WILL AL GORE RUN FOR 2008 PRESIDENCY? I HOPE SO

By Ari Satriyo Wibowo

As a person who become the victim of "the butterfly effect" like Al Gore, I am very proud of him. Until now, he have enjoyed his job as senior adviser at Google, board directors member of Apple Inc and "Global Warming Lectures" as you have seen on "An Incovenienth Truth" movie. I still have a dream that he would lead USA more better than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Although he said,"I have fallen out of love with politics."

Time magazine wrote about him on May 25, 2007 edition under the title " The Last Temptation of Al Gore". Here is the excerpt of the article :

Let's say you were dreaming up the perfect stealth candidate for 2008, a Democrat who could step into the presidential race when the party confronts its inevitable doubts about the front-runners. You would want a candidate with the grassroots appeal of Barack Obama—someone with a message that transcends politics, someone who spoke out loud and clear and early against the war in Iraq. But you would also want a candidate with the operational toughness of Hillary Clinton—someone with experience and credibility on the world stage.

In other words, you would want someone like Al Gore—the improbably charismatic, Academy Award–winning, Nobel Prize–nominated environmental prophet with an army of followers and huge reserves of political and cultural capital at his command. There's only one problem. The former Vice President just doesn't seem interested. He says he has "fallen out of love with politics," which is shorthand for both his general disgust with the process and the pain he still feels over the hard blow of the 2000 election, when he became only the fourth man in U.S. history to win the popular vote but lose a presidential election. In the face of wrenching disappointment, he showed enormous discipline—waking up every day knowing he came so close, believing the Supreme Court was dead wrong to shut down the Florida recount but never talking about it publicly because he didn't want Americans to lose faith in their system. That changes a man forever.

It changed Gore for the better. He dedicated himself to a larger cause, doing everything in his power to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, and that decision helped transform the way Americans think about global warming and carried Gore to a new state of grace. So now the question becomes, How will he choose to spend all the capital he has accumulated? No wonder friends, party elders, moneymen and green leaders are still trying to talk him into running. "We have dug ourselves into a 20-ft. hole, and we need somebody who knows how to build a ladder. Al's the guy," says Steve Jobs of Apple. "Like many others, I have tried my best to convince him. So far, no luck."

"It happens all the time," says Tipper Gore. "Everybody wants to take him for a walk in the woods. He won't go. He's not doing it!" But even Tipper—so happy and relieved to see her husband freed up after 30 years in politics—knows better than to say never: "If the feeling came over him and he had to do it, of course I'd be with him." Perhaps that feeling never comes over him. Maybe Obama or Clinton or John Edwards achieves bulletproof inevitability and Gore never sees his opening. But if it does come, if at some point in the next five months or so the leader stumbles and the party has one of its periodic crises of faith, then he will have to decide once and for all whether to take a final shot at reaching his life's dream. It's the Last Temptation of Gore, and it's one reason he has been so careful not to rule out a presidential bid. Is it far-fetched to think that his grassroots climate campaign could yet turn into a presidential one? As the recovering politician himself says, "You always have to worry about a relapse."

For now, at least, Gore is firmly in the program. He's working mightily to build a popular movement to confront what he calls "the most serious crisis we've ever faced." He has logged countless miles in the past four years, crisscrossing the planet to present his remarkably powerful slide show and the Oscar-winning documentary that's based on it, An Inconvenient Truth, to groups of every size and description. He flies commercial most of the time to use less CO₂ and buys offsets to maintain a carbon-neutral life. In tandem with Hurricane Katrina and a rising chorus of warning from climate scientists, Gore's film helped trigger one of the most dramatic opinion shifts in history as Americans suddenly realized they must change the way they live. In a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed—90% of Democrats, 80% of independents, 60% of Republicans—said they favor "immediate action" to confront the crisis.

GUY KAWASAKI'S BOOK REVIEW : THE NINE BIGGEST MYTHS OF THE WORKPLACE

I found this article from Guy Kawasaki's blog at http://blog.guykawasaki.com I want to sharing with you about this recent book review.

I liked Penelop Trunk's interview so much that I asked her for more material. Here's her list of the nine biggest workplace myths:

1. You’ll be happier if you have a job you like.

   The correlation between your happiness and your job is overrated. The most important factors, by far, are your optimism levels and your personal relationships. If you are a pessimist, a great job can’t overcome that. (Think of the jerks at the top.) And if you have great friends and family, you can probably be happy even if you hate your job (imagine a garbage collector who’s in love).

