"Ayelet"– The Federation of Non-Olympic
Competitive Sport in Israel– was founded in 1996 as part of the reform in the
organizational structure of sport in Israel."Ayelet" was founded on
the basis of an organization called Eyal, established in 1987 due to the need
for a body that would represent the interests of all the sporting bodies not
included in existing frameworks. Ayelet has a facebook page that I really
recommend liking to keep up with Israel's amazing achievements. Let's give some
examples.
Nimrod
Marcus, 16, Jerusalem, is a student at HaNisuei High School. He is also the
world champion of sport climbing. This year he became the first Israeli teen to
win this coveted title and he did so with no funding from the state whatsoever. Ayelet has supported him throughout his training and covered some of his expenses.
If not for Ayelet he wouldn’t have gotten this far.
(Marcus,middle, first palce, Poland,2016)
Nili
Block, 21, Modien, top athlete, won the world championship in Thai boxing just
last week. After climbing from the underdog position she knocked out the French
contestant in a fearless battle over the title! Ayelet pays for her flights and
cover some of her training. Block has thanked Ayelet in her interview after
winning.
(Block,
after winning in France, 2016)
There
are many more examples of all the good that Ayelet has done. It is obscured to
me that top athletes such as Marcus, Block and many more have to pay for what
they do so professionally while Israel enjoys the respect and fame. Ayelet
should be a government led program and get financed by the state.
What would you do if you went to the train station and saw someone who looks exactly like you commit suicide? Well.. this is how the first episode of the successful sci-fi series "Orphan Black" begins, starring the amazing Tatiana Maslany.
Say hello to Sarah Manning. Sarah's life is rather complicated, so after she goes through the dead girl's handbag, she decides to take her identity in order to run away from her problems. The thing is… the dead girl was a cop. A little later after that, she meets a German woman, who also looks identical to her, but before Sarah gets the chance to ask her about what the hell is going on, she gets shot in the head right next to her. When she finally meets Alison (the "soccer mom") and Cosima (the lesbian scientist), yes- both also look the same as she, Sarah gets some explanations- "We're clones. We're like lab rats in an illegal experiment", Said Alison, and things got shaken up even more.
With no further spoilers, and if you're still not convinced, I urge you to watch this show to enjoy some really crazy acting skills. Tatiana Maslany is so talented and authentic, that sometimes I honestly forget that all the different characters are actually played by the same person. She also won the Emmy Awards for "Best Lead Actress" in the drama category.
Except the Brilliant acting, I also like "Orphan Black" because it celebrates diversity and represents all kinds of genders and sexual preferences. There's a married couple, a gay couple, gay characters and even a transgender clone. So far there were 10 clone characters in the show, each and every one completely different and unique. The character developing is also brilliantly written, and each episode keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Before reviewing the movie, I would like to say a couple of words about its subject: psychoanalysis and people impersonating it. A long time has passed since psychoanalysis was considered to be an extraordinary, revolutionary, and scandalous method. Today it is often seen as nothing but one of the ways to treat various psychic conditions; many opponents criticize psychoanalysis for what they often call narrow-mindedness: Freud and his followers believed every aspect of the human psyche should be viewed and analyzed through the prism of sexuality.
Even in times when Freud’s method was the most authoritative novelty, there were people who refused to reduce all the non-cognizable versatility of the human mind only to sexual impulses and their repression.
Surprisingly, one of such critics—and later, the most intransigent of Freud’s opponents—was Carl Gustav Jung, a man whom Freud himself considered to be his ideological heir; a man, whose contribution to the development of psychoanalysis was as significant as Freud’s; a man, whose personality and relationships with other people were far less harmonious and rational than it could be expected from a psychoanalyst.
And now back to the movie.
