Freedom of Speech: China and the Case of Ai WeiWei

The freedom of speech and specifically the power and authority to speak out against one\u27s government is a concept that is mostly adapted and encouraged by western nations due to the effects of movements like the Enlightenment and the overall history of the U.S. This ability to express and share ideals, and to critically assess can create in the masses a mindset that is not complacent, but allows everyone a voice in bringing about changes that they see fit. In countries like China, individual freedoms are outlined in the People\u27s Republic of China\u27s constitution, which states in Article 35: Citizens of the Peoples\u27s Republic of China [can] enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration (People\u27s Daily Online). The idea of freedom of speech as a western construct and its development in nations like China and its people is assessed in relation to a Chinese artist and activist, Ai WeiWei

Penggunaan Media Gambar dan Kartu Huruf untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca Permulaan Siswa Kelas I SDN Bokong 2

Proses pembelajaran berbahasa pada tingkat sekolah dasar harus menyesuaikan dengan tahapan berpikir anak sehingga guru perlu kreatif dalam menghadirkan media konkret yang dapat memudahkan anak dalam berbahasa. Salah satu media yang dapat digunakan yaitu media gambar dan kartu huruf untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca permulaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan membaca permulaan siswa Kelas 1 SD Negeri Bokong 2. Jenis penelitian ini merupakan penelitian tindakan kelas, dimana secara garis besar terdapat 4 tahapan yaitu perencanaan, pelaksanaan, pengamatan dan refleksi. Selanjutnya, metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan yaitu metode observasi, tes dan dokumentasi. Oleh karena itu, instrumen yang digunakan yaitu tes hasil belajar dan pedoman observasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa penggunaan media gambar dan kartu huruf dapat meningkatkan kemampuan membaca siswa. Hal ini ditunjukan berdasarkan data ketuntasan kelas dalam membaca pada siklus I yaitu 64.28 % selanjutnya mengalami peningkatan pada siklus II yaitu 85.71%. Selain itu hasil pengamatan terhadap aktivitas siswa meningkat dari siklus I yaitu kriteria kurang dan cukup menjadi kriteria baik pada siklus II. Begitu pula, dengan aktivitas guru dalam mengelola pembelajaran menjadi kriteria bai

A challenging job: Plant pathology in the urban environment

According to Agrios (2005), “Plant pathology is a science that studies plant diseases and attempts to improve the chances for survival of plants when they are faced with unfavorable environmental conditions and parasitic microorganisms that cause disease”. So, it is a discipline that has a practical and noble goal of protecting the food (quantity and quality) available for humans and animals. Nowadays to this crucial task at least another mission must be added: “to ensure the presence of well performing and safe plants (especially trees) in our cities”. This is because plant diseases, by their presence, menace the survival of the plants, shorten their life expectancy and make them dangerous in the urban environment representing a limiting factor for citizen’s security. At world level, far more than 50% of human beings currently live in an urban area and at least 70% will live there in the year 2050. Cities are similar to an organism in that they consume resources from their surroundings and excrete wastes. Urbanization concentrates people, materials and energy into relatively small geographical areas (cities and towns are estimated to be less than a mere 3% of the total land of our planet), whose environmental conditions are often critical. Quality of life in cities relies on a range of components, such as social equity, income and welfare, housing, social relations and education and a healthy environment. The environmental elements for an adequate quality of life include good air quality, low noise levels, clean and sufficient water, fair urban design with sufficient and high-quality public and green spaces, and a good local climate or opportunities to adapt to climate change. Urban trees provide a number of important (but not easily quantified) aesthetic, economic, and psychological benefits (“ecosystem services”) for humans. They increase property values, promote tourism, provide educational opportunities, encourage healthy life styles and outdoor activities, improve the visual appeal of urban areas, mitigate stress and encourage biological diversity. But trees, just as all other plants, may be sick and attacked by biotic and abiotic stress factors, and a diseased tree may represent an intolerable risk factor for human welfare. Plants in the city guarantee multiple benefits and satisfactions, but they are exposed to a variety of site conditions, environmental factors, and physical disturbances which influence their survival. Climate change has the potential to influence almost all components of the urban environment and to raise new, complex challenges for the quality of urban life, health and urban biodiversity. Due to human activity, the temperature in an urban microclimate is higher than that of the surrounding areas

