I'm staying strong and holding it all up. Blame me for whatever, I'll just absorb it in and move on then you'll go away happy. Problem solved.

Bank merupakan lembaga keuangan yang sangat penting dalam perekonomian. Secara umum, bank didefenisikan sebagai lembaga keuangan yang usaha pokoknya adalah menghimpun dana dan menyalurkannya kepada masyarakat dalam bentuk kredit serta memberikan jasa dalam lalu lintas pembayaran dan peredaran uang. Menurut undang-undang No. 10 tahun 1998 tentang perbankan, bank merupakan lembaga keuangan yang menghimpun dana dari masyarakat dalam bentuk simpanan dan menyalurkannya kembali dalam bentuk pinjaman (kredit) dan atau bentuk lainnya dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan taraf hidup orang banyak.

Menurut Mishkin (2001: 8), secara sederhana bank merupakan lembaga keuangan yang menerima deposito dan memberikan pinjaman. Ia juga menjelaskan bahwa bank juga merupakan perantara keuangan (financial intermediaries), sehingga menimbulkan interaksi antara orang yang membutuhkan pinjaman untuk membiayai kebutuhan hidupnya, dengan orang yang memiliki kelebihan dana dan berusaha menjaga keuangannya di bank dalam bentuk tabungan dan deposito lainnya.

Pengertian bank yang lebih lengkap juga diungkapkan oleh Warjiyo (2006: 431–433), dimana bank merupakan lembaga perantara keuangan yang dalam operasinya menerima simpanan masyarakat dalam bentuk giro, tabungan dan deposito, yang kemudian menanamkan dana simpanan tersebut dalam bentuk penyaluran kredit dan pembiayaan lain kepada dunia usaha maupun bentuk portfolio aset finansial seperti surat-surat berharga yang diterbitkan pemerintah dan bank sentral. Menurut Rose (1995: 5), bank merupakan lembaga keuangan yang menawarkan jasa keuangan terluas—terutama kredit, simpanan, dan jasa pembayaran—dan memerankan fungsi keuangan terluas dalam perekonomian. 

Terkait dengan pengertian bank di atas dapat disimpulkan, bahwa fungsi utama bank adalah sebagai financial intermediaries. Seperti yang didefenisikan oleh Auerbach (1989: 65), financial intermediaries merupakan perusahaan yang pendapatannya berasal dari selisih antara yields pada financial assets yang diciptakan dengan financial assets yang dibeli. Financial intermediation merupakan suatu aktivitas penting dalam perekonomian, karena ia menimbulkan aliran dana dari pihak yang tidak produktif kepada pihak yang produktif dalam mengelola dana. Selanjutnya, hal ini akan membantu mendorong perekonomian menjadi lebih efisien dan dinamis (Mishkin, 1999: 10).

Menurut Bank Indonesia (2006: 5), fungsi bank sebagai financial intermediaries mencakup tiga hal, yaitu:

1)             Sebagai lembaga yang menghimpun dana dari masyarakat dalam bentuk simpanan

2)            Sebagai lembaga yang menyalurkan dana ke masyarakat dalam bentuk kredit; dan

3)            Melancarkan transaksi perdagangan dan peredaran uang

Beberapa karakteristik yang membedakan bank dengan non-bank financial intermediaries, menurut Bossone (2001), adalah sebagai berikut:

1)             Bank menciptakan likuiditas dalam bentuk bank’s own liabilities atau surat utang yang dibuat untuk peminjam. Bank tidak melanjutkan likuiditas yang sudah ada, tetapi menambah likuiditas sistem setiap saat bank mengadakan kredit baru kepada perusahaan melalui penciptaan deposit. Sedangkan non-bank financial intermediaries bertindak sebagai capital market intermediaries yang mengumpulkan likuiditas yang sudah ada (bank deposit) dari savers dengan long position dan menginvestasikannya pada investor dengan short position.

2)            Bank memberikan pengetahuan pada peminjamnya (borrowers) tentang operasi harian, kebutuhan likuiditas, aliran pembayaran, juga faktor jangka pendek dan pengembangan product market. Sedangkan non-bank mengembangkan pengetahuan tentang prospek usaha jangka panjang, investasi potensial, trend pasar (market trends), dan perubahan pada faktor fundamental ekonomi.

