Saturday, August 22, 2015 Vol. 1, No.4

2. Diaries3. Star-Related4-5. News

6. Literary7. Community8. Interview

See Inside Quote of the Week

For more than 15 years, Star Educational Society has stood out from the rest of educational centers to provide a quality program for English language learners, and I am exceedingly pleased to play a role in this success. Star has proven this through initiatives and innovation in its English Language programs.

The educational and academic environment that Star Educational Society has created for the students is unparalleled. Reading circles, translation, story writing and speech contests encourage the students to enhance their skills more and more. Libraries, replete with books, have fostered students’ interest in reading. Star has instilled hope and dreams in the people of this society. A huge number of people trust Star, join it and get a good education with eagerness and verve.

Star’s aim is not restrained to only English language instruction. It has always endeavored to pave the way for students to extend their realm of knowledge beyond the scope of a language. Star and its students have crossed the borders of Afghanistan and even Asia. The cooperative and sincere teachers of this educational center have always tried to discover opportunities for students to study abroad. In the last few years, many students have succeeded. For example, many have gone to Japan, Germany, Canada and USA to gain knowledge. Of course, the key to open the doors of education abroad is TOEFL and IELTS, the highly regarded English language tests. TOEFL and IELTS confirm that a student has the necessary English language skills to do well in an academic setting. These tests are the most widely accepted tests throughout the world. More than 8500 colleges, universities and agencies in 130 countries accept TOEFL and IELTS scores, and the comprehensive programs for TOEFL and IELTS, offered at Star Educational Society, have helped students master these tests and open the doors to education in some of the best universities in the world.

As the director of the TOEFL/IETLS team, I aim to provide the best service for TOEFL/IELTS learners. And just like our former students who made their way to many great universities around the world via these tests, we believe that everybody who joins these classes will score high on these two English proficiency tests. Do not procrastinate. You can be another Starian earning the chance to study at an international university here or abroad.

Nasrullah Hussaini

“Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don’t have a plan.”

- Larry Winget

Star Educational Society Weekly

A Message from the TOEFL/IELTS Program Director

MehrdadLevel Five

The Winners

M. Arif FarasooAdvance

Asma DarwishAdvance

Shabnam HaidariAdvance

Shekiba HussainiAdvance

Asadullah Alizadah

Taiba Atiffi

Mohammad Taqi Hedayat

Mushtaq Ataee

Abdulmalik Baqeri

Advance

Ahmad Seiar TahmasiAdvance

Rahmatullah HaidariAdvance

M. NaeemEbrahimyAdvance

Ali Madadjo

Fatima Mirzadah

Ali Sadeqi

Homayon Asdullahi

AzarLevel One

MahdiLevel Three

M. Reza ShahabiAdvance

Habiba AtaieAdvance

S. MohammadAdvance

Yadullah WahediAdvance

Fawzia Zamiri

Tooba Rahmati

Mohammad Reza Rezaie

Sharif Shams

WahabLevel Two

Hussain AliLevel Four

M. Reza SharifiAdvance

Khudadad Sorush

Advance

Yahya HussainiAdvance

Mohammad Monir Kamran

Zahra Wahidy

Asma Darwish Walid Rahmany

AbbasLevel Five

Morsal WardakLevel Six

Mukhtar Sakhizadah

Advance

M. Basir SalehiAdvance

Zamin Ali AhmadiAdvance

Sajida Ahangaran

Mohammad Rasool Ahmadi

Faiza Naseri

Ali Reza Nazari

RobabaLevel One

Laila KhadheiAdvance

Arifa GhulamiAdvance

Sayed Saeid ShamsiAdvance

Mushtaq AtaeeAdvance

Ali Reza Behruz

Zajida Alizada

Waheed Hadeed

Nematullah Shaikhi

Azizullah SorushAdvance

Ali DaryoshAdvance

Rahmatullah Sardarzadah

Advance

Mohammad Shah Yosofi

Advance

Ali Bamyani

Parisa Ahmadi

Soheila Noori

Kazim Ehsan

Speech Contest Competitors

Diploma Holders of A and B Branches

Teacher Training

Interstellar (adjective): situated or occurring between the stars; conducted, or existing between two or more stars

From Passion to Pain The Dreamseller

With pride and gratitude for Star

August 22nd, 2015

Vol.1, No.4Diaries

My palms were bleeding after he hit me thirty times with the willow stick. He made me stand in front of the prayer hall of the mosque with my two hands outstretched before me. My classmates sat obediently on the black and white wool carpet and stared at me while he beat me and called me an impolite, shameless, and stubborn student. “You never learned what I told you! Today I will teach a very tough lesson so that you never forget my words!,” my teacher yelled. I tried to shield my bloody hands, but then he started to beat me on my legs. I shouted, begged and cried for him to stop hitting me.

