Our last assignment -The Curious Bookcase- was a total hit. Some students decided to keep on writing, inspired by the title given. Here's another example of how GREAT young writers can be!
THE CURIOUS LIBRARY
In a curious library, life is very different. There we find so many books with interesting subjects and wide knowledge. In addition, we can find students preparing to take an exam, and also learning with the only aim of knowing, which is an essential value to modern life, because when a person is ignorant, is much easier to deceive. Like when we are in a strange city, without knowing the streets and it is easier to get lost. Anabel was a young woman, just about 21 years old. She was studious and attentive. Her grandfather told her: "You must learn and that will help in the future”. So, every morning, she went to the library. At 6 in the morning she was already there. Lili, the librarian, greeted her and then Anabel followed her routine. It began with the subject she hated most, the formal sciences. She then continued her study with both social factual sciences and natural. She has been doing this for three week: she went to the section of Latin- American History, and looked for the same book, which she had already read a thousand times but loved, called “The stolen independence”. Immediately after finding it, she sat down on a chair close to the great large window that showed the garden of the faculty. But on July 28, 2002 -always at 6 am- she went to look for the same book and sat down close to the large window. But that morning she fell from the large window to the garden. When the librarian, Lili, heard the noise and saw what had happened, she immediately called emergency. The police arrived and began to question the librarian about the accident. Lili said that the name of the young girl was Anabel and that she came to the library every day at 6 am, and always sat in the same place. She said she really didn’t see anything because she was facing back, so she saw what had happened when she heard loud noise. Meanwhile, Anabel was being treated. Fortunately, nothing happened. She was only unconscious for two weeks, in a coma. So when she got up she knew all about Latin- American independece as if she had lived in the book for two weeks. Security cameras showed that the girl had simply fallen asleep on the table and that her dream was so distressing that she moved and fell involuntarily through the window.
Milagros Braña, Érica Fernández and Giuliana Pucciarelli - 4th Year
There are thousands of urban legends around the world but, are they real?
Despite being true or not, people believe in them…why?
The following story is based on a real case and it has become one of the most popular urban legends.
Mary was a fifteen year old girl when she got an illness which had no cure. Her father didn’t want any member of the family to catch the disease, so he hired a doctor and told him to give Mary a special medicine to make her seem dead. The doctor, following the father’s orders, gave the girl the potion. But after a couple of minutes she didn’t wake up. The next day, her family would bury her. Mary’s mother couldn’t accept the fact that her daughter had died, so she tied the girl’s finger to a bell in case she woke up. She remained near her tomb for two days, hoping the bell would ring, until her husband ordered her to go back home. The next day, when she visited the child’s tomb, she saw the bell had fallen. Amazed and desperate, she told her husband and they exhumed the body. There, they saw scratches all over the coffin. Mary’s mother wouldn’t forgive herself for the way her daughter had died, so she committed suicide.
Nowadays, it’s very common to find young people curious about this case. They play a game in which they have to spin around three times in front of a mirror while saying ‘Bloody Mary’also three times. It is believed that Mary’s spirit appears, sometimes covered in blood.
It’s hard to consider is this legend is real or not. Scientists establish that if you stare at something for a long time, it might cause visual distortion and hallucinations. This fact plus the fear people feel related to the story should be reason enough to see the spirit. But, what if science lies and what you see is the actual spirit?
Aries (21/03-20/4): During the current week, you will face a deep sadness and departures of loved ones. Protect your future and evaluate what is most important in your life, it will be a time of learning. Try to enjoy every minute, find happiness in wisdom. Your love life will improve significantly. Beware of excesses with food.
Taurus (21/04-20/05): Those who have a stable relationship will go through a very good moment of intimacy. It’s the best time for you to start your own business.
To attract opportunities you need to learn what you want in an honest way, in order to recognize opportunities when the universe puts them in front of you. If you love sports, try to take care and not exceeded, it can cost you a sprain or fracture. Take care of your health and think before you act.
Gemini (21/05-20/06): You will find the strength you need to make progress with work. Watch your impulses; you may confuse your partner. Try to leave your problems at work, don’t take them home. Good luck can come alone but you will have to believe it will.
See your doctor; take a vacation or a break at least. If you always take your health as a secondary issue will suffer the consequences.
Cancer (21/06-20/07): All week working energy should flow more freely, let things happen and see how each piece falls where it should fall. Let go of conflict and today you will begin to travel the path of peace and love with family. At work you may present new ideas, don’t hold back, leave shyness aside.
