Technology nowadays.

Never before had technology been involved in our lifestyle as much as nowadays. At the present time it's so difficult to imagine a life without it, since we use technology for almost everything. Communication, work or entertainment aare the fields where according to a recent survey, technology is more used.

On the one hand, we are so dependent on technology that technological houses are being built. This has a lot of advantages; now we can regulate ilumination automatically, even we can turn the light on with just a clap because os a sound system that is connected to the house's main. However, it also has disadvantages. If a power failure happens, it is almost impossible to do chores, such as doing the meals. I also think that living in a technological house is like being in a videogame, where you are a character who is controlled by a player.

On the other hand, I think that the technological area has a lot of opportunities of work, since it is constantly developing. It also has a lot of useful utilities, but one of the most important is in medicine. For example, such advanced techniques have been created that someone can be surged by a doctor who is miles away from him.

Taking all this into account, not only do I believe that technology is the best invention made by human beings, but I also think that we wouldn't be able to live without it. Itwould be a big retrocess in time.

The importance of being beautiful.

Nowadays we live in a very materialistic and superficial world where the importance of money and beauty has a most relevant role in our society. We search for the magic formula that can allow us to beat the aging, to have longer hair or to have our teeth as brilliant as diamonds.

Being beautiful is so important for teenagers at the present time that they take radical measures to get the canon of beauty that advertisements and the fashion magazines show. Models are slimmer and slimmer and most of them, as a lot of teenagers, stop eating and suffer from anorexy, which is a dangerous mental illness.

However, not only do teenagers modify their habits to be beautiful, but also adults. When we switch on ours TVs we watch a lot ofcelebrities who have had plastic surgery or who have been injected botox, most of whom are up to forty years old.

Taking all this into account, I think that we live in a world full of hypocresy; and fashion shops and magazines are guilty of this. For example, today, there are several shops who prefer people with a fantastic appearance rather than with a fantastic curriculum.

Advantages and disadvantages of means of transport.

Nowadays there are a lot of means of transports tha couldn't be imagined a hundred years ago, like planes. The first person who thought about a plane was believed to be crazy; however, in the current life, we send spaceships to explore the space and it is normal to us.

On the one hand, we could think about what means of transport are more accurated for each moment, but in some occassions we realize that we make mistakes. For example, planes are the best option to travel far away, but we use it to travel near us, since it is more comfortable, without thinking too much about pollution. In these cases, I think that we should use cars, leaving planes for long travels broad.

On the other hand, technology on trains has advanced a lot. Nowadays there are high speed trains, and you can go anywhere very fast. But not only these means of transport have advantages, but they also have several disadvantages. Prices are higherand higher, and people prefer to travel by car instead of using public transport.

Taking all this into account, I believe that governments should reduce prices to promote the use of public transport, as well as aerolines.

What's the difference between reading the news in the newspaper and watching them on TV?

Television is watched more and more every day. According to a recent survey, 63% of the population prefer to watch the news on TV rather than reading them in the newspaper, but, what are the differences between these two methods of communication and why is television preferred?

On the one hand, newspapers have been one of the most used means of communication of the past century. However, nowadays newspapers are getting absolete because in some cases they modify the information written according to their ideology, so if you want subjective information, newspapers might be your best option.

On the other hand, the most part of the population prefer to watch the news on television, not only because it is less manipulated, but also because information is usually complemented with media, and it allows to cover a bigger range of information. However, it is said that people are starting to read the news on the Internet.

Taking all tis into account, I'm very keen on watching TV, since I like watching videos while I'm being told the news. Besides, I sometimes read the newspaper on the Internet.

Advantages and disadvantages about my city.

I live in a little village in the south of Granada, which is near Salobreña and Motril. It has about five thousand inhabitants, and it's sourrounded by several kilometres of countryside. The most part of its population are farmers, they grow up tomatoes, custard apples or peppers.In spite of being a little village, there aren't many elder people, and it is said to be the city with the highest natality rate.