Upaya Peningkatan Hasil Belajar PAI Metode Demonstrasi Pada Siswa Kelas XI SMK Raden Sa’id Sunan Kalijaga

Media pembelajaran yang digunakan guru di SMK Raden Sa’id Sunan Kalijaga dalam menyampaikan materi pelajaran masih menggunakan metode ceramah, dimana guru lebih aktif berbicara dan siswanya cenderung diam untuk mendengarkan penyampaian, sehingga menjadikan siswa tidak bisa  menguasai materi dengan baik. Untuk mengatasi itu semua peneliti menyarankan untuk menggunakan media baru sebagai cara untuk meningkatkan minat belajar siswa. Metode Demonstrasi adalah media yang mempunyai unsur gambar dan unsur peragaan. Studi ini dimaksudkan untuk menjawab permasalahan, apakah penggunaan metode demonstrasi dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa Di SMK Raden Sa’id Sunan Kalijaga. Permasalahan tersebut dibahas melalui penelitian tindakan kelas yang dilakukan melalui dua siklus dengan setiap siklus tahapannya adalah perencanaan, pelaksanaan, pengamatan dan refleksi. Data penelitian diperoleh melalui observasi di kelas dan dokumentasi hasil tindakan yang dilakukan maupun data dari guru kelas, dengan penelitian tindakan ini akan diketahui peningkatan atau penurunan setelah dilakukan tindakan kelas yang dilakukan di setiap siklus. Hasil yang penelitian peroleh adalah penggunaan metode demonstrasi dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa kelas XI dengan jumlah siswa 27 orang. Hal ini dapat dilihat dari hasil peningkatan ketuntasan belajar siswa yang cukup signifikan dari dua siklus yang telah dilaksanakan, indikasinya adalah kenaikan nilai rata-rata siswa pada pra siklus yaitu 66,77; pada siklus I75,00 dan 80,00 pada siklus II. Demikian pula pada persentase ketuntasan belajar siswa juga mengalami peningkatan, yaitu 62,06% pada pra siklus, 79,31 % pada siklus I, dan 100% pada siklus II. Berarti kenaikan persentase ketuntasan belajar dari pra siklus ke siklus I setelah dilakukan perbaikan sebesar 17,25%, dan meningkat pada siklus I kesiklus II sebesar 20,69%.   Kata kunci : Hasil Belajar, Metode Demonstrasi Abstract The learning media used by the teacher at Raden Sa'id Sunan Kalijaga Vocational School in delivering subject matter still uses the lecture method, where the teacher is more active in speaking and the students tend to be silent to listen to the delivery, thus making students unable to master the material well. To overcome all this, researchers suggest using new media as a way to increase students' interest in learning. Demonstration method is a media that has image elements and demonstration elements. This study is intended to answer the problem, whether the use of the demonstration method can improve student learning outcomes at SMK Raden Sa'id Sunan Kalijaga. These problems are discussed through classroom action research which is carried out in two cycles with each cycle the stages are planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Research data obtained through observations in class and documentation of the results of the actions taken as well as data from class teachers, with this action research it will be known the increase or decrease after class actions are carried out in each cycle. The results obtained are the use of demonstration methods can improve learning outcomes class XI students with 27 students. This can be seen from the results of the significant increase in student learning mastery from the two cycles that have been implemented, the indications are the increase in the average score of students in the pre-cycle, namely 66.77; in cycle I75.00 and 80.00 in cycle II. Likewise, the percentage of student learning completeness also increased, namely 62.06% in the pre-cycle, 79.31% in the first cycle, and 100% in the second cycle. It means that the increase in the percentage of mastery learning from pre-cycle to cycle I after repair is 17.25%, and it increases in cycle I to cycle II by 20.69%