At the age of six, like many other children of Nawrak Village in Daikundi Province, I began to tend, feed and herd my family’s lambs and goats. From the first days of every spring to last days of autumn, when mountain pastures were not covered in snow, I was a shepherd. The only time the village children could attend school was during the winter season. People in Hazarajat used to hire a teacher every winter to provide lessons in the Quran, basic rules and principals of Islam, and Persian reading and writing to their children, who were free during the winter.

I was eight years old when my father bought my elder brother and me our first notebooks. They each had 200 pages. We were the first students in the village who had notebooks. So we were proud of our father as the most educated person in the village. Other students’ families were much poorer than ours and they were not allowed to use more than one A4 sheet of paper each week. Some children were limited to only half of an A4 sheet of paper. Since my father was a district judge, he was not at home except for a few days during each season. In the beginning of that winter class, my mother told me that my new notebook was enough for the whole three months of winter. She said we could not afford a second notebook. Then she told my teacher that if I finished the notebook before

We are looking for ambitious and academically strong young professionals who have displayed leadership potential. If this is you, then start preparing your Chevening application.

Apply before 3 November 2015 - it could be the best decision you ever make.

To be eligible for a Chevening Scholarship you must:• Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country (Afghanistan).• Return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your scholarship has ended• Have an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry to a post-graduate programme at a UK university. Have at least two years’ work experience• Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an unconditional offer from one of these choices by 14 July 2016• Meet the Chevening English language requirement by 14 July 2016

Read more here and find the link to the online application system:http://www.chevening.org/afghanistan

When I was almost five years old, I lived in a small and simple world, a world of joy and happiness. My world was my house in the Debori area of the 3rd district of Kabul and a small tributary of the Kabul River next to our house. I could usually be seen with old buttonless clothes, rubber boots and bruised and dirty hands. I entertained myself by flying kites, catching fish with my shirttail (daman), playing marbles and playing with a bicycle tire (lolak). Sometimes, my greatest joy was rolling up my sleeves and pant legs to wash carrots with my friends at the river. As a reward, my friends filled my shirttail with carrots that I was able to bring home and share with my whole family. At this tender age, I was only aware of the joys and happy moments in life and was oblivious of the civil war that was brewing beyond my small world.

The civil war began and everything in the country collapsed. A different city emerged populated by cruel and angry citizens. Some ran to abandon the country, some were busy stealing vacant houses, some screamed in pain and some shouted at each other in angry voices. The bakeries closed and flour was rarely found in shops. People were no longer able to buy a 49 or 98 kilo sack of flour (buji) because the price had become too expensive after the mujahideen blocked the transport routes and burned the trucks that delivered the flour. Instead the people in Kabul bought their flour by the kilo and every day the citizens faced a new threat or struggle.

Afghanistan had been turned upside down and even children’s toys reflected the changes taking place in

At the very commencement, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of all my talented colleagues to the Chairman and Founder, Executive Director and General Director of Star Educational Society for their huge help for both English instructors and English learners. I feel extreme pleasure to see so many students who come to Star with minimal English skills and leave with a great deal of expertise in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing and TOEFL.

It is with great pride for me to state here that I have spent six years learning from the instructions of experienced and talented teachers at Star and serving my fellow Afghans.

Nawrooz, the end of winter classes, he must punish me.

I loved to write. Writing and drawing were my favorite hobbies. Persian calligraphy is still one of my favorite art forms. I was inspired by the Arabic and Persian calligraphy that decorated the green painted walls of the mosque’s prayer hall. I wanted to copy the beautifully embroidered Quranic verses and other religious texts that were stitched on the black curtain in the mosque. Since I had no blank paper or other notebooks to write in, I had to write on anything I could find. I filled up all the blank pages of my father’s books with my writing. I copied Quranic verses on paper and cardboard boxes. Many flat rocks in the village pastures were carved with my writing. So it was very difficult for me to follow my mother’s advice and repress my passion to write. Within 24 days I had finished the 200 pages of my notebook. I tried to make my mother understand, but when my teacher learned that I had finished the notebook, he taught me a lesson I will never forget.

In the extreme cold weather of the winter season, I left the mosque with my bloody palms and aching legs. At that moment, I believed I was the worst student in the whole class because I used too much paper. I was banished by the other students. The incident affected me profoundly. I lost my passion to write and sunk into a deep depression. I hated everything, including my teacher, my mother, my brother and my classmates. I lost my interest to read and write and, for many days, I didn’t attend the class, until my father heard the story and sent me another notebook.

the country. My friends and I no longer played with marbles, balls, bicycles and dolls. Instead we played with used bullets and wooden toy guns. Many of the boys divided into two groups and pretended to fight with each other the way the elders were fighting for real.