Bank memiliki peranan yang sangat penting dalam perekonomian, terutama dalam sistem pembayaran moneter. Dengan adanya bank, aktivitas ekonomi dapat diselenggarakan dengan biaya rendah (Fries dan Taci, 2002). Bank juga memiliki tiga karakteristik khusus yang berbeda dalam fungsinya bila dibandingkan dengan lembaga keuangan lainnya. Tiga hal tersebut menurut Guitan dan George (1997), sebagai berikut :

Pertama, terkait dengan fungsi bank sebagai lembaga kepercayaan untuk menyimpan dana masyarakat, bank berperan khusus dalam penciptaan uang dan mekanisme sistem pembayaran dalam perekonomian. Keberadaan perbankan memungkinkan berbagai transaksi keuangan dan ekonomi dapat berlangsung lebih cepat, aman, dan efisien.

Kedua, sebagai lembaga intermediasi keuangan, perbankan berperan khusus dalam memobilisasikan simpanan masyarakat untuk disalurkan dalam bentuk kredit dan pembiayaan lain kepada dunia usaha. Hal ini akan memperbesar dan mempermudah proses mobilisasi dan alokasi sumber-sumber dana dalam perekonomian.

Ketiga, sebagai lembaga penanaman aset finansial, bank memiliki peran penting dalam mengembangkan pasar keuangan, terutama pasar uang dometik dan valuta asing. Bank berperan dalam mentransformasikan aset finansial, seperti simpanan masyarakat  kedalam bentuk aset finansial lain, yaitu kredit dan surat-surat berharga yang dikeluarkan pemerintah dan bank sentral.

Ketiga fungsi penting tersebut menempatkan bank pada peran khusus dalam sistem ekonomi, baik dari sisi mikro maupun makro. Dari sisi mikro, bank dibutuhkan sebagai lembaga kepercayaan masyarakat dalam memenuhi kebutuhan menyimpan dana, memperoleh kredit dan pembiayaan lain, maupun dalam melakukan berbagai transaksi ekonomi dan keuangan. Dari sisi makro, bank dibutuhkan karena peran pentingnya dalam proses penciptaan uang dan sistem pembayaran, serta dalam mendorong efektivitas mekanisme transmisi kebijakan moneter dan efisiensi alokasi sumber dana dalam ekonomi (Warjiyo, 2006: 431–433).

Dalam menjalankan kegiatan usahanya, bank memberikan jasa keuangan kepada masyarakat. Jasa-jasa keuangan yang diberikan oleh bank kepada masyarakat menurut Rose (1995: 7–17), adalah:

1)             Jasa bank yang berkembang dalam sejarah

Ø   Carrying out currency exchanges. Berdasarkan sejarah, jasa pertama yang ditawarkan oleh bank kepada masyarakat adalah pertukaran mata uang (currency exchanges)—bank melakukan perdagangan mata uang satu negara (misalkan rupiah) dengan mata uang negara lain (misalkan dollar).

Ø   Discounting commercial notes and making business loans. Bank memberikan pinjaman pada pelaku bisnis yang ingin mendirikan dan memperluas usaha.

Ø   Offering savings deposits. Bank memberikan jasa simpanan dana dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan dana yang dapat dipinjamkan kembali kepada masyarakat. Layanan simpanan di bank ini disertai bunga dengan periode mingguan, bulanan, atau tahunan, tergantung pada tingginya tingkat suku bunga.

Ø   Safekeeping of valuables. Bank memberikan jasa simpanan barang-barang berharga (seperti emas dan surat-surat  berharga) yang dimiliki oleh masyarakat dengan tujuan keamanan.

Ø   Supporting government activities with credit. Pada periode awal revolusi industri, kemampuan bank dalam menggerakkan sejumlah besar dana dan memberikan pinjaman menarik perhatian pemerintah Eropa dan Amerika. Sehingga pemerintah meminta bank untuk bersedia membeli obligasi pemerintah dengan deposito yang diterima oleh bank. Pada saat itu, dana dari penjualan obligasi dimanfaatkan untuk mendanai perang.

