RIGHTS, WRONGS, & REAL ESTATE

President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued pressing his

plan for the United States to take ownership of the Gaza Strip

and displace the 2.1 million Palestinians living there…

— Independent, 2/12/25

How do you dislodge a population?

Remove them from their homes, ancestral lands?

Make sure they don’t sneak back, or interbreed?

There’s masterful, if ugly, precedent.

When Hitler sought to extirpate the Jews,

he studied U.S. Indian Bureau schemes

to wipe out native tribes with laws and lies,

with broken treaty after broken treaty.

Read about the “Trail of Tears,” the march

that moved all Cherokees from homes and farms

to live or die out of invaders’ sights.

What happened to the promised aid and land?

If reservation land had fertile soil,

or copper mines, or silver, or black gold,

Natives were moved out, their grant replaced

by landscapes of bleak beauty, but no water.

So Trump suggests that Netanyahu end

the Gaza war by drastic ethnic cleansing.

This policy, pursued for many years,

has led to all this killing, solving nothing.

We need Solomon, not a real-estate agent,

to deal with grievances, be fair and wise.

Making millions into refugees

is not the recipe for lasting peace.

Copyright 2./2025              Patricia Doyne

ART AND LITERATURE – THE MORAL CORRECTIVE FOR A FALLEN SOCIETY 

“Perhaps we failed to draw a line between what gives us happiness and what takes it away. And, a more serious question is: was happiness the destination of human progression? Philosophically speaking, it was. – Anand.

The title of this article casts aspersions on the idea of human development and the progression of the civilization. It is a serious question which stares us in the face: are we in the progressive mode or is it a decline? If we compare the good and the evil of our modern society, can we feel satisfied that whatever we have achieved speaks well of us as conscientious human species?  In spite of all that we have accomplished, the final feeling of mankind is that happiness still eludes us. There are still disparities and injustices on a vast scale and a huge proportion of our population is under-blessed. All this in spite of the fact we possess great powers of science and technology. We are highly ‘blessed’ if we consider our ‘killer potential’ but to counter it, our sense of self-preservation and self-improvement stands nowhere. 

Why has happiness and joy of being eluded mankind? Reasons are obvious, because all the physical assets that we have created are meant only to give comfort and happiness to mankind. In the midst of plenty, we are feeling deprived, dispossessed and unhappy. 

Perhaps we failed to draw a line between what gives us happiness and what takes it away. And, a more serious question is: was happiness the destination of human progression? Philosophically speaking, it was. 

However, the first phase of human progression has been the instinct for survival. And after survival, when we feel secure, we think of the idea of happiness. And what grants us happiness is Art whose very idea lies in the fact that the society in which we are living is twisted and has edges which cause bruises to human psyche. Art is the balm, a pain-reliever, which give us a sense of joyousness. Art is never the activity of a happy mind. It is the outcome of a tortured psyche and a disturbed soul. The greatest artistic works were the creation of human minds which were on the boil. 

Art and Literature:The Moral Corrective  

Thus, art and literature find their justification in a society which is built on injustice and inequalities, and it is through art that human soul seeks relief from persistent pain. Literature is the pain-reliever, which provides a release to human nerves and saves the society from explosive situations. Art does not justify the ills of a society, it takes men towards a resolution and release of pent up emotions, which Greek Masters called catharsis. 

Art is the greatest moral corrective, which makes people understand their problems in their naked reality, feel the pain, and also the relief. In final analysis,  art is nothing beyond a happy arrangement of words and how they are said, or colors how they are arranged. 

The Fall

The human society has suffered a great fall. A young student who is studying Economics, or Commerce, or Engineering or Electronics will never realize this fact. The governments are always telling the people how GDP is increasing, how wealth creation is going on, and how the happiness index is going up. The addition of new inventions to the inventory of joy indicates how modern society is poised towards a revolution in human comfort, and the greatest achievements in space exploration and scientific development. It is going on unchecked. It is one side of the story of success of mankind. But, unfortunately, it is matched by another devastating story. Of the fall of mankind. Mankind suffered a fall when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Now we are suffering another great fall. Knowledge has risen to our head. We have never looked back to check if our actions are in the right direction or amiss. Knowledge is a great power, but, it was Satan who set us after knowledge, and we are serving his ends only. Knowledge has destroyed our Innocence, our Joy, our Peace and our Happiness in Being. This is the real fall that humanity has suffered. 

