"Beloved" by Toni Morrison (480 - 563 pp)

Now Sethe spent more time at home, playing with Beloved and coming to her work later and later till the moment when she was fired. And instead of looking for another work, the woman played all harder with her girl who never got enough of anything. That’s why while playing or staying outside, Denver waited for the moment when Beloved was in danger (as the girl thought her mother could repeat her sin). But that time Sethe was in danger, as under Beloved’s influence Sethe lost her mind and forget about her daughter.

   Beloved got anything what she wanted; and when Sethe had nothing to give her, she invented desires, then the arguments began: complain from Beloved and apology from Sethe. The first one accused the woman of leaving her, of not being nice to her, not smiling to her. Sethe begged her to forgive her, listing the reasons that Beloved was everything for her, she was more important for her than her own life. But the young woman wasn’t interested. And in order to deserve forgiveness Sethe served the girl (who was not much older than Denver).

   So the family had no money, no food, and Denver understood that in such a situation only she had to leave the house and ask somebody for help. Her former teacher Mrs. Lady Jones helped the girl cooking and asking other people for help. Later everybody knew about Sethe’s dead daughter that had come back and now whipped her mother, and that Sethe had lost her mind. That’s why one day all those people came to the woman’s house and began praying.

  Sethe was breaking a lump of ice into chunks, when she heard the voices. And then, holding Beloved’s hand, went outside and began trembling. When she was calm, the woman saw a white man, who was driving past, and attacked him with the ice pinch in her hand. During that moment Beloved stood alone smiling, but then she vanished, and nobody saw her. Only behind Sethe’s house near the river, Beloved’s footprints came and went, came and went. 

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison (363 - 480 pp)

When Paul D had gone, the life of three women became easier: they were free to be what they liked, see whatever they saw and say whatever was on their minds. They enjoyed the life, as one day Sethe found skates; there was the pair ( for Beloved) and a half of other skates (for Denver), the woman wore shoes slide. But nobody saw them falling.

She was her daughter – she was her mother

Now Sethe had more time to unite all the pictures, as the next morning, when Beloved was sitting at the table, the woman looked at her profile: her chin, her mouth, her nose, her forehead, everything was so familiar. Then Sethe saw the the scar on the girl's neck – she finally found her lost daughter. She remembered the carnival, three hand-holding shadows on the road, that time she had thought the third one was Paul D, but she had been mistaken, as it was Beloved.

Sethe remembered: as soon as she had gotten the headstone, Beloved made her presence known in the house and worried them. The woman thought the girl was angry with her, but then Beloved wouldn't have come back to her. So Sethe hadn't to explain the reason of her murder, as the girl knew it: if she hadn't killed her, Beloved would have died, and that was something that Sethe couldn't bear to happen to her. Now Beloved returned to her mother and couldn't lose her.

She was her sister

beloved was Denver's sister. Even since Denver was little, she was the only friend of hers, she helped her to wait for Denver's father; she was her friend until Paul D had come and threw her out. But now Beloved returned to Denver, and the last one couldn't lose her.

Rendering: "Three Wars on Terror"

The article “Three Wars on Terror” was published by John Arquilla in National Security on September 10. It discusses three wars on terror in the US, which had been hold by Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan.

   First of all it’s important to note that one of Barack Obama's earliest acts as president was to discard the phrase "war on terror," but despite that he has been waging just such a campaign these past four years. However, his counter-terrorism strategy was a far less costly than was undertaken in Iraq by George W. Bush, as Moammar Qaddafi was taken down when Obama engineered and enabled a NATO air campaign that began by preventing a slaughter of innocents in Benghazi, then went on to effect regime change in Tripoli.

   In resolute terms the author of the article makes it clear that the difference in the approaches taken by the American two most recent presidents really speaks to there being two different wars on terror. If Bush chose to attack other nations in his attempt to create a less permissive international environment for terrorist networks, Obama has decided to take the more direct approach: going straight after the networks. And here the article reports at length that Bush's strategy proved exceptionally costly and highly problematic in Iraq, and even his initial success in "going small" in Afghanistan was all too soon overtaken by a stalemate-inducing impulse to send large numbers of troops there. But Obama's concept of operations has been working well, and will never break the bank or exhaust the US military.

