A MESSAGE BY GEORGE CARLIN

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate?

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done largerthings, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. Atime when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life

YEAR END GRAND PRIZE 2008

On Tuesday, 23 December 2008, Independent had a special activity: Drawing Out of Grand Prize Coupon. At about 2pm Independent students gathered to witness the drawing out of the Grand Prize Coupon. The recipient of the prize was Mia Sylvia Sanjaya, a Lower Intermediate II student. Unfortunately she did not attend the event as she still had something important to do outside… For the prize, Mia got a brand new Phillips DVD player. She expressed her happiness when she was contacted through her mobile phone. She finally took the prize from Miss Irma on 24 December 2008 and she told Independent that the DVD player was good.

The coupon was drawn randomly from many numbers. Students who pay the monthly course fee on time (1st – 10th of the month) deserve coupons which will be drawn out twice a year. The prizes could be a hand phone, a DVD player, a VCD player, DVDs, books, or other useful things.

Congratulations, Mia.

YEAR-END AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAY

Dear Students,

Students' Parents and Relatives

as well as all Clients and Friends,

Independent will have

Year-End and New Year Holidays

from 24 December 2008 to 5 January 2009.

All office and course activities will resume

on

Tuesday, 6 January 2009.

Independent would like to wish you

a Merry Christmas

and

a Happy New Year

Warmest Regards,

Management

SUBJECT: INTELLIGENT PEOPLE

George W. Bush meets with the Queen of England.

He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," says the Queen, "The most important thing is to surround you yourself with intelligent people."

Bush frowns. "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"

The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligence test. Listen to this".

The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please! send Tony Blair inhere, would you?"

Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

The Queen smiles. "Answer me this, please, Tony! Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"

Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me."

"Yes! Very good," says the Queen.

Back at the White House, Bush asks to speak with Vice President Dick Cheney. "Dick, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," says the Vice President. "Let me get back to you on that one."

Dick Cheney goes to his advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall.

Dick shouts, "Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?"

Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!"

Dick Cheney smiles, "Thanks!"

Cheney goes back to the Oval Office to speak with Bush. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell."

Bush gets up, stomps over to Dick Cheney, and angrily yells into his face,

"No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

(Thanks to Mr Ign Herry Djoko who gave me this story. Thomas A. Sutadi)

IS YOUR ENGLISH GOOD?

This text was contributed via email by FX Kabrini Y. Suryanita to show that it is wrong to think that English is just a matter of words. English should be used with the combination of vocabulary, context and meaning. Otherwise, people will laugh at you or misunderstand you.

SUM’S LOVE LETTER
Sum, an Indonesian woman who married an American man named Robbie, wrote this letter to Robbie as she did not want to meet him anymore. She thought her English was quite all right as she had ever learned it at school for years. With the help from thick English books, Indonesian-English and English-Indonesian dictionaries and the most updated thesaurus and the latest encyclopedia, she wrote the following sentences.

Hi Robbie, with this letter I want to give know you. I WANT TO CUT CONNECTION US. I have think this very cook cook.I know my love only clap half hand. Correctly, I have see you go with a woman entertainment at town with my eyes and head myself. You always ask apology back back times.Your eyes drop tears crocodile. You correct correct a man crocodile land. My Friend speak you play fire. Now I know you correct correct play fire. So, I break connection and pull body from love triangle this.

I know result I pick this very correct, because you love she very big from me. But I still will not go far far from here. I don't want you play play with my liver. I have been crying night night until no more eye water thinking about your body. I don't want to sick my liver for two times. Safe walk, Robbie.
Girl friend of your liver.

Note:This river I forgive you, next river I kill you !

Read the text above once again and find out what actually Sum wants to say. Help her to revise the letter so that Robbie understands Sum’s letter.

(I would like to thank FX Kabrini Y. Suryanita for sending the “story” above. She is a smart and humorous girl who really wants to improve her English. I hope her English will be better and better).

Thomas A. Sutadi

WHY DO ENGLISH TEACHERS HAVE TO IMPROVE THEIR COMPETENCE?