Leo (21/07-21/08): If last week wasn’t successful, now is the time to enjoy your family harmony, intimacy and dialogue. If you accept your own reality, you will take harmony to your workplace, opening doors to possibilities. Do not be stubborn or waste time insisting on things that will not happen.
Virgo (22/08-22/09): See yourself as others do, it is impossible to live with your moods. Misunderstandings can arise from anywhere, do not panic or obfuscate, this will be brief if you keep your calm and act with tact. Beware of stress. Enjoy life to the fullest without straying too far from what you have always been and dreamed. In love there can be big changes and surprises. For single people: among your friends is the ideal partner.
Libra (23/09-22/10): Strong development of your thinking skills and abstract thinking. Excellent time to study, try to take this winning streak to take courses that will help you progress. If you have a big boost to achieve your desires and most cherished dreams, you must start with calm and act with intelligence.
Relax if you just get a regular partner, or if you have a loving proposal do not behave like a coward; take a leap and try.
Stopping your stress, starting to look around, you will see miracles offered by the universe.
Scorpio (23/10-22/11): You know your rights and you try to revive old projects that were halfway. Try to maintain a healthy diet. The art of being happy is to value the small things. With your natural ability to figure it all, evaluate whether it is worth the risk. It will take this up with the advantage of conquering other almost without trying. Now is the time to consider important goals. If it calms and focuses your energy, get greater vitality and strength of will inside. It's time to find stable support with real guarantees of future and continuity, to begin a long-term project, a better future. You must learn to be in the right place at the right time.
Sagittarius (23/11-20/12): Good time to plead or strengthen a couple, or choose a partner. To improve and enhance the vital energy that is the source of health we must live in harmony and love. And it is advisable to achieve the following: Living and seizing the moment is a work of self-consciousness, destined to strong minds.
Capricorn (21/12-19/01): You should use your good heart and learn to forgive: the other is also entitled to win sometimes. The Moon will increase your romance and imagination; begin to dream of the ideal person. Natives with non- regular partners get easily understood and singles will learn to commit. Improve your mood, if you can take a few days off.
Aquarius (20/01-18/02): A change of scenery could do, if you can walk or go on vacation to a place with lots of nature. Choose the right company to spend a relaxing time and renew your daily routine.
New possibilities come into your life. Try to define agreements and don’t postpone important decisions. Take the time to understand your options.
Live the present as what it is: a divine gift of the Universe.
Pisces (19/02-20/03): On this day it will be very important for you the opinion others may have on you right now. You should stop thinking so much about the opinions of others and worry more about your own needs and you will really achieve true happiness. You will not feel like talking about money today and you'll be quite apathetic in anything having to do with such issues. You're a dreamer and Neptune in your sign will make you worry more for reasons that have to do with the mind.
Camila Jourdan, Luciana Ramos and Rocío Nieto - 3rd Year
Science fiction is the popular name given to the genre that derived from fictional literature, along with fantasy and horror fiction.
Born as a literary subgenre distinguished in the 1920´s and subsequently exported to the media, it enjoyed a boom in the second half of the twentieth century due to the popular interest in the future created by both scientific and technological progress achieves over those years.
In literature, film and comic, science fiction proposes a fanciful version of reality, likely related to all the branches of science.
The genre imagines about the uncertain future but also suggests the active presence of extraterrestrial life and unexplored scientific possibilities in the contemporary time.
However, science fiction films offer a negative view of the future, which has made specialists understand that the viewer attempts to reconcile the fears that assault him/her towards scientific findings of difficult understanding. One of the most typical figures of speculative fiction is the mad scientist: a very competent researcher who discovers a mechanism or phenomenon of enormous power. From doctor Frankenstein to the geneticist that designs dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, this characters mark the evolution of the genre.
In film there are great examples of the genre, through the adaptation of stories and novels, and the production of films with scripts especially created for both the big and small screen. Science fiction cinema has been used occasionally for critical comments of political or social aspects, and the exploration of philosophical issues like the definition of the human being.
The genre first appeared on television during its golden age, first in Great Britain and then in America. The special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present an image of an imaginary world that is not limited to reality; this makes television an excellent medium for science fiction.
Films follow the trail of literature. George Méliés was inspired by the works of Jules Verne to shoot “Voyage dans la lune” (1902). New technological discoveries promoted fiction arguments too, like Spanish Segundo de Chomón, whose best known film, “El Hotel Eléctrico” (1908), explores the possibilities of electric energy, which use became popular at the time.
