My Strory

Three years ago, when I was 14, my family moved here from a small village east of Khemisset. I had lived all my life with my parents and sisters in that peaceful and quiet village. My parents said it was important for my future and that of my sisters.

A few days after we had settled in Khemisset things began to change. In addition to a different new house, different people, and different school, there was a totally different father. My dad has completely changed. He has changed for the worse. He has become tense and aggressive at times towards me of all my other sisters.

His behavior confuses and hurts me. He tells me off all the time for the things he ignored before. He has become a nagging father, and very critical of whatever small and childish –typical of a child- thing I do. He complains about me all the time, and every small mistake I make is met with criticism instead of advice as before.

I know neither the reason nor the cure, but he often tells Mom that it is for my own good and that I am not a child anymore. He usually adds that it’s high time I behaved like a grown up and started to think about the future.

I am lying if I said I am not sad. However, I need to be stoical about it and keep a clear mind to face the baccalaureate exam. It is my passport to the future.

By L. C.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Boarding School

A boarding school is a school which provides living accommodation –meals and lodging- for some or all of its students. However, a Moroccan boarding school has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, a boarding school can be a great place to meet new people and make new close friends. Also, it is a great solution for people who cannot afford to rent a suitable home in big cities for their kids. Besides, living in a boarding school teaches discipline, adaptation, and academic excellence as well as the values of social adjustment, leadership, initiative, and sharing. In addition, student can learn to be independent and gain a sense of autonomy, which will help them in the long run. Last but not least, a boarding school provides students with the opportunity to engage in a variety of extra-curricular activities that they may otherwise miss out on.
On the other hand, the life of a boarder is a bit too regimented: meals, rising, and going to bed at specific hours. Also, some boarders feel homesick, lonely, and unhappy about being away from parents and loved ones. Besides, a boarding school may be a place to pick up a bad habit like smoking, drugs and other practices if the boarder gets into bad company. Ultimately, a boarding school is sometimes a breeding ground for students’ inappropriate behavior like bullying, petty theft, fighting and the like.
All in all, a boarding school has great facilities for boarders. So students should keep a positive attitude towards it and try to get the maximum benefit possible.

By M.O.

Causes and Effects of Deforestation

The tropical rainforest holds millions of unique plants, animals, and people. This important environmental treasure is being destroyed rapidly for multiple reasons. This will certainly have serious negative effects on biodiversity, the climate and people.

One of the main causes of destruction is logging for timber. Millions of trees are cut down every year, often illegally, and the valuable wood is taken and not replaced.

Besides, trees are cut down to use as firewood, especially in developing countries. Clearing is used, as well, to create land for grazing cattle and for growing crops.

Due to this deforestation, thousands of species of animals and plants disappear each year. These plants and animals could provide us with food, medicine or valuable products. So, this leads to a poorer world with less biodiversity.

In addition, the destruction of the rainforest results in exposing the soil to the heavy rain and to the sun, making it very dry and eventually, infertile and useless. Thus, the forest cannot grow again, and the people who used the land have to move on.

Another serious effect is global warming. When the trees in the rainforest are cut down, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide acts as a blanket, trapping the sun’s heat and warming the planet.

To sum up, the rainforest is important for the environment because it produces oxygen, stores carbon and has huge stores of timber, minerals, medicinal plants and food. I hope that each and everyone of us will take some action to address this problem and stop the disaster before it’s too late.

N.B.

Is TV Good or Bad?

TV has become part of our everyday life. It is an indispensable living room accessory which has many advantages and disadvantages.

One point in favor of TV is that it is informative. People may get a wealth of information from documentaries and similar other programs as well as world news and events sitting on a coach at home. Advertisement , also, provides TV viewers with information and news about new products and innovations. Besides, TV is entertaining and fills in time. It provides its viewers with a wide range of game shows, comedy shows, movies, songs, sports events and so on to amuse, relax, and excite. In addition, TV is educational and helps widen people's knowledge. People can learn languages, history and geography of the world from some TV channels. Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, for example, are a window into other cultures and into the life of other creatures.

On the other hand, TV has many disadvantages. To begin with, TV can steal people's time. Imagine kids who watch TV four hours a day: these children do a minimum of homework, read less and do not concentrate. Also, TV makes people lazy as it is extremely addictive. TV addicts play less sport and are reluctant to do house chores or help around the house. These coach potatoes are unlikely to develop social skills or learn good manners. Last but not least, TV exposes people, especially kids, to negative influences. These influences include violence, alcohol, drug abuse and pornography.

To conclude, TV is not good or bad; it's all about how we use it. To get the best of it, we need to budget our time and choose what to watch as well as monitor children's TV experience and set viewing limits for them.

BY N.L.

The Benefits of Humor

The pace and demands of modern life has made us stressed out, unhappy, impatient and frustrated; hence the importance of humor in our lives. Homor has both health and social benefits whose aggregate make up a happy life.

The health benefits of humor are numerous. Scientists have found that humor boosts the immune system and improves resistance to diseases. It, also, protects people's hearts because laughter increases blood flow and, thus, improves the function of blood vessels. In addition, humor decreases tension, relaxes muscles, lowers stress and helps release pent-up feelings.

As for the social benefits of humor, they are so evident and obvious. First, humor helps us make friends easily, unites us and reduces our hostility. As Victor Borge said, “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” Jokey people are magnets with many friends and never feel lonely. Also, Humor helps us succeed in life. Cheerful people look at life with a positive eye, "play" with problems and know how to talk to people. In Henry Ward Beecher's words, "A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs--jolted by every pebble in the road."

To sum up, humor is an antidote to stress and conflicts. So one needs to create and find opportunities to laugh. These include watching comedy films, playing with kids and pets, reading funny pages and websites, seeking out funny people and avoiding sour ones.

By S.O.

Is Technology Good or Bad?

Technology is an important part of our life. It gives us knowledge, saves labor, and entertains us. However, there are some negative aspects about technology. It can ruin people's lives and health in different ways.

On the one hand, technology has benefited us in many ways. First, it has facilitated communication because it has turned the world into a global village. Also, technology has improved our lives a lot. Vacuum cleaners, washing machines, computers etc all save us time, money and resources and do complex tasks. In addition, technology helps improve education. Students can access more information and a lot easier than before. Today, with the Internet, the sky is the limit for accessing all kinds of information and broaden our knowledge.

On the other hand, technology has a dark side too. It creates unemployent because machines take the place of people and a small tool can do the work of many workers. Also, technology can create addiction. This dependency on the machine can make people lose many social skills, as is the case with computers, as well as cause or worsen diseases. Moreover, machines create a digital divide between the North and South and within the same society. So, many people are left out and behind.

In a nutshell, technology is both good and bad like anything else in life. It all depends on the intention of the user who should approach it in a more rational way.

By M.E.