Filmed by David Cronenberg in 2011, it is a story not just about psychoanalysis itself, but rather about the relationships that famous psychoanalysts had with each other, and with their patients. With one patient, in particular: Sabina Spielrein, a hysteroid young woman, who arrives (or, better to say, is delivered) to a Swiss clinic to get psychological treatment from Carl Jung—a young, convinced follower of Dr. Freud’s method. Jung uses dream interpretation and word associations as a part of the treatment; he also has long conversations with Sabina, and when her condition stabilizes, Jung starts to notice that she is clever, discerning… and beautiful.
In the process of treatment, Jung discovers that Sabina’s condition was caused by humiliations her short-tempered father caused her when she was little; the repressed arousal she felt when being punished, as well as a number of other factors caused Sabina’s hysteria and masochistic propensity. The more Jung learns about Sabina, the more he likes her; he is married, however, and cannot afford cheating on his wife… at first.
Later, after talking to Dr. Eugen Bleuler, who believed that repressing sexual impulses is the shortest way to psychological traumas, Jung finally subdues to passion and starts a whirlwind romance with Sabina.
Retelling the plot any further would make little sense, since its intricacies are worth seeing with your own eyes rather than being read about.
I’ll just mention that gradually, Jung realizes the limitations of Freud’s method—not without Sabina’s help—and starts developing his own concepts, which lays the basis for future conflict between these two psychoanalysts.
The relationship with Sabina is not easy either… but alright, enough spoilers.
What I enjoy about the movie are the characters. Each of them has a specific feature, so to say, a line of behavior, and the actors do their best to reveal the motives, feelings, and conflicts driving Freud, Jung, and Sabina. I especially enjoyed Viggo Mortensen’s depiction of Sigmund Freud; an authoritative old man, proud with the importance of the treatment method he discovered—and at the same time manically afraid of his authority being questioned and shaken.
Freud fiercely opposes any new ideas that might change psychoanalysis as he sees it; in particular, this is why he does not accept Jung’s theories, and later claims to be disappointed in him. Jung, in his turn, is torn apart between his moral principles restricting any relationship between doctors and patients, his passion for Sabina Spielrein, his reputation, and his family. Besides, he feels that Freud’s method is imperfect, that a manic desire of the latter to conserve psychoanalysis and keep it away from changes does more harm to science than good; and at the same time, he respects his teacher and does not venture to oppose him yet. Finally, Sabina, whose hysteria, love for Dr. Jung, and her own vision and understanding of psychoanalysis, brings even more chaos to this tangled clue of relationships.
The camera work in the movie is excellent as well: decorations, costumes, and design—generally speaking, the visual part of the movie—is almost perfect. The atmosphere of Europe of the 19th century is conveyed brilliantly.
There are, however, several drawbacks that can slightly spoil the general positive impression of the movie. To start with, despite the film’s title, the actual psychoanalysis, is paid far less attention than it deserves.
When I started watching “A dangerous method,” I rather expected to see a battle of ideas, an opposition between Freud and Jung, who would prove the worthiness of their methods, with Sabina Spielrein as their patient. Yes, I know that in real life, Jung indeed had an affair with Sabina, but besides romance there was also a lot of psychoanalysis going on between the two of them. However, instead of a thrilling psychological drama, David Cronenberg preferred to exploit Sabina’s masochism: if you want to see Dr. Carl Jung spanking naked Keira Knightley, this movie is for you.
Jokes aside, the story is not bad—just not something someone would probably expect from a movie about the two most famous psychoanalysts of all times.
Overall, “A Dangerous Method” is definitely worth watching. The acting, plot, and the visual component is great; however, if you are looking for a clever psychological thriller, you might feel disappointed. Here is the trailer for the movie:
Tomboy is the nickname that I got as a kid and teenager for preferring sport outfits over dresses, playing football rather than taking care of dolls and Barbie's and having more male friends than female. Tomboy is defined in Wikipedia as "a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of a boy, including wearing masculine clothing and engaging in games and activities that are physical”. This is how I was defined since an early age for choosing not to play my social role, I still remember the day my mom freaked out when she found out that I took the class picture wearing my Power Rangers outfit rather than a dress and a red lipstick just like the other " normal" girls in my class. I also still remember me being disappointment at my dad for not buying me a Maccabi's Haifa football outfit as he did for my brothers.
