Writing Workshop is over (let´s cry)

The dark side of Coca-cola.(By Irene)

What do you know about Coca-cola? In my case almost nothing, apart from been catch up with the huge business the company has. Few days ago, a friend, borrowed me an article titled “the black history of the black water”. Before reading the article I intuited what was going to tell, because all of us, more or less, have heard about the murky business multinationals have. Even that, I find quite unexpected most of the things the article said.

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Coca-cola is the most hand out drink all over the world. You can find it in almost 232 countries; much more countries than the Organisation of Unite Nations has. Coca-cola profits are higher than a great deal of poor countries budgets. The company blackmail and threaten small shopkeepers with exclusivity contracts.

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Coca-cola idea was born in Atlanta by Pemberton in 1880. It was Frank Robinson who designed coca-cola logo. Although they created the product and the logo, none of they took profit of it. Coca-cola business was created by Asa Candle. He was the only owner of the company. He started with a modest factory in Atlanta. In nearly five years, coca-cola arrived to: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago and New York. Nor the 29 crack, neither first nor second world wards could decrease Coca-cola sales.

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And what about health issues? Doctors warned about: only after seventy two hours stomach will stop to be black due to of it ingestion. Only one Coca-cola has ten spoonfuls of sugar. Coca-cola Company is one of the most sugar consumers in the market, so they use transgenic sugar or they import them form South America. Owing to that, Coca-Cola Company has created grate troubles in some isolated villages.

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The first time coca-cola arrived to Europe hundreds of people were poisoned. Nor is only and isolate case, in June 1999 Belgian, Holland and Luxemburg retired them. A lot of cases like that took place in England in 2004 and in India in 1998.
Only two people know the unknown formula of Coca-cola (X7). They don’t know each other, they never travel in the same plane, they never eat the same meal and of course they never sleep in the same hotel.

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I was very frustrated with all the things I read. I am realistic and not optimistic at all; of course almost no one is going to stop drinking Coca-cola after reading the article. I don’t know the answer, neither the solution to that kind of companies. Because I am speaking about Coca-cola, but Nestle and Nike (only for instance) are very similar. They do whatever they want; it doesn’t matter if they are not respecting human rights, or even the law; because it is only market rules! The more you can pay, the more successful you will be. The dark side, of one, of the richest companies in the word.

P.S. If you want to read more, I will send you the article. Give me your email! (:

Doping (by Fulgencio Serrano)

Sir, last August,17th was published in your newspaper – ENGLISH, WE PRESUME- an article, signed by Mati Bolaños, whereby author highlighted the risk of doping substances in sportsmen health. Even though being in according to her conclusions I would like to use this space to accurate some ideas exposed in the post.

First of all, no all doping substances are drugs or bad for health and no all drugs are doping substances. For instance, alcohol is a drug but sportsmen do not acquire any advantage and, on the other hand, a blood self transfusion is a doping activity that is not a risk for health.

Secondly, some doping substances are a risk to health depending on doses, so EPO (erythropoietin), is bad in high doses –risk of heart attack- and good for physiologic recovery in low doses.

Moreover, not every substance that helps to improve a sport results is a doping substance, for instance, water, glucose, salt, orange juice and the like. These products are called ergogenic aids, in other words, substances that improve the fitness without being hazardous for human body.

Finally, I want to comment about two invisible doping system, one accepted and the other one will be debated in the next few years, I mean, technological doping and genetic doping. We must realize that the improvement in sport results are not reached only with personal sacrifice but with owning the very modern pole vault, a bath suit made in NASA or another expensive materials far from the most of sportsmen economies. Regarding on genetic doping, who is going to deny body modifications in human body with genetic therapies so normal nowadays in other areas?

I would not finish without spend a line against IOC (International Olympic Committee) that has passed a new method of doping: Politic Doping, it consists of selecting a country like China –a Human Right offender-to organize the Olympic Games because of political and economical influences, no matter of trampling on the Olympic spirit.

In conclusion, we should appreciate those sportsmen who struggle to improve, no merely for a victory but to show us the best values of a human being plain and simple, and send the cheaters off sport for life.

