Blogger’s fresh new look

(Cross-posted from Blogger Buzz)

As you may have heard, things are starting to look a little different across many Google products—and today, Blogger is the next product to get a makeover.

It’s been a few years since we made major updates to Blogger’s look and feel, and there’s a lot more to these changes than just shiny new graphics. We’ve rewritten the entire editing and management experience from scratch so it’s faster and more efficient for you—and easier for us to update and improve over time.

Throughout the design process, we conducted user interviews to help identify how to make Blogger even easier and more enjoyable to use. We also watched users try our new interface and made many refinements based on their feedback.

A streamlined blogging experience
Whether you’re on a dashboard or settings page of blogger.com, you can always create or edit posts with just one click at the top of the screen. Additionally, the post editor has been expanded and simplified to give you a larger canvas for drafting and previewing your work.

Monitor and grow your audience at a glance
In the new “Overview” section of your dashboard, you’ll be able to quickly get a pulse for how people are reacting to your blog with a graph of your most recent traffic numbers, comment activity and follower counts. For extra guidance and inspiration, you’ll also find a list of helpful links, a feed of Blogger updates and a showcase of other blogs you may find interesting.

Opt in now
Starting today, we’ll gradually let all bloggers choose to turn on the new UI, so your Blogger experience won’t be updated until you enable it. Over the next few days, keep an eye out for a pop-up announcement on your dashboard with instructions on how to get started, and check out this Blogger Help Center page to learn more about what’s changed.

If you have suggestions or feedback about the new look, click the gear icon in the top right of the navigation bar and select “Send Feedback.”

We’re working hard to fundamentally revamp and improve the Blogger experience from the ground up, and we hope you enjoy the first in a series of major updates that are on their way in the coming months.

Posted by Chang Kim, Product Manager, Blogger

Taking cars off the road with our transportation programs

This is the third in a short series of posts and videos spotlighting our efforts to make Google greener. In this post, we give you a glimpse at how our transportation programs help Googlers get to work while leaving their cars at home. -Ed.

Commuting to work without driving, meeting with someone on another continent without flying and riding cars without gasoline? It’s not a futuristic dream, but a way of life at Google. We support and encourage carbon-free commuting because it’s a vital part of our longstanding commitment to sustainability.

We help take cars off of the road—not quite like the Hulk, but we are green. Back in 2004, one motivated Googler started a vanpool that ran from San Francisco to Mountain View as a 20 percent project. As demand grew, the program morphed into what is now one of the largest corporate shuttle services in the country. Today, up to a third of employees ride the GBus shuttles throughout our Bay Area offices five days a week—that’s more than 3,500 daily riders, or 7,000 one-way car trips avoided each day.



Beyond the convenience and comfort that our shuttle rides offer—of which I’m reminded during my daily 35-mile commute from Alameda to Mountain View—they’re also environmentally friendly. Our shuttles have the cleanest diesel engines ever built and run on 5 percent bio-diesel, so they’re partly powered by renewable resources that help reduce our carbon footprint. In fact, we’re the first and largest company with a corporate transportation fleet using engines that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 emission standards.

Not only do we encourage self-powered commuting, we reward it. Googlers earn credits each time they get to work via alternative (non-engine) means—by bike, foot, skateboard or kayak. These credits are then translated into a dollar amount that gets donated—$100 for every 20 days of participation—to the Googler’s charity of choice. This year, 56 offices also participated in “Bike to Work Day,” with more than 2,500 Googlers who biked to work worldwide. The annual celebration is meant to reward daily cyclists as well as introduce many new riders to biking.

The green life doesn’t stop once Googlers get to work. In Mountain View, our GBike system distributes about 1,000 bikes across the campus that Googlers can pick up whenever they have to get to another building. For longer distances and off-campus trips, we have the GFleet, our electric vehicle car share program, and our on-campus taxi service GRide. We're also installing hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations throughout several of our offices, making it easy for Googlers to charge up their own electric cars for free at work. If Googlers need to chat with their colleagues in other cities or continents they can use video conferencing technology, which cuts down on potential air travel.

In total, the combination of the GFleet and our shuttles result in net annual savings of more than 5,400 metric tons of CO2. That's like taking over 2,000 cars off the road every day, or avoiding 14 million vehicle miles every year. With the help of Googlers, we’ll continue powering the wheels of sustainable transit innovation.

Posted by Kevin Mathy, Transportation Manager

Using technology in crisis preparedness

(Cross-posted from the Google.org Blog)

In many ways, the arrival of Hurricane Irene last week drove home the importance of National Preparedness Month, an effort from the FEMA Ready campaign to encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies throughout the year. With people relying on the Internet worldwide, it’s not surprising that Google search data and a recently released American Red Cross survey show that people turn to online resources and tools for information and communication during major crises. First responders, who provide services in the aftermath of disasters, are also finding Internet and cloud-based tools and information useful—for improving their understanding of a situation, collaborating with each other and communicating with the public.

Today, in preparation for September’s National Preparedness Month, our Crisis Response team is introducing a new Google Crisis Preparedness website with information and educational tools on using technology to prepare for crises. On the site, you can see how individuals and organizations have used technology during crises in the past, including how two girls located their grandfather after the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March of this year and how Americorps tracked volunteers during the tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri in May of this year. There’s a section for responders with information on using Google tools in crises, such as collaborating efficiently using Google Docs, Spreadsheets and Sites, visualizing the disaster-related information with Google My Maps and Google Earth, and more.



Also, you can access a new public preparedness web resource launching today: Get Tech Ready, developed as a collaboration between FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Ad Council and Google Crisis Response. There, you’ll find tips on using technology to prepare for, adapt to and recover from disasters, for example:

• Learn how to send updates via text and internet from your mobile phone in case voice communications are not available
• Store your important documents in the cloud so they can be accessed from anywhere or in a secure and remote area such as a flash or jump drive that you can keep readily available
• Create an Emergency Information Document using this Ready.gov Emergency Plan Google Docs Template, or by downloading it to record and share your emergency plans and access them from anywhere

We encourage you to take a moment now to see how simple, easy-to-use and readily-available technology tools can help you prepare for a crisis. You’ll be more comfortable using these tools in the event of a disaster if you’ve already tried them out—and even integrated them into your daily life.

Posted by Nigel Snoad, Crisis Response Product Manager

Free calls home from Gmail for all U.S. service members

(Cross-posted from the Gmail Blog)

We understand that it’s not always easy or affordable for our troops serving overseas to call friends and family at home, so starting today we’re making it completely free for all uniformed military personnel with valid United States Military (.mil) email addresses to call the United States, right from Gmail.

There are two easy steps to enable free calling from Gmail (detailed instructions):

1. Add your valid .mil email address to your Google Account
   
2. Click on the Call phone link at the top of the Gmail chat roster and install the voice and video Gmail plugin if you haven’t already.