I like my village because everybody knows each other, and we are like a big family. People are really nice and polite, and they always try to help you when you have troubles. One of the best things in the village is the school, where children learn a lot of new skills. Moreover, it is used to have two discos, but now, there are just a few bars where you can eat big and fabulous Spanish tapas, and there's such a fantastic atmosphere that you always have fun!

However, you can't judge a book by its cover, my village has some disadvantages, too. I would like to say that my village is perfect, but I would be lying. Firstly, we don¡t have any big malls to buy food or clothes, so we have to go to Motril or Salobreña. Secondly, I can't have my hair cut, since there isn't any hairdressers's.

Taking all this into account, not only do I think that families live very well there, but I also believe that businessmen can have here a confortable life. If I were major for one yaer, I would improve the museum to attract more tourism and would suggest that they build a mall.

Environment.

Environmental problems caused by pollution are one of the most disscussed issues by politicians from all over the world, especially by those whose country is very industrialized, such as the United States or Germany. But the question is, how can these problems be solved?


On the one hand, nowadays transport is one of the main reasons of pollution; it produces more and more toxic gases, since the number of vehicles which use gas is incredibly increasing. In my opinion, governments should help automobile companies to develop vehicles which could use water instead of petrol.


On the other hand, rivers and seas are like a "big bin" for boats. They throw away all their rubbish, and as a consequence, sea animals are affected. Some organisations which are concerned about the problem are trying to make a change through demonstrations.


Finally, another problem is that a lot of trees are being cut down to build roads, houses, flats or simply, to make paper. Because of this, our planet is losing a lot of oxygen, and from my point of view, the government should make a law to protect this important part of Earth..

Big Brother is watching you.

Most of the population has seen Big Brother, either by curiosity or because it has appeared on our TVs while we were doing zapping. Big Brother may be considered one of the biggest television phenomena, since, despite having been a lot of editions that have been always equal, the audience gets bigger and bigger everyday.

This reality show consists of a group of people living together in a house for about three months, passing trials and weekly eliminations. The house is usually very modern and full of cameras and microphones that are recording all day and that then they broadcast the images on television. Today, there is even a special TV channel that broadcasts Big Brother 24 hours a day.

Not everyone can enter Big Brother. Contestants must spend several castings and psychological tests to see which contestants can be more attractive inside the house for the audience; and with this I mean arguments with other participants, romances... All contestants declare that they participate in Big Brother for the economical purposes, as the prize is usually as high as 100,000 euros.

Currently in Spain, the TV channel Telecinco is broadcasting Big Brother VIP edition, whose participants aren’t normal citizens, but people known because they have appeared on television before. From my point of view, this program can sometimes be a sign of what happens in real life; however, I think that celebrities shouldn’t participate because they already have enough money to be fighting for more.

Studying at university in the UK.

Next year I will probably be studying at university. I'd like to go to the University of Granada, because it has a lot of prestige since it’s considered one of the best universities in Spain. Besides, it’s close to my family, so at weekends, I could go home to visit them. 

First of all, I have some fears about university, as I don’t know how the education system is. I hope I’ll understand all the lessons and I could go up on my studies. Not only do I worry about college, but also about living in a flat. Going to college is a way to become independent from your parents, but sometimes, many people aren’t mature enough to do this and don’t know how to combine chores and studies, disregarding one of the two. 

Secondly, I have read the newspaper article about Chinese students in the UK and I have several conclusions: They have lower grades because their culture is completely different from the European, they are very quiet and sometimes, shy, they don’t socialize with others very much and have a quieter life than us. Furthermore, their thinking is different because the brain is used to learn pictures instead of letters, and this fact causes them difficulty of adaptation to our way of life. 

In conclusion, I think schools should give more information to students who go to college next year, both on selectivity exam, and about how the university works. At our school, for example, I haven’t received any information, and all I know is thanks to other students or to the Internet, therefore I would like to have a clearer orientation.

Social issues.

