Templates

Templates of My Texts

Here come some samples of the texts I've written for my clients. Please contact me if you need a good writer.

Dear Madame, Sir

I am the owner of (this company), a company which specializes in buying and reselling used consumer electronics, cellular phones included. We have been on the market for 5 years now and we help people recycle their old devices and save money.

Our company currently buys dozens of cell phones every day. And I am writing to express my deep concern about the situation on the cellular phones markets, as our experience proves that cell phones carriers and manufactures are not doing enough to find ways to stop or at least reduce the criminal activity on the very lucrative illegal cell phones market.

Believe me, we at iGotOffer know what we are talking about. In our opinion, based on our experience, carriers and manufacturers are to blame for this situation, as we (and I suppose, our competition) try to do everything to prevent the theft of cell phones.

What happens? When we buy a used and old cell phone we always try to check if the item has been reported stolen or lost. Even more, we state on our Website that we will never buy a device reported stolen or lost, we will never return it to the seller and we will report to the law enforcement authorities every case of such items. Nevertheless, we receive these items regularly, and unfortunately, there is no secure way to check and tell with certainty that we deal with a stolen phone.

On the contrary, the existent legal conditions accommodate the resale of the stolen phones!

Indeed, each time we receive a cellular phone, we try to communicate with the manufacturer or with the carrier, but each time the decision to disclose the information on the phone depends on the good will of an employee, not on the law or or other regulations.

The process of obtaining information is long, slow and painful. All the carriers systematically refuse to give information about the phone's unique identifying number. The carriers have never added their databases of stolen cell phones to public access. The situation is the same with the manufacturers. For example, Apple Computers Inc. has assured us that they report all the unique identifiers to an « « « « Association » » » » which is supposed to share its database with customers. However, when we tried to obtain information, they denied that they ever had such database, and they insisted that they have never got any information from Apple Computers regarding stolen or lost iPhones.

Our experience shows that the carriers and manufacturers are not interested in collaborating with companies which have suspected cell phones in their possession ( for example, a thief sent them a device trying to sell it as a legitimate item). Every time we try to determine if an item has been reported stolen, we run into the wall of indifference.

We ask therefore that the Attorney General Office examines the situation in order to adapt legislation making illegal for the carriers and manufacturers to refuse public access to their database concerning identifiers of the items reported lost or stolen. The situation requires urgent action given the level of crime surrounding cell phones.

Sincerely yours,

the x Company owner.

We take great pride in our testimonials. Nothing makes our day like hearing a customer say, “Thank you for helping us...” Photo by Elena.

Hidden

Hidden a Novel by Catherine McKenzie

When Tish leaves my room, I realize I can't stay in this town any longer. Coming here in the first place was probably a massive mistake. Before, I had questions. Now, I have answers, but can I believe them? Can they possibly be true? If only there was a way to verify them, to not have to rely on the word of someone I don't know and, instinctively, don't trust.

I check online and if I don't care about arriving in the middle of the night, I can get home. I throw on my clothes, zip up my suitcase, and drive the car back to the rental place.

I have half an hour to wait at the airport, and those minutes of being alone in a crowd give me an idea. Maybe there is a way I can check some of the things she said. Maybe there's some certainty I can seek from a third party.

It's late, but it isn't too late for that.

I use my phone to find a number on the company website and call.

“John Scott,” he says, his voice rough and slightly slurred. “Hi, John, this is Claire Manning.”

A pause. Ice clicks in a glass. “Claire. My goodness. We didn't get a chance to speak... the other day. I'm so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

“I... did you need something?”

I can't think of any way to say this that won't make him think I'm crazy, but I have to go ahead anyway, and at least I have recent widowhood to fall back on if I ever need to explain myself.

“You were at that retreat, right? The one in Palm Springs?”

“Sure. It was excited. He... had fun. Look, this is going to sound nuts, but do you remember getting a prize pack there? A kind of gift bag?”

His ice clinks again, a deep swallow. “Um, oh, yes. That's right. Would you still happen to have it, by any chance?”

“What's all this about?”

I almost hang up, but I have to know ore than I care what he thinks of me.

“Could you check? It's important. And hard to explain.”

