Yes, This Tiny Home Is Very Cool. But There’s Something That Makes It Completely Brilliant.

February 26, 2014 In the News

The designers at I-Beam Design created the Pallet House Project because they were inspired by one simple, but unbelievable, fact: 84% of the world’s refugees could be housed with a year’s supply of recycled American pallets. Just based off of a year and a half year of pallet production in the US alone, 33 million refugees could live in a Pallet House.
That’s a lot of housing for a LOT of people in need. What makes their design so brilliant is that virtually anyone can build it very cheaply and in less than one day.

The Pallet House, by I-Beam Design, was conceived as a transitional shelter for refugees returning to Kosovo.

I-Beam Design

The pallet house is simply and provides great flexibility in terms of configuration. Each family could build a house based on their needs and size.

I-Beam Design

Since the house is made from spare wooden pallets, it is easy to acquire the materials to build the shelter.

I-Beam Design

Not only that, but the house is very simple. Only basic tools are required to build it.

I-Beam Design

You could add on to the house with found materials, such as plastic sheeting or tarps.

I-Beam Design

The pallet houses can even be upgraded to include insulation, heating and cooling.

I-Beam Design

I-Beam Design provides “IKEA-style assembly instructions” so that anyone can assemble these houses. You don’t need a background in carpentry.

I-Beam Design

For only $75, you can buy a pallet house information kit that includes: pdf plans, sections, elevations, photos, diagrams, renderings and a materials & tools list.

I-Beam Design

Even though the pallet house was originally designed for refugees, you could use those plans to build yourself a beautiful little camper cabin or shelter.

I-Beam Design

It’s amazing what can be done with materials America “wastes.”

I-Beam Design

So for less than $100, you can learn how to build a shelter (basically, a house) that is without plumbing but will protect you from the elements. Building a small cabin (or even a treehouse for your children) was never so easy.
If you’d like to buy the plans yourself, please visit I-Beam Design’s website.
Source: I-Beam Design

his House Is Super Cool On The Inside. Which Is Why The Outside Shocked Me So Much.

February 26, 2014 Other Stuff

Most houses with a modern design have a pretty stylish exterior, as well. This one, though, has a slight twist…
Shipping containers aren’t just for shipping anymore (contrary to what one may believe). A company called Modulus found a way to use the metal containers that is both functional and incredibly stylish. I would love to have one of these myself.

David Fenster of Modulus created a family a dream house in the Santa Cruz Mountains just by using shipping containers.

David Fenster

Well, shipping containers and an amazing modern design on the inside.

David Fenster

The house itself clashes slightly with its lush surroundings.

David Fenster

But that’s what makes it so unique. Somehow, the modern metal design and the woods fit perfectly together.

David Fenster

The inside of the shipping container house is surprisingly bright, with lots of natural light.

David Fenster

Technically, approximately six shipping containers were used to build the house.

David Fenster

The result was stunning.

David Fenster

The juxtaposition of the metal against the lush greenery is striking, plus the inside of the shipping container house is just cool. If I could choose to live in any shipping container, I would live in this one.
Source: Modulus
Share David’s awesome house with others by clicking below.

Cinta adalah rezeki. Bak kata Nabi s.a.w tentang isterinya Khadijah: "Aku telah direzekikan cintanya" (Riwayat Muslim). Apabila ada orang mencintai kita itu merupakan rezeki kerana bukan semua orang dicintai.
Seseorang yang beristeri ataupun bersuami belum tentu mendapat nikmat 'dicintai' ataupun 'mencintai'. Apabila kita mempunyai isteri ataupun anak yang cinta dan kasih kepada kita maka bersyukur atas rezeki cinta itu.
Apabila ada orang tampil menyatakan cinta dan kasih kepada kita, maka kita bersyukur. Mungkin kita dapat membalaskan kembali cintanya dalam bentuk ikatan tertu, mungkin juga tidak. Namun rasa cintanya kepada kita amat kita syukuri kerana ramai orang tercari-cari cinta dan kasih sayang di sana-sini tidak berjumpa sedangkan kita memperolehinya. Apa yang penting urusan cinta dan kasih itu dikendalikan dengan cara yang betul.
Apabila seorang sahabat memberitahu Nabi s.a.w bahawa dia menyayangi seseorang kerana Allah. Nabi s.a.w menyatakan: "Beritahulah dia". Lalu orang itu memberitahunya: "Aku mencintaimu kerana Allah". Lelaki itu menjawab: "Moga Allah mencintai engkau yang mencintaiku keranaNYA". (Riwayat Abu Daud).
Terima kasih kepada semua mesej cinta dan kasih, moga Allah memberikan kebaikan untuk kita semua.

Menghayati Erti Rezeki Allah

Disiarkan pada February 27, 2014

MENGHAYATI ERTI REZEKI ALLAH
Prof Madya Dato’ Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
(sertai facebook DrMAZA.com dan twitter realDrMAZA)

Saya ingin memberikan tazkirah untuk diri sendiri dan juga mungkin boleh diambil manfaat oleh pembaca. Ia berkaitan perkara yang asas dalam kehidupan kita, iaitu tentang rezeki ataupun dalam bahasa Arab disebut al-Rizq.
Perkataan al-Rizq atau melayu sebut rezeki bermaksud pemberian ataupun kurniaan samada bersifat duniawi ataupun agama. Segala yang boleh dimanfaatkan, samada yang boleh dimakan ataupun tidak boleh dimakan maka itu rezeki. (lihat: Abu al-Baqa al-Kafawi, al-Kulliyyat, 472. Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalah).
Ertinya segala yang kita miliki dari perkara yang bermanfaat ataupun memberikan kebaikan buat kita samada di sudut keperluan dunia semata ataupun untuk agama maka itu adalah kurniaan ataupun rezeki. Rezeki bukan sahaja minuman, makanan, harta, kenderaan dan segala rupa bentuk kebendaan semata, rezeki juga ilmu pengetahuan, kasih sayang, kebahagiaan, anak, isteri, kesihatan, keselamatan, kegembiraan dan seumpamanya. Dalam hadis riwayat Muslim, Nabi s.a.w menyebut tentang Khadijah: “Aku telah direzekikan cintanya”.

Lupa Diri

Dalam keghairahan insan mencari kurniaan dalam kehidupan dari segi harta, pasangan, kegembiraan, kebahagiaan dan segalanya kadang-kala mereka melupai sumber rezeki yang asal iaitu Allah S.W.T. Sehingga seseorang seakan terasa dengan kemampuan dan kebijaksanaannya dia mampu mengaut rezeki untuk dirinya.

Demikian tidak kurang pula ada yang apabila berpeluang memberikan kelebihan yang dia miliki kepada orang lain menganggap seakan dialah punca rezeki yang telah dia dapat dengan kebijaksanaan dan kekuatan yang dia ada. Ini persis seperti Qarun yang dimusnahkan oleh Allah: (maksudnya)

“Qarun berkata: “Aku diberikan harta kekayaan ini hanyalah disebabkan kepandaian yang ada padaku”. Tidakkah dia (Qarun) mengetahui bahawa Allah telah membinasakan sebelumnya, umat-umat Yang telah lalu, mereka itu yang lebih kuat daripadanya dan lebih banyak mengumpulkan harta? dan (ingatlah) orang-orang yang berdosa (apabila mereka diseksa) tidak lagi ditanya tentang dosa-dosa mereka, (kerana Allah sedia mengetahuinya).
Kemudian Qarun keluar kepada kaumnya dengan memakai perhiasannya. (pada saat itu) berkatalah orang-orang yang semata-mata inginkan kesenangan kehidupan dunia: “Alangkah baiknya kalau kita ada kekayaan seperti yang didapati oleh Qarun! Sesungguhnya Dia adalah seorang yang bernasib baik”. Dan berkata pula orang-orang yang diberi ilmu (di antara mereka): “Janganlah kamu berkata demikian, pahala dari Allah lebih baik bagi orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh; dan tidak akan dapat menerimanya melainkan mereka yang sabar”. (Surah al-Qasas: 78-80).

