Eiffel Tower

When Gustave Eiffel’s company built Paris’ most recognizable monument for the 1889 World’s Fair, many regarded the massive iron structure with skepticism. Today, the Eiffel Tower, which continues to serve an important role in television and radio broadcasts, is considered an architectural wonder and attracts more visitors than any other paid tourist attraction in the world.

Designing and Building the Eiffel Tower 

In 1889, Paris hosted an Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. More than 100 artists submitted competing plans for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars, located in central Paris, and serve as the exposition’s entrance. The commission was granted to Eiffel et Compagnie, a consulting and construction firm owned by the acclaimed bridge builder, architect and metals expert Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. While Eiffel himself often receives full credit for the monument that bears his name, it was one of his employees—a structural engineer named Maurice Koechlin—who came up with and fine-tuned the concept. Several years earlier, the pair had collaborated on the Statue of Liberty’s metal armature.

Did You Know?

The base pillars of the Eiffel Tower are oriented with the four points of the compass.

Eiffel reportedly rejected Koechlin’s original plan for the tower, instructing him to add more ornate flourishes. The final design called for more than 18,000 pieces of puddle iron, a type of wrought iron used in construction, and 2.5 million rivets. Several hundred workers spent two years assembling the framework of the iconic lattice tower, which at its inauguration in March 1889 stood nearly 10,000 feet high and was the tallest structure in the world—a distinction it held until the completion of New York City’s Chrysler Building in 1930. (In 1957, an antenna was added that increased the structure’s height by 65 feet, making it taller than the Chrysler Building but not the Empire State Building, which had surpassed its neighbor in 1931.) Initially, only the Eiffel Tower’s second-floor platform was open to the public; later, all three levels, two of which now feature restaurants, would be reachable by stairway or one of eight elevators.
Millions of visitors during and after the World’s Fair marveled at Paris’ newly erected architectural wonder. Not all of the city’s inhabitants were as enthusiastic, however: Many Parisians either feared it was structurally unsound or considered it an eyesore. The novelist Guy de Maupassant, for example, allegedly hated the tower so much that he often ate lunch in the restaurant at its base, the only vantage point from which he could completely avoid glimpsing its looming silhouette.

The Eiffel Tower Becomes a Permanent Feature of the Paris Skyline 

 

Originally intended as a temporary exhibit, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down and scrapped in 1909. City officials opted to save it after recognizing its value as a radiotelegraph station. Several years later, during World War I, the Eiffel Tower intercepted enemy radio communications, relayed zeppelin alerts and was used to dispatch emergency troop reinforcements. It escaped destruction a second time during World War II: Hitler initially ordered the demolition of the city’s most cherished symbol, but the command was never carried out. Also during the German occupation of Paris, French resistance fighters famously cut the Eiffel Tower’s elevator cables so that the Nazis had to climb the stairs.
Over the years, the Eiffel Tower has been the site of numerous high-profile stunts, ceremonial events and even scientific experiments. In 1911, for instance, the German physicist Theodor Wulf used an electrometer to detect higher levels of radiation at its top than at its base, observing the effects of what are now called cosmic rays. The Eiffel Tower has also inspired more than 30 replicas and similar structures in various cities around the world.
Now one of the most recognizable structures on the planet, the Eiffel Tower underwent a major facelift in 1986 and is repainted every seven years. It welcomes more visitors than any other paid monument in the world—an estimated 7 million people per year. Some 500 employees are responsible for its daily operations, working in its restaurants, manning its elevators, ensuring its security and directing the eager crowds flocking the tower’s platforms to enjoy panoramic views of the City of Lights.

SOURCE

Bahasa Inggris sebagai Tuntutan Era Globalisasi (Semua Umur)

Pernahkah anda mendengar atau membaca kalimat bijak ini? “Lingkungan akan menentukan kebiasaan anda”. Saya sependapat dengan hal ini karena faktor terbesar yang akan membentuk pribadi kita adalah komunitas. Nah, kira-kira apa saja yang dibentuk lingkungan atau komunitas itu? Banyak hal dapat terbentuk di dalam suatu komunitas. 