The circumstances worsened and the mind of the public became tarnished. My family and I stayed in Kabul as the flooding of migration poured outward toward Pakistan and Iran. Our place of refuge became a bunker (bilandazh) dug by my father. He was an officer in the Afghan National Army and he made an underground room to keep my family safe as the civil war became worse and worse around us. In those days, my parents, grandfather, five siblings and I passed each moment in the damp 4 meter by 2 meter earthen bunker. We slept on a bunkbed (takht e do tabaqa) - the three adults on the lower bed and the six children on the top. My small and simple world became even smaller with only a peephole to see beyond the four dirt walls of our room. At nights, nobody was able to walk even with a very simple light or candle because machine guns waited on the mountainside to shoot at civilians in the West of Kabul where we lived.

In spite of our tragic situation, every day I looked outside from the peephole with my dreamy mind and bright eyes. Every day I told my family, “Hama chiz khob khahad shod – everything will be alright.” My very kind and happy smile and my encouraging words inspired my whole family and helped to lift their spirits. Hence, they named me “Dreamseller” (Bakhshind e Roya).

Star has left no stone unturned to provide people with English language services and to be a model of excellence and quality education throughout the community at large. In fact, English language, which has become one of the most widely used languages, is taught with great honesty and effort at Star Educational Society.

Last, but not least, I would like to take a special moment to express my thanks from the depth of my heart to all of Star’s team members for their hard work and constant dedication. In fact, their timeless efforts will never be forgotten and will remain forever etched in my memory. I look forward to seeing the future achievements of all my colleagues and students at Star.

About the author: Kazim Ehsan graduated from Kurukshetra University in India with a bachelor’s degree in Commerce. He recently completed Star’s Teacher Training Course and works as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Toran Afghanistan Developmental and Educational Organization (TADEO).

About the Author: Ahmad Murtaza Ahmadi graduated from Kateb University with a degree in Political Science in 2011. He studied English at Star from 2006 to 2008 and began teaching for Star in 2009. Currently working at the Ministry of Higher Education, this is the first in a series of stories that he will be contributing to the Interstellar Bulletin.

About the author: Abdul Hamid Wafa has been teaching at Star’s A branch for 6 years. He graduated from the Afghan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI) and is currently studying his Bachelor’s in Graphic Design at Kabul University.

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APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR 2016/2017 CHEVENING MASTERS DEGREE SCHOLARSHIPS

“Now is the harvest season for Star”

August 22nd, 2015

Vol.1, No.4Star-Related

Education is the most important factor for the development of human civilization. Education provides the nation with manpower, promotes national unity and raises public awareness. Education helps improve people’s health, fosters peace in society and among nations, boosts economic growth, reduces poverty, encourages good governance and makes us informed of our fundamental rights. An educated individual can better distinguish between right and wrong or good and evil. Every nation has a responsibility to educate its citizens.

In Afghanistan, education has faced serious obstacles, yet there have been enormous gains since 2001. After collapse of the Taliban regime, the education sector was completely paralyzed and it was one of the top priorities of Afghanistan, which required a concentrated effort. There were only a few educational centers and it was difficult for the government to provide education for all of the people and fulfill the needs of the country.

It was important for everyone to contribute to the rebuilding of Afghanistan in whatever way they could: politics, economy, culture and education. Ali Reza Yasa,

filled this gap and played a pivotal role to move Afghanistan forward towards positive change and development.

After many years of hard work, now is the harvest season for Star as the country reaps the human capacity that has been sowed at Star. An educated generation in Afghanistan connects us to the world of technology, thoughts and culture of powerful countries. These big gains could not have been achieved without communication. Star emerged to successfully equip its students with the English language skills required at that crucial time. Star created thousands of opportunities and opened a gateway for many people to education and employment in and with foreign countries. Star presented many students to prestigious universities and academic institutions in the world and gave people the tools to be competitive candidates for jobs with governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Today, Star works harder than ever and is more committed and energetic than in all the years past. Star Educational Society is a platform to learn English as a second language through its various resources and programs. Star will help you

Hussain Yousofi and all the other teachers and staff of Star Educational Society are good examples of people who contributed generously and created the opportunity for many people to access education. Besides many other subjects, English was an urgent need for everyone in Afghanistan, especially in Kabul. English was the language that facilitated communication between Afghans and the rest of the world and the presence of troops from dozens of countries made this communication even more critical. Star quickly identified the need for proper English language instruction and began to offer quality programs.

