Climate Change: the future negative effects

This Monday is celebrated the Paris Summit 2015 about the climate change. For this reason, I looked for a new related to the future negative effects of the climate change. 

SUMMARY: 

The organization "Climate Central" demonstrated through a publication of an image, which would be the impact of the climate change in famous cities, most of them the one who are near the beach. The image is a worldmap that shows that cities like València or Barcelona will be under the ocean in a few years if we continue polluting the atmosphere, and the poles continue to melt because of the human activities. Even the streets and houses of New York and London, would disappear. It is evident that the simulate worldmap doesn't reflect the possibility of building a protection in a future.

What this image pretends, is to make people aware about what's happening, before de Paris Summit of this Monday 30th. A picture is worth a thousand words: this is what the organization Climate Change has pretend. 

PERSONAL OPINION: 

As the pictures shows clearly, if we don't do anything to stop the climate change, the future generation will recieve our disasters. This Monday all the world will be waiting for what the governments will decide to do, and of course, we have to act individually now. We have to begin with our basic activities, like having a shower or driving a car. It seems like what we do in our lives it won't change anything, but if all of us do something? What if everyone replaces the car for the bike? What if all of us stop buying industrial and polluting products? What if our countries promove reneweable energies? If we think in this way, maybe we'll stop the climate change. 

I really believe that all of us have to act right now, and start to educate children to take care of the world. Just in this way we'll avoid the creation of men and women that live to consume, with a materialist life. 

Kenya bus attack: Primary school head teacher plays dead to escape slaughter by Islamic extremists

SUMMARY:

The director of a primary school, explains how he saved his life acting like a dead during a slaughter in Kenya, where some terrorists set off the bus 28 passengers for not being Muslims.

Douglas Ochwodho , the survivor, said that all the people who weren’t from Somalia or who weren’t Muslims, were separated from the others and they had to lie on the ground because the terrorist had to kill them. One after another, until it was his turn. They weren’t sure if Douglas was dead or not, but when they see that he was lying with the other bodies, they thought that someone already shot it.

When Al-Shabab escaped from the crime scene, Douglas got up and went to the road for help. A truck stopped and took him to his school, which is located in Mandera. He said that he was on that bus heading for his home because the school had closed for Christmas holidays.

Ochwodho’s brother explains that Douglas was very lucky. The radical group didn’t shot him because the confusion was the blood that was in his body, which was not his: it was of the bodies he had next to him.

Al Shabab, to stop the bus through several bullets, but the driver resisted. Then, terrorists launched a grenade and finally, they controlled the bus. Once uploaded, they told to the 60 passengers to recite the Shahada, a religious creed, and if they didn’t know how to read it or say it, they had to die.

Among the 28 deaths, 19 were men and 9 women. 17 were teachers.

PERSONAL OPINION:

I support the right of freedom. All the freedoms that a person can have. Each person decides to be, in this case, believer or not. And if you decide to be a believer, only you can chose what religion you want to practice. Personally, I am a Muslim and I respect all the religions around me. So, I think honestly, that it’s extreme and inhuman what those people did. I think above all, we are all humans. And the first thing that should exist between us, is the respect. I think this "war of religions" is useless. It’s just that, a war, and according to what I know, none of them have anything good.

VOCABULARY:

-Hijacked: segrestat

-The killing spree: l’onada d’assassinats

-Slaughter: massacre

WHY IS HUMOR NECESSARY? THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD LAUGH

Could you imagine a week without laughing? A day without smiling? As the comedian Charles Chaplin said: A day without laughter is a day wasted. This affirmation is completely true, not only because of the feeling of well-being that a loud laughter causes within us, but for the several benefits of it. Most sudies showed that humor is mentally and physically healthy for humans. 

First of all, it lowers blood pressure, which means that reducing our level of stress hormones, our body cuts simultaneously tha anxiety and stress. Secondly, a good laugh triggers the release of endorphins, our body's natural pain killers. This scientific discovery can be associated with another Chaplin's quote: To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it. The third advantage is that it boosts T-cells, the cells that help us fight off sickness: it can be our disease prevention for winter! Furthermore, laughter stimulates the production of serotinin, a natural anti-depressent. And finally, it can help us tone our abs! This happen because our stomach muscules expand and contract while we are laughing out loud and it is a great cardio workout too. 

To sum up, having a good sense of humor accompanied by a cheerful attitude, can lighten up our spirit, make us feel emootiond like calm and pleasure, and also be protecting our body from illness. If you do not find a reason to laugh, just do it to improve you health!

Email to my teacher: Future and Dreams

Hi Sonia!

In this email, I will explain practically what is in my young mind right now, what it is like to see the world through my eyes and what will be my little contribution to make our planet a better place. Basically, you will know a bit of me and my dreams. Hope you like it!

