MY ENGLISH COMPETENCE

BEST WRITTEN EVIDENCE

I have chosen this task for some reasons. First of all, I want to emphasize the massage that I tried to transmit to the readers; it is sometimes difficult to talk about important things and give your sincere opinion in tasks, because we are obligated to do them and sometimes we don’t put our maximum effort to make them. I consider that I was inspired doing this post and I put big effort in it; in my opinion, the result was that I could transmit the message even though there are probably a lot of people who don’t agree with me.

After that, talking about English in concrete, I think that I used properly the connectors, the grammar and the vocabulary. The vocabulary was not complex but it was used adequately. These are the main reasons why I have chosen this post and not another one.

BEST ORAL EVIDENCE

I have chosen this presentation, which it was the last one, because I consider that my speaking was quite clear and fluent. Of course, it may be normal because as far as it was the last one, it must be the best one.

I like this oral work also because it was about the research project. The research project is individual and very personal, so I consider that this presentation can show properly the real level of someone doing presentations.

On the other hand, I have to say that my oral work is much worse than my grammar and I must improve a lot. I have to improve the way to transmit the message and to make the presentation interesting. I need to improve the pronunciation and the nerves too. For these reasons, I would like to go to England for practising my speaking.

MY ENGLISH PROGRESS

FIRST POST
LAST POST

It is easy to see my English progress looking at these two compositions. The most visual difference is that my vocabulary nowadays is richer than the one that I had two years ago. You can also see that the sentences in my last composition are more difficult that they were in my first one, as far as I use more alternatives ways to write the sentences; for example, I use sometimes the passive and sometimes complex sentences (although these ones are not frequent and current in English).

If I have to remark what is my best improvement, I consider that is the way to use the connectors. They are useful and we all have worked with it to use them properly.

When we talk about the oral presentations, I have eliminated a lot my nerves. Of course, I also have improved the pronunciation, the grammar and the content of the presentations. However, if I would have to choose my best improvement when I talk in public is the fluency and the nerves.

As far as it is the thing I have improved the most, I know that I still have a long way to improve when we talk about oral presentations.

All in all, I have to accept, even though I am quite lazy, that the blog has been useful for me and now I can make richer writings and compositions more fluently than two years ago. The same with oral presentations, it was difficult for me to prepare them but they have been very useful for my English. 

LAST POST

Finishing the blog is not easy for me; it always takes me much time to do the last posts because I have no ideas of topics. In this occasion, I have let it for the last day and it was a bad decision. Yesterday I went to a party and today I had a little bit of hangover; moreover, today I also had a football match and Barça played after my match, so I had not very much time to do the last four posts that I had to do. The result is that I am doing this post half of an hour later than Sunday

This is the last post of this blog but maybe is not my last post in a blog about my opinions. The truth is that sometimes is relaxing and satisfying to give an opinion and arguments about something important or about news, no matter if it is not important for anyone.

I finish this blog with a recommendation for the following students that will have to do the blog: do the posts calmly and with your real feelings and opinions, this will turn boring writings in relaxing moments that will help you to keep your mind and ideas clear. 

AC Milan: Bananas thrown at players by Atalanta fans

Some bananas were thrown at the A.C.Milan black skin players by the Atlanta fans. Milan players have clapped their hands ironically at the public and the match has been near to its suspension.

The global initiative against the racism that Dani Alves started eating a banana and Neymar followed hours later by the hash tag in twitter “#weareallmonkeys” last week has had big repercussion; not only against the racism, this news show us that the racist ones have also showed their ideologies. It can seem sad but the truth is that is better for me. What I mean is that keeping these ideologies inside of everyone is worse than showing it. In social terms, we know who are these people and where are them; we have the possibility to punish them and control them. And what is more important, we discover the problem, we locate it and we can try to eliminate it with education.

CULPRIT   EQUALISE   CLINCH 

OCHO APELLIDOS VASCOS

I saw “Ocho apellidos vascos” last Friday in the computer and the film didn’t disappoint me. I had big expectations caused by the good reviews it received and the truth is that I had a great time. The plot is not exceptional; in fact, it is quite typical. But the best of the film is the topics of Vasc and Adalusian cultures and the funny situations.