Afghans needed to have a strong relationship and direct cultural communication with the western countries. It was necessary to learn a common language and create a solid English education foundation in order to train the children of Afghanistan who are the key to this nation’s future. We needed to enlighten the people’s thoughts and world view, to encourage people to be hopeful for the future, to help the people to meet their material needs in life, and to create and build people’s characters and values. Star

gain proficiency in English and it will put you one step ahead of the others.

Starians will work together and support this center to maintain its reputation as a distinguished and outstanding academic institution. We will work together to improve Star’s role in the cultural arena, especially in education. For anyone seeking to learn English, Star provides them this chance. Star creates hope and opportunities, so join Star and be hopeful for a better future and make a difference.

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About the Author: Jomakhan Hamdard started studying at Star in 2009, received his Diploma in 2011 and recently participated in the Teacher Training Course. He is a junior at Kabul University majoring in Political Science. He currently works as a program manager in the Youth Development Association (YDA) and also works as an Outreach Intern in Canadian Women for Afghan Women (CW4AW).

Asadullah was looking at a photo. Someone asked him, “Whose picture are you looking at?” He replied: “I don’t have any brother or sister, but this man’s father is my father’s son.” So, whose picture was Assadullah looking at?

ANSWER: THE MAN IN THE PHOTO IS ASADULLAH’S SON.

Interstellar No 03Logic Puzzle Solution:

Page 4

local white bearded elders are trying to resolve the issue,” says Pardeli.

Since the commencement of new solar year, abductions have increased remarkably. Two days ago, six passengers were kidnapped in the north of country by unknown people. Moreover, 20 passengers and drivers were kidnapped from Daikondi in the center of the country but later released. Afterwards, six passengers were kidnapped in the north of country. More than one month ago, in two other cases, unknown men had kidnapped four women and a child, residents of Jaghori district of Ghazni province, in Gillan district.

A few days ago, four more residents of Jaghori district were kidnapped in Qarabagh district. Still, there is no clear information about their status. Five months ago, 31 passengers were kidnapped on Kabul-Qandahar Highway in Zabul province, the status of at least 12 of whom is not known.

**Update: The hostages were released by kidnappers after 48 hours.

the security forces. The rural authorities of Sar-e-pol province announced two days ago that seven soldiers and one rural commander of Kohistanat district joined the Taliban’s group. Amanudin Aman, official spokesman for Sar-e-pol province, explained that this commander and his seven followers who were working in Qala rural area of Kohistanat district had relationship with the Taliban from the past and they helped coordinate the Taliban’s attack on this district.

The Kohistanat district is one of the most important places for the Taliban. According to Haji Mahdawi, one of the commanders in this province, all the headquarters of the Taliban are located in the mountainous districts. One month ago, he reported to the daily news that if the security forces regain control of this province from the Taliban, then Sar-e-pol province will be secured. Early this year all the provinces in the north of the country become insecure, especially Faryab, Sar-e-pol, Badakhshan, and Kunduz provinces.

they rely upon. Lall Poor is one of the unsecured district where insurgents have been had several excessive attacks, besides they have been targeted the headquarters of security troops. Typically, in these last months, pneumatic attack’s of American troops have risen up upon terrorist groups particularly on IS (Islamic State) in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Thus, in last weeks, several high ranking of IS members have been killed by pneumatic American attacks in Nangarhar province.

while typing or using applications. Actions like decreasing or increasing

the volume, locking the screen, and moving the screen are all performed by the thumb. Thus, the thumb suffers more pain while using smart phones. People, who replace their old phones with smart phones may suffer pain in the second joint of the thumb, the severity of which depends on the level of usage. People using smart phones for a long time may suffer severe pain in the distal joint of their thumb. It occurs when the flexor tendon of the thumb is affected which may result in limited movements of the fingers.

Using the screen with one hand may persuade the brain toward enlargement of the thumb. And it is expected that the thumbs will be longer in the future to be able to touch different parts of the screen. Experiments have proven that it is hard to press 3, 6 and 9 keys with long fingers whereas short ones have problems pressing 1, 4 and 7 keys. Deformation of the wrist and its rotation with the flexion of the fingers is also expected in the future generation. If humans don’t change the way of using smart phones, they may end up having problem making a fist like chimpanzees. What is the solution? Is it not easier to avoid defects rather than to accept the changes?

