Chris Van Allsburg, USA (1949-) Characters: Randall Ethan Hope  (Captain of the Ship) Mr. Howard  (the first mate) Other characters are Musicians, Storytellers, Dancers, Sailors, Avid ( greedy ) Readers etc.   This story is actually a logbook. The journey started on May 8 and ended July 12  (2 Months 4 Days) .  The voyage started on 8 th May. On 6 th June, they reached an island which was not mentioned in the map. Everything was strange and the plants were without fruits and there was unpleasant odor. They found a two feet long, gray stone with glowing surface. The crew took the stone to the ship.  They forgot reading, singing, dancing, storytelling and music playing. They gathered around the stone (TV). On 15 th June, a great storm approached the ship and nearly sank her.  (The crew didn't help the captain because they were spellbound by televising. Un...

SALMAN RUSHDIE, INDIA (1947- ) 1)  Who is Salman Rushdie ? He is a British-Indian novelist and essayist. The publication of the  Satanic Verses   in September 1988 caused immediate controversy in the Islamic World because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. On 14 February 1989, a  FATWA  requiring Rushdie's execution was proclaimed on Radio Tehran by Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at the time calling the book "blasphemous against Islam". He graduated from Cambridge University in 1968. 2)  What is this speech all about ? Commencement Address at Bard College, May 25th, 1996 by Salman Rushdie: This speech is Rushdie's research into commencement (the beginning of something) and its tradition. Rushdie was charged for this (a few nights before the graduation ceremony- an unnamed person redecorated his room and made it dirty with thick gravy and onion sauce) and announced his d...