Contributed by Ms Ramadhani*

The development of transportation and technology has pushed the world into globalization. For example, TV programs convey the information from all over the world. It not only affects to the people’s life styles but also the education world.

In this globalization world, the best human resources are needed. The best human resources are produced by the best quality of teaching process. To improve the human resources, high quality teachers are needed too. English teachers have got roles to improve the education world through the best teaching process. That’s why the teachers have to improve their competences.

How to improve the English teachers’ competences?
Here are some ways for English teachers to improve their competences:
The more information you get, the better you are. Technology is the easiest way to get the information. You can search in internet to get the variety of information.
Attend the academic workshops and seminars. You need to improve your competence through academic workshops and seminars. Just take an academic workshop or seminar in your spare time.
Read more and more. You have to read a lot. Read from magazines, books, and newspaper. Do you like politics or sports? If you don’t like politics or sports, it doesn’t mean that all the reading materials are not interesting. Basically all the kinds of reading materials will help you to improve your knowledge. The multi topics are sometimes used in your class. You sometimes will come up with the politic problems to argue; e.g pro and contra about pornography law and issue will be a good topic to talk about in your class. Sports will be a good topic for the students to make an essay; e.g. the students retell the football match.
Watch and listen a lot. You can learn English from films and songs. You can watch a film with a pen in your hand. Take notes about interesting sentences or utterances. Find the meaning of the sentences and utterances, read and memorize them.
Share with your friends. You can share and exchange some teaching tips.
Use English in your daily activity.
Make a new best friend: DICTIONARY. A dictionary will help you to improve your English skills.
Don’t stop to learn new things.
Hopefully these tips will help you to improve your competence.
Good luck!!

*Ms Ramadhani is one of Independent’s teaching staff

LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH SONGS

A Song is a Way from 1000 Ways to Learn English…
Contributed by Ms Ramadhani*

Learning English is one of the important things in this global world. Almost all countries all over the world use English as their international communication. Do English learners also realize this? Nowadays, you will be left behind if you can’t use English. But students sometimes feel bored and unwilling to learn it. It’s the right time for you, English learners, to recognize other ways to learn English.

Actually English is fun. You don’t have to study tenses through the patterns. It just makes you snoozing..zzzz…. So, what should you do? Do you like singing?? Every one usually likes singing in his or her bathroom. Yes, you are all bathroom singers! All children, teenagers, and even old people like music. That’s why I can say: In fact, people all over the world like music. What are the simple examples? People use music to shake their stress away. Even music is used by a pregnant woman to improve her infant’s brain. Last but not least, a child of three is able to memorize the lyrics of a song by the time they heard it for the first time.

Singing a song is one of the ways to learn English for you. But of course, you need to sing English lyrics songs. People memorize the lyrics easily as music is fun and relaxing. People learn how to pronounce the verb or unfamiliar English vocabularies through English songs accidentally.

Here are some reasons why you can improve your English skills through English songs. The first is you can learn tenses. The tenses which are used in the songs can help you improve your grammar. The second is your vocabularies enrichment. Learners also enrich their vocabularies through English songs. You will try to find out what the meanings of the words in the song are. The third is listening. English learners actually practice their listening skill by the time they listen to the English songs. The fourth is you can practice your pronunciation and speaking skill through English songs. People learn how to pronounce the verb or unfamiliar English vocabularies through English songs accidentally.

These are some tips for you English learners. How to learn English from English songs? You’ll find the answers, here you are:

You have to choose the right songs. Choose your favourite songs and of course choose also the singers that you like.
You have to choose the slow songs. It will be easier for you to note the unfamiliar vocabularies from the songs, so that you can improve your vocabularies.
You have to try to find the text. But first of all, listen to it and guess the lyrics. You can search the text from the internet. This way will stimulate your listening skill.
You have to try to sing it with the right pronunciation. You can learn the pronunciation from the song and check it again in your dictionary. This will improve your pronunciation and your speaking skill.
If you find the unfamiliar words, find through the answer from a magic book A.K.A. dictionary.

# SINGING A SONG IS A GOOD WAY TO LEARN ENGLISH #
*Ms Ramadhani is one of Independent’s teaching staff