Russian film “Aelita” (1924) directed by Iakov Protaznov, is considered one of the first masterpieces of a genre that particularly influenced a follower of German expressionism, Fritz Lang, who drew in “Metropolis” (1926) a future that bore parallels with the rise of Nazism. “The Lost World” (1925) directed by Harry Hoyt, based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, and provided the genre with another of its conventions: the prehistoric monsters that survive extinction.
Horror and science fiction genres intersect in productions like “Frankenstein” (1931) and “The Invisible Man” (1933) by James Whale, where the protagonists reached a terrible outcome for having found two scientific secrets.
The generalization of science fiction comics like “Flash Gordon” favored its cinematographic adaptation. Some examples are “Flash Gordon”/”Rocket Ship” (1936) by Frederick Stephani, and “The Adventures of Captain Marvel” (1941) by William Witney and John English.
The influence of the Cold War is also traceable in film, with productions like “The Thing” (1951, Christian Nyby), “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951, Robert Wise), “The War of the Worlds” (1953, Byron Haskin) and “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956, Don Siegel).
The researches on radioactive materials resulted in titles like “The Beast from 20.000 Fathoms” (1953, Eugene Lourie) and “The Incredible Shrinking Man” (1957, Jack Arnold), while others like “20.000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954, Richard Fleischer) and “From the Earth to the Moon” (1958, Byron Haskin) showed more innocence. “Forbidden Planet” (1956, Fred McLeod Wilcox), “The Fly” (1958, Kurt Neumann) and “The Time Machine” (1960, George Pal) presented the mysteries about the future.
The 60’s brought films like “The Village of the Damned” (1960, Wolf Rilla) and “Barbarella” (1968, Roger Vadim). The film “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968, Stanley Kubrick) offers a realistic prospect of the evolution of science.
The fascination for aliens is reflected in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) and “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), both directed by Steven Spielberg while “Alien” (1979) directed by Ridley Scott shows them as a threat. On the other hand, the 70’s came up with adaptations of popular comics and TV series like “Star Trek: The Movie” (1979, Robert Wise) and “Superman” (1978, Richard Donner) and with the revival of atomic fear, “Mad Max” (1978, George Miller).
The 80’s showed movies like “Blade Runner” (1982, Ridley Scott), “The Terminator” (1984, James Cameron), “Ghostbusters” (1984, Ivan Reitman) and “Robocop” (1987, Paul Verhoeven). But maybe one of the most famous is “Back to the Future” (1985, Robert Zemeckis), in which a teenager, Marty McFly, is sent back in time to 1955, where he meets his future parents in high school and accidentally becomes his mother’s romantic interest.
Since the 90’s digital special effects gave new impetus to visual entertainment in movies like “Jurassic Park” (1993, Steven Spielberg) and “Independence Day” (1996, Roland Emmerich).
Definitely, science fiction has improved markedly since the beginning, and if there is a highlight, these are the special effects. Today, with all the technology we have, we have made incredible effects. Although lately, has been questioned from several people arguing that "Examples of before were better than now" Like, Jurassic Park where dinosaurs looked more real than now with pure computer special effects.
But overall, it is a very good genre to enjoy because it is interesting and calls the attention of varied groups of people.
Finally, we leave you our Top 5 Recommend Science Fiction Films:
The Avengers
The Star Wars franchise
Ghostbusters
The Batman franchise
The Back to the future trilogy
Magalí Nenezian, Kevin Vera and Federico Vargas - 3rd Year
This week, our 4th year students were asked to write a composition. The only thing I provided them with was the title. Just three words. THE CURIOUS BOOKCASE.
All they had to do was free their imagination and tell a great story. It could be fiction, it could be an anecdote, it could be anything they wanted.
It turns out that some of our boys and girls wrote pretty awesome stories...and we decided to share them with you.
ENJOY!
This is the story of a boy that loved to study. He knew all historical characters, from Plato to Goethe. He was new in the neighborhood. His mother told him that there was a library, a few blocks away from his new house, called ‘The Curious One’.
He didn’t know that going to that place would change his life forever.
The library was divided in sections: History, Fiction, Poetry, and Politics… What the boy didn’t know was that when you were reading a book, you actually entered it and lived the story as the protagonist.
