Fulbright Alumni on visitation from President Ghani: Our knowledge should be utilizedPresident Ghani visited from those Afghan Fulbright alumni at presidential palace who have... Page 4

Descending from war, ascending toward peaceIt was 2010 and a reporter from Le Monde, a famous French newspaper, was interviewing Afghanistan’s newest ambassador to France.

Interviewer: Madam Ambassador, welcome... Page 3

Saturday, April 15, 2017 Vol. 2, No. 71

2. Personal Essays3. Short Story4-5. News

6. Star Related7. Literary8. Interview

See Inside Quote of the Week“My mission in life is not merely to sur-vive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

- Maya Angelou

Star Educational Society Weekly

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

Afghan government disappoints many,... Page 5

Returning to my homelandI was nine years old when my fam-ily and I returned to Kabul in 2002. On the trip back to Kabul, I gazed out the car window and saw some farmers in the fields and shepherds walking after their herds. I remember policemen be-side the street waving at us. It was very exciting and joyful to... Page 2

Congratulating Dr. Ghulam Hussain Poya on his PhDDr. Ghulam Hussain Poya is one of the esteemed alumni of Star Educational Society. It is our honor to congratulate him on his graduation from Tokyo Uni-versity of Agriculture and Technology. Dr. Poya was awarded with his doctor-ate degree at a formal award ceremony on March 16th.... Page 6

context of Afghan academia and scholarly demands.

As a result of Afghanistan’s depen-dency on Iran for translations, many professional texts, scholarly journals and textbooks do not get translated. We are victims of the religious, political and cul-tural sensitivities of the Islamic Republic of Iran which result in serious censor-ship of translated texts. These texts are essential for the rapidly developing edu-cational environment in Afghanistan and it is critical that we harness the freedom of speech that is enjoyed in Afghanistan to maintain and strengthen our indepen-dence.

As more foreign language expertise is developed and translation skills are per-fected, native translation services will en-

sure that the quality of academic research will be holistic and comprehensive. The longer range plans for the Star Institute of World Languages includes training in and facilitation of academic research and a diverse offering of courses within the so-cial science discipline. With those objec-tives, our academic research courses and academic language training will prove crucial. Translations will bridge the gap in literature, history, science, law, sociol-ogy, anthropology and many more areas where Star can tap into the abundance of educational approaches and resources in other countries.

The Star Institute of World Lan-guages will help to fill the vacuum in Afghanistan’s educational systems and will serve the multitude of students who want to study abroad. Higher language proficiency in English, Russian, German, Chinese, Turkish, and French will make Star’s students more competitive and will help to open doors for admissions and scholarships in those countries. The Star institute will aim to provide the best tech-niques and strategies for student success. Courses such as Academic Writing, Cre-ative Writing, Critical Reading and Think-

ing and university success programs will all be designed to ensure that Star alumni are prepared for the challenges of an aca-demic life in diverse disciplines. Train-ing programs such as TOEFL and IELTS are some of the many programs that will give Star students an edge over the com-petition. The institute will be a complete two-year degree program equivalent to a U.S. community college level or similar to 14th grade.

Our operation in four branches in Kabul and three new branches in Ba-myan, Daikondi and Ghazni has given us the opportunity to be connected with some of the smartest and most talented students in these four provinces. As our students grow, so must we. So come grow with us. We have heard your pleas to offer more language training and higher level courses and that is the path we must fol-low. The Institute shall reach its full oper-ational capability in one month. You can find the Star Institute of World Languag-es at the old building of Human Rights Commission in Pole Surkh. Join us for a difference and benefit from our 18 years as a pillar of educational institutions in Afghanistan.

Star is on the cusp of launch-ing the Star Institute of World Languages, an institute of for-eign languages and a profes-sional translation center. The

establishment of this new institute will develop a broader base of global language proficiency among interested students and the necessary training for students to provide quality translation services inside and outside the country.

Star Institute of World Languages will be serving its students in five different language departments – English, Russian, German, Chinese, Turkish, and French. While building language proficiency in these additional languages, Star will si-multaneously be expanding the pool of translators qualified to provide transla-tion services from various languages to Dari and vice versa. These translations have historically been done in Iran and are basically affected by Iranian social and educational requirements. This has made Afghanistan a consumer country which does not produce its own text-books at BA or MA level and is heavily dependent on the translations of Iranian Persian and the relevant standards com-ing from that country.

When I was a BA student, I could rarely find a sociology book addressing the social problems of Afghanistan that was translated by or written by an Afghan scholar. Afghanistan needs more na-tive translators and translations so that books, articles and other text can be more conducive to the context of Afghan aca-demia and scholarly demands. Afghani-stan needs more native translators and translations so that books, articles and other text can be more conducive to the

Star Institute of World Languages

A message from Ali Reza Yasa, Chairman and Founder

April 15th, 2017

Vol.2, No. 71 Personal Essays

Page 2

Once, when I was in the sixth or seventh grade, there was a teacher's day celebration in my school. I had prepared an essay expressing my appreciation for my teachers and was planning to present it in front of a great amount of people; including all of the students and my teachers. Before the presenta-tion, I spent one week practicing and improving it to make it the best among all the rest. I asked my brother to listen and correct any of my mistakes re-garding the content of my essay, facial gestures, and language use. I was feeling so happy and successful. I had a sensation of inspiration inside my chest as a result of all the practice and preparation I had done before the celebration.

The celebration day came. There was a beauti-ful, large stage and the campus was filled with many audience members. All the speakers were called to a special room to wait until their names were called to come to the stage for their presentation. There were ten or twelve of us. The announcer called our names and each time she called a name, my heart beat faster. My hands and feet were trembling from too much emotion. Still, I tried to compose myself and act normal, just waiting for my turn.

