Cerca De Fatal

Una explosión. La tierra vibró. Mi corazón amenazó con salir de mi pecho. Mi pulso ahogó todo a mi alrededor. Mis ojos se fijaron en una dama, que caminaba de mesa en mesa en pequeños pasos, balbuceando la misma frase una y otra vez, como un disco rayado. “Alarma de terror”.

Un zumbido ensordecedor sacudió al grupo de personas, que se encontraban en el patio de la biblioteca. Miradas de pánico fueron lanzadas al cielo. Los helicópteros volaban en círculos a unos pocos metros sobre nuestras cabezas, congelándonos en nuestros pasos. Disparos fuertes, rápidos e interminables cortaban  el aire caliente de la ciudad. Un silencio grave siguió al ruido.

Yakarta pareció contener el aliento. La metrópoli de Indonesia se había convertido en el blanco de un ataque terrorista. La bandera IS sopló en el viento después de minutos de derramamiento de sangre. En cuestión de horas, la noticia del intento de asesinato dio la vuelta al mundo.

Estaba aturdido , como  en trance, miré a los ojos a mi amigo. Estos brillaron furtivamente. Levantó su teléfono celular y buscó en varias redes sociales para averiguar qué había sucedido. Segundos después, me mostró fotos de cadáveres mutilados esparcidos en la carretera del centro comercial de Sarinah. La sangre decoraba las paredes y el granito como una pieza salvaje de arte mortal.

Como una marioneta controlada por cuerdas, deslicé mis dedos por la pantalla de mi teléfono celular y escribí a todas las personas que estaban cerca de mi corazón. Le escribí a mi madre, con la aburrida sensación de que esto podría ser lo último que escuchara de mí. Con amargo sarcasmo traté de sacar el viento de las velas de mi pánico interno. Menosprecié la gravedad de la situación, bromeé.

Por la noche, la historia de un vendedor de Sate hizo las rondas. El héroe que desafió a los asesinos y vendió sus brochetas de carne en audaz silencio, mientras hombres enmascarados en ciclomotores conducían por las calles y derribaban todo lo que se movía. En una entrevista posterior, enfatizó la importancia de no ser intimidado por esas personas. No para darles lo que ansiaban: pánico. Ansiedad. Temor. ¡Tenemos que mantenernos fuertes y pasar juntos momentos difíciles! Admiraba esta encarnación de la fuerza, mientras mi alma parecía romperse en este evento.

La decisión de faltar a la escuela ese día para ir al centro comercial casi me costó la vida. Los minutos me separaron de la explosión. Más tarde, con el cupón de Starbucks en la mano, miré las imágenes de los escombros manchados de sangre de la tienda de moda en la televisión. Todavía sentía la mano fría de la Muerte en mi hombro.

En memoria de las víctimas del ataque del 14 de enero de 2016 en Indonesia.

Veganism: A Simple Solution

The natural wellbeing of the earth has declined at an exponential rate within the last century. The Greenhouse effect is melting glaciers and ice caps. As a result, sea levels are rising (Luntz “Greenhouse Gases”). In addition, with the increase in carbon dioxide levels and pollution, our health is adversely affected (“Air Pollution”). The general health of humanity is suffering due to excessive and unhealthy consumption. Veganism is a solution to environmental and health issues that we face today. Veganism is defined as a “way of living which seeks to exclude…all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose”. (“Definition of Veganism”) This lifestyle can help address health and environmental issues through the cutback of livestock production and a consequent reduction of methane and carbon dioxide, the betterment of personal health through consumption of more natural foods,
and cultivating greater peace and respect for the environment.

As an example, by not consuming meat or anything from the animal industry, vegans positively contribute to the environmental wellbeing of the planet. It is the case that livestock cultivation is directly correlated to the emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse emissions are composed of gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide. Carbon dioxide represents 82% of greenhouse gases and methane 10% (“Overview of Greenhouse Gases”). The animal industry accounts for approximately 65% of nitrous oxide emissions, 37% of methane emissions, and 9% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions (Gerber). Through the process of enteric fermentation cow, sheep, and other grass-eating livestock produce methane. Cows specifically produce 70-120 kilograms of methane yearly (“Time for Change”). Not all the emissions in the industry are the animals fault, however. Many wooded landscapes are cleared to make room for livestock. Each acre of cleared land results in “10,000 lb./acre/year of CO2 equivalent GHC” (Searchinger). The effect that this has is that there are less trees around to absorb the issuance of greenhouse gases. In addition, the processing, cooling, and transport of meat, eggs, and dairy contribute additional greenhouse emissions (“Beef or Cars”, “Fight Climate Change”). As a result, by not partaking in and encouraging the industry, vegans directly affect the amounts of greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere.