“Yes, all right. Let me ask Cindy.”

He clunks the phone down and I hunch over in my seat, a cramp of nervousness attacking my stomach. I take a few deep breaths and straighten myself up, looking out the black windows at the sihouette of the mountains that surround this Springfield.

A thud. A scrape. “Claire You still there?”

“Still there.”

“Cindy had it. She's such a pack rat.” He chuckles. A bag crinkles. “You want the inventory.”

“You still have the whole thing?”

“It was in her processing area. She has this kind of staging area where she keeps stuff before she turns in into crafts.”

“Give me a sec. Okay, one mini-album of photos fro the office, courtesy of Jeff. He used one of those programs, like a computer thing -”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Of course. Ha! Tom's going to die when I show him this one.”

“Was there anything else?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry. There's a macrame picture frame. That must be from that crone from the other Springfield, and a book of... poetry it looks like. Ah, yes, the golf girl's daughter.”

“Would you mind... is there an inscription in there?”

“Let me check.” The pages flip. “Here we go. “I'm proud mama.” Huh. What an odd thing to write.”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“That's it. Did you need anything else?”

“What? Oh, no. Only... did you notice if Jeff was... spending any time with anyone in particular over the weekend?”

He chuckles again. “You mean his dinner companion? I wouldn't worry about that. He rebuffed her pretty hard. Though I couldn't see why. Flirting never hurt anyone, am I right?”

Some secrets should stay hidden. Illustration by Elena.

Appeal of Christianity

The Appeal of Christianity

From humble beginnings in Palestine, Christianity spread to the eastern cities of the Roman Empire and then throughout the entire Roman word. Scholars have suggested many reasons for the widespread appeal of Christianity.

The simple, direct message of Christianity appealed to many people. The poor and oppressed found hope in the God who loved people regardless of their place in society. Equality, human dignity, and, above all, the promise of eternal life were comforting teachings. Many educated people who had rejected the Roman gods and the mystery religions turned to Christianity. To them, the Christian emphasis on a life of moderation and discipline echoed Greek and Roman philosophies.

The work of dedicated missionaries such as Paul was made easier by the unity of the Roman Empire and the ease of travel between cities. In the eastern Mediterranean, the use of a common language, Greek, and the concentration of people in cities contributed to the early success of Christianity. Furthermore, many early Christians were women who brought other members of their families ino the faith/ In some Christian communities, women conducted worship services and enjoyed equality with men.

During the troubles of the later Roman Empire, the old mystery religions lost vitality. As Christianity gained in strength, more people adopted the religion. Eventually, Christians developed an efficient, dynamic church organization. The Christian Church maintained unity among its members and ensured the survival of the new faith.

The blood of the martyrs”, wrote one Roman “is the seed of the Church. Photo of  the St.Thomas Church, Huron Street, Toronto by Elena.

Church Organization

  

The Christian Church developed gradually during the first few centuries A.D. At first, bishops ranked as the highest officials. Each bishop administrated the churches in a territory called a sea. Below the bishops were priests, who conducted worship services and taught Christian beliefs. As the Church expanded, archbishops were appointed to oversee the bishops. An Archbishop's territory was called a province. The type of organization in which officials are arranged according to rank is called a hierarchy.

As the Church hierarchy emerged, women lost their influence in Church government. They were not allowed to become priests or conduct the Mass, the Christian worship service. But women continued to play a prominent role in spreading Christian teachings across the Roman world.

In time, the bishop of Rome acquired a dominant position in the Church by claiming that Peter, the chief Apostle, had made Rome the center of the Christian Church. The bishop of Rome eventually took the title pope, or father of the Church. Bishops in the eastern Mediterranean cities such as Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch opposed the pope's claim to be supreme ruler of the church.

Together, the clergy, which included archbishops, bishops, and priests, helped keep Christianity alive in the early years of persecution. The clergy also maintained order and discipline in the Church. For example, bishops and archbishops met in councils to decide which ideas or practices the Church would accept. In 325 A.D. Church officials met in Nicaea in Asia Minor, where they drew up the Nicene Creed, a statement of basic Christian beliefs. 

