22/8/2007 - East Turkistan News
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Russia, China, Iran issue veiled warning to U.S. to stay away from Central Asia
BISHKEK,
Kyrgyzstan (AP) - The leaders of Russia, China and Iran warned the
outside world Thursday to leave Central Asia alone to look after its
own stability and security, in a veiled message to the United States
issued on the eve of major war games between Russia and China.
At
a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, leaders issued a
statement that was an apparent warning to the United States to stay
away from the strategically placed, resource-rich region.
 Article Link
© AP
«Stability
and security in Central Asia are best ensured primarily through efforts
taken by the nations of the region on the basis of the existing
regional associations,» the leaders said at the end of the
organization's summit in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Presidents
Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hu Jintao of China and leaders of four
ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that are part of the SCO were all also
set to attend Friday's military exercises in the Chelyabinsk region in
Russia's Ural Mountains. Some
6,000 Russian and Chinese troopes, dozens of aircraft and hundreds of
armored vehicles and other heavy weapons will be participating the
games _ the first such joint drills on Russia's territory. Iran's
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an observer at the summit, blasted U.S.
missile defense plans as a threat to the entire region. «These
intentions go beyond just one country. They are of concern for much of
the continent, Asia and SCO members,» he said. The
SCO was created 11 years ago to address religious extremism and border
security issues in Central Asia. In recent years, with Iran, India,
Pakistan and Mongolia signing on as observers, the group has
increasingly grown into a bloc aimed at defying U.S. interests in the
region, which has huge hydrocarbon reserves. Ahmadinejad is attending
the annual summit for the second consecutive year. In
2005, the SCO called for a timetable to be set for the withdrawal of
U.S. troops from two member countries, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Uzbekistan evicted American forces later that year, but Kyrgyzstan
still hosts a U.S. base, which supports operations in nearby
Afghanistan.
Russia also maintains a military base in Kyrgyzstan. Putin
didn't mention the United States in his speech at the summit, but he
said that «any attempts to solve global and regional problems
unilaterally are hopeless.» He also called for «strengthening a
multi-polar international system that would ensure equal security and
opportunities for all countries» _ comments echoing Russia's frequent
complaints that the United States dominates world affairs. Moscow
has also bristled at Washington's plans to deploy missile interceptors
in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, saying the system would
threaten Russia security. The United States says the missile defenses
are necessary to avert the threat of possible missile attacks by Iran.
Hu also said signaled that security for Central Asia was best left to the nations themselves. «The
SCO nations have a clear understanding of the threats faced by the
region and thus must ensure their security themselves,» he said. Moscow
and Beijing have developed what they dubbed a «strategic partnership»
after the Soviet collapse, cemented by their perceptions that the
United States dominates global affairs. China hosted the first-ever
joint maneuvers in August 2005, which included a mock assault on the
beaches of northern China and featured Russia's long-range bombers. The
SCO, whose members are some of the world's biggest energy producers and
consumers, also discussed ways to enhance energy cooperation. The U.S.
has supported plans for new pipelines that would carry the region's oil
and gas to the West and bypass Russia, while Moscow has pushed strongly
to control the export flows.
China also has shown a growing appetite for energy to power its booming economy. A
further sign of the group's intention to influence energy markets was
the participation in the Bishkek summit of Turkmen President Gurbanguli
Berdymukhamedov, whose country is the second-largest producer of
natural gas in the former Soviet Union after Russia. Turkmenistan is
not a SCO member; the president was attending as a guest. Associated Press writer Bagila Bukharbayeva in Moscow contributed to this report.
Labels: Central Asia, China, Iran, issue, Russia, U.S
@ Friday, August 17, 2007
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SCO Summit: Crackdown Highlights Failings on Human Rights
(New
York, August 16, 2007) -- Members of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization missed a key opportunity to implement the organization's
human rights principles when they met on August 16 at the SCO summit in
the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, Human Rights Watch said today. Moreover,
the Kyrgyz government adopted security measures that restricted human
rights as it prepared to host the annual summit.