Remember that a difference of even one inch in screen size may change the way it is put in the hand. To decrease the defects to the lowest level try to specify the size of the screen appropriate to your mostly used hand while buying a smart phone. To do this, put the phone in your frequently used hand and move your thumb semi-circularly, which shows the highest level of movement of the thumb on the screen. If you have problem touching the entire screen properly, you have to change your mind about the screen size or at least use the phone with both hands.

Baghlan local officials report that Taliban have abducted at least 11 in Dandi Ghore area of Baghlan. Gen. Abdul Jabar Pardeli, Baghlan Police Commander, stated that Taliban abducted these people Saturday evening in Ahmad Zai village of Dandi Ghore, Pol-e-khomre and still there is no accurate information from their status.

According to Bokhdi News Agency, Mr. Pardeli has said Taliban had kidnapped 16 people but released 4 women and 1 old man and took the rest with them. According to Pardeli, all the abductees were from Hazara nation wanting to go to Pol-e-Khomre City from Dahana district of Ghori.

Yet, Taliban has not admitted responsibility, but local folks report activities of Pakistani Taliban and insurgents in the area. Meanwhile, Laghman Police commander states that primary research declares that tribal enmity has a connection with the abduction. “Police research for identifying the abductors and where these hostages are taken has started; similarly,

The rural authorities of Sar-e-pol province in the north of the country reported that the Taliban seized control of the Kohistanat district by attacking the province. Police commander of Sar-e-pol province, Mohammad Asef Jabarkhail, confirmed this event and said that security forces of this district’s center retreated and now the district is in the hands of Taliban. But Mr. Jabarkhail did not report on the causalities from these attacks on security forces.

Also Abdul Ghafur Dastyar, the governor’s assistant of Sar-e-pol province, reported that on Tuesday night the Taliban’s group attacked the district and the lack of security forces in the district resulted in the district being seized. A statement prepared by the Taliban said that the Taliban’s attacks started in this province two days earlier. By seizing this district, the Taliban also seized many weapons and ammunition from the security forces.

The Taliban are trying to seize control of all the areas of Kohistanat district from

Five Insurgents Killed in the Attacks of Foreign Automatic Pilot. Local officials in Nangarhar province stated, that five insurgent killed as the result of foreign automatic pilot‘s attacks. The spokesman of police in Nangarhar province, Hussian Mashreqi wal said that these rebellions killed when they were moving from one region to another one. Similarly, Mashreqi Wal added, no civilian got wounded in these attacks. Furthermore, he said that there is no precise detail about these rebellions who

Research shows that the modern lifestyle affects the human body directly. The consequences of events that have changed early humans to the existing ones have been much related to his life circumstances in each period of time. As early man created the first tools the human body reflected a gradual change. For instance, early man needed thirty-four teeth to chew, hunt and eat hard edibles. But gradually, by the discovery of fire and changes in the edibles, his teeth decreased to thirty-two.

If using primary tools can change the shape of man’s head, body and hands, then using advanced tools can do the same. However, the difference is that changes occur rapidly in the second case.

Statistics show that around five billion people use cell phones in the world which may include 70% of the world population by 2017. Currently more than two billion people use smart phones, which is increasing every day. It is predicted that 50% of people who use cell phones will use smart phones by the end of the current year. In Afghanistan, twenty million people are using smart phones, each person spends an average of 37 hours per month and using smart phones is not uncommon.

Many of the advantages and disadvantages of the smart phones are clear. We want to know whether using smart phones causes the brain to change or not. If so, which part of the body does it change more?

The enlargement of screens in smart phones, which is most welcome by users, persuades companies to pay more attention to the ways their products are used. Replacement of the keys, controlling the sound and power, using brackets, reducing the weight and decreasing the thickness of the phone are all priorities of the companies. But, still there are problems such as using larger smart phones with only one hand specifically

Translated by: Fatima MirzadahSource: Etlaatrooz, 881

Translated by: Asma Darwish and Sajida AlizadaSource: Etlaatrooz

Translator: Mohammad YonousSource: Etlaatrooz, 881

Translator: Mohammad Yasin Rezayee and Munir KamranSource: Etlaatrooz, 881

Taliban abduct 11 in Baghlan

Taliban seize Kohistanat district of Sar-e-pol province

Insurgents Killed in Nangarhar

Mobile Phones Change Human Body

August 22nd, 2015

Vol.1, No.4News

Page 5

Afghanistan’s national cricket team qualified for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament to be held next year. The Afghan team was greeted by hundreds of Kabulis, including senior government officials, at the Hamid Karzai International Airport when they returned home. The team earned fifth place in the qualifying rounds with five victories, two losses and two draws during the tournament which was co-hosted by Scotland and Ireland.

