7 Tips to Strengthening Your Brain (Part 2)

This article is continuance posting of previous article entitled
7 Tips to Strengthening Your Brain (Part 1). Bellow are tips to do Brain Strengthening.

1. Teach Another.
If there is something do you want to learn, try also to teach another as well.
Traditional learned process will help you to understand about an idea, but teaching something to another else makes you really understand on concept and how to implement it. To teach somebody else, you should anticipate a possibility prompted question and understand the topic from different view mindset. Teaching another will dramatically enhance you understanding.

2. Write an Article.
It is easy to leaning something from a book, but it is will different if you have to write an article on a topic. If you do want be an expert in a topic do you chose, write a book on that topic. It will make you possible to track some new aspect from an object that you learn. By writing, you will connect it with the ideas that you have known and create a knowledge network.

3. Start blogging.
Start blogging that tell your experiences will improve your learned process. Write a blog makes you step to backward and then step again to the front to writing in order make another understand on your experiences. If you want improve your brain strength to the next level, I suggest you to start writing on your own blogging. Writing on a blog will be something interesting intellectually also will be a brain stimulant activity.

4. Keep your body fit and healthy.
While you try to improve your leaning speed, you should ensure that you feed your brain as well. Brain is part of body that needs much energy and oxygen in order to gain high and efficient function. In a learning process you should feed and care on you body in order process maximized. The purposes are, you should:
* Get food regularly in order to keep your blood glucose in high level.
* Sport in everyday.
* Do relaxation in some minute everyday.
* Get sleep not less than seven hour everyday.
* Drink much water.
* Take a lunch in less portions. Much portion for a lunch pretends to make people sleepy, prefer to a fresh discussion lunch instead of much portions.

5. Learn with you senses.
While somebody else learn with a different way, we began learning process by look at a picture and interpreting it to be an idea. From a pictorial book, we try to learn by use a sense for sight.
When you have to understand on something quickly, the sense of sight will help you to make an imagination on a topic at your brain.

Draw also on a paper. You could draw everything, a table, a graphic, or just a time flow. Then add an image at your mind while you are learning and create the picture simultaneously in your mind while you are thinking. It had better if you don't limit your self by a visual image. Please learn with all of your five human senses.

As an example, if you want to learn on Buenos Aires, the best way have to do are get a trip to there, explore that town, take a tango dance course, enjoy its origin culinary and speak with a local people. You do not learn anything yet without you exercise itself in your life. Involve in a lesson learned through a touch, sight, earning, and smiling.

6. Improve your motivation .
Improvisation is a tool to enhance remember ability. Try to think about a students who stay up and study all night in order to prepare their self for an exam at school in the tomorrow morning. They have a high motivation because they study in advance and now they must save much information in a night. They could understand the material overbearingly on behalf their motivation. Absolutely, is caused they ought to. This motivation makes learning process running in high level.

If you are no longer a student who getting used to suspend but you still in your way to motivate your self, try with an award. If you create an award system, you will learn sooner as an anticipation to gain the award. As a sample, if you learn or do a work to understand on a pieces subject, you might give the your self award to go to a shop, play a video game or watch your favorite TV program. Create the kind of motivation that suitable for you.

7. Learn while you sleep.
Don't it is very beautiful to spend your bed time while learn on something by push the "play" button of a CD player? Of course. Unfortunately, a research that taken by a university report that it is impossible to do if you are in a deep sleep. But, a fact shows that you could do learn at a light sleep, a condition where you on your way to a deep sleep.

It is important to remember that the materials that you hear no more than a fact, date, vocabulary and another soft material. You couldn't learn hard material at you light sleep phase.
Lately, a research in Germany discovers that electrical stimulation utilization at certain phase in a bed time could enhance people ability to remember a fact.

>> Read More: 7 Tips to Strengthening Your Brain (Part 2)...

English Song Improves My English Proficiency

Except at school, formally, I had never joint in any English course. I do study English by myself, learn each other with my friends, reading some interesting stuff, listening an English conversation on television without reading its trans-subtitled text (such as Hollywood movie, Oprah's Show, documenter series, English news, etc.), join within online learning community, chatting together with my abroad friends, or whatever activity to improve and keen my English skill.

Listening to English songs is one method that I use. I do believe that this is one of good ways to be good in English and it is more interesting way than listening to a conversation. I am used to doing this way to learning English since junior high school and I would be happy when I succeed to understand or clearly in hearing what sentences a singer just said. In some class sessions, my teacher also used this method in the class. Till now, I often use this method.