BE CAREFUL WITH THE POST-HOLIDAYS DYSFUNCTION DISORDER” (a report by Elena)

The post-holidays dysfunction disorder or also called “seasonal affective disorder” is a new entity which is no considered as a real disorder for many of the psychiatric specialists. Most of them affirm, that it is a situation created by the modern lifestyle and transitory when people retake their active life after an indolent period.

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On the other hand, there are some defenders of this disorder, as a real condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occuring as a result of beginning at work after a holiday period, mainly when people : did not finish their duties before going on holidays, do not appreciate so much their job or have some objections to other mates. In a few days after coming at work, people can feel tired, be lacked of tolerance to work., sometimes with severe psychological shock. This disorder typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.

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In the words of Vanessa Fernández, a psicologist of the CETAES*, 40 per cent of workers coming to their job after holidays suffer from this dysfunction. Furthermore, she assures that there is no many differences between men and women but she remarks than woman is more vulnerable because of their easier expression of feelings than man. She adds that people affected by this disorder are not satisfied by their job or the ambience in it.

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According to a recent survey conducted by “Alta Gestión” -an human resources company- all over the country (Spain) and published by “La Verdad” on the 26th of August, 49 per cent of active people manifest some distress after starting at work after the holidays period, simultaneously 51 per cent do not display any disruption in their behavior at work. Additionally, the figures reveal that this syndrome clearly matters 51 per cent of female against to 48 per cent of male and it was found ,with respecting to age, that his disorder is become less in intensity when people is 50 years-old or more.

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On balance, the data are clear, the post-holidays dysfunction disorder occurs and affects men and women in a similar rate . Companies have to take notes and try to prevent the negative consequences for their economies (absences from work, neglected duties,…). For the future, they should prevent this situation and make the return to job from holidays no so traumatically for their employees. The beneficial effects on the economy will be clearly evidenced.

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*(Centro de Tratamiento de la Ansiedad y el Estrés)

Letter to the editor (By Mati Bolaños)

Sir, I got very improsionated when I read an article about how children use computers (‘Links between children and computers’, August 22). A deep investigation seemed to be caried out in order to write the article, however, I would affirm some cifres are far from being real, or unless, do not represent children from different social classes.
This article marks that the fact that children have their own computer in their bedrooms is one of the reasons why children become addictive to them. However, as a middle-class house-wife, mother of twins (12 yeras-old) I can see them quarrel over the computer almost everyday. We only have a computer in the livingroom, and in spite of that fact, I can assure my children are becoming addictive. Parents allowing their children using the computer whenever they feel like is another important factor that is pointed out by the article. Nevertheless, the use of the computer is scheduled at home, but, to be honest, I must confess that they always want to keep on using the computer more time than stablished. You can ask them to turn off the computer a hundred time and they will not even hear you.

Anyway, the article states that parents that allow their children to use computers and play computer-games do not know how to bring them up properly. But, I want to add a date: I am living in 2008, and so my children do, and because of that fact, I cannot keep my children away of computers because they are in touch with them in everywhere (specially, at school, where they spend much of their time).
I would like to say that, no matter what experts say, I still want my children to use the computer, since life will be easier for them if they can use a computer decently. Of course, for me, it is more important that they maintain close relationships with their class-mates and friends and to be in contact with nature, but the key factor is that a good use of computers will be required in every job. And, moreover, nowadays many teachers usually find homework and essays in their inbox, it is easier to correct and less heavy to carry on with them.

Technology is here to make our lifes easier and more comfortable. And of course, I would never affirm that parents ought to allow their children to use the computer freely, with not restrictions. On the contrary, parents should stay with their children while the surf on the web or chat with their friends through the internet. In my opinion, parents are not here to ban the use of a particular gadget or to prohibit a children from going to particular place. Parents are here to teach their children how to use that particular gadget and the reason why they should not go to that particular place.


Matilde BolanosLondo, W3

Chirigotas (by Fulgencio)

Today I would like to write about one of the most funny shows you can watch on the stage: a carnival chirigota (Cadiz style).