Today, I draw your attention to a phenomenon called human trafficking. Human trafficking is committed for commercial and sexual exploitation. Pedophilia for sexual exploitations and forcing children to work as bus conductors are clear examples. According to the annual report of the U.S. Department of State, Afghanistan has more human trafficking than many other countries.

Hearing this, do not feel pressured. In Afghanistan, nothing is left that we do not traffic. Trafficking is rampant in Afghanistan. From fathers who sell their own children, to lawyers and ministers who are busy trafficking petroleum, flour, wine, marble stones, and opium. I think we should not discuss it, it is an issue we all know.

Pedophilia, which stains our reputation in the minds of people all over the world, and keeps their mouths open in awe, is not a newfound phenomenon. It has been prevalent in Afghanistan for many years, but has increased in the last two decades. The level of human trafficking can be witnessed clearly in the case

of twenty-one residents who were murdered in DaSalah, Baghlan. This is not an exception, there is much non-reported violence that occurs as a result of human trafficking. Unfortunately, it has to be mentioned that many anti-trafficking departments, which are responsible for prevention, commit this crime themselves.

Do you remember the girlish strategic agreement between police heads of the 11th and 3rd districts? They were involved in this business. Inevitably, not knowing about this issue has helped to spread this phenomenon. Maybe neither the police head of the 11th district nor the police head of the 3rd district knew that they were trafficking. We saw that their trafficking even drew their ire as they raised guns on each other.

Officials like the police heads of the 3rd and 11th districts are not the only perpetrators, ordinary citizens are also guilty of trafficking. In many cases, poverty and illiteracy cause such a result that even the government is unable to prevent it. According to the reports, many penurious parents sell their teenage children

to traffickers, pedophiles and terrorists. This means that human trafficking in Afghanistan not only displays government’s weaknesses, but it also shows the society’s involvement in it.

Eliminating this tragedy is difficult, but possible. It could be combatted with social awareness and a change in peoples’ mindsets. It can be confronted more effectively by partnering with executive organizations that are responsible for suffocating this phenomenon. By neglecting the cases that cause disgrace, the expansion of this calamity continues. Powerful and influential characters committing this crime for sexual and commercial purposes are remarkable; they were not only investigated, but also supported by anti-trafficking organizations.

The most reasonable solutions to the trafficking problem are found in the executive security forces; the police and policymaking organizations; and changing the mindsets in society; but unfortunately, there are too many obstacles for all three of these solutions. Those obstacles are poverty and the extremist mentality of Afghan society. Poverty contributes to the use of bribes in society and extremism results in the mindsets and cultural beliefs that allow this practice to flourish.

Nonetheless, hope you would not get trafficked. With all excuses and objections, human beings sometimes believe they can control their minds, but are unable to follow their own paths. Thus, they get trafficked and the U.S. Department of State reports it.

Hope you would not get trafficked!

August 22nd, 2015

Translated by: Walid RahmanySource: Etlaatrooz, 883

Vol.1, No.4News

Page 6 August 22nd, 2015

Hadi ZaherJuly 14, 2015

When people speak of the good old days, they speak of delusions. If you were rich, the old days were good. If you were poor and help-

less like we were, the old days were the days of despair. Food was scarce, and a lot of work and hard labor yielded little fruit.

Your baabaye and I farmed the land in the gorge along the river. We had no tools and supplies, and had to lease them from Aatay Chaman in exchange for the promise of a share of the yield. We worked hard and long in harsh conditions. Upon harvest, Aatay Chaman came over to reap his reward. He claimed one pile for leasing to us his bulls, another one for providing us with the seeds, another one for the tools we had used, and the last one for something else, right in front of our bewildered eyes. He claimed every last bit of grain we had harvested, and left us with nothing. We had nothing to go on. He could not care less. He went into the village to hire laborers to help him carry the grain to his home.

His wife was different. She was kind. She called me over. She picked up many hands full of grain and poured them into my scarf. She said, “take this, run, and hide it somewhere. Don’t tell anyone I gave you this. This will let you feed your children.” And that was all we got for months of laboring.

Those, my child, were the “good old days”.

*Baabaye = Hazaragi for grandfather; old man.*Aata = Hazaragi for father, i.e. Aatay Chaman: Chaman’s father

“Sister, it was unlike anything I have seen before. It was round, and looked like a hand-washing basin. Men and women spoke out of it.”

“Women spoke out of it!? Could you see them?”“No, you could hear them, but they weren’t there. It was magic.”Mullah Rabzan’s wife had just returned from Sang-e-Masha where she had been attending a wedding.

She had seen the men play something on a “radio” (gramophone). For weeks after that, this magic was the talk of the village.

