Legenda Amaterasu [Dewi Matahari dalam Mitologi Jepang]
Nama lengkap dari Amaterasu adalah "Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami," yang mungkin secara harfiah diterjemahkan sebagai "dia yang membuat surga bersinar". Dia juga dikenal sebagai Omikami ("illustrious goddess"). Amaterasu, dewi matahari Shinto, adalah yang paling penting dalam kumpulan dewa ajaran Shinto. Dia dianggap nenek moyang kaisar jepang dan merupakan yang paling dihormati di surga. Tapi dia bukanlah yang terkuat, dan pada kenyataannya, banyak cerita-cerita yang menggambarkan dirinya tampak sangat manusiawi, meskipun tentu saja, dalam skala ke-ilahian. Spoiler untuk Amaterasu Statue:
Menurut mitologi Shinto dalam proses penciptaan, Amaterasu lahir ketika Izanagi yang kembali dari kegagalannya untuk menyelamatkan istrinya, Izanami dari Yomi (tanah kematian/underworld). Amaterasu dilahirkannya dari mata kirinya. Dan pada saat yang sama, saudara perempuannya, Dewi Bulan: Tsukiyomi (yang dalam beberapa cerita digambarkan sebagai pria) lahir dari mata kanannya dan yang bungsu, Susanoo (dewa Laut dan Badai), lahir dari hidungnya.
Izanagi (laki-laki) dan Izanami (perempuan) adalah dua dewa pertama yang diciptakan oleh Kunitokotachi dan Amenominakanushi, dua dari zōka-sanshin ("three kami/god/spirit of creation") yang menciptakan dan membentuk banyak pulau-pulau dan merupakan leluhur dari tanah Jepang.
Pembagian Kekuasaan dan Kecemburuan Antar Dewa Izanagi kemudian memberikan Amaterasu manik-manik yang suci (Yasakani no Magatama) dan mengatakan kepadanya bahwa ia akan memerintah atas surga. Sedangkan saudaranya Susano-Wo akan memerintah atas laut.
Tapi Susanoo cemburu pada kakaknya dan mengatakan kepada ayahnya bahwa ia tidak menerimanya dan akan pergi ke Yomi untuk bergabung dengan ibunya, Izanami. Hal ini membuat Izanagi sangat marah. Ia mengusir Susanoo dari hadapan-nya. Susanoo kemudian pergi menemui kakaknya Amaterasu untuk mengucapkan selamat tinggal, tapi Amaterasu menduga itu hanyalah trik dari Susanoo dan menyiapkan busur dan anak panah bersamanya. Susanoo meyakinkannya ia bermaksud baik dan memprotes kakaknya, tapi akhirnya dia tidak dapat menyembunyikan kecemburuannya. Dia menyarankan diadakannya kontes untuk melihat siapa yang lebih kuat. Siapapun yang dapat menciptakan lebih banyak dewa akan menjadi pemenang, kata Susanoo.
Amaterasu mulai dengan mematahkan pedang adiknya menjadi tiga potong dan memakannya. Ketika dia meludahkan potongan tersebut, kabut terbentuk di udara. Tiga dewi terbentuk dari kabut itu. Susanoo tidak terkesan. Dia mengambil manik-manik kakaknya dan menghancurkan mereka dengan giginya. Lima dewa laki-laki muncul. Susano-Wo merasa menang, tapi Amaterasu menolaknya dengan mengatakan bahwa kelima dewa itu datang dari perhiasannya, sedangkan pedang adiknya hanya memunculkan tiga dewan dan mereka semua perempuan.
Kemarahan Amaterasu Susanoo mengamuk di seluruh bumi, mengklaim bahwa ia adalah pemenang kompetisi. Dia membanjiri sawah dan menyebabkan kerusakan besar. Dia bahkan mengotori kuil di mana panen padi akan dipersembahkan dan buang air besar di dalamnya. Akhirnya, ia mengambil kuda poni dan dikuliti hidup-hidup, kemudian binatang itu dilemparkan ke ruang suci di mana Amaterasu sedang menenun dengan pembantunya. Sangat malu dan marah, Amaterasu kemudian pergi masuk ke sebuah gua yang gelap, meninggalkan bumi dalam kegelapan dan ketidakseimbangan dan menolak untuk keluar lagi.