The boy preferred History, so he went to that section. He took a World War II book from the bookcase and started reading. He fell in the story as a soldier, but when he died shot by a German soldier, he exited the book and returned to the library.
Afterwards, he felt like reading a Science Fiction book, so he grabbed ‘Star Wars: Episode IV’. When he fell in a galaxy far, far away, he became Luke and had Jedi powers. He fought Darth Vader and won.
Finally, he chose ‘Maze Runner’. Even though in real life only two minutes went by, he stayed in the book for two days. He ended up getting in the maze to find a way out. The thing was that he couldn’t find a way out nor return to where he came from.
After a few days, he died of hunger.
It is a mystery why the boy didn’t leave the book that time. Nobody ever found him.
Bárbara Levato and Lucas Figueras
My name is John and I’m going to tell a story that happened when I was eleven years old.
It was a rainy day in England and I was in Highland College, near Scotland. I was going downstairs when I saw a friend who was going to the library, like me.
We were looking for information when my friend Scott found a forbidden section. We immediately went there and found a lot of books of black magic.
It was half past seven when we began reading those books and the sun was going down.
We opened an old book but the pages were empty. Five seconds later, appeared a sentence out of nowhere that said ‘The person who reads this sentence will die within the next 24 hours, unless he or she does two important things: first, out a venomous cockroach in Professor Harmly’s soup during lunch. Then, kill your friend Scott tonight. At twelve o’clock’.
When I finished reading this, Scott asked me what I was looking for and I told him that we should leave and have dinner.
After dinner, when we were getting ready to go to bed, I put some poison in his glass of water and went to sleep. He never woke up again.
The following day, when the students were going to lunch, I put a cockroach in my professor’s soup. At two o’clock, she was dead.
That evening I went to the library and opened the old book. It told me: ‘Well done, little boy. You are now a professional murderer’.
Mariano Dib and Julián Lovito Guevara
This is the story of a curious bookcase. The bookcase was at the Paris Museum and it was removed and taken somewhere in the Bermuda’s Triangle. It was the secret bookcase of Attila the Hun.
Now, I’m going to tell you how I found it. I was a sailor before everything happened, of course. The last thing I remember is that I was on my ship in the Caribbean Sea, near the Bahamas, which was my destination. But something went horribly wrong. I don’t know what happened. I think I reached that infamous zone, The Bermuda’s Triangle.
When I woke up, everything that was around me were pieces of what used to be my ship; all those pieces are now my house. I was in an island in the middle of nowhere.
After building my house, I went to explore the place and I found an ancient construction. I decided to enter, even knowing that lots of things could happen. But I had sunk and I was alone, so nothing else mattered.
I had never seen something like that in my whole life. It was wonderful, full of rooms and secrets. In one of the rooms I found a crate and there were a few inscriptions on it and a big one that said ‘CIA. The content of this crate was removed of the Paris Museum because it’s DANGEROUS. Please, DO NOT open it’.
As I said, I had sunk and was alone, so I decided to open it anyways.
Inside it was that bookcase, Attila’s bookcase. It was a sort of Chinese wooden bookcase, obviously stolen by the Huns, probably from a Chinese village.
I think the Huns never knew about the bookcase. Attila had hidden the most secret books of his time in that place.
Since I found it, I’ve learned a lot about Ancient Asia.
If you read this, send a rescue team, please, SOS!!!
(A message in a vodka bottle from an unknown sailor)
Ara Fermadjian and Andrés Ísola
It was an early winter of 1992. A family had a car accident. The father and sister died, leaving a widowed mother and an orphan son.
After that terrible accident the mother, as she was not feeling well living in the family house alone with a boy and a missing husband and daughter, she decided to move and start a new life.
They moved to a remote house near a city, where there was peace and tranquility. When John and Elizabeth arrived to the new house, they rested for a while and then began organizing their things.
When they finished, John took a tour around the house and found a large door at the end of a corridor.
He tried to open it and couldn’t. He thought it was no big deal and left.
Days went by and one evening, after returning from school, John slept for an hour. When he got up, he was hungry and went to the kitchen to get something to eat and go back to his room.
Suddenly, he heard noises from the door that he could not open before. He phoned his mother and told her: ‘Where did you put the key to that room?’ ‘Which room are you talking about, John?’ ‘The key to the door at the end of the hall’, said John. ‘There is no room there, honey’, replied Elizabeth. ‘Well, maybe I’m confused’.