Persecution and Toleration

Unlike other religions within the Roman Empire, Christianity aroused official persecution because Christians refused to worship the emperor. Roman authorities had excused Jews from emperor worship out of respect for their ancient traditions. Bu Roman authorities saw Christians as dangerous troublemakers because they were winning converts throughout the empire.

Official policy alternated between brutal persecution and toleration. Emperors tended to use Christians as scapegoats, especially when political or economic conditions were bad. Both Peter and Paul perished in Rome under the persecution of the emperor Nero.

Persecution strengthened rather than weakened the new religion. During periods of intense persecution, some Christians renounced their faith. But many others became martyrs, people who suffer or die for their beliefs. Christians believed that  martyrs received God's special favor. “The blood of the martyrs”, wrote one Roman “is the seed of the Church.” Many people were impressed by a faith that inspired such devotion in its followers, and they converted in great numbers.

The emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity. In 313 A.D., he introduced a policy of official toleration by the Edict of Milan. Christianity achieved its greatest triumph in 395 A.D., when it was proclaimed the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Each bishop administrated the churches in a territory called a sea. Picture by Elena.

Vox-Chapter 25

Vox by Christina Dalcher (excerpt, chapter Twenty Five)

My office is something between a cave and a monk's cell, but less luxurious given the pair of desks and chairs crammed inside. Also, it lacks a window, unless you count the glass pane in the door that gives the work space all the privacy of a fishbowl. A scarf and purse, both on the tattered side of wear, site on one one of the desks. I recognize both as Lin's.

Morgan shows me inside and leaves me to get settled. He says he'll come back in a few minutes to take me around the lab, get me set up with an ID tag, and show me where the copier room and the printer are are. I now know nothing I do here will be unseen by other eyes.

Oddly, I don't care. The idea of seeing Lin again, of talking to her working with her, has me as high as a schoolgirl at her first dance. 

“Or, my god,” a wisp of a voice says from the doorway.

Lin Kwan is a small woman. I often told Patrick she could fit in one of my pants legs – and I'm only five and a half feet and 120 soaking wet, thanks to the stress diet I've been on for the past several months. Everything about her is small: her voice, her almond eyes, the sleek bob that barely reaches below her ears. Lin's breasts and ass make me look like a Peter Paul Rubens model. But her brain – her brain is a leviathan of gray matter. It would have to be; MIT doesn't hand out dual PhDs for nothing.

Like me, Lin is a neurolinguist. Unlike me, she's a medical doctor, a surgeon, to be specific. She left her practice fixing brains fifteen years ago, when she was in her late forties, and moved to Boston.

Five years later, she left with a doctorate in each hand, one in cognitive science, one in linguistics. If anyone can make me feel like the class dunce, it's Lin.

An I love her for it. She sets the bar as high as Everest.

Lin steps in and glances down at my left writs. “You too, huh?” The she bear-hugs me,, which is interesting since she's shorter and narrower than I am. It's a little being bear-hugged by a Barbie doll.

“Me too,” I say, laughing and crying at the same time.

After what seems like an hour, she releases me from her clutch and steps back. “You're exactly the same. Maybe even younger-looking.”

“Well, it's amazing what a year off of working for you has done,” I say.

The humor doesn't work. She shakes her head and raises a hand, thumb and forefinger a fraction of an each apart. “I was this close to going to Malasiya to visit my family. This close.” Her fingers fly apart into a starfish as she blows our air. “Gone. Gone in a bloody day.”

“You sound like the queen,” I say. “Except for the bloody part.” 

No one writes a long novel alone (Stephen King). Illustration by Elena.

Golden Age of Athens

Golden Age of Athens

In 477 B.C., more than 160 delegates from Greek cities met on the island of Delos. They formed a defensive alliance to guard against possible future Persian attacks. The alliance was called the Delian League. Athens, the greatest commercial and naval power, dominated the alliance from the start. The larger cities-states supplied ships, and the smaller ones made annual payments. Athenians collected the tribute, commanded the league's fleet, and dictated policy. In 454 B.C., as evidence of its dominance, Athens moved the league treasury from Delos to Acropolis.