2. Job-hopping will hurt you.

   Job hopping is one of the best ways to maintain passion and personal growth in your caeers. And here’s some good news for hoppers: Most people will have eight jobs between the time they are eighteen and thirty. This means most young workers are job hopping. So hiring managers have no choice but to hire job hoppers. Ride this wave and try a lot of jobs out yourself.

3. The glass ceiling still exists.

   The glass ceiling is over, not because people crashed through, but because people are not looking up. Life above the glass ceiling is 100-hour weeks, working for someone else, and no time for friends and family. And it’s not only women who are saying no to the ladder up: Men are as well. People want to customize success for themselves, not climb someone else rungs. So if no one is climbing to the top, the glass ceiling isn’t keeping anyone down.

4. Office politics is about backstabbing.

   The people who are most effective at office politics are people who are genuinely nice. Office politics is about helping people to get what they want. This means you have to take the time to figure out what someone cares about, and then think about how you can help him or her to get it. You need to always have your ears open for when you can help. If you do this, you don’t have to strong arm people or manipulate them. Your authentic caring will inspire people to help you when you need it.

5. Do good work, and you’ll do fine.

   For one thing, no one knows what the heck you’re doing in your cube if you’re not telling them. So when you do good work, let people know. It is not crazy to toot your own horn--it’s crazy to think someone will do it for you. Also, if you do good work but you’re a jerk, people will judge your work to be sub par. So you could say that good work really only matters if your co-workers enjoy hearing about it from you.

6. You need a good resume.

   Only ten percent of jobs come from sending a blind resume. Most people get jobs by leveraging their network. Once you have a connection, the person looks at your resume to make sure there are no red flags. So you need a competent resume and an excellent network. This means you should stop stressing about which verb to use on the second line of your third job. Go talk to someone instead.

7. People with good networks are good at networking.

   Just be nice, take genuine interest in the people you meet, and keep in touch with people you like. This will create a group of people who are invested in helping you because they know you and appreciate you. Use LinkedIn to leverage those peoples’ networks, and you just got yourself a very strong network by simply hanging out with the people you like.

8. Work hard and good things will come.

   Everyone can put in a seventy-hour week. It doesn’t mean you’re doing good work. So here’s an idea: Make sure you’re not the hardest worker. Take a long lunch. Get all your work done early. Grand thinking requires space, flexibility and time. So let people see you staring at the wall. They’ll know you’re a person with big ideas and taking time to think makes you more valuable.

9. Create the shiny brand of you!

   There is no magic formula to having a great career except to be you. Really you. Know who you are and have the humility to understand that self-knowledge is a never-ending journey. Figure out how to do what you love, and you’ll be great at it. Offer your true, good-natured self to other people and you’ll have a great network. Those who stand out as leaders have a notable authenticity that enables them to make genuinely meaningful connections with a wide range of people. Authenticity is a tool for changing the world by doing good.

BOROBUDUR, THE GIANT BOOK MADE OF STONE

By Ari Satriyo Wibowo

Borobudur is the giant book made of stone in Indonesia before people have already recognized Barnes and Noble’s book store or order books via Amazon.com service.

Borobudur contains 504 Buddha statues, 432 in open niches and 72 in trellised stupas. The 1400 stone slabs that cover the balustrades are adorned with stone craft relief illustrating life according the tenets of Mahayana Buddha.

Borobudur has undergone several restorations since its discovery in 1814 by Sir Stamford Raffles, the Lieutenant-Governor of Java (then the founding father of Singapore in 1820’s and an author of History of Java). The damage that it had suffered over the many decades of its existence was severe. A tremendous earthquake that rocked Java in 1548 caused the final collapse of the monument.

In 1885, however, Borobudur attracted the public’s attention when J.W. Ijzerman, a Dutch army engineer, found the reliefs of the Mahakarmawibangga on the hidden foot of the temple. There were 166 reliefs on the hidden foot 13,000 meter cubic of stone as part of Kamandhatu sphere. Ruphadahatu sphere includes 4 galleries with 1300 pictorial relief with a total length of 2,5 km and surrounds by 1212 decorative panels. Arupadhatu sphere have 72 trellised stupas. And Sunyata sphere is only posses one large central stupa without any trellised.

The Borobudur depicts the ascension of man through the four level of existence : Kamadhatu (plane of passion and lust), Ruphadhatu (plane of image and forms), Arupadhatu (plane of non forms) and Sunyata (The True Existence, Absolution). For Christian believer the crucifixion of Jesus was a transformation from plane of non forms to Absolution. In Islamic tradition the four level of existence are known as syariat, tarikah, haqiqah and ma’rifah.