Yet another example in which veganism combats environmental and health issues is by the exclusion of certain food groups. One of these is dairy. From an early age, we are taught that we need dairy products in our daily diet for strong bones and good health. However, this assumption is not correct. Dairy products of all kind cause a higher risk of prostate and breast
cancer caused by an insulin likely growth factor included in cow’s milk (“Health Concerns”). Furthermore, animal-based food contains a lot of cholesterol, which aggrieves our body’s well being. A too high cholesterol level in your blood can heighten the risk of heart attacks caused by
atherosclerosis (“About Cholesterol”). Additionally, proceeded milk is not clean, as it is full of different contaminants such as hormones, veterinary drugs, heavy metals, and pesticides. This pollution can occur during breeding of the animals, production, or packing of the final product
(Khaniki). These substances can damage health. Hormones such as estrogens can cause problems during puberty of young girls (Malekinejad). Vegans avoid dairy and get their protein from plants such as hempseed, quinoa, and buckwheat (Cirino). This allows them to moderate their protein intake and ensure that they consume as much protein as their bodies need. Their health is further benefitted by this as an excess of protein consumption typically found in an omnivore diet can lead to osteoporosis and impaired kidney functioning (“Protein Myth”).


Another way in which veganism is beneficial to the environment and health issues is in the manner in which it addresses other life. The vegan lifestyle is a life without remorse and compunction, through respecting nature and other living beings sans exploiting them for humanity’s good. Industrial farming is knee-deep in animal abuse. It has been found that “over 99% of farm animals in the U.S. are raised in factory farms, which focus on profit and efficiency at the expense of animal welfare” (“Farm Animals”). Chickens especially are subjected to cruelty within the egg industry. In battery farming, they vegetate, crammed into confined spaces and their own feces. In the U.S. alone, approximately “9 billion chickens are killed for their flesh each year, and 305 million hens are used for their eggs” (“Chickens”). Male chicks are killed right after birth, because they have no use to the industry (“Used for Meat”). They are thus ground up and put into dog food. Consumers of animal-based products have to decide if they can
live with the blood being on their hands when they buy the product. Christine Korsgaard says, “Can we still imagine ourselves as a natural link in a chain of life when there is nothing natural about the way we raise and eat our food?” (Evensen). Vegans have not only answered this question, but taken action to personally prevent it. This demonstrates their initiative in
cultivating greater peace and respect for the environment and all the creatures in it.


One may contest that while veganism is beneficial to the health of the environment and humanity, it is not necessarily a logical option for everyone. For many, it is needlessly expensive and impractical. Organic groceries and vegan health supplements are often the double or triple of
the prize of average food. Companies that produce vegan food items have somewhat of a monopoly on the market and as such overcharge their consumers. This is unreasonable for many in poorer countries who eat whatever they can to get by. These special vegan foods are not needed to be a vegan. In fact, some of the largest vegan and vegetarian populations in the planet are in developing countries such as India, where an average of 7 pounds of meat are eaten per person annually (“Living Below the Line”). Fresh fruit and vegetables can be cultivated in a city or outside of it, whether on large expanses of land or in the shared garden of a living complex. Local farmers offer produce options worldwide that are often organic and much cheaper than the special “vegan” produce that you will find in developed countries. Thus, there are many alternatives for vegans worldwide and the ability to continue to protect environmental and personal health.


In conclusion, veganism is very advantageous and beneficial to the environment and man. It can address health and environmental issues through the reduction of livestock production, the improvement of personal health through consumption of more natural foods, and nurturing greater peace and respect for the environment. The disadvantages of this lifestyle can be reduced by proper research for alternatives and information. As Pythagoras said, “For as long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.” (Ryan). There is a long while to go before the cessation of animal consumption. A difference can only be made when people face the consequence of their actions.

Rina Tiyu

Works Cited

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Cirino, Erica. “25 Best Plant-Based Protein Sources.” Healthline, 22 June 2017,
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/plant-based-protein#takeaway.

“Chickens Used for Eggs; Chickens Used for Meat.” Farm Sanctuary,
https://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory-farming/chickens/

“Chickens Used for Food.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/.

“Definition of Veganism.” The Vegan Society, http://www.vegansociety.com/go
vegan/definition-veganism.

“Eat Less Meat: CO Emission of Our Food,” Time for Change,
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“Farm Animals Need Our Help.” ASPCA, https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal
welfare.

“Fight Climate Change by Going Vegan.” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/global-warming/.