 Article Link
Source: Human Rights Watch
"The
SCO Charter includes a clause upholding human rights and fundamental
freedoms, but this provision has been a dead letter," said Holly
Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "SCO
members should affirm that human rights and regional security are
linked, not opposed."
Since
its founding as Shanghai Five in 1996, the SCO (which currently
includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan) has focused on security, counterterrorism and extremism in
the region. This year's summit took place amid debate about the SCO's
expansion and its potential as a regional counterweight to NATO.
Summit Preparations by the Kyrgyz Government
In
the lead-up to the summit, the Kyrgyz government announced a ban on
protests and limited access to Bishkek. Throughout the summer, the
authorities issued numerous warnings and advisories about security
measures for the summit. Police warned opposition supporters, political
parties, and public organizations not to hold demonstrations during the
summit. At least one demonstration was banned.
"As
the host of the summit, the Kyrgyz government squandered the
opportunity to set an example of best practices," said Cartner. "While
the Kyzgyz authorities needed to ensure security for the summit, they
reneged on their human rights obligations in the approach they took."
On
July 30 police detained the leader of a Uighur rights organization and
his son, who had planned a small picket outside the US Embassy to call
on Western governments to promote democracy and human rights. The
leader of the organization, Tursun Islam, was released the same day,
and his son, Alisher, was released after serving several days in
detention on misdemeanor charges.
The
Minister of Interior had also issued a vaguely worded advisory about
limiting access to Bishkek for people from other regions of Kyrgyzstan
and other countries in the region.
"The
annual SCO summit is an important opportunity for people in Kyrgyzstan
and the region to voice their concerns," said Cartner. "The summit's
host government should have found ways to accommodate this, rather than
banning people from peacefully expressing their views."
In
preparation for the summit, Kyrgyz law enforcement conducted
large-scale document checks in Bishkek, which resulted in clearing the
capital of irregular migrants, homeless people, and street children.
The Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior reported that in early August it had
completed a five-day operation, unprecedented in its scope, that
resulted in the deportation of 17 foreigners and the detention of 356
people for "irregularities" in their documents.
Police
also stepped up security sweeps of practicing Muslims in the southern
Kyrgyz province of Jalalabat. In four cases documented by the NGO Air
(Bazarkurgan), police on August 1-2 raided the homes of Muslim
families, at times using excessive force and beating individuals
suspected of involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic organization
that espouses restoration of the Caliphate in traditionally Muslim
lands.
These
incidents signal increased pressure on Muslim groups not sanctioned by
the government, and reflect the SCO's focus on fighting "extremism,"
They are also part of a growing practice by Kyrgyz law enforcement of
pressing criminal charges of "fostering religious hatred" for simple
possession of a Hizb ut-Tahrir leaflets.
On
August 8 the Jalalabat City Department of Interior issued an order
indefinitely banning access to family members for detainees in main
Jalalabat detention facility, noting that the measure was related to
the SCO summit.
"Cutting
independent access to detention facilities sends a message that the
government doesn't want scrutiny of its anti-extremism measures," said
Cartner.
The SCO and the Fight Against Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism
The
Bishkek summit continued the SCO's traditional focus on security and
stressed the links between security and development, neglecting any
discussion of rights-related concerns. Meanwhile, many SCO member
states commit serious human rights violations in their campaigns
against terrorism and "extremism."
"SCO
member states have a long record of returning people wanted on
terrorism or extremism charges to other SCO countries where they face
torture, incommunicado detention and unfair trials," said Cartner.
Most
recently, Kyrgyzstan on June 1 secretly returned Otabek Muminov, a
suspected member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to Uzbekistan, despite the high
risk of torture there. Russia has extradited, deported or otherwise
returned numerous people to Uzbekistan; in one egregious case, in
October 2006 authorities in Moscow deported Rustam Muminov to
Uzbekistan after the European Court of Human Rights issued an
injunction to stop the deportation.