It is really a relaxed way in learning English because I could enjoy this kind of art while listening it. When I failed to hear it clearly or finished to understand its lyric, I will goon correcting it by finding and read its text lyric. As the result, of course, not all of them were correct. Hmmm... in my mind, it was very logic and I was never thought "how poor I am..."� he he he he. Fairly, lots of English songs don't use good English grammatically and sometimes use idioms, slang or another English terminology as well. The rest, I admitted that it was my weakness and I must study hard while using the other methods.

Furthermore, I do like the song as one of my interesting in art. Might be this fact is additional reason for me why I do like learning by using this one method. Now, do you have any idea about my story above? If you do, let me know. Tell me what methods do you like in learning English, why and how?

Last but not least, I would like to let you know on my dream in English now. It is I would like to increase my TOEFL score. Once my English being good, so my TOEFL will be high in score... upssst! Which one is the first? Good English or TOEFL Score? Do you know the right answer? Are you confused to answer? Or are you confused to understand all of my English above maybe? Ha ha ha ha ha, it means I have to explain more for you.

Opss, I forgot to tell you about image above. That is a groups for Indonesian where I learn English together with other.

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The Four International Red Cross Movement Emblems

There are four emblems recognized as the symbol of humanitarian purpose in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The emblems use as symbol to protect the victims of armed conflict. The emblems are Red Cross, Red Crescent, Red Sun and Lion and, Red Cristal as the last emblem.

Geneva Convention 1949 and its additional protocol provide regulation for utilization and protection of the emblem to prevent misuses in peace and armed conflict situation. The use of these emblems by society in Indonesia and other countries world wide has made the essence of its existence fade.The misuse and violation cases are increasing in numbers.

My bachelor thesis analyzed of the requirements to be fulfilled in using the emblems, the parties and objects that allowed to use, the obligation of the parties involve in armed conflict in terms of its protection and, regulation with respect to utilizations and protection on of the emblems in Indonesia. Research method applied is juridical norm approach. The study conducted is a descriptive study that used primary, secondary and tertiary source of law materials. Collected data is processed and analyzed by using qualitative method. The study found that the emblems of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can be utilized by complementing certain requirements and are allowed to certain parties and objects.

In armed conflict circumstance, the hostility parties are obligated to respect and to protect the emblems. The study also revealed that regulation with respect to utilization and protection of these emblems in Indonesia has not established yet. It is against the Geneva Convention 1949 and its additional protocol. Every country, especially for high contracting parties should have affirmation to guarantee respect and protection of the emblems, both in peace and armed conflict circumstances. These are keywords in the recommendation state at the end of my thesis.

I researched for International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement because I'm interested to International Humanitarian Law and I'm a red cross volunteer as well. If you are interested too on International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, let's we discuss it.

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New US Dollar Released By "Creative Hands"

Ha ha ha ha, this mock money describes that USD FIAT value is collapse. I got this image without followed by any information from my friends husband who lives in Congo, Africa. In his email, only noticed a link to a mailing list groups at yahoo: "Dilsedesi" .

I wondered and want to know more information by clicked the link that provided, but there was no post I met. I must submit before access its post archive and I do not interest to do since I have joined into many groups, I was afraid the groups will useful for nothing. I think its members have discuss on this funny image and I'm sure the creative hands made this image regarding global financial crisis that started from US.

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ISS Governance and Democracy Post Graduate Program, I Will Come!

The Institute of Social Studies (ISS) is prestigious high education institution in the Netherlands that offers a program of studies leading to a Masters degree in Development Studies. With a strong focus on training in the theory and methods relevant to development studies, the MA Program aims to equip graduates to apply new insights in policy analysis in a practical context. The ISS MA Degree in Development Studies is widely recognized and provides eligibility for entry to PhD programs in the Netherlands and other countries worldwide.

Right now I'm in my way to get a scholarship support to continue my study at ISS. Enrolling to Governance and Democracy program study at ISS is my passion. As an NGO employee in good ngo governance and civil society development issues, this program is suitable for me. This specialization examines key concepts of governance and democracy in the context of globalization, giving students a greater comprehension of how the processes of governance, markets and democracy interact with those of participation, accountability, representation, and of civil and human rights. The specialization focuses on applying theories and principles of improving governance and democracy across a spectrum of issues, including accountability, inclusive democracy, combating corruption and enforcing the rule of law. Furthermore it looks at the role of the private sector, middle classes and organized labor during national reform processes. In this way the specialization analysis the various responses to the problems of globalization, from attempts to establish global governance to the rise of anti-globalization movements. Visit the official website: www.iss.nl.

