Archive - Jun 26, 2008 - Article

Need to hear your voice

You may be surprised at the answer; there are already over 205 cosponsors of H.Con.Res. 362. Is yours one? This bill calls on the president to stop all shipments of refined petroleum products from reaching Iran. It also “demands” that the President impose “stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains and cargo entering or departing Iran.” Analysts say that this would require a US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint through which nearly a quarter of the world’s oil passes>>>

Unholy Alliances

On the first weekend of May 2008, Berlin was host to two extraordinary conferences. On the one hand, a crowd of altogether 1,600 predominantly young people from all over Europe met at the Humboldt University in order to discuss and reflect the turbulent, globally unfolding events of 1968. On the other, not far away, about 400 participants gathered at the classier, guarded »Auditorium Friedrichstrasse« under the theme of “Business as usual? The Iranian regime, the holy war against Israel and the West and the German reaction,“ organized by the recently created »Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin (MFFB)«>>>

Monsters

My memories of my childhood are mostly vague but still I can remember being on the playground of my old school; while other children played hide and seek, I was only hiding, trying to make certain nobody would ever find me. I knew they hated me as much as the teachers liked me. I was the one with all the answers. I used to read as many as books I could to maintain my status of a nerd; I was transforming into a huge, mute, lonely devourer of words, and still hungry for anything real. “With each book you read, you’ll grow,” Father used to say. “In my time, I didn’t have this chance. I’m sure you will not disappoint us.”>>>

موضوع انشاء؛ یک روز تعطیل

از رختخواب به زور بیرون می آیم. باید یک شنبه باشد! پرده را کنار می زنم. آفتاب مثل کلاه زرینی سر بلوک روبرویی را تزیین کرده. پس نباید یک شنبه باشد! سرم را از پنجره بیرون می کنم. هوای خنک و تازه ی صبحگاهی صورتم را می نوازد. با نگاهم محوطه را، بلوک ها و پنجره ها و چمن را دور می زنم. هیچ کس هیچ جا نیست. پس صبح یک شنبه است! گوشه ی یکی از خیابان های باریک بین بلوک ها، خانمی ایستاده. افساری در دست دارد. پس باید سگش را برای گردش صبحگاهی بیرون آورده باشد. کمی آن طرف تر سگ به پایین تنه ی درختی می شاشد. اوه، حتمن یک شنبه است! با فنجان قهوه کنار پنجره ی آشپزخانه، رو به محوطه ی چمن می نشینم. آفتاب کم کم از بالای پنجره به داخل آپارتمان می خزد. شبنم یخ زده ی روی چمن ها می گویند صبح سردی باید باشد. هیچ پیاده یا دوچرخه سواری در محوطه به چشم نمی خورد. >>>