I have been at the Basque country and this makes the film far funnier because it is easier to understand the topics.

The film, at the first moment, teaches us that love is stronger than countries, cultures and races. However, in my opinion, what the film really teaches us is that all of us have to laugh at ourselves because this is a good medicine for arrogance, prejudices, etc.

I want to recommend the film to everybody. It is a good option to be relaxed during one or two hours and have a very big fun.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

As we did last year, we had to choose an English book for the third term. Last year, I chose “The curious accident of the dog at the night time” and it was a great option; I enjoyed a lot reading the book.

This year I chose “Brave new world” for two reasons: first of all, I wanted to read an interesting book that I would like to read even if I was not obligated by the subject. The second reason was that I tried to use the reading for increase my philosophy mark. I can’t say that I regret of my choice; however, I confess that this book is very difficult to read at the same time that it is interesting. As a result, I haven’t finished the book yet and I have only few days to finish it. In addition to that, when I finish every chapter, I read a little summary to put keep my ideas in order and to be able to follow the plot of the book.

By the moment, although the book is difficult, I am enjoying reading it and I am sure I won’t regret my risky choice.

REAL MADRID 1-1 VALLADOLID

Real Madrid and Valladolid had a 1-1 draw yesterday. Barça players and fans had burned their hopes to win the Spanish league last Saturday when they got a draw too against Getafe. However, last two Real Madrid matches had put Barça in the fight for the league. In fact, at the moment, Barça depends on itself at winning the title.

We tend to think that justice is the only solution in all places in life; there is no one that can be against this at the first moment. The thing is that we don’t consider that there is an exception:  when we talk about games, sports or other competitions there are two parts. The first one is justice, what we think is normal and what makes the difference between a simple gamble game and a competition. The second one is luck, surprises, what is not expected; this is what makes football and competitions in general fantastic. Yesterday, Barça was over; today, Madrid is over; and tomorrow, no one knows what is going to happen, which is wonderful.

DRAW   LACK   CLASH

'Marijuana refugees' give cannabis to epileptic children

Some parents from UK are giving a medicine produced with Cannabis to their epileptic sons. By the moment, it has not been scientifically discovered what cause the improvements that have the children who are treated with this medicine but it is thought that the component THC is the responsible of this.

 

I am not going to talk about this news in particular. I want to talk about weed and its punishment in most of the countries. It is true that cannabis is a drug and, in general, its effects are more negative than positive (excluding therapeutic cases), but punishment is not the solution. First of all, because weed exists and anyone can eliminate it; if you want to get weed, you can easily do it. Secondly, considering what I have said, we could eliminate most of the drug dealing only by regulating Cannabis sale through the government, like we already do with the tobacco. However, I am sure that all of this will be a reality in some years and Cannabis will be regulated and legal in most of the modern countries. 

SEIZURES  FEATURES  SHIFT

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MALCOLM

John Malcolm was born in Derbyshire Liverpool in 1975. He studied in the Oxford University. He got a degree in Physics and now has become an expert in “Nanoscience and Nanotecnology”. He is here to answer me some questions that I have about the degree and about the profession that I could have in the future if I study Nanoscience.

What is “Nanoscience and Nanotecnology”?

Nanocience and Nanotecnology is the study of the science and its application but at a microscopic level. Even more little than microscopic level.

Why did not you do this degree and you choose physics?

When I was a student, this degree didn’t exist. It is quite new. But I have to say that physics is required in Nanocience.

What professions could I do after finishing the degree?

Well, as far as I have said that it is a new degree, it is difficult to say which career you could have in the future. However, the degree is a mix of a lot of topics like chemistry, physics, biology, etc. So, when you finish the degree, you can specialize, if you want, in a lot of masters.

What did you find interesting in this topic?

I find this part of the science interesting for two reasons: the first one is that, as I have said before, it is a mix and for me it is good to get knowledge about topics which are related but different too. The second reason is that it is an emergent science and it is the future, so it is interesting to do something new and to collaborate with the progress.

Why it is said that “Nanoscience and Nanotecnology” is the future?