Thousands of pro-abortion protesters gather in Spain

Nowadays, abortion is a topic that everyone talks about. Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus before viability. Not everybody agrees with this activity, and in fact, there are a lot of discussions about if it is morrally right to do it.

On the one hand, there are people who think that it is right, because you're not killing a human, it's just an embryo, a group of cells, so women have the right to decide if they want to be mothers or not. For example, when there's a violation and the woman becomes pregnant.

On the other hand, people who think that abortion isn't right are usually very religious. They think that women are killing their babies, and killing people is illegal. Not only do they think that, but they also think it's morally incorrect. In Spain, now abortion is not allowed, and people have done a lot of protests.

Taking all this into account, from my point of view, I believe that abortion should be allowed, since women who want to do it, will do it illegaly, so there's more probability of death, because illegal clinics have no control.

Twitter and its origins.

Nowadays, Twitter is one of the largest social networks. Anyone can create an account for free and start following his favourite actors, singers, atheletes or politicians. Almost all celebrities have a representation in Twitter, so that anyone, just like fans, can send them tweets of support, disagreement, etc.

This social network, which was created in California in 2006, is based on a chronology in which messages appear like tweets of the people you've chosen to follow. Likewise, you can also send direct messages or create lists about topics that interest you. It’s really useful.

The word "tweet" is inspired in the song of the birds, and if you pronounce it in high-pitched voice, we realize that this is true. Therefore, the Twitter logo is a bird, and people communicating through this network could be identified with birds singing.

Taking this into account, not only do I think that Twitter is one of the best social networks that allows us to be connected at all times, but also you can only write messages of 180 characters, so it is a simple and concise way to be informed without paying much attention. It can be said that Twitter "goes straight to the point".

Independence?

Today, there are many places in the world that want the independence from the rest of the country, as they feel different because they have a different language and a different culture. This is the case of Scotland and Catalonia in Spain.

In Spain many people are making demonstrations, in fact, on 9th November, the government of Catalonia carried out an illegal referendum to know how many people want the independence of this community. The results were that the majority of voters voted "yes". However, all that glitters is not gold, abstention was very high, so with this in mind, independence would be only wanted by a small part of the population.

The same happened in Scotland. Most of the population didn’t wish to be independent, but why?. Perhaps one reason could be that Scotland wouldn’t be a very rich country and couldn’t keep up simply with its incomes, so therefore, Scotland needs Great Britain.

Finally, from my point of view, independence has more disadvantages than advantages, so people who are in favor of independence should stop to analyze the situation and judge what is best for their future.

The romans in Britain.

The Romans were a civilization that came to Britain a long time ago. It is said that probably, the Romans were very "sophisticated" and they influenced so much the development of the country. They used modern techniques for the times they lived, and they made great improvements that are now reflected in our daily life.

I am studying Roman civilization in History of Art at my school, and they built a lot of public places, such as roads, which were used by the army, so that they could go from one place to another faster and also to transmit messages, since in that time there was no phone, and the information was carried by a messenger.

Moreover, they introduced new types of food like parsley, sweet chestnut and chickens. Besides, they were the first Christians, and built with stone churches which were called "basilicas". Today there are some basilicas, especially well-preserved in Rome and Ravenna, and still are a great work of architecture. Basilicas were often decorated with mosaics, most of which told stories about Jesus Christ or the king and his family.

Finally, the Romans spoke Latin. This language was the predecessor of many others, such as Spanish, and that's why English and Spanish have some similar words. In my opinion, studying the history of the Romans, our ancestors, is very interesting, and it allows you to realize that they were the ones who invented and discovered the most important inventions in the history. Taking all this into account, it makes you wonder "how could the Romans be so intelligent?"

The Internet and safety.

Nowadays the Internet is more and more important for us. Not only is Internet used to search for information or to chat with friends through social networks, but also many people work through this revolutionary network, for example, at the present time doctors can operate a patient that is miles away from him. In addition, Internet allows you to buy everything you want from your house. People buy everything, such as trips, flights, clothes, phones, computers ...