Dewa bumi akhirnya, memutuskan untuk mengelabui Amaterasu supaya muncul kembali sehingga dunia tidak lagi diliputi dengan kegelapan. Mereka menempatkan/menggantungkan Yata-no-Kagami, cermin suci yang dibuat oleh Ama-Tsu-Mara dan Ishi-Kori-Dome, di depan gua-nya, bersama dengan ayam yang berkokok sebelum fajar. Kemudian mereka meminta dewi Uzume untuk menari didepan gua. Uzume mulai dengan perlahan-lahan, tapi dengan cepat menemukan ritme-nya. Dewi agak gemuk ini begitu senang bahkan sampai melepaskan dan melempar semua pakaiannya dan menari liar, membuat semua yang melihatnya tertawa sangat keras. Amaterasu mendengar suara tawa dan bertanya-tanya apa yang sedang terjadi. Ketika ia tiba di mulut gua untuk menyelidiki, ia melihat bayangannya di cermin (Yata-no-Kagami). Penasaran, ia bertanya siapakah dewi indah yang indah itu. Para dewa yang lain mengatakan bahwa itu adalah penggantinya. Terpesona dengan kecantikannya sendiri, ia kemudian muncul perlahan-lahan untuk memeriksa-nya. Tajikawa dengan cepat menutup pintu masuk gua. Dunia akhirnya kembali diterangi oleh cahaya dan keseimbangan tercapai.
Ketikan muncul dari kegelapan, Amaterasu menunjukkan kepada orang-orang bagaimana menanam padi dan gandum, menenun, dan membudidayakan ulat sutera. Beberapa orang mengatakan bahwa ia dan pembantunya menenun dan terus menenun kain dari alam semesta.
Sementara itu Susanoo, dihukum oleh para dewa lainnya. Jenggot dan kumisnya dipotong, kuku-kukunya dicabut, dan diusir dari surga. Dia kemudian pergi dan bertualang di bumi. Pada suatu ketika, ia membuh naga berkepala delapan (Yamata no Orochi), ketika mati ekornya berubah menjadi sebuah pedang. Ketika Susanooo bertobat dan mengahiri perseteruan dengan kakaknya, ia menyerahkan pedang ini kepada Amaterasu sebagai hadiah yang olehnya kemudian dinamai Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi ("Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven") atau nama lainnya, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ("Grasscutter Sword"). Kaisar kaisar Jepang Dipercaya Sebagai Keturunan Langsung Amaterasu Amaterasu kemudian meminta putranya, Ame-No-Oshido-Mimi, untuk menguasai bumi. Namun putranya ini menolak karena menurutnya dunia sudah dipenuhi dengan kekacauan. Ia mengirim cucunya Ninigi-no-Mikoto ke dunia, dan dalam jangka waktu tiga tahun, ia berhasil menguasainya. Ninigi-no-Mikoto adalah nenek-moyang dari kekaisaran Jepang yang merupakan keturunan langsung dari Amaterasu.
1. Wal-Mart Stores Rank: 1 (Previous rank: 1) CEO: H. Lee Scott Jr. Employees: 2,055,000 Address: 702 S.W. Eighth St. Bentonville, Arkansas 72716 Country: U.S.
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Website: www.walmartstores.com
Retaining its spot as the largest company in the world, the retail giant spent the last year making strides toward becoming friendlier to its workers and the environment. Long derided for the limited health-care packages offered to its employees, the company focused on expanding its options. As of January, 93.7% of Wal-Mart’s U.S. employees had some form of health care, up from 90.4% last year. On the sustainability front, the retailer sold 145 million energy-efficient light bulbs in 15 months and joined forces with the Clinton Climate Initiative. Some say it isn’t enough; a union-backed ad campaign by WakeUpWalMart.com at the end of 2007 targeted the quality of the company’s imported products.
