EMU

TAKEN FROM (http://www.amonline.net.au/birds/factsheets/emu.htm)

Description
The Emu is Australia's tallest native bird, reaching 1.6-1.9m when standing erect. It weighs 30-45kg, which is lighter than its closest living relative, the Southern Cassowary Casuarius casuarius. Emus are easy to identify. Adult Emus are covered with shaggy grey-brown feathers except for the neck and head, which are largely naked and bluish-black. The wings are greatly reduced, but the legs are long and powerful. Each foot has three forward-facing toes and no hind toe.
The name 'emu' is not an Aboriginal word. It appears to have been derived from an Arabic word for large bird. It was later adopted by early Portuguese explorers and applied to cassowaries in eastern Indonesia. The term was subsequently transferred to the Emu by early European explorers to Australia. The first specimen collected in 1788 by Europeans was from what is now an inner suburb of Sydney of Redfern.

Distribution and habitat
The Emu is found only in Australia. It lives throughout most of the continent, ranging from coastal regions to high in the Snowy Mountains. The main habitats are sclerophyll forest and savanna woodland. These birds are rarely found in rainforest or very arid areas. Emus were once found in Tasmania, but were exterminated soon after Europeans arrived. Two dwarf species of emus that lived on Kangaroo Island and King Island also became extinct.
Today, Emus are absent from heavily populated regions, especially along the east coast. Despite this loss in some areas, Emu numbers may have increased since European settlement. The provision of water for domestic stock, together with the Emu's ability to reproduce rapidly, has favoured its survival. It is estimated that the Emu population is 625,000-725,000, with 100,000-200,000 in Western Australia and the majority of remaining populations in New South Wales and Queensland.
Behaviour
Emus eat fruits, seeds, growing shoots of plants, insects, other small animals, and animal droppings. They move within their range according to climatic conditions. If sufficient food and water are present, birds will reside in one area. Where these resources are more variable, Emus move as needed to find suitable conditions. They are known to move hundreds of kilometres, sometimes at rates of 15-25km per day. Most people see Emus along roadsides, near fences or other barriers, giving the impression of close association. However, Emus are not really sociable, except for young birds, which stay with their father.
Their calls consist of booming, drumming and grunting. Booming is created in an inflatable neck sac, and can be heard up to 2km away.
Breeding
Nesting takes place in winter. The male and female remain together for about five months, which includes courtship, nest building and egg-laying. The nest consists of a platform of grass on the ground, about 10cm thick and 1-2m in diameter. Five to 15 eggs, measuring 130x90mm, are laid at intervals of 2-4 days. These are dark bluish-green when fresh, becoming lighter with exposure to the sun. The shells are thick, with paler green and white layers under the dark outer layer.
The female dominates the male during pair formation but once incubation begins, the male becomes aggressive to other Emus, including his mate. The female wanders away and leaves the male to perform all the incubation. Sometimes she will find another mate and breed again. The male sits on the nest for 55 days without drinking, feeding, defecating or leaving the nest. During this time, eggs often roll out of the nest and are pulled back in by the male.
Newly hatched chicks are cream-coloured with dark brown stripes. They leave the nest at 2-7 days when they are able to feed themselves. Young birds stay close together and remain with the male for four months. They finally leave at about six months. During this period, the stripes fade and the downy plumage is replaced by dull brown feathers. Emus are nearly fully grown at one year, and may breed at 20 months.
Emu farming has been tried for several decades but recently interest has been growing in this industry. A pair of Emus may produce ten eggs a year under good captive conditions, which yield on average 5.5 chicks. At the end of 15 months, these would yield 4m2 of leather, 150 kg of meat, 5.5 kg of feathers, and 2.7 1 of oil. Eggshells of infertile eggs, are suitable for carving.
Sun-bleached eggs are generally those that have not hatched and are left in the nest after the male and young have left. Bleaching takes about three months.



THE FUNNY FACE

TAKEN FROM http://mako.cc/copyrighteous/images/emu.jpg

MILAN JUARA DI JEPANG

AC Milan berjaya di Piala Dunia antar klub di Jepang malam ini jam 7.30 waktu Indonesia barat setelah mengalahkan Boca Juniors 4-2.