A carnival chirigota is a performance composed by a mixture of humour, lyrics, music, disguises and comedy stand up as a way of social critic and entertainment. It is like to explain the world from the point of view of the character that comedian is disguised. Although the word chirigota has a wide meaning, the term is commonly accepted to referred to a famous and very popular Cadiz carnival show.

Technically, a chirigota -Cadiz style- is adapted to a pattern in instruments and kind of themes. Traditionally a group uses one to three guitars, -rhythm and plucking- , kazoos, and, as a percussion instrument, a drum, and a bass drum with cymbal.

Repertoire is made up of a Presentation, several Pasodobles and Cuplés with original music and a Potpourri as the ending part. In Presentation the group uses a popular song to adapt lyrics to introduce why they have chosen a particular disguise and characters, everything in showed in a funny and humorous style. Later, Pasodobles start reflecting and critizing –seriously or with a little bit of humour- certain social or political aspects. After Pasodobles it is the turn for Cuplés, the funniest part of the show, they are compositions with the goal of making laugh. The show ends with the Potpourri changing lyrics of famous songs in order to create an atmosphere of exhilaration in the audience.

Chirigotas spread out of Cadiz too. In Murcia, “La Chirigota de Molina de Segura” offers an opportunity to appreciate this kind of performance no far from your home.

Regardless of comparisons, this group has a long career on a stage, so they have been performing for eight years since their first spectacle in 2002 with the show “Los Hermanos de Dinio” characterized as brother of a tabloid celebrity. After that they appeared with “Los Pole Position” (2003), disguised as racing drivers. A year later they were “Los Missmisimos” ridiculing the catwalk word. In 2004, pretending to be athletes in the Open Ceremony of Olympic Games, played with the name of “Los Que Pasan Olímpicamente”. Subsequent performances were: “Las Que Van a Servir” (tennis women players) in 2006 and “Los Que Se Comen Todas Las Hostias” (first Communion children) in 2007 and last year they were on the stage with the name “Las Que Se Van de Vientre” characterized as belly dancers.

Although my opinion is not neutral, because of being one of the performers, I recommend to watch the show “Vísteme Despacio” during the next season 2008-09,
in the end, fifteen people will have been working for pulling your laugh out.

ABOUT DIANE ARBUS (1923-1971) (By Irene)

History is plenty of forgiven characters. Especially if we are speaking about women; “The greatest forgiven”. Pratriarcalistic societies which remember, study and grow with a masculine history generate a lack of feminine figures. That is the reason why the eternal feminine absence it taken for granted. The memory of those entire important women passes over the time like little shadows waiting for us.

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Only for instance, one of those women is Diane Arbus. She was one of the most important photographers in the XX century. She took with her camera all the social aspects which could pass inadvertent; the hidden part of her contemporary society, even herself. She had an excellent clever view. Transgressor, loner, very intuitive and melancholic. She was always looking for the luid. Her pictures are so vividness that sometimes they overwhelmed you.

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Although that she had a good relationship with her family, she was very collapse with them. She lived in a crystal cage that is the reason why she needed to break the heavy chain which made her miserable. She required a bit of freedom, that kind of freedom which allows everyone be whatever you decided to be. She managed to go to the “Metropolitan”, she used to spend whole hours gazed Greco pictures or reading poetry in Central Park. The more she read, the more she wanted to know. Her nonconformist and high sensitive character made her suffered a lot. Often form depression.

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No sooner had she recover from a great depression when she got married with Allan Arbus. Nor the fame, neither the money, could give her a good live, or at least; a live that should worth to live. At first they get on well but with the years Diana started to get involve in troubles. She had problems with drugs, alcohol and with the law.

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Like Virginia Woolf, Diana committed suicide. Any letter was written explaining the matter of her suicide. Only a line in her diary: “The last dinner”.

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My favourite photography of her is “Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park”. It scared me and is very overwhelmed. Others like “kid in black face with friend”, “Woman and her son”… and much more.