What are we doing to retrieve our lost happiness? Our joy and our Paradise? Can we just disown our Knowledge? Can we stop the progressive spree of mankind? Can we stop the exploration of the space? I think No. The moral corrective lies in the fact that we stop the blind pursuit of success, and wealth and the exploitation of nature. We should tell our younger generations  that the real purpose of human living is not isolation, nor success, nor wealth creation, but Peace, Happiness and Joy. It has also to be mentioned to them that if they have success, but not happiness, it is all waste. And one more thing that needs to be mentioned here is that Happiness comes to us only when we give happiness to others, and do not disturb the balance which nature has created around us. If we respect the phenomenon, if we show respect to the planets, to winds and waters which make our life possible, we shall regain our dignity as well as our joy in being. This is the Moral Corrective needed to re-build a society which believes in the well-being of creation as a whole. 

[Dr. Jernail Singh Anand has authored 175 plus  books of which 11 are epic poems. He won the Seneca Award [Italy], the Charter of Morava [Serbia], Franz Kafka [Ukraine, Germany & Check Rep.] and Maxim Gorky Award [Russia]. His name adorns the Poets Rock in Serbia. He is President of the International Academy of Ethics. [ethicsacademy.co.in]. 

Memories of Spring in the North

Spring in the north is slow and difficult,

like slow motion, every detail is exceptionally clear,

every sprout of grass brings joy,

branches become soft, less prone to breaking.

After a strong wind, we wander in the countryside,

the colours of the fields deepen, gleaming in the light,

bare hillsides, snow turned into shadows,

the wind penetrates our clothes, as we lie on the hillside for a while,

the earth gently trembles, vibrating through our ribs,

lifting a clod of soil reveals

rows of white roots as fine as hair,

those were the innocent days, like birch trees, free and melancholic,

you thought you would stay in this city forever,

in old Slavic yellow houses,

with vinyl records, brass candlesticks, green lattice windows,

the hazy, enigmatic gaze of old photographs,

drinking until late at night, sometimes we wouldn’t say anything,

just listening to the darkness outside,

as if expecting something to happen,

yet nothing ever did.

You walk home alone slowly,

on the quiet, deserted street corner, a lilac tree

emits a faint but persistent fragrance,

like those friends who have long departed this world.

Silence at Nightfall

It’s already too late, to pursue the study of life,

but studying death is nothing more than listening

to a vague whisper through the bushes,

as if something is about to happen,

like a small glass jar of a streetlamp

rises on water, delicately

wavering with small fishes of flickering flame.

Words on the doormat in front of the door,

How do they resist the winter floods?

Talk about rainy days, heatwaves, or distant battlefields

can also bring about dangerous moments, truth

swings between a dependence on things and a dependence on people.

“You are to bring Harbin to Nanjing

instead of bringing Nanjing back to Harbin.”

Deceased loved ones guide me in my dreams,

faith is a matter of geography.

Immersed in the unpredictable,

what you want to do is what others want you to do.

And if you act according to opinions, you will find yourself

in the terror and silence of a Pascalian universe,

where all opinions are nothing more than

your encounters with some people when walking alone at night,

exchanging unclear words with each other

before quickly disappearing into the darkness they came from.                          

Is it knowledgeable ignorance, or blissful ignorance?

Prometheus warned Sathiel to be careful of fire,

Plato said all writing is a public act,

while you say, writing is rhetoric, which turns people into citizens

and then turns citizens into mobs,

using games to gather thugs in the caves of Rome.

A Cat Looks at Me

A cat halts at the foot of the building,

gazing at me as if looking elsewhere.

Its ears float above the low bushes.

It maintains a walking posture, never sits down

It looks at me as if at an unnamed body,

as if I have no name, no clothes, no identity to be labeled.

My past deeds disappear in the waves at the end of the dam

and the future is just a gaze. I halt my steps

after all, this is a real cat, not a ghost,

A stray, not mine, nor anyone else’s,

It belongs to itself, not a word.

The air between us seems to thicken and grow stale

When its existence on the brink of stepping out of fur

all changes halt along with subtle regrets.

It no longer converts to my standpoint,

but it feels more like a silent blessing and salvation.

It’s just this ordinary and specific cat

quietly stepping out of the vast and blurry array.

It’s not from the childhood libraries and corridors,

the fables of cats chased or followed by people.

In an instant, my existence is laid bare,

my memories and loves turn into shame.

I become ignorant of good and evil, history and labor

with a gentle flick of its ears, I disappear.

After all, this is a genuine cat looking at me

It turns me from an individual into humanity.

My hollow existence like a frozen posture,

one of us must first depart this place,

leaving the other in unnamed death.