ISS argues that the students will become familiar with the way such concepts as governance and democracy, institutional reform, capacity building, accountability and power are understood. They will be able to critically analyze current reform efforts, and become familiar with different theories on how reform and change take place. Hunting and hunting every opportunity and information in order gain scholarship grant and submit an application for competition is my challenges. ISS, welcome me warmly!.

>> Read More: ISS Governance and Democracy Post Graduate Program, I Will Come!...

New Background Theme of Google Mail

This night, when I signed out from google mail (gmail), new background theme welcome me. Aha! Fantastic, it looks so nice and fresh, a mountain view "say hello" for me. Then I tried to type www.gmail.com at new tab page, the new theme didn't appear. Just logged in and logged out again, I met new theme again. Hmm.. I think the the just appear on the first page after log out.

It wondered me, was that theme appear randomly? so, I tried and tried. Only the same theme appeared at the page. Then I tried to sign in and sign out by using IE6 ( in advance I used Firefox 2.0.0.18), but there was no theme appear in both page. Do you know why?

For all that, google has brought new change for its user. I myself admitted google innovation in cyber world (internet), but I also read fidgety of internet user society that google will dominate internet technology entirely since google released their products and services progressively such as google search engine, google maps, chrome, adsense, adword, webmaster, gmail, googlepages etc. Most of that services are free. Besides, google also acquired some internet services such as blogger and feedburner. It is realize why internet expert community face fidgety, hopes google not growth and endanger their jobs. Will you google?

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Indonesia, The State With Multi Party System. Is It Effective?

As long as Indonesia history, this state have had multy party system since at the beginning of its independence. As the first general election in 1955, all of the party born and the process was admitted as the most democratic general election in Indonesia. The election was taken place 10 years after Indonesia declared it independence in 17th of August 1945. Four top political party was born through this period, those parties were: Masyumi, PNI, NU and PKI. The periode was glorious era for Indonesia parties within parliamentary state system. Nevertheless, multy party system did not working properly. The parties failed in accomplish their function, it caused the cabinet form and collaps in short time and national development no progress.

In New Order era, especially after general election 1971, the government regulated party system to be simpled in number by fused all of party to became three parties in 1973. Golkar, PDI and PPP are the three party in Indonesia until the 1997 general election. It was happen in former Soeharto's power, a second president of Indonesia.

Since 1999 or in current reformation era, Indonesia set back to multyparty system and have taken place general election for two times. Each general election was participated by both new and old party. For next coming general election 2009, Indonesia has no less than 44 political parties that will participate. It is confusing people to use their right to elect, which one party is better? Effectiveness is a crucial question since there are no different spirit of most of the parties. In my mind, multyparty system just divide voter or ballot, it is lead to divide the major passion into several groups (party). We don't know which one party is serious as a party and representing people in parliament and which one party is established just to get political position to gain personal or group profit and interest. My conclusion is multyparty system only makes voter to be divided and somehow there is no awareness about this, but who want to know? this is democracy, right? Maybe my opinion is worse than regulation maker opinion.

>> Read More: Indonesia, The State With Multi Party System. Is It Effective?...

NGOs Pare Down in Face of Financial Crisis

This morning a got a good reading to reinforce my last post entitled Global Financial Crisis Impact on Funding Agencies Support to NGO. I copied from Global Policy web deliberately for enhance this topic purpose. The different is, below article just analized and explained the impact to the biggest development and humanitarian NGOs that working globally (international NGO/INGO). It is do not discuss the impact to small NGO or local NGO that working directly to beneficiaries community, especially in developing country in southern.

There are several INGO that declared to re-arrange financial planning for the next year regarding global financial crisis that they are facing. This policy will affect their development program certainly.

NGOs Pare Down in Face of Financial Crisis
Integrated Regional Information Networks
October 27, 2008

Some of the biggest development and humanitarian NGOs are laying off staff or revising programmes for 2009 as their income streams flatten because of the global financial crisis. Fundraising experts of three of the world's top NGOs - Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and World Vision USA - said programme growth will slow in 2009 as a result of the squeeze. "The growth we had assumed when putting plans together a year ago is not materialising," John Shaw, director of finance and information systems at Oxfam GB, told IRIN. "The overall picture is essentially flat." Oxfam had envisaged five to six percent growth over 2009-10, but has now revised this to zero.