Since
the late 1990s, the government of Uzbekistan has used the fight against
terrorism to justify the imprisonment of thousands of Muslims whose
non-violent religious practices, affiliations and beliefs fall outside
official institutions and guidelines. In doing so, the government has
failed to distinguish between those who advocate violence and those who
peacefully express their religious beliefs. Many of those arrested and
charged made credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment in
custody. In the past year, hundreds of people were convicted or
awaiting trial on charges of religious fundamentalism. The Uzbek
government also uses terrorism accusations to secure extraditions and
deportations of people to countries where they face torture.
In
Russia, Human Rights Watch has documented how Russian and pro-Moscow
Chechen authorities routinely torture people accused of terrorism.
Human Rights Watch also documented how Russian police tortured,
ill-treated and harassed individuals returned to Russia from Guantanamo
Bay, even though the Russian government issued diplomatic assurances to
the U.S. government that they would not be harmed.
Last
month SCO representatives compiled a list of religious organizations
deemed "extremist" and that are banned in the SCO. The SCO did not make
the full list public, nor did it specify the criteria by which
organizations were categorized as "extremist."
"The
SCO should state publicly which organizations are on the "extremist"
list and why," said Cartner. "Governments in the region have used
overbroad definitions of 'extremist' to silence peaceful dissent."
Russia's
anti-extremism law, for example, has drawn criticism for its broad
definition of "extremist activities" and for the government's use of
the law to prosecute lawful speech by non-violent non-governmental
organizations, human rights activists, and political opponents of the
Putin administration.
 Labels: Highlights, Human Rights, SCO, Summit
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22/8/2007 - The Black Cat
The Black Cat
For
the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I
neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it,
in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I
not - and very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die, and to-day I
would unburthen my soul. My immediate purpose is to place before the
world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere
household events. In their consequences, these events have terrified -
have tortured - have destroyed me. Yet I will not attempt to expound
them. To me, they have presented little but Horror - to many they will
seem less terrible than barroques. Hereafter, perhaps, some intellect
may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place - some
intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own,
which will perceive, in the circumstances I detail with awe, nothing
more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects.
From
my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition.
My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest
of my companions. I was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by
my parents with a great variety of pets. With these I spent most of my
time, and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them. This
peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and in my manhood, I
derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure. To those who
have cherished an affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I need
hardly be at the trouble of explaining the nature or the intensity of
the gratification thus derivable. There is something in the unselfish
and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart
of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and
gossamer fidelity of mere Man.
I
married early, and was happy to find in my wife a disposition not
uncongenial with my own. Observing my partiality for domestic pets, she
lost no opportunity of procuring those of the most agreeable kind. We
had birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a cat.
This
latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and
sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence, my
wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made
frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all
black cats as witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon
this point - and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than
that it happens, just now, to be remembered.
Pluto
- this was the cat’s name - was my favorite pet and playmate. I alone
fed him, and he attended me wherever I went about the house. It was
even with difficulty that I could prevent him from following me through
the streets.
Our
friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my
general temperament and character - through the instrumentality of the
Fiend Intemperance - had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical
alteration for the worse. I grew, day by day, more moody, more
irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself
to use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her
personal violence. My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in
my disposition. I not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto,
however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from
maltreating him, as I made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits, the
monkey, or even the dog, when by accident, or through affection, they
came in my way. But my disease grew upon me - for what disease is like
Alcohol! - and at length even Pluto, who was now becoming old, and
consequently somewhat peevish - even Pluto began to experience the
effects of my ill temper.
One
night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of my haunts about
town, I fancied that the cat avoided my presence. I seized him; when,
in his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand
with his teeth. The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew
myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight
from my body and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured,
thrilled every fibre of my frame. I took from my waistcoat-pocket a
pen-knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the throat, and
deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket! I blush, I burn, I
shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity.
When
reason returned with the morning - when I had slept off the fumes of
the night’s debauch - I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of
remorse, for the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best,
a feeble and equivocal feeling, and the soul remained untouched. I
again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of the
deed.