Al-Razzaq

Agar manusia ingat, Allah menamakan diriNYA al-Razzaq (dibaca ar-razzaq). Ini merupakan salah satu dari nama-nama Allah yang indah (Asma` Allah al-Husna). Al-Razzaq bermaksud Maha Pemberi Rezeki. DIA memberikan kepada sesiapa sahaja yang DIA pilih. DIA juga yang menetapkan kadar pemberian menurut yang DIA kehendaki. Tiada satu makhluk pun yang wujud melainkan Allah pemberi rezekinya.

Allah menentukan kadar rezeki dengan kehendakNYA yang sebahagian dari kehendakNYA itu dikaitkan dengan peraturan alam yang DIA tetapkan. Sesiapa yang keluar mencari rezeki dengan memenuhi percaturan alam ini maka DIA membuka jalan rezeki untuk hamba itu. Sesiapa yang tidak berusaha, maka tiada rezeki untuknya. Pun begitu Allah boleh melakukan dengan kehendakNYA luar dari kebiasaan percaturan alam. Maka tidak mustahil ada yang memenuhi peraturan alam tidak mendapat rezeki sementara yang tidak berusaha tiba-tiba hadir untuknya rezeki tertentu. Kuasa Allah merentasi segalanya.

Pelbagai Rezeki

Jenis-jenis rezeki yang Allah kurniakan juga berbeza antara satu sama lain. Ada yang diberikan harta, tidak berikan zuriat. Ada yang diberikan harta dan zuriat, tidak diberikan kebahagiaan ataupun ketenangan dalam hidup. Ada yang diberikan kesihatan, tidak diberikan harta. Ada yang diberikan harta, tidak diberikan kasih sayang. Ada yang diberikan ilmu, tidak diberikan harta. Ada yang diberikan harta, tidak diberikan penghormatan dan maruah. Ada diberikan penghormatan, tidak diberikan harta. Begitulah seterusnya.
Maka jangan hairan jika si miskin tidur lena dalam rumah buruknya, si kaya pula kegelisahan dalam banglo mewahya. Jangan hairan jika rakyat bawahan makan dengan sedapnya, sementara raja dan menteri hilang seleranya. Jangan hairan jika ilmuwan lebih dihormati dari menteri. Rezeki itu pelbagai, yang dikurniakan makanan, belum tentu dikurniakan selera. Maka, janganlah kita melihat rezeki itu hanya pada satu sudut semata sehingga kita merasa rezeki kita kurang dalam semua sudut dibandingkan orang lain.
Ini seperti cerita seorang miskin yang datang mengadu kepada seorang ilmuwan bahawa Tuhan tidak merezekikan dia apa-apa. Lalu ilmuwan itu bertanya: “Mahukah engkau menjual tanganmu dengan harta seratus ribu? Dia menjawab: “Tidak”. Ditanya lagi, “Mahukah engkau menjual pendengaranmu dengan harta seratus ribu?”. Jawabnya: “Tidak”. Kemudian ditanya mata, kaki dan seterusnya. Akhirnya, kata ilmuwan itu menghitung segalanya dan berkata “engkau sebenarnya mempunyai asset yang berjuta harganya. Tunaikanlah kesyukuran kepada tuhanmu”.

Dua Jenis Rezeki

Rezeki Allah itu terbahagi kepada dua jenis, satu rezeki yang umum dan satu lagi rezeki yang khas. Rezeki umum diberikan kepada sesiapa sahaja dalam kalangan hamba-hambaNYA. Samada muslim, bukan muslim, manusia, haiwan, yang baik, yang jahat dan seterusnya. Pada asasnya sesiapa yang berusaha, mengikuti percaturan alam yang telah Allah tetapkan akan memperolehi rezeki. Seorang muslim yang tidur di rumahnya tidak akan memperolehi ikan dari laut, sebaliknya seorang bukan muslim yang turun ke laut dengan kelengkapan dan ilmu tentang penangkapan ikan akan memperolehinya. Demikian, sayur-sayuran tidak akan tumbuh hanya kerana seseorang itu bersolat tanpa usaha, tetapi yang berusaha menanam walaupun tidak bersolat akan tumbuh sayurannya. Di samping alam itu sendiri mempunyai pelbagai percaturan yang lain; hujan, panas, ribut, musuh, kawan dan pelbagai lagi. Segala usaha untuk mendapatkan rezeki hanya akan terhasil jika Allah izinkan. Samada yang DIA izinkan itu DIA redha ataupun tidak, itu persoalan yang lain. Firman Allah: (maksudnya)

“dan tiadalah suatu pun dari makhluk-makhluk yang bergerak di bumi melainkan Allah jualah Yang menanggung rezekinya” (Surah Hud, ayat 6).

Rezeki bahagian kedua ialah rezeki khusus untuk hamba-hambaNYA yang terpilih. Allah rezekikan iman, kebahagiaan jiwa, hikmah, ketenangan roh dan seumpamanya. Ini semua tidak diperolehi dengan usaha kebendaan, tetapi dengan kurniaan Allah. DIA maha mengetahui siapakah hamba-hambaNYA yang layak dikurniakan itu semua.
Maka, jangan hairan jika Nabi Musa a.s lebih bahagia dari Firaun yang berkuasa dan memburunya. Jangan hairan jika Firaun itu lebih derita jiwa dari kesakitan golongan yang dia tindas. Demikian juga segala golongan yang zalim yang menindas golongan yang soleh.
Jangan sangka orang yang penuh bangga dengan kekayaan hartanya lebih menikmati kemanisan dan keindahan hidup dibandingkan hamba Allah yang tidak berharta tetapi sentiasa sujud penuh syukur kepadaNYA.

Berusaha

Agama tidak menyuruh kita duduk saja tanpa berusaha mencari rezeki. Tiada dalam Islam bertawakkal tanpa berusaha. Nabi s.a.w menyebut:

“Jika kamu bertawakkal kepada Allah benar-benar tawakkal nescaya Allah merezekikan kamu seperti DIA merezekikan burung. Burung keluar pagi dalam keadaan lapar dan pulang petang dalam keadaan kenyang” (Riwayat Ahmad, al-Tirmizi dll, sahih).

Ada pihak cuba gunakan hadis ini untuk tidak berusaha atas alasan Allah akan berikan rezeki seperti burung. Itu fahaman yang salah. Hadis ini menceritakan bahawa selepas benar-benar tawakkal, seseorang hendaklah seperti burung yang keluar dari sarangnya pada awal pagi mencari rezeki dan akhirnya pulang kekenyangan. Burung tidak tidur dalam sarangnya tanpa usaha. Demikianlah muslim dengan rezekinya. Alam ini ada peraturan dan percaturan, seseorang hendaklah berusaha. Usaha itu adalah ibadah.