Ø   Offering checking accounts (demand deposits). Demand deposits merupakan deposito bank yang dapat ditarik kembali pada setiap waktu oleh depositor. Jasa ini merupakan salah satu jasa yang sangat penting dalam industri, karena meningkatkan efisiensi proses pembayaran, membuat transaksi usaha menjadi lebih mudah, cepat, dan aman.

Ø   Offering trust services. Bank juga menawarkan jasa personal trust kepada individu serta jasa commercial trust kepada perusahaan dan bisnis lainnya.

2)             Jasa bank yang berkembang saat ini

Ø   Granting consumer loans. Dulu, sebagian besar bank hanya memberikan pinjaman dalam jumlah yang relatif kecil dengan tingkat kegagalan yang relatif tinggi, sehingga aliran dana menjadi kurang menguntungkan. Tetapi, saat ini bank mulai lebih menitikberatkan pada konsumen untuk meningkatkan depositonya agar dapat membantu mendanai pinjaman perusahan–perusahaan besar.

Ø   Financial advising. Para bankir selama ini juga diminta untuk menjadi penasehat keuangan (financial advisor) oleh nasabah bank, terutama ketika akan melakukan kredit, menyimpan, dan menginvestasikan dananya. Saat ini beberapa bank telah menawarkan jasa penasehat keuangan (financial advisory services).

Ø   Cash management. Dalam jasa ini, bank menangani pengumpulan dan pengeluaran uang untuk perusahaan bisnis serta menginvestasikan surplus uang ke dalam sekuritas dengan bunga jangka pendek.

Ø   Offering equipment leasing. Merupakan jasa yang diberikan oleh bank dengan menyewakan barang kepada nasabah bank.

Ø   Making venture capital loans. Bank semakin aktif dalam mendanai biaya pendirian perusahaan-perusahaan baru, terutama dalam industri teknologi tinggi (high-tech industries). Untuk mengurangi risiko, pengelolaan modal perusahaan dilakukan bersama antara anak perusahaan bank induk dengan investor.         

Ø   Selling insurance services. Bank memberikan jasa asuransi jiwa kepada nasabah yang menerima pinjaman, sehingga menjamin pengembalian pinjaman jika nasabah meninggal atau bangkrut.                                                                        

Ø   Selling retirement plans. Bank juga mengelola retirement plans yang disediakan oleh sebagian besar bisnis untuk pekerja mereka yang telah mencapai masa pensiun atau tidak mampu untuk bekerja lagi.

Ø   Offering security brokerage investment services. Bank menawarkan kesempatan kepada nasabahnya untuk membeli saham, obligasi, dan surat berharga individu lainnya tanpa harus mendatangi pedagang sekuritas.

Ø   Offering mutual funds and annuities. Dalam jasa ini, bank menawarkan produk reksadana dan simpanan hari tua. Simpanan hari tua terdiri dari simpanan berjangka panjang yang menjanjikan pembayaran aliran pendapatan bagi pemegangnya. Rekasadana merupakan produk investasi yang dikelola secara profesional  dengan menjual saham, obligasi, dan sekuritas lainnya untuk mencapai tujuan yang telah ditetapkan.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Ø   Offering investment banking and merchant banking services.  Mengidentifikasi target merger yang mungkin, membiayai akuisisi perusahaan lain, menjual surat-surat berharga, dan menawarkan jasa hedging untuk melindungi nasabah dari risiko fluktuasi harga mata uang dan tingkat suku bunga dunia.

Ø   Convenience: the sum total of all bank services. Setiap saat bank melakukan berbagai inovasi terhadap produk dan jasa yang ditawarkan kepada nasabahnya. Usaha ini tidak hanya bertujuan untuk meningkatkan keuntungan perusahaan, tetapi juga untuk meningkatkan  kepuasan nasabahnya, sehingga mampu meningkatkan kepercayaan masyarakat terhadap industri perbankan.

