By Guest Blogger: SANDRA GLUSCHANKOFF — Argentinian (read bio)

A few years ago my husband invited me to a convention he was attending in Europe, my favorite travel destination in the world. He handed me the catalogue for me to make the necessary arrangements for the trip, and suddenly I froze.

“Berlin?” I couldn’t for the life of me travel to Germany. Having been to Europe several times before, Germany was always a country I avoided. Germany! Many emotions invaded me until I hit the point of fear.

The idea of traveling to that country gave me an uneasy and anxious feeling. It is the birthplace of one of the major massacres in humanity, and where many of my ancestors were either murdered in extermination camps or suffered the devastating results of vicious persecution at war.

What disturbed me was beyond the history of the country. It was the people, who for years stood either silently or participated willingly in the mass genocide of everything the Nazi regime did not see fit to exist.

As I packed my bags, I decided it was time to face my demons and see for myself where everything started. Was I in for a surprise when I arrived in Berlin! The people were wonderful and welcoming, their food was great and so were their wines. But what amazed me the most was what they had made of their city.

I was brought into a complete state of relief. Whatever was left after the devastation had been kept as a constant reminder of what their ancestors did. Berlin pays homage to those who suffered under its country’s murderous reign. They do not choose to erase a part of their shameful past, a dishonorable piece of history that Ahmadinejad or filmmaker Oliver Stone intend to make look like a fantasy. Instead, it is displayed publicly for their youth to learn from the atrocities of the past.

Why can’t we do the same thing in this country? Why can’t we just say NO to the building of a mosque at the foot of Ground Zero? There should be a resounding (more…)

By Guest Blogger: KAZ MATAMURA — Japanese (read bio)

I still remember Hiroshima after 65 years…

We couldn’t do the “Girls Gone Wild” thing during our summer breaks; instead, we had home schooling with tons of homework.

We were forced to keep a journal everyday. That’s how Japanese keep kids from going too out of control during the long break. Well, our breaks weren’t that long; they were only five weeks.

August 7 and 15 were special summer school days. Usually, I didn’t show up to these special days, but that particular morning, my mom needed to clean the house thoroughly, so she kicked me out. After hanging out with friends in the classroom, bragging about how tanned we all were, we were lined up and marched to the auditorium.

When the baldheaded principal showed up at the podium, we bowed to him as he bowed. He talked about how healthy we looked and said that we shouldn’t overeat. Then he told us about the meaning of this day.

In 1945, this day, around eight o’clock in the morning, eighty thousand people disappeared in a flash. He told us if it happened right now in this city, that we, our parents, friends, neighbors, the man at the fish shop, the newspaper deliverymen, would be all gone. He’s a good speaker – he knows how to “personalize” history for us. (more…)

THE OILY MESS BETWEEN THE ARABS & THE BRITS

By Guest Blogger: SANDRA GLUSCHANKOFF — Argentinian (read bio)

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a King…

I love stories where there is a King and a Queen and heroes.

Historical fiction is my favorite novel genre because it is full of mysteries, love triangles, secret alliances, and dirty betrayals. The best part of these novels is that even though the main characters are mostly fictional, the facts are based on true events.

The true story I am about to share with you involves kings and queens and very powerful people. They all began playing nicely in a puddle of oil until they took the game to a ruthless cut-throat competition to own the puddle. In the game they became entangled in secret treaties and treacherous betrayals, and as the stakes got higher, so did the collateral damage.

This story of “oil fever” accompanied by greed involves the two most powerful empires in the history of the world: the Persian Empire, the most powerful in ancient history, and the British Empire, which is considered the largest empire in history, with the most global power.

I wish this story would have some fiction to it, but unfortunately it doesn’t and it turns my favorite genre from historical fiction to historical horror. (more…)

By Guest Blogger: JASMINE RAFATI – Iran

I am a Persian Muslim leaving in the United States.  I love my religion, which is one of peace, forgiveness, and love; but what I know as Islam hugely differs from the Islam that has been introduced by the fanatics and by the government of my country, Iran.

The government and the fanatics use the words of Islam to their benefit and to promote war, hatred and killing.

Although I have not had many bad experiences as a Muslim in America, I did encounter some not so pleasant situations after 9/11. (more…)