As fewer and fewer people remained, my trem-bling became worse. Eventually, the last speakers were called to the stage and finished their presen-tations. After waiting a long time, I heard the an-nouncer thanking the audiences for their attention and closing the celebration with a happy message to the teachers.

I stood alone in that room with a mixed feeling of anger and shame. I could hardly control myself not to cry. How could I get out of that room without my friends seeing me? Suddenly, my teacher who was responsible for writing my name on the list of presenters entered the room and saw me. Her face became pale and her body did not move. She was shocked. She looked at me sadly and apologized for

The Six-Word Memoir® debuted as a project of SMITH Magazine in November 2006. A Six-Word Memoir® is the story of your life—some part of it or all of it—told in exactly six words. It’s a great way to catalyze conversation, spark imagination or simply break the ice. Six words gets to the point. Writing in Six Words is a simple, creative way to get to the essence of anything—from the breaking news of the day to your own life and the way you live it. We asked writers to submit their thoughts on the topic of “honor” in six words. Below is a collection of some of our replies.Go to http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/ to learn more.

Six words on Honor“Even in disgrace there is honor.”

– Mustafa Khaliq“No honor, no hope, no life!!”

– Ali Reza Yasa“Honor and respect - fundamental cultural values”

– Aziz Danesh“I must keep it for Allah.”

– Sveto Muhammad Ishoq“You can't buy honor, earn it!”

– Mohammad Sadiq Soshiance“Women encapsulate honor, men are guardians”

– Amina Yaqubi“Even a perceived transgression means death”

– Asad Faridi“The foundation of human dignity's worth."

– Wahid Ghulami“Self-respect brings you the best honor.”

– Salman Mohammadi“Honor is dignity, respect and privilege.”

– Zainab Yusofi“Small hope can bring huge honor.”

– Fakher Ahmad Amirzad“Her husband cut off her nose”

– Wahida Akhlaqi“Killing innocent people protects one’s honor”

– Samana Ahmadi“My father's struggle is my honor.”

– Ahmad Jahid Sakhi “Honor is Non-negotiable, Self-esteem and Dignity”

– Murtaza Qasemi“Honor is self-respect and positivity!”

– Prince Murtaza Karimi

I was nine years old when my family and I returned to Kabul in 2002. On the trip back to Kabul, I gazed out the car window and saw some farmers in the fields and shep-herds walking after their herds. I remember policemen be-side the street waving at us. It was very exciting and joyful to wave back to my countrymen. I was glad that we finally arrived home after a long absence from our own country.

It took one week from Herat to Kabul before we finally arrived at the house of one of our relatives. It was around seven in the evening, but it was so dark that I couldn’t even see my own hands. The electricity was out and it was the first time I ever saw a gas lantern. It seemed interesting to me at first, but when I realized it was going to replace an electric light bulb, I hated it. We stayed there for about one week and then moved to a rental house.

Kabul seemed too dirty to me, especially the primitive pit toilets. The streets were dusty. The houses were made from mud and clay. The water running through the pipes was unhealthy and many more problems. Most of the chil-dren became sick in the first few weeks. Unfortunately, there was not a good hospital either. The usual medicine was just oral rehydration solution and that was what we hated the most. Fortunately, after a while, we became ac-customed to the new environment.

Another problem we often faced was the behavior of locals. Although they knew we are Afghans, they called us “Irani gak” which was a kind of scoffing humiliation. They were denying our Afghan identity because we had come back from Iran. We were like strangers in our own home-land. I never acclimated to that neighborhood and I still hate it.

After living in Kabul for many years, I had become a Ka-buli. A Kabuli who played with marbles in the dust, chased kites cut loose from kite fighting, used bad language, and wasted countless hours doing useless things; but when the situation became more critical, my family started to put limits on my time and activities. I became more active and hardworking. I attended English classes and spent time at a library where my oldest cousin worked. During that time, I became a good and avid reader. Reading was somewhat productive, but it would have been better if I wasn’t read-ing religious and philosophical texts.

Everything changed when public electricity came to our home. I totally left reading. In my free time, I just watched television or played video games. I was too busy for sports or physical activities. It was worse than before; all my time passed in front of a screen. In addition to that, school was not very productive. As a result, a big part of my life was wasted.

Although nothing went well after I came to Kabul, I like being here. It is not a good place to live. Kabul has very few healthcare facilities, the most polluted air, uneducated people, the most corrupt administrative system, insecu-rity, routine suicide attacks, unemployment, lack of eco-nomic stability and a hundred other reasons for not being a good city to live in. Despite all the existing problems, I still hope for a better tomorrow. I believe the situation will not remain like this. One day Afghanistan will be a peace-ful and reconstructed country. People will live in unity and peace. This dream cannot come true if the young genera-tion does not work hard. All the eyes are on us to repair the damage and rescue the next generation from a similar fate. Afghanistan, I LOVE YOU!!!

forgetting to call my name. She brought me to the stage and called the audience’s attention. She an-nounced that there was one more presentation by one of her hard working students and then intro-duced me. Though I gave a nice presentation, the circumstances were not ideal and I wished that all my hard work and preparation had turned out dif-ferently.

The forgotten speakerReturning to my homeland

About Six-Word Memoirs

About the author: Nasrin Jamili is a student in Star’s advanced class and a current member of the Teach-er’s Training course. She graduated from the English Faculty of Kabul University.

About the author: Farid Shefayi is a teacher at Star Educational Society. He graduated from Ibne-Sina Univer-sity with a degree in Political Science and International Rela-tions. He has worked as an English teacher and private tutor in the past and aspires to be a suc-cessful diplomat in the future.

Vol.2, No. 71Short Story

Page 3April 15th, 2017

escaped the massacre in Afshar……” my thoughts drifted away as I considered the helplessness war had left us with. I re-membered the tragic, battle-filled days when our once happy life had been taken away.