The people are too tired as much as listening to someone, perhaps. Maybe, they should be a bit calm. Their bit by bit life was destroyed by aid of flukey effects. So, they must not speak anyone, must not listen anybody, only wait in the dark and come own inside by one's own. And some times later, people will be asking again : " Am i important for you ? ; I mean, after all this time ? " When this time is arrived , someone will says : " Always. "

Emre MEMIS

Andrew's story begins with his father, Michael Gopaul. Michael got saved at the Voice of Pentecost Church at the age of 30. He soon began filming many of the church services and events such as weddings, camping trips, plays, etc. Before long, this hobby grew into a real love and passion for filming and he became very skilled behind the camera.

One day, God called Richard Gazowsky into the film industry to start a Christian film company called WYSIWYG. When Michael heard this, it was his dream come true and he became one of the founders of Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. He was the head-cameraman and at many times, the only cameraman. Michael began to bring Andrew and his older brother, Michael Jr., to the sets and on location shoots to help him film. A love for cinematography started to grow in both of the Gopaul boys. At a young age, they had the opportunity to work next to their father on many occasions; life was perfect.

Suddenly, on September 12, 1996, when Andrew was only nine years old, his father had a stroke and was in a coma for 11 days. Within that time, they sent him to three different hospitals in three different cities. Everyone at WYSIWYG and the church started to fast and pray and help Andrew's family as much as possible. When Michael came out of the coma, he needed to have surgery followed by physical therapy. For three months Andrew and his family worried about his father's condition. Finally, they received a phone call from the doctor saying that Michael could come home; but the stroke had left him with the mind of a two year old child and he was also suffering from short-term memory loss.

Andrew's mother, Susan, stayed at her teaching job for as long as she could but taking care of her husband and four young children was also a full-time job. Finally, she had to make the difficult decision to leave her job and give her family her full attention. Eventually, they lost their home and had to leave everything they had except for one bag of clothes for each of them. Another caring family in the church opened their home to this family of six in their time of need until they could find another place to stay. Over the next few years, the Gopaul family moved to five different locations. Just when it seemed that hope was lost, God provided Andrew's family with a beautiful house with plenty of room for the entire family, a place that they could call home.

About this time, WYSIWYG started production of its first TV feature film and Andrew, by now in high school, began helping on the film crew after school hours. He loved being on set so much that it was all he could see himself doing for the rest of his life. The last two years of high school he had fewer classes so that meant more time during the day to work with the film crew at WYSIWYG. "It's like working in Heaven," Andrew said. "It is my description of the perfect job. I know why my dad loved it so much. I pray for my dad everyday and one day we will work together."

Andrew is carrying on his father's torch.

Sunny Gazowsky, the son of Richard and Sandy Gazowsky, is the team leader for stunts. He has done stunts for the Roman Trilogy and is currently preparing stunts for WYSIWYG’s next feature production. ‘Gravity’.

Card Case

Usually he sits on the first step with his arms up.

And I say, in my fake exasperated voice, "You want me to hold you?"

"Yeah-ss!" he says.

And off we go.

But a few days ago, when he held his arms up, he said, "Hode you."

It took me a minute, but I finally got it. Then I carried him up the stairs.

While at the Mike Doughty concert tonight, I wrote a miniature game, and I thought I'd share:

Carrying a Torch

an autobiographical roleplaying game

So, you remember the first person you really loved? The first person you really hurt or hated? The way it changed you? That's what this game is about.

Carrying a Torch is a story about how your relationships can have really pervasive, intense effects on your psychology, even long after those relationships have changed or moved on.

To play, you need a group of people who are pretty close, and some writing instruments, a number of smallish moveable markers such as Parcheesi pawns, and character sheets. The character sheets are laid out to support at most six characters, but in principle there's no reason not to play with more. Each player will have one character; you get to say what that character says and does.

Start by describing a close-knit group of people. Fill out the top part of your character sheet; write down the character's name and something about him. Then, choose an archetype card for each of the other characters; don't tell them which archetype you chose. In the bottom half of the archetype card, write the character's name. This card indicates what that character means to your character; it's a lens by which he looks at their interactions.