And don’t forget that for friends and family at home in the U.S., calling troops abroad is as little as $.02/minute. 

Similar to free calling within the U.S., free calling to the U.S. for service members will be available for at least the rest of 2011. 

We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices U.S. troops make when they serve abroad, and we’re proud to help make it a little bit easier for them to stay connected and hear a familiar voice.

Posted by Ilya Frank, Senior Software Engineer

Music Tuesday: Fresh faces, Burning Man’s musical side and more

Summer’s drawing to a close, but there’s still time to discover a new summer anthem. Perhaps it’s a tune from Cults, the indie-popsters Noisey profiled last week on youtube.com/music. Or perhaps you’ll find your summer song in one of this week’s featured playlists.



Fresh Faces: August

Every month, we feature a handful of newly-signed music partners on YouTube’s homepage. This month, the pickings were so rich we couldn’t narrow it down to just four, so we chose six artists to feature, and they’re an inspiring group that spans the gamut, from a sixteen-year-old emcee from New Jersey who’s sworn off cursing to J Dilla protege and former Slum Village member Elzhi. Add a few jazzy singer-songwriters into the mix and there’s something for everyone.







Burning Man Survival Kit

The annual art festival takes place in Nevada Black Rock Desert this week. And while the event’s official focus is art -- kinetic, sculptural and frequently fire-breathing -- it’s also a premier gathering spot for fans of electronic music. Soundsystems on the “playa” vie with each other, putting on all-night raves that host cutting-edge deejays as well as some of the business’ biggest names. We’ve assembled a playlist of some sounds you might hear if you were there.







James Blake and Bon Iver: Fall Creek Boys Choir

Dubstep’s errant child and indie’s golden son have teamed up for an EP that releases later this year. They’ve dropped the first song from it on YouTube, and it’s a mysterious and spacious experiment in sound...just as we expected.







Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Pigeon John ‘The Bomb.’”

Reflections on September 11 - Share Your Story

The worst terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil took place ten years ago next month. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 affected the lives of millions of people, not only in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, but around the world.



Working with The New York Times, we’re marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with a dedicated YouTube channel, featuring special content from the New York Times, archived news broadcasts from September 2001, and your own personal stories and tributes. We hope this channel will provide an enduring record of what took place on that day.



We’re asking you to share with us:

• Your strongest memory of that day or that time period
• How 9/11 changed you, and how you believe it changed America
• What you lost — or gained -- because of 9/11

Make a video answering any of these questions and submit it to youtube.com/September11. A selection of your videos will be featured on the The New York Times website and YouTube homepage on September 11 this year.



Through telling and sharing stories, we can all hope to make sense of an event that, for many of us, was one of the defining moments of our lives. Thank you for sharing yours.



Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics Manager, recently watched “Portraits Redrawn: Alissa Torres”

JasonMundayMusic is August’s On The Rise Star

Congratulations to JasonMundayMusic, who won August’s On The Rise poll after receiving the most votes from the YouTube community. Thanks to your support, Jason Munday (and his friends) will be featured on the YouTube homepage all day today.

As the self-proclaimed “nerdiest YouTube musician,” Jason’s repertoire includes songwriting, singing, producing, and sound engineering. His long history of musical projects on YouTube include hit YouTube bands Ministry of Magic and The Oceanic Six, whose songs were inspired by pop culture. Jason credits Ministry of Magic (a collaborative project with YouTube stars Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler) with opening the trio up to the potential of a YouTube music career with hits such as “Don’t Leave,” “On The Other Side,” and “This Town.” The band members have since chosen to pursue individual careers and Jason’s current solo project, Skyway Flyer, artfully combines the big arena sounds of the 80s with modern dance rock. Check out the video below for an overview of Jason’s work, past and present.



Here’s a word from Jason about his YouTube history, channels, and collaborations:

"I've been a YouTuber for several years, a musician for over a decade, and a nerd for as long as I can remember. Being a YouTube musician is now my full time job, and I'm proud to say that I've got to be one of the nerdiest! I started writing nerdy music with Luke Conard and Ryan Seiler over 4 years ago, and as Ministry of Magic, we were extremely fortunate with our online following and support. Thanks to our fans, I've been able to quit my full time job, move to Los Angeles, and pursue my dream of music and video making. I've since been able to focus so much more time and energy toward many different music projects and being out in LA amongst a vast ocean of music & film industry people, not to mention the growing YouTuber population, I've been able to network and make friends that are always looking to collaborate and even just help each other out. I always try to excel at whatever it is I'm focusing my efforts towards, and I find it fascinating to be able to look back at where I started and the place I've reached and simply look forward to where to future will take me. I'm inexpressibly grateful for all the good fortune I've had and as long as there are people enjoying what I do, I will continue to create it!”

If you’ve enjoyed monthly On The Rise blog series and want to see more rising YouTube partners, check out our On The Rise channel or look for our playlists on the browse page. Keep an eye out for next month’s blog post, as your channel may be the next one On The Rise!

Devon Storbeck, Account Manager, recently watched “Ready For Anything" (Live!) - Skyway Flyer.”

Watch Anderson Cooper’s exclusive YouTube Q&A

Earlier this week, we welcomed Anderson Cooper to our New York office for a lively question-and-answer session. As he prepares to launch his new daytime talk show on September 12, Anderson has made a big splash on YouTube, posting behind-the-scenes videos from his show, and answering viewer questions directly using our Moderator platform. In the one-hour session, the “Silver Fox” (as he’s affectionately known online) answered some of your top-voted questions submitted online.

He also talked about his “YouTube moment” last week on the Ridiculist (you have to see it to believe it), and told us what it’s like to be a (shy) celebrity in New York City. You can watch the full interview here:



Anderson’s visit was part of our @YouTube Talks series, which brings authors, musicians, innovators, and other thought leaders to YouTube for talks centered on their recent work. The goal is to capture the cultural zeitgeist of the day through interviews, presentations, and intimate studio sessions --- and give you access to these minds by opening up the sessions for viewer questions.

Stay tuned for more @YouTube Talks!

Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics, YouTube, recently watched "Anderson in Times Square."

YouTube Creator Playbook tips: the first 15 seconds

This is the first of a series of posts sharing tips from the YouTube Creator Playbook, a resource full of best practices and strategies that you can start using on your channel and videos right away.

Ever notice how many of your favorite shows start with a great two-minute scene followed by the opening credits, instead of the other way around? How often has a great movie trailer caught your attention and made you want to go see the movie right away on opening night? With so many entertainment choices, all types of creators know how important it is to capture the attention of audiences early on. This same idea applies to videos on YouTube, and here’s how you can use this creative technique to attract and keep your viewers watching.

