University event uncalled for

Some media reports say a university's library organized an event, called "Reading Life's Experiences", by inviting two lecturers to play "human books". The lecturers were to present their experiences and answer the questions of "book borrowers".

One of the lecturers, with rich experience on how to improve one's English skills, was from the Department of Foreign Language and Culture. Also on the team was a senior student, the president of the student union and a successful member of a board games bar.

It was therefore not surprising to see students eager to ask practical questions like "How to deal with the CET-6 English exam?" and "How to earn the first pot of gold?"

I don't want to criticize these students or have no intention of labeling them opportunists. I just wonder why a college library prefers to organize such a training seminar instead of disseminating practical knowledge among students.

Some would say it is because today's universities have been forced to change their position from a temple of knowledge to a quasi-market place. Thus every student should be ready to accept the challenges that they would face after graduation.

But the questions the students asked at the "Reading Life's Experiences" event suggest many of them were still dreaming of achieving success through the short cut. I think it's more important to teach students to keep an open mind and desist from acquiring instrumentalists' habits, for the latter can have a negative influence on their future life.

Xuan Dong, via e-mail

Israel's security obligations

Comment on "Irresponsible Israel" (China Daily, Dec 26)

Israel remains fully committed to achieving peace with the Palestinians, based on the principle of two states for two peoples. The only way to achieve such a peace is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' approach to the UN General Assembly's request that Palestine be recognized as a non-member state was a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords, under which any change in the Palestinians' status is to come about only through negotiations with Israel.

Under such circumstances, including the upraise of Hamas, a "terrorist organization" in the West Bank, Israel has the obligation to safeguard its security interests, including the E1 area which is a small 4.6 square miles corridor connecting Jerusalem to a Israeli town with a population of 40,000.

Ran Peleg, spokesman at Embassy of Israel, via fax

(China Daily 01/07/2013 page9)