Take a look at an archetype card if you haven't already; you'll see that it has a name on top, a meter down the right side, and two halves labelled "Heal me" and "Hurt me." The meter tells you how good you're feeling about that character at the moment; it starts in the centre point, at equilibrium. When you interact with this character, if they do the thing in "Heal me," it makes you feel good, and if they do the other thing, it makes you feel bad. It doesn't so much matter what else they do. When an archetype card says, "me," it means you, not the archetype. It represents what you say to the archetype.

So, when they heal you, first nudge the marker on their meter one notch upward. Now, if the marker's in the top half of the meter, then move the big meter on your character sheet toward the good end as many spaces as the marker is distant from the center, and if it's in the centre or in the bottom half, only move it one space. That is to say, if you're in a pattern of healing interactions with that character, then they affect you more, and it has more influence on your holistic well-being.

That's what the big meter is, by the way, and notice that I didn't decide for you which end is the good end, so you're going to have to make that decision and record it ASAP.

Now, when they hurt you, it works a similar way; nudge their meter down and read it like the heal meter, but reversed; if it's in the good half, then it only takes you down a notch, but if it's in the bad half then you can go down several notches.

Now you'll see that your meter has some big Os on it, at the ±5 and ±10 marks as well as the dotted-O at equilibrium. If an interaction makes you cross just one of the fives, then your character does something big in his life. If it was +5, then it's a thing that improves your life. If it's –5, then it's a decision that's ultimately bad, but it looks fine for now. The next time someone hurts you, they'll let you know why it wasn't such a great idea.

That's not the only thing that happens! You reset your meter to 0, and the character that caused this turn in your life turns over. You choose a new archetype to represent him, or you choose a different character and a different archetype to occupy that spot in your character sheet.

Finally, you imprint that archetype. Set the turned-over archetype card to the side; now all characters can heal or hurt you in that way, to the tune of their own relationship meters. If they're a character that doesn't have an archetype for you, then their meter always reads 0. If you have to decide whether a character's healing or hurting you because an imprint and their archetype disagree, then follow their archetype.

If an interaction makes you cross two Os, which is to say that it goes from less-than-ten to ten or more, or makes you cross 0 and a 5, then all that stuff above happens, but you imprint asymmetrically. If you were healed, cross out the hurt on that card. If you were hurt, cross out the heal. Only the interaction that remains affects you.

You might run out of archetypes eventually. Maybe you should, like, stop playing.

 I see this often with my daughter. She will continue the same pattern to get her needs met that isn't the most healthiest of patterns. I've watched how doing this has given her what she needs, but she never learns another way. It's frustrating for me when I try to teach her another way and she doesn't want to try it. Why should she? Where's the pay-off? So, I am still learning. I never thought this would be such a hard lesson to learn--to step back. I find it hardest when I am affecting so strongly by someone else's choices. Then what do you do? But, this is the time for the lightworkers in the world to clear out old stuff and heal, and the big patterns and stuff is rearing its head. This is a biggie for me.

When I meditated, I was told that I needed to work with Duck Energy. Float with the waters, I suppose. A new skill to learn. Once I learn it, I will be able to pass it on to others.

A notebook recycled from last semester
A 1/8 to 1/8 audio cable that I used to hook up my iPod to  a rental car
2 paper towels
"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
A Peanut Butter Power Bar
A nametag from a summer program in 2005
An honorable mention certificate for the Archeological essay contest in 9th grade
A business card I got this summer that says  Life one way, and you can turn it upside down and it says Death
My checkbook which is useless over here
Pens and Pencils
A Hat
Glasses
My iPod
An airline converter for headphones that I don't actually need
An advertisement for LoveSacs (http://www.lovesac.com/)
A pin that says "abortion kills"
A set of Allen wrenchs
Two AA batteries
Empty memory card case
Super Mario World for Gameboy
Southwest Airlines claim tag with my information on it
Memory card converter for my cell phone
Some FIE information I needed to fly in

That's everything in my bag.  I don't know what kind of identity it projects, probably mostly a pack rat, even though I don't think I am one.  Some things are weird, like the pro life pin, because I don't even really agree with that point of view; that's probably six years old.  I obviously don't clean my bag regularly, and I use it for a lot of different purposes, which is why it sort of amasses different odds and ends.  With my bag I can usually be prepared for a lot of different things, and I would guess it projects are person who is on the go a lot.  Some things in my bag, well I frankly have no clue why they're there, but I put them back nonetheless when the exercise was done.