Misalnya, seorang anak muda yang berada di lingkungan wirausahawan, seiring dengan berjalannya waktu cepat atau lambat, pola pikir seorang wirausahawan akan terbentuk dalam diri anak muda ini. Juga dalam contoh negatifnya, seorang anak muda yang berada di lingkungan yang keras akan membentuk pribadi yang keras di dalam diri anak muda itu. Dari kejadian ini kita dapat menyimpulkan pengaruh besar dari terbentuknya suatu kepribadian manusia yang baik atau buruk adalah faktor dari lingkungan atau komunitas dimana manusia itu berada.

Seperti yang kita ketahui, bahwa saat ini banyak orang dari berbagai belahan dunia sedang berlomba-lomba meningkatkan kualitas hidup mereka di dalam lingkungan internasional. Apakah modal dasar untuk kita berinteraksi dengan lingkungan internasional? Tentu kita tahu jawabannya, yaitu bahasa. Sekarang ini banyak orang mulai menyadari akan betapa pentingnya bahasa Inggris dalam kehidupan mereka, tetapi sayangnya lebih banyak lagi orang yang belum menyadari tentang hal ini. Menurut saya pribadi, untuk hal yang satu ini yaitu bahasa Inggris, kita wajib menguasainya. Saya tidak tahu bagaimana dengan anda?

Bahasa sangat diperlukan sebagai sarana untuk menyampaikan informasi, menyatukan pendapat, membangun kerja sama, dan lain sebagainya. Dunia ekonomi, politik, sosial dan budaya sangat memerlukan peran bahasa sebagai sarana penghubung dalam membangun hubungan kerja sama antar negara. Saya memahami bahwa hal ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak bisa di pandang sebelah mata. Kita tidak bisa menutup mata bahwa di dalam kenyataan saat ini, dunia semakin berkembang di dalam tuntutan era globalisasi.

Lalu mungkin akan timbul pertanyaan di dalam pikiran anda, “Apa hubungannya lingkungan dengan bahasa? dan apakah ada keterikatan antara dua hal tersebut?” Ya, tentu saja ada!

Manusia adalah mahluk yang dinamis, tidak statis. Dengan berjalannya waktu dari satu masa ke masa berikutnya, manusia akan mengalami perubahan-perubahan, mulai dari perubahan fisik, emosi, spiritual, karakter dan bahkan ilmu pengetahuan yang bahasa kerennya disebut “knowledge”. Saya adalah seorang mahasiswa kejuruan Sastra Inggris (Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing) STBA LIA, Jakarta. Saya sudah mempelajari bahasa Inggris sejak saya ada di Sekolah Dasar (SD) tingkat 5.

Akan tetapi untuk saya menyadari betapa sangat pentingnya bahasa Inggris itu, ketika saya lulus dari Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA), pada saat mulai bekerja sambil berkuliah saat ini. Sangat disayangkan sekali, bukan? Saya berpikir andaikan saja saya sudah hidup di tengah-tengah lingkungan berbahasa Inggris sejak saya masih kanak-kanak dulu, sudah pasti bahasa Inggris saya akan lebih baik dari saat ini dan saya akan sudah terbiasa berinterkasi dengan dunia internasional.

 Cobalah kita melihat Bali, pulau wisata paling terkenal di negara kita ini, disana kita dapat menemukan banyak anak-anak remaja yang sudah mantap dalam berbahasa Inggris. Mereka sangat terbiasa berinteraksi dengan orang asing. Faktor lingkungan dimana mereka berada yang membentuk kompetensi mereka dan membuat mereka sanggup berinteraksi dengan dunia luar. Mereka masih berada di Indonesia, benar, tetapi mereka berkembang oleh karena mereka di kelilingi oleh lingkungan yang mendukung pembentukan pribadi mereka untuk berinteraksi dengan dunia luar yang mayoritas berbahasa Inggris .