A New Poem to Ease the Melancholy

On a spring morning, melancholy lingers,

Surely from dreaming of nameless things again last night.

The revelations it brings are hazy

the grand halls left dim as gods depart,

The stubborn black sheep emerges wrapped in mist everywhere.

Perhaps late loved ones once wore darkened faces,

Sitting by my bedside, gazing at me in deep slumber,

Only to leave disappointed, without a word spoken.

The old house I couldn’t preserve grows shorter and shorter

And cherries the size of thumb tips illuminate the eaves.

Perhaps there were giants treading mountains,

Stacking peaks against the void in a fiery revolution,

And you didn’t know which side to stand on,

You were preoccupied with thoughts,

like a harvest god adorned with flowers,

Forgetting to count pods, grains of salt, seeds, and years.

Perhaps there was a enchanted fairy island,

Lost in treacherous seas,

Taking with it knights crossing the night sea,

And the maiden gazing from the cliffside window.

Or perhaps it’s you, solemn muse of my poetic gaze,

As I toy with words like a brave tin soldier,

Unknowing of good, not calculating human evil.

You lift the veil, pass over my shoulders,

Gaze down upon my harmless play.

I dare not look back.

Your breath brushes against my ears.

Perhaps there’s no evidence of a beach,

Where clear water slowly fills my footprints.

No tangled thickets, nor “cave of ideas”,

Only heat echoing the receding tide’s sound.

A day that begins with poetry may find salvation,

But it’s hard to say how it  will engage this day’s daze.

Ma Yongbo was born in 1964, Ph.D, representative of Chinese avant-garde poetry, and a leading scholar in Anglo-American poetry. He has published over eighty original works and translations since 1986 included seven poetry collections. He focused on translating and teaching Anglo-American poetry and prose including the work of Dickinson, Whitman, Stevens, Pound, Williams and Ashbery. He recently published a complete translation of Moby Dick, which has sold over half a million copies. He teaches at Nanjing University of Science and Technology. The Collected Poems of Ma Yongbo (four volumes, Eastern Publishing Centre, 2024) comprising 1178 poems, celebrate 40 years of writing poetry.

…

CRONOS AND LA FLACA DANCING DANZON

She elegant,

The nervous, sober, older,

She smiling,

The eager, wise, actor,

And the ticking, endless between the two.

That ticking never stops

Dance to the rhythm of the danzón

So full of mischief

In ornament and transition,

He loses her in his fine steps

Conquer with your attitude

Taking the waist

With cadence and neatness,

She shows her blush

The more he wants to continue dancing,

She already forgets her duties, entangled in flourishes,

Has succumbed to his charm,

And meanwhile to the jarochos, if they are on the boardwalk,

Life and time are a gift!

Dead poet

The famous poet 

died and left his manuscripts 

to his wife and publisher. 

After he was put in the ground, 

the wife and publisher 

went through the unpublished poems. 

It was decided the dead poet 

was an embarrassment: 

he wrote about crude things, 

alcoholism, sex, bodily functions, 

he was misanthropic 

and that was unacceptable 

for the widow and publisher. 

He used coarse language, cursed 

and said bad things about people, 

especially women, 

and it was unacceptable, 

politically incorrect 

for the widow and his publisher, 

so they edited, 

removed words and entire lines, 

softened things up, 

all of which would have outraged the poet, 

but he was dead 

and unable do anything about it. 

I am not a famous poet. 

I am nowhere near fame, and when I die, 

it is unlikely anyone will modify 

and sanitize my poems. 

Most likely, when my remaining possessions

are gone through, they will find my poems, 

stories, and artwork in a box

and like all undiscovered 

and undiscoverable poets, 

everything will be rolled out to the curb 

for trash pickup 

on Thursday.

making ends meet

it’s a terrifying thought. 

the alarm clock 

going off next to my head 

before light has had 

a chance to conquer darkness. 

the bathroom thing. 

I no longer shave, 

but I must brush my teeth, 

what’s left of them, 

and there’s no hair to comb, 

so I am spared another routine. 

dress in clothes perpetually wrinkled, 

put on workman boots, 

a strip of cardboard showing at the heel, 

tie laces with tired fingers. 

out to the car. 

the cars I have gone through, 

they find me when they want to die. 

traffic. it is endless, 

and the anger and impatience, 

the inevitability of road rage 

and casual murder, 

dismemberment in the breakdown lane. 