As we discussed, it seems a few people felt these items projected an image of someone who is prepared. Floss, the guide-book, batteries, the adapter (with nothing to adapt), and nail filer contribute to this image, I imagine. Brian even went so far as to say I'm probably very "logical", which I feel is quite accurate. In addition, a few classmates pointed out that I'm probably sentimental and that memories seem important to me, as hinted at by my "quote book" and camera. These were all great observations.

A bag, exposed

Originally uploaded by nnlondon.
I uploaded this photo automatically using flickr...

I feel rather cheeky that I never let you look inside my bag, so I have emptied it on the floor:

• Mini London A to Z with slightly crumpled corners and a yellow 3M post-it standard flag on page 98. I only know it is called a post-it standard flag because I have just looked on the 3M website. They have a plethora of seemingly useful flag type stuff: http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/products/prod_ft.html The post-it picture paper must have some use for Neighborhood Narratives... paper and photo stuck on sites all around London? I have no idea why it marks page 98.
• 2 crumpled plastic carrier bags: a purple one from m&s and a white and blue one from Pet Pavilion. Hmmm... can you tell where I shop. Purpose? Think dog.
• A wrigley's extra peppermint megapak gifted to me by my boyfriend. Inside are two sticks of unchewed gum. The flap is open (tsk, tsk, so remiss of me not to close it), so in the bottom of my bag were scattered 4 more unchewed sticks (the corner of one is very squashed, I think it got dripped on during yesterday's insane wind-rainstorm) and two crumpled wrappers and two bits of tinfoil.
• 18 hour protective hand cream, sally hansen, very orange-y (i really mean this, if you hate the smell of oranges it will make you vomit) but very, very good
• Garmin nuvi: it works well walking from knightsbridge to trafalgar square to picadilly to green park but not so well yesterday when I tried to locate satellites at Oxford Circus.
• One black bic pen (no lid), one blue bic pen with lid. I hate bic pens. They seem too simple and they are hexagonal and bug my fingers, but now as I type this I think maybe I do like something about them. In contrast, I love my MUJI pen.
• A niceday notebook. I have run out of nice notebooks so I've had to make do over the last and a random selection of papers needed for meetings for all my consultancies.
• One U.S. penny
• One 5p coin

How revealing! I wonder if you see what I do...

I have a folder labeled "carrying" which features images of figures carrying various objects. This got me thinking that was was interesting about this future project was the mystery of the boxes, bags, and pouches that the people were carrying. Every time I look at the images in this folder, I love thinking about what those bags might contain and the ambiguity of it. I started thinking that one day I might want to do a project just based on stuffed garbage bags. It doesn't sound that interesting at first, but the more I think about it, the more I'm sure that it could be very engaging on lots of different levels. I've become very compulsive in the past few years about how to manage my trash, and it's something I've made a conscious effort to be more aware of on a regular basis. I started composting all my kitchen scraps a few years ago, and its amazing how little trash I have now at the end of the week; the bags I throw out are at least 50% smaller, if not more. I also think that the garbage bag could represent so many other things from a metaphorical point of view, especially if I play around with size, scale, and amount. I like that it can simultaneously represent such a wide range of interpretations.

A project like that would be a really big departure for me; generally the majority of my work has focused around group figure compositions, and I have to say this is the first still life object that I've shown any interest in for several years. I don't see it as a full blown long term project like the ones I've been doing recently, rather I see it as a small side project to explore some day.

It frustrates me that I have all these ideas and that I don’t have the time to make all of them happen all at once. I suppose in the end it’s a positive thing to have more ideas than you can execute. Also I think because I have these ideas and can’t make the work right away, it forces me to contemplate and consider the subject matter for a long time before I get into it. Sometimes you can start on a project prematurely before you’ve really given yourself a chance to fully consider the range of options.