In the meantime
the cat slowly recovered. The socket of the lost eye presented, it is
true, a frightful appearance, but he no longer appeared to suffer any
pain. He went about the house as usual, but, as might be expected, fled
in extreme terror at my approach. I had so much of my old heart left,
as to be at first grieved by this evident dislike on the part of a
creature which had once so loved me. But this feeling soon gave place
to irritation. And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable
overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS. Of this spirit philosophy takes
no account. Yet I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that
perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart - one
of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give
direction to the character of Man. Who has not, a hundred times, found
himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no other reason than
because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual inclination, in
the teeth of our best judgment, to violate that which is Law, merely
because we understand it to be such? This spirit of perverseness, I
say, came to my final overthrow. It was this unfathomable longing of
the soul to vex itself - to offer violence to its own nature - to do
wrong for the wrong’s sake only - that urged me to continue and finally
to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute.
One morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung
it to the limb of a tree; - hung it with the tears streaming from my
eyes, and with the bitterest remorse at my heart; - hung it because I
knew that it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason
of offence; - hung it because I knew that in so doing I was committing
a sin - a deadly sin that would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to
place it - if such a thing wore possible - even beyond the reach of the
infinite mercy of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God.
On
the night of the day on which this cruel deed was done, I was aroused
from sleep by the cry of fire. The curtains of my bed were in flames.
The whole house was blazing. It was with great difficulty that my wife,
a servant, and myself, made our escape from the conflagration. The
destruction was complete. My entire worldly wealth was swallowed up,
and I resigned myself thenceforward to despair.
I
am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and
effect, between the disaster and the atrocity. But I am detailing a
chain of facts - and wish not to leave even a possible link imperfect.
On the day succeeding the fire, I visited the ruins. The walls, with
one exception, had fallen in. This exception was found in a compartment
wall, not very thick, which stood about the middle of the house, and
against which had rested the head of my bed. The plastering had here,
in great measure, resisted the action of the fire - a fact which I
attributed to its having been recently spread. About this wall a dense
crowd were collected, and many persons seemed to be examining a
particular portion of it with very minute and eager attention. The
words “strange!” “singular!” and other similar expressions, excited my
curiosity. I approached and saw, as if graven in bas relief upon the
white surface, the figure of a gigantic cat. The impression was given
with an accuracy truly marvellous. There was a rope about the animal’s
neck.
When
I first beheld this apparition - for I could scarcely regard it as less
- my wonder and my terror were extreme. But at length reflection came
to my aid. The cat, I remembered, had been hung in a garden adjacent to
the house. Upon the alarm of fire, this garden had been immediately
filled by the crowd - by some one of whom the animal must have been cut
from the tree and thrown, through an open window, into my chamber. This
had probably been done with the view of arousing me from sleep. The
falling of other walls had compressed the victim of my cruelty into the
substance of the freshly-spread plaster; the lime of which, with the
flames, and the ammonia from the carcass, had then accomplished the
portraiture as I saw it.
Although
I thus readily accounted to my reason, if not altogether to my
conscience, for the startling fact just detailed, it did not the less
fail to make a deep impression upon my fancy. For months I could not
rid myself of the phantasm of the cat; and, during this period, there
came back into my spirit a half-sentiment that seemed, but was not,
remorse. I went so far as to regret the loss of the animal, and to look
about me, among the vile haunts which I now habitually frequented, for
another pet of the same species, and of somewhat similar appearance,
with which to supply its place.
One
night as I sat, half stupified, in a den of more than infamy, my
attention was suddenly drawn to some black object, reposing upon the
head of one of the immense hogsheads of Gin, or of Rum, which
constituted the chief furniture of the apartment. I had been looking
steadily at the top of this hogshead for some minutes, and what now
caused me surprise was the fact that I had not sooner perceived the
object thereupon. I approached it, and touched it with my hand. It was
a black cat - a very large one - fully as large as Pluto, and closely
resembling him in every respect but one. Pluto had not a white hair
upon any portion of his body; but this cat had a large, although
indefinite splotch of white, covering nearly the whole region of the
breast. Upon my touching him, he immediately arose, purred loudly,
rubbed against my hand, and appeared delighted with my notice. This,
then, was the very creature of which I was in search. I at once offered
to purchase it of the landlord; but this person made no claim to it -
knew nothing of it - had never seen it before.