When John hung up the phone he started thinking about what had happened. Then, he reacted: he went to get an axe and broke the door. When he entered, he saw there was a bookcase, with many dusty old books.
At the end of a shelf, he found a brilliant book and took it. When he opened it, the door closed shut. He threw the book, scared. He went to the door and tried to open it…but there was no door…
(To be continued)
Micaela Rolle, Belén Rivera Tola and Fernández Camila
Crime cinema is one of the most successful genres in our national cinematographic industry. A big budget is not necessary to tell the story.
With ‘The Clan’, Trapero (its director) decided to tell a real story about Archímedes Puccio and his family back in 1980, a case that moved the country with its cruelty and sadism.
To do this work, Trapero invited actors who surprised the audience with their roles, like Guillermo Francella.
The latest was believed to be a wrong choice to play Archímedes because people is used to seeing him playing comedy. Thanks to that factor, his interpretation is surprisingly good. He achieves to show his best during the two hours of film.
Another big surprise was Peter Lanzani, an actor who is ready to ditch the role of a high school kid and become the traumatized Alessandro Puccio. If you still underestimate him, you better watch this movie.
The plot of the film revolves about the story of the Puccio family, and gives an insight of the first five years of 1980, when the family turned into a clan dedicated to crime.
The house where the film was shot is not the original one, but the looks, cars and even the money are the same.
If you haven’t seen this movie, you definitely must watch it. It has everything that needs to be the next Oscar for our country.
Jazmín Mendoza, Tobías Zavalía, Sol Bidondo, Lautaro Morano,
Matías Bruno and Brian Converso – 4th Year
To start talking about this, we have a typical trigger question: is it possible to have a ‘lasting relationship’ being a teenager? The answer is yes and no. We will answer this with another question: when teenagers find boyfriends or girlfriends, do they want the relationship to last and have a future?
The saying is self-explaining: 'it will last as long as you care for it and you’ll keep your partner for as long as you desire'.
People say that the time a relationship lasts depends on both parts of the couple. Personally, we think that it also depends on society or the person’s group of friends.
According to various studies, the ‘romantic love’ depends on three factors: physical attraction, intimacy (which means to thoroughly know your partner) and commitment.
During adolescence is very common to feel the ‘attraction’ towards the other person, because society stands that the ‘outside’ of a person is extremely exposed and it is given great importance when you start going out with someone.
Obviously, without the combination of the three factors, a lasting relationship is impossible. If there is only attraction, it will be only a ‘moment of love’ or a chance to discover that that person will never be ‘THE one’ and that he or she will be attracted to other people (sooner or later).
The most important thing is to be committed: if there’s no commitment, the relationship won’t last. You must feel the urge of being with someone and see that person as a perfect companion in the future.
Typically, teenagers have shorter relationships because adolescence is a stage in which people instinctively seek for many different experiences and try almost everything once. Adolescence is about discovering who you are, what values you consider to be important and what you want to achieve in life.
That’s why we believe that romantic relationships in adolescence are established –mainly, there’s always the exception to the rule- to have fun. Dating someone is an opportunity to go to new places and live new experiences. Dating can be a way to fit in a group of friends; if all your friends go out with someone, one can also feel the need to find a ‘soul mate’. For some people, going out with someone, is a matter of ‘social status’.
The reality –and so often heard from teachers, grandparents, mothers or even psychologists- is that during adolescence we exaggerate things. Everything is new and unique, that’s why we believe our first girlfriend or boyfriend is actually ‘the love of our lives’, ‘the one’ and so on.
But…is it possible to find ‘true love’ during adolescence? This, we’ll discuss next time.
Malena Avagliano, Macarena Beceiro, Valeria Gasol and Camila Periale - 5th Year
Nowadays, teenagers (and most of adult people) communicate via social networks. Many of us are familiarized with them, but not everyone knows how to use them or what they are used for.
A virtual community or social network is a website on the internet that brings people together to talk, share ideas and interests or make new friends. This type of collaboration and sharing of data is often referred to as ‘social media’. Unlike traditional media, that is often created by no more than 10 people, social media sites have content that has been created by hundreds or even millions of different people.
The first network, not currently known, was called ‘Six Degrees’. This network was initiated in late 1997, but the server was released in 2001. It is currently one of the networks that have disappeared. It was founded by Andrew Winreich, and developed by the company Macroview. This site gave the users the option to create their profile and friends list. The name was based on the theory that any human being is connected to any other by a maximum of 6 known people. Nowadays, this social network has disappeared due to its low popularity.