Make compelling content first...

• Start off with something that will immediately grab attention, whether it’s what you say or a stunning visual
• Make it clear what your video is about early on, so viewers aren’t confused about what they’re watching
• Tease the rest of the video so the audience is intrigued to see where you take them.

...share your channel branding later.

• A flashy intro may look cool, but it’s not the star of the video - let them see you, or your great content, first
• Make your branding compelling by making it entertaining or unique to each video

The general concept of capturing the audience’s attention upfront applies to all types of content in different ways. Find what’s right for your channel. Check out these great examples:

Toby, on CuteWinFail, addresses the audience, makes a joke, and sets up the show all on the first 15 sec.



Want to keep your branding upfront but still use this strategy? The voiceover for College Humor’s Jake and Amir packaging changes with every episode.

Need more ideas? For how-to content, such as cooking or fashion tutorials, the first few seconds of a video is a great place to present a “sneak peek” of what the finished product of the tutorial will be. This lets the viewer know what amazing thing they’ll be capable of making if they watch your video.

FoodWishes’ cooking channel does a great job of this:



You can learn more about how to structure the first 15 seconds of your videos, and lots of other tips and strategies in the YouTube Creator Playbook. These suggestions were pulled together from YouTubers like you, and we’re eager to see how you’ll apply these tips in your own creative ways.

Ryan Nugent, Audience Development Strategist, recently watched “James Blake - Limit to Your Love.”

This week's Trends: earthquakes, hurricanes, and portals

Each weekday, we at YouTube Trends take a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube as they develop. We want take a moment to highlight some of what we've come across this week:

• We highlighted lots of videos and reactions from the East Coast earthquake as well as some instances of the quake caught-on-camera.
  
  
• We saw how people were documenting preparations for Hurricane Irene.
  
  
• We catalogued 10 of the most-viewed Minecraft song parodies.
  
  
• We spotted some wild human pyramids in India.
  
  
• We tracked some rising searches this week, which included Aaliyah and some airshow tragedies.
  
  
• We shared video from a flash mob arrest.
  
  
• We received video from Libya as rebels arrived in Tripoli.
  
  
• We studied how Ken Block's new hit video was taking off.
  
  
• We discovered how some fans/filmakers brought the game Portal into real life.
  
  
• And ImprovEverywhere created another hit by asking people to "Say Something Nice."

Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends

Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "El Delorean de Volver al Futuro en Cabildo y Juramento."

YouTube Presents: Taylor Swift takes your questions

With her vocal talent and songwriting skills, Taylor Swift has won four Grammys, six CMT Music Awards, 13 Teen Choice Awards, the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award—and a tremendous following of loyal fans. Now, she’s taking questions from you on YouTube.



Starting today and until 12 p.m. PT on August 31, you can submit written or video queries on Taylor Swift’s channel, and vote on your favorites. She’ll answer the most popular ones as part of our YouTube Presents program.

Visit the YouTube blog for more info, and keep an eye on the YouTube homepage to see Taylor’s Q&A as soon as it’s uploaded.

Posted by Anna Richardson, Communications Manager

Today is a Fairytale: Taylor Swift takes your questions on YouTube

From "Tim McGraw" to "Sparks Fly," Taylor Swift has won over fans worldwide with her vocal talent and songwriting skills. In addition to a tremendous fan following, Swift has racked up four Grammys, six CMT Music Awards, thirteen Teen Choice Awards and even the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award, joning the likes of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and The Dixie Chicks. And now she takes your questions on YouTube!

Ever wonder what it’s like to become a major pop star before you’re out of high school -- on the strength of your own songs? Whether you’re cheer captain or on the bleachers, Taylor wants to hear from you and she’s agreed to be fearless in answering!



Starting today, submit written or video queries on Taylor Swift’s channel, and she’ll answer the most popular ones as part of our YouTube Presents program. You have until noon on August 31 to submit your questions and vote on the ones you’d most like to see her answer.

YouTube Presents is an ongoing program dedicated to bringing you live performances and interviews with your favorite artists. Upcoming YouTube Presents events will include artist interviews (with questions provided by the YouTube community), intimate performances at the YouTube offices, and live streams of music festivals.

Stay tuned for more YouTube Presents sessions this fall -- and watch the homepage to see Taylor’s Q&A, which we’ll post as soon as it’s uploaded.

Anna Richardson, Communications Manager, recently watched "Our Song."

Another look under the hood of search

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search blog and the Public Policy blog)

Over the past few years, we’ve released a series of blog posts to share the methodology and process behind our search ranking, evaluation and algorithmic changes. Just last month, Ben Gomes, Matt Cutts and I participated in a Churchill Club event where we discussed how search works and where we believe it’s headed in the future.

Beyond our talk and various blog posts, we wanted to give people an even deeper look inside search, so we put together a short video that gives you a sense of the work that goes into the changes and improvements we make to Google almost every day. While an improvement to the algorithm may start with a creative idea, it always goes through a process of rigorous scientific testing. Simply put: if the data from our experiments doesn’t show that we’re helping users, we won’t launch the change.



In the world of search, we’re always striving to deliver the answers you’re looking for. After all, we know you have a choice of a search engine every time you open a browser. As the Internet becomes bigger, richer and more interactive it means that we have to work that much harder to ensure we’re unearthing and displaying the best results for you.

Posted by Amit Singhal, Google Fellow

Food for (green) thought

This is the second in a short series of posts and videos spotlighting our efforts to make Google greener. In this post, we give you a glimpse at our sustainable food programs. -Ed.

When it comes to eating sustainably, it’s about more than being organic, grass-fed or cage-free. Through our food program, we delight and support Googlers as well as uphold our company’s health and environmental values. And it’s a job we relish, because food is such a defining part of our unique culture. Our cafes and microkitchens help spark greater innovation and collaboration, allowing different teams to come together to share ideas, problem-solve or just get to know each other better over lunch or a mid-morning snack.

As part of Google’s Food Team, we serve roughly 50,000 healthy and delicious meals every day at nearly 100 cafes around the world—and strive to apply sustainable food principles to all the cafes we operate. We aim to source food that’s as local, seasonal and organic as possible. This helps us prevent artificial additives, pesticides and hormones from entering Google’s food supply—whether that means sourcing our eggs from cage-free chickens or using steroid- and antibiotic-free poultry. It’s fresher, and it tastes better!



Through Google’s Green Seafood Policy, we’ve established guidelines to help ensure that (whenever and wherever possible) we purchase species caught locally from independently managed fisheries that use environmentally responsible catch practices. At our Mountain View headquarters, where we benefit from our proximity to the ocean and local agriculture, we’ve been able to establish close relationships with several local, independent farmers and fishermen. We see firsthand how they raise and harvest their stock, and what sustainable catch methods they use. Much of our Mountain View produce (nearly half of which is organic) comes from farms in California, and our seafood comes from within 200 miles. Many of our campuses also have edible gardens that empower green-thumbed Googlers to grow herbs for their own cooking.