I
continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to go home, the animal
evinced a disposition to accompany me. I permitted it to do so;
occasionally stooping and patting it as I proceeded. When it reached
the house it domesticated itself at once, and became immediately a
great favorite with my wife.
For
my own part, I soon found a dislike to it arising within me. This was
just the reverse of what I had anticipated; but - I know not how or why
it was - its evident fondness for myself rather disgusted and annoyed.
By slow degrees, these feelings of disgust and annoyance rose into the
bitterness of hatred. I avoided the creature; a certain sense of shame,
and the remembrance of my former deed of cruelty, preventing me from
physically abusing it. I did not, for some weeks, strike, or otherwise
violently ill use it; but gradually - very gradually - I came to look
upon it with unutterable loathing, and to flee silently from its odious
presence, as from the breath of a pestilence.
What
added, no doubt, to my hatred of the beast, was the discovery, on the
morning after I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it also had been
deprived of one of its eyes. This circumstance, however, only endeared
it to my wife, who, as I have already said, possessed, in a high
degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my distinguishing
trait, and the source of many of my simplest and purest pleasures.
With
my aversion to this cat, however, its partiality for myself seemed to
increase. It followed my footsteps with a pertinacity which it would be
difficult to make the reader comprehend. Whenever I sat, it would
crouch beneath my chair, or spring upon my knees, covering me with its
loathsome caresses. If I arose to walk it would get between my feet and
thus nearly throw me down, or, fastening its long and sharp claws in my
dress, clamber, in this manner, to my breast. At such times, although I
longed to destroy it with a blow, I was yet withheld from so doing,
partly by a memory of my former crime, but chiefly - let me confess it
at once - by absolute dread of the beast.
This
dread was not exactly a dread of physical evil - and yet I should be at
a loss how otherwise to define it. I am almost ashamed to own - yes,
even in this felon’s cell, I am almost ashamed to own - that the terror
and horror with which the animal inspired me, had been heightened by
one of the merest chimaeras it would be possible to conceive. My wife
had called my attention, more than once, to the character of the mark
of white hair, of which I have spoken, and which constituted the sole
visible difference between the strange beast and the one I had
destroyed. The reader will remember that this mark, although large, had
been originally very indefinite; but, by slow degrees - degrees nearly
imperceptible, and which for a long time my Reason struggled to reject
as fanciful - it had, at length, assumed a rigorous distinctness of
outline. It was now the representation of an object that I shudder to
name - and for this, above all, I loathed, and dreaded, and would have
rid myself of the monster had I dared - it was now, I say, the image of
a hideous - of a ghastly thing - of the GALLOWS! - oh, mournful and
terrible engine of Horror and of Crime - of Agony and of Death!
And
now was I indeed wretched beyond the wretchedness of mere Humanity. And
a brute beast - whose fellow I had contemptuously destroyed - a brute
beast to work out for me - for me a man, fashioned in the image of the
High God - so much of insufferable wo! Alas! neither by day nor by
night knew I the blessing of Rest any more! During the former the
creature left me no moment alone; and, in the latter, I started,
hourly, from dreams of unutterable fear, to find the hot breath of the
thing upon my face, and its vast weight - an incarnate Night-Mare that
I had no power to shake off - incumbent eternally upon my heart!
Beneath
the pressure of torments such as these, the feeble remnant of the good
within me succumbed. Evil thoughts became my sole intimates - the
darkest and most evil of thoughts. The moodiness of my usual temper
increased to hatred of all things and of all mankind; while, from the
sudden, frequent, and ungovernable outbursts of a fury to which I now
blindly abandoned myself, my uncomplaining wife, alas! was the most
usual and the most patient of sufferers.