“Heath Concerns about Dairy Products.” The Physicians Committee, 26 Jan. 2016,
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“How Can I Get Enough Protein? The Protein Myth.” The Physicians Committee, 19 Oct. 2015,
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myth.

Khaniki, Jahed. “Chemical Contaminants in Milk and Public Health Concerns: A Review.”
International Journal of Dairy Science, 2: 104-115. 2007.

Luntz, Stephen. “Greenhouse Gases Melted Ice Age Glaciers.” IFLScience, 15 Aug. 2016,
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/greenhouse-gasses-melted-ice-age-glaciers/

Malekinejad, Hassan et al. “Hormones in Dairy Foods and Their Impact on Public Health – A
Narrative Review Article.” Iranian Journal of Public Health, Tehran University of
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“Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” Environmental Protection Agency, 14. Apr. 2017,
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Ro, Christine. “Christine Ro explores how plant-based diets and ‘living below the line’ go hand
in hand.” The Vegan Society, 29 April 2016, https://www.vegansociety.com/whats
new/blog/cost-vegan-diet-international-perspective.

Ryan, Jeff. “Vegan Quotes – Socrates, Buddha, Einstein and Others on Going Vegan.” Change
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buddha-einstein-and-others-on-going-vegan/.

Searchinger, Timothy et al. “Use of U.S. croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases
through emissions from land-use change.” Science, 319 (5867): 1238-1240. 2008.

Steinfeld, Henning et al. “Livestock’s Long Shadow: Enviromental Issues and Options.” Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, p.xxi. 2006.

Evensen, Hanna. “The Ethics of Eating Animals.” Harvard University, 12 Mar. 2014,
https://green.harvard.edu/news/ethics-eating-animals.

Imagine you are drowning and Europe is looking away

A boat is quietly sliding over the soft water stuffed with numerous bodies. Young men with visions, strong mothers pregnant or with child and elderly with dreams.

The moonlight makes your dark skin lustrous. Your clothes are thick yet you are shaking in the cold.  Your eyes are sharp yet you will miss what is about to come.

One wave. The power of the sea. That is all it takes for your boat to capsize. A trunk full of souls gulped down by the hungry mouth of the darkness.

You never learned how to swim, you never thought about dying so young. The cold water hugs you, drags you, swallows you. You are shaking. You are panicking. You are trying to gasp for air but there is only the cold water around you. Adrenaline shoots through your veins. SWIM. SWIM. SWIM. You reach the surface and you catch your breath. Your lungs fill with oxygen. You feel relief. One look around shows your companions drowning. The body of the toddler who was sitting next to you is floating motionless between bags and shoes. Some try to swim and reach the land but they are too far away to make it. The only hope is rescue. Will it come? In the middle of the night the hope of help is small. How long will you be able to fight the cold, the anxiety and the sorrow?

Another wave. You are under water again. You try to look around but the ocean is too nervous to be able to see. I WANT TO BREATH, scream your lungs. I WANT TO SEE, screams your brain. I WANT TO LIVE, screams your heart.

Your mother is sitting at home. Right in this moment she is thinking about you. She is thinking, hoping and praying her son will come back to her. She wishes only the best for her child. She never asked him to leave yet he did. He did it to make her proud. To have a better future for his children. To one day come back and make a difference. But soon nobody will remember his ambitions.

You are tired. Your sight starts to become cloudy. Your muscles cramp and your lungs fill up with water. The pain is unbearable. You have saved money for years only so you can suffer greatly. You try to fight, you try to not give up. Nobody is hearing your choked screams.

Your mother will cry yet she will never know you died in the colds of the sea. Friends will joke and hope you made it yet your body is rotting in the depths of the ocean.

Nobody will ever know you died that day. There will not be a body to burry nor a grave to cry on. The earth keeps rotating and life goes on and on only you will not be part of it anymore. You will share your grave with thousands of cold bodies.

Why all this misery? Because the people who have everything do not want to give or share anything. Europeans, wake up! What about humanity? We would not lose a bit by sharing what we have. We are sitting in front of our televisions with chocolate and ice creams while a child is drowning. We are laughing with friends in a bar while a young woman takes her last breath and vanishes in the sea with her unborn child. We are crying over bad grades and missed busses while thousands of mothers do not even know their beloved children are deceased. What right do you have to look away?

What makes you better than others?

Imagine your family on this boat and slowly drowning. Would you care then?

