5 WORST HOAXES

5 WORST HOAXES

A hoax is news or an act which is intended to deceive or trick. Most of the time, it attracts wide public attention and causes mass wonder. Care to know the five worst hoaxes that have deceived the general public? Check out the following frauds.

1

Crop Circle in Yogyakarta (2011) 
 

Indonesians were stunned when a crop circle suddenly appeared in the middle of a rice field in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Although a crop circle – a mysterious phenomenon believed to be a trace left by a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) – is not a new thing. It still raises curiosity among people. An investigation of the crop circle in Sleman showed that no strange materials were found in the area, suggesting that the UFO  landing theory was far from reality. Letter some UGM students admitted that they had created the crop circle.

2

Balloon Boy Hoax (2009)
 

On October, 15, 2009, Ruchard and Mayumi Heene from Colorado, USA reported that their six-year-old boy named Falcon accidentally got inside a helium balloon and  floated upwards. The incident got media attention in a short time as both national and international media covered the news. After an hour, the balloon landed without Falcon inside. Afraid that the boy had fallen off the balloon, the police scanned the entire area only to find nothing. Later in the afternoon the boy was found hiding in  the attic of his family home. Careful investigation of the case letter showed that the whole incident was only a hoax intended to promote and upcoming reality show.

3

Alien Autopsy (1995)
 

In 1995, an amateur alien investigator named Ray Santilli released a seven-minute black and white footage taken inside a U.S. military tent after a 1947 incident. Which was widely believed to have been a UFA crash in Roshwell, New Mexico. The footage showed the remains of two aliens. In 2006, the video was revealed as a hoax when Ray admitted he had made the footage. Jhon Humpreys, a sculptor, was hired to create two alien dummies using sheep brains, chicken entrails, and knuckle joints.

4

The Cottingley Fairies (1917)
 

Fairies are real. Or, at least, so they seemed as shown on five black-and-white photographs taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, two cousins who lived in Cottingley, England, in 1917. The photographs got public attention two years later when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the Sherlock Holmes series) stated that the photographs were authentic. The reactions were varied: some believed the story was true, while other didn’t. fifty years later, the two cousins admitted that the fairies were only made of cutouts from a famous fairy tale book at the time.

5

Feejee Mermaid (1842)
 

The Feejee Mermaid was the mummified body of a creature resembling half mammal and half fish. It attracted mass attention when it was shown in a broadway concert hall in New York in 1842. DR. Griffin, a British scientist who proclaimed himself as the one who caught the mermaid in the Fiji Islands, told about his experience in front of naive audiences across the USA. The mermaid was later proved as fake, made of papier-mache with a monkey torso and a fish tail stitched together. It was as much as fraud as DR. Griffin himself, whose name was Levi Lyman.

Sumber : C ‘n’ S Vol. II No.87 May-June 2012

Softskill_Meeting 3

Softskill_Meeting 3

In 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games were held at the foot of Mount Olympus to honor the Greeks’ chief god, Zeus. The warm climate for outdoor activities, the need for preparedness in war, and their lifestyle caused the Greeks to create competitive sports. Only the elite and military could participate at first, but later the games were open to all free Greek males who had no criminal record. The Greeks emphasized physical fitness and strength in their education of youth. Therefore, contest in running, jumping, discuss and javelin throwing, boxing, and horse and chariot racing were held in individual cities, and the winners competed every four years at Mount Olympus. Winners were greatly honored by having olive wreaths placed on their heads and having poems sung about their deeds. Originally these contests were held as games of friendship, and any wars in progress were halted to allow the games to take place. They also helped to strengthen bonds among competitors and the different cities represented.

            The Greeks attached so much importance to the games that they calculated time in four-year cycles called “Olympiads,” dating from 776 B.C. The contest coincided with religious festivities and constituted an all-out effort on the part of the participants to please the gods. Any who disobeyed the rules were dismissed and seriously punished. These athletes brought shame not only to themselves, but also to the cities they represented.

1.      Which of the following is NOT true?

a.       Winners placed olive wreaths on their own heads.

b.      The games were held in Greece every four years.

c.       Battles were interrupted to participate in the games.

d.      Poem glorified the winners in song.

Jawabannya yang tepat adalah c. Battles were interrupted to participate in the games. Karena dalam paragraph 2 kalimat ke 2 dijelaskan “The contest coincided with religious festivities and constituted an all-out effort on the part of the participants to please the gods.”

2.      The word “elite” in line 5 is closest in meaning to…

a.       Aristocracy                                              c. intellectuals

b.      Brave                                                       d. muscular

Jawaban yang tepat adalah a. Aristocracy. Arti dari “elite” adalah orang terkemuka, golongan atas atau golongan masyarakat elit dan lata yang hampir sama artinya adalah Aristocracy yang berarti kaum bangsawan.