   Analyzing the situation with Reagan’s strategy, it’s necessary emphasize that after the October 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 242 Americans, Reagan and his team became deeply concerned about the terrorism problem. But despite success of the first war on terror, in the wake of 9/11 the second war on terror has begun.

   Giving appraisal of the situation, it’s necessary to point out that Obama acceded to a status-of-forces agreement allowing senior political advisers to talk him into living with the consequences of a complete withdrawal from Iraq - where keeping even a slight residual force would have deterred the resurgence of violence that now threatens to undo all the progress of the past decade.

   In conclusion the author mentions that in the battle for Reagan's strategic soul, the conventional thinkers won out because they convinced him that there was far too much of the "dark side" in the plan. In the battle for Barack Obama's strategic soul, the "overwhelming force" approach has not yet carried the day - and with luck it won't.

   I think of course each country has its own strategy and means to achieve the goal (to obliterate terrorism), but nevertheless, in my opinion, everything is useless, because all these presidents have tried and are trying to fight with terror, while terrorist acts must be prevented. But, unfortunately, these three words ("war on terror") have already done their work - sowed uncertainty and fear in people, because there’s a question - whether this so-called war can eradicate terrorism?! And now, watching how the situation goes out of our control, we are steadily moving to the one, but certainly not to the victory over terror...

Rendering: "Syria's suffering opens a door for Washington"

  The article 'Syria's suffering opens a door for Washington' was published by Patrick Cockburn in the Independent on October 7, 2012. It discusses the situation in Syria, that her suffering opens a door for Washington.

   Speaking of this situation, it is necessary to mention that Iran and Syria were the leaders for the past 10 years of the so-called "resistance bloc", the grouping that supported the Palestinians and opposed the US-led combination, but when President Hosni Mubarak and President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali had been driven from power in Egypt and Tunisia, Bashar al-Assad seemed confident that his opposition to the US would protect him against the revolutionary wave, the situation changed. Now it is the "resistance bloc" that is fighting for its life. Besides, in Iran sanctions on oil exports and central bank transactions are paralyzing the economy, demonstrators gathered outside the central bank after finding they could no longer get dollars from their accounts.

   Analyzing these events, it is necessary emphasize that it is in the US interests to give more military support to the Syrian opposition and to organize a military coup against the Syrian government in Damascus. It's very likely that the US will take steps of empowering the moderates in the opposition, shifting the balance of power through arms and other lethal assistance, encouraging a coup leading to a power-sharing arrangement, and accommodating Russia in exchange for its co-operation.

  So there is general feeling to believe that America is going to prepare the ground for a peace conference. But at the same time, it's an open secret that more direct military involvement in Syria can be dangerous for the US.

   In resolute terms the author of the article makes it clear that the Iranian regime is far more strongly rooted than its enemy's regimes overthrown or battling for survival. The Iranian-led bloc in the region may be weaker, but it has not disintegrated.

  I think even if the United States can realize their plan, it'll happen not in quick time. After all, the only thing they are doing is exerting pressure on Syria, that is reflected in the reluctance of the latter to cooperate with America. In addition, it's an open secret that the US conceal their contacts with Syria, as at the same time they are negotiating with other Arab regimes, fearing that the Syrian negative attitude can negatively affect the opinion of other Arab countries.  

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison (273 - 362 pp)

   Living in the Sweet Houme, Paule D thought there were only five men, as no white man could do anything without a gun, while a black one could. Calling himself a man, Paul D couldn't  tell Sethe about the last three weeks, that he had spent in the shed. But one day he maid up his mind to that; that's why the man cought Sethe alone coming from work. Imagining her face and reaction, he let the words flock in his head, but all that he could say was the request for giving him one more child. Sethe refused as she was too old to start that all over again, and though she didn't know why Paul D had asked her for that, the woman thought it was because of his wish to stay. Having come to their house, Sethe and Paul D noticed the figure, the same figure that had been meeting the woman for four months, and the threads of malice crept toward the man from its side.

   Anather question that Paul D wanted to ask Sethe was about her escape from the Sweet Houme, the murder she had done and its reasons, but he couldn't do that. Only one day, Sethe told him herself what she hadn't told Baby Suggs, maybe because of the man's smile or love that she saw in his eyes, but the woman felt the obligation to explain to him everything.