Image via: http://adelaidia.sa.gov.au/subjects/afghans

About the Author:

Hadi Zaher was the first graduate of Star Educational Society in the year 1999. He is the nephew of the founder of Star in Quetta, Mr. Nabi Atiq. Hadi is also among one of the first Star graduates who together with Mr. Hussain Yousofi, was selected as a language teacher. Hadi Zaher has an BA from university of Wollongong, Australia in Economics and Politics. He is a post-graduate student of Juris Doctor at the University of New South Wales. His job includes being para-legal employee at Playfair Visa and Migeration Services in Sydney. He is also currently the president of Zaheristan, a virtual world of professional photography that he describes in these words: “A land of good people, a free people. A land where flowers bloom in streets, rubab music plays in the samovar tea houses, and kites fly in the skies.”

StoriesMy Grandmother

Told Me

7 - 8

Vol.1, No.4Literary

By: Maya Angelou1928 - 2014

You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wellsPumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,With the certainty of tides,Just like hopes springing high,Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?Bowed head and lowered eyes?Shoulders falling down like teardrops,Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?Don’t you take it awful hard‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold minesDiggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?Does it come as a surpriseThat I dance like I’ve got diamondsAt the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shameI riseUp from a past that’s rooted in painI riseI’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI riseInto a daybreak that’s wondrously clearI riseBringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave.I riseI riseI rise.

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She was an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She was best known for her autobiographical books: Mom & Me & Mom (Random House, 2013); Letter to My Daughter (2008); All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986); The Heart of a Woman (1981); Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas (1976); Gather Together in My Name (1974); and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award.

Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995); The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994); Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993); Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987); I Shall Not Be Moved (1990); Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing? (1983); Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975); and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie (1971), which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1961 to 1962 she was associate editor of The Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East, and from 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana. She returned to the United States in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1982 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered a poem, “On The Pulse of the Morning,” at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request. In 2000, she received the National Medal of Arts, and in 2010 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

MayaAngelou

By: St. Louis

Page 7August 22nd, 2015

Vol.1, No.4Community

When Fatima Haidari got her first bike at age 9, she rode it all the time. But when she became a teenager, the rules changed. “I used to bike outside because I was a kid, and nobody cared,” Haidari says. “But when I got older, it got kind of weird so I stopped.” By “weird,” she means people aren’t used to seeing a young woman outside, by herself, on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s even more uncommon to see women out on the streets on wheels. Haidari says she would have attracted unwanted attention from

biking around the city.Shannon Galpin, the first woman

known to mountain bike in Afghanistan, donated 10 bikes to club members. For each of the girls, it was her first bike. Before then, they had to borrow from a male friend or relative. “It’s really new for our society to see women outside their house because we usually think women are supposed to be home to raise the children or take care of the husband,” Haidari says. “We’re trying to push women to have equal presence in society, and biking is just

passersby — disapproving stares and even taunts.

While studying in the U.S. last spring, she met representatives from Girl Up, a group from the U.N. Foundation that advocates for young girls around the world. They have a network of clubs run by girls in different countries. With support from Girl Up, Haidari returned to Kabul and created a bike-riding club just for girls. She and her friends met weekly, sometimes to watch and discuss movies starring women, like Gravity. Every Friday, they went

part of it.”This spring Haidari has been studying

at St. Timothy’s School, a boarding school for girls in Baltimore, Md. And she has put the club in the hands of a good friend while she’s away. The club is still going strong, she says. It started out with just five girls. Now, more than 20 get together each week to go cycling. After a brief introduction from Girl Up, we caught up with Haidari as she was preparing for her finals. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A Gender Revolution Hits the Streets, Two Wheels at a TimeArticle by: Linda Poon at www.npr.org

They would be super passionate, but their families wouldn’t let them come. I understand where they’re coming from — they were scared for their daughter’s security. So we started with five girls. When the other girls saw that nothing [bad] really happened, and that it was successful, I think that convinced the other girls’ families.

Were you nervous about the first bike ride? We never felt that our lives were in danger, but we weren’t sure what the reaction was going to be. One of my friends said that we should call a cop to watch over us, but we wanted to send a message that girls have the freedom to

Why did you focus on bike riding? It’s kind of cliche, but it’s really important for a woman to be able to get somewhere without a male’s help. There are so many girls in Afghanistan who can’t afford to drive to school so they walk for hours. But they can use a bicycle. First, it’s not that expensive, and second it’s a kind of sport. There aren’t many opportunities for women to exercise. So biking serves multiple purposes. I don’t know who said this, but I think women on wheels is the start of women’s independence.