Because optimal eating habits extend beyond the walls of our offices, we’re committed to helping Googlers make the most informed choices possible as part of a healthy lifestyle. We want to not only become the healthiest workforce, but also make it easier for employees to take Google’s sustainable food values home to share with friends and family. Many of our offices in the U.S. offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs where Googlers can buy fresh, seasonal produce directly from local farms that’s delivered right to campus. In Mountain View, we also recently launched the Google Green Grocer program, where Googlers can order the same high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood, meat and eggs they already enjoy in our cafes, while supporting local community fisheries and farms.

We also pay very close attention to how we manage and reduce waste from our food program. Most employees use non-disposable dishware, and all of our grab-and-go containers are compostable. We have recycling and composting bins throughout many of our offices worldwide, and 20 percent of food waste from our cafes is recycled. In fact, organic food waste from our cafes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa is recycled to help produce bio-diesel or electricity. In some of our U.S. offices, any untouched, edible food is donated to local shelters, and the rest is put to use as compost.

Through our our cafes, microkitchens, edible gardens and community-supported food programs, we’re connecting Googlers to sustainable values on a daily basis. The more we care about what happens to the food on our plates and where it comes from, the more it can improve our health, our local economies and the environment.

Posted by Scott Giambastiani, Executive Chef

Doing more with the +1 button, more than 4 billion times a day

In June we launched the +1 button for websites, making it easier to recommend content across the web. In July, the +1 button crossed 2 billion daily views, and we also made it a lot faster. Today the +1 button appears on more than a million sites, with over 4 billion daily views, and we're extremely excited about this momentum.

It's just the beginning, however, and today we're launching two more features that make +1 buttons more useful for users and publishers alike.

Sharing with your circles on Google+
Clicking the +1 button is a great way to highlight content for others when they search on Google. But sometimes you want to start a conversation right away—at least with certain groups of friends. So beginning today, we're making it easy for Google+ users to share webpages with their circles, directly from the +1 button. Just +1 a page as usual and look for the new "Share on Google+" option. From there you can comment, choose a circle and share.

The new +1 button on Rotten Tomatoes

+Snippets
When you share content from the +1 button, you’ll notice that we automatically include a link, an image and a description in the sharebox. We call these "+snippets," and they're a great way to jumpstart conversations with the people you care about.

Of course: publishers can benefit from +snippets as well. With just a few changes to their webpages, publishers can actually customize their +snippets and encourage more sharing of their content on Google+. More details are available on the Google Webmaster blog.



We're rolling out sharing and +snippets globally over the next week, but if you’d like to try the new +1 button now, you can join our Google+ Platform Preview. Once you're part of the Preview, just visit a site with the +1 button (like Rotten Tomatoes) and +1 the page. Thanks for all of your feedback so far, and stay tuned for more features in the weeks and months ahead!

Posted by Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering

Panoramio Groups: Join a photo community to match your interests

(Cross-posted from the Lat Long Blog)

I'm from Barcelona, and once a year I go to Costa Brava on the Mediterranean with my friends to enjoy good food and nice weather. I always carry my camera with me to capture the beach when the light is just right, take photos of my favorite meals or document my latest hike. When I get home, I upload my photos to Panoramio and position them on the map. Pictures uploaded to Panoramio can be featured in the “Photos” layer of Google Earth and Google Maps, which means that I can share my travel experiences with others and, in return, explore places around the world through the eyes of other photographers.

Starting today, you can share your passions through photographs more collaboratively with Panoramio Groups. This new feature lets you create a sub-community within Panoramio around a topic you’re passionate about, so you can easily engage with like-minded photographers and hobbyists.

Panoramio is an online community of people that share and explore photos of the world.

For example, in my trips around the world, I always take the time to enjoy the local cuisine, like Costa Brava’s arròs negre. So I created a group called “Food,” to give others a "taste" of that region and get a glimpse of what fellow foodies are feasting on. My fellow group members—and by all means I hope you’ll become one of them!—can add their own photos, browse others' and get culinary and travel inspiration.

Panoramio Groups allow members to share photos and start discussions on a given topic.

To share your own interests and passions through photos, hop over to Panoramio and create your own group or join an existing one from the Groups Directory. You can show off your photos of your favorite restaurant, the most beautiful sunset you’ve seen, the latest lighthouse you’ve visited, or the cutest dog from each continent. Whatever it is, try starting a discussion about your favorite topics and share what matters to you with others.

Visit www.panoramio.com/groups to get started. We hope you enjoy this new addition to Panoramio—let us know what you think in the Panoramio Forum!

Posted by Gerard Sanz, Panoramio Community Manager

Kematian-kematian yang tak terduga

Setiap makhluk hidup diciptakan untuk mati pada waktunya masing-masing. Ada kematian-kematian yang tak terduga yang penyebabnya hanya hal-hal remeh tapi bisa bikin nyawa melayang. Berikut adalah beberapa contoh kematian yang tak terduga tapi masih banyak lagi contoh lainnya yang mengingatkan agar manusia tetap harus hati-hati dan tidak menyepelekannya.



1. Mati karena saluran pembuangan (selokan)



Ini adalah kematian aneh, menyedihkan dan sangat tragis. Pada tahun 2008, seorang pria Kanada tewas setelah berusaha mengambil dompetnya yang dicuri dan masuk pada saluran pembuangan air (selokan). Dia menelepon polisi sebelum mengambil dompet tersebut di selokan. Tapi polisi menemukan kepala pria tersebut sudah terjepit di selokan beberapa meter di bawah jalan (selokan di bawah jalan raya). Ia sempat dilarikan ke rumah sakit, tapi kemudian nyawanya tak terselamatkan.



2. Mati karena deodoran



Pada tahun 1998, seorang anak laki-laki usia 16 tahun asal Inggris meninggal karena serangan jantung setelah terpapar uap deodoran (deodoran spray) terlalu banyak. Dia tampak terobsesi dengan kebersihan pribadi dan ingin selalu segar, jadi dia semprot seluruh tubuhnya dengan deodoran minimal dua kali per hari. Ia tidak pernah berpikir berada dalam bahaya. Hasil otopsi menemukan bahwa ada 10 kali lipat jumlah butana dan propana yang mematikan di aliran darahnya. Ternyata anak itu sering menggunakan deodoran di tempat yang sempit, padahal produk seperti itu direkomendasikan untuk digunakan di tempat berventilasi baik.