   Once squatting in the garden, Sethe recognized the schoolteacher's hat, took her children and run away. The four man (the schoolteacher, his nephew, the slave catcher and the sherif) her in the shed. They saw two boys bled in the sawdust and dirt at the feet of the woman holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other. She swung the baby toward the wall planks, missed and tried the second time. The woman with the handsaw in her arms stopped schoolteacher in his tracks. He took a beckward step with each jump of the baby heart untill finally there were none. Now there were three children, as the baby was dead; and the woman was carried to where she belonged.

   Sethe had done that for the sake of her children. But Paul D only felt as the forest was lacking the distance between him and the woman.

A Film Review: Rendition (2007)

'Rendition' (2007)

Director: Gavin Hood

Cast: Reese Witherspoon as Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi, Jake Gyllenhaal as Douglas Freeman, Meryl Streep as Corrine Whitman, Omar Metwally as Anwar El-Ibrahimi, Alan Arkin as Senator Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard as Alan Smith, Zineb Oukach as Fatima Fawal, Yigal Naor as Abasi Fawal, Moa Khouas as Khalid El-Emin.

Synopsis: having arrived to the airport from South Africa, a chemical engineer (Omar Metwally) was kidnapped; he didn’t know who, why had done that, and where they conveyed him. That was for a record, as before engineer’s arriving there was a suicide bombing in North Africa. Besides, everyone who was relevant to that operation had his own rendition.

Review: Here we can see two parallel pictures. A suicide bombing killed 19 people in North Africa. Having arrived to the US airport from South Africa, Answar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) was detained by American officials and sent to a confidential place for obtaining information, which CIA agent Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal) had to enter in the minutes. He was linked with the terrorist group, which meant that he was involved in the terrorist attack. Police official Abasi Fawal (Yigal Naor) resorted a standard procedure: interrogation - torture - electric chair, thinking that the application of techniques amounting to torture was the most effective method. Meanwhile, Answar’s wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon), trying to rescue her husband, traveled to Washington for meeting with an old friend Alan Smith (Peter Sarsgaard), who worked as an aide to Senator Hawkins (Alan Arkin). But Alan could do nothing for the woman, that’s why she met with Corrine Whitman, the high-ranking official from CIA (Meryl Streep), who affirmed that she had no idea what Isabella was talking about. But not only Isabella was trying to rescue the engineer: Douglas Freeman, convinced that the application of techniques amounting to torture wasn’t the best method for obtaining information, doubted Anwar’s involvement in a terrorist attack. He thought the man, having the wife and a little son, was not capable of murder. That’s Douglas released El-Ibrahimi without the authorities’ consent.

  Fatima Fawal (Zineb oukach) had run away from home with her boyfriend Khalid El-Emin (Moa Khouas), but she didn’t know that he was going to take revenge on her father Abasi Fawal for his brother’s death. Having known Khalid’s aim, Fatima tried to stop him and defend her father. But it was too late, as a suicide terrorist had exploded the bomb, having killed the girl also.

  This film makes us think about our society where people don’t trust each other, and it shows our reality, as everything reflected by Gavin Hood is quite possible in our life. We can’t blame or condemn anybody, as for some (Corrine Whitman and Abasi Fawal) tortures are just a work, while for others (Douglas Freeman) are something unimaginable. That’s why all the characters have different renditions for the same occasion.

  The actors’ performance was excellent; it makes us understand their psychology. I’ve watched many films with Jake Gyllenhaal, but it was something new. His voice, motions and especially his eyes transferred all emotions of his character. His colleague dies before his eyes, he is to be present on tortures of the suspected; everything is difficult for him, and he has to look into the business.

  To sum it up, I’d like to say that Gavin Hood shot the film very realistic, and actors played the characters very believable, that was keeping me in suspense the whole two hours.