This temple was built around the ninth century in a mysterious way that we have not been able to understand until these days. Literally, Borobudur means the primal Buddha of earth. To understand it we must go beyond traditional Buddhist settings. That’s why it is difficult even for the Buddhist to understand the true meaning of Borobudur.

According to Borobudur human beings will evolve into higher consciousness level, the lowest being the plane of passions. Using the Borobudur matrix, we can plot where human kind is today. We are approximately at the level of Rupadhatu (plane of forms and images). Hence human beings in this level, today, are living under the influence of their five senses. This means that transcend beyond the plane of forms and images human beings have to diminish their reliance on the five senses. However, not everyone is completely at this level because some are still bound by the plane of lust and passions while others are already struggling towards the non form plan.

KALA the Movie : MYSTERY OF THE FIRST'S PRESIDENT HIDDEN TREASURY

By Ari Satriyo Wibowo

Ratu Adil (literally means Queen of Justice ) or Satrio Piningit (the Hidden Knight) was first mentioned by Jayabaya, the Javanese king from the 12th century who is the Javanese equivalent of Nostradamus. In his book called Pralembang Joyoboyo, the king hinted that a messianic figure would appear amidst extreme chaos and lead the nation out of the dark. Several national leaders had claimed themselves to be Ratu Adil. But the people are still waiting for the one. He will be come and using the legacy from the first president's treasury to boost the wealthy of the nation.

But the country until now is in turmoil, marred by natural disasters, corruption and lawlessness. Some people take justice into their own hands, while others yearn for the promised leader to arrive.

A cop named Eros is investigating a case of five men who are burnt to death in public after somebody screams “thief” at them. A journalist named Janus is also covering the story. Soon enough, the two are drawn into a maze of mysteries and murders.

Somewhere along the line, Janus discovers a secret, and everyone he tells it to finds tragic death. When Eros comes across the secret too, they realize that angel of death will go after one of them, unless they find the promised leader first.

Janus is having a bad day. His wife divorces him and he loses his job as a journalist due to his narcolepsy. But his last assignment drags him into a labyrinth of mystery and murders as he holds a dangerous secret worth dying for: the truth about the long-waited figure who will lead the country out of chaos.

Eros maybe the only trusted police officer. But he is actually hiding something. He is the ultimate anti-hero who is soon forced to face his destiny if he wants stay alive.

Ranti. As the whole family turns up dead under eerie circumstances, Ranti runs from grave danger. She is not breaking the law by working in a seedy club, but she holds the key to a secret everybody’s willing to kill for.

Sari. When she realizes that being married to Janus will never make her dream of a better life comes true, Sari seeks a shortcut. But there are two ends to it: wealth or death.

Writer/Director Joko Anwar win rave reviews and commercial success with his debut feature Janji Joni (Joni's Promise), a lightweight comedy adventure about a guy who shuffles film reels between theaters. His second film KALA takes a much darker turn, telling a story of an unspecified period in an unnamed country. For this movie, Joko enlists the help of his long-time collaborator, cinematographer Ipung Rahmat Syaiful and a band of award-winning crew. KALA was shot within 31 days in 27 locations in four cities, on a US$600,000 budget. "We slept for only four hours everyday. But the crew's morale was incredibly high," Joko said. "Everybody saw it as an adventure. It was pure joy."Most of the locations were in and old city (Kota Lama) of Semarang, Central, where old colonials building remained untouched.Twenty-six year-old Fachri Albar as Janus has already mesmerized Indonesian audience with his role as transsexual in Jakarta Undercover, a thriller that opens in May which also written by Joko Ario Bayu, 22, plays a much older character, a jaded homicide investigator named Eros. This is his first leading role. International model Fahrani, here in her first big screen debut as Ranti, caught Joko's attention in a television movie. Shanty who was widely praised for her performance in Berbagi Suami (Love for Share) plays the femme fatale named Sari. KALA also marks the big screen debut performance for Tipi Jabrik, a professional surfer who has appeared in several TV commercials.Adding to the already impressive casts are veteran actors and cult icons of the 80s: Frans Tumbuan and August Melasz. For the first time, Frans plays an antagonist character while August acts as protagonist. Indonesian poet/stage director Yose Rizal Manua plays a character which is best kept secret.KALA is the first venture into feature films for MD Pictures, a company owned by Dhamoo and Manoj Punjabi. The former is already known as cult films producer in the 80s.