One
day she accompanied me, upon some household errand, into the cellar of
the old building which our poverty compelled us to inhabit. The cat
followed me down the steep stairs, and, nearly throwing me headlong,
exasperated me to madness. Uplifting an axe, and forgetting, in my
wrath, the childish dread which had hitherto stayed my hand, I aimed a
blow at the animal which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal
had it descended as I wished. But this blow was arrested by the hand of
my wife. Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demoniacal,
I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She
fell dead upon the spot, without a groan.
This
hideous murder accomplished, I set myself forthwith, and with entire
deliberation, to the task of concealing the body. I knew that I could
not remove it from the house, either by day or by night, without the
risk of being observed by the neighbors. Many projects entered my mind.
At one period I thought of cutting the corpse into minute fragments,
and destroying them by fire. At another, I resolved to dig a grave for
it in the floor of the cellar. Again, I deliberated about casting it in
the well in the yard - about packing it in a box, as if merchandize,
with the usual arrangements, and so getting a porter to take it from
the house. Finally I hit upon what I considered a far better expedient
than either of these. I determined to wall it up in the cellar - as the
monks of the middle ages are recorded to have walled up their victims.
For
a purpose such as this the cellar was well adapted. Its walls were
loosely constructed, and had lately been plastered throughout with a
rough plaster, which the dampness of the atmosphere had prevented from
hardening. Moreover, in one of the walls was a projection, caused by a
false chimney, or fireplace, that had been filled up, and made to
resemble the red of the cellar. I made no doubt that I could readily
displace the bricks at this point, insert the corpse, and wall the
whole up as before, so that no eye could detect any thing suspicious.
And in this calculation I was not deceived. By means of a crow-bar I
easily dislodged the bricks, and, having carefully deposited the body
against the inner wall, I propped it in that position, while, with
little trouble, I re-laid the whole structure as it originally stood.
Having procured mortar, sand, and hair, with every possible precaution,
I prepared a plaster which could not be distinguished from the old, and
with this I very carefully went over the new brickwork. When I had
finished, I felt satisfied that all was right. The wall did not present
the slightest appearance of having been disturbed. The rubbish on the
floor was picked up with the minutest care. I looked around
triumphantly, and said to myself - “Here at least, then, my labor has
not been in vain.”
My
next step was to look for the beast which had been the cause of so much
wretchedness; for I had, at length, firmly resolved to put it to death.
Had I been able to meet with it, at the moment, there could have been
no doubt of its fate; but it appeared that the crafty animal had been
alarmed at the violence of my previous anger, and forebore to present
itself in my present mood. It is impossible to describe, or to imagine,
the deep, the blissful sense of relief which the absence of the
detested creature occasioned in my bosom. It did not make its
appearance during the night - and thus for one night at least, since
its introduction into the house, I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye,
slept even with the burden of murder upon my soul!
The
second and the third day passed, and still my tormentor came not. Once
again I breathed as a freeman. The monster, in terror, had fled the
premises forever! I should behold it no more! My happiness was supreme!
The guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little. Some few inquiries
had been made, but these had been readily answered. Even a search had
been instituted - but of course nothing was to be discovered. I looked
upon my future felicity as secured.
Upon
the fourth day of the assassination, a party of the police came, very
unexpectedly, into the house, and proceeded again to make rigorous
investigation of the premises. Secure, however, in the inscrutability
of my place of concealment, I felt no embarrassment whatever. The
officers bade me accompany them in their search. They left no nook or
corner unexplored. At length, for the third or fourth time, they
descended into the cellar. I quivered not in a muscle. My heart beat
calmly as that of one who slumbers in innocence. I walked the cellar
from end to end. I folded my arms upon my bosom, and roamed easily to
and fro. The police were thoroughly satisfied and prepared to depart.
The glee at my heart was too strong to be restrained. I burned to say
if but one word, by way of triumph, and to render doubly sure their
assurance of my guiltlessness.