Qana’ah

Usaha berjalan dengan jiwa yang syukur dan qana’ah. Qana’ah bererti akur dengan apa yang diperolehi dari kurniaan Allah. Jiwa pun menjadi lapang dan tenang. Fikiran tidak hanya tertumpu kepada persoalan rezeki yang dilihat semata, juga yang tidak dilihat oleh mata seperti ilmu, bahagia, cinta, kasih dan tenang. Bukan dalam bentuk kebendaan semata, juga dalam bentuk yang lain seperti anak-anak, sahabat, kesihatan, keamanan dan seumpamanya. Sabda Nabi s.a.w:

“Sesiapa yang berpagi dalam keadaan aman pada dirinya, sejahtera jasadnya, baginya makanan hariannya maka seakan dihimpunkan untuk dunia” (Riwayat al-Tirmizi, Ibn Majah dll, hadis hasan).

Demikian insan menilai kehidupan dengan penuh kesyukuran. Bukan menolak yang tiada tetapi bersyukur dengan apa yang dikurniakan.

Jenis-jenis rasuah

Jenis-jenis rasuah

Komen berikut yang tersiar dalam blog MalaysiaToday menarik perhatian saya. Berikut petikannya untuk renungan bersama. Komen tersebut dipostkan oleh blogger MalaysiaTodayFC.

Menurutnya rasuah itu terbahagi kepada tiga jenis, iaitu:

Jenis pertama:
Sesuatu yang dengannya menyampaikan kepada mengambil sesuatu tanpa hak, seperti sesuatu yang disogok oleh seseorang kepada pemerintah/penguasa atau pihak yang bertanggungjawab untuk memperolehi pengguguran terhadap sesuatu yang semestinya ditunaikan, atau kerana mahu mendapatkan sesuatu sebelum tiba masanya, atau kerana mahu melariskan pengedaran barangan yang telah rosak atau sebagainya.

Ini adalah dari jenis rasuah yang paling teruk dan besar dosa dan mudaratnya kepada masyarakat Islam dan selain Islam. Inilah yang dimaksudkan oleh Firman Allah:
"Dan janganlah kamu makan hartabenda kamu di antara kamu dengan batil dan kamu ajukan perkara itu kepada penguasa (hakim) dengan maksud supaya kamu makan sebahagian dari harta orang lain dengan dosa, sedangkan kamu mengetahui." (al-Baqarah: 188)
(Lihat al-Feqhul Wadhih, vol 2, Dr. Muhmad Bakr Ismail, hal.610)

Sebagai orang asing dia semestinya mempunyai visa ketika berada di Malaysia, tetapi dia menyogok kepada pihak yang berwajib untuk melepaskan kewajipan ini dari dirinya.

Sepatutnya projek A di luluskan selepas mendapat kelulusan dan persetujuan dari beberapa pihak, tetapi syarikat B telah menyogok wang kepada mereka yang berkenaan agar projek itu diberi kelulusan segera.

Barangan yang telah luput tarikhnya atau yang tidak menepati standard yang dikehendakki, sepatutnya tidak boleh diberi kelulusan untuk diedarkan kepada pengguna. Namun pihak pengeluar telah menyuap pihak yang berwajib agar diberi kelulusan pengedaran.

Jenis kedua:
Iaitu sogokan yang dapat menghilangkan hak dari pemiliknya sebagai tindakan balas dendam kerana cemburu, dengki dsbnya. Jenis ini ada kemiripan dengan jenis yang ertama, malahan ia boleh dimasukkan ke dalam jenis berkenaan.

Apakah ada perbuatan yang lebih zalim lagi selain dari perbuatan menganiaya seorang saudara terhadap saudaranya yang lain dengan cara di atas? Ya, memang tiada perbuatan yang paling zalim, keji, runtuh akhlak, pemalsuan selain dari memakan harta manusia dengan cara yang batil dan keji. Ia tidak akan dilakukan melainkan oleh orang-orang yang keji, mati hatinya dan sesat pegangannya di dunia.

Di dunia ini, tiada sesuatu yang paling hina, keji dan jahat melainkan mereka yang curang dari kalangan pemerintah, penguasa dan pihak berwajib kerana menyia-nyiakan amanah yang diberikan, melenyapkan hak seseorang dari pemiliknya.
(Ibid., hal. 613)

Kerana persaingan yang hebat, maka A menyogok pihak yang bertanggungjawab agar mengenepikan projek yang sepatutnya diperolehi oleh syarikat B.

Kerana cemburu dengan kejayaan keluarga A, maka C telah menyogok agar permohonan bantuan pinjaman oleh anaknya yang belajar di Univerisiti dibangkusampahkan.


Jenis ketiga:
Iaitu sogokan yang diberikan untuk memperolehi satu-satu jawatan atau pekerjaan (&projek, kontrak dsbnya ).

Hukumnya adalah haram dengan ijmak umah, sebagaimana jenis pertama dan kedua. Dan, samada pemberi rasuah, penerima dan perantaranya, mereka kan memperoleh dosa yang sama.
(ibid.)

Lebih-lebih diharamkan lagi ialah apabila seseorang itu menyogok untuk memperoleh satu jawatan yang dia tidak mempunyai kelayakan. (ibid.)

A tidak mempunyai kelayakan untuk menjabat jawatan C, tetapi kerana ayahnya seorang yang berharta maka pihak yang berkenaan disogok jawatan berkenaan diberikan kepada A.

Sykt A sepatutnya bersaing dengan syarikat-syarikat lain untuk mendapatkan tender kontrak/projek, tetapi sykt A telah menyogok sebahagian pegawai yang bertanggungjawab. Sykt A mendapat kontrak berkenaan.

En. A adalah salah seorang pegawai yang bertanggungjawab meluluskan standard bangunan atau jambatan di jabatan X. Dalam suatu pemeriksaan yang dilakukan di tapak binaan jambatan kg B, di dapati boleh diluluskan. Dan sykt C yang bertanggungjawab menjalankan projek berkenaan telah menyogok En. A dengan sejumlah wang. Lalu.. Projek berkenaan telah diluluskan.

Hukum rasuah kerana menolak mudarat atau mengembalikan hak yang hilang
"Kadangkala seseorang itu terpaksa menyogok sejumlah wang kepada pemerintah/penguasa yang keji atau pemeras yang zalim untuk mengelakkan mara bahaya dari keluarganya. Di mana jika dia tidak menyogok, mara bahaya itu memang benar-benar akan berlaku. Ketika itu apa yang perlu dilakukan?

Atau kadangkala dia mempunyai hak tertentu, tetapi hak itu tidak akan diperolehi kecuali selepas membayar sejumlah wang. Ketika itu apa yang mesti dilakukan?

Apaka dia perlu mendedahkan diri dan keluarga kepada mara bahaya yang akan datang? Dan apakah di perlu membiarkan haknya itu hilang dan terlepas kerana takutkan dosa rasuah? Atau apakah dia perlu membayar sejumlah wang untuk tujuan memelihara diri dari mudarat atau mengambil hak yang sepatutnya diperolehinya?

Jawapannya: Wallahu a'lam… Apabila mara bahaya yang akan datang itu diperkira-kirakan amat dahsyat sehingga tidak sanggup ditanggungnya, atau haknya yang akan hilang itu tidak akan menjejaskan dengan teruk kehidupannya, maka ketika itu dihukumkan dengan hukum darurat/terpaksa sebagaimana dibenarkan memakan bangkai ketika terdesak. Bolehlah membayar sogokan itu kepada penguasa yang zalim itu dengan maksud mahu memelihara diri dari kemudaratan. Dosa dikenakan kepada penerima sogokan itu sahaja, tidak kepada penyogok yang dizalimi." (Ibid.)