Society's has an effect on the roles of men and women, they are trained at a very early age to do specific chores and play specific roles according to their gender. Little boys are not born loving balls and cars while little girls fall in love with baby dolls, it is imposed upon them by society. It is not socially acceptable for a boy to play with a pink Barbie doll. This way of raising children will determine the roles that they will play later on in life. Even as teenager girls do the dishes while boys mow the lawn. As adult women tend to take care of the home while men take care of business outside of the home. Society is using the biological difference between men and women as a justification for forcing different social roles on both sexes. Our attitudes and behavior is shaped and limited by social roles, as well as our appearance: a man has to appear masculine while a woman must be feminine. Even though it may sound cliché people still force social roles these days rather than teaching kids to be who or what they want.
The most alluring feature of Club Tropicana are the drinks - they are absolutely free. Starting with the sparkling white wine at the check in, the umbrellaed cocktails while you wait for the suitcases to find their way to your room, the icy sloshies by the pool, the wine with dinner, the brandy after dinner and the shots during the post dinner dancing, by the time I got to looking at what was promised to be a stunning view, my vision was simply not up to the task.
Through my blurred vision, and as the rocky surface got dangerously friendly with my cheek, a kind and smiling stranger took my hand, sat me down, found a vain and led me to that special paradise only the dangerously wasted can experience through the gentle bite of an intravenous hydration. It is impressively rare for a hotel to be so well equipped to handle its patrons' special needs - as I woke up and saw the familiar mustach of the pool's bartender I learned that all alcohol serving staff are also trained nurses, fully prepared for such situations.
The next 2 days were a dream. With a serine and unending desert surrounding the hotel, Club Tropicana looks like an especially scrumptious mirage. From the inside it feels like the world has finally ended and all the was left are very, to extremely, tipsy young people ready to welcome the apocalypse with excessive sinning.
There were two things that made the experience just shy of perfect. While I am a huge fan of the 80s vibe, apparently the 80s were not very vegan friendly, and, aside from alcohol, my diet consisted mostly of french fries and ketchup. The other thing was the unfortunate absence of a beach - the whole atmosphere was very tropical and a sea was truly missing in order to complete it.
If you are young, available, have a strong liver and low morals, Club Tropicana has a whole lot of fun and sunshine waiting just for you. If you are vegan make sure to pack your own tofu into your bag. Other than that, the best advice I can give you is to catch the next plane and leave tonight.
Have you ever
heard about Tourette's Syndrome? Do you know what it means and what effects it
has?
I hadn't heard
about it before I watched "Front of the Class".
As a parent and as
a teacher, I would definitely recommend watching this film. The plot centres
around a man dealing with the challenge of Tourette's Syndrom. It shows us how
it affects his life from childhood and how he manages to overcome all the obstacles
at the beginning with his mother's help then thanks to his perseverance. The
plot is based on a true story which follows the life of Brad Cohen.
The movie is
thoroughly engaging with a light and merry music. James Wolk is brilliant in
the role of Brad with an excellent imitation of the syndrome's voices and no, it
is not funny or cynical. One just needs to see it in order to understand it.
I really enjoyed
this moving film for the different uplifting messages we can learn from it.
First of all it has a hint of optimism. Then, it gives us a different insight
on handicaped or annoying children and how we can just look for
the treasures that lay inside them despite all the appearances. As educators, I
really think we should strive to help kids bring their inner treasures out
(although it is generally very hard).
Inspiring is also
the hero's struggle to fulfill his dream to become a teacher. For that he
has to overcome many hurdles and the first one is how people look at him and
even his father doesn't believe in his abilities. The fact that he is not
discouraged and becomes a gifted teacher is outstanding in my eyes.