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I highly encourage you to take a look to her work you won’t be disappointed. (If you get disappointed at least you have been in touch with a woman work, something that doesn’t happen every day.)

TERUEL IS ALIVE! (by Elena )

REPORT ON TRAVEL. ( informal style).

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When I was working as an official veterinarian in Cantavieja -Maestrazgo de Teruel-, situated on the north-east of the province, I learnt to love this territory for its spectactular views of mountain scenery and being an sparsely inhabited area. I was living there from 1997 until 1998. After that, I have regularly visited the region. This year, I already was there for 3 days in february with my family, skiing in Valdelinares -well, I wanted to say learning skiing-.

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Last month, we decided to go to Albarracin (Teruel), on the south-west, for our summer holidays because my husband had not enough free days –the companies rules- and we wanted to visit this area long ago. We decided to complement the trip with a visit to some friends in Madrid and of course, we had to drop in the Warner Bros Park with the children -they would be happier for the next travelling events: museums, ruins, sights,…- and all of us –parents also- had a sensational day.

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After leaving Madrid, we decided to go to Albarracín passing through the area called “Alto Tajo”. This took us all the day but it was such an impeccable place that people should visit at least once. The road accompained the river meandered gently, and we could delight with stunning views over the mountains. We could have a bath in a placid meander of the river and looked a deer which was grazing in a field, peacefully. We arrived to Albarracín watching an interminably blue and gold sunset.

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In Albarracin, we were seightseeing all the day. In the morning, we went to visit the municipal museum and the castle –now in rebuilding-, which was built by the Moors during their occupation of Spain, also we went into the Cathedral and its museum. Before lunch, we strolled around the town. After having a nap, we decided to see the antique pictures –from stone age- painted by our prehistoric ancestors. Several nature paths, that we had to do by foot, took us to different places where we were hardly able to distinguish between the stone and the paint.

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I would rather recommend your visit to Teruel. “Teruel exists”, it is claimed by their habitants. I will come back as usual because I have become fond of Teruel.

ARE THE CONSUMERS OF DOPING SUBSTANCES TAKING A RISK? (by Mati Bolaños)

At first sight, doping is an efective and external way of improving an athlete’s performance. Particular substances provoque better results in a competition when consumed, but are the consumers of doping substances taking a risk?

First of all, the ingestion of doping substances is conflicting the original idea of the Internacional Olympic Comittee, founded in 1894 in order to promote ethic and pedagogical values in sportsmen and sportswomen. The aim was clear: stimulating the practise of sports and maintaining close links between the different countries.

In 1866, people could see how a cyclist, Linton, from Wales, died during a competition in France due to a overdose of cafeine. In the 50’s the use of dooping substances increased suddenly. And that’s why, timidly, federations started to make anti-doping tests in the 60’s. Sportmen must be concious that the benefits of doping substances do not exceed their negative effects.

Anabolic asteroids ar the most famous substances use in this field. Men create them naturally, since they make the difference between a man and a women during the teen’s. In fact, the anabolic asteroids are used in some fertility treatments. But there are secondary dangerous effects:

In women, they have virilizations and hirsutism effects, change of voice, and menstraul disorders.
In teenagers, they interrupt the growth of bones (this is the main reason why most gymnasts-girls, specially from the former URSS, are so short).
In men, they increase the size of the prostate, cause libido alterions and change the consumer into an agressive man. And, in a long term, anabolic asteroids may force the male body to create female glands and provoque the growth of breasts.
In general, other well-known are high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attacks, hemorrgafe cerebral or sudden death. Moreover, injures in the liver are huge most times.

Anyway, most times, when proffesional sportmen take doping substances, they are more or less concious of what they are doing. However, there are lots of amateurs training in gyms that are exposed to these substances. As one of them (I actually am a Spinning Instructor) I can assure that, in gyms, there are magazines that mainly offer different substances to increase the size of the muscle and guides about the use of them. Once, I stopped to read one of them out of curiosity, and, when I wanted to read about the secondary effects, the explanations were vage and imprecise. In fact, it is extremely easy to get these ‘magical’ pills, most gyms offer them, and most times the gym-owners do not even advise about the using of them. Actually, I have met some gym-owners that are staunch consumers of doping substances. Fortunately, just some of them are!