“Gentlemen,”
I said at last, as the party ascended the steps, “I delight to have
allayed your suspicions. I wish you all health, and a little more
courtesy. By the bye, gentlemen, this - this is a very well constructed
house.” [In the rabid desire to say something easily, I scarcely knew
what I uttered at all.] - “I may say an excellently well constructed
house. These walls are you going, gentlemen? - these walls are solidly
put together;” and here, through the mere phrenzy of bravado, I rapped
heavily, with a cane which I held in my hand, upon that very portion of
the brick-work behind which stood the corpse of the wife of my bosom.
But
may God shield and deliver me from the fangs of the Arch-Fiend! No
sooner had the reverberation of my blows sunk into silence, than I was
answered by a voice from within the tomb! - by a cry, at first muffled
and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into
one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman -
a howl - a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as
might have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the
dammed in their agony and of the demons that exult in the damnation.
Of
my own thoughts it is folly to speak. Swooning, I staggered to the
opposite wall. For one instant the party upon the stairs remained
motionless, through extremity of terror and of awe. In the next, a
dozen stout arms were toiling at the wall. It fell bodily. The corpse,
already greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the
eyes of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and
solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me
into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman.
I had walled the monster up within the tomb!
Edgar Allan Poe
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22/8/2007 - The Two Towers
The Two Towers
The
Two Towers is composed of Books 3 and 4, recounting the deeds of the
company after the breaking of the Fellowship of the Ring. The story
begins with the repentance and death of Boromir, who has tried
(unsuccessfully) to wrest the ring away from Frodo. Merry and Pippin
are kidnapped by orc-soldiers and they are taken towards Isengard,
while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are in pursuit. The Riders of Rohan
appear, led by Éomer the Marshal, and they destroy the orcs. The
hobbits escape and meet Treebeard, the Ent, secret master of Fangorn.
Treebeard rouses the Tree-folk against Isengard and the forces of evil.
Meanwhile,
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli cross paths with Éomer and they meet Gandalf
again, who is returned from death as the White Rider, veiled in grey.
With Gandalf, they advance to the halls of King Théoden and Gandalf
heals the king and rescues him from the spells of Wormtongue, an evil
counselor who is in secret league with the enemy. The combined forces
continue on towards Isengard, a fortress that has been destroyed by the
Tree-folk. Saruman and Wormtongue are trapped in the tower of Orthanc.
Saruman will not repent before Gandalf and so Gandalf breaks his staff
and removes him from the council of wizards. Wormtongue throws a stone
out of the window but he fails to it Gandalf; the stone turns out to be
a palantír, one of the Seeing Stones of Númenor. Peregrin picks it up
and gives it to Gandalf, but later in the night he falls to the lure of
the palantír and steals it. When he looks into it, he is revealed to
Sauron. Gandalf forgives Pippin and he gives the palantír to Aragorn,
riding away (with Pippin) towards Minas Tirith.
Book
Four (the second half of The Two Towers) focuses on Frodo and Samwise,
who arelost and wandering through the somber war-torn region of hilly
Emyn Muil. Gollum (who is also called Sméagol) as been spying on the
hobbits and following their trail. Here in Emyn Muil, Frodo tames
Gollum and Gollum serves Frodo (at least temporarily) as a servant
serves his master. Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes
until they reach the Morannon, the Black Gate of the Land of Mordor in
the North. They are unable to pass through the gate and so Frodo
accepts Gollum’s advice to seek a “secret entrance” which is at the
western walls of Mordor in the Mountains of Shadow. As they continued
on the journey, the travelers encountered Faramir, the brother of
Boromir, who was leading a scouting-force of the Men of Gondor. Faramir
learns about the Ring but he overcomes the temptation that overcame his
brother, Boromir. Faramir helps the hobbits by replenishing their
dwindling supplies. Frodo, Sam and Gollum make their way to Cirith
Ungol, the Spider’s Pass. Faramir warned Frodo and Sam that this pass
was a place of mortal peril, of which Gollum had told them less than he
knew. The travelers reach the Cross-roads and take the road that leads
to Minas Morgul; in the darkness, they can see the mobilization of
Sauron’s first army, led by the black King of the Ringwraiths.