3. Mati karena jenggot



Banyak orang yang tercatat memiliki jenggot terpanjang, yang terbaru adalah seorang pria Kanada bernama Sarwan Singh yang memegang Guinness World Record karena memiliki jenggot terpanjang (2,36 m). Tapi tak ada satu pun orang yang bermasalah dengan memiliki jenggot panjang, kecuali seorang pria asal Austria pada pertengahan tahun 1500-an. Jenggot Hans Steininger hanya 1,4 m, tapi itu membuatnya mengalami kejadian buruk. Hans diketahui selalu menggulung jenggotnya di dalam tas, tetapi suatu hari pada tahun 1567 ia tak sempat melakukan ritual tersebut. Ketika sebuah kebakaran terjadi di kota, ia tersandung karena jenggotnya saat mencoba menyelamatkan diri. Dilaporkan bahwa lehernya patah dan tewas pada kebakaran tersebut.



4. Mati karena domba lapar



Domba adalah makhluk yang sangat jinak dan diketahui bahwa hewan berbulu lebat tersebut adalah pemakan rumput. Sayangnya, pada tahun 1999, Betty Stobbs, seorang wanita di Inggris menemukan bahwa domba juga dapat memiliki sisi agresif jika sudah cukup lapar. Di suatu malam, ketika Stobbs akan memberi makan domba peliharaannya, kawanan domba tersebut justru mengejar Stobbs yang sedang berada di all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Ia terjatuh dan tertimpa oleh kendaraan tersebut.



5. Mati karena pakai bra kawat



Dua wanita di London, Inggris, pada tahun 1999 dilaporkan meninggal karena menggunakan bra kawat. Bukan bra yang mencekik dua wanita tersebut, melainkan kawat di dalam bra yang bertindak sebagai konduktor yang menghantarkan arus listrik. Dilaporkan bahwa dua wanita tersebut tewas terbakar karena tersambar petir tepat di kawat di dalam bra-nya. Dada kedua wanita tersebut terlihat hangus terbakar dan membuat mereka tewas seketika.



sumber: http://fenz-capri.blogspot.com/2010/08/inilah-kematian-yang-tak-terduga-lucu.html

10 Makanan Terbaik Buat Pria

Laki-laki berbeda dengan perempuan dalam segala hal - termasuk kebutuhan gizi. Seperti halnya perempuan yang membutuhkan nutrisi tertentu selama kehamilan atau perlindungan dari kanker payudara, kaum Adam pun perlu nutrisi khusus yang dapat membantu mempertahankan otot, mencegah kanker prostat, dan banyak lagi.

Banyak makanan yang cenderung menjadi favorit di kalangan pria, tapi justru berakibat buruk bagi kesehatan. Oleh sebab itu, tidak ada salahnya mengenal 10 jenis makanan yang dapat melawan penyakit sekaligus meningkatkan kesehatan para lelaki :

1. Tiram

Menurut Dave Grotto, RD, jurubicara American Dietetic Association, "Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kandungan zinc (seng) dalam tiram dapat melindungi tubuh dari kerusakan sel yang mengarah ke kanker prostat." Selain itu, "Zinc juga berfungsi pada sistem reproduksi seksual laki-laki termasuk peningkatan jumlah sperma," kata Grotto.

Namun, menurut Grotto, Anda harus berhati-hati memakan tiram mentah karena dapat berisiko terkena infeksi Vibrio vulnificus. Selain itu, penderita penyakit hati, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, dan gagal ginjal kronis, serta alkoholik harus berhati-hati mengkonsumsi tiram karena kan meningkatkan risiko yang lebih besar pada penyakit mereka.

Untuk itu, direkomendasikan untuk mengonsumsi tiram dengan takaran 11 miligram per hari, apabila Anda juga mengkonsumsi kerang jenis lain, daging sapi tanpa lemak, babi kurus, atau kacang-kacangan.

2. Pisang

Pisang memiliki sumber energi yang besar dan kaya kandungan kalium yang diperlukan untuk mengatur saraf, denyut jantung, terutama tekanan darah. Diet kaya kalium dan magnesium (yang juga ditemukan dalam pisang) dapat mengurangi risiko stroke.

Sebagai sumber vitamin B-6, pisang juga dapat membantu sistem kekebalan tubuh, membentuk sel darah merah, memastikan sistem saraf berfungsi dengan baik, dan membantu metabolisme protein.

Jadi nikmatilah pisang setiap hari, saat sarapan atau sebelum berolahraga di gym. Bagi yang bukan penggemar pisang dapat mencoba jus jeruk, susu, tomat, dan kacang-kacangan yang juga baik untuk diet kaya kalium.

3. Ikan berlemak Omega-3

Tidak ada daftar makanan sehat yang lengkap tanpa lemak mengandung omega-3. Lemak tak jenuh adalah lemak yang dpenting bagi tubuh karena bermanfaat bagi jantung, sirkulasi darah, sistem kekebalan tubuh dan mengurangi resiko kanker prostat.

"Lemak Omega-3 adalah makanan anti-inflamasi yang dapat membantu menurunkan trigliserida dalam lemak, mengurangi rasa sakit dan nyeri pada atlet, dan membantu penyembuhan artritis," kata Joy Bauer, MS, RD, pakar nutrisi penulis buku Joy Bauer’s Food Cures.

Asosiasi Hati Amerika sendiri merekomendasikan setiap orang untuk menyantap ikan berlemak (salmon, sarden, tuna, mackerel, herring) dua kali seminggu, karena kaya asam amino omega-3.

"Lemak ikan juga merupakan sumber nutrisi vitamin D yang baik, untuk mencegah kanker, diabetes tipe 2, tekanan darah tinggi dan penyakit tulang," kata Bauer.

Namun, untuk mendapatkan protein omega-3 selain dari protein hewani Anda juga bisa mendapatkan dalam makanan nabati, seperti biji rami, kenari, kedelai, minyak canola, dan produk telur.

4.Brokoli

Sayuran brokoli sangat membantu mencegah penyakit jantung dan kanker. Brokoli sarat dengan vitamin C, beta-karoten, kalium, dan fitokimia yang disebut sulphoraphane,(antikanker prostat dan kolon).

Sayuran hijau super-bergizi ini juga dapat membantu menurunkan kadar homocycteine, asam amino yang terkait dengan peningkatan risiko penyakit jantung dan stroke. Bila anda tak suka brokoli, anda dapat mencoba sayuran'silangan' lainnya seperti bok choy, kubis, kembang kol, atau kubis Brussel.

5.Kacang Brasil

Menurut Bauer, kacang Brasil mengandung selenium dan magnesium. Kedua jenis nutrisi ini merupakan antioksidan yang mampu mencegah kanker hati dan melindungi kesehatan prostat. Selain itu, orang-orang yang diet kaya selenium mengalami penurunan risiko kanker. Selenium juga membantu menurunkan LDL atau "koresterol buruk" dan mengurangi kejadian pembekuan darah dan penyakit jantung.