Kemenangan ini terasa indah dengan dinobatkannya Kaka sebagai pemain terbaik di ajang yang mempertemukan tim-tim juara antar benua. Bagi laki-laki berusia 23 tahun ini, merupakan gelar kedua tahun ini setelah dia dinobatkan sebagai pemain terbaik Eropa seminggu yang lalu.

Selain Kaka, pemain yang berbahagia adalah kapten Paolo Maldini. Di usianya yang sudah memasuki 38 tahun, masih sempat mengecap juara di level tertinggi, dan mungkin ini adalah momen paling indah selama karirnya karena tahun depan dia berencana pensiun dari sepakbola.

BELIEVE IN GOD

RELAX

Hari-hari mulai padat dan terasa tak ada celah untuk bersantai. Dari Senin pagi hingga Sabtu penuh aktivitas yang rutin dan terus menerus tanpa henti. Itu membuat kepala mulai berat dan sesak. Mungkin saatnya bersantai sejenak menikmati waktu.

Ada banyak aktifitas yang bisa dinikmati dengan sedikit waktu seperti Chating di internet, nonton film, bercanda, dan meluangkan waktu untuk melakukan hobi.

Tapi, lebih baik menghindari berlarut-larut dalam suasana santai karena akan membuat kita semakin malas menyelesaikan pekerjaan. Semakin lama kita tidak menyentuh kerja kita, maka semakin tidak fokus pada apa yang telah kita rencanakan sebelumnya. Akibatnya tentu produktivitas kita menurun dan bisa jadi kepercayaan orang sekitar menjadi berkurang terhadap kinerja kita.

FIRST LOVE TO REMEMBER

"Cinta pertama sulit terkubur" sebuah ungkapan yang klise tapi terasa kebenarannya bagi yang pernah jatuh cinta walaupun tidak terjawab sekalipun. Penulis ingin mengurai sedikit tentang first love sekitar 12 tahun silam, semasa remaja.

Masa-masa awal remaja bagi penulis adalah sesuatu yang tak menentu. Libido sedang tinggi-tingginya karena masa pubertas atau kematangan fungsi seks. Ketertarikan terhadap lawan jenis, keinginan untuk diakui lingkungan bahkan berontak terhadap kungkungan orang tua menjadi lahapan penulis saat itu.

Dan Cinta Pertama pada seorang gadis adalah satu-satunya yang melekat. Walaupun penulis sudah menjadi calon ayah sekarang namun sukar sekali menghapusnya. Hal-hal kecil seperti ulang tahun, senyum bahkan benda menjadi pengingat semuanya.

2 hari yang lalu 10 Desember 2007, gadis itu memasuki usia baru. Usia yang mungkin membuatnya telah jauh berubah. Di usianya yang sekarang kemungkinan dia tak tahu lagi kalau masih ada laki-laki yang menyimpan hasratnya.

Semua hal tidak mudah untuk berubah. Penulis merasakan kalau tak ada perubahan di dalam perasaanya. Masih ada perasaan rindu yang terpendam untuk kekasihnya di masa lalu.

SMK WALISONGO: SEBUAH REVIEW

Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (SMK) Walisongo Rambipuji adalah sekolah berbasis keislaman yang ada di Rambipuji Jember. Dilihat dari namanya mengambil embel-embel para penyebar agama Islam yang ada di pulau jawa beberapa abad silam. Paling tidak maksud didirikannya sekolah ini adalah sesuai dengan cita-cita luhur walisongo untuk menebar keindahan Islam dalam bentuk lembaga pendidikan.

Namun, sekolah ini tak ubahnya sekolah pada umumnya yang tak menjunjung tinggi nilai-nilai keislaman. Ciri-ciri Islam yang sederhana sekalipun seperti jilbab bukan merupakan hal wajib di sekolah ini. Jadi, jangan heran jika ada cewek berpakaian seragam rok pendek ternyata berasal dari SMK Walisongo.