My father had left his job as a teacher to join Hizb-i Wahdat forces to defend the Hazara ethnic group. On 1st Febru-ary 1993, my mother and I were washing Ehsanullah’s cradle when his crying voice rose from the room. As I took a few steps toward him, a rocket blasted through our roof and Ehsan’s cries were never heard again. Just a week later, while our fam-ily was still mourning Ehsan’s death, the Islamic State of Afghanistan government forces and Ittehad-i Islami attacked Af-shar, a Hazara dominated area. Military forces from both parties attacked Afshar, murdering, raping, burning, looting, and abducting women and children without shame. A thousand people were either killed or missing while hundreds of oth-ers fled the region. My father barely man-aged to bring us to my Aunt Fatima’s house in Dashti Barchi.

I was shocked out of my memories when another piercing shriek and explo-sion burst near our bunker. My mother pulled my face to her chest, patting my head. My eyes were open, but again I was lost in deep thoughts. The words of my mother were still floating in my mind, “Be the change you want to see.” Shakila also crawled into her mother’s arms. My uncle Sadiq said, “May God have mercy on us; it was so near this time, I think it hit Noorullah’s mother’s house. That poor woman lost her husband and young boy last month in this war.”

Most of my time was spent in the bunker listening to my mother’s stories about the more prosperous days in Af-ghanistan. She played with my hair and narrated the stories of how she had fall-en in love with her father, how they met secretly in the fields. She also told me

It was 2010 and a reporter from Le Monde, a famous French newspaper, was interviewing Afghanistan’s newest am-bassador to France.

Interviewer: Madam Ambassador, welcome to France. You are clearly not the image that most foreigners have of an Afghan woman. We would like to know about your journey as a woman from the war-torn country of Afghanistan to your current position as the Afghan Ambassa-dor to France.

Marzia: Thank you, ma’am. That’s a very long story. I will try to summarize it for you.

I remember the day that I began to dream about being in a position like I am today. Kabul was experiencing the harsh-est and bloodiest winter and the streets were deserted. It was the last day of Feb-ruary in 1993. The war between the politi-cal parties was at a peak. Smoke was still rising from the ruins of the houses hit by rockets the previous night. The heart of the city was broken. The steady rain hit-ting the unpaved streets created a muddy mess that was sometimes impassible. Thousands of innocent people were be-ing massacred and misery, ignorance and fear ruled everywhere. Men and boys were engrossed in war. Women, girls and disabled men spent most of their time in bunkers excavated in almost every yard, used as a shelter against bombardments.

I was a simple fourteen-year-old Hazara girl, singing an ancient Hazaragi folk song while rocking the empty cradle of my dead infant brother.

Loo lo, loo lo, my brother.My brother shall grow up.He shall be the governor of Bamiyan.Loo lo, loo lo, my brother. My voice filled the room and could

be heard faintly in the yard of my mud house in the west of Kabul where Laila, my mother, was helping my aunt, Fatima, with the laundry.

The metal chain of our large wooden gate and all the glass windows trembled when an ear-splitting rocket zoomed by, but I was still singing calmly, lost in my thoughts, rocking the cradle. The door to the room opened and my mother ran in shouting, “Marzia, Marzia. Hurry up! To the bunker,” but I didn’t move and continued to sing. She grabbed me and pulled me toward the bunker. I came to my senses and tried to take the cradle with me but my mother pulled me so hard that the cradle slipped from my

stories about war and assured me that someday I could change the condition if I wanted.

My father, Janali, visited us once a week to bring us food and news from our relatives and others, but once he did not come home for a month. Then, the heart-breaking news of his martyrdom was re-ceived by my family. This was when my maternal uncle called us to Quetta, Paki-stan as we had no one to give us food and shelter anymore. He assured us that he would find work for my mother and help me to continue my studies as well.

My mother’s stories ignited a hope and desire in me to do something for my country, so the migration was not favor-able news for me. After being settled in Quetta, I selected the nickname Mahajer (refugee), to remind myself where I be-longed whenever called by that name. Several years brought great changes in my life; I graduated from high school at the top of my class and perfected my Eng-lish. The fall of the Taliban regime pro-vided a great opportunity for me to return to Afghanistan and serve my homeland. I attended Kabul university while being in-volved in political activities. Soon after, I received a scholarship to the U.S. where I earned my Ph.D. in international rela-tions and upon my return to Afghanistan, was soon appointed as ambassador of peace.

Interviewer: Your story is an inspi-ration to all Afghan girls. Please tell us Madam Ambassador, what is your closing message for your countrymen?

Marzia: As Baba Mazari, the beloved leader of Hazaras, said, “War among the ethnicities in Afghanistan is a great disas-ter. If we want to prosper, we must accept each other as brothers rather than trying to eliminate each other.” I want to tell my countrymen that war and discrimination shall equally damage all of us. We must promote equality, tolerance, social jus-tice, and brotherhood for all.

hands. “No, no the cradle!” I cried loudly and tried to flee but my mother’s grip did not loosen as she pulled me to the bun-ker.

My crying had ceased by the time we reached the bunker, replaced with con-stant hiccups. I looked around and saw my Aunt Fatima holding her paralyzed husband, Muhammad Sadiq, who had been shot in the spine in the war leav-ing him handicapped forever. Nearby sat their daughter Shakila, who was also my age.

Frequent shots of an AK-47 could be heard in the neighborhood. My mother looked at me. I was holding my knees and staring with a vacant look in my eyes. “Stop playing with that empty cradle all day for God’s sake. You will go crazy,” my mother said, pulling me a bit closer. But I resisted her affection and protested, say-ing, “But Ehsanullah once slept in it, I can still smell his scent in it. I can feel him in it. My memories of him are bound to that cradle,” and a drop of tears glistened in the corner of my eyes. My mother shook my shoulder and slapped me hard on the right cheek and said with a stern face, “This is war, you have to be strong!” I in-terrupted her and shouted back, “But he was just a baby! He had nothing to do with this Goddamn war! Who did he harm? All he could do was smile.” The words stuck in my throat and tears flowed down my cheeks.