Hadiah kepada hakim dan penguasa
Hakim, penguasa atau sesiapa sahaja yang mempunyai kekuasaan wajibah berhati-hati dari menerima hadiah yang diberikan dia dia sedang memegang jawatan berkenaan. Kewajipan berhati-hati apabila dia meragui tentang niat di sebalik hadiah yang dihulurkan. Niat mahu mendekatkan diri mereka kepadanya atau niat untuk memperoleh sesuatu berbentuk kebendaan atau maknawi dan seumpamanya. Niat-niat begini tidak dapat disorokkan. Hadiah-hadiah berkenaan mampu mempengaruhi seseorang yang berkuasa dalam membuat keputusannya. Dan haram menerima hadiah berkenaan jika di ragui ia adalah sebagai perantara untuk memperoleh sesuatu. (ibid. 614)

Terkecuali… Hadiah-hadiah yang dihulurkan sebelum dia menjabat jawatan tertentu oleh rakan-rakan, kaum kerabat dan jiran-jirannya. (ibid)

Jelaslah bahawa hadiah yang dihulurkan ketika dia memegang jawatan tertentu adalah haram diterima jika diragui (zhan) ada niat serong disebaliknya. Untuk menetapkan ia tidak boleh diterima hendaklah menggunakan keraguan sahaja tidak semestinya dengan keyakinan.

Beza antara rasuah dan hadiah
Adalah penting untuk mengelakkan diri dari terkeliru dalam menentukan apakah ia rasuah atau hadiah.

Rasuah ialah hadiah yang dihulurkan kepada seseorang yang mempunyai kuasa tertentu bertujuan untuk membatalkan hak seseorang, atau menetapkan hak yang tidak sepatutnya, atau untuk memperolehi jawatan atau pekerjaan yang tidak selayaknya.

Hadiah pula ialah: Harta yang dihulurkan bertujuan mendekatkan seseorang dengan saudaranya yang lain kerana cinta dan kasih, atau supaya mereka dapat bantu membantu atas kebaikan dan takwa, atau untuk menjadi rakan kongsi dalam suka dan duka - tanpa ada di sebaliknya itu suatu niat rasuah.

Kita memberi hadiah kepada sahabat kita kerana mahu mempereratkan tali silatul rahim, agar dengan itu dia dapat bantu-membantu di dalam urusan iman dan Islam atau dapat berkongsi perasaan ketika suka dan duka.

Masalah:
Dengan penjelasan di atas, kami kira kemusykilan yang dihadapi oleh salah seorang saudari kita dari Paka, Terengganu telah terjawab. Pertanyaan kepada pihak aL-AHKAM online yang lebih kurang berbunyi:

Saya bekerja dengan sebuah syarikat multinasional di Malaysia sebagai Pegawai yang bertanggungjawab dalam soal pembelian melalui tender dan kontrak. Dalam menjalankan kerja seharian ramai kontraktor-kontraktor dan pembekal-pembekal yang menjadi kawan. Ada yang mengajak makan tengahari, ada yang memberi saguhati berupa pen, topi, dairi, kalendar. Ada yang menganjurkan seminar dan membayar segala perbelanjaan perjalanan, hotel dan lain-lain. Ada yang memberi pinjam kereta dan bermacam-macam khidmat percuma lagi.
Soalan saya :-
1. Adakah semua ini dikategorikan sebagai rasuah dan tidak dibolehkan oleh syarak ?
2. Jika mereka yang telah menjadi kawan itu mengatakan itu adalah atas dasar persahabatan, apakah hukumnya pada saya yang menerima ?
3. Apakah ada cerita-cerita dari kitab-kitab muktabar yang boleh dijadikan panduan ?

Jawab:
Ini adalah sekadar penambahan sahaja.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz ketika menjawat jawatan khlifah pernah diberi hadiah, tetapi ditolaknya. Kemudian dikatakan kepadanya: "Rasulullah sendiri sudi menerima hadiah." Umar menjawab: "Apa yang diterima oleh Nabi itu memang hadiah, tetapi ini bagi saya adalah sogokan." (Lihat al-Halal Wal haram Fil Islam).

Imam al-Ghazali berkata di dalam al-Ihya' Ulumuddin, jika larangan (rasuah) itu begitu tegas, maka sepatutnya seorang hakim atau penguasa - dan yang seumpamanya - memperkira-kirakan dirinya semasa tinggal bersama ayah dan ibunya. Kalau dia diberi hadiah selepas meletakkan jawatannya tetapi ketika itu dia masih tinggal bersama ayah dan ibunya, maka boleh diterimanya ketika dia sedang memegang jawatan itu. Tetapi kalau dia tahu pemberian itu kerana jawatannya, maka haram dia menerimanya. Dan hadiah-hadiah kawannya yang masih diragukan, apakah kalau dia melepaskan jawatan berkenaan mereka akan memberinya? Maka hal berkenaan dilihat sebagai barang syubhat, oleh itu jauhilah. (ibid.)

Bagaimana jika anda tidak memegang jawatan berkenaan? Apakah mereka ini akan menghulurkan hadiah? Hadiah dari seseorang atas dasar persahabatan lain, manakala atas dasar rasuah atau kerana anda sedang memegang jawatan itu adalah berbeza.

Berhati-hatilah dalam membuat perbedaan antara hadiah dan sogokan.. Jika gagal, anda akan terjebak ke dalam satu dosa, jenayah dan penzaliman yang paling keji. Malah dapat memberi kesan yang tidak sihat kepada masyarakat Islam atau bukan Islam.

DARI MAJALAH BABY....

PERHATIAN UTK IBU2
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO UTK KEBAIKAN ANAK2 KITA..

5 Kebenaran Tentang Sosej !
Ramai yang tak tahu ttg kebenaran ini, ia perlu didedahkan dan disebarkan. Sosej adalah kebanyakkan kanak-kanak suka, hatta ibu dan ayah juga!

5 Kebenaran Tentang Sosej' ini :

1) Mengandungi Bahan-Bahan kimia 'deadly' Dangerous seperti :

- Nitrite
- Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs)
- Starch
- Various types of meat!
- High Salts
- High Fructose Syrup
- High MSG
- Artificial colouring ( Supaya warna hot dog jadi pinkish!)
- Perservatives

2) 7000 kajian saintifik telah membuktikan bahawa Sosej yang mengandungi bahan-bahan di atas sangat berkait rapat dengan Kanser!

3) Kanak-kanak yang makan > 12 batang Sosej sebulan mempunyai risiko 9 kali lebih tinggi untuk mendapat Leukaemia.

4) Ibu mengandung yang makan Sosej >1 batang Hot dog setiap minggu akan meningkatkan risiko bayi untuk mendapat Barah otak!

5) Sosej meningkatkan risiko Kanser :

Kanser Usus - 50%
Kanser Pundi Kencing - 59%
Kanser Perut - 38%
Pankreas - 67%

Li Ka-Shing teaches you how to buy a car & house in 5 years

11207

By Guest

Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing shares some of his money wisdom, outlining an inspirational five-year plan to improve one’s lot in life