Well, on one hand, this degree works a lot on improve and maximize the power with the objective to reduce expenses. On the other hand, it also works to improve renewable power, which is something that all countries want to dominate.

Nigeria abducted schoolgirls: Police reward offered

A few more than threeweeks ago, more than 200 girls who were studying for the final exams werekidnapped by the radical Islamic group called Boko Haram. Now, Nigerian policehave offered a reward of 300.000$ with the objective that these people who knowor discover something about the 200 abducted teenager girls call the police.

 

We talked recently in class about Human Rights and this is a fair example that human rights are very far from reality in a lot of places. This is an example too that there are people who still have thoughts and opinions from the past. Religions are the cause of that in a lot of cases; most of the religions are irrational so it is normal that most of them disappear in some years. Unluckily, they still exist and, what is even worse, there are groups like Boko Haram that take its most cruel ideas to the extreme. In my opinion, this problem will finish when all the people have quality education.

ABDUCTED     KIDNAPPED    GALVANISE

ARE WE TOO DEPENDANT ON MOBILE PHONES?

The era of the smartphones has arrived and we tend to do all things through our smartphonel. This new technology is useful but we don't have to forget the rest of the things in our life; this is what a lot of people are doing.

First of all, we must avoid our dependance with the phone. It's true that most of the people could live without the phone during a period of time. However, there are also people who could njot do it; in fact, every day there are more people in this side.

Secondly, we have to be aware that the line which separates both sites is very thin. We must try to leave our smartphones behint when we are doing other activities with the objective to get over this addiction.

To sum up, most of us are not too dependant on the smartphone but we are near it so we must get away of the line that separates the dependance and the our own autonomy without the mobilephone.

WORKING TO GET A GOOD MARK

The visit to the UAB university made me finally decide which degree I want to get, even thought there are other degrees that are interesting too. It is called “Nanonciència i nanotecnologia”.

Unluckily, this degree is only cursed in the UAB into Spain so there are few places and the mark to entry into the degree is high, last year I think it was over 11. It is for this reason that I am trying to improve my marks and my objective is to get a Batxiller average of 8’5. If I do this, I will have completed my first step and the next objective will be to get a good result from Selectivitat; even more in Maths, Biology, Physics and Chemistry which are the ones that can help me more. There are other points that don’t depend on me like luck or the rising of the mark to entry into the degree; but, as far as they don’t depend on me, I’m not worried about that.

These are my objectives from now until summer but I won’t cry if I can’t get this mark because, as I have said before, there are other interesting degrees. 

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN'T BE BOUGHT?

Nowadays, we live in a society that value money over all. This is capitalism. Capitalism shows you that the only way to progress is to desire money and try to earn the most that you can. No matter if some people end in the street; you are better, you have better ideas, you earn more money, you know how to destroy the competence. Who can blame you for being more intelligent?

We are like children; we want to accumulate properties to feel successful ourselves. We have forgotten how is the satisfaction to rich a goal, we only want to get it if, at the end, there is some money for you. This is, in part, education’s fault. The evidence of this point is that you are worse seen if you fight for an objective not related with money that if you cheat someone to get some money.

 An example: A commercial convinces that you need to buy a running machine to be well-looking. You buy it and you realize that, with your 40^th, you can’t be like when you were 20^th. Isn’t it a cheat? However, it is totally accepted in our society. The owners of the running machine company are more “normal” in our society that a person who work for free because he likes to do his work. How many people would present their TDR to a championship if there wasn’t a price for the best project?

Of course, there are other people that can’t accept these points. So there are two groups of people in our society: the first group value money over all and think that they can buy anything with money, they try to solve all the problems with money but they become stressful when they find a problem that money can’t solve. In this moment, when they realize that money is not always the solution, they change their position and start to own to the second group of people. The second group knows that are feelings that can’t be bought, so they value other things like friendship, love, motivation to have knowledge, etc.

The truth is that, in my opinion, everybody starts in the first group and almost everybody ends in the second group. The difference is that there are people who change the group when they are children, there are the ones who do it when they are teenagers, the ones who do it when they are adults and there are few ones who never will pass this step.

What I meant with capitalism is not that it is a bad way to govern, only that this type of society makes us to change the group much later that we would to in another society. 