“Be the change you want to see,” my mother replied.

“But I am a girl. How can I change anything in a male-dominant society?” I asked.

My mother wiped the tears from my face with her palms and said, “It’s a fal-lacy to think yourself incapable because you are a girl, God has said, even in the Quran, that I have sent human as my ca-liphates on planet earth. So if you think yourself a human, you can do anything a man can do, even more. Thank God we

About the author: Muhammad Ali Huj-jati is in the 11th grade at Marefat High School and plans to study business or eco-nomics in the future.

Descending from war, ascending toward peaceA short story

Page 4 April 15th, 2017

Vol.2, No. 71 News

The strange transformation of Khad-im Ali into a demon might be traced back to when he was a boy, drawing pictures on the walls of his home in Quetta, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, using char-coal scraps from the local bakery. He liked drawing a man with thick dark hair and a feather in his helmet, who tamed wild stallions, slew dragons and battled evil beasts. Ali kept the charcoal in his pock-ets, which annoyed his mother when she did the washing.

The hero he portrayed was called Rus-tam, a towering legend from the Shahna-mah (The Book of Kings), a 10th century epic poem about the mythical history of Persia, which his grandfather had recited to him as a child. The young artist imag-ined himself in the role of Rustam, waging war against the forces of evil.y

"He was the bright side of human-ity, fighting demons on the dark side," he says. "I was always thinking that I was the hero, with a sword and armour on my body, killing demons."

But the hero's way never runs smooth. Curiously, it has brought the artist to the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Sydney, where his latest painting stretches some 15 metres across the foyer wall. Seven gi-ant blue demons, standing before a sea of flames. There's not a hero in sight.

Ali is 39, with a gentle voice and tired brown eyes. His demons are large with long beards, flabby bellies and bemused looks. They have floppy goat ears and horns, and seem a little sad, staring out

worker's clothes and was mis-taken for a garbage collector. But his sketches of fantastical feats impressed his art teacher. By day, Ali helped him paint government-mandated propa-ganda on buildings eight sto-reys high. Instead of mythical heroes, Ali painted murals of the Supreme Leader of Iran.

By night, he helped his teacher spray-paint graffiti of goats and slogans criticising Is-lam. But the fumes made Ali's eyes itch. He went to hospital but was spotted by police and arrested as an illegal immi-grant. He was sentenced to six months' jail but released early on good behaviour after volun-teering to paint religious por-traits on the prison walls.

He was deported back to Pakistan in 1998 and won a scholarship to the National College of Arts, in Lahore. The grant covered his tuition but not liv-ing expenses. He cleaned a McDonald's restaurant at night to survive.

He studied miniature painting and created intricate works drawn from his-tory, politics, poetry and mythology. De-spite being terrorised in Quetta, taunted in Tehran and destitute in Lahore, he still saw himself as a hero, faced with count-less labours.

But in 2002, while studying the his-tory and imagery of his people in Afghani-stan, he learned the awful truth. "I came across these textbooks in the national li-brary, stating that the Hazaras are infidels, the Hazaras are ugly creatures, the Haz-aras are living in the caves of the moun-tain like demons," he says.

"All these years I had lived a hero's life but it was a false life. I was actually a demon. I had been demonised and de-humanised, and my parents were de-monised and displaced. It was then that I switched from my hero to the demon, and I started painting demons."

Soon, he was exhibiting work nation-ally and internationally, including solo shows at the Art Gallery of NSW and in Singapore, London and Lahore. But his growing fame made him a greater target for extremists. "I started receiving threat-ening calls, saying I was a Shia and they would kill me and follow me wherever I go."

The birth of his son Yasa, now aged

across the harbour. "I'm living with them now," Ali says. "When I dream, I dream of demons."

He stopped dreaming of heroes some time ago.

Back when Ali was a boy in Quetta, where he was born in 1978, he wasn't called a hero but a "kafir" (unbeliever). His family were Hazaras, a long-perse-cuted ethnic minority, and Shia Muslims, who had been forced to flee their home-land in Afghanistan, to live in exile in Pak-istan. "You could feel this wave of hatred against you," he recalls.

At high school, he was given a set of coloured pencils and found solace fill-ing sketchbooks with bright drawings of champions. "Then everything turned black."

When Taliban extremists started slaughtering Hazaras in Pakistan, in the mid-1990s, he escaped to Iran in the back of a Toyota ute, with about 20 other asy-lum seekers "squeezed in like animals". They sped across the desert in the dead of night, ducking bullets fired by border police.

He arrived in Tehran in 1996, aged 18, seeking refuge from persecution. But Ali wasn't called a hero but an Afghani "khar" (donkey) by locals. He worked as a builder's labourer and slept in a small room at the bottom of an apartment building, which he shared with five other illegal immigrants. Across the road, he saw a billboard advertising an art school.

He knocked on the school door in his

10, compelled him to seek a safe place abroad. "I looked at him and then looked at my life, and I said there is no way I will raise him here. So I found him a place where he can live without any discrimina-tion or humiliation. A place he could find his real self."

On a hot December day in 2009, Ali arrived in Sydney under a distinguished talent visa, which grants permanent resi-dency to people with an "internation-ally recognised record for exceptional and outstanding achievement".

He settled with Yasa in Doonside, in western Sydney, along with his partner Atika Hussain, an immigration lawyer. His parents Ramzan and Amina joined them in August 2011, after they were injured when their home in Quetta was destroyed by a suicide bomber, while they were in-side.

Ali became a citizen on Australia Day, 2016, and celebrated with a barbecue at home. This February, he was awarded the NSW Government's $50,000 Western Sydney Arts Fellowship, which will help fund exhibitions in Brisbane, Blacktown, Lahore and Kabul.

