A Letter to the Editor

46 King George Street

Tel Aviv

58371

November 3, 2012

The Editor

Yedioth Ahronoth

103 Hashalom Street

Tel Aviv

97151

Dear Editor,

I have read Jeffrey Hartmann's letter in the newspaper this week, and I was really upset and could not agree with him. It is true that in the past women were unfairly discriminated against in many fields much more than today, however, nowadays the phenomenon is not completely disappeared. Even today, when we live in a modern and progressive society, there is still an unfairly discrimination against women.

Although today there are more women who are members of the parliament, bank managers etc. still, it is not enough. Many companies reject women's job applications for several reasons. One of the reasons is that women can become pregnant. Becoming pregnant is not a bad thing in life at all, yet in the business world it is not so good. A woman who is having a baby is not going to work, the manager can't fire her and the result is that the company loses money. Therefore, the boss would like to hire for work a man, because he won't miss so many days of work.

Moreover, I believe that women are unfairly discriminated due to misguided way of thinking, in which women should be at home, take care of the children and cook and the men are supposed to support the family. This comprehension is wrong, because today women are learning at the university as men are and they can succeed at work equally to men if not better than men.

To conclude, I would like to say that I respect Jeffrey Hartmann's opinion, but I think he is wrong. Nowadays, the bosses do not get people to work for their qualifications, it also depends on their gender and it is wrong! I hope that in the future people will try to change that fact, but unfortunately today it seems impossible.

Sincerely yours,
Dana Levine.

Can A Baby Be Born Evil ?

Nowadays, there is a debate between many people, and especially between psychologists. Some of them believe that people who are evil were born this way, while others believe that all the people were born good but as they grow older they become evil because of the people around them. It is a very difficult debate and it's hard to decide who is right.

I think that people can't be born evil. I think that we are born without traits. All of us are born as innocent babies, but when we grow up we gain skills and qualities from our relatives and from the people around us. Babies don't have the ability to decide between right and wrong and they are unable to choose whether to be evil or not.

Moreover, I believe that there are no evil people at all. No one chooses to be evil. I believe that what makes people "evil" is the way they act. There is a sentence "There are no bad people, there are bad deeds". I agree with this sentence. Sometimes the difficulties in life can lead people to act badly, but truly in their heart, I believe that they are not proud of their behavior and wish they could act differently.

To conclude, I think that there are no evil people. I believe that evilness is caused by people's deeds and by the situations they are in. In addition, I think that every baby who is born is pure and cannot decide whether to be good or bad, so people are not born evil. Always remember not to judge anyone until you are in his situation, because a person can act viciously when he is in trouble.

Very good work. Well done.
(95)
Daphna

Parents - Children Relationships

Parents - children relationships have always been complicated. When children turn into raging teenagers, who defy their parents to reach their independence, the relationships become even more problematic than usual. The difference in the way of thinking may lead to many struggles between parnts and their children and each one of them may react differently in this situation.

The main reason for the difference between parents' and children's way of thinking is the generation gap, which is often discribed by psychologists as a constant situation of historical disagreement and misunderstandings, caused by the difference in age and experience. In other words, The parents have experienced much more than their children during their lifetime and they believe they know what is best for their children. The problem starts when the children grow up and become more mature, and consequently believe they know what is good for them. The parents try to protect their children, but the children don't see it as their parents do. 

Between me and my parents the situation is similar. When I was young, there were no struggles between us, but when I became a teenager I started to seek my independence. At the beginning, my parents found it very difficult to accept this. It was hard for them to "release their baby" and let me decide what is good for me. There were many fights between us, until I decided to talk to them and explain what I felt. After we had talked at length about it, they were convinced that I am mature enough to make my own decisions. I still consult with my parents and consider what they say because they are much more experienced than I am.

So, in conclusion, I think that there will always be problems and struggles between parents and children, because of the genration gap. However, those problems can be solved by talking politly with the parents. I am sure that if you talk politly to your parents, explain your feelings and stay calm, they will understand you and, bit by bit, you will recieve the independence you asked for. Now it's time for you to spread your wings and fly !

Better.
(95)
Daphna

Different Kinds of Sports

There are many kinds of sports and we can divide them into two groups – team sports and individual sports. In the group of the team sports we can find Football, Basketball, Baseball etc. In the other group, the individual sports, we can find sports such as running, swimming, Tennis etc. Some people prefer individual sports while others like to play in a team, but which kind of sports is preferable?

On the one hand, playing in a team is a pleasure for all the members and it teaches them a lot. Someone who plays in a team learns to cooperate with others, he learns about the importance of teamwork and this will help him later in his life – in his work, with his family and in many other fields. In addition, when someone plays in a team, he learns to appreciate the others and learns to be modest. He learns that he is not the only one in the team and that he is equal to the other players in the team. The team player learns that he is not the only one who is playing and learns to compliment another player if he played well.

On the other hand, the individual player also gains some important skills. For example, he learns to maximize his abilities. He learns what is good for him and gets to concentrate only in the game and not in what the others do. This kind of sports is suitable for people who don't like to work in a team and for people that can take on themselves the responsibility for the whole game. They are people who are not able to take care of others while they are working or playing.

To conclude, I prefer the team sports. In those kinds of games and sports you gain some important skills which will help you not only in sports, but also in life. You learn to cooperate with others and learn how to work in a team. All that will help you at work, for example. Also, you learn to appreciate people for what they do and it is very important in life.