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison (187 - 273 pp)

 It was time for Sethe to sort everything out. At first Halle, then Baby Suggs, and Paul D kept her going, but her husband and mother-in-law had died, and Pual D was at work all all days long. Thant's why Sethe took the girls and went to the green blessed place, on Baby Suggs' rock (where earlier Baby helped people were cleansed of their sins, that's why she was known as Baby Suggs, holy). Sethe wanted her mother-in-law to calm her, give her a hint about what to do; she wanted to feel her fingers. The woman bowed her head and they were there. The fingers' touching was light, but then they became stronger; they began to strangle her. Sethe tumbled forward from her seat on the rock, her feet were thrashing. Then Denver and Beloved got to her, and the fingers left off. Beloved helped Sethe by rubbing her neck. Her fingers  were so cold and knowing. The woman closed her eyes, as the girl'shelped her to relax and restore breathing, and Beloved leaned over and kissed her chin. Sethe didn't know how to behave herself, but then waved the girls to their feet and went home. On the way the woman thought about fingers' touching that strangled her, as they didn't belong belong to Baby Suggs, her fingers she didn't forget.

   Sethe didn't know the answer, while Denver was absolutely sure that it was Beloved's doing, though the last one denied everything. The girl tried to abandon the idea of Beloved's guilt, as she didn't want to hurt and lose her; she did everything to keep her to herself when Sethe was working. But in contrast to Denver, Belover didn't need the girl, the onlu thing she wanted was Sethe's attention, that was turned to Paul D. And the young women hated him for that.

   Paul D loved Sethe, that house, the work he was doing, but he notice that be began moving out of that place. rThe beginning was so simple. One day after the supper Paul D sat in the rocket and fell asleep. He had slept all day and felt refreshed, though he expected his back to fight it, but it didn't. Another day, after the supper Paul D sat in the rocket but could't fell asleep. He went to Baby Suggs' room and slept on her bad (where she actually died). Another evening, after the supper when he went to that bad, he realised that didn't want to be there and went to the storeroom. Then Paul D appeared in the shed, behind the house.

Rendering: "Al Qaeda claims attack wave and jailbreak in Iraq"

   The article "Al Qaeda claims attack wave and lailbreak in Iraq" was publishe in Fox News on October 5, 2012. It reporters at lemgth that Al Qaeda's branch in Iraq claimed responsibility on Friday for a jailbreak that was followed by a wave of deadly attacks across the country. 

   Speaking of the reasons of the attacks, it isnecessary to notice that the group, also called the Islamic State of Iraq, said that the main cause was to retake Sunni towns and districts that were once Al Qaeda strongholds.

   There is every reason to believe that the Islamic State of Iraq is really responsible for Sunday's coordinated blasts and Sept. 27 prison break in Saddam Hussein's hometown, in which prisoners seized weapons and clashed with security forces in an hours-long standoff. Because, analyzing the Iraq' history, we can notice activities not onlny of the Shiite-led government, but also the American military. And it's an open secret that to oppose the spreading of the US influence is one of Al Qaeda's main aims.

   Taking into account, that from the moment when the Sunnis were ousted by the Shiites and for years had a hot-and-cold relationship with the global terror network's leadership, and the US instrusion into Iraq, it had to happend. 

Rendering: "The forgotten war"

The article 'The Forgotten War' was published in the Telegraph on October 1, 2012. It discusses the situation in Afganistan, as the death toll among US forces had passed the 2,000 mark. 

   Speaking of the situation, it is necessary to note that the Afgan conflict is supposed to be "Obama's war" - "a war of necessety" (it started in 2001 after four coordinated suiced attacks upon the US in New York City and Washington, D.C.). Analyzing what's going on, it is necessary to emphasize that for the last several years the US and the Afghanistan government  have made attempts to agree with the Taliban, and it's an open secret that their efforts have not scored any result. Now when the presidential elections entering its final stages, the conflict has almost been forgotten. And the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, speaking of national security issues, has been reticent about Afghanistan. 

   So by the Telegraph view, this is an inopportune moment for America’s political classes to be suffering from a collective bout of amnesia. Besides, there is every reason to believe that the Taliban is a force to be reckoned with, as demonstrated by its recent spate of attacks against Nato troops.

  It's hard to predict the course of events in future but, I think, there is some evidence of the improvement of the situation that even if the US would negotiate with representatives of the Taliban about the future of Afghanistan, these agreements are difficult to consider reliable and durable. Becides, if  the US will withdraw its troops, ther's no confidence that  fighting in Afghanistan doesn't break out again.