His MCA mural will be officially un-veiled at the launch of the multi-gallery exhibition The National 2017: New Aus-tralian Art, on March 30. His work, titled The Arrival, addresses the official preju-dice awaiting many asylum seekers in Australia. His demons sit in the shade of gold-leaf eucalypts but look lost. "They don't have a house or a sense of belong-ing, they have just arrived and don't know where to go," he says.

"They are a dehumanised and de-monised people, who jumped on a boat and arrived on the shores of Australia, seeking a land where they would be called human. But they find themselves demon-ised through the immigration system. They are separated from their families for years, they lose their communication skills and they lose their confidence."

His demons are castaways. In them, he sees the persecution of his own people and other minorities. They threaten the social order, yet hope only for a safe ha-ven. There is something strangely heroic about them.

"I am a person who has been demon-ised," he says. "This is my collective self portrait. This is my ancestors' portrait. I am just one of millions of people who have been demonised. It is a shared sor-row and that makes it easier to tolerate."

Hero's journey teaches Khadim Ali the art of embracing your inner demon

Written by: Peter Munro Republished from: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/heros-journey-teaches-khadim-ali-the-art-of-embracing-your-inner-demon-20170326-gv6xia.html

President Ghani visited from those Afghan Fulbright alumni at presidential palace who have returned to country. Based on reports from presidential pal-ace, Fulbright alumni stated that their experiences, knowledge and capacities should be utilized in different sections for the purpose of reforming the situation of country. They also considered the job finding agenda so advantageous led by administrative office.

They asserted that 500 Afghans in-cluding 100 ladies, studied in various American universities through Fulbright

the job by his/her competency in a trans-parent process Likewise, president Ghani asserted that land and water location of Afghanistan can be considered as oppor-tunities which will cause Afghanistan to reach stability and economic indepen-

scholarships in the US. These alumni stated that due to having commitment with the people of Afghanistan, they re-turned to Afghanistan in order to serve in their communities.

Appreciating endeavors and com-mitments of these alumni, president Ghani stated, “For making luxury life for current and future generation, we should work and serve with together”.

President Ghani asserted that gov-ernment offices are not dominated by some specific persons, every Afghan has the right to work and should be hired to

dence. President Ghani also stated that Afghanistan is going to be altered the center of regional cooperation, energy transmission and water trade. He also stated, “In order to reach these goals, we should plan the bases of these goals”.

Translated by: Fakher Ahmad AmirzadSource: Etilat-e-Roz

Fulbright Alumni on visitation from President Ghani: Our knowledge should be utilized

Delivery of an altitude of 12 thousand feet from the ground

Annually Taliban benefit 15 million dollars from pistachio-jungles incomes

Page 5

Vol.2, No. 71News

April 15th, 2017

Central Bank burned old and worn out money valuing 360 million Afs. Money was combusted yesterday (21/01/1396) in presence of a team com-posing representative of the National As-sembly, Ministry of Finance and Central Bank. Mohammad Ghasim Rahimi depu-ty of Central Bank says burned bills were 10-100 Afs.

It is said that money should be in market for 3-5 years. Mr. Rahimi claims: “money which is burned by Central Bank from 1384 until now is about 41 billion Afs and in average every year is about 3.4 billion Afs”. He added that it cost 3 Afs to print every bill. He says burning 360 mil-lion Afs, damaged 24 million Afs to gov-ernment. Central Bank deputy confirms that Afghan money has high quality but, due to its pocket use money cannot en-dure more than 5 years.

Mohammad Nasim Jafari, PhD stu-dent, referred to money as a part of Af-ghanistan culture and said: “money is language of national economy, identity and culture of a country and protecting that is sign of a developed culture”. Mr. Jafari added that the most crucial rea-sons of money obsolescence are people negligence and low quality of money. He claimed Afghans are not sensitive with

A woman named Denies Diaby that serving the twenty – Eight weeks of her pregnancy in an emergency situation in Konaky flight to Istanbul gave birth.

In a report on Afghanistan Fars News Agency the Turkish Airline crew celebrat-ed the birth in midflight at an altitude of 42 myriapoda or twelve kilometers above the Earth.

The delivery one of passenger began in a time that the aircraft of Konaky capi-tal of Genue was in flight to go in Istanbul.

Herat city: officials of Kashak Kohna in Herat province claim that every year 15 million dollars of pistachio jungle in-comes go to the pocket of Taliban.

S. M. Chashti Moududy, the governor of Kashak Kohna in Herat, yesterday in a news conference asserted that according to the surveys done in Herat by agricul-tural experts, annually 15 million dollars of pistachio incomes are obtained by Taliban.

He added that there are two pista-chio jungles in Herat named "Archil and pista liq" that were about 23 thousand hectares in the past, but now, with the passing of times, half of these jungles are destroyed by powerful people, Taliban, and local people.

The governor also added that mostly government enemies and Taliban are ac-tively present in these jungles and earn part of the pistachio incomes.

He pointed out that Taliban and powerful people pick off those pistachios before time even when they are crude.

Mr. Moududy confirmed that neigh-borhood countries are also included in the destruc-tion of pistachio jungles of Herat,but he did not men-tion any specific country. The governor of Kashak Kohna also said that the government does not have a principal plan to prevent the destruction of these jungles by Taliban, every year they will benefit from the incomes. In another part of his speeches, he mentioned about the secu-

using the money. Ali Resalati a Kabul University student also believes people do not know how to use and protect money. Due to what he said people con-sider money as a personal capital. Mr. Resalati claims: “folks know money as it is personal, not as a national capital and that is the reason worn out money could be seen every year and a lot of national budget is being wasted”.