I pull in at the far end 

of the parking lot 

because I am always late 

and on the edge of discipline, 

write-up, termination. 

and the boss. 

his face forever 

the mirror reflection of a nightmare.

the dream refuses to evaporate. 

and the work, 

mindless, numbing, deadening. 

this is what I face 

here in the autumn of my life. 

it is late November 

and I tell the cat it’s impossible, 

starvation is a possible answer,

a final and futile 

Buddhist gesture.  

the cat looks up at me.

it’s time for his breakfast. 

Timeline

One minute 

you are driving along 

obeying the law 

and the next minute 

a pregnant woman in a pickup truck 

careens from a side street. 

Life is irrevocably altered as she plows into you.

You are no match for her truck and distraction. 

This morning an email was sent. 

It said there are no matches for your job search criteria. 

The woman at the Center for the Aged in the Future

said there are currently no positions for senior citizens. 

You do not ask why.

You have learned not to ask questions. 

Questions are answered in the negative. 

Outside in the car 

you look at traffic and see 

a cement truck approaching. 

If you hurry 

you may be able to reach the street 

and change the timeline

forever. 

until death do us part

my wife

fell off the toilet

hit her head

hard

on the edge of the sink

until crimson flowed

down and dribbled

from her chin. she sat there 

naked on the floor bleeding

looking at me. 

my wife was so drunk

she was in another world

another dimension

and did not recognize me.

her addiction

held tight as a galvanized steel vice 

the two years we were married

and only released its

cold grip upon

death. 

Kurt Nimmo lives in New Mexico. He published Planet Detroit and PNG Chapbooks in the 1980s and 1990s. 

How to build confidence in speaking a second language

Annotation: Nowadays, many language learners face problems related to speaking skills. These issues arise due to the speaker’s tendency to get nervous during speech, fear of making mistakes, and lack of sufficient vocabulary. There are also enough solutions to these problems.

Аннотация: В настоящее время многие изучающие язык сталкиваются с проблемами, связанными с навыками говорения. Эти проблемы возникают из-за того, что говорящий часто волнуется во время речи, боится делать ошибки и не имеет достаточного словарного запаса. Также существуют достаточные решения этих проблем

Annatatsiya: Hozirgi kunda ko’plab til o’rganuvchilar gapirish ko’nikmalariga oid muammolarga duch kelmoqdalar. Ushbu muammolar odatda nutq paytida hayajonlanish, xatolar qilishdan qo’rqish va yetarlicha so’z boyligiga ega bo’lmaslik sababli yuzaga keladi. Bu muammolarni hal qilish uchun yechimlar ham mavjud.

Keywords:audio,confidence,debate,native speakers,conversations

Ключевое слово: Аудио, уверенность, дебаты, носители языка, разговоры

Kalit so‘zlar:audio,ishonch,munozara,o‘z tilida so‘zlashuvchilar, o‘zaro suhbat

Confidence in speaking, especially in a second language, is a skill that develops over time with consistent effort and practice. Here are some strategies to build your confidence:

1. Start Small: Practice speaking in comfortable, low-pressure environments. Begin with familiar topics like hobbies or daily routines.

2. Practice Regularly: Consistency is key. Try to speak English every day, even if it’s just a few sentences to yourself, a language partner, or a tutor. There are some apps available to practice.

Hello Talk — The Best App for Conversation. It allows you to chat with English speakers worldwide through text, voice recordings, voice calls, and video calls. FluentU — The Best Media-Based App. FluentU offers English videos, including news, music, and advertisements. With interactive subtitles, you can click on any word to get additional information about it.

3. Focus on Communication, Not Perfection: Making mistakes is natural and an important part of learning. Aim to communicate your message, even if your grammar or pronunciation isn’t perfect.

4. Record Yourself: Listening to your own speech helps you identify areas for improvement and track your progress over time. When students record their voices, they gain a valuable opportunity to listen to themselves and identify areas where they might be making mistakes in pronunciation, grammar, or fluency.

By carefully analyzing these recordings, they can work on correcting these mistakes, which leads to gradual improvement over time. This practice not only enhances their speech clarity but also boosts their confidence, as they become more aware of their progress and develop better control over their language skills. Additionally, recording their voice allows them to track their development and recognize the positive changes in their speaking abilities, further motivating them to continue practicing. The best program for recording audio is Audio Lab. It is free and useful for students.

5. Expand Your Vocabulary: The more words you know, the easier it becomes to express yourself confidently. Learn phrases and expressions relevant to common situations. Every student has to learn vocabulary to improve their language skills. A strong vocabulary is essential for understanding and expressing ideas clearly. One of the best materials for learning vocabulary is the Cambridge Dictionary. It offers accurate definitions, example sentences, and pronunciation guides, helping students learn how words are used in context. Additionally, the dictionary provides synonyms, antonyms, and related words, which can expand a student’s vocabulary and improve their ability to communicate effectively in English.