Through its control of the Delian League, Athens established an empire. Riches from trade and tribute poured into the city. In an atmosphere of prosperity, Athenians enjoyed their greatest political freedom ever, and Greek culture bloomed. The period following the Persian Wars has often been called the “Golden Age of Athens.”

The chief architect of Athenian policy during this period was Pericles. The son of a noble family, Pericles had received an excellent education and had won fame as a general, statesman, poet, and philosopher. Between 461 B.C. And 429 B.C., Pericles dominated Athenian political life.Because of his many achievements, he came to symbolize Athenian greatness.

Pericles undertook an ambitious building program to beautify Athens. In 480 B.C., the Persians had destroyed the city and its sacred shrines. For years, the ruined temples served as reminders of the Persian menace. But Pericles proposed to rebuild the temples as monuments to the greatness of Athens. Atop of Acropolis, Athenians built the dazzling, white marble Parthenon (Pahr thuh NAHN), a temple to Athena. Phideas (FIHD ee uhs), considered the greatest sculptor of his day, carved a huge statue of Athena that stood inside the temple. Outside, there was another statue of Athena so large that returning sailors could see it far out at sea.

In addition to building temples, Athenians strengthened the defensive walls that connected Athens to the busy port of Piraeus. These building programs employed thousands of workers and attracted stonemasons and artisans from all over Greece. At the same time, talented artists, philosophers, and poets converged on Athens, making it the center of Greek culture. Pericles called Athens the “school of Greece” for its artistic and intellectual achievements as well as for its political system.

The past. Photograph by Elena.

The Height of Athenian Democracy

Democracy, which had been developing in Athens over many years, reached its peak under the leadership of Pericles. He opened all political offices to any citizen. He also arranged payment for jurors so that poor citizens as well as the wealthy could serve/ Furthermore, citizens employed in the building projects no longer depended on noble families for a living and felt freer to voice opinions in the Assembly.

Athens had a direct democracy – that is, all citizens had the right to attend the Assembly and cast a vote. Only a minority of Athenians were citizens. Therefore, the entire citizen body could meet in open discussion, and citizens did not elect people to represent the, Pericles believed that Athenian democracy owed its success to shared values, loyalty to the city, and a willingness to do public service.

But Athenian democracy was far from complete. Citizens had time for public service largely because they owned slaves who worked their land and ran their businesses. Most residents of Athens were not citizens and had no say in government. Furthermore, the many Greeks who flocked to Athens from other cities were considered foreigners and were usually denied citizenship. Women, too, had no political rights. Although Athenian democracy was limited, it served as the model for other Greek city-states.

The Peloponnesian Wars

Otheer Greek city-states resented Athenian success and power/ Some of them formed an alliance called the Peloponnesian League. This alliance was headed by Sparta. In 431 B.C., a dispute between Athens and Corinth, a member of the Peloponnesian League, flared into a major conflict. War engulfed all of Greece as Athens and its allies battled the Peloponnesian League. At the outset, the Athenian navy triumphed on the seas. But a Spartan army marched north into Attica and surrounded Athens, forcing Pericles to move the people inside the city walls. The overcrowed conditions that resulted caused an outbreak of plague. Over a third of the Athenian population, including Pericles, died.

Fighting dragged on for 27 years. Until the Athenian navy was destroyed and both sides were exhausted. Finally, with help from from the Persian navy, Sparta blockaded Athens while Spartan armies again surrounded the city. Facing starvation, Athens surrendered in 404 B.C. Sparta's allies in the Peloponnesian League called for the destruction of Athens. However, Sparta spared the city out of respect for Athens role in the Persian Wars.

The Peloponnesian Wars cost Athens its navy, its empire, and for a time its democratic form of government. Although Athens remained the cultural center of Greece, it never regained the power it had enjoyed during its golden age.

After the Peloponnesian Wars, the Greek city-states continued to fight among themselves, and Persia continued to encourage disunity. For all 100 years, the Greek city-states were at war, first against Persia and then among themselves. The struggles took a devastating themselves. The struggles took a devastating toll in lives and sapped the resources of the cities. Yet as you will read, this period was marked by great achievement in the arts and philosophy.

Remembering the past and the present. Photograph by Elena.