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: Resurrection: 1 of 72
ResurrectionOn the third day the mist cleared.You and I paddled out to where the echoes fell back,the echoes fell back, fellback to us by the lily pads.I had Al's tenor recorder, he his wooden flute,in another canoe, floating, not too near.You raised your voice to the echoes,let them dance back, dance back,back to us.Al playe... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: A day in my life: 15 of 390
Today in Jerusalem, where I liveSummer, hot but not lazy as I go to East Jerusalemgreet Ahmed and Khaldoun with a quiet sala'am.Coffee at the hotel, discussing the hopes for peaceways to solve the unsolvable conundrum, a new leaseon life in the Middle East. Coffee, loads of hot tea,cappuccino, and Arabic brew to keep us on tr... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips The power of persuasion: How to improve your persuasive writing: 1 of 21
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 thesis, o... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Judaism Kabbalah explained: 1 of 18
As Kabbalah seeks to help us to understand, by providing a method for understanding, Creation Itself, it would be nothing but Hubris for someone such as myself to claim that I can explain it to anyone. I hope, therefore, that you will forgive me for trying even to introduce such a complex series of ineffable paradoxes designe... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Elections (Other) Can US voters trust the processes for counting election votes?: 2 of 25
One symptom of significant issues in the U.S. democratic republic is election fraud. Harper's ran an article within the past year documenting election fraud in the last two presidential elections and arguing why the democrats haven't done anything about it. Another essay here on Helium points out that election fraud is neithe... More..
Education > Homework & Testing Can your child be hurt by too much homework?: 6 of 71
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 wel... More..
Education > College Study Tips How to write a college paper in one night: 1 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 - wh... More..
Personal Finance > Investing Basics Understanding the difference between investing and gambling: 1 of 9
In many ways, the difference between investment and gambling is like the fable of the ant and the grasshopper. Investing is putting your money to work like ants, working hard and storing up what you will need for the winter. Gambling is using your money like grasshoppers, enjoying the sunny summer without thought of rain or w... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Judaism The most important mitzvah: 1 of 9
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 Moses)... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in the Middle & Near East Continuing crises in the Middle East: Should the US and allies be involved?: 1 of 7
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 towar... More..