6. Engage with Native Speakers: Join language exchange programs, participate in online forums, or attend local events where you can practice English with native speakers. Engaging with native speakers is one of the best ways to improve confidence in language use. If students shadow their speech, they can enhance their fluency and proficiency quickly. However, are the terms ‘native speaker’ and ‘non-native speaker’ truly appropriate, practical, and useful for describing language identity, use, and understanding? When referring to English, which country or countries are considered ‘native’? And within those countries, which region or dialect defines ‘native English’? Does ‘nativeness’ in English Language Teaching (ELT) necessarily lead to better teaching experiences, improved learning outcomes, or a more effective learning process?.

7. Prepare for Conversations: Before speaking, think about what you want to say. Practice common phrases or responses to likely questions. If a student has conversations, they should prepare.

8. Stay Positive: Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Replace negative thoughts with encouraging ones. Today, most students are not confident because they worry about making speaking mistakes. However, this mindset is incorrect. Everyone makes mistakes; only those who don’t learn from them fail to grow. Mistakes teach us valuable lessons. A student may make mistakes today, but tomorrow they will avoid repeating them.

9. Learn from Feedback: Accept constructive criticism as an opportunity to improve, not as a reflection of failure.

10. Participate in Speaking Activities: Join debates, book clubs, or storytelling sessions to use your language skills in interactive and engaging ways. Participating in speaking clubs is one of the best ways to improve your speaking confidence. When you need to speak in front of others, preparation is key. The more you practice, the more your confidence will grow. On the internet, there are plenty of resources you can utilize, such as “55 Great Debate Topics for Any Project.” These resources provide valuable guidelines to enhance your speech. One important skill in debates is anticipating the opposing side’s arguments. To strengthen your position, prepare ahead of time by considering what the other side might say. This allows you to effectively counter their points and make your arguments more convincing. Additionally, participating in debates hones your critical thinking, persuasion, and public speaking skills, all of which are essential for building confidence. Joining such activities will not only improve your speaking abilities but also boost your overall self-assurance.

A first-year student at the Uzbekistan State World Languages in the Faculty of Philology and Teaching English, located in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent.

References:

https://global-edu.uz/articles/ingliz-tilini-organishda-foydali-boladigan-6-ta-mobil-ilova/

https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/native-speakerism-%E2%80%93-what-it-and-why-does-it-matter

https://blog.prepscholar.com/good-debate-topics

O‘. J.Yo‘ldoshev Umumiy Pedagogika. Toshkent-2017 

H.T.Omonov, N.X. Xo‘jayev, S.A.Madyorova, E.U.Eshchonov. Pedagogik 

texnologiyalar va pedagogik mahorat”.Iqtisodiyot-Moliya” Toshkent-2009 6.Shomirzayev M. X. Developing educational technologiesin school technology education //Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research. – 2021. – Т. 10. – №. 5. – С. 

7.73-79. Bekmuratova U. B. “Ingliz tilini o’qitishda innovatsion texnologiyalardan foydalanish” mavzusida referat. Toshkent — 2012 yil

8.Отабоева, М. Р. Chet tilini o’qitishda zamonaviy innоvatsion texnologiyalaridan foydalanish va uning samaradorligi / М. Р. Отабоева. — Текст: непосредственный, электронный // Молодой ученый. — 2017. — № 4.2 (138.2). — С. 36–37. — URL: https://moluch.ru/archive/138/39058/ (дата обращения: 27.04.2020)

9.Pankov I.P., Zakharov V.P. Information retrieval systems // Applied linguistics. – St. Petersburg, 1996. – P. 334-359

10. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Whispers of the Unseen

Beneath the veil of twilight’s hue,

Where shadows dance and dreams renew,

A whisper stirs the silent air,

A tale of love, beyond compare.

In gardens where the moonlight weaves,

Its silver threads through autumn leaves,

Two hearts, once lost, now find their way,

Guided by stars that never stray.

The night, a canvas, vast and deep,

Holds secrets that the heavens keep,

Each constellation tells a part,

Of journeys bound by fate’s own art.

Through time’s embrace, they softly glide,

On waves of hope, with love as guide,

No distance far, no hour late,

For destiny will not abate.

So let the winds of change blow free,

Across the seas of memory,

For in the end, the truth is clear,

Love’s whispers always draw us near.

And as the dawn breaks through the night,

With golden rays and soft sunlight,

The whispers fade, but leave behind,

A bond eternal, pure, refined.