Disarankan agar orang dewasa mengkonsumsi 55 mikrogram selenium setiap hari dari kacang Brasil, kacang kering-panggang, kalkun, tuna, atau kerang. Meskipun dosis harian selenium Anda dapat dipenuhi dalam satu kacang Brazil, Bauer memperingatkan untuk tidak memakan lebih dari dua kacang Brazil per hari karena mengandung banyak selenium yang dapat menyebabkan anda overdosis.

6. Whole Grains (biji serelia utuh)

Kebanyakan pria berpikir mendapat cukup karbohidrat, tetapi jenis yang mereka makan justru salah. "Diet yang kaya whole grain menyediakan serat, vitamin, mineral yang mendukung kesehatan jantung, membangun otot, dan menjaga lingkar pinggang kecil," kata Christine Gerbstadt, dari American Dietetic Association.

Menurut Gerstadt, makanan seperti oatmeal mengandung serat yang larut dalam tubuh, selain juga mengandung vitamin B yang dapat membantu menurunkan LDL dan baik untuk prostat.

Direkomendasikan untuk mengkonsumsi 10-25 gram serat setiap hari, baik dari oatmeal atau sumber lain seperti apel, pir, dan kacang. Perlu diingat, ketika membeli produk biji-bijian, carilah produk yang mengandung setidaknya 3-5 gram serat per porsi. Untuk menghindari masalah pencernaan, cobalah tingkatkan asupan serat Anda secara bertahap, dan jangan lupa minum banyak air putih.

7. Stanol tumbuhan

Stanol adalah zat alami dalam buah-buahan dan sayuran yang telah terbukti menurunkan kadar kolesterol jahat. Banyak makanan yang kini telah difortifikasi dengan stanol seperti mentega, yoghurt, jus jeruk, dan coklat granola.

"Setiap hari pria harus mengkonsumsi 2 gram stanol tumbuhan ditambah makanan jenis lain untuk membantu menghambat penyerapan kolesterol dalam usus," kata Farrell.

Farell menyarankan, mengkonsumsi 2-3 sendok teh stanol atau 16 ons jus jeruk yang diperkaya stanol per harinya, karena stanol aman digunakan sebagai penurun kolesterol.

8. Kedelai

Menurut Gerstadt, kedelai kaya akan isoflavon, yang melindungi kesehatan prostat dan telah terbukti menurunkan resiko kanker prostat. "Menurut studi baru-baru ini, makan 25 gram kacang kedelai atau sekitar 1 ons protein kedelai setiap hari membantu menurunkan kolesterol," ujar Farrell.

FDA sendiri telah menyetujui klaim kesehatan oleh label makanan yang menyatakan mengkonsumsi 25 gram protein kedelai per hari merupakan bagian dari diet rendah lemak jenuh dan kolesterol yang dapat membantu mengurangi resiko penyakit jantung.

Karena itu, tidak ada salahnya mencoba makan beberapa produk kedelai setiap hari, seperti kacang kedelai, susu kedelai, keju kedelai, tahu atau tempe.

9. Berry dan cherry

Semua jenis buah cherry beragam warna seperti, ungu, biru, dan warna merah sangat baik bagi kesehatan karena mampu melindungi flavonoid dan antosianin.

Buah cherry mengandung lebih dari 4.000 senyawa berbeda yang memiliki sifat antioksidan melebihi vitamin C. Menambahkan berry dalam menu diet membantu memperlambat penurunan fungsi otak yang terjadi akibat proses penuaan.

10. Sayuran berwarna merah dan oranye

Vitamin C dan beta-karoten adalah antioksidan yang membantu melindungi sel-sel kulit yang sehat dan mencegah oksidasi dari matahari.

"Vitamin C terlibat dalam memproduksi kolagen. Beta-karoten mengkonversi ke bentuk aktif vitamin A, yang membantu untuk memperbaiki sel-sel epitel atau kulit," kata Bauer.

Bauer merekomendasikan asupan semua nutrisi itu dari paprika merah (setiap buah mengandung 300% vitamin C dari total yang dibutuhkan tubuh), wortel, labu, atau ubi jalar.

Menurut penelitian The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, selain sayuran yang telah disebutkan di atas, masih ada beberapa sayuran utama yang harus dikonsumsi pria (dan wanita), yaitu sayuran berwarna gelap, berdaun hijau dan sayuran kaya nutrisi lainnya supaya dapat membantu mengurangi risiko meningkatnya prostat.

Selain itu, pria yang menjalankan diet kaya nutrisi dalam sayuran yang mengandung vitamin C, beta-karoten, dan potasium ditemukkan resiko pembesaran prostat menjadi lebih kecil.



sumber: http://fenz-capri.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-makanan-terbaik-buat-pria-cowok.html

5 Kota di Asia Yang Nyaman Untuk Bersepeda

Bersepeda banyak manfaatnya. Selain sehat, bisa mengurangi polusi demi menyelamatkan bumi. Dari sekian banyak kota di Asia, ada lima kota yang ramah bagi pesepeda. Kota ini memiliki jalanan yang mulus, pemandangan yang indah dan pemerintah yang peduli dan mendorong warganya bersepeda. Inilah daftar 5 kota di Asia yang paling nyaman untuk bersepeda.



1. Kyoto

Semua orang bepergian dengan mengendarai sepeda. Begitulah kesan pertama yang akan muncul bagi pengunjung baru di kota ini. Setiap pagi, hampir semua orang dari berbagai kalangan biasa meluncur melalui jalan-jalan sempit kota ini dengan bersepeda. Beberapa diantara mereka bahkan membawa penumpang.



Sangat mudah mencari alasan mengapa bersepeda begitu populer di kota ini. Alasannya, sebagian besar permukaan kota ini rata dan lalu lintasnya teratur. Banyak gang dibuat sebagai jalan pintas. Tata kota yang berpola kisi-kisi juga membuat seseorang tidak akan mudah tersesat.

Kyoto Cycling Tour Project juga menawarkan paket tur dan informasi bersepeda bagi para turis.

2. Beijing

“Kota sepeda” pertama di Asia ini sekarang lebih dikenal karena pertumbuhan lalu lintas kendaraan bermotornya yang pesat. Namun, infrastruktur untuk pesepeda di kota ini masih menjadi yang terbaik di Asia.

Jalur sepeda menutupi hampir tiap jengkal kota ini. Selain itu, para pengendara sepeda dapat dengan mudah menjumpai bengkel-bengkel kecil di jalanan. Bengkel tersebut menjual berbagai keperluan bersepeda dengan harga miring. Jumlahnya pun tidak terhitung.