2. Exxon Mobil Rank: 2 (Previous rank: 2) CEO: Rex W. Tillerson Employees: 107,100 Address: 5959 Las Colinas Blvd. Irving, Texas 75039 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.exxonmobil.com
Big companies know how to make big deals, and at the end of last March, Exxon Mobil signed onto a $5 billion project with Saudi Aramco and Sinopec to expand an existing venture in the Fujian province - marking the first fully integrated petrochemical plant in China backed by foreign investment. Exxon had its best year ever in terms of safety results, while the competition didn’t fare as well. But the high cost of refining hurt Exxon just as much as it hurt the rest. Even with a record of $40.6 billion in net income, profits were up only 2.8% from the previous year.
3. Royal Dutch Shell Rank: 3 (Previous rank: 3) CEO: Jeroen van der Veer Employees: 104,000 Address: Carel van Bylandtlaan 30 The Hague 2596 Country: Netherlands
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Website: http://www.shell.com
In the face of the current energy crisis, Royal Dutch Shell has made its own moves to ensure the company’s future. Two large projects included acquiring a 22% stake in Shell Canada - increasing its access to the vast oil sands in Alberta - and moving forward with Pearl GTL, a gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar. But the year wasn’t without glitches. Shell saw its stake in one of its biggest projects - the Russian-based Sakhalin II - reduced to 27% from 55%, as the Russian government asserted control over the country’s oil industry.
4. BP Rank: 4 (Previous rank: 4) CEO: Anthony B. Hayward Employees: 97,600 Address: 1 St. James Sq. London SW1Y 4PD Country: Britain
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Website: http://www.bp.com
Another tumultuous year for the oil giant: BP was forced to clean up its Whiting, Ind., refinery after it was hit by the EPA with clean-air violations, faced multiple fires on its Alaskan oil fields, and had to deal with the departure of Chief Executive and Director John Browne. Much of the U.K.-based company’s time was spent handling its U.S. operations, as it modernized Whiting and dealt with the repercussions of the 2005 blast in Texas City. Yet the American operations weren’t all bad news - a $2.4 billion investment in the San Juan basin and deepwater drilling projects in the Gulf could be helpful in the next few years, once BP’s messes are behind it.
5. Toyota Motor Rank: 5 (Previous rank: 6) CEO: Fujio Cho Employees: 316,121 Address: 1 Toyota-cho Toyota 471-8571 Country: Japan
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Website: http://www.toyota.co.jp
Detroit’s decline worked in Toyota’s favor, as the leader in hybrid-electric vehicles pushed past its American rivals on this year’s list. Overall, Toyota sold only 3,000 fewer vehicles than global leader General Motors. But the Japanese company gained on its rival in the United States: GM’s sales fell 6% on its home turf, while Toyota’s sales rose 3.1%.
6. Chevron Rank: 6 (Previous rank: 7) CEO: David J. O’Reilly Employees: 65,035 Address: 6001 Bollinger Canyon Rd. San Ramon, California 94583 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.chevron.com
A leader when it comes to offshore drilling, the California-based company is relying on a number of projects - including Tahiti, which stalled production in 2007 - to alleviate demands at home and abroad. In an effort to clean up its image, Chevron launched its largest-ever global advertising campaign, called “The Power of Human Energy,” to prove that it too is concerned with climate change. The company’s progress is promising. With a net income of $18.7 billion in 2007, it was the fourth consecutive year Chevron achieved record earnings.
7. ING Group Rank: 7 (Previous rank: 13) CEO: Michel Tilmant Employees: 120,282 Address: Amstelveenseweg 500 Amsterdam 1081 Country: Netherlands
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Website: http://www.ing.com
The only financial institution to make our top 10, ING was up 31% in profits from 2006. This was due in part to the company’s streamlining, as it sold many noncore businesses, and partly due to a focus on global branding, with mass advertising set around the sponsorship of a Formula One team. ING continued to push into emerging markets, with primary investments in Thailand, Latin America, Turkey and South Korea. Although INGDirect.com provides just a small portion of the company’s profits, it added 3 million users in 2007, and now boasts over 20 million users worldwide.