"Front of the
Class", the hero being whether a child or a teacher, a touching
movie which depicts the hero's struggle to have a normal life, will not let you
stay indifferent.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Lion is the heartbreaking and inspiring original true story of the lost little boy who found his way home twenty-five years later and is now a major film starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara.
The Dalai Lama XIVI once said: "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."
We are all familiar with bullying.Bullying meets us almost everywhere. Nowadays, there is an increase in violence and bullying among children and teenagers. One of the issues with bullying is, what should one do if one sees someone else being bullied?
My mother and I wanted to go out to the movies
together. "Let's go watch something that's worth watching at the cinema,
instead of downloading at home like we always do", I said, and my mother
had the perfect movie in mind; "Let's go to Hidden Figures', I think it
fits perfectly to what you want." I read the synopsis and I understood
that the plot revolves around NASA and mathematics... Not exactly my cup of tea.
I have found myself in many situations in life thinking of the best way to deliver my feedback in a way which will get the most effective result and in the most positive way. I think that the way you provide your feedback to your students as well as to your kids is crucial for their cooperation and attitude towards learning in the future.
After trying
going out and enjoying different kind of restaurants, I came to the
conclusion that the best food is at home. There are many reasons why. Some of
them are well-known, some of them not. The first good reason is that you know what
is inside what you are eating and this is very important in my eyes. The second
reason is that it is a very challenging art to cook if you want to be audacious while
being limited by various constraints: earthly limits, religious limits and
endless inventiveness. Sometimes I feel like a scientific researcher doing
experiments in a lab or like an engineer creating a new engine especially since I
have some chemistry and physics background. In the same way, I sometimes feel like
an artist finishing his or her work.
This is an exciting story about a couple of righteous gentiles who saved more than 300 Jews during the Holocaust. Dr. Jan Żabiński and his wife, Antonina were the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo. At the beginning of the movie they are seen very much devoted to their work and in general very good and humble people. When Germany invaded Poland, their zoo was destroyed and as a plan to save Jews they offered the Germans to make it a facility for pigs. Dr. Jan Żabiński got inside the Warsaw ghetto to take out trash in order to feed the pigs and smuggled Jews to his zoo. That way they managed to save hundreds of Jews during the war.
The latest hit among children is the "Spinner". It drives everyone crazy. Children are asking for it and teachers are asking the children not to have it. This spinner is sold as some helper for children with ADHD however we don’t really know if it’s true. As far as i can tell this little spinning device makes these children more focused on how to spin it rather than listen to the teacher in the class. They are less involved in the lesson and it is also a distraction to other children around them. As a teacher with ADD I find it very HARD to teach while the children play with the spinner in class. I hear the noise it makes and it interferes with my thoughts while teaching. If we really want to help children with ADD/ADHD give them some Play-Doh in their hands. It is cheaper than the spinner and it can do a better job as a focusing technique in class.
We need to be more creative as teachers and not allow these "games" be in our class. we need tools to help children deal with their listening problems. It’s not easy but we can do it!!!
I'm glad to introduce to you all the first class flight's services!
We can see in movies how other people fly first class, but why don’t try this privilege yourself? To enjoy the luxury and benefits with no stress on a short haul or long haul. Indeed, it’s not cheap but there are times in life that you can allow yourself to be spoiled a little especially if there is some special occasion coming up or someone special you want to pamper…
A year ago, when Eden, my youngest daughter was on her final school year, she announced her intention to volunteer for a year before going to the army. The organization of her choice was AMICHAI – a parent based organization which is aimed at children and adults with mental disabilities. I had mixed feelings about her decision. On the one hand, I couldn’t be prouder of her. She was clearly following in her sister’s and my footsteps. On the other hand, at that point in time my daughter was very childish and knowing what it was like to work with people with disabilities, I was afraid for her delicate soul. Little did I know!