I consider myself as an optimist and active person, bearing in mind that I am, like millions of teenagers, in a confused stage of my life. It is true that my daily routine it is not as dynamic and fresh as I would like, but I always see it all in a positive way, I really enjoy every moment. A peculiar feature of me is that I am a bold girl, and I admit that this is totally good! Because if I make a mistake, I just have another lesson and experience. My incredibly self-control helps me to face challenges without being so obsessive and If there is something I learned from adolescence is to be more confident and happy with yourself, have a permanent and indelible smile in your face, and spread this happiness to those who surround you.

Now that you know a bit of me, you have to know who will be the future me! Since we were in school, our parents and teachers asked about what we are going to do with our lives, who we want to be. Personally, I am of those disconcerted students that are not sure 100% of their future, but I have an idea.

When I close my eyes and I imagine where I see myself in 10 years, there are three places that comes to my head.

One of them is an office, being a businesswoman. I have a strong interest about how does it works the current society, I feel attracted by specifically the marketing, and why not, I would like to have my own enterprise. Another point of this profession that captures my attention is that the world of business had always been manly; I think we need more women in a field like this!

My second option is to be a journalist. If I finally decide to study journalism, it will be aiming to investigate. I feel appeal to show the truths hidden in this world, and speak up for those who are afraid. She is not a journalist, but my model to follow is Malala Yousafzai; I admire her with all my strength.

The third and last place where I see my future me, is in front of kids, teaching. Since I was a little girl I have always helped my classmates in every doubt or difficulty that they had, and I felt satisfied. I currently do it, it fills me to know that with my help my friends or brothers understand the lessons. Education is a key for our world, because students of today are the citizens of tomorrow, so If I can contribute, I will feel compensated.

This year has begun the countdown, and we are all minded that we have to make important decisions in a few months. Whatever my choice may be, I will work so hard to achieve my goal.

TED: A life lesson from a volunteer firefighter

In this video, Mark Bezos explains us his experience as a volunteer firefighter in a specific situation that he lived. There was a fire in a house and when his friend (that worked as a volunteer too) and him ran rapidly to the house. The friend arrived first, so he had to save propietress's dog. But then, when it was Mark's turn to act, the captain just told him to enter the house and look for a shoes to the propietress who was in pyjamas and barefoot crying outside. Bezos wasn't expected that but he did it anyway. Weeks before all of the firefighters and also Mark recieved a letter to thanked them. 

This experience that he lived, has a moral quote in the background: "If you have something to give, give it now"-Mark Bezos. He suggest us to act. You can clean a neighboor park, sirve food in a social lunchroom, help kids with their homeworks. Maybe we can not save a life of somebody but we can influence in somebody's life positively. 

From my personal point of view, his speech is so inspiring. As Mark Bezos says, I really believe that every little sign we do to other people can brighten others day. I mean, with just smiling or listening to them can make a difference. And also it feels good to be nice with them. That is the true meaning of humanity; that makes us humans. 

THE NEW SYSTEM PROJECT

Capitalism is a system that has proven to be unfair and problematic. Has only done and caused problems and catastrophies of all types, from the socials inequalities to climate change. We need a new system that takes us from the ostracism to which we focus. 

Many important figures, are uniting them to demand a new system to replace the obsolete and failed capitalism which reigns and rules today. Prisons are increasingly full, the currency imbalance is growing, the Earth can't supports climate change and pollution: economic liberalism demonstrated that it is not the solution.

That is why we need another and different system, that will make us more collaborative, involving consciousness us in the future of the planet, that make us more solidarity with the most disadvantaged and make us realize that the world still has a solution.

We always think that big changes are impossible, but that's not true. What is needed is a bit of each of us, start from the daily life and go forward, because we will be more and more over time,  and finally we will get to our goal: a better world.

That's the video I have found, I'm sure that will makes you think over. Hope you like it!

FINAL REFLECTION

1. Can you see an improvement on your level of English in the past year/s? Where, for example? 2. Which activity best shows your level of English?

My English level has improved so much since I was studying in 4th ESO until now, finishin 1st Batxillerat. Chiefly, because this year we have done so many oral presentations, which helped me to improve my pronuntiation and speak fluently. I think my vocabulary is better and large now; when I have to do a mysay in my blog, I use to remember words that we have worked in Vocabulary's classes. I use formal expressions and some phrasal verbs in my essays too. I have to say that I can use verb tenses more correctly than before. The activity that shows better this improvement are the essays.

3. Which activities were really USEFUL for you to improve your English? Why?

The activities which were useful for me to improve my English were honestly, the oral presentations. Doing oral presentations, you work so many things in one activity, I mean, you have to use verb tenses correctly, use so much vocabulary, improve your pronuntiation, etc. I believe that the best way to learn a language is speak it. But it's not the only useful way for me. Listening to videos, songs and films, makes you be more conscious about what are you listening, and these activities aren't boring, they are funny and dynamic! Another useful activity is the grammar book. You can work in it in your house, quietly. 

4. Which activities did you NOT find useful to learn English? Why not?

I don't think that there's any activity than can't help me to improve my English level, every exercice we do is enriching. 

5. Which activities would like to do again next year to keep on improving your English?

Next year I want to carry on with the oral persentations and doing listenings. Discussing moral issues in class would be such an amazing activity for me!