8. Total Rank: 8 (Previous rank: 10) CEO: Christophe de Margerie Employees: 96,442 Address: 2 Pl. de la Coupole Courbevoie 92400 Country: France
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Website: http://www.total.com
It was a good year for the oil and gas company, as newly launched operations in Africa helped push up net production by 5%, which Total translated into a 22.2% increase in profits. But the year wasn’t without scandal for the French company, as new CEO Christophe de Margerie was placed under investigation in early 2007 for allegedly paying bribes to win the 1997 Iran South Pars project. The company insists that the agreement was lawful, and Margerie remains chief executive.
9. General Motors Rank: 9 (Previous rank: 5) CEO: G. Richard Wagoner Jr. Employees: 266,000 Address: 300 Renaissance Center Detroit, Michigan 48265 Country: U.S.
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Website: =http://www.gm.com
It was a tough year for GM, as it suffered a loss of nearly $39 billion and continues to lose market share to Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda. But, with a diverse portfolio of brands, General Motors did hit some international milestones; combined with its local partners, it was the first automaker to sell 1 million vehicles in China, and sales increased 74% in India. Even with its commitment to emerging markets, though, the company spent much of 2007 handling labor issues back home.
10. ConocoPhillips Rank: 10 (Previous rank: 9) CEO: James J. Mulva Employees: 32,600 Address: 600 N. Dairy Ashford Rd. Houston, Texas 77079 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.conocophillips.com
Dropping one spot on our list, ConocoPhillips saw a steep 23.5% decline in profits. The Texas-based company spent some $5.4 billion to reduce debt - incurred after the Burlington Resources acquisition in 2006 - and took a $4.5 billion hit due to Venezuela’s expropriation of Conoco’s assets. ConocoPhillips did make advances in the energy field, however, by teaming up with Tyson Foods to further its work in the biofuels industry.
Although Detroit’s Big Three all had to deal with United Auto Workers union issues and a struggling dollar, Daimler was the only one to cut its American ties by reducing its share in Chrysler to 19.9% and dropping the U.S. subsidiary from its name. The German automaker took an initial hit from the deal, posting its first quarterly loss since 2003. But the strength of the Mercedes-Benz brand kept Daimler in the black, as the company saw a hefty 34.5% annual increase in profits.
12. General Electric Rank: 12 (Previous rank: 11) CEO: Jeffrey R. Immelt Employees: 327,000 Address: 3135 Easton Turnpike Fairfield, Connecticut 6828 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.ge.com
The “G” in “GE” might as well stand for “global.” The iconic American company now derives about half of its $176.7 billion in revenue from outside the United States. Not surprisingly, the conglomerate is currently looking shed some domestic businesses. Its appliance business is up for sale, and General Electric announced last year that GE Money would exit the troubled U.S. mortgage business.
13. Ford Motor Rank: 13 (Previous rank: 12) CEO: Alan R. Mulally Employees: 246,000 Address: 1 American Rd. Dearborn, Michigan 48126 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.ford.com
A series of belt-tightening strategies, such as cutting plants and jobs and eliminating luxury brands, helped Ford narrow its loss to $2.7 billion in 2007. Revenue increased 7.7%, but U.S. sales fell 12%, and market share declined to 14.6% from 16% a year earlier. This year may be even tougher, as skyrocketing gas prices pull customers away from Ford’s current inventory of trucks and SUVs. It may take years for the automaker’s restructuring plans to bear fruit.
Fortis strengthened its leadership position in Benelux - Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - and Asian markets last year with several major acquisitions. As a part of a consortium, it acquired Dutch bank ABN AMRO. To get a foothold in Asia, it bought Hong Kong’s Pacific Century Insurance Holdings Limited. Last November, Fortis sold a 4.18% stake to Ping An, one of China’s biggest insurance companies, making it the bank’s single largest shareholder. (Today Ping An owns closer to 5% of Fortis.)