What were some obstacles in starting the club? There were so many girls who wanted to come riding with us.

go outside and bike. And having that cop next to us would have totally ruined that message.

Did anyone try to get in the way? There was an instance when this guy tried to stop one of my friends and made her fall from her bike. It was right in front of the Ministry of Education, where there were guards. And they didn’t do anything! The Ministry of Education is supposed to inform people about human rights and that women should use their freedom. But the guards were just staring. It was really ironic that there was nobody to protect us — or at least to call the person out.

When things like that happen, what inspires you to keep going? I had a friend who didn’t know anything about biking. She had never rode a bike, and she wanted to join. I told her the bike ride is tomorrow, and she was like, “Well I’m going to learn tonight.” So she learned it overnight, and she came and joined us the next day. It was really inspiring to see that much dedication.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/06/09/406744975/a-gender-revolution-hits-the-streets-two-wheels-at-a-time

Saturday, August 22, 2015 Vol. 1, No.4

Interview

Editor-in-Chief: Ali Reza Yasa, ChairmanEditors: Kara Lozier and Nasrullah HussainiDesigner: Musa Autbin

Phone: +93-202504515+9377464-7308Email: interstellarbulletin@gmail.com Website: http://star.soc.edu.af/

In this issue of the Interstellar Bulletin, we interview Zahra Yousofi who is a rising junior at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, U.S. Zahra, the youngest in the Yousofi family,

has worked at Star since 2008 in different capacities. An extremely ambitious young woman, she was responsible for the establishment of Star’s library in 2011 and Star’s

computer lab in 2015. She is majoring in Economics and Global Politics with a minor in Poverty and Human Capability. Most recently, she was an intern with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Who was your favorite teacher and what made them so special? I have had many great teachers but currently my favorite professor is Professor Pickett. He is smart, sincere and caring. He always challenges his students to grow.

Who has had the greatest influence in your life and why? I would say Ali Reza Yasa among family members. He has been more than a brother for me. When I was barely 5 years old, he would take me to Pamir Educational House, the first English institute that he had initiated, to learn English. Besides English he also made me take painting, drawing, Persian and many more courses. He has always been a pioneer leader in our family and I find that inspiring.

You are the youngest child in the Yousofi family. Star Educational Society is obviously a very big part of your family’s life. What was it like growing up in that environment? Growing up was fun. It was certainly not very easy considering the fact that it was not very routine and monotonous. There was always momentum, new programs, new people with new

What words would people use to describe you? This is a very hard question to answer. I always prefer others to say it for me. But I guess people might use the word energetic, ambitious, and funny if they are very close with me. What event or events do you consider to be a turning point(s) in your life? I think two events have greatly influenced me. One, when I started working at Star Educational Society and second when I traveled to USA for studying. At Star I grew up and got connected with many influential personalities, made great friends and learned from many inspiring people. When I came to the USA to continue my education, I was exposed to a new environment where I knew no one. I was lucky to have an amazing host family who supported me and helped me adjust with the new environment and introduced me to great people. Throughout my exchange year, I learned not to take things for granted. I had to make new friends, find a scholarship, and reexamine my beliefs and values. It was certainly a growing up process for me.

challenges and different situations that we had to deal with as a family and I have learned a ton from them.

Did you ever feel that you were living in your siblings’ shadows or that it was too difficult to follow in their footsteps? I definitely think that my siblings have had a great influence on my growth. In some occasions it has not always been very easy to follow their footsteps because of the societal boundaries that are dominant for women. However, I try to build my own footsteps because we have different interests and dreams.

Tell us about the grant that you secured from Washington and Lee University that funded Star Compu-Aid. As part of my poverty minor, I was supposed to intern with a non-profit for two months to fully understand the scope and depth of poverty in developing nations. I chose to have my internship with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. To conduct this internship, we were also given a grant, which was basically to cover our own expenses and also conduct development

programs. I believe through education we can empower people and resources are a huge part of education. I chose to use my grant to build a computer lab at Star because there are so many students who do not yet have a computer and, thus, do not know how to use the Internet. I think the computer lab at Star is going to be a good resource for these students to get connected with the world and benefit from the vast amount of resources that are available online.

What is an achievement that you are most proud of? In 2011 I built a library at Star and I think seeing students use the library makes me most proud.

What advice do you have for Afghan high school students? I would advise them to take their classes seriously - even the ones that they hate. I have always escaped from math but I have always encountered it in high school and in college. I eventually made a promise with myself that I am going to study it well. Also, my other advice for them is that they should dream big and work hard to follow their dreams even if it might seem impossible and intimidating.

An Interview with Zahra Yousofi