Rina Tiyu

Lust Im Tod

Die Schwärze des Raumes erdrückt sie. Schleppend ertrinkt sie im Meer der sie umgebenden Finsternis. Jegliche Wärme entweicht ihrem erstarrten, nackten Leib. Im Rhythmus eines hektischen Herzschlages erhellt sich der Raum im Licht der über den Nachthimmel zuckenden Blitze. Sie streckt ihre kaltschweißigen Finger von sich. Von ihrem Körper hinweg zu einer reglosen Figur. Eine gelbbraune Fratze fixiert sie, während ihre nassen Hände, sanft und liebevoll, die Konturen des einstig fleischigen Körpers nachziehen. All Leben ist entschwunden und doch fühlt sie die pulsierende Lust und Leidenschaft ihres Gegenübers. Jener tiefe hohle Blick des Geliebten entzückt sie. Blut steigt in ihre Wangen, tränkt diese in zartem rosé. Mit brennender Inbrunst schlingt sie ihre Arme um den dürren Leib und zieht diesen beherzt zu sich. Zum Takt knackender Knochen schwebt sie über das Parkett. Leichtigkeit. Freiheit. Die Kronleuchter umhüllen das Mädchen mit warmem Licht. Der Duft von edlem Holz und teurem Champagner durchschlägt die Wand trübseliger Stimmung. Leidenschaftlich presst sie dem kalten Charmeur ihre zarten Lippen auf. Das freche Mäulchen entzieht ihm all Sterblichkeit. Die fleischgewordenen Backen erröten. Die pure Lust seiner Augen lässt ihre Lenden erbeben. Mit zittriger Hand führt sie sich die seine an den Busen um den Brustkorb vorm Bersten zu bewahren. Die Elektrizität der Unsittlichkeit durchschneidet beider Tugend. Vereint strahlen sie wie der sonnigste Sommertag. Golden. Glänzend. Glühend. Solch ein Raum, gefüllt mit Wärme und Farben, erleuchtet so jede düstre Nacht und meißelt seinen Betrachtern die pure Scheelsucht ins Gesicht. Heißes Verlangen bestimmt ihre Bewegungen. Sanft wie Geschmeide und temperamentvoll wie eine Herde junger Pferde winden sie sich umeinander. Sekunden werden zu Minuten, Minuten zu Stunden und diese wiederrum ballen zu einer Ewigkeit. Sie schwingen und schweben. Ihre lüsternen Blicke treffen seine stürmischen Augen. Die Musik raubt ihnen Jahr um Jahr und in einem Wimpernschlag stehen sie da, starren sich an. Kinder. Unschuldige Kinder. Einer jungen Mutters Glück. Ein Fünfjähriger, engelsgleich, streckt seine dicken Finger nach einem goldgelockten Mädchen aus. Im Augenschlag der Berührung ihrer Zarten Haut fault ihm das Fleisch von den Knöcheln. In Fetzen fällt es ihm von den Fingern. Mit leichtfüßiger Zarthaftigkeit streicht er ihr schwarzes Blut um den Mund. Ihr Blick, festgesaugt an dem seinen, entzieht ihm die Lebenskraft. Die adrigen Augäpfel vertrocknen, die roten Backen welken und das Haar erstumpft. Alle Wärme entschwindet dem Raum und das Mädchen, verzehrt von Dunkelheit, fällt auf die Knie. Glasige Knochen auf splittrigem Holz. Ertränkt im Saft der Trauer, zieht die schwere, behagliche Kälte zurück in ihren Leib. Todeslüsternd hält sie die rottende Hand des einstig Liebsten. Im flackernden Licht der Blitze windet sie sich zittrig und unbeholfen aus dem Raum. Ohrenbetäubende Stille bleibt, einsam, wie ein unwillkommener Gast, zurück. Der süße Duft der mageren Vergänglichkeit kehrt heim und entmachtet das fette, faule Wohlgefühl. All Leben war entschwunden und auf ein Weiteres watete sie im Watt der Verdrängung.

-Rina Tiyu

Deutschland, du hast mich meiner Liebe beraubt

Oh höre, du von Diskrimination durchzogenes Land.

Dem großen Clan des Westens gehörst du an. Der Ideologie besser zu sein als all die anderen Subjekte der Erdkugel. Mächtiger. Reicher. Privilegierter. Du denkst, du hast die von Gott gesandte Macht, zu bestimmen wer in deinem Inneren haust, wer in deinem Triebwerk mitwirkt und wem du Schutz bietest. Bei all diesen Höhenflügen vergisst du die kleinen Leut. Vergisst du die Menschlichkeit. Vergisst du die Liebe.