According to the survey, most teens would rather lose TV to the Internet, but the question is, why? Television, one of the biggest phenomena in history, is becoming obsolete, because now you can watch television anytime and anywhere, and also without advertising, which is the best. The same happens to newspapers because many people prefer to be informed via the internet.

However, all that glitters is not gold, the Internet also has disadvantages: Internet can be a vice for many people, so they don't go out and spend all day at home. This also causes diseases such as loss of sight or obesity, as these people don't usually do any exercise.

Finally, I believe that the Internet has been a historical invention that has revolutionized telecommunications and has made our daily lives easier. I couldn't imagine my life now without the Internet, it would be a big step back in time. Therefore I agree with the survey, if I had to choose between losing television and losing Internet, I would choose to lose TV.

You can watch this interesting video:

A beautiful memory of our trip to Bath.

Would you buy a Mac or a PC?

Nowadays computers are essential to our daily lives. Most people couldn't imagine living without them, as they have been a breakthrough for humanity. There are many different kinds of computers, large, small, portable ... However, there are two operating sistems that dominate the world: Wondows and Mac. Which do you prefer?

On the one hand, Mac offers a great quality. Computers are more resistant and more difficult for viruses to enter on them. Almost everyone dreams of having a computer with an "apple", however, is it suitable for us? These more powerful computers are recommended for specific jobs, such as design, as they have a much better graphics card. However, they also have disadvantages. They are much more expensive than other computers, and they need special programs to pass information from one device to another one.

On the other hand, Windows computers are more widespread in the worldwide. They are used in most offices and schools, and that its operating system is compatible with other devices such as Android phones. They are cheaper than Macs, and allow you to use Google services.

There are also other free operating systems like Linux, but are less used and are ,ore simply. Taking all this into account, personally I prefer to use a PC as they are the computers that I have always used and I have two at home. For my purposes, the system is quite good and I can do whatever I want with them without spending a fortune to buy them.

What class are you?

The ancient society was divided into different statuses, that is to said, closed groups where people couldn't ascend socially. The highest stratum was the king, and below was the clergy and the nobility. These people were privileged and didn't pay taxes, while peasants and workers were not privileged, so they had to pay a lot of taxes. However, today thankfully this has changed.

Today a person who is born in a family without much money can succeed in life and ascend socially earning a lot of money; and at the same time a person who is born in a family with a lot of money can fall into ruin and lose everything he had. So, society is at the present time divided depending on money.

In my opinion, in Spain the most part of the population is in the middle class, they are people who work and earn enough money to live with some confort. However, there are countries, some of the richest in the world, such as Saudi Arabia, where poor people are extremely poor and rich people are extremely rich. I think these inequalities should be reduced and that the rich should help the poor ones more, so the country can develop.

In the case of Spain, many people who belonged to the middle class is now in the lower class due to the current period of economic crisis. Many have lost their jobs and have very few subsidies to buy food or pay for the mortage, and that's why so many people are being evicted. Finally, I believe that to solve this problem it is necessary to eliminate social injustices and that the government should search more effective mesures to make sure that all people can live in the best possible conditions.

A foreigner in Britain.

I read this book last year and I did a Mural.ly about it. Have fun watching it!!

Click here to watch the project.

The Alhambra Palace.

The Alhambra isn't a palace as most people think, it is a city with a wall in which there were three palaces, houses for artisans and noblility and a military place called "alcazaba" with three towers to make sure that enemies weren't able to get in. The Generalife was the summer residence of Muhammad III, and when it was built by the Muslims it had no gardens, but had vegetables and fruit to feed the entire city of Alhambra; also had animals such as sheep, cows and horses.

The first palace of the Alhambra is the palace of Yusuf I, called The palace of Comares, and was the official part. It was composed of several rooms, as the Mexuar, room which turned into a shrine when the Christians came, the Golden Court, Court of Comares or the throne room, which is decorated with plaster reliefs on the walls and a dome representing the seven heavens that Muslims had to pass to go through to go to the world of Ala.