Dari kasus ini kita dapat mengerti bahwa lingkungan kita bukan hanya akan membentuk karakter atau kepribadian kita saja, tetapi juga skill kompetensi kita juga. Salah satunya skill dalam berbahasa Inggris. Saya sangat menganjurkan kepada orang-orang tua untuk mulai menyadari bahwa pengenalan bahasa Inggris kepada anak-anak anda sejak sekarang ini adalah sangat penting. Coba mulai berpikir untuk 10, 15 atau 20 tahun ke depan untuk anak-anak anda. Tidakkah anda peduli dengan semua itu? 

SUMBER 

Forever Connected

Every moment we spent together

Has touched our lives, our souls forever
The things that we shared and learned
Is permanent growth that we've earned.

The person that I have grown into today
Did not get there by chance, no way
I am who I am partly because of you
And you are YOU because of me, too

The changes I see
and what I have learned about me
are a response to how we affected our lives
and what we discover in each others eyes.

It is uncertain if we have to part or one day live together
Either way, we have touched our lives forever!
No matter what the future will show
No matter what we are told.

We are connected on such a deep levels
That no one can remove that, not even the devil.
Our feelings might be different a year from now
But you are part of me forever somehow

A part of me will always be you
and a part of you will always be me.
no matter what happens ,that much is certain
our souls are one until life closes the curtain.

I will love your forever
For worse or for better

You are tattooed in my heart
And nothing can tear our souls apart.

I will never forget you
For my love is honest and true.

SOURCE

Tugas Softskill Bahasa Inggris 2

Diet and Weight Loss

Today, we will talk about diet and weight loss. Exercise is important if you want to get in good shape. But experts say exercise alone is not enough if your goal is to lose weight.

It is that time of year again. Warm weather has returned to earth’s northern hemisphere. Summer is a time when people of all ages feel like getting their swimwear and going to the nearest swimming pool or seashore.

But first, there is that troublesome little thing called winter weight gain. Many of us gain weight because of inactivity during the winter.

Some people go to extremes to lose that extra weight before going to the beach. In the weight loss industry, there is never a lack of ideas about how to lose weight. Consider the "Sleeping Beauty diet," where you sleep your way to weight loss. You cannot eat if you are sleeping, or so the theory goes.

Then there is the tapeworm diet. The tapeworm is said to help people lose weight by eating the food that is stored in their stomach. But first you have to be willing to swallow the little creature. This may be more trouble than many people want.

Strange, new diets, treatments and exercise programs arrive on the market every day. Each one promises to help people lose weight and get a beach beautiful body. The weight loss industry takes in billions of dollars each year, and it is growing.

One research company says the weight loss business will be worth more than five hundred eighty billion dollars worldwide by the year twenty fourteen. MarketsandMarkets also says the food and drink market represents the largest part of that growth. It is expected to reach more than three hundred fifty five billion dollars by twenty fourteen.

There is a seemingly endless supply of ideas about how to lose weight. There are low-carbohydrate diets and low-fat diets, diets that limit calories and ones that let you eat as much as you want. And, there are thousands of different kinds of diet pills and programs. So where does one begin? Which one is best?

Experts say there is no single diet plan that works best for everyone. Many experts agree on one thing: that to lose weight, you must use or burn off more calories than you take in. When you eat more calories than your body needs, it stores that extra energy as fat.

Calories are a measure of energy in food. A pound of fat is equal to about four hundred fifty three grams or three thousand five hundred calories. To lose that fat in a week, you have to burn off at least that amount in calories or eat that much less. The best thing to do is to combine both ideas. Eat fewer calories and increase physical activity so that you burn off more.

America’s National Institutes of Health has suggested that women limit calories to no less than one thousand two hundred calories a day without medical supervision. It also says men should have no less than one thousand five hundred calories. Debate continues about the best way to fill those calorie requirements.

For years, eating a diet low in fat was said to be the best way to lose weight. A low-fat diet is one in which less than thirty percent of a person’s daily calorie intake comes from fat.