Sodaba Sahar Atayi an educated woman mentioned protecting money as an important task and added: “money should be kept suitably, in its own special bag. Earning money requires hardwork-ing and because it requires a lot of effort to earn money, people should keep it in a proper way”. Mrs. Atayi also indicated how women look after money and said women usually hold their money in the palm of their hands which cause money to worn out fast.

Afghanistan is one the countries us-ing money for almost all the transactions, however in most of the countries trans-actions are through credit cards, checks and other ways. Central Bank officials announced that 229 billion Afs are being used now, 19 billion of which are in the banks and the rest is in the market. Cen-tral Bank had declared it would collect old and unusable money of the market. Officials of Central Bank say, by the end of next month gathered money will be an-nounced worthless. Money with notes or color on, wrong serial number and miss-ing some parts do not have authenticity.

Flight attendant found that a woman named Denies Diaby that serving the twenty – Eight weeks of her pregnancy gave birth in an emergency state.

The attendant respond immediately and the action of delivery was fast. Turk-ish Airlines Boeing 737 came down in Ouagadougou capital of Borkina Faso af-ter child birth, the baby with her mother were taken to hospital, Doctors said that the girl(Kadijou) who were born in the heaven place and her mother are fine.

rity situation of this district which is con-sisted of 140 villages that 30 of them are widely controlled by Taliban.

He said that Taliban mostly patrol in these villages.

On the other hand, the transition way of Kashak Kohna is under control of Taliban forces since six years ago, so no one can pass through it the governor as-serted.

Meanwhile, Jilany Farhaad, spokes-man of governor of Herat, confirming the misuse of pistachio jungles by Taliban, said that as a result of proper weather if the jungles are fruitful, 15 million dol-lars can be earned out of these jungles of Kashak Kohna district; but unfortunately part of the incomes go to the pocket of Taliban and the other parts are obtained by the government and local people

According to Mr. Moududy, Kashak Kohna district is 6 thousand km2 that is bordered with Turkmenistan on the north, and with Abkamary district of Badghis province on the west. About 80 thousand people live in this district.

Translated by: Mahdi EbrahimiSource: Hasht-e-Subh

Translated by: Mohammad Jafar IbrahimiSource: Hasht-e-Subh

Translated by: Nasrin JamiliSource: WEESA Daily

360 million Afs on Fire

Page 6 April 15th, 2017

Vol.2, No. 71 Star Related

clair Lewis12. “Her father had inherited that

temper; and at times, like antelope flee-ing before fire on the slope, his people fled from his red rages.” — Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey

13. “The very mystery of him excited her curiosity like a door that had neither lock nor key.” — Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

14. “Elderly American ladies lean-ing on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa.” — Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

15. “Camperdown, Copenhagen, Trafalgar — these names thunder in memory like the booming of great guns.” — Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

16. “It was Françoise, motionless and erect, framed in the small doorway of the corridor like the statue of a saint in its niche.” — Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust

17. “The water made a sound like kittens lapping.” — The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

18. “Kate inched over her own thoughts like a measuring worm.” — East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

19. “He swung a great scimitar, be-fore which Spaniards went down like wheat to the reaper’s sickle.” — The Sea-Hawk, by Rafael Sabatini

20. “...impressions poured in upon her of those two men, and to follow her thought was like following a voice which speaks too quickly to be taken down by one’s pencil...” — To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

one becomes toil, you’re trying too hard, and your exertions will show.

Q They should stir, but they shouldn’t be mixed: When you adopt a specific theme, stick with it. A mixed metaphor is a missed oppor-tunity, and a distraction rather than a delight.

Q They should be original: If a simi-le or metaphor doesn’t rise head and shoulders above a more functional description, it won’t fly. Make sure the imagery is worth the effort of cre-ating it.

Q They should entertain: A simile or metaphor, to return to a previously employed metaphor, is like an actor with a bit part who utters a single line, but that line should be tren-chant or ticklesome.

Q They should be visually arresting: Similes and metaphors are intended to paint a picture for the reader in order to endow a person, place, or thing with resonance.

Herewith, lessons in incandescent imag-ery:

1. “...she tried to get rid of the kitten which had scrambled up her back and stuck like a burr just out of reach.” — Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

2. “Time has not stood still. It has washed over me, washed me away, as if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand, left by a careless child too near the water.” — The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

3. “Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East...” — Peter

Dr. Ghulam Hussain Poya is one of the esteemed alumni of Star Edu-cational Society. It is our honor to congratulate him on his graduation from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Dr. Poya was award-ed with his doctorate degree at a for-mal award ceremony on March 16th.

Dr. Poya was awarded the MEXT scholarship, one of the most pres-tigious scholarships provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of the Government of Japan for stu-dents from about one hundred coun-tries. He was granted the scholarship in October 2011, spent six months learning the Japanese language, en-rolled in a master’s program in 2012 and earned his master’s degree in Environmental Conservation in 2013. In 2014, he applied for the doctoral program in Natural Resource Man-agement and Policy, passed the ex-amination, and spent the next two to three years completing the required doctoral courses and research.

Dr. Poya explained, “Natural re-

Similes, metaphors, and analogies are turns of phrase that help readers con-jure images in a narrative, whether in fiction or nonfiction, but it is in the lat-ter form that they bloom more profusely. And what’s the difference between each of the three literary devices?

A simile is a comparison between one thing and another. If you refer to a figure of speech blooming like a flower on a page, you have created a simile. If you more directly say that the figure of speech bloomed before your eyes, you have employed a metaphor. An analogy is a more practical, didactic description: “Imagine that the figure of speech is like a flower blooming on the page.” Analogy is more common in nonfiction, but simi-le and metaphor are found there as well.

Strive to create engaging similes and metaphors, but insert them in the service of your prose, as stars in the sky, not en-tire moons. They are foot soldiers, not field officers, in your campaign to inform and/or interest your readers. They are chorus members, not ingenues; extras, not stars. They are — OK, enough with the metaphors, already.