Nevertheless, social networks continued to grow and became extremely popular. The most used ones today are: WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But do we know what they are for?
WhatsApp is a free instant messaging application for mobile phones, to send and receive messages via internet, complementing mail services, instant messaging, short message services or multimedia messaging systems. Using this app (short for APPLICATION), you can even talk to several people at the same by creating groups; and share images, videos and other data. One of its characteristics is that you can send and receive voice messages; this is useful for people that need to say several things and what to avoid writing so much.
Facebook is a social network created by Mark Zuckerberg while studying at Harvard University. His aim was to design a space where students at university could communicate and share content easily through the internet. His project was so ground-breaking that eventually spread to be available for any user on the network.
Twitter is a network where you can send plain text messages of short length with a maximum of 140 characters called tweets, which are displayed in the user's home page. Users can subscribe to other users tweets. This is called ‘following’ and people become ‘followers’. By default, messages are public and can be disseminated privately showing them only to certain followers. Users can tweet from the web service, with external applications, or by short message service (SMS) available in certain countries.
It became even more popular when people started using Hashtags, which are words or phrases that represent conversations the users are having. It is preceded by a # . This trend is now used not only on Twitter, but also on Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram is a social network application for sharing photos and videos. It allows users to apply photo effects like filters, frames, retro and vintage colours; these can be shared in different social networks like Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter.
A distinctive feature of the application is that it gives a square shape to photographs in honor of the Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid cameras, contrasting with the aspect ratio 16:9 currently used by most mobile phone cameras.
However, not all social networks are used properly. There is a lack of control and anonymity and they give access to inappropriate content.
Here are some of the disadvantages that they may present:
They are dangerous if not properly configured;
They are addictive;
They are used by criminals to know the details of their victims.
When these networks are used correctly, they can be very useful to contact old friends or distant relatives; besides, their use allows communication in real time. In addition, the information is continually updated.
Social Networks give us tools to communicate easily and quickly. Nevertheless, if used in a wrong way, they may bring problems. Remember to leave them aside from time to time and never stop talking to ‘real’ people, in real life.
Camila Alcuri, Brenda González, Cibeles Dillon and Bruno García - 3rd Year
In Fuenlabrado and Madrid, you will notice that half of the stick figures and road signs at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights are now wearing skirts!!
It is said that these images around us can shape our attitudes and that our discriminatory attitudes must change. They are not the only ones who believe this. In other countries like Austria and cities like Atlanta in the U.S.A., the street signs are changing too. In the Austrian capital, half of the baby changing signs now shows a pictogram of a man changing a baby.
It is believed that this is part of a campaign against gender-based stereotypes and sex prejudice.
Some people think that these changes won’t really make a difference if the biggest myth-making machine (the media and society) continues to reinforce gender stereotypes.
Adverts usually present women only as a ‘decorative object’ to sell items for the household; on the other hand, men figures are rarely shown doing housework.
Indeed, an analysis of a teen magazine for girls recently revealed that 46% of the pictures and content were about appearance. By contrast, the same study proved that many magazines show boys as ambitious, successful and competitive. Boys are encouraged to achieve whatever they want, while girls are told that –in order to be successful- they must look good all the time.
It is thought that if this difference doesn’t change, stereotypes will persist. However, if we look back to the treatment of men and women by the media fifty years ago, it’s CLEAR that progress has been made. Gender equality has a lot to do with the way we transmit information…and signs just do that.
In Argentina, we have progressed in certain aspects: we now have a law that reinforces the possibility of getting help in case a woman has problems getting pregnant; we have given homosexuals the right to marry who they love; we even have risen together as citizens to ask for special protection towards women harassed by their husbands or boyfriends, trying to stop the unrestrained murder of females.
Nevertheless, every time we turn on the T.V. and watch the news, we learn that things did not change and are even getting worse.
The first step is the recognition of men and women EQUALITY. A way to show this is, as we have stated, through public images and signs.
We’ve found ourselves in this situation: we are sitting with our friends, trying to share a nice moment of conversation with them and they are all playing video games or checking ‘Instagram’ or ‘Whatsapp’ on their phones. Has this ever happened to you?
Nowadays, teenagers are born in a generation to which using phones is a common thing, but are they a benefit?
These days, boys and girls are constantly looking at their phones and parents wonder, is it really necessary?