Bagi yang (pemalu), masalah keselamatan bisa menjadi perhatian. Masalahnya, pemakaian helm seringkali diabaikan. Begitu pula dengan rambu-rambu lalu lintas.

Bila ingin menghindari kesemrawutan lalu lintas, anda disarankan untuk bersepeda melalui daerah Hutong dan merasakan jalanan tua di sana. Jalan labirin di daerah tersebut dapat menghindarkan anda dari kemacetan.

Selain itu, anda juga dapat sekaligus melihat-lihat berbagai pemandangan di daerah tersebut seperti rentetan jemuran dan sangkar burung yang bergelantung, wanita tua yang menjajakan sayuran, dan orang bermain catur di pojokan.

Agen perjalanan China Guide menawarkan tur keliling Hutong dengan bersepeda.

3. Kaohsiung

Kota ini adalah “kota sepeda” paling ramah di Taiwan. Kota ini memiliki jaringan jalur sepeda yang akan terus dikembangkan hingga 150km –tidak buruk untuk kota yang dikenal dengan kepadatan lalu lintasnya. Di kota ini terdapat tempat penyewaan sepeda. Saat ini sudah ada 50 tempat penyewaan yang juga dikenal dengan nama C-Bike. Harga sewanya mulai dari 30 dolar Taiwan untuk setengah jam pertama, dan 15 dolar untuk setengah jam berikutnya. Bagi Anda yang berencana bersepeda selama dua hingga empat hari dari Kaohsiung, kami menyarankan Anda mengambil jalur menuju Taitung lewat jembatan lintas selatan pulau.

4. Jeju

Siapa pun Anda yang pernah bersepeda di Jeju akan mengatakan, kota tersebut adalah kota ternyaman untuk bersepeda di Korea Selatan. Pulau ini dikelilingi jalur sepeda sepanjang 182km lengkap dengan pemandangan alam yang indah. Perjalanan mengitari pulau memakan waktu tiga sampai lima hari. Tempat penyewaan sepeda dapat ditemukan di dekat terminal bus Kota Jeju dan Yongduam Rock.

5. Singapura

Mobil mungkin masih menjadi pilihan utama moda transportasi di Singapura, tapi tak dapat dipungkiri, budaya bersepeda di sana sedang berkembang. Beberapa tahun terakhir, pemerintah Singapura sedang menggalakan sepeda sebagai alat transportasi, bukan hanya sebagai kegiatan senang-senang. Untuk itu telah dibangun jalur sepeda di jalanan utama kota. Jalur sepeda tersebut terus berkembang tiap minggunya. Rencananya, akan dibangun jalur sepeda di tujuh kota yang akan selesai pada 2014.

source: http://www.duniakita.info/2010/09/lima-kota-di-asia-yang-nyaman-untuk.html

10 Sepeda Dengan Konsep yg Unik & Kreatif

1. Laptop-Charging Bike Concept

Mungkin konsep sepeda boxiest adalah yg paling aerodinamis, tapi bagian paling menarik dari desain aneh Yuji Fujimura telah tidak ada hubungannya dengan penampilan. Ini adalah sepeda listrik yg memiliki docking station untuk laptop, yang dibebankan oleh baterai di sepeda ketika Anda naik. Tentu, itu mungkin tidak nyaman dan Anda akan dirobohkan dalam waktu sebentar oleh sedikit embusan angin.

2. Incredible Folding Backback Bicycle

bertualang untuk bersepeda gunung ? - tapi perjalanan ke sana kadang-kadang mengambil alih daerah yang penggemar harus dinegosiasikan dengan berjalan kaki, dan sepeda yang paling tidak mudah untuk dibawa. Tas sepeda lipat Bergmönch menghilangkan masalah itu. Tidak hanya kecil dan ringan,sepeda ini juga mampu melipat dirinya sendiri dalam waktu kurang dari dua menit dalam konfigurasi yg nyaman.

3. Solar Powered Electric Bike

Dirancang oleh Miroslav Miljevic, sepeda listrik ini memiliki atap yang baik untuk melindungi pembalap dari matahari dan hujan dan juga untuk mengumpulkan energi surya.Sepeda Ini dibuat untuk orang-orang yang tidak merasa sampai dengan tuntutan fisik bersepeda, tapi masih ingin mendapatkan sisa manfaat.

4. Collapsible Bike Concept

Portabilitas adalah kunci ketika datang ke sepeda masa depan, dan desainer konsep menemukan cara-cara kreatif luar biasa untuk membuat sepeda cahaya dan dilipat. Desain oleh Blair ini tidak hanya Harry terurai menjadi paket kecil, tetapi juga menyediakan ruang penyimpanan dalam bentuk tas diposisikan antara roda. Terburu-buru juga menetapkan untuk meningkatkan sikap pengendara, mengatakan "Saya memutuskan masalah-masalah ini dengan memindahkan posisi pedal di belakang pengendara dan bergerak beberapa tekanan berat badan mereka di bagian depan tulang pinggul, menggunakan bagian depan yang luas dari kursi dan ke lengan mereka dengan mendukung menonjol dari menangani.

5. BMW Concept Bikes

tidak mengherankan bahwa beberapa konsep sepedayg keren merupakan rancangan oleh para pembuat mobil BMW. Tidak jelas apa konsep-konsep ini diciptakan, tetapi dengan bentuk berwarna-warni sepeda motor-esque dan proporsi, mereka memberikan beberapa inspirasi untuk membawa desain sepeda pas ke abad ke-21.

6. Bizarre Di-Cycle

Dirancang untuk membawa pengendara di atas tanah maupun air, konsep sepeda aneh ini dirancang khusus untuk kota Helmond di Belanda dan Dibuat oleh GBO Desain, yang Di-Siklus jauh oleh bulkier dari sepeda tradisional - yang tampaknya membatasi penerapannya,tetapi tidak menawarkan solusi menarik untuk perjalanan amfibi.

7. Minimalist Theft-Proof Computer-Aided Bicycle

Dengan roda spokeless dirancang untuk menghilangkan hambatan angin, ban yang tidak bisa dibuka, tidak ada rantai terlihat dan bingkai minimalis, sepeda ini adalah keberangkatan yang pasti dari desain lama sekolah. Merupakan gagasan Olimpiade Chris Boardman pengendara sepeda, sepeda ini memiliki baterai bertenaga surya yang membantu pengendara sampai bukit-bukit dan bahkan memiliki perangkat sidik jari-membaca yang hanya memungkinkan pemiliknya untuk bersepeda. Komputer kecil di setang menghitung jumlah kalori yang terbakar berdasarkan berapa kali pedal berputar. Ini jelas merupakan suatu sepeda masa depan: Boardman memperkirakan bahwa tidak akan tersedia untuk setidaknya dua dekade.