As a conclussion of this essay, I just want to pint out all the records-breaking sportmen and sportwomen that are nowadays in Beijing (just like Michael Phelps, Federica Pellegrini or Isinbayeva). We can all turn on television and watch how a new world-record is broken everyday! I feel specially delighted, but not for the record itself, but because it has been broken without the use of doping substances.

Musac (by Irene)

Historically the controversial about Art have been one of the most questionable questions, philosophically and aesthetic speaking. The meaning, the definition or the use of Art have been the most commune answer to the eternal question “what is art?”
We are far away of the Expressionism, Classicism, and Barrow. But as I see it, it does not means that everything showed in a museum is Art.

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Last week I was in León, I visited the Musac, a new age building used to display photography, sculpture and pictures. Although it seems very modern, except some photography I really don’t enjoy with anything. For instance, there was a carpet with some books, the books have been choosing by the author because they were very important for him in his life.
I was so angry when I was it… I mean, I think the author was joking with me, with us, Art is that? If it is so, I find that every of us can be an artist, so came on, put all your books on a carpet and be famous.

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It is stupid, isn’t it?
I really don’t understand why it was there, art for me is something different. I don’t have a clear idea and probably I am not able to explain my own art view. Although it doesn´t mean that I can’t discern what it can’t be art for me.
A grate philosopher called Gadamer speaks about the art dead. He insisted on the fact that, only when the art dead, Art is recognised like Art. So Art needs to dead to be consider like Art. History would be our better guide to appreciated Art because with an historical and temporal view we would be able to appreciate it. It could means that, we are not appreciating the new age art and maybe once we died, the new generations will be able to appreciated it. I highly don’t trust on it. A carpet with books can’t be art.

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But like everything, any of us have their own view, so maybe if you had watched it, you would have enjoyed. Art can be only the way of see something. A way of see cultural and historically defined. Despite of the heterogeneous taste of everyone I find quite difficult to understand this kind of art. Almost impossible.

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Last February in Arco, a little draw made by children in a kinder garden was buy for hundreds of Euros. So, it can be Art to?
Maybe all of us are artist and I really don’t see it before. So create and take out the sleepy artist you have inside.

About sport, health and other bullshits (by Ful)

All these Olympic days we can hear everywhere how sport helps to reach values and be healthy. Respect to health, it is a common place to consider sport as the best way to increase life quality and life quantity. In my opinion, sport is just a single word to describe a complex human activity. So, if I had to answer the question of sport as a source of health, after sixteen years being a high performance trainer in athletics, I would say: maybe.

First of all, we should classified what kind of activities exist inside the word ‘sport’ in order to analyze whether it is a health practice or not, so I divide sport in four activities:

1) Fitness
2) Formative
3) Competitive
4) Professional

Fitness
It is all kind of exercises to prevent illness, reduce daily stress and to obtain an improvement in mental health. Subjects who practice Fitness have to practice at least 3 days a week, more than 45 min. each session in aerobic way, that is, less than 160 heart rate per minute, avoiding high impact exercises in order to prevent injuries in muscles, bones and joints.

Formative
I mean physical activity, especially in children, aimed to learn how human body works, sport skills for a better carrying out of merely for not to be injured and as a way of social values promoting.

Competitive
Amateur competition, usually training 3-4 days a week directed toward competition once a week or a month. It needs an important work to get the goal: the victory. Since amateur, it is a hobby, no reason to exceed own limits.

Professional
It is a high performance sport, a profession, a way of showing the art of movement. The objective one: to be the best (without tricks, of course). The rest of aspects are behind main goal, to be the number one. It is not healthy at all, neither unhealthy, this is a profession, and none of us go to work thinking in improving healthy, don´t we? An artist look for art masterpiece and so an athlete does, as a singer, a dancer, a painter,etc. They ‘invest’ 4, 5, 6 hours a day to get the ‘profit’ of victory.