RIGHT TO SEEK A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE

C/St Pau nº 32

Palau, Spain

3424

7th April 2014

Mr Mariano Rajoy
La Moncloa
Madrid

Dear Sir Mariano Rajoy

I am writing this letter in order to complain about the situation of the people who are losing their home and how the government is acting in front of this.

I ask myself if you or one of your ministers know anything about the Human Rights. Let me explain you something: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were written in 1946 and were supported by all the members of the United Nations. If I am not wrong, Spain is part of the United Nations so I has to suppose that Spain support Human Rights.

I suppose too that you have heart something about people that have lost their home because they cannot pay the bills, the “Desahucios”. Even I think it is obvious, I do not want to argue about who owns the fault, if the banks or the people; I would like to know where is the protection of Human Rights. The 14^th Human Right says that everybody has the right to seek a safe place and what is doing the government is helping these people to live in the streets (which is illegal).

There could be a lot of possibilities to help these people, you and your government only would have to want to help them. In fact, your support for the Human Rights requires you to do something with this problem.

Thank you for your time.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Eloi Güell

Russia: Halt Orders to Block Online Media

Russian government is censuring and closing some websites and are valuing the possibility to restrict and limit the freedom of expression of Russian people who are critical with the state in front of the conflict with Ukraine. Furthermore, it continues with the detention of the peaceful protestors.

By the moment, the situation is different and the freedom of expression is still active in most of the cases  in my country. Of course, there are exceptions when we talk about the king. A part from that, every day the government tries to eliminate little parts of this freedom of expression when they prohibit some kind of protests or protest in determinate places like in front of the parliament.

To fight against this problem in Russia is difficult as an individual; you only can spread the word with the objective that most part of the population be conscious of this problem. It is Europe who can do bigger things as a collective but it has to do it carefully because acting out of the continent borderline is always polemical.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are the rights you have simply because you are human. Everyone owns them. They were written in 1946 by Eleanor Roosevelt in the Declaration of Human Rights and there were thirty.

The rights with the ones I was not familiar are these ones:

·         9- No unfair detainment

·         13- Freedom to move

·         15- Marriage and family

·         17- The right to your own things

·         20- The right to public assembly

·         24- The right to play

We can find a fair example of the human rights in the modern countries like the European ones, were the slavery has been totally abolished.

I consider that the human rights is a type of joke or an utopia; anyone with a little bit of common sense knows that none of these human rights is secure over the hole world. An example of this could be the first one: No one is equal when they born, there are countries where most of the babies have as a destiny death with few months. The human rights don’t exist, they only would have to exist. 

EDUCATION IS THE KEY

Education is about inspiring one’s mind, not just filling their head: I cannot agree more with this sentence. It is true that sometimes education is built in a way that forces students to memorize dates and sentences and it doesn’t help them to learn and to inspire themselves. However, I consider that, when you want to have a consistent opinion about something, you need to have some knowledge that you only can have memorized; for example: history and philosophy.

If you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to help build theirs: If I consider literally the meaning of the sentence, I have to say that the construction of one’s dreams is compatible with the construction of the other ones dreams. However, I think that the only meaning of these words is a motivation to enjoy your own life and I think this sentence can help this people who life working for other people and helping only to the other ones.

There is more than one way in this world to be an educated man:  On one hand, it’s true; there is more than one way. On the other hand, it is far more difficult to get your dreams if you don’t have studies. I have the feeling that the message that the video want to give you is correct but the way to do can be not clear and it can be easily misunderstood. The boy of the video says a lot of names of extraordinary people that had not studies, but we have to be conscious that they are/were EXTRAORDINARY and the rest of the people who drop out school finish doing something that they didn’t want. 

A SOULMATE FOR ME

It’s difficult to believe in a unique soulmate when we know that there are lots of millions of people around the world. And it’s difficult too to believe in a soulmate which is completely perfect for you when you know that there are infinite possible souls. A soul is made with the genetics and with the environment when it grows up so it is impossible to believe in a concret soul that is the only valid one. Consequently, we have only to think about people who you like better than other people.