Some of the biggest reductions are coming from corporate donors in the financial sector, NGO staff told IRIN. "The fall-off with corporate started six to nine months ago," said Tanya Steele, supporter relations and fundraising director for Save the Children in London. "The financial services and investment banking sector have been very generous in the past but we know it will be a tough financial year for them going into 2009. We'd expect [funding from them] to be flat or potentially decline going into 2009." "Growth from corporations won't be as much so we won't be scaling up our programmes as we'd want to do," Robert Zachritz, World Vision's director of advocacy and government relations, told IRIN from Washington, DC. As a result, NGOs such as Save the Children will not be able to make substantial investments in existing or new programmes as they had hoped. The three agencies have an annual income of US$3.1 billion.

Impact
Aid groups are doing all they can to prevent the cuts from affecting beneficiaries. "We are trying to cut back on support, rather than programme costs," Oxfam's Shaw said, estimating cutbacks of 10 to 15 percent of 'variable costs' including staff at headquarters and regional centres to create more cost-effective operations. While all agreed new money could be found should a crisis break out in upcoming months, Save the Chilidren's Steele worries some of the more neglected, chronic crises, such as in southern Sudan, may suffer. World Vision fears that recipients of micro-credit programmes, such as poor farmers who receive loans to buy tools, seeds and fertilisers, could be particularly hard hit. "Much of this relies on getting loans from banks, which is going to be a real challenge in the near future," Zachritz pointed out. "Losing this credit is a huge problem for the world's poor, small-scale farmers." World Vision is the world's biggest international humanitarian non-profit, with US$2.4 billion in annual funds, 30 percent of which comes from the US government, 30 percent from foundations, and 40 percent from individual supporters and corporations.

NGO strategies
NGOs are trying to innovate their way out of the financial squeeze. Some agencies, such as Oxfam, aim to increase funding from institutional donors which they see as being steadier in the long term. Save the Children is trying to carve out more funds from wealthy individuals. "It will be a competitive market but I cannot believe we won't grow in the next four to six years," said Steele. While corporate funding is dropping off, lay-offs provide an opportunity for redundant staff from the corporate sector to volunteer for non-profits, putting their skills to good use, said Steele. "While corporate money is diminishing, that does not mean the relationship with these companies has to come to an end." And Steele hopes that drops in television advertising costs - one effect of the world credit crunch - will mean agencies such as Save the Children can now better afford to run direct marketing campaigns on television. But on the whole, many humanitarian and development NGOs are revising down their fundraising plans. Aid agencies are less likely to be knocked down if they plan ahead, said Oxfam's Shaw. "We have been revising our plans over the past six months. If we have to take knee-jerk decisions these won't be as effective as they will be if we plan for the future."

Silver lining
There are some encouraging signs amid the uncertainty. Major institutional donors such as the UK Department for International Development or the US Agency for International Development "are taking a long-term view and we are not seeing any immediate signals that they are pulling back," Steele affirmed. US government funding is going to stay at the same level as 2008 according to World Vision's Zachritz, partly because the funding cycle runs from October 2008 to the end of September 2009, and it being an election year, Congress has passed a continuing resolution keeping US government funding steady. But it is too early to say if this strategy will endure, according to Shaw. "At the end of the day government funding is down to governments balancing their books and politics come into it, so it is too early to tell, but the commitments made so far are encouraging." Zachritz said World Vision is largely protected from corporate cuts because the bulk of the NGO's corporate donations are 'gifts-in-kind', in other words, medicine, building supplies and clothing, rather than money. Further, World Vision relies on child sponsorship for much of their individual giving. "People are very loyal to that and you usually don't see it drop, even when families experience [financial] difficulties," he pointed out. It is this loyalty that will keep them going, NGO staff told IRIN. "The public is still very responsive to international [humanitarian] needs," Shaw said. But while the NGO financial experts have not yet seen substantial reductions in individual giving, they anticipate potential dips as they approach the holiday fundraising season. "Our Christmas catalogues have already gone out, this holiday will be a real litmus test in terms of tightening belts," said Steele.

>> Read More: NGOs Pare Down in Face of Financial Crisis...

Global Financial Crisis Impact on Funding Agencies Support to NGO

Have you ever thought whether global financial will brings an impact to funding agencies to support NGO, especially from northern funding agencies to southern NGO? the answer is: yes in most possibility! how come? let me tell you briefly base on my experiences on NGO source of their resource (money).