But before I share with you 20 top similes from great literature, I offer a few tips, like lanterns that serve to light your way:

Q They should be simple and clear: The ones you will read below are lit-erally outstanding, but they’re also removed from their context, where they are mere flowers in fertile fields of great writing. Similes and meta-phors should be useful, concise, and then perhaps memorable as well, in that order. And if the task of creating

Pan, by J. M. Barrie.4. “...and snow lay here and there

in patches in the hollow of the banks, like a lady’s gloves forgotten.” —Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor, by R. D. Blackmore

5. “I would have given anything for the power to soothe her frail soul, tormenting itself in its invincible igno-rance like a small bird beating about the cruel wires of a cage.” — Lord Jim, by Jo-seph Conrad

6. “In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun . . .” — The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane

7. “...when I laid down the paper, I was aware of a flash — rush — flow — I do not know what to call it — no word I can find is satisfactorily descriptive — in which I seemed to see that bedroom passing through my room, like a picture impossibly painted on a running river. — To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt, by Charles Dickens

8. “...utterly absorbed by the curi-ous experience that still clung to him like a garment.” — Magnificent Obses-sion, by Lloyd C. Douglas

9. “She entered with ungainly strug-gle like some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out of its coop.” — The Adventure of the Three Gables, by Sir Ar-thur Conan Doyle

10. “He looks like right after the maul hits the steer and it no longer alive and don’t yet know that it is dead.” — As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner

11. “Past him, ten feet from his front wheels, flung the Seattle Express like a flying volcano.” — Arrowsmith, by Sin-

sources and their biophysical com-ponents are the foundation of liveli-hood for about 80% of Afghanistan's population. Developing a sound policy and management model to address the current issues of overuse of resources and climate change are priority tasks for the country's policy makers and researchers. For this rea-son, I have focused on natural re-source management policy mainly in the context of developing countries where community-based natural re-source management is the predomi-nant approach.”

Dr. Poya will be returning to the Agriculture Faculty at Kabul Univer-sity to continue his career as an As-sistant Professor at Kabul University. When speaking to Dr. Poya before his graduation he said, “Star was a key at the very early stage for reaching this achievement today.” We share the joy in celebrating Dr. Poya’s hard-earned success. The success of one Starian is a success for all Starians. From every-body in the Star family, congratula-tions to Dr. Ghulam Hussain Poya!!

20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouBy Mark Nichol

Republished from: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/20-great-similes-from-literature-to-inspire-you/

Congratulating Dr. Ghulam Hussain Poya on his PhD

Page 7April 15th, 2017

Vol.2, No. 71Literary

I remember the mealtimes of my childhood--I don't mean the great festival days, just the or-dinary, everyday meals. My parents served all five of us children off of a single platter. When they said, "Dinner is ready," we rushed the

tablecloth, hands unwashed. They sent us back. "Wash your hands, children!" And then we'd all be scrambling and jostling around the water pot, splashing one another and giggling. I remember the excitement of dinnertime. Five of us siblings clustered around one platter, banging elbows, chattering and gobbling. My father would tell us sternly, "It's time to eat, not talk!" And then if we were hungry, we'd worry that the others would eat up all the food before we got our portion, because we were sharing from a single platter. So we'd all settle down to win the competition, each of us cramming the food away by the fistful as fast as we could. Crowding and gobbling-it was so much fun to be one of five children eating together from a single platter. How we laughed! The taste of the food that I ate eleven or twelve years ago remains in my mouth more vividly than the food I eat to-day, because that's actually the memory of a kind of fun I can never have again: I'm remembering

the flavor of being with my family, part of one big, loving group. We aren't that big group anymore. It's down to just the two of us now-my mother and me.

That's probably why I have so much trouble falling asleep at night. I turn out the lights, and my head fills with thoughts that begin to circle madly through my mind. Then I imagine a big eraser in-side me where my thoughts are. I rub that eraser across the bustle and buzz, rubbing out one mem-ory after another, until only silence remains. Only then can I sink into the luxury of sleep.

But sleep never lasts. Sooner or later a night-mare always wakes me. In the middle of the night I can't find my eraser. My heart is pounding in my chest. I have to find another strategy for calming down. If I was dreaming about my mother dying, I listen for her breath. The sound of her coughing calms me down. Or I hear her pacing restlessly in our small apartment in the dark, as she used to do so often in our early days in America, and even that sound reassures me. I think, She is still alive. And then I can go back to sleep.

I have nightmares every night. I can't get away from them.

To me you are a wave;never here, never there!You are –still- nowhere!

Grabbing,dragging, then fleeing away,you swiftly spread- like a deadly plague,on the run for the Other Soil, your destination's vague!

Watching you-from far and wide,in my seized eye,you’re a rebellious tide-in an eternal glide.

Insistent, impatient, then a restless errant,you must be calm in heart, fretful just in act!And I now know, the sea of regret- is your native land.

Yes, you are an unruly tide!So always on the ride,in an eternal glide!

But one night,I will wear a mask-made of the thirst-of the remotest shores,and their desert islands. And I’ll capture you- in my absorbing sands,forever far away- from your naval natal lands.Translation: Maryam Dilmaghani, July 2006, Montreal

Forugh Farrokhzad (1935 – 1967) is one of the most influential female poets of the twentieth century in Iran and her influence extends further than this. She is remembered now as both a controver-sial modernist poet and an iconoclast. Despite the high regard in which con-temporary critics hold her, her poetry was banned for political and ideological reasons for more than a decade after the Islamic revolution.