Regardless of whether we like or not, professional sportsmen protect their selves with the appropriate equipment and medical check-ups, care their careers to extend their sport lives. But, what about three previous categories? What about the so-named “healthy sport” in opposition to professional sport?

In a normal day we can find hazardous situations as people starving on diet, children trained as adults, amateur runners running distances they are not adapted to go, women walking in high heels, youngster in first contact with drugs trying to get a bigger muscles, friends playing tennis at 14:00 hours in summer, parents forcing sons to be succeeded sportsmen, amateurs working in a gym for hours without any objective but to get some muscle, young girls mistreating their bodies to fit a size less bikini, and so on. Thousands of examples of health risks in no professional sports.

In conclusion, sport is healthy or not depending on what kind of sport you want to practice and to follow their rules in order to not trespassing limits a person has. First what do you want to do, later to practice, in this order.

Regarding professional sport nobody should find health or illness in it, it is a job, like yours. Should Picasso have stopped to paint because inks and oil paintings were a threat to his lungs? Is sport a risk of health? Maybe, specially no professional sport.

“TYPHOON” NADAL ATTACKS AGAIN! (by Elena)

Rafael Nadal, a bright young tennis player who has much to win, to be the number one in the world….” “ … he is an example of hard-working and fair play” has said his manager, Tony Nadal…”

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The starting pistol has given the signal for the beginning of the Olympics. Olympic Spanish team are already in Beijing (China). The expectations are many: Spain has just become the 2008 Football European Championship, Sastre is the new winner in the Tour of France, and of course, the best Spanish tennis player in the last years, Rafael Nadal, has just become the Wimbledon hero.

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Rafael Nadal, was born in 1986 in Manacor, Spain . He has been playing tennis since he was 4 . He has won his first competition at the age of 8 in Mallorca (Spain). In 2002, he has become the youngest player in the world in winning a game in a TPA tournament -he was only 15 years old-. In 2003, he started to play in a Grand Slam Competition. But ,it is in 2005 , when he has come into one’s kingdom . He has won his first Roland Garros.

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In this hopeful manner, he has begun his magnificent career. Four consecutive times champion in Roland Garros, twice runner-up in 2006/ 2007 in Wimbledon and at last, winner in Wimbledon in 2008, and the most important score, he has won twelve Masters Series competitions. In the tennis history, Nadal is one of the fantastic-four-players, who has achieved ten victories in these tournament, next to Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Andre Agassi. On 18th of August he will appear in the first position in the TPA list after being the number two for 160 consecutive weeks.

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Admired and loved by millions of people, wherever he goes, a maximum expectation is generated. His tennis way is based in the constancy, not to fear his rivals, and not to give any point for lost before the ending comes. But he feels a kind of fascination about Roger Federer : “ It is easier the Roland Garros was won by Federer than Wimbledon was won by me” has said Nadal in Wimbledon, this year.“I am looking forward to hearing from the success of all our olympic players in Beijing”, has said a friend of mine, but honestly I would prefer to read in a newspaper : “Rafa Nadal has conquered the gold medal in the Olympic Games”. My best whishes. Good luck, Rafa!

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(Article for a newspaper, recommendations: attractive headline, including quotes, formal or informal language, background in past perfect or past continuous, and use of passive)

Plastic or not plastic that is the question (by Irene)

When I was a child my grandmother used to take me to the baker’s to buy some bread every morning. She always used the same bag. It was not a plastic bag it was a cloth bag, she reuse it every morning. Thousands of people like my grandmother used to do that but with the new culture of “use and throw it” a huge problem have to be face up to. Plastic bags are an unquestionable problem for the environment.

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Countries like Israel, Canada, Kenya, Taiwan, Bangladesh and China have banned the use of plastic bags. Ireland put a tax over the price of plastic bags and the use of them have decreased a 90 %. It is a bit sad the only thing than seems to change our habit is money. So it doesn’t mind to have an environmental thought, pocket rules!!