As teenagers, we are checking our social media all the time, it may be because we’re bored or we don’t realize we are doing it at all. However, we depend on them because is the easiest way to keep in touch with our friends no matter where we are. But when it comes to paying attention to other things like school, do they interfere?
When we talk about learning, it’s hard to concentrate having our phones next to us. We have to turn them off or silence them to focus on something. Also, when we go out with our friends is very usual to find everyone staring at theirs instead of interacting with each other.
When did we get to be this way? Why don't we enjoy a 'face to face' conversation anymore?
In conclusion, we think phones are really necessary when it comes to being connected with family and friends but the way we’re using them might be very excessive.
As a result, we need to use them with responsibility, so they don’t take away an important part of our lives.
Another TOP 5 is here!! Today, we bring you the best series to watch. Let us know what you think!
NUMBER 5: MY MAD FAT DIARY
Set in Stanford, Lincolnshire, in the mid-1990, it follows the story of a 16 year old – 105 kg. girl, Rae Earl, who has just left a psychiatric hospital where she has spent four months. She begins to reconnect with her old friend, Chloe, who is unaware of Rae’s mental health and body image problems, believing she was in France for the last four months.
This is a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries which focuses on the Mikaelson siblings, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah. The first episode revealed that a werewolf, Hayley, is pregnant with Klaus’ child. Having originally built the city, they had been forced to flee from their vengeful father. In their absence, Marcel took charge of the city. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them. While doing that, they must also protect everything that they have built from the war between vampires, werewolves and witches.
Genre: Horror / Fantasy
Created by: Julie Plec
Starring: Joseph Morgano, Daniel Gillies, Phoebe Tonkin, Claire Holf
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 44
NUMBER 3: PRISON BREAK
Lincoln Burrows has been accused of killing Terrence Steadman, who is the vice-president’s brother and he swears he didn’t do it. Sentenced to death for that crime, he is sent to the Fox River Penitentiary until the day of his execution. His brother, Michael Scofield, is sure of his innocence and, in order to save him, decides to commit a crime. From the outside, a lawyer called Veronica Donovan is helping them. The problem comes when a secret organization gets involved.
Genre: Serial Drama / Action / Crime / Thriller
Created by: Paul Schevring
Starring: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Robin Tonney
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 81
NUMBER 2: BATES MOTEL
This is a contemporary prequel to the film ‘Psycho’. The show starts out with Norman Bates being portrayed as a regular young man. As the show goes on, Norma (his mother) and Norman’s relationship gives up insight on how he came to be the way he is. An intricate flashback to Norma’s life is revealed and Norman’s psyche slowly starts to unravel.
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Suspense
Based on: characters from ‘Psycho’ by Robert Bloch
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, Max Thierict
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 30
NUMBER 1: UNDER THE DOME
It tells the story of the residents of the fictional small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine, where a massive, transparent, indestructible dome suddenly cuts them off from the rest of the world. With no internet access, no mobile signals and limited radio communication, the people trapped inside must find their own ways to survive. While military forces, the government and the media from outside attempt to break it down, a small group of people inside is trying to figure out what the dome is, where it came from and when and if it will ever go away.
Genre: Science Fiction / Mystery / Serial Drama
Based on: Under The Dome by Stephen King
Starring: Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 39
Jazmín Mendoza, Tobías Zavalía and Santiago Vanella - 4th Year
We should clarify that each one of us knows that this
is a bad habit. When we meet someone, go to a business meeting or a job
interview, our hands say more than we could imagine. They expose our hygiene
and health habits.
However, we all know someone that is always biting
their nails. Why is this so common?
The bad habit of nail-biting is defined as onychophagy, and it is a disorder produced by anxiety, obsession,
nerves and stress. We bite our nails when we are nervous or anxious about something, or even out of boredom or inactivity.
Although many people of different ages have this
habit, it usually occurs in puberty: teenagers are always nervous, stressed and
very anxious about everything.
There are several ways to stop nail biting. Since it’s
a response to stressful situations, we should try to identify what is making us
nervous and deal with it emotionally and mentally.
Once this is done, we can focus on quitting the habit.
If you are a woman, a good way to end with this habit
is by polishing your nails with a bright colour. If you like the way your hands
look when they are clean and polished, you will try to avoid biting your nails,
just because they look awesome!
Lots of women have tried bitter nail polish which –of
course- is supposed to keep your hand off your mouth because of its bitter
taste. This has worked for some people, although stubborn nail-biters keep on
with the habit (even when the polishing is absolutely disgusting).