This article is translated from the original Chinese by Edmund Ng at CeoConnectz.
Suppose your monthly income is only RMB 2,000, you can live well. I can help you put money into five sets of funds. The first $600, second $400, third $300, fourth $200, fifth $500.
The first set of funds is used for living expenses. It’s a simple way of living and you can only be assigned to less than twenty dollars a day. A daily breakfast of vermicelli, an egg and a cup of milk. For lunch just have a simple set lunch, a snack and a fruit. For dinner go to your kitchen and cook your own meals that consist of two vegetables dishes and a glass of milk before bedtime. For one month the food cost is probably $500-$600. When you are young, the body will not have too many problems for a few years with this way of living.
Second set of funds: To make friends, expand your interpersonal circle. This will make you well off. Your phone bills can be budgeted at RMB 100. You can buy your friends 2 lunches a month, each at $150. Who should you buy lunch for? Always remember to buy lunch for people who are more knowledgeable than you, richer than you or people who have helped you in your career. Make sure you do that every month. After one year, your circle of friends should have generated tremendous value for you. Your reputation, influence, added value will be clearly recognized. You’ll also enhance your image of being good and generous.
Third set of funds: To learn. Monthly spend about RMB 50 to RMB 100 to buy books. Because you don’t have a lot of money, you should pay attention to learning. When you buy the books, read them carefully and learn the lessons and strategies that is being taught in the book. Each book, after reading them, put them into your own language to tell the stories. Sharing with others can improve your credibility and enhance the affinity. Also save up $200 per month to attend a training course. When you have higher income or additional savings, try to participate in more advanced training. When you participate in good training, not only do you learn good knowledge, you also get to meet like-minded friends who are not easy to come by.
Fourth set of funds: Use it for holidays overseas. Reward yourself by traveling at least once a year. Continue to grow from the experience of life. Stay in youth hostels to save cost. In a few years you would have travelled to many countries and have different experiences. Use that experience to recharge yourself so that you’ll continually have passion in your work.
Fifth set of funds: Invest. Save the $500 in your bank and grow it as your initial startup capital. The capital can then be used to do a small business. Small business is safe. Go to wholesalers and look for products to sell. Even if you lose money, you will not lose too much money. However, when you start earning money, it will boost your confidence and courage and have a whole new learning experience of running a small business. Earn more and you can then begin to buy long-term investment plans and get long-term security on your financial wealth being of yourself and your families. So that no matter what happens, there will be adequate funds and the quality of life will not decline.
Well, after struggling for a year and if your second year salary is still RMB 2,000, then that means you have not grown as a person. You should be really ashamed of yourself. Do yourself a favour and go to the supermarket and buy the hardest tofu. Take it and smash it on your head because you deserve that.
If your monthly income is at RMB 3,000, you must still work very hard. You must try to find a part time job. It will be great to find part time sales jobs. Doing sales is challenging, but it is the fastest way for you to acquire the art of selling and this is a very deep skill that you will be able to carry it for the rest of your career. All successful entrepreneurs are good sales people. They have the ability to sell their dream and visions. You’ll also meet many people that will be of value to you in the later part of your career. Once you’re in sales, you will also learn what sells and what not. Use the sensitivity of detecting market sentiments as a platform for running your business and in the identification of product winners in the future.
Try to buy minimal clothes and shoes. You can buy them all you want when you’re rich. Save your money and buy some gift for your loved ones and tell them your plans and your financial goals. Tell them why you are so thrifty. Tell them your efforts, direction and your dreams.
Businessmen everywhere need help. Offer yourself to do part time for any kind of opportunities. This will help to hone your will and improve your skills. You will start to develop eloquence and soon, you’ll be closer to your financial goals. By the second year, your income should be increased to at least RMB 5,000. Minimum it should be RMB 3,000, otherwise you would not be able to keep up with inflation.
No matter how much you earn, always remember to divide it into five parts proportionately. Always make yourself useful. Increase your investment in networking. When you increase your social investment, expand your network of contacts, your income also grows proportionately. Increase your investment in learning, strengthen your self confidence, increase investment in holidays, expand your horizons and increase investment in the future, and that will ultimately increase your income.
Maintain this balance and gradually you will begin to have a lot of surplus. This is a virtuous circle of life plans. Your body will start to get better and better as you get more nutrition and care. Friends will be aplenty and you will start to make more valuable connections at the same time. You will then have the conditions to participate in very high-end training and eventually you’ll be exposed to bigger projects, bigger opportunities. Soon, you will be able to gradually realize your various dreams, the need to buy your own house, car, and to prepare an adequate education fund for your child’s future.
Life can be designed. Career can be planned. Happiness can be prepared. You should start planning now. When you are poor, spend less time at home and more time outside. When you are rich, stay at home more and less outside. This is the art of living. When you are poor, spend money on others. When you’re rich, spend money on yourself. Many people are doing the opposite.
When you are poor, be good to others. Don’t be calculative. When you are rich, you must learn to let others be good to you. You have to learn to be good to yourself better. When you are poor, you have to throw yourself out in the open and let people make good use of you. When you are rich, you have to conserve yourself well and don’t let people easily make use of you. These are the intricate ways of life that many people don’t understand.
When you are poor, spend money so that people can see it. When you are rich, do not show off. Just silently spend the money on yourself. When you are poor, you must be generous. When you are rich, you must not be seen as a spendthrift. Your life would have come full circle and reach its basics. There will be tranquility at this stage.
There is nothing wrong with being young. You do not need to be afraid of being poor. You need to know how to invest in yourself and increase your wisdom and stature. You need to know what is important in life and what is worth investing in. You also need to know what you should avoid and not spend your money on. This is the essence of discipline. Try to avoid spending money on clothing, but buy a selective number of items that have class. Try to eat less outside. If you were to eat outside, do make sure you buy lunches or dinners and foot the bill. When buying people dinner, make sure you buy dinners for people who have bigger dreams than you, and work harder than you.
Once your livelihood is no longer an issue, use the remainder of your money to pursue your dreams. Spread your wings and dare to dream! Make sure you live an extraordinary life!
Famous theory from Harvard: The difference of a person’s fate is decided from what a person spends in his free time between 20:00 to 22:00 . Use these two hours to learn, think and participate in meaningful lectures or discussion. If you persist for several years, success will come knocking on your doors.
No matter how much you earn, remember to split your salary into five parts. Take care of your body so that it will still be in good shape. Invest in your social circle so that you will constantly meet new people where you can learn new knowledge from. Expanding your network will also have an important impact in how much you earn eventually. Travel every year and expand your horizons. Also keep abreast with the latest developments in the industry. If you follow this plan diligently, you will soon see big surplus in your funds.
Whatever happened in the past is over. Do not dwell on past mistakes. There’s no point crying over spilt milk. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s what you learn from the mistakes, and promising yourself not to repeat those mistakes that matters. When you miss opportunities, don’t dwell on it, as there are always new opportunities on the horizon.
Being able to smile when being slightly misunderstood is good upbringing. When you’re wronged and you smile with calmness, it is generosity. When you’re being taken advantage of and you can smile, you’re being open-minded. When you are helpless and you can do a philosophical smile, you’re in a calm state. When you’re in distress and you can laugh out loud, you’re being generous. When you’re looked down and you can calmly smile, you’re being confident. When you’re being jilted in relationships and you can smile it off, you’re being suave.
There are many people who are struggling to make ends meet. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. There are lessons for all to learn from Li Ka Shing.

WAJIB BACA! 10 Janji Allah SWT Kepada Mereka Yang Ingin Berkahwin

Apabila seorang muslim baik lelaki atau wanita akan berkahwin, biasanya akan timbul pelbagai perasaan akan timbul. Ada rasa gundah, resah, risau, bimbang, termasuk juga tidak sabar menunggu datangnya si pendamping. Bahkan ketika dalam proses taaruf sekalipun masih ada juga perasaan keraguan.
Inilah khabar gembira berupa janji Allah bagi orang yang akan berkahwin. Bergembiralah wahai saudaraku…


1. “Wanita-wanita yang keji adalah untuk lelaki yang keji, dan lelaki yang keji adalah buat wanita-wanita yang keji (pula),dan wanita-wanita yang baik adalah untuk lelaki yang baik dan lelaki yang baik adalah untuk wanita-wanita yang baik (pula)”. (An Nuur : 26)
Bila ingin mendapatkan jodoh yang baik, maka perbaikilah diri. Hiduplah sesuai dengan ajaran Islam dan Sunnah Nabi-Nya. Jadilah lelaki yang soleh, jadilah wanita yang solehah. Semoga Allah memberikan hanya yang baik buat kita. Amin.