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It is estimate that a person consume of plastic bags is six a week, twenty four every month, more or less two hundred and eighty eight a year. To sum up every one in our live might use 22,176 plastic bags. What can we do? Because recycling them is not the answer, for the reason that is cheaper make a new one than recycling it. Only a 1% of every plastic bag is recycled. If they are not been recycled, where they go? The answer is to every where. Because the wind sometimes shuffle them, the worst place they go is the sea. And unfortunately is what more often happen. Once in the sea they are eaten by tortoises, dolphins, seals and whales. Sometimes these animals eat them because they seem to be jellyfish. At the same time hundreds of birth dead due to the plastic bag become for them in a snare.

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I am only mentioning environmental points; we don’t have to forget that plastic bags are made by oil. A country like China would save 37,000 $ only in one year not using plastic bags.

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So came on! Let´ s use cloth bags, we can recycle them, because every day we will be able to reuse them. Recycling is the way but if we already know that it is only a dream (have you seen the program CQC about Murcia??) make something to change that. Tomorrow go to buy to the baker’s with a cloth bag. ^ ^ . it isn´t go green, it is go responsible about a real fact.

The shower (By Fulgencio Serrano)

Traslated from my book "Diario de un pesimista con buen humor"

The shower consists of five phases: faucet opening, checking temperature in your back, soaping oneself, shouting for somebody to switch butane bottle on again, drying with a “Credijoven de Cajamurcia” advertising towel and it ends fifteen seconds before warm water starts to pour. It is annoying, isn’t it? You experiencing a temperature colder than to attend Walt Disney's burial ceremony and the bloody water starts to spread when you do not already need it at all.
And it would be even worse if going to brush your teeth you felt in your pretty mouth the warm water waiting for you inside faucet, to burn it, indeed.

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I wouldn’t like lie you, I am not keen on having a shower, I do it because everybody does it, although if you realize it, something unforeseen happens when you are dripping; in fact, the doorbell, it always rings when you are quite naked forcing you to get dressed with the first thing you pick up in your way to the door: a towel around the waist, a jacket and a mountain boots worn as flip-flops, that it seems you are walking on Cibeles Catwalk stumbling across the corridor with shoelaces untied and wet hair woolly bear style.

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When you return and try to resume the shower, scarcely ten seconds after you feel a strong desire of urinating therein, then you leave toward toilettes (yes, yes, of course dear dudes, it is true necessary to go out, do not be filthy thinking that nobody can see you) and, of course, trickling on the floor marking your path as Tom Thumb (Pulgarcito) but in water pools, so your couple sees you and says: -What a disgust! -Look at the floor; you should have pissed inside the shower tube, such a pig!

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About the creams, I merely want to say here a thing that assaults my mind occasionally: why do the bottles of shampoo and gel always fall down and can not stay upright? Whichever you catch always falls the nearby one, when not the rest ones, as a bowling alley, only the bottle of nature salts keeps vertical, which falls as soon as you have put back all the bottles in their original places again. By the way, anybody knows what the utility of nature salts is? It is this kind of things Santa Claus brings you every year because someone has supposed you would like and you have to bear the humiliation because if you comment a simple word against then will give you a Micky Mouse perfume burner or perhaps, something worst. As in tobacco boxes, it would be recommendable to put a banner up in the bath door: “Shower can affect to your psychic health”

BOOK REVIEW (by Fca. Elena Torrecillas Lozano)

Tittle: Psiquiatras, psicólogos y otros enfermos

Author: Rodrigo Muñoz Avia

Category: Narrative

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If you want to be in absolute hysterics you will read this novel. I’ve just finished to read it and I can’t stop laughing when I remember some amazed situations happened in the book. I bought this book three months ago recommended by a friend. I wanted the novel was a present to someone on St George’s Day, but at last I decided to give another book. It was the best idea I took for so long.

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The book is about Rodrigo Montalvo, a thirty-seven years old man, got married to Patricia, has got two children, a boy and a girl (seven and nine years old) and has a cat, which look like as a dog because barking. His familly -the cat included- love him so much. He is a happy man. At least ,he has been feeling like that. One day , after the visit of his brother in law –a psychiatrist-,he hesitates about the fact of his hapiness . He wants to know the truth about himself and starts to visit more and more psychologists, psychiatrists, hypnotherapists. They take his money without adding any sensible answer.