Ecellent work!
(100)
Daphna

I will succeed !

What does success mean to you ?
Success for me, Noa, is to be an Architect and an Interior Designer. This is the future career, which I decided on when I was 12 years old, since my big cousin flew to Italy and started to learn Architecture, a subject which I was interested in. But success is very different from one to another, because every person sees success in a different way, and his success is expressed in various fields.


To reach my goal and to become an Architect and an Interior Designer, I need creativity, which is very important in the field of design. It is an important quality because you need to know how to match the colors, which fabric is suitable for the furniture, you need to have a spatial vision etc. If I have this quality, it will help me to succeed, because it will be much easier for me to understand how to work with colors, with substances etc. In addition, the quality of creativity will help me to create unique items.

In addition, I need the quality of persistence, because the studies of those subjects are very long and difficult. If I want to finish my studies and to get a degree I need to persist in my studies. I am not always persistent in my job or studies, and the result of that is  receiving low grades in the tests. This really bothers me, because I am a perfectionist and I like it when I succeed in whatever I do.

In conclusion, for me success in life is to be an Architect and an Interior Designer (and to start a family, of course!). To achieve that goal I need some qualities such as creativity and persistence. You should remember - you can be born with those qualities, but also you can acquire them and improve them. All the things you would like to do in your life, you will be able to do with just a little persistence.




And I will finish with a song, which expresses  success the best way - "We Are The Champions", by Queen. The meaning of the song is that despite the difficulties in life and the mistakes we may do, we can win everything and achieve any goal we like!

Great!
(95)
Daphna

What Should I Choose ?

 A dilemma is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is practically acceptable. Most of the time, it is very difficult to reach a decision in a dilemma. Our lives are made of lots of dilemmas, and we direct our lives through our choices.

When the sixth grade was about to end I had to decide which Junior High School I should go, because the sixth grade is the last grade in the Elementary School. I was tested to be admitted to many schools and to be admitted to different courses in those schools.

I was admitted, eventually, to three Junior High Schools. I had a dilemma – which school to register?

Most of my friends from the Elementary School went to "Atidim High School". But this school had a bad reputation, and I decided not to go to this High School. I decided also not to go to the music course.  At this time I had to choose between the two courses – dancing or science. It was very hard for me, because on the one hand, I really love dancing and I danced until the ninth grade and my dream was to be a Ballerina. On the other hand, I loved science. I was a very good student, especially in science class, and I had very good marks. In addition, I was about to move to a new apartment, which was very close to" Golda Junior High School". In the end, I decided to go to the science class in" Golda Junior High School".

When I came to "Golda Junior High School" I only recognized a few friends whom I knew from my Elementary School, and most of the students knew each other, because they had studied together. In addition, the connection between me and my friends from Elementary School was cut off, and there was a time that I felt lonely, until I made new friends, and we are still friends today. 

To conclude, I think I made the right decision when I chose this class, because if I hadn't chosen this class I would have never met my best friends. If I had gone to another school I would have never known them at all, and maybe I would still dance today.

 I'm satisfied with the choices in my life, and I believe that everything happens for a reason. I would not change anything in my life, it is perfect for me. I wish you will always know to reach the right decision.

This song always reminds me of changes in life, like a change as a result of a decision you make and how it affects your life : 

Now your work is really great. Well done!
(95)
Daphna

A Letter to Mr. Cattanzara (Activity Six)

03/08/1938




 Dear Mr. Cattanzara,
                                                                                             
Only now, after ten years, I got the courage to sit and write this letter.  

First of all, I want(ww.-would like) to apologize to you - I am sorry for having lied to you. I hope you know how important you are to me and how thankful I am for teaching me this lesson.

I was an idiot, I have always dreamed about money and success, but I haven't done anything in order to reach that goal ! I quit school and didn't do anything to pick up my education. So, I lied to you because I didn't want to let you down.

You have always cared about me and I thought that a 20 year old guy might have an education, certainly a guy like me, who has a lot of big dreams for his future. You knew how important it was for me to be respected, and when I told this lie about my reading I thought that I would feel good and you will(gr.) feel good - you will(gr.) be happy that people respect me and that I'm being educated. After a while you found out the truth, but you didn't tell anyone, and I thank you for that, because if you told the truth to the people in the neighborhood I couldn't deal with it. By not telling other people the truth, you let me understand by myself that I was wrong.

I don't even know if you remember our talk that night, but I will not be able to forget it my whole life. You told me that night "don't do what I did" and since that day I wondered what have you(wo.) done... After that talk I closed myself in my room for a week and refused to go out (I only got out to the kitchen when nobody was at home), and after the summer, in the fall, I finally figured out what I should(ww.+gr. - had to) do. Then I went to the library and started reading. I read a great book and then I discovered that actually I really like(gr.-liked) reading.

Today I'm learning(ww.-studying) Literature and Journalism, and that's all thanks to you ! I don't know how to thank you for all the things you have done for me ! I have my own column in the "New-York Times" where I recommend books and even publish my own short stories and poems. Isn't it the newspaper you used to read everynight ? Do you still read it ? How ironic...

Nowadays, I live in a nice private house in a beautiful neighborhood with my wife and my eighteen months old son.

I want you to know - you are one of the most important people in my life. I will not forget you and I will thank you for what you have done for me for the rest of my life.

Thank you !

                                                                 I am gratful and miss you every day, 

                                                                                     Love, George Stoyonovich.


Better.
(94)
Daphna