We leave you 11 tips for you to stop biting your beloved nails.
Milagros Duhart, Micaela Zavalía and Tamara Tissot - 5th Year
In the late
Middle Ages and the following centuries, the British Isles and surrounding
areas developed a kind of game that would be World-wide famous: two groups of
people run after a ‘ball’ (made of different materials and sizes) trying to
kick it into the opposite’s team scoring zone.
This
practice had no rules whatsoever until the second half of the seventeenth
century. At that time, a great unification of the previous ‘football codes’ was
done and different types of football were born: rugby football, American
football, Australian football…today just known as ‘FOOTBALL’.
But, Europe was not the only place where this game was
developed. In South America, games where a
ball was driven with the feet also were practiced.
The Spanish
Jesuit José Manuel Peramás –who lived in San Ignacio Miní, a Jesuit reduction
of Indians under Catholic care- wrote in his personal journal –later published
as ´De Vita et moribus tredecim virorum paraguaycorum’ (or ‘The life and
customs of the thirteen Paraguayan’)- a description of the game:
‘They used to
play with a ball which, although rubber filled, was so light and fast that
every time they hit it, it continued bouncing for some time, without stopping,
driven by its own weight. They don’t throw
the ball with their hands, like us, but with the top of the bare foot, passing
it and receiving it with great agility and precision’.
There is a
theory that suggests that football was first played in South
America, especially among the Guaraní people.
However,
football was first ruled in Britain.
The British Codes were characterized for its few rules and extreme violence.
One of the most popular carnivals was ‘soccer’ (and one of the most violent
ones) which was prohibited by decree of King Edward III and remained forbidden
during 500 years.
Nevertheless,
the British Codes were taken in different cities and evolved towards a less
violent game. One of the most popular games was the Florentine Calcium,
originally from Florence, Italy. This sport influenced what
we today know as football, not only with its rules, but also –and most
important- with the party atmosphere in which these games were (and are)
played.
Nowadays, football is one of the most popular sports. We watch it, we play it, we argue about it, we even fight about it...but most of all, we LOVE it!
Lautaro Romano García and Ariel Condori - 5th Year
Adults believe that young people and teenagers don’t read anymore. This issue has been discussed already; but we would like to give our opinion on the matter and show everybody that TEENAGERS READ!
We would like to help other teens start reading, finding the habit of opening a book delightful.
What causes us to read, in our opinion, is the possibility of taking a break from reality, living the life of other people, and imagining how serious our lives would be if we were similar to the characters in our book. When we read we are excited, we are happy. When you have an original book in your hands, it feels so good. You are fascinated with a story and want to read all day.
The best of all is that, without knowing it, we are nurturing our lives for a better future.
However, only 5% of the young students read for personal interest or pleasure. Very few find time to read something that is not related to school homework.
We want to share what we like to read with you and to recommend books that can be as attractive to you as they are to us.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have read any of these books or would like to read one. Today, we bring you three different stories.
GOOD MORNING, PRINCESS!By Blue Jeans
This book is about a group of friends who have known each other for more than two years and have never been separate… but things begin to change as they start having feelings that they never thought they were going to feel.
THE DARK SIDEby Sally Green
This book is about a young man named Nathan Byrn, son of a White Witch and a black sorcerer. This makes him divided between light and darkness. Nathan decides to become the owner of his destiny and determine his road. This book is similar to the Harry Potter saga, with some originality in the powers that witches have.
THE MAZE RUNNERby James Dashner
It's about a young boy named Thomas who is trapped in a strange space surrounded by gigantic walls called "Area" and doesn’t know how he got there. Like him, there are more young people who do not know how they got there. Every morning a maze stone door opens and is closed at night. Every thirty days someone else arrives. A fact alters the routine of the place: a girl arrives with a message.
Start reading!!See you next time!!!
Camila Falcón Díaz, Macarena Fernández and Carolina Izquierdo - 4th Year
We’ve found ourselves in this situation: we are sitting with our friends, trying to share a nice moment of conversation with them and they are all playing video games or checking ‘Instagram’ or ‘Whatsapp’ on their phones. Has this ever happened to you? 
When we talk about learning, it’s hard to concentrate having our phones next to us. We have to turn them off or silence them to focus on something. Also, when we go out with our friends is very usual to find everyone staring at theirs instead of interacting with each other.