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The novel is a compelling tale with evocative scenes. There are some very funny moments. The part where the hero is speaking on the phone with an argentinian psychiatrist is memorable. The plot will engage you. You can’t put down. In spite of some unconvincing parts, incredible in the real life, the ending is absolutely amazing and unexpected . In conclusion, I would rather recommend to read this book.

BABY DIES AFTER BEING LEFT IN CAR (by María Jesús Abellán)

“A 3-years old boy died in Sevilla while he slept in his car seat in his father’ car while he was working in a Secondary School or having a meeting”.

“A 2-years old baby died in France after being abandoned by his father inside his car parked at the centre of the city Pont de Chéruy.

Unfortunately, we have been witnesses of the above headlines on two occasions during last week. But these are not the only cases that have happened during recent months. This kind of events are happening every day all over the world and I can not understand how is possible to forget a baby in the car, your own baby!. You can forget your mobile, the glasses, the shopping, the bag, some documents, but a baby!. Not only it is a human, but also is it someone who is on your own flesh and blood. Someone that is in your mind the whole day because you can not avoid thinking on them. Although I have tried to find some reasonable explanation to justify those events, I still have not found it. I supposed they really forgot the children were inside the car because it would be a very irresponsible and horrible action from a parent to leave the baby, being conscious of it. But surely there a many cases of children left in the car while parents are doing something important or not.

From personal experience I would say that to be parents means a lot of responsibility, that sometimes it is not easy to assume. You think you will not be able to do it, but when the baby comes you realize that it will not be so difficult. Despite of the feeling of insecurity, you start playing this important role, commiting a lot of mistakes, but learning of them. Finally they become in the reason of your life.

Nowadays the pace of this modern life forces ourselves to be very busy us not to stop not even to think. In our day, we have perhaps become so used to seeing tragedy that we are not aware of the meaning of the word. However when the tragedy involves loss of children’s life I am convinced we are more sensitive, at least I am. And you?

Agressivness (by Mati Bolaños)

Agressivness. Are we bringing up future criminals? Why do children and teenagers commit crimes? A terrible problem that must be focused soon.

From time to time, we watch awfull crimes committed by children on television. We all remember those two English boys (10 and 12 years old) that raped and murdered a 2-year-old baby. Why did they do it? What is the reason of their behaviour? Another horrofying example took place in Finald some years ago: a 6-year-old boy took his father’s gun and shot at her female partner during a class. Why? They had an argued the day before. Is he guilty? I would never affirm that. He just did what he used to see at home. And, finally, I cannot avoid mentioning José Rabadán, from Murcia, who killed his parents and little sister when he was 16.

Unfortunately, there are not lots of polls or research about this topis. But amizingly, only a 48% of these “criminals” suffer some kind of personality disorder. Then, what happened to the rest of them?
Latest research point out one huge problem: some parents do not know how to bring up their children.
All the babies have a tendency to hit when they want to get something. However, most parents correct this habit, and as a result of it, children learn that Hitting or kicking is not the best way to reach an aim. The problem arrives when parents allow their children use violence to satisfy their wishes.

In Spain, the legislation about the criminal responsability of under-18s was enforced in 2001. This law states that under-14s will never be responsable of their acts and, moreover, describes a wide range of punishments for those teenagers (from 14 to 18) that have committed crimes.
Since 2001, this law has been developped a lot. The evolution has reached a point in which the original law does not have anything to do with the current one. The original law have attach importance to education and courses to provide a proper future for under-18s. One the contrary, nowadays, detention centres and punishments take precedence over education. Nevertheless, There has never been a adequate budget to invest on this centres.

This is an extremely polemic subject, but whatever your opinion is, you must never forget that, when lights are out during the night, the only noise you can hear is a boy crying.
And, before finishing, I want you to think about these young men future. In most cases, when they leave the detention centre, their attitude is worst that before since their mind have been contaminated by other dangeroues partners.