Articles written by Michael Deqel

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About me - Michael Deqel

Poet and photographer Michael Deqel holds degrees in psychology, creative writing, and English literature from the University of Minnesota. He studied Torah and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the US and in Israel; he's also been an anti-racist activist and

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Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: A day in my life: 15 of 363

Today in Jerusalem, where I live Summer, hot but not lazy as I go to East Jerusalem greet Ahmed and Khaldoun with a quiet sala'am. Coffee at the hotel, discussing the hopes for peace ways to solve the unsolvable conundrum, a new lease on life in the Middle East. Coffee, loads of hot tea, cappuccino, and Arabic brew to keep u...
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips The power of persuasion: How to improve your persuasive writing: 1 of 18

When you write a persuasive essay, keep your purpose in mind: to convince an audience to embrace your idea or point of view. Here are the steps in writing a persuasive essay: 1.) Identify your argument. Your purpose is to persuade your audience to accept an idea or point of view. You will need first to decide what your thesi...
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in the Middle & Near East Israel's onslaught on Gaza: 1 of 8

Israel launched its largest offensive against Gaza since the Six Day War in 1967, sending in air strikes, then pounding with artillery, then overwhelming with tanks and troops. Images of burning buildings, bloody children, and sheet-wrapped corpses convey the seriousness of the aggression, and repeatedly hammer human hearts ...
Education > Homework & Testing How stress can affect testing results: 2 of 14

Stress raises adrenaline levels and can improve awareness and performance, as with athletes in competition. On the other hand, too much stress or chronic stress has the opposite effect, decreasing performance and interfering with memory and focus. Excitement and a desire to perform well on a test, therefore, is probably a go...
Arts & Humanities > Photography Portrait photography 101: 2 of 13

Creativity makes a portrait photo stand out. Follow these tips to help your creativity soar. Tell the story Portrait photos record more than a person's appearance. A good portrait photographer tells a story that has the elements of a good novel: setting, plot, and, most of all, character. The portrait photo is really about t...
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in the Middle & Near East Continuing crises in the Middle East: Should the US and allies be involved?: 1 of 6

Some in Israel think that if the rest of the world would stop interfering, and perhaps even ignore, the Middle East crises, that the various sides then would need to find a solution. Without funding and media attention, the argument goes, both sides would not be able to continue in conflict and would have to find a path towa...
Education > Education (Other) Are our schools preparing our children for the future?: 13 of 73

The question of whether our schools prepare children for the future depends on other questions, such as: Which schools, which future? Public debate about education tends to reflect adults' memories of their own schooling or their experience of one or two specific schools where their children attended. However, many schools p...
Education > College Study Tips How to write a college paper in one night: 2 of 11

Set your pot of coffee on the table, pour your first (or tenth) cup. Get ready to apply a straightforward strategy to write your college paper in one night: TRIAC. TRIAC is a principle for quickly organizing your paper, and it will help you get done even more quickly if you start out with it as you do your research: Topic - ...
Religion & Spirituality > Judaism The most important mitzvah: 1 of 5

The most important mitzvah is to love our fellow human beings. Mitzvot (the plural of mitzvah) are commandments. While many think immediately of the Ten Commandments, in Jewish tradition these are referred to as the Ten Utterances. There are actually 613 mitzvot (including the Ten Utterances) in Torah (The Five Books of Mose...
Education > Homework & Testing Can your child be hurt by too much homework?: 10 of 48

Children need time to be children, to socialize, to play, and to use their imaginations. While homework extends learning, too much homework can cut into a child's time to grow. The right type of homework for the age and ability of the child should be balance, on the whole, with the right amount for the age and ability, as we...