Another of the best preserved palaces is the Palace of the Lions, where Muhammad V lived, and was thought to be the private part. There are several rooms around the Court of the Lions, which is one of the most famous court of the Alhambra, since the center is a fountain with twelve lions that belonged to the house of a Jew. You can find the Hall of Abencerrajes below, named like that because a legend says that several members of the family of the Abencerrages were killed in this room.

The name "Alhambra" means red castle, as it was made mostly of brick. In addition, water and vegetation was very important for Muslims as they came from the desert, where there was neither of these. Nowadays, many parts of the palace are being rebuilt, as we saw on the trip we did with our school yesterday. From my point of view the Alhambra is one of the best examples of Islamic art in the world, and must be named a wonder of the world.

Today's Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is celebrated all around the world on 14th February, however, not everyone knows why this day is celebrated. The truth is that this day is older than most people think.

The story says that in 270 AD Rome had to fight in many wars, however, the men didn’t want to join the army. The emperor Claudius II believed that this happened because they didn’t want to leave alone their wives or their girlfriends, and that’s why he banned all marriages. However, a priest named Valentine disobeyed him and married people secretly. Unfortunately, the emperor's soldiers caught him on 14th February and sentenced him to death. Before dying, the soldiers let him write a note to his beloved in which he said "from your Valentine".

There are different opinions on this day. First, many think that this day is mainly organized by the shops, to earn money and that love should not be shown one day but every day of the year. On the contrary, there are others who think that this day is perfect for romantic things and for showing people that they love them.

In my opinion, this day is very nice and I support it because, despite it’s true that you have to prove your love every day of the year, remembering it with a flower, a teddy bear, a song or a film is always good and is very romantic. Furthermore, in the current period of crisis, buying these objects helps the shops and the economy. I dislike people who criticize this day, because if you don’t like it or you're not in favor, don’t celebrate it, it’s easy.

Here's a fantastic song to listen to: 

WHY DO YOU THINK MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY ARE CARRYING KNIVES???

Nowadays it's easy to get a gun licence, even if you are a teenager, but it's easier to have an illegal one by buying it in the black market, which is formed by organized criminal bands from different countries where gun laws are usually less strict.

On the one hand, I think that young people today carry kanives for self-protection. According to a recent survey, the most part of Spanish population feel that they aren't protected enough and don't trust justice. Anna, a lawyer, declared: "People are actually disappointed with Spanish justice, since we have a system that condemns shoplifters to several years of prison while a lot of murderers are in the street, living together with our children".

On the other hand, I believe that having seen that justice isn't very fair, teenagers have decided to protect their own lives by themselves, and that's why they usually have guns. However, there is another kind of population that carry knives not only to self-defense, but also to riot.


Taking all this into account, in my opinion, police should check people's clothes and bags in public places, such as concerts or big parties, above all, in places where alcohol is consumed. But what's more important is that they should try to put an end to this problem by controlling the shops where guns are sold.

A foreigner in New York.

I've done a project about an interesting book that I've read. Here's the link. I hope you like it!!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO STUDY AT A FOREIGN UNIVERSITY?

Nowadays, the most part of students look forward to going to university. They watch it as a good way to improve their future in terms os work, since in the current period of crisis to have a curriculum with a university degree can open a lot of doors.

On the one hand, there's a large number of families that can't afford a university degree because the registration fees have incredibly increased. For this reason, they usually ask for grants. One of these ones thats allows you to study abroad is called "Erasmus".


On the other hand, I think that students who have an Erasmus and go to foreign universities to finish their formation have more and more opportunities to find a good job. However, this has even more advantages, for example, if the country has a different language from your native language, you can learn it more easily.


Taking all this into account, if I have the option to study at a foreign university, I will do it without any doubt. And what's more, I believe that it would benefit me, since I'm interested in studying languages.