MURI AWARDED FOR SUKYATNO'S BOOK

MURI (MUSEUM REKOR DUNIA INDONESIA) has been awarded for Sukyatno Nugroho as the owner of first business book in Indonesia which has an ancient legend hero storytelling style while I was as an inspirator. (By Ari Satriyo Wibowo)

SUKYATNO AS A DRUNKEN MASTER IN BUSINESS

All this cartoons are parts of new book from Sukyatno Nugroho, Founder of Es Teler 77. I become his ghost writer to write a business book with ancient legend hero storyteller style. Drawing by Bambang Budi Santosa.

MURI (MUSEUM REKOR DUNIA INDONESIA) awarded prize to this book as first business book with self defense legend storyteller style.(By Ari Satriyo Wibowo)

Santosa.

TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A HOME BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL

According to Kely Lowe, the owner of Online Business Base, home business professionals are unique people. We are all very different people, with very different personalities and thinking processess. However, all successful home business professionals have the following characteristics in common.

1. Home business professionals are usually leaders, not followers. We like to set the standards, not adhere to them.

2. Home business professionals are always looking for new and better ways to do things. We believe that there is always a better, more effective way to get things done, and we seek to find it.

3. Home business professionals are very open-minded. We never say that an idea won't work without looking at all the facts, and if possible, testing the theory in question.

4. Home business professionals are generally very organized. We are our own bosses. There is nobody to tell us when, or how, to get things done. It is something we must do for ourselves, and being organized is usually the first step in getting things done effectively.

5. Home business professionals are hard workers. We know that starting a business is hard work, with long hours. However, we know that eventually, we will be able to work fewer hours and enjoy the same success. However, we do understand that work will always be involved, even if the hours are shorter.

6. Home business professionals like to help out others. If you talk to a home business professional, the chances are good that you will find that person does charity work of some sort.

7. Home business professionals are honest in their business dealings. When they see others being dishonest, they are quick to call them on it, and point it out to others.

8. Home business professionals are very dedicated. We love what we do. It is something we have chosen for ourselves. We make our own rules, and we love "going" to work each day. Our love for what we do drives us to do it better than anyone else and keeps us very motivated.

9. Home business professionals are very energetic. We don't have the stresses that the people in the corporate world have. We are not a part of the rat race. This allows us to have more energy. While traditional corporate employees tend to go home from work and stretch out on the couch to watch television, home business professionals walk out of their home offices ready to go have fun. We have alot of energy left over at the end of the day.

10. Home business professionals are happy people. We love what we do. We've made our own rules, and we are living the lives that we have chosen to live. Who wouldn't be happy?

TEN WINE TASTING TIPS

Stuart Glasure, a wine enthusiast, write about wine tasting tips as follows :

1. Try something new and you might be surprised. Let the staff make suggestions. Compare the wines aged in steel to those aged in oak barrels.

2. Take Notes especially if you are gone all day. Most wineries offer a list that will assist you on keeping track. When you get home to your local wine shop, you will appreciate having a cheat sheet.

3. Visit during off season. November through May is an excellent time. You might be only one of the few guests all day, so the staff can give you some extra time.

4. Ask Questions. Winery staff love to be engaged and help educate. They are trained to know a lot about the wines you taste.

5. Eat the crackers. They help you clean your palate and absorb the alcohol.

6. Don't just stick with the big-name wineries. Check out some of the smaller ones in the area.

7. The nose, knows. Try not to use too much perfume or aftershave. The aroma of the wine is half the fun of tasting.

8. Call ahead for large parties. If you call ahead some wineries will even arrange cheese and fruit trays.

9. Be patient. If you prefer to visit during the peak seasons, you will have a great time tasting, but it may take a minute or two for the staff to serve you.

10. To test for a really good wine, swirl it around the glass. Legs or tears are what is left trickling down the glass after swirling. The stickier and longer the legs the better the quality.

THREE WAYS TO BECOME A BOOK AUTHOR

Becoming an author is probably a lot easier than you think. It ‘s time to get that book out of your head and onto the printed page. Ready? Boot out your excuses. Here is how to do it.

Way # One: Think Quality, Not Quantity. To be classified as a book as opposed to a booklet or pamphlet your work needs a mere 49 pages (excluding the cover). Not only that but, depending on your topic, you can be liberal with photographs, charts, illustrations, bullet points, fill-in-the-blank worksheets, etc. Use them strategically in place of text. If it fits your theme, intersperse powerful quotations throughout your book, and give them a page of their own, even if it is only a line or two. Ditch the perception that you have to have a minimum number of lines on each page.