Excerpt from:

The Other Side of the SkyA MemoirBy Farah Ahmedi with Tamim Ansary

The Wave

pain of many Afghans. As one of my very first films, to this day I am proud of mak-ing that film. The film has made me realize once again that I owe my life to all those who did not survive. Your readers can watch the short film here: http://www.you-tube.com/watch?v=eJg4Hb4cvEs

In addition to your many businesses, you have several volunteer initiatives. Sarak-e-Awal, Guardians of Hope, and Afghans Smile are only a few of them. What in-spired you to start those three projects and what are they about? Sarak-e-Awal was started because I was very keen to see street kids in school. It is a small gesture with the goal of changing lives for the fu-ture of Afghanistan. Guardians of Hope is a project where we profile video stories of Afghan youth who have made the deci-sion to stay in Afghanistan and serve their country. It was started as our way of show-ing that hope is still prevalent in Afghani-stan and besides all the exodus of young Afghans and security threats, young Af-ghans are working very hard to change

Saturday, April 15, 2017 Vol. 2, No. 71

things for better. Afghans Smile is a photo campaign showing the smiling faces and short stories of common Afghan people which was started because every time you search for something on the internet about Afghanistan, you see sad stories. We wanted to show the happy side. What role has your knowledge of Eng-lish played in all of your success? English helped a lot because it gave me a vast array of resources, information and opportuni-ties. It allowed me to study in an English medium university, the American Univer-sity of Afghanistan. If I had not learned English, my life would be very different because I would have been very limited in the things I did.

So what's next in your life? I am currently focusing on a couple of new things - my next endeavors. I want to expand the work of Rumi Consultancy and other volunteer activities. I will see where life takes me from there and what surprises are in store for me.

Redemption. It is still hanging on my office wall and says, "Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

You have attended many conferences, trainings and other programs abroad. Can you tell us about one that had the biggest impact? The one that had the biggest impact in my life was AMENDS, which stands for American Middle East-ern Network for Dialogue at Stanford. It is described as “a collaborative student-led initiative interested in the promotion of understanding and respect around the Middle East, and the support of a genera-tion of leaders who are working to ignite concrete social and economic develop-ment in the MENA region.” In that pro-gram, I got to see many inspiring people from around the world who are dedicating their lives to change things for the best. That program encouraged me to expand the works of Sarak-e-Awal and push for a more sustainable approach for the pro-gram.

How have your goals for the future changed with all of your life experiences? After the YES program things changed for the better in my life. Before that, I was just another student wishing to finish school. But YES made me love Afghanistan more than before and inspired me to do new things. In Afghanistan now, things are get-ting tougher from the past both in terms of security and economy. But we are trying our best to stay positive.

You were among the first group of stu-dents to participate in the citizen jour-nalism program called Afghan Voices. What was that program and how has it impacted your life? Afghan Voices was the program that prepared me profes-sionally to enter the work environment. The program trained youth in journalism and digital content production in Kabul. It gave me a unique set of skills in citizen journalism and documentary filmmaking, which has helped shape my professional career. In Rumi Consultancy, our three main services are: media production; public communication; and social media content. Afghan Voices was a launching pad for the work I have done in Rumi Con-sultancy. One of my favorite films that we produced at Rumi was about the Afghani-stan National Institute of Music (ANIM). It was a great way to show a success story of Afghanistan to the world when the ANIM students visited and performed at Carn-egie Hall and Kennedy Center.

I am a big fan of one of your earliest films called "The Light in the Cave." Tell us about making that film and why you chose to tell that story. The story was an opportunity to revisit memories of my early childhood in Bamyan during Taliban rule. It was a story about a family's surviv-al. The film showed how a barbaric regime was trying to wipe out a whole ethnicity. I chose that story because it reflected the

Tell us briefly about the one year that you spent in the U.S. as a Youth Exchange and Study (YES) student. Being a YES student in 2008-2009 was a life-changing year for me. I learned so much about new things. It was my first time getting out of Afghanistan. I didn't know much about the US except that American troops were in our country. The whole journey and ev-ery step of the way I found something that had a lasting effect in my life. From my first experience with foreign food in India during our pre-departure orientation to the first time going to an American school and changing classes instead of teachers. Looking back, the one big thing I learnt was volunteerism.

2010 seems like it was a big year for you. You founded Rumi Consultancy, New Generation Organization, and were starting your film-making career. Tell us about that year. I was a founding member of both organizations. We were a group of people who started them. In 2010, I was only 17 and had failed the government university entrance test. At that time my only hope was to get back on track and get things moving. I was hoping to make the smallest difference possible in the lives of people around me.

You started many of your initiatives at a very young age, what is one of your proudest achievements? Something that I am very proud of is the creation of Sarak-e-Awal program. Sarak-e-Awal is a pro-gram dedicated to providing education, meals, and sponsorships for children who work on the streets of Kabul to support their families. I am not proud of it because of how big it is, but because of the extent of its effect on the lives of young children in the country.

What recommendations do you have for young people who are eager to make a difference in Afghanistan? I want them to be hopeful. Everything starts with hope. Everyone should have the courage to take the lead for the challenges that are going to come their way. It is very important to stand strong against the challenges and keep moving forward. My all-time favorite quote is from the movie The Shawshank

“Everything starts with hope”Interview with Suleiman Amanzad, Chief Operating Officer of Rumi Consultancy

Website: http://www.star.edu.af Email: interstellarbulletin@gmail.com

Editor-in-Chief: Ali Reza YasaEditors: Kara Lozier, Jonathan Greenburg and Murtaza FarjadDesigner: Musa AutbinDistribution: Najibullah Malikpoor 0785103920

C Branch: Jafar Musafer 0708457453B Branch: Rahmat Doorandish 0787372650Bamyan: Essa Omid 0773609598Daikundi: Qasem Karimi 0771117721Ghazni: Essa Jamal 0787126362

Add: Star Avenue, Sabiqa Stop, Dehburi, KabulA Branch Phone: +93 (0) 785 10 39 20 / +93 (0) 744 56 37 55