Do you believe that books and movies that we read and watch or conversations that we were "occasionally" involved in and people we have bumped into come to us by chance? Personally, I do not. There are a couple of reasons that the book I’m about to talk about has come into my hands. I have been processing the data for my seminar papers for about a couple of months, hence I have been reading relatively a lot about education, psychology and a strong connection between the two. I want you, readers, to breathe the air of excitement I had after encountering the "Psychology of Hope" by Snyder, C.R.
I'm interested to know whether others my age would want to see this movie knowing the plot. For whom who like nostalgia they will probably enjoy and not feel childish going to see it because it isn’t animated. Also, comparing to the animated movie from 1991 it has more details and is less simplified, which makes you feel that it is appropriate to watch at your age.
We've known this since we were babies. Maybe back then, we knew it even better than we do now.
Many things we do instinctively have healing benefits. Did you know, for example, that simply placing your palm on your forehead helps neutralize your body's "fight or flight" response and gets your brain out of its blackout state when you are unable to think?
"Kings and queens don't seem so far...." #King'sBlood Source: Twitter
It was another casual Thursday, my shift in Perach was over, and I was waiting at the central station for the bus to get back home. While I was waiting, something weird happened to me. A band I never heard of before followed me on Twitter. I usually do not follow back because they all sound the same to me, but something about the band’s name (Secondborn) caught my attention. Since the bus was late and I had some free time, I decided to check the band’s video clips on YouTube, and while I listened to the songs on YouTube, suddenly, I realized that I was falling in love with their music.
If you are a person who likes tanning in the sun,
eating quality food, drinking special wines and relaxing through meditation-
Cramim hotel is a perfect place for you!
Not long after I finished My Brilliant Friend, I gathered that its sequel, The Story of a New Name, is out in stores. I hurried to get it, not knowing than that it would be the finest novel I ever laid my hungry fingers on.
Years
ago, when it was published in Israel, I read The Days of Abandonment by the
anonymous Italian author who is known by her pseudonym Elene Ferrante. The
novel was an international success, and when it was translated into Hebrew it
was not long before it reached the best-selling book list and received praise
from literature critics in Israel. But to me, a bookworm ever since I learned
my Aleph Bet, the book was slightly overrated. It contained graphic language,
but that was not an advantage or a disadvantage. It dealt with the subject of
rage, and I found it hard to read two-hundred pages about rage, since it is not
an evolving emotion. Many years have passed since I purchased that yellow cover
skinny novel, and again, the newspapers and media feeds were all singing
praises for Elene Ferrante, be whoever she may be, and her new novel translated
to Hebrew, My Brilliant Friend. Curios
by the ongoing accolades, and the different poets and screenwriters who posted
photos of the book lying on their coffee table, I decided not to go against the
flow – and give this new novel a go myself.
This is the movie everybody is
talking about and for good reason. I have recently seen the movie in the cinema
and would like to recommend you go to the movies. Today!!
La La Land is a romantic musical set in Los Angeles. Emma Stone gives a wonderful
performance as an actress struggling to succeed
(Mia Dolen) and mail lead Ryan Gosling gives a brilliant performance as a jazz musician (Seb. Wilder).both actors
were nominated for Oscar for best actor/actress in leading role. Music, costume
design, directing, original screenplay are among other categories it was nominated for the Oscar. 14 categories all in all.
The plot of the movie follows these two characters
as they struggle in their line of work trying to make their dreams come true,
while along the way they meet and
eventually fall in love.
The excellent music, graceful dancing and colorful
clothes will keep you in a trance for days after you have seen the movie. The morning after I saw the film I felt like
putting on a bright dress and dancing all the way to school. Not to mention the
catchy musical tune that ran in my head throughout the day. La L a land is a
movie that will keep you smiling even after you have left the theater despite
the fact that the movie ends quite differently
than you would like it to…. I will not give
it away. You just have to go and see for yourself.
This movie is witty, charming, soul
full and lovely. I urge those who haven’t already seen this movie to hurry up and
see it.