Dean Ornish developed one of the most popular low fat diets after years of research on ways to control heart disease. His dietary ideas were first published in the medical journal The Lancet in nineteen ninety. The Ornish diet plan became more popular in nineteen ninety-three with the release of his book “Eat More, Weigh Less.”

Dr. Ornish studied the effects of carbohydrates – one of the most important sources of energy for the body. He found that carbohydrates were not to blame for making people fat. Instead, he said, fat makes people fat. He noted that a baked potato is not high in fat, but it becomes fatty when people add sour cream and butter to it.

Dr. Ornish’s diet plan limits daily calories from fat to less than ten percent, with little to no saturated fat or cholesterol. He also suggested that people get seventy to seventy-five percent of their calories from complex carbohydrates, and fifteen to twenty percent from proteins.

Like other low-fat diets, the Ornish plan suggests that people eat diets high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and other legumes. The plan advises people to avoid all meat and meat products, and to stay away from oils, nuts and seeds. It does not limit the number of calories people eat. But, eating the foods suggested by the diet plan would reduce the number of calories.

The Ornish diet has proved to be effective for many people. However, critics say it lets dieters eat too many carbohydrates while setting restrictions on calories from fat. They also say the changes required in eating habits may be too extreme for many people to follow.

Unlike the Ornish diet, low carbohydrate diets limit foods that are high in carbohydrates. These diets advise people to avoid things like white flour, pasta, rice, potatoes and foods high in sugar. Instead they suggest that people eat foods that are high in proteins and fats. These include foods like meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese and nuts.

The Atkins diet is one of the most popular of these diets. It suggests that people eat fewer than twenty grams of carbohydrates a day. This amount is slowly increased to  between forty and one hundred grams of carbohydrates a day to keep the weight off.

Both weight loss plans have been carefully studied over the years. But no one plan has come out as a clear winner. Three years ago, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found low-carb diets to be the best at providing the most weight loss. The study was led by researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Ben Gurion University in Israel.

The researchers studied more than three hundred obese patients who followed one of three diet plans. These included a low-fat diet, a low-carb diet and a Mediterranean diet, which is made up of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, olive oil and nuts.

A similar study published a year later looked at more than eight hundred dieters. The study found that low fat diets and high fat diets were equally successful at providing and maintaining weight loss over a two year period.

The researchers concluded that the most important thing for any diet is that people stick with it. And you must burn more calories than you take in no matter what you eat.

Some people are unable to lose weight through diet and exercise, no matter how hard they try. Others are just not willing to put in the effort. Many of these people choose to have surgical operations to reach their weight loss goals.

One kind of weight loss surgery reduces the size of the stomach. This is done by separating the stomach into two parts, including a very small section at the top. People who have had this operation are forced to eat smaller amounts of food because their top stomach fills up much faster.

Research suggests that most people lose about half of their overweight pounds in the first year after surgery. However, a large number of people regain the weight in three to five years.

A new report suggests similar results for another popular weight loss surgery. Liposuction has been widely used since the nineteen seventies to improve the body’s appearance. It improves body shape by removing fat from certain parts of the body. The most common areas are the stomach, waist, hips, thighs, neck and arms. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery says liposuction is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery worldwide.

Recently, researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine found that the effects of the surgery may not be long-lasting. They said people who have liposuction usually experience weight gain within one year after the surgery. And the fat that comes back reappears in a new area of the body, most noticeably the shoulders, arms and upper abdomen. The researchers say this is one more reason to try to prevent obesity before it happens.

Simple Past Tense :

1.  For years, eating a diet low in fat was said to be the best way to lose weight.

2.  The study was led by researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Ben Gurion University in Israel.

Simple Present Tense :

1.  Exercise is important if you want to get in good shape.

2.  Experts say there is no single diet plan that works best for everyone.

3.  It suggests that people eat fewer than twenty grams of carbohydrates a day.

Simple Future Tense :

1.  Today, we will talk about diet and weight loss.

2. One research company says the weight loss business will be worth more than five hundred eighty billion dollars worldwide by the year twenty fourteen. 

3.  Some people go to extremes to lose that extra weight before going to the beach.