When I think about a soulmate I only consider character qualities, not physical ones. A soul which I would like, to put an example, would be an energetic and humorous person. She would have to have sense of humor but she would have to be responsible too. So I consider that she would have to be a little bit crazy even though not in important moments when you have to be serious to choose an important decision. I don’t like extremes; self-confident is a good quality but I hate arrogance; I prefer modesty and ambition to improve your defects. Adding to that, another quality that this soul would have to own is tolerance; I also hate intolerant people who think that there is only a way to be or a way to think.

I don’t know if there are a lot of people with these qualities but I am sure that is silly for anyone to get impatient looking for a soulmate.

CARNIVAL 14'

Carnival has arrived; in fact, officially, it has already finished because it was this weekend. Luckily, there are places where they celebrate it a week later or, in some places, two weeks after the official carnival.

On Friday, we went to Roses:  like every year, Roses carnival is a massive event and there are a lot of people. We enjoyed a lot even thought there are also a lot of people who only are looking for trouble. Yesterday that it was Saturday, we went to Sant Pere. Of course, it is nothing compared with Roses talking about number of people. However, it is a more familiar atmosphere and you go there knowing who you will find. As I have said before, carnival doesn’t stop here; for be the best carnival are next week in Castelló which is mix of Roses and Sant Pere and it is the only date in the year that we can see a good party with a lot of people in Castelló.

This year, by disgrace, carnival has been put just on the exams week... but I am one of these people who think that we can do both things if we organize well.

Childhood nightmares may point to looming health issues

Researchers in the United Kingdom has warn that nightmares, which are normal in children, but in a regular way may be early warning about psychotic disorders and illnesses when these children are between three and seven years old.

I am a little bit confused; I don’t know if I should be worried or I would have to ignore these studies. I don’t know if people tend to have a lot of nightmares when they are children, but this news has caught my attention because, if I don’t remember it wrong, I used to have a lot of nightmares. In fact, my worst fear and worrying was the nightmares: sometimes I tried not to fall asleep only to avoid my nightmares.

I consider that my way to see things is special but I think I don’t have psychotic disorders by the moment and I hope they won’t arrive.

Concluding, I want to recommend to all the parents that have seen this news not to worry if their children have nightmares, because I have to say that my psychotic disorders are not as grave as it seems; even sometimes I seem a normal person.

LOOMING THRASH WAKEFULNESS

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26385274

Self evaluation

PRESENTATION: Correct. 1

BODY LANGUAGE AND EYE CONTACT: I read too much and my tone was too uniform. 0'6

STRUCTURE: Clear structure. 1

CONTENT: Difficult to explain my project in an oral presentation (even more in english). 3'3

LANGUAGE: Rich vocabulary. 1'9

PRONUNCIATION: Some mistakes and difficulties. 0'7

FINAL MARK: 8'5

Research paper abstract

The future of human nature

The objective of this bioethics project is to study and analyze the main conflicts that are associated with liberal eugenics, the improvement of the human species. It is a discussion between different points in favor and against the liberal eugenics from five different philosophers, two in favor and three against it. At the end of the project, I reflect on the best arguments and I have drawn where the limits should be in the future.

'Dozens die' in China knife attack at Kunming train station

An attack by knife-wielding men at a train station in Kunming in south-west China, which the reasons of it are unknown by the moment, has left 27 people dead, the state news agency Xinhua says. Moreover, over 100 people have been hurt.

By the moment, there is practically no more information about this news but I want to use it to talk about these strange and eccentric conflicts that appear sometimes. I deduce that this happening has been caused by a type of sect or something like that. In any case, I’m sure that people who have done it are mad people, like these students in United States that go to their college and start to kill people. Of course, all of these are disgraces but they are (or should be) a problem for the governments. What I mean is that, apart from a disgrace for the innocent people, these are conflicts that hide social issues; we can’t think that it is bad luck that exist this mad people, this people exist because something makes them mad and this is what the governments have to discover and try to eliminate it. 

WIELDING FURTHER STABBINGS

Red Bull hit new testing low as Vettel fails to complete a lap

The Red Bulls has failed one more time this preseason when Vettel’s car has not worked as it was expected. In this occasion, Vettel and his car have not finished the first lap because the Red Bull has stopped four times. When they wanted to get the car on the track another time, the car has broken down before leave the pit lane.