2. “Dan kawinkanlah orang-orang yang sendirian diantara kamu dan orang-orang yang layak (berkawin) dari hamba-hamba sahayamu yang lelaki dan perempuan. Jika mereka miskin Allah akan memampukan mereka dengan kurniaNya. Dan Allah Maha Luas (Pemberian-Nya) lagi Maha Mengetahui”. (An Nuur: 32)

Sebahagian para pemuda ada yang merasa bingung dan bimbang untuk berkahwin. Salah satu sebabnya adalah kerana belum mempunyai pekerjaan. Dan yang telah mempunyai pekerjaan pun tetap ada perasaan bimbang juga. Sebahagian mereka tetap ragu nilai gajinya. Dalam fikiran mereka, “apakah gaji ini cukup untuk berkeluarga dengan gaji sekian?”.

Ayat tersebut merupakan jawapan buat mereka yang ragu untuk melangkah ke jinjang pernikahan kerana alasan ekonomi. Yang perlu ditekankan kepada para pemuda dalam masalah ini adalah kesanggupan untuk memberi nafkah, dan terus bekerja mencari nafkah memenuhi keperluan keluarga.

Allah akan menolong mereka yang menikah. Allah Maha Adil, apabila tanggungjawab para pemuda bertambah – dengan kewajipan memberi nafkah kepada isteri dan anak-anaknya, maka Allah akan memberikan rezeki yang lebih. Tidakkah kita lihat kenyataannya di masyarakat, banyak mereka yang semula miskin tidak mempunyai apa-apa ketika berkahwin, kemudian Allah memberinya rezeki yang berlimpah dan mencukupkan keperluannya?

3. “Ada tiga golongan manusia yang berhak Allah tolong mereka, iaitu seorang mujahid fi sabilillah, seorang hamba yang menebus dirinya supaya merdeka dan seorang yang menikah kerana ingin memelihara kehormatannya”. (HR. Ahmad 2: 251, Nasaiy, Tirmidzi, Ibnu Majah hadits no. 2518, dan Hakim 2: 160)

Bagi siapa sahaja yang berkahwin dengan niat menjaga kesucian dirinya, maka berhak mendapatkan pertolongan dari Allah berdasarkan penegasan Rasulullah dalam hadits ini. Dan pertolongan Allah itu pasti datang.

4. “Dan diantara tanda-tanda kekuasaanNya ialah Dia menciptakan untukmu isteri dari jenismu sendiri, supaya kamu cenderung dan merasa tenteram kepadanya, dan dijadikan-Nya diantaramu rasa kasih dan sayang. Sesungguhnya pada yang demikian itu benar-benar terdapat tanda-tanda bagi kaum yang berfikir”. (Ar Ruum : 21)

5. “Dan Tuhanmu berfirman : ‘Berdoalah kepada-Ku, nescaya akan Kuperkenankan bagimu. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang menyombongkan diri dari menyembah-Ku akan masuk neraka Jahannam dalam keadaan hina dina’ “. (Al Mu’min : 60)
Ini juga janji Allah ‘Azza wa Jalla, bila kita berdoa kepada Allah nescaya akan diperkenankan-Nya. Termasuk di dalamnya ketika kita berdoa memohon diberikan pendamping hidup yang agamanya baik, cantik, taat, dan sebagainya.

Dalam berdoa, perhatikan adab dan sebab terkabulnya doa. Diantaranya adalah ikhlas, bersungguh-sungguh, merendahkan diri, menghadap kiblat, mengangkat kedua tangan, dan lain – lain.
Perhatikan juga waktu-waktu yang mustajab dalam berdoa. Diantaranya adalah berdoa pada waktu sepertiga malam yang terakhir dimana Allah ‘Azza wa Jalla turun ke langit dunia, dan pada waktu antara azan dan iqamah,

Perhatikan juga penghalang terkabulnya doa. Diantaranya adalah makan dan minum dari sumber yang haram, dan berpakaian dari usaha yang haram serta melakukan apa yang diharamkan Allah,
Manfaat lain dari berdoa bererti kita meyakini keberadaan Allah, mengakui bahawa Allah itu tempat meminta, mengakui bahawa Allah Maha Kaya, dan mengakui bahawa Allah Maha Mendengar.
Sebahagian orangapabila jodohnya tidak kunjung datang maka mereka pergi ke dukun-dukun berharap agar jodohnya lancar. Cara seperti ini jelas dilarang oleh Islam. Perhatikan hadis-hadis berikut yang merupakan peringatan keras dari Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam:
“Barang siapa yang mendatangi peramal / dukun, lalu dia menanyakan sesuatu kepadanya, maka tidak diterima solatnya selama empat puluh malam”. (Hadis sahih riwayat Muslim (7/37) dan Ahmad).

Telah bersabda Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, “Maka janganlah kamu mendatangi dukun-dukun itu.” (Sahih riwayat Muslim juz 7 hal. 35).

Telah bersabda Nabi SAW, “Sesungguhnya jampi-jampi (mantera) dan guna-guna itu adalah (hukumnya) syirik.” (Hadis sahih riwayat Abu Dawud (no. 3883), Ibnu Majah (no. 3530), Ahmad dan Hakim).

6. “Mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah) dengan sabar dan solat“. (Al Baqarah : 153)
Mintalah tolong kepada Allah dengan sabar dan solat. Agar datang pertolongan Allah, maka kita juga harus bersabar sesuai dengan Sunnah Nabi dan terbebas dari bid’ah-bid’ah.

7. “Kerana sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan, sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan”. (Alam Nasyrah : 5 – 6)

Ini juga janji Allah. Mungkin terasa bagi kita jodoh yang dinanti tidak kunjung datang. Segalanya terasa sulit. Tetapi kita harus tetap berbaik sangka kepada Allah dan yakinlah bahawa sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan. Allah sendiri yang menegaskan dua kali dalam Surat Alam Nasyrah.

8. “Hai orang-orang yang beriman jika kamu menolong (agama) Allah, nescaya Dia akan menolongmu dan meneguhkan kedudukanmu”. (Muhammad : 7)

Agar Allah menolong kita, maka kita tolong agama Allah. Baik dengan berinfak di jalan-Nya, membantu penyebaran dakwah Islam dengan penyebaran buletin atau buku-buku Islam, membantu penyelenggaraan pengajian, dan sebagainya. Dengan itu semoga Allah menolong kita.

9. “Sesungguhnya Allah pasti menolong orang yang menolong (agama)-Nya. Sesungguhnya Allah benar-benar Maha Kuat lagi Maha Perkasa”. (Al Hajj : 40)

10. “Ingatlah, sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu amat dekat”. (Al Baqarah : 214)

Itulah janji Allah. Dan Allah tidak akan menyalahi janjinya. Kalaupun Allah tidak / belum mengabulkan doa kita, tentu ada hikmah dan kasih sayang Allah yang lebih besar buat kita. Kita harus berbaik sangka kepada Allah. Inilah keyakinan yang harus ada pada setiap muslim.

Jadi, kenapa ragu – ragu dengan janji Allah? Anak muda, kahwinlah!