8. Nulla: Ultramodern Spokeless Bike

Nulla berarti "tidak" dalam bahasa Italia, dan meskipun sepeda ini lebih dekat ke "apa-apa" daripada kebanyakan, masih jauh dari sesuatu. Seperti pencurian sepeda-bukti minimalis oleh Chris Boardman, yang nulla tidak memiliki hub atau drive rantai mungkin untuk melihat sleekest, namun yang paling futuristik.

9. Honda U3-X: If Unicycles and Segways Mated

Honda U3-X adalah seperti Segway bagi orang-orang yang malas dan memungkinkan si pengguna untuk mengontrolnya hanya dengan bersandar tubuh mereka sedikit. Tentang seukuran tape retro, orang-U3 X adalah baterai bertenaga dan pergi hanya 4mph. Namun mengingat bahwa hal itu adalah sebuah perangkat mobilitas terkecil di dunia, sepeda ini mungkin bisa menginspirasi konsep-konsep lain yang sedikit lebih berguna di dunia nyata.

10. Grasshopper: Folding Electric Bike

Tentu saja, beberapa desainer berani mengambil sepeda lipat ke tingkat berikutnya dengan membuat mereka bertenaga listrik. Tapi tak satu pun sudah cukup sejauh David Gonçalves, yang tidak hanya desain Belalang membawa Anda ke sana kemari, tetapi juga bisa menjadi latihan sepeda stasioner dan bahkan menghasilkan dan menyimpan energi Anda yg dihasilkan saat mengayuh.



sumber: http://www.duniakita.info/2010/08/10-sepeda-dengan-konsep-yg-unik-dan.html

Cara Mendapat Malam Lailatul Qadar

Lailatul Qodr adalah salah satu malam pada Bulan Ramadhan yang memiliki keutamaan yang sangat besar. Lalu bagaimana cara mendapatkan keutamaan tersebut?

Pertama: Imani adanya dan keutamaannya sesuai berita yang shohih yang sampai kepada kita. Dengan mengimaninya saja akan mendapatkan pahala, disamping itu juga dapat memotivasi kita untuk lebih bersemangat.

Lailatul Qadar merupakan malam yang sangat indah, penuh ketenangan, kesejahteraan, keselamatan, kedamaian dan keberkahan.

Menurut para ulama, Lailatul Qadar bisa berarti Malam Kemuliaan. Bisa juga dinamakan demikian karena pada malam tersebut turun kitab yang mulia, turun rahmat dan turun malaikat yang mulia.

ِإِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ (١) “Sesungguhnya Kami telah menurunkannya (Al Quran) pada malam kemuliaan.

Lailatul Qadar juga bisa berarti malam yang penuh sesak karena ketika itu banyak malaikat turun ke dunia. Pada malam inilah, banyak para malaikat yang turun ke bumi, termasuk malaikat yang paling utama yaitu Jibril -’alaihissalaam-.

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ (٤ Pada malam itu turun malaikat-malaikat dan Malaikat Jibril dengan izin Rabb-nya untuk mengatur segala urusan.

“Lailatul Qadar itu pada malam 27 atau 29, sungguh Malaikat yg turun pd saat itu ke bumi lebih banyak dari jumlah batu kerikil.” (HR Thayalisi dlm Musnad-nya no. 2545; juga Ahmad II/519; dan Ibnu Khuzaimah dlm shahih-nya II/223)

Bisa juga berarti malam penetapan takdir / qodar.

فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِي(٤)أَمْرًا مِنْ عِنْدِنَ

Pada malam itu dijelaskan segala urusan yang penuh hikmah, (yaitu) urusan yang besar dari sisi kami.

(QS. Ad Dukhaan)

Pada malam ini, segala urusan yang penuh hikmah dirinci, maksudnya segala kejadian selama setahun ke depan ditentukan dengan izin Allah yang Maha Kuasa dan Maha Bijaksana. Penentuan takdir pada malam tersebut adalah penentuan takdir tahunan.

Malam itu penuh keselamatan, kedamaian dan keberkahan.

سَلامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ Malam itu (penuh) keselamatan hingga terbit fajar.

(QS. Al Qadr)

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ “Sesungguhnya Kami menurunkannya pada suatu malam yang diberkahi

(QS. Ad Dukhaan)

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (٢)لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ (٣ Dan tahukah kamu apakah malam kemuliaan itu? Malam kemuliaan itu lebih baik dari seribu bulan. (QS. Al Qadr)

Menakjubkan, malam tersebut lebih baik daripada seribu bulan yaitu sekitar 83 tahun.

(Untuk Makna Nama Lailatul Qodr, Periksa Zaadul Maysir, 6/177, Ibnul Jauziy, Mawqi’ At Tafaasir, Asy Syamilah).

Kedua: Beribadah sesuai dengan yang dicontohkan oleh Nabi.

Sholat

Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda.

مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيْمَانًا وَ احْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ له مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

“Artinya : Barang siapa berdiri (shalat) pada malam Lailatul Qadar dengan penuh keimanan dan mengharap pahala dari Allah, maka diampuni dosa-dosanya yang telah lalu” [Hadits Riwayat Bukhari 4/217 dan Muslim 759]

Do’a

Disunnahkan untuk memperbanyak do’a pada malam tersebut.

Tirmidzi, Ibnu Majah dan selainnya meriwayatkan dari Ummul Mukminin ‘Aisyah radliallahu ‘anha, beliau berkata,

قلت يا رسول الله أرأيت إن علمت أي ليلة ليلة القدر ما أقول فيها ؟ قال قولي اللهم إنك عفو كريم تحب العفو فاعف عني

Aku berkata kepada Rasulullah, “Wahai Rasulullah, apabila aku mengetahui waktu malam Al Qadr, apakah yang mesti aku ucapkan pada saat itu?” Beliau menjawab, “Katakanlah,

اَ للّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنيِّ

Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul ‘afwa, fa’fu’anni

(Yaa Allah sesungguhnya engkau Maha pemberi ampunan, suka memberi pengampunan, maka ampunilah diriku ini).”

(HR. Tirmidzi nomor 3513, Ibnu Majah nomor 3850 dan dishahihkan oleh Al Albani rahimahullahShahih Ibnu Majah nomor 3105) dalam

Seorang Ulama berkata: Barang siapa yang bersungguh-sungguh mengerjakan ibadah di malam tersebut seperti shalat /qiyamullail, membaca qur`an, berdoa, berdzikir dan mengerjakan amalan-amalan baik lainnya akan mendapatkannya dan memperoleh keuntungan yang telah Allah janjikan bagi orang-orang yang menghidupkan malam tersebut jika dia mengerjakannya dengan mengimani dan mengharapkan pahalanya (-red.- ikhlash karena Allah / mengharap pahala/ridho Allah bukan karena selain Allah).

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