3.      Why were the Olympic Games held?

I want to introduce my self

I want to introduce my self. My name’s Ayu Pratiwi. I was born in Jakarta on 25^th March 1992. I am the first child from two cousins. I live in Jakarta at pulo gebang street, east Jakarta. I am a collage student at Gunadarma University.

I live with my parents and my younger brother. My parents are an employee. My father work at Firna Glass and my mother work at garment factory. My younger brother name’s Habib khahfi. He is a student at Nurul ihsan vocational high school.

Now, I want to tell a story about all my hobby. I am very like a music. I think, music is my live. Every time, every where music is see a lot of me. My favorite singer is Mita the virgin. She is vocalist and guitarist in duo the virgin. She is my inspiration. Except the music, I like traveling too. But, because now I don’t have anough money to traveling,  so it delayed. Hehehe…

The fact, my English conversation is very bad. But, I know it very important in business world. So, I won’t ignore it. Now, I am join English course in LIA with my friend to repair my English conversation. I hope, my effort is success.

I have a parents who very loving me. They are never mind to accept all my desire. After I am finishing my study, I want to give my parents is happiness that previous ever they give me.  After graduate, I wanna be a business women. I will open tour and travel office. So that, I can traveling and working too. Hehehe..

So.. until here introduce my self. I hope it very interesting. I am so sory if any fault in my written.

KENAPA ANAK PEREMPUAN LEBIH CEPAT PUBER ?

S

EKITAR tahun 1980-an, anak perempuan baru mengalami mens pertamanya di usia 3 tahun. Payudaranya pun tumbuh sekitar usia 11-12 tahun. Namun, kalau kita melihat sekarang ini, sepertinya semakin lama batas usia pubertas anak-anak perempuan semakin muda. Sebagian anak mendapat menstruasi pertamanya pada usia 11 tahun, sementara payudaranya sudah mulai terlihat di usia 8 tahun. Apakah ini normal?.

            Menurut Dr Rose Girgis, pediatric endocrinologist dari Stollery Children’s Hospital Edmonton, jika anak perempuan Anda mulai memperlihatkan pertumbuhan payudara pada usia 9 tahun, ini termasuk kategori normal. “Sekitar 2 tahun setelahnya, biasanya ia akan mengalami menstruasi pertamanya,” imbuh Girgis lagi, seperti dikutip dari Kompas.com.

            Study yang dilakukan di Denmark pada tahun 2009 menunjukkan bahwa anak-anak perempuan di Eropa mengalami pubertas lebih dini daripada generasi sebelumnya. Menurut ahli, ada beberapa factor yang menjadi penyebabnya. Berikut ini adalah beberapa di antaranya:

1.       Paparan bahan-bahan kimiawi

Menurut Dr Mark Palmert, Kepala Divisi Endokrinologi dari The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, paparan bahan kimiawi yang berasal dari lingkungan, makanan, hingga kosmetik, dapat berpengaruh terhadap munculnya pubertas dini. “Riset yang dilakukan memperlihatkan bahwa bahan-bahan kimiawi ini masuk ke dalam tubuh melalui aliran estrogen, sehingga dapat memicu pertumbuhan payudara pada usia dini dan sinyal-sinyal pubertas lainnya pada anak perempuan,” demikian jelas Palmert.

2.      Stimulasi seksual dari media

Sebagian peneliti menemukan, stimulasi seksual yang diperoleh oleh anak-anak melalui media seperti majalah, film, televise, hingga klip video music, dapat berpengaruh pada munculnya pubertas dini. Menurut ahli, paparan media tanpa filter seperti ini dapat memicu adanya rangsangan seksual yang berkesinambungan, yang kemudian mendorong tubuh anak-anak untuk memberikan respons sebagai timbal balik.

3.      Tren obesitas yang makin marak

Salah satu dampak dari berat badan berlebihan pada anak perempuan adalah munculnya pubertas sebelum waktunya. Hormon yang dilepaskan dari sel lemak yang terdapat dalam jumlah berlebihan di tubuh memainkan peran dalam memicu proses pendewasaan.