Gollum
guides the hobbits to a secret path that strays away from the city and
they reach Cirith Ungol. Here, Gollum betrays the hobbits, intending to
lead them to a monster called Shelob, who would devour them. Gollum’s
plan is frustrated by Sam’s bravery: he chases Gollum away and wounds
Shelob, as well. Frodo is stung by Shelob and he appears dead. Sam
concludes that he must continue the quest alone and abandon his master,
but as he is about to cross into Mordor, Sam overhears the orcs. He
learns that Frodo is not dead but drugged. The orcs carry Frodo’s body
down a tunnel leading to the rear gate of the tower and Sam is unable
to keep up with them. He passes out and Book 4 comes to an end.
J.R.R. Tolkien
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22/8/2007 - English Pratic
DREAMS AND REALİTY
I always want to
take part in the Olympic games.Today I
have this chance.I am in the Olympic
now.It is unbelievable for me.We have got
red polluvers,dark blue skirts and a cute
hat.We are now in the ceremony..We are
walking towards the stadium..I feel so
excited now.And in a few minutes we are
entering the stadium.I fell more and more
excited.We are walking nearer.The stadium
looks very beautiful.It is very
crowded.The light show is incredible.And
there are lots of children.They are
wearing red,black,yellow,write and green
clothes.They are standing like the circle
of the symbol of Olympic games.
Everybody is clapping
their hands eagerly and happily.There are
write pigeons.They look pretty in the
sky.They bring luck.They are the symbols
of peace.It is unforgettable.
Now we are entering
the stadium.We are waving at the
audience.We are smiling at them to
greet.In the front,one of my friends is
carrying the Turkish flag.He is
successful sportsman.A girl is walking in
front of my friend.She is carrying a
sign.It says "Turkey".
I m looking at the
audience.I m looking for my parents.By
chance I see them in the front row.They
are carrying a big Turkish flag.They are
waving it happily.I wave at them.They can
see me easily. My
parents are proud of me because I m a
successful sportsman.I m always
interested in sports.And I always want
to be a champion athlete.
My father always
says "Do sports regularly.You can be
healthy all the time." He does
sports regularly.He goes jogging.He runs
for half an hour every morning.He goes
hiking.I like doing sports with him.We
also like swimming.
And now I m so happy.I m taking part in
the Olympic games.I m a successful
high-jumper.I m a member of a club.I
practice for three hours regularly every
day. I m so proud.I
have the badge on my uniform.I am
representing my country now.To the end of
the ceremony,all the teams take their
part.They greet the audience.They have
their flags and badges on their
uniforms.Shortly after the ceremony our
team takes its place.We are the first in
the games. Right
before the games I m ready for the
competition.I m not excited any more.I
just want to be successful.I want to win
the competition.Now I m changing my
clothes.I m wearing my sports uniform.I m
getting ready for the jump now.I have red
and write uniform.I m taking a deep
breath.And I m greeting the audience.And
I m waving my hands to show my
happiness.I can't hear anything except
the sounds of claps.They are all
ready.They want to encourage the
sportsmen from their countries..
Now,I m running
slowly and jumping with short steps.Later
I start running faster and faster.And
now I m jumping high above.And I fall
down on the ground.
I m very
successful.I m very proud of myself.It is
really a good jump.I m smiling.But I have
a problem.I can't move easily.I fell
myself like a feather but I still can't
move. A few minutes
later I feel the door.I am on the floor
now.I m not in the Olympic games.Now I
am looking around.I m rubbing my eyes
with my fingers.I can't open my eyes
easily. I am in my
room.I am trying to stand up
now.Everything is a nice dream not
reality.I feel upset...
ANSWER THE
QUESTIONS
1)_What does the
writer want to do ?
2)_What kind of
clothes do they have ?
3)_What are they
doing in stadium now ?
4)_Why do they fly
pigeons ?
5)_What do the
students carry in the ceremony ?
6)_Do you do sports
?
7)_What do you do
to be healthy ?
8)_What does the
writer do in the Olympic Games ?
9)_İs his family
with him on that day ?
10)_How does he
feel in the stadium ?
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