The contract administrator certifies practical completion when all the works described in the contract have been carried out. Practical completion is referred to as 'substantial completion' on some forms of contract.
Certifying practical completion has the effect of:

• Releasing half of the retention (an amount retained from payments due to the contractor to ensure that they complete the works).
• Ending the contractor's liability for liquidated damages (damages that become payable to the client in the event that there is a breach of contract by the contractor - generally by failing to complete the works by the completion date).
• Signifying the beginning of the defects liability period.

Documentation that should be issued to the client on certification of practical completion may include:

• A draft building owner's manual.
• A building user's guide.
• The health and safety file.
• The building log book.
• A construction stage report.

Once the certificate of practical completion has been issued, the client takes possession of the works for occupation.
There is no absolute definition of practical completion, and case law is very complex. There is some debate about when practical completion can be certified and whether it can be certified where there are very minor (de minimis) items 'not affecting beneficial occupancy' that remain incomplete.
It is important to note that the defects liability period, which follows certification of practical completion, is not a chance to correct problems apparent at practical completion, it is the period during which the contractor may be recalled to rectify defects which appear. If there are defects apparent before practical completion, then these should be rectified before a certificate of practical completion is issued.
This can put the contract administrator in a difficult position, where both the contractor and the client are keen to issue the certificate (so that the building can be handed over) and yet defects (more than a de minimis) are apparent in the works. Issuing the certificate however could render the contract administrator liable for problems that this causes for example in the calculation of liquidated damages, the position in relation to performance bonds and the the release of retention when it is not certain that the works will be completed.
If the contract administrator is pressured to certify practical completion even though the works are not complete, they might consider informing the client in writing of the potential problems of doing so, obtaining written consent from the client to certify practical completion and obtaining agreement from the contractor that they will complete the works and rectify any defects. If the contract administrator is not confident about the potential problems, they may advise the client to seek legal advice.
On construction management contracts, a separate certificate of practical completion must be issued for each trade contract. Once all trade contracts (or all trade contracts for a particular section of the works) have been issued, the construction manager issues a certificate or project completion (or sectional completion). The same is true on management contracts, where each works contract must be certified individually.
Practical completion is not a term recognised in some recently developed contracts such as PPC 2000 and other partnering contracts which simply refer to 'completion'. This can put the contract administrator in a difficult position as to when the project becomes 'useable' by the client. If the project reaches a stage when the intended use by the client (either immediate use, such as installing furniture or fitting-out, or actual occupation by the end users) is possible, safely and without affecting warranties, then the project may be deemed 'complete'. The size and extent of the list of outstanding works and defects requiring rectification will be the measure on which the contract administrator judges whether completion has actually been achieved.
If practical completion is not certified by the most recently agreed completion date, then the contractor may be liable to pay liquidated and ascertained damages to the client. These are pre-determined damages set at the time that the contract is entered into, based on a calculation of the actual loss that the client is likely to incur if the contractor fails to meet the completion date. Some contracts require that a certificate of non-completion is issued as a pre-requisite to deducting liquidated and ascertained damages.
NB Sectional completion refers to a provision within construction contracts allowing different completion dates for different sections of the works. This is common on large projects that are completed in sections, allowing the client to take possession of the completed parts whilst construction continues on others. Sectional completion differs from partial possession in that it is pre-planned and defined in the contract documents.

Basecamp’s Strategy Offers a Useful Reminder: Less Is More

by Ron Ashkenas  |   10:00 AM February 10, 2014

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Unless you follow tech companies, you might have missed the startling announcement by collaboration and communications software maker 37signals that it has decided to refocus the entire company on a single core product.
“Refocusing” might be an understatement.  37signals has developed a dozen different products and services since its founding in 1999. They will now be a “one product company” focused on Basecamp, its popular project management software.  To emphasize the point, the company is also changing its name to Basecamp.  So instead of following the conventional wisdom about growth through diversification, CEO and founder Jason Fried is doubling down on one successful area and putting all of his resources in one basket.
Basecamp is a small company. Even with more than 15 million users, it still has less than 50 people on its payroll.  So it’s somewhat audacious strategy might not be a model for everyone.  But regardless of your company’s size, there’s a lot to be said for the power of pruning and the importance of maintaining focus.  For many companies, in fact, the strategy of “less is more” has been a powerful driver of success.  For example, one of the secrets to Trader Joe’s profitability (which is one of the highest in its industry) is that they only carry 4,000 stock keeping units (SKU’s) per store vs. the typical 50,000 at other grocery chains.  They also open a limited number of stores each year, trading off rapid growth for insuring the quality of their brand.  Similarly, Apple has maintained the dominance of the iPhone partly by resisting the urge to create multiple product variations with different functions and features, in stark contrast to their competitors.
Keeping a business focused on a limited number of products, customers, or capabilities is not a new idea.  In the 1950’s, Peter Drucker emphasized that business strategy needs to include “purposeful abandonment,” i.e. deciding what not to do. Similarly, Peters and Waterman’s 1982 classic, In Search of Excellence, reported that successful companies were those that could “stick to their knitting” and not get sidetracked.
Despite all of this advice, the kind of radical focus exhibited by 37signals (now Basecamp) is difficult for managers who often act like kids in a candy store. Instead of focusing on doing a few things well, they try to go after too many customer segments, too many adjacencies, and too many new technologies.  Witness the struggles of financial services firms that become too big to control effectively; or large pharmaceutical companies that place bets on so many therapeutic areas that they don’t end up winning in any of them.
It’s a natural human tendency to want to do more.  Most of us have trouble walking away from tempting opportunities, whether it’s at the dinner table, or at work.  So we end up with indigestion at home and overload at work.  That’s why it takes a great deal of discipline, and even courage, to slim down, both physically and strategically.
A case in point is Google’s recent sale of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo.  The original purchase was probably a tempting opportunity that was viewed as too good to miss; but when it became clear that the telecommunications hardware business was not in their sweet spot, Google’s senior executives made the tough decision to sell, despite the financial consequences.  And in the long run, avoiding distraction and dilution of focus will probably be worth the cost.
Most of us of course are not in the position to buy and sell companies or even rationalize our product lines.  As managers however, we can make sure that our teams stay focused on the few critical strategies and projects that will make the most difference.  We also can ask Drucker’s question about what we should stop doing; and we can push back on others when we’re asked to do things that might be distractions from the core mission of our group.  None of this is easy in the midst of day-to-day pressures.  But in the long run, it’s very likely that we’ll reap higher rewards by doing less.

Black Seed – ‘The Remedy For Everything But Death’

July 21, 2013 at 7:02 pm

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by Sayer Ji – Greenmedinfo.com
This humble, but immensely powerful seed, kills MRSA, heals the chemical weapon poisoned body, stimulates regeneration of the dying beta cells within the diabetic’s pancreas, and yet too few even know it exists.
The seeds of the annual flowering plant, Nigella Sativa, have been prized for their healing properties since time immemorial. While frequently referred to among English-speaking cultures as Roman coriander, black sesame, black cumin, black caraway and onion seed, it is known today primarily as black seed, which is at the very least an accurate description of its physical appearance.
The earliest record of its cultivation and use come from ancient Egypt. Black seed oil, in fact, was found in Egyptian pharoah Tutankhamun’s tomb, dating back to approximately 3,300 years ago.[i] In Arabic cultures, black cumin is known as Habbatul barakah, meaning the “seed of blessing.” It is also believed that the Islamic prophet Mohammed said of it that it is “a remedy for all diseases except death.”