Way # Two: Start Talking. Invest in a tape recorder and shoot the breeze. I must admit that this isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, but if you’re articulate and you have skill at organizing your thoughts and ideas, it’s doable. Don’t try to wing it. Break down your book into chapters. Then prepare a detailed outline of each chapter. If it’s fiction you’re writing, outline the plot. For nonfiction, along with your outline, have any additional material handy that you want to refer to.

After you’re done, have a typist transcribe the tape. Save it onto a floppy disk and give it to an editor. She’ll polish the content. A variation of this method is to use voice recognition software that turns your spoken words into text.

Way # Three: Do an Anthology. If you don’t want to go it alone and you don’t mind sharing the spotlight have other writers contribute a chapter to your book. Then you’ll have only a chapter to write yourself. Whether it’s a collection of short stories or a manual of topics on your subject, this method really lightens your load. Be sure to place each writer’s name on their chapter’s byline.

Find other writers by asking for referrals. Who to ask? Try the librarian at your local library, an editor at your city’s newspaper, an English teacher at a nearby college, or professionals in the subject area of your book. Or place a classified ad in a writers’ magazine. And of course, be prepared to remunerate your contributors.

IS BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR IN YOUR BLOOD?

By Ari Satriyo Wibowo

Ask yourself this question, is being an entrepreneur in your blood? What will your family think? How will you finance the business without draining your personal saving? Will you be a success? But before you travel any farther down the path to get your business started, put thoughts about “the business” on hold. There’s something more important to think about first. We know a way to help you answer all those questions you’re asking yourself and replace some of your doubt and uncertainty with confidence. And it has nothing to do with business or your idea for that business or invention--- yet.

On the contrary, what we propose is something that’s all too often overlooked by people thinking about tarting up their own business.It’s called your life. That’s right. We want you to focus first on what you really want out of this new life you are about to create. Why do we propose planning a life before planning a business? We believe that you’ll be most fulfilled by running your own show if you create a business that draws on what you really enjoy doing. You’re going to spend a lot of time and energy to make a success of your new business. If you enjoy the work, you won’t regret spending that time.

Using this approach, you’ll find that the more you enjoy your work, the harder you’re going to want to work. The harder you work, the closer you come to success. So, plan your life before you’ve even researched your idea or written a business plan. An entrepreneur is a person who has decided to take control of his future and become self-employed—whether by creating his own unique business or working as a member of a "team," as in multi-level marketing.

There are several character traits and work ethics that are common to successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are careful about money. They always know how much money they have. They know the value and cost of things so they can recognize a real bargain. Most entrepreneurs earned money when they were teenagers — babysitting, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, selling flowers etc.

Entrepreneurs are competitive by nature. Many were active in sports and other competitions in high school and college. Others were competitive in wanting to make good grades, earn the respect of their parents and teachers and achieve their goals. Entrepreneurs believe in the old adage, "the early bird gets the worm." They sleep and eat enough to maintain their energy levels but they don't usually linger over nonproductive tasks. Entrepreneurs are risk-takers who trust their hunches and act on them.Taking risks can be small first steps, like placing your first ad in a mailorder publication.

Entrepreneurs have a "head for business." They are always thinking of new ideas and new ways to make money or increase their business. They are not afraid to put these ideas to use. Entrepreneurs are usually loners rather than joiners. That's one reason why the home-based, mailorder business is so appealing to many entrepreneurs. They prefer a solitary work environment. Entrepreneurs are usually honorable people who do business based on a handshake or a promise. They tend to form strong associations with others who share this work ethic.

Entrepreneurs do set aside time for leisure activities and family. Their principal form of relaxation is their work, but they do realize the importance of downtime and spend time with their family. Entrepreneurs don't retire. They may sell or change their business, thinking they will retire, but they always jump back in with a new project or get a new idea that they just can't ignore.

Entrepreneurs are professionals. Whether working from their bedroom, the kitchen table or a modern, well-appointed home office, they operate just as they would if they were in an expensive office building in a major city. When they are working, they don't let outside influences distract them. In general, entrepreneurs are people who have high energy, feel self-confident, set long-term goals, and view money and financial security as a measure of accomplishment and piece of mind.

They persist in problem solving, take risks, learn from failures (their own and from others), take the initiative, accept personal responsibility and use all available resources to achieve their success. Entrepreneurs compete with themselves and believe that success or failure lies within their personal control or influence. They do not see non-successes as failures but as learning experiences. Most of all, they never give up and never quit striving for success. If you fit most of these criteria, you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Success comes mainly from educating yourself and a lot of hard work.