Why is English so hard to learn?

http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/humour/learningenglish.htm

(author/s unknown)
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) I did not object to the object.
9) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
10) They were too close to the door to close it.
11) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
12) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
13) I shed my clothes in the shed.

Let's face it - English is a ridiculous language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in ah amburger; neither apple nor pine in a pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England, nor French fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are
meat.

You cannot buy boots in Boots, You cannot buy virgins in Virgin, You cannot buy threshers in Threshers and the Superdrug chain is a great disappointment.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that bakers bake, but grocers don't groce?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

And finally, how about when you want to shut down your computer you have to hi t "START"?

Mengapa Bahasa Inggris Susah (part 2)

Sumber: http://www.i18nguy.com/english-is-tough.html

English is a crazy language.

• There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
• neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
• English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.
• Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that:

• quicksand can work slowly,
• boxing rings are square and
• a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that:

• Writers write, but fingers don't fing?
• Grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?
• If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
• One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?
• One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy:

• That you can make amends but not one amend?
• That you comb through annals of history but not a single annal?
• If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
• If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
• If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people:

• Recite at a play and play at a recital?
• Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
• Have noses that run and feet that smell?
• How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
• while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
• How can overlook and oversee be opposites,
• while quite a lot and quite a few are alike?
• How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?

Have you noticed that we talk about certain things only when they are absent?

• Have you ever seen a horsefull carriage or a strapfull gown?
• Met a sung hero or experienced requited love?
• Have you ever run into someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable?
• And where are all those people who are spring chickens or who would actually hurt a fly?
• You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down,
• in which you fill in a form by filling it out
• and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all).

• That's why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
• And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it!

Mengapa Bahasa Inggris Susah

Referensi: http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/English_hard_2learn.html

These are excerpts from various Richard Lederer articles and the anonymous poem, "The English Lesson." Similar lists circulating in e-mail exchanges and listservs with minor variations. This particular adaptation appeared on the ChaucerNet listserv. The earliest individual passing it along in that chain was Nicholas C. Burbules, Department of Educational Policy Studies University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, though he himself is not the compositor.

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language:

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple or pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England, and French fries aren't French.
Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
Quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea, nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?
One goose, two geese; so, one moose, two meese? One index, two indices?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends, but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends, and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race which, of course, isn't a race at all.

Korelasi antara jumlah korupsi dan vonis

Berikut ini grafik korelasinya

Update, Angeline Sondakh vonisnya jadi 12 tahun:

Berikut ini versi rumus dari Nono Setiawan (https://www.facebook.com/nonosetiawan)

Berita tidak tepat di Antara mengenai kemiskinan di Austria

Hari ini saya melihat ada headline di Antara yang cukup menarik "Sejuta Orang Austria Terancam Kemiskinan". Berikut ini kutipannya:

"Wina (ANTARA News) - 1,05 juta orang Austria menghadapi risiko kemiskinan pada 2011, demikian laporan ORF seperti dikutip Xiinhua.

Laporan sosial Statistik Uni Eropa mengenai Penghasilan dan Kondisi Hidup (EU-SILC) juga menyatakan jika kategori tak cocok bekerja dimasukkan, maka jumlahnya menjadi 1,4 juta orang "berisiko menjadi miskin atau tersisih".

Penduduk Austria pada 2011 berjumlah 8,42 juta.

Batas penentuan risiko kemiskinan yang ditetapkan studi itu adalah penghasilan rumah tangga 1.066 euro per tahun bagi orang dewasa lajang, dengan tambahan 533 euro per orang dewasa, dan 320 euro per anak.

Menteri Sosial Hundstorfer mengatakan Austria berada di jalur yang benar dalam mengikuti arahan Uni Eropa dan mesti mengurangi jumlah orang terancam kemiskinan dan tersisih sebanyak 235.000 paling lambat tahun 2018."

 Berikut ini screenshot berita tersebut:

Namun ada angka yang agak aneh bagi saya: "penghasilan rumah tangga 1.066 euro per tahun ." EUR 1066 kan sedikit sekali, sekitar Rp 13,5 juta saja. Saya coba konfirmasi berapa sih batas miskin di Austria. Akhirnya ketemu juga angka ajaib EUR 1066 itu di sebuah artikel "Poverty and social inclusion". Berikut ini kutipan yang relevan:

People are considered to be at-risk-of-poverty or affected by the risk of poverty if their equivalised household income is below an at-risk-of-poverty threshold of 60% of the median. In 2011, the equivalised income median was € 21 319. The at-risk-of-poverty threshold was therefore €12 791 for a single-person household, i.e. approximately €1 066 a month (12 times).

Jadi kesimpulannya ada kesalahan di artikel Antara tersebut, EUR 1066 sebulan jadi tertulisnya EUR 1066 setahun. Jadi dengan demikian batas miskin di Austria adalah sekitar Rp 162 juta per tahun. Lumayan juga, melebihi gaji rata-rata di Indonesia.