4.      Kecukupan nutrisi dan kesehatan

Yang satu ini bias dibilang berita baik bagi para orang tua. “umumnya, seorang wanita butuh berat badan tertentu untuk bisa mengalami menstruasi. Anak-anak perempuan sekarang mendapat nutrisi yang lebih baik daripada anak seusianya pada beberapa decade sebelumnya. Jadi, itu sebabnya anak sekarang dapat mengalami menstruasi lebih awal,“ kata Dr Fransiska Baltzer, Direktur Program Anak-anka dan Ginekologi dari Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Sumber : Berita kota edisi Minggu, 1 April 2012

Komentar penulis :

            Zaman dahulu dengan zaman sekarang memang jauh berbeda. Mulai dari pergaulan, makanan, pola hidup, lingkungan, dan teknologi yang semakin berkembang. Pergaulan anak zaman sekarang lebih luas dibanding dahulu. Makanan pun sudah banyak yang terkontaminasi oleh bahan-bahan kimiawi yang sebenarnya sangat berbahaya untuk kesehatan tubuh. Namun, kecurangan ini selalu saja menjadi tameng para pedagang yang tidak jujur untuk mendapatkan keuntungan yang besar. Lebih bahaya lagi, makanan yang beracun ini lebih banyak beredar di sekolah-sekolah yang dengan otomoatis konsumennya pun anak sekolahan. Orang tua dan guru pun sangat sulit untuk mengawasi jajanan anak-anak ini, karena sulit untuk membedakan mana makanan yang sehat dan mana yang tidak. Untuk mengatasinya, lebih baik anak-anak Anda diberikan bekel yang dimasak di rumah. Sehingga anak-anak Anda tidak perlu jajan di luar.

            Selain makanan, teknologi yang sangat berkembang pesat pun menjadi salah satu faktor yang mempercepat pubertas. Stimulasi seksual yang diterima oleh anak melalui media, internet salah satunya. Untuk itu, orang tua sangat penting peranannya untuk mengawasi anak-anaknya dalam penggunaan teknologi.

            Meskipun pubertas dini adalah hal yang normal, namun ini berpengaruh juga terhadap kesehatan dan perilaku anak. Karena faktor-faktor penyebabnya itu juga dapat merusak kesehatan dan perilaku anak.

TOEFL EXERCISE (Skill 1-3): Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not correct.

1.      Nobody know when the process of glass-making was invented.

     A                      B                                  C       D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah know (A). Karena subject (Nobody) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“ Nobody knows when the process of glass-making was invented ”

2.      The languages of the world presents a vast array of structural similarities and differences.

 A                    B                            C                      D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah presents (A). Karena subject (The languages) berbentuk plural. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“The languages of the world present a vast array of structural similarities and differences”

              

3.      The rise of multinationals have resulted in a great deal of legal ambiguity because

  A      B

multinationals can operate in so many jurisdictions.

                         C      D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah have (A). Karena kata ganti dari  subject (the rise) adalah “it”. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“ The rise of multinationals has resulted in a great deal of legal ambiguity because  multinationals can operate in so many jurisdictions”

4.      All of the east-west interstate highways in the United State has even numbers, while

A              B

north-south interstate highways are odd-numbered.

                                                  C           D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah has (A). Karena subject (All of the east-west interstate highways) berbentuk plural. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“All of the east-west interstate highways in the United State have even numbers, while north-south interstate highways are odd-numbered”

5.      When a massive star in the large Megallinec Could exploded in 1987, a wave of neutrinos

   A                                                                               B

were detected on Earth.

   C           D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah were (C). Karena subject (A wave) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“ When a massive star in the large Megallinec Could exploded in 1987, a wave of neutrinos

was detected on Earth”

6.      Every open space in the targeted area that has grass and a few bushes are occupied by the

  A                  B                                         C         D

white-crowned sparrow.

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah are (C). Karena subject (Every open space) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“Every open space in the targeted area that has grass and a few bushes is occupied by the white-crowned sparrow”

7.      Krakatao is remembered as the volcano that put so much ash into the air that sunsets around

      A                                           B

the world was affected for two years afterward.

                        C                                       D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah put (B). Karena subject (Krakatao) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“ Krakatao is remembered as the volcano that puts so much ash into the air that sunsets around the world was affected for two years afterward “

8.      The term “Yankee” was originally a nickname for people from New England, but now

   A

anyone from the United States are referred to as a Yankee.

                                               B        C       D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah are (B). Karena subject (anyone) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“The term “Yankee” was originally a nickname for people from New England, but now anyone from the United States is referred to as a Yankee”

9.      A network of small arteries, mostly sandwiched between the skin and the underlying

A                                                B

muscles, supply blood to the face and scalp.

                  C         D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah Supply (C). Karena subject (A network) berbentuk singular. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“A network of small arteries, mostly sandwiched between the skin and the underlying muscles, supplies blood to the face and scalp “

10.   Mesquite is a small tree in the Southwest who can withstand the severest drought.

                      A      B                                     C                  D

Jawab :

Kata yang salah dari kalimat di atas adalah who (C). Karena subject (Mesquite) merupakan benda mati. Maka kalimat yang benar adalah sebagai berikut:

“ Mesquite is a small tree in the Southwest that can withstand the severest drought “