Nur lieben will Ich. Lieben, wen mir Gott gesandt. Lieben, wen mir das Schicksal gebracht. Lieben, wen mein Herz begehrt. Oh höre, du von Diskrimination durchzogenes Land. Du triebst eine eiserne Mauer zwischen uns. Erinnerst du dich nicht? Bereits getan, bereits gelebt, bereits besiegt. Zumindest habe ich so gedacht.

Ich bin dein Kind, doch werde gestraft mit Misstrauen. Warum? Weil ich liebe? Einen Mann einer anderen Nation. Ich werde gestraft mit Kummer und Leid im Angesicht deines gepeinigten Neid? Für dich ist er minderwert und ich würd für ihn mein Leben geben. Doch natürlich gewinnst du. Kriegsmaschinerie, Geldgier, Völlerei und Selbstsucht. Deine Sünden kennen keine Grenzen. Wovor hast du Angst? Dass deine Rasse ihre arrogante Mentalität verliert?

Ich habe dich verehrt und geschützt im eisernen Gefecht fremder Worte, doch zeigst du mir nun, dass mein einstiges Zuhaus jetzt nur sind leere Orte.

Mit meinem Geliebten zu leben ist dir ein Dorn im Aug. Im Schein von Toleranz suhlst du deinen fetten Leib doch tanzt bei Nacht mit jedem Teufelsweib. Nur heiraten will ich. Glücklich sein. Kannst du mich nicht verstehen? Machst es so schwer mit meinem Liebsten zu gehen. Beklagst dich über niedrige Geburtenrate, Auswanderung und unbesetzte Ausbildungsplätze doch bist in Hetze alles rauszuhalten was deiner Meinung nach nicht dazu gehört. Ledigkeitsbescheiningung und Finanzierungsrücklagen sind für mich nur lange Worte. Ohne Sinn und Bestand schließen sie einem die Pforte.

Kann nicht atmen. Kann nicht fühlen. Kann nicht stehen, ohne währendessen zu vergehen. Papierkrieg, nur um das Recht zu erlangen zu sein mit wem Ich mag. Gestapelte Formulare, nur um die Chance zu erhalten mein Vaterland nicht wegen der Liebe verlassen zu müssen.

Ohne Ehe haben wir keine Rechte und mit sind wir Scheinehenverdächtige. Kein Weg rein, dann der Weg raus. Drum müssen wir flüchten und werden geben anderen Staaten unsere Ernte an süßen Früchten. Aussterben wirst du. Langsam und stetig.

Die Erde wird sich drehen und der Westen vergehen. Du wirst sehen.

Deutschland, du hast deine Kinder ihrer Liebe beraubt.

Close To Fatal

A blast. The earth vibrated. My heart threatened to break out of my chest. My pulse drowned everything around me. My eyes fixed on a lady, who was pacing from table to table in small steps, babbling the same phrase over and over again, much like a broken record. “Terror alarm”.

A deafening drone shook the group of people, which had found one another in the courtyard of the library. Panicked glances were cast up into the sky. Helicopters circled just a few feet above our heads, freezing us in our steps. Shots. Loud, fast, endless shots cut through the hot city air. Grave silence followed the noise.

Jakarta seemed to hold its breath. The metropolis of Indonesia had become the target of a terrorist attack. The IS flag blew in the wind after minutes of bloodshed. Within hours, the news of the assassination attempt was to go around the world.

I was stunned. As if in a trance, I gazed into the eyes of my friend. These shimmered furtively. She picked up her cellphone and hopped through various social media to find out what had happened. Seconds later, she showed me pictures of mutilated corpses scattered on the roadside of the Sarinah mall. Blood decorated the walls and granite like a wild piece of deathly art.

Like a marionette controlled by strings I slid my fingers across the screen of my cellphone and wrote to all the people that were close to my heart. I wrote to my mom, with the dull feeling that this could be the last thing she heard from me. With bitter sarcasm I tried to take the wind out of the sails of my inner panic. I downplayed the gravity of the situation, joked.

In the evening, the story of a Sate-seller made the rounds. The hero who defied the assassins and sold his meat skewers in bold silence, as masked men on mopeds drove along the streets and shot down everything that moved. In a later interview, he emphasized the importance of not being intimidated by such people. Not to give them what they thirsted for: panic. Anxiety. Fear. We have to stay strong and go through difficult times together! I admired this embodiment of strength, while my soul seemed to be breaking on this event.

The decision to skip school that day to go to the mall nearly cost me my life. Minutes separated me from the explosion. Later, Starbucks coupon in my hand, I stared at the pictures of the bloodstained rubble of the trendy store on TV. I still felt Death’s cold hand on my shoulder.

In memory of the victims of the attack on January 14th 2016 in Indonesia.

-Rina Tiyu