tough, the Reds invariably pull something out of the hat. In the league this season, United have gone behind on six occasions. In half of those games, the Reds went on to claim all three points (never more dramatically than coming from 2-0 down to thump Spurs 5-2). It was only in games away to Arsenal and Fulham that the Reds failed to secure at least a draw after conceding first.

16. Unsung heroes

You don’t have to bemake headlines to make an impact. Ronaldo and Rooney may dominate the back pages but the Reds wouldn’t have lifted the trophy without contributions from the likes of John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher and Ji-sung Park. O’Shea, especially, proved his worth this season with a string of top-class performances. Whether asked to play right back, left back or even at centre-half, the Irishman got on with the job and consistently produced the goods.

17. The old heads

When the heat is on, it helps if you’ve got people on your side who have been there before. In Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, the Reds have three men who boast 28 league-winners’ medals. And while they don’t play week-in, week-out anymore, Gary (Stoke), Ryan (Chelsea) and Paul (Fulham) all put in man-of-the-match performances this term on the way to the Reds’ latest title triumph.

18. The Boss

You’d think you’d get bored of the same job after 22 years, wouldn’t you? Not Sir Alex. In charge at Old Trafford since 1986, the boss is as hungry as ever for success. His tactical nous hasn’t diminished either. In January, Sir Alex surprised everyone by playing Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher in the centre of midfield against Chelsea. It turned out to be a masterstroke, as was the way he blooded young talent, rotated his central midfielders and managed his substitutions throughout the season.

Source: www.manutd.com

Clive Staples Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis was Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, Fellow in English at Oxford University’s Magdalen College, and the author of the series of children’s classics The Chronicles of Narnia. Following his conversion from atheism to Christianity, described in his autobiography Surprised by Joy, he was both a popular and a prolific Christian apologist.

Mere Christianity

Lewis’s most famous apologetic work is Mere Christianity. This work began life as a series of 15-minute radio broadcasts prepared for the BBC, but those broadcasts were subsequently published in print. The premise of the work was to explore the fundamentals of Christian faith—what do Christians believe, and why?—without entering into complicated inter-denominational squabbles about minor doctrine.

Mere Christianity is best known, however, for its opening chapters, in which Lewis sets out his version of the moral argument, explaining why our sense of right and wrong implies the existence of both an objective morality and of a legislator of that objective morality. This is widely acclaimed as apologetics at its best: plausible at every step, quickly building a compelling case for faith.

Also in Mere Christianity is Lewis’s Lord / liar / lunatic trilemma, which challenges those that deem Jesus a great human being, an inspirational moral teacher, but nothing more. Given the claims that Jesus made about himself, Lewis argues, for example his claims to have authority to forgive sins, we cannot take this position. If those claims were false, then we should denounce Jesus as either a lunatic (if he believed them) or a liar (if he did not). If they were true, we should recognise that Jesus was far more than a great teacher, and acknowledge him as Lord.

The Screwtape Letters

Another firm favourite of Lewis fans is his satire The Screwtape Letters, a brilliant (and humorous) collection of letters of advice written by the demon Screwtape to his apprentice and nephew Wormwood. Wormwood is struggling to disrupt the faith of the man to whom he has been assigned, his “patient”; Screwtape advises him on what techniques to use. Through this device, Lewis advises Christians on what schemes of demons to guard against.

The Pilgrim’s Regress

The Pilgrim’s Regress is Lewis’s first novel, an allegorical tale inspired by John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. In it, John, having had a vision of a beautiful island, sets out from the land of Puritania to find it. As he goes, he meets strange characters, caricatures of major worldviews: Sigismund Enlightenment, Media Halfways, and Mother Kirk, et. al. Appreciation of this work does require some background knowledge, without which many references will be missed, and this has diminished its popularity. Underlying the allegory is autobiography; John’s journey is much like Lewis’s own, from the empty churchgoing of his childhood, through atheism, to ‘Joy’.

The Problem of Pain

The Problem of Pain is Lewis’s response to the problem of evil. The book begins with Lewis looking back at the response he would have given if asked “Why do you not believe in God?” when an atheist.

He first surveys the arrangement of nature, and the constant association of life with pain: “The creatures cause pain by being born, and live by inflicting pain, and in pain they mostly die.”

He then considers the impact of reason, which “enables men by a hundred ingenious contrivances to inflict a great deal more pain than they otherwise could have done on one another and on the irrational creatures. This power they have exploited to the full.”

The pre-Christian Lewis concludes, “If you ask me to believe that this is the work of a benevolent and omnipotent spirit, I reply that all the evidence points in the opposite direction. Either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good and evil, or else an evil spirit.”

In The Problem of Pain, Lewis the Christian apologist replies to Lewis the atheist, exploring what is meant by divine power and divine love, and the greater purpose of pain.

Miracles

Every experience of the supernatural is just that: an experience. Experiences are, though, by their very nature, subjective; it is always possible to question an experience; there is always room for doubt. How, then, can we ever trust an experience of the miraculous? What are we to do when our senses clash with our reason, when we seem to experience what we do not believe can occur? Miracles is Lewis’s response to this problem, his case for believing in both the possibility and the actuality of divine intervention in the world.

The Abolition of Man

Superficially a set of three essays on education—“Men Without Chests”, “The Way”, and “The Abolition of Man”—this collection is of much broader interest than that. It is, in fact, a concise, snappy treatment of subjectivism, and even scepticism, in ethics, and their dire consequences. Lewis defends the idea that there is an eternal and immutable moral law that, no matter how much we attempt to reduce it personal preferences and cultural attitudes, cannot be conquered.

The Great Divorce

A second work dealing with subjectivism, this time religious rather than ethical subjectivism, is The Great Divorce. The style is in many ways similar to The Pilgrim’s Regress. This work, which gets its title from William Blake’s The Marriage Between Heaven and Hell, follows the narrator on a bus journey to both. Using this device, Lewis seeks to debunk the universalist idea that all are saved, that whatever path one chooses for one’s life will ultimately fulfil the same role as any other and so will lead to the same place.

The Four Loves

The Greek language in which the New Testament was written has four words for love, each meaning something slightly different: storge (affection), philia (friendship), eros (romantic love), and agape (charity). In The Four Loves Lewis explores each of them, how they differ, and how they relate. He sees the first three as natural loves, but the fourth as the gift of God, without which the other three can become distorted.

Source: http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/