Many of black cumin’s traditionally ascribed health benefits have been thoroughly confirmed in the biomedical literature. In fact, since 1964, there have been 458 published, peer-reviewed studies referencing it.
We have indexed salient research, available to view on our Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) page, on well over 40 health conditions that may be benefited from the use of the herb, including over 20 distinct pharmacological actions it expresses, such as: – Analgesic (Pain-Killing)

– Anti-Bacterial

– Anti-Inflammatory

– Anti-Ulcer

– Anti-Cholinergic

– Anti-Fungal

– Ant-Hypertensive

– Antioxidant

– Antispasmodic

– Antiviral

– Bronchodilator

– Gluconeogenesis Inhibitor (Anti-Diabetic)

– Hepatoprotective (Liver Protecting)

– Hypotensive

– Insulin Sensitizing

– Interferon Inducer

– Leukotriene Antagonist

– Renoprotective (Kidney Protecting)

– Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitor
These 22 pharmacological actions are only a subset of a far wider number of beneficial properties intrinsic to the black seed. While it is remarkable that this seed has the ability to positively modulate so many different biological pathways, this is actually a rather common occurrence among traditional plant medicines.
Black seed has been researched for very specific health conditions. Some of the most compelling applications include:

Type 2 Diabetes:

Two grams of black seed a day resulted in reduced fasting glucose, decreased insulin resistance, increased beta-cell function, and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in human subjects.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection:

Black seeds possess clinically useful anti-H. pylori activity, comparable to triple eradication therapy.

Epilepsy:

Black seeds were traditionally known to have anticonvulsive properties. A 2007 study with epileptic children, whose condition was refractory to conventional drug treatment, found that a water extract significantly reduced seizure activity.

High Blood pressure:

The daily use of 100 and 200 mg of black seed extract, twice daily, for 2 months, was found to have a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild hypertension.

Asthma:

Thymoquinone, one of the main active constituents within Nigella sativa (black cumin), is superior to the drug fluticasone in an animal model of asthma.[vi] Another study, this time in human subjects, found that boiled water extracts of black seed have relatively potent antiasthmatic effect on asthmatic airways.

Acute tonsillopharyngitis:

Characterized by tonsil or pharyngeal inflammation (i.e. sore throat), mostly viral in origin, black seed capsules (in combination with Phyllanthus niruri) have been found to significantly alleviate throat pain, and reduce the need for pain-killers, in human subjects.

Chemical Weapons Injury:

A randomized, placebo-controlled human study of chemical weapons injured patients found that boiled water extracts of black seed reduced respiratory symptoms, chest wheezing, and pulmonary function test values, as well as reduced the need for drug treatment.

Colon Cancer:

Cell studies have found that black seed extract compares favorably to the chemoagent 5-fluoruracil in the suppression of colon cancer growth, but with a far higher safety profile.[x] Animal research has found that black seed oil has significant inhibitory effects against colon cancer in rats, without observable side effects.

MRSA:

Black seed has anti-bacterial activity against clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Opiate Addiction/Withdrawal:

A study on 35 opiate addicts found black seed as an effective therapy in long-term treatment of opioid dependence.
Sometimes the biblical reference to ‘faith the size of a mustard seed moving mountains’ comes to mind in connection with natural substances like black seeds. After all, do seeds not contain within them the very hope for continuance of the entire species that bore it? This super-saturated state of the seed, where life condenses itself down into an intensely miniaturized holographic fragment of itself, promising the formation of future worlds within itself, is the very emblem of life’s immense and immortal power.
If we understand the true nature of the seed, how much life (past, present and future) is contained within it, it will not seem so far-fetched that it is capable of conquering antibiotic resistant bacteria, healing the body from chemical weapons poisoning, or stimulate the regeneration of dying insulin-producing beta cells in the diabetic, to name but only a fraction of black seed’s experimentally-confirmed powers.
Moving the mountain of inertia and falsity associated with the conventional concept of disease, is a task well-suited for seeds and not chemicals. The greatest difference, of course, between a seed and a patented synthetic chemical (i.e. pharmaceutical drug), is that Nature (God) made the former, and men with profit-motives and a deranged understanding of the nature of the body made the latter.
The time, no doubt, has come for food, seeds, herbs, plants, sunlight, air, clean water, and yes, love, to assume once again their central place in medicine, which is to say, the art and science of facilitating self-healing within the human body. Failing this, the conventional medical system will crumble under the growing weight of its own corruption, ineptitude, and iatrogenic suffering (and subsequent financial liability) it causes. To the degree that it reforms itself, utilizing non-patented and non-patentable natural compounds with actual healing properties, a brighter future awaits on the horizon. To the degree that it fails, folks will learn to take back control over their health themselves, which is why black seed, and other food-medicines, hold the key to self-empowerment.

Your Weakness May Be Your Competitive Advantage

by Dorie Clark  |   9:00 AM February 5, 2014

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Midway through the workshop I was teaching on professional reinvention, I gave participants an assignment: create a narrative citing your professional strengths. After the break, a woman named Alison raised her hand. “This one was difficult for me,” she said. “I thought about what was special about me: I’m a strategic thinker, and I can get things done. But other people can do that, too. I’m not sure how I can really stand out as I’m applying for jobs.” She isn’t alone. For many of us, it’s hard to identify exactly what about us — if anything — is valuable or unique.
As Phyllis Stein, the former head of Radcliffe College Career Services, told me when I was researching my book Reinventing You, many of her highest-achieving clients are also the most self-critical. They’re very aware of their weaknesses, she said, but find it much harder to see their strengths.
“What job are you applying for? And what did you do before?” I asked Alison.
“I used to sell medical equipment,” she said, “and now I want to do project management for medical equipment companies.” Her vision of herself was cloaked in deficiencies: she didn’t have any project management experience on her resume, and her competitors surely would.
But her background was actually perfect, if only she’d tweak her perspective. As most hiring managers know, it’s incredibly rare to find a candidate that meets all your desired criteria. While other applicants might have project management experience, they may not have worked in the medical equipment industry. It would be just as easy for Alison to argue that her familiarity with the industry – and what customers were saying on the ground — would be a far more valuable asset. The key is changing your frame to focus on your advantages, not your shortcomings.
When you’re trying to understand your unique abilities, it helps to think about scarcity. What background or skills do you have that might be rare in a given context? There are plenty of people with medical equipment sales experience in the world, but probably very few who were applying for this project management position. If you can make your case with confidence, you can use scarcity to your advantage and position yourself as a desired, limited resource.
That strategy succeeded for me a decade ago when I was hired as the executive director of MassBike, Massachusetts’ statewide bicycling advocacy organization. Most of the applicants were, like the board members, bicycling fanatics who embraced hard-core distance riding and geeked out on their equipment. I was a casual commuter cyclist with an interest in urban planning, and a good knowledge of political advocacy and media relations.
In my job interview, they started with what they thought was a nice softball question: what kind of bike do you have? They expected some banter about the virtues of certain manufacturers; what they got was a panicked look and two words. “It’s blue.” I had no idea about the make or model; I used it to get around town. But I pressed my advantage: I knew very little about bicycling, I told them, but the board could teach me. Meanwhile, I could help the organization win political battles and newspaper coverage, two crucial but underrepresented areas. The pitch worked, and I was hired.
To understand what’s so special about you, you have to compete on your playing field, not someone else’s. If you let others set the terms of the debate — How much project management experience do you have? What do you know about bicycle mechanics? — you will lose almost every time. There will always be someone who knows more than you do about a given topic, or who has more directly relevant experience.
Instead, you have to seize the confidence to say their criteria are irrelevant (or at least less relevant), and there’s another yardstick that matters more. Too many professionals accept the limitations of other people’s viewpoints, and see themselves as falling short. When you understand what you possess that’s scarce, and are strong enough to make the case for yourself based on your own metrics, you’re likely to be far more persuasive than you ever imagined.