15. AXA Rank: 15 (Previous rank: 15) CEO: Henri de Castries Employees: 103,534 Address: 25 Ave. Matignon Paris 75008 Country: France
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Website: http://www.axa.com
The leading European insurance company continued to see double-digit growth last year. Revenue climbed 6.5% to $162.8 billion, and profit rose 21.6% to $7.76 billion. AXA already has beachheads in mature domestic and European markets; now it is expanding through acquisitions in Britain, Italy, South Korea and the Ukraine.
16. Sinopec Rank: 16 (Previous rank: 17) CEO: Su Shulin Employees: 634,011 Address: A6 Huixindong St. Beijing 100029 Country: China
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Website: http://www.sinopecgroup.com.
The world’s third-largest oil refiner by capacity raised profit to $4.17 billion in 2007, a 12.5% increase from a year ago. The oil giant greatly expanded its exploration and production resources as a long-term strategy. Last year, the discovery of natural gas resources in China’s southwest fueled Sinopec’s gas output growth. Though the Chinese government lifted the prices of gasoline, diesel and other fuels in November 2007 and June 2008, Sinopec had to absorb refining costs as oil prices skyrocketed. In addition, Sinopec reassigned a new chairman, Su Shulin, to replace former Chairman Chen Tonghai, who resigned for personal reasons.
17. Citigroup Rank: 17 (Previous rank: 14) CEO: Vikram S. Pandit Employees: 380,500 Address: 399 Park Ave. New York, New York 10043 Country: U.S.
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Website: http://www.citigroup.com
As a direct result of the U.S. subprime crisis, Citi’s 2007 profits sank 83.2% to $3.62 billion. The company cut costs by eliminating staff and shedding legacy assets. But a double-digit revenue growth in its international markets offset its loss in the domestic market. Management changes also shook things up at Citigroup: Former CEO Charles Prince retired under pressure after the company announced at least $18 billion in write-downs. He was succeeded by Vikram Pandit, a veteran investment banker from Morgan Stanley. 18. Volkswagen Rank: 18 (Previous rank: 16) CEO: Martin Winterkorn Employees: 329,305 Address: Brieffach 1848-2 Wolfsburg 38436 Country: Germany Website: Volkswagen Deutschland High oil prices and the “greening” of industry have hit automakers especially hard. But CEO Martin Winterkorn responded by pledging to lead Europe’s biggest carmaker into a greener and more sustainable era. Thanks to global sales of its core brands like Audi, profit was up 63.5% to $5.64 billion last year. Still, VW struggled in the United States. It cut prices on its Jetta and New Beetle models and launched new plants in an attempt to boost U.S. market share. Winterkorn aims to triple VW’s American sales by 2018. The company will announce the location of a new U.S. manufacturing plant in July.
19. Dexia Group Rank: 19 (Previous rank: 36) CEO: Axel Miller Employees: 35,202 Address: Place Rogier 11 Brussels 1210 Country: Belgium
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Website: www.dexia.com
Dexia had another year of solid growth in 2007. Revenue was up 54% to $147.6 billion, though the big jump was largely due to an accounting change. Last November, the French-Belgian bank agreed to acquire a social housing loan book with roughly $4.5 billion in assets from U.K. mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley. Dexia says the deal will broaden its customer base and increase its visibility in the home-loan market. It also plans to push into more financing of public projects.
20. HSBC Holdings Rank: 20 (Previous rank: 22) CEO: Michael F. Geoghegan Employees: 322,282 Address: 8 Canada Sq. London E14 5HQ Country: Britain
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Website: http://www.hsbc.com
Strong growth in Asia helped the bank to cushion billions of losses it took in the U.S. market due to the subprime mortgage crisis. Overall profit was up 21% from a year ago. As the bank tried to clean up its troubled U.S. mortgage loans, it focused on developing businesses in emerging markets. In 2007, HSBC expanded into Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and India by launching new branches and services.