Red Bull’s hegemony seems to be finished after four years of ample victories. We can’t say that Vettel won’t win the championship because this would be reckless and a bit silly, knowing the results of the last years. However, I have the feeling that this season will be more exciting than ever because there are a lot of candidates to the victory, the Ferrari team have improved a lot and the Mercedes are the ones who are responding with the best results in trainings. Moreover, McLaren and Williams are doing good laps too.

The season starts in two weeks in Melbourne, the GP of Australia. By the moment, the situation of Vettel and their team is critical and it will be difficult for them to fix the situation but I have no doubts that they will do it and they will catch the level of the rest of the teams.

BREAKDOWN MEANWHILE MILEAGE

Can Internet change the world for the better?

Internet is taking the main role in the evolution of the 21st century. A new era has appeared where Internet has started to be accessible for all population. The question is: can it change our world for the better?

The main conflicts that Internet produces are two: the loss of privacy value and that some information quality is questionable. However, we can only consider valid the first point against it because it is seen that TV and radio information is sometimes censored and manipulated by governments or the economic powers. That's why we can consider Internet more objective, because we can view different points of view, always knowing which sites are reliable. Moreover, Internet allows us to get information that we want where and when we need it, a part from the knowledge that we have in every moment about what is happening around the world.

To conclude, Internet is changing radically the world for the better although the privacy is being secluded of what we consider important.

18 YEARS OLD

It recently was my eighteenth birthday and, of course, was very special for me... at least, the first day of my eighteen. The truth is that I have done practically nothing that I couldn’t do before since my birthday; I only have signed a lot of papers for change my bank accounts.

I know I will see the main advantages in few weeks (I hope) when I get my drive licence. This is what I wish the most at this moment because I am tired of depending of my parents every time that I want to go to a place, especially when we go to party. In these occasions, I expect that I will notice my eighteen too; even more when the rest of my friends are also adult... but, nothing more.

We celebrate days that are equal than the anterior days or the day after. However, the conclusion where I want to arrive is not that we do silly things (that we do); the conclusion of all of this is that we would have to celebrate things more often, never minding the date, because the truth is that we live too stressed and we don’t value things like we would have to do it.

Curling - the new rock 'n' roll after the Sochi Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympic Games, which have had place the last month, have been quite famous and quite polemical. What refers to sportive activity, a sport practice has featured above the other ones: Curling. Since the Olympics, there have been a lot of curling arrangements around the world to promote this sport and, what is more important, a lot of people have been attracted by it; people who even didn’t know that it exists.

This news has caught my attention because I am one of these people who have discovered the sport during the Olympics and now I think it is very interesting. I don’t mean that I didn’t know that this sport existed, but I knew nothing about the sport; in fact, my prejudices made me think that it was a stupid sport. This is what we often think the ones who practice majority sports like football or basketball. Sport is culture and every sport has got its own values, its difficulties and its personalities. For this reason, I consider really important to know and practice different sports and don’t judge unknown sports too quickly.

Snazzy, Outfits, Roaring

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/get-inspired/26256949

US planning full Afghan pullout, Obama tells Karzai

President Barack Obama has warned hisAfghan counterpart Hamid Karzai that the US may pull all of its troops out ofhis country by the year's end. Obama want to make a deal between Afghan to dothe process pacifically and without any accident but the president Hamid Karzaihave refused to do it because he don’t believe in what Obama says.

All that means a little bit more peace, of course, are good news. What cross through my mind is really different. In my opinion, this important and very valued act is only a way for the United States to clean their own public image in front of the rest of the world. They will need a lot of more gestures and a lot of years of good actions if they want to convince me and a big part of the rest of the world that they have stopped to cause war and big conflicts only to get oil and to make the country richer and richer, which is what they have done since they arrived to America. A lot of people know what USA have done to get oil but most of the people can’t see this because they only see a cool country with cool people that are on the top of the world. I think it is necessary to cure this blind people and make them know what really are United States of America.

troops / tropes

deal / acord

due / causa