Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Disappearance

Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius. Known for his paintings, engineering concepts, and philosophy, the guy was certainly an intriguing figure in history, and made for an equally compelling character in the Assassin's Creed universe. And fortunately for all of us, there are some wild tales of Leonardo's personal life that fit oh-so-conveniently into the world of Assassin's Creed.

The Da Vinci Disappearance add-on game picks up Ezio's story several years after the war with the Borgia. Life has pretty much returned to normal in Italy, and though there is a new cult in town for people to get swept up in, it seems Ezio is content to spend his later years just hanging out and being a boss. Oh, and making occasional visits to see his best friend, Leonardo Da Vinci. Because what else would he do in his spare time? He already saved Italy from civil war and re-built Rome single-handedly (what a guy!), so it would seem he earned some nice R&R.

Unfortunately, his abundance of free time ends when he has a meeting with Leonardo and is asked to find and bring back Salai, who is Leonardo's "other" best friend. You know, the kind with benefits. Like a good friend, Ezio catches Salai playing dice with some questionable hooded types from the local thieves' guild, and dutifully drags him out to bring him back to Leonardo. But after some awkward flirtation scenes, Ezio realizes Salai is being followed by the shady hooded guys from the guild (what, you thought they would disappear? That's Leonardo's job!). Apparently Salai has been blabbing to all the wrong people about Leonardo's latest projects, and now they're out for blood. Ezio immediately realizes that Leonardo is in trouble, but by the time they get back to his place, it is already too late, and as the name of the DLC implies, Leonardo Da Vinci has disappeared.

What ensues is a fun, two-hour romp back through Italy, as Ezio tracks down clues in Leonardo's paintings to try and find his friend. There are plenty of fun climbing and stealth missions, and you'll run into some familiar faces, including the villainous and deliciously unhinged Lucretzia Borgia, who has a particularly sexy moment with Ezio that doesn't end up the way you might immediately expect. This DLC's story is certainly the best reason to buy it, and it ties in nicely with the overarching plot and gives Ezio a proper sendoff (you can't say that he got the best send-off in AC II or in Brotherhood.) The Da Vinci Disappearance gives the game a much-needed epilogue, and if you were having trouble saying goodbye to Ezio, it may just provide the closure you need.

Though the single player alone is worth the $10 entry price for me, I realize that two hours of gameplay in exchange for one flat Hamilton may not seem worth it to everyone. Fortunately, this DLC also pads the multiplayer experience considerably, and opens a new map, four new character classes, and two new mission types: Escort and Assassinate. The latter is a lot like the game's original mode, except instead of having one target to wipe out, you'll be able to go after anyone (who isn't an NPC, of course).

The escort mission type is more of a game-changer, but unfortunately, it's not as exciting as Assassinate. Escort tasks you and a team of protecting one poor soul from being assassinated by the other team while simultaneously trying to knock off the other team's escort. This mode is a little bit like human capture the flag, which is an interesting premise, but honestly I'd rather go around knifing people in the throat. But maybe that's just me. I've never been the strategic type. Though the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood multiplayer mode was a bit thin to begin with, this DLC really brings it into its own, effectively doubles the content, and subsequently gives it a much higher replay value. So if you aren't immediately sold on the game just for the add-on story content, the multiplayer expansion is definitely worth your $10.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was one of my favorite games of 2010, and saying goodbye to it after it was finished was certainly difficult, as Ezio Auditore is one of the most compelling characters I've ever encountered. Fortunately, this DLC puts Ezio back in the spotlight, and also gives players some clues as to what they can expect when Assassin's Creed III comes around the corner. The Da Vinci Disappearance is a great send-off to a wonderful character that AC fans have spent the past two years getting to know, and is certainly a must-buy for fans of the series. We'll miss you, Ezio!

Read more: http://www.cheatcc.com/ps3/rev/assassinscreedbrotherhoodthedavincidisappearancereview.html#ixzz1HWDaCnnj
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KEBIJAKAN PEMERINTAH DALAM BIDANG EKONOMI

Ilmu ekonomi muncul karena adanya tiga kenyataan berikut :

• Kebutuhan manusia relatif tidak terbatas.
• Sumber daya tersedia secara terbatas.
• Masing-masing sumber daya mempunyai beberapa alternatif penggunaan.

Ilmu ekonomi adalah ilmu yang mempelajari perilaku manusia di dalam memenuhi kebutuhannya yang relatif tidak terbatas dengan menggunakan sumber daya yang terbatas dan masing-masing sumber daya mempunyai alternatif penggunaan (opportunity cost).

Secara garis besar ilmu ekonomi dapat dipisahkan menjadi dua yaitu ilmu ekonomi mikro dan ilmu ekonomi makro.

1. Ekonomi Makro

Ilmu ekonomi makro mempelajari variabel-variabel ekonomi secara agregat (keseluruhan). Variabel-variabel tersebut antara lain : pendapatan nasional, kesempatan kerja dan atau pengangguran, jumlah uang beredar, laju inflasi, pertumbuhan ekonomi, maupun neraca pembayaran internasional.