21. BNP Paribas Rank: 21 (Previous rank: 25) CEO: Baudouin Prot Employees: 162,700 Address: 16 Blvd. des Italiens Paris 75009 Country: France
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Website: http://www.bnpparibas.com
BNP Paribas posted a 16.8% jump in net profit last year, as it withstood the credit crisis better than some of its European and U.S. counterparts. Thanks to solid growth in consumer credit, retail banking in emerging markets and asset management, France’s largest bank (in market value) increased its total revenue by 28.9% to $140.7 billion last year. That pushed BNP Paribas up another four spots on our list.
Despite a series of natural disasters in Europe and the subprime crisis in the United States, Allianz’s growth did not slow in 2007. Following a strong performance in 2006, the company’s overall revenue grew 12%, while profit climbed 23.8%. Three of its four units - life insurance, non-life insurance and asset management - contributed to the improved profit.
23. Crédit Agricole Rank: 23 (Previous rank: 18) CEO: Georges Pauget Employees: 163,126 Address: 91-93 Blvd. Pasteur Paris 75015 Country: France
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Website:http://www.credit-agricole-sa.fr
The year 2007 was a turbulent period for France’s largest retail bank. Not only did the subprime mortgage crisis hit earnings and profits, but a $348 million unauthorized trade last September also worsened overall performance. Profit shrunk by 9% from a year ago, to $8.2 billion.
24. State Grid Rank: 24 (Previous rank: 29) CEO: Liu Zhenya Employees: 1,486,000 Address: 86 Xichang’an Ave. Beijing 100031 Country: China
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Website: www.sgcc.com.cn
Thanks to China’s fast-growing economy, the mainland’s largest power distributor saw profits nearly double in 2007, to $4.4 billion.Now State Grid is doing deals outside its borders: In December, a consortium including State Grid successfully bid $3.95 billion for a 25-year concession to operate Philippines’ power transmission. The Chinese company also signed a power purchase agreement with its Russian counterpart, RAO UES.
25. China National Petroleum Rank: 25 (Previous rank: 24) CEO: Jiang Jiemin Employees: 1,117,345 Address: 6 Liupukang St. Beijing 100724 Country: China
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Website: http://www.cnpc.com.cn
China’s largest oil and gas company jumped one position in the Global 500 rankings on a 17% increase in sales. The company’s future seems secure: It recently announced the discovery of the Nanpu oil field, the biggest oil field China has located in the past three decades, according to the company’s annual report. China National Petroleum also newly identified 565.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Sulige Gas Province, which was China’s first gas field with a proven reserve of more than 1 trillion cubic meters.
Permen Kalajengking Celup Coklat, Permen dengan Cacing di dalamnya, dan Permen Apel Campur Belatung
Even the sweetest tooth might find these confections easy to resist. Dari Lollipop Cacing sampai Kalajengking Celup Coklat adalah formula-formula aneh dan unik dari hasil ide pemikiran Willy Wonka Kreator permen HOTLIX ini orang California, cukup membuat sensasi kenikmatan mengguncangkan industri permen yang telah lebih dari 25 tahun “Permen serangga pertama kami adalah Lollipop rasa Tequila dengan cacing di dalamnya pada tahun 1982,” ujar Katy Mitchell, manager of HOTLIX Dengan cepat Katty menunjukkan bahwa semua produk hotlix bisa dan aman untuk dimakan. “Saya mendapat banyak pertanyaan tentang ini, tapi jawabnya ya semua bisa dimakan.” “Semua orang mengira Kalajengking itu beracun, padahal kalau sudah mati tidak berbisa lho” “Sebelumnya, cacing-cacing itu kami beri makan tepung, pil apel, pil pisang. Jadi mereka bersih dari kutu dan lalat. Serta kaya nutrisi…..” Dan seperti halnya produk-produk berbahan baku coklat dalam buku Roald Dahl’s hit Children Larry sangat melindungi proses pembuatan permen serangga. “Pemiliknya tentu tidak memberitahukan bagaimana proses sebelum serangga-serangga itu dimasak, karena selama bertahun-tahun banyak yang telah mencoba meniru. Sejauh ini rahasia kami tetap terjaga.”