We know that a funding agency as a nonprofit institution should survive and gain financial support from philanthropist as much as possible. The more money they get, the more support for their program in developing country will be helped. Besides, some of official state policy in assist overseas country, also provide the funding agencies the resources to implement the development assitance in overseas developing or underdeveloped country. In other way, developed state's fund for the overseas assistance is also addressed by funding agencies. Otherwise, the states will address their fund directly based on government to govenrmnet partnership.

Another way to gain money for funding agency is by involve in stock exchange. In once time, a funding agency officer told that their institution will not support their grantee as much as in the past since they were suffer a financial lose in stock exchange. What does that statement means? it mean the funding agency involve in stock exchange to get profit, then their asisstance for grantee (NGOs) is taken from the profit. Above statement is released about 2007 years and in a normal economic condition.

Now, in the end of 2008, financial cricis strike whole the world. If you an NGO board and getting used to supported by agency in northern or developed country, you should ready to face a difficult phase to get the support. Perhaps, this cricis will not affect grant opportunity in the next short time, but we will face it after the funding agencies correct their budget. Please do an observation to proof this possibility until 2-5 next years.

Do you aware what a lessons learned from this situation are? If you agree with me, I suggest you to reduce you dependency to funding agency to support your NGO existence. Gain support from your neighbourhood people, constituen community or philanthropist. Or do your NGOself fundrising effort. In order to get support from community, you should manage your NGO properly, good in governance, practice the transparency and accountability principles, guarantee their participation in your programs. If you disregard this effort while you got the finacial support from funding agencies easily, it is not too late to reduce your NGO dependencies to funding agencies and be a strong NGO financially even financial crisis strike more full tilt whole the world.

>> Read More: Global Financial Crisis Impact on Funding Agencies Support to NGO...

Should NGO Activist Involves Their Self Directly In Politic?

It is debatable question whether NGO activist should involves directly in politic domain. In Indonesia, NGO activist who come across into politic is still being an interesting topic for among NGO activist. Globally, there is no rigid norm to prevent this phenomenon, but commonly, is it unacceptable when NGO activist became a politician since domain area for NGO and Politic extremely different. Different area mean different system, interest, value, interest and motivation in development.

Based on Arito and Cohen: market, civil society and state are have different domain and different function. This separation called as the triangle sector. NGO is entity in civil society domain area and politic is in state domain area, as such they have to be acted by different actor. Those three sector must keep their role in check and balance each other.

Back to Indonesia context, NGO or civil society activist who became a politician is traditional society movement since this country citizen met their nationality passion when colonial age until now. Many founding father of Indonesia ware civil society activist. This fact encourages today NGO activist have political motivation in their existence in NGO. When they are feel have enough experience to be a politician or feel boring in NGO, they will across to politic activity. But, it is recognize that not all of NGO activist have this motivation and keep their commitment to fighting for marginalized people purely, but in my observation, they are only in less number.

Somehow, they believe that became a politician is fighting for social justice through political way is not differs than when they struggle in NGO. In common perception, this fact is motivated by perception that became an NGO activist is not good for our live in the future, there is no enough need for living will you get when you dedicated your live and working for NGO throughout your life. That is true since the salary for NGO (especially for local NGO) is not as much as politician or businessman salary. But, none honest about this.

I myself disagree if the NGO activist become a politician, but that not mean I do not recognize their political rights as a democratic country citizen. I prefer to consist to be a NGO activist/worker/employee than across to other domains, market or state, that have different values, system, way, interest, and motivation in build a nation.

>> Read More: Should NGO Activist Involves Their Self Directly In Politic?...

Are You Looking For UN, NGO or Development Job Vacancy?

I just left this fabulous site which displays updated and archived vacancy from UN agencies, NGOs or related development agency for Indonesia base. Most of its vacancies will be base in Aceh. Aceh (NAD)is northern province in Indonesia and just strike by earth quake and tsunami in the end of 2005. Thousand people was killed and infrastructure damaged. It is why myriads of UN, NGO and development agency work together there to rebuilt Aceh and its neighbourhood area. You will find, however, other work base, such as Jakarta, Banten, Yogyakarta, Kupang, Makasar, Papua, Nias, Medan, etc.

If you are a job seeker for non profit sector, I suggest you to find your suitable job position there. Just click here: http://development-job.blogspot.com/

>> Read More: Are You Looking For UN, NGO or Development Job Vacancy?...