Ilmu ekonomi makro mempelajari masalah-masalah ekonomi utama sebagai berikut :

• Sejauh mana berbagai sumber daya telah dimanfaatkan di dalam kegiatan ekonomi. Apabila seluruh sumber daya telah dimanfaatkan keadaan ini disebut full employment. Sebaliknya bila masih ada sumber daya yang belum dimanfaatkan berarti perekonomian dalam keadaan under employment atau terdapat pengangguran/belum berada pada posisi kesempatan kerja penuh.
• Sejauh mana perekonomian dalam keadaan stabil khususnya stabilitas di bidang moneter. Apabila nilai uang cenderung menurun dalam jangka panjang berarti terjadi inflasi. Sebaliknya terjadi deflasi.
• Sejauh mana perekonomian mengalami pertumbuhan dan pertumbuhan tersebut disertai dengan distribusi pendapatan yang membaik antara pertumbuhan ekonomi dan pemerataan dalam distribusi pendapatan terdapat trade off maksudnya bila yang satu membaik yang lainnya cenderung memburuk.

2. Ekonomi Mikro

Sementara ilmu ekonomi mikro mempelajari variabel-variabel ekonomi dalam lingkup kecil misalnya perusahaan, rumah tangga.

Dalam ekonomi mikro ini dipelajari tentang bagaimana individu menggunakan sumber daya yang dimilikinya sehingga tercapai tingkat kepuasan yang optimum. Secara teori, tiap individu yang melakukan kombinasi konsumsi atau produksi yang optimum bersama dengan individu-individu lain akan menciptakan keseimbangan dalam skala makro dengan asumsi ceteris paribus.

Perbedaan ekonomi mikro dan ekonomi makro

Dilihat dari	Ekonomi Mikro	Ekonomi Makro
Harga	Harga ialah nilai dari suatu komoditas (barang tertentu saja)	Harga adalah nilai dari komoditas secara agregat (keseluruhan)
Unit analisis	Pembahasan tentang kegiatan ekonomi secara individual. Contohnya permintaan dan dan penawaran, perilaku konsumen, perilaku produsen, pasar, penerimaan, biaya dan laba atau rugi perusahaan	Pembahasan tentang kegiatan ekonomisecara keseluruhan. Contohnya pendapatan nasional, pertumbu8han ekonomi, inflasi, pengangguran, investasi dan kebijakan ekonomi.
Tujuan analisis	Lebih memfokuskan pada analisis tentang cara mengalokasikan sumber daya agar dapat dicapai kombinasi yang tepat.	Lebih memfokuskan pada analisis tentang pengaruh kegiatan ekonomi terhadap perekonomian secara keseluruhan

Masalah-masalah yang dihadapi pemerintah di bidang ekonomi

1. Masalah kemiskinan

Upaua penanggulangan kemiskinan dapat dilakukan melalui berbagai cara, misalnya program IDT (Inpres Desa Tertinggal), KUK (Kredit Usaha Kecil), KMKP (Kredit Modal Kerja Permanen) PKT (Program Kawasan Terpadu), GN-OTA dan program wajib belajar.

2. Masalah Keterbelangkangan

Masalah yang dihadapi adalah rerndahnya tingkat pendapatan dan pemerataannya, rendahnya pelayanan kesehatan, kurang terpeliharanya fasilitas umum, rendahnya tingkat disiplin masyarakat, renddahnya tingkat keterampilan, rendahnya tingkat pendidikan formal, kurangnya modal, produktivitas kerja, lemahnya manajemen usaha. Untuk mengatasi masalah ini pemerintah berupaya meningkatkan kualitas SDM, pertukranan ahli, transper teknologi dari Negara maju.

3. Masalah pengangguran dan kesempatan kerja

Masalah pengangguran timbul karena terjadinya ketimpangan antara jumlah angkatan kerja dan kesempatan kerja yang tersedia. Untuk mengatasi masalah ini pemerintah melakukan pelatihan bagi tenaga kerja sehingga tenaga kerja memeiliki keahlian sesuai dengan lapangan kerja yang tersedia, pembukaan investasi baru, terutama yang bersifat padat karya, pemberian informasi yang cepat mengenai lapangan kerja

4. Masalah kekurangan modal

Kekurangan modal adalah suatu cirri penting setiap Negara yang memulai proses pembangunan. Kekurangan modal disebabkan tingkat pendapatan masyarakat yang rendah yang menyebabkan tabungan dan tingkat pembentukan modal sedikit. Cara mengatasinya memlaui peningkatan kualitas SDM atau peningkatan investasi menjadi lebih produktif.

Peran dan Fungsi Pemerintah di Bidang Ekonomi

1. Fungsi stabilisasi, yaitu fungsi pemerintah dalam menciptakan kestabilan ekonomi, sosial politik, hokum, pertahanan dan keamanan.
2. Fungsi alokasi, yaitu fungsi pemerintah sebagai penyedia barang dan jasa public, seperti pembangunan jalan raya, gedung sekolah, penyediaan fasilitas penerangan, dan telepon.
3. Fungsi distribusi, yaitu fungsi pemerintah dalam pemerataan atau distribusi pendapatan masyarakat.