Are mobile phones really suitable for children?

The advances of technology affect people around the world, both positively and negatively. It is an open secret that mobile phones have been the ones that have had the greatest impact in our life since they have become an essential part of our everyday.

On the one hand, mobiles phones have a lot of advantages, for example: they allow us to stay in touch with our loved ones anywhere at any time, they are really useful in studies and business, and they are a source of entertainment.

However, not all that glitters is gold, as there are a big number of downsides. From my point of view, the main disadvantage is its addiction. Its principal example is students, who prefer wasting their time with them than studying. Apart from its addiction, it has been proved that mobile phones have a negative impact on health as well.

Taking all into consideration, I reckon that parents should not provide their children with mobiles phones during their childhood, as I believe this period of time is for enjoying with your friends and play.

Cities are no longer cars' territory and our biological clock

Nowdays there are many kinds of pollution, but air pollution is the one that has the greatest impact on us. With the big number of vehicles on the road we are heading towards smoggy skies and dirty air if we do nothing to stop it.

How does pollution affect us? There are a large variety of effects, for example: there is a higher risk of heart diseases, cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases. Plants and water are being contaminated, which are eaten and drunk by animals. The pollution then ends up in our food chain and finally gets to us.

The list of cities with a low air quality has increased over the years, due to this reason, more and more city centres, such as Sevilla (Spain), Norwich (Britain) and Paris (France), are pedestrians’ territory.

To conclude, I reckon that we have to raise awareness and try to do something for changing these alarming problems, since it's our responsability and by the time we are old we will be able to say that we have looked after the planet.

WHO ARE HEALTHIER, ADULTS OR TEENAGERS?

Nowadays, teenagers have changed in comparison with the teens in the past. I have to admit that we waste a great amount of time on social media, mobile phones and television, because of this it is said that we are a “technology” generation.

First of all, there are a lot of benefits in a healthy life style, such as: it reduces the risk of diseases, improves mood, increases energy levels, it can help brain health, memory and quality of sleep.

On the other hand, there are a lot of reasons why people do not have an active life, for example: they don’t have time and energy, due to school and homerwork, and the lack of results can make them feel discouraged and unmotivated.

To conclude, I would like to add that nowadays people at any age, especially teenagers, are very concerned about their appearance, for this reason exercise is becoming a lot more popular.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOU?

“What are my best qualities?”, “What is best thing about me?” and “What are my worst flaws?” these are questions that everyone has ever asked themselves.

It is known that the people who surround you have a lot of influence on your personality, as the old saying states: “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are”. For this reason, I reckon that everyone shoud be with people who are trustworthy, loyal and supportive.

I have a bunch of flaws that I would like to change, like for example: I would like to have a positive outlook of life or more sense of humor, don’t be so moody every time I have an exam and I would like to be more adventurous. Despite of these defects, I have good qualities, such as: I’m creative, honest and I am a very down-to-earth person.

To conclude, I would add that everyone has defects and qualities, no one is flawless. I am inclined to believe that everyone should try to overcome their defects, although sometimes it can be very difficult. 

ANY COUCH POTATOES AROUND?

First of all, I would like to say that a couch potato is a person who watches a lot of television and does not have an active life. From my point of view, the number of this kind of people has increased over the years.

I wouldn’t consider myself a couch potato as I hardly ever watch televion.

However, when I am not doing homework, studying or hanging out with my friends I spend a lot of hours on social media, chatting with my friends or listening to music.

It is an open secret that almost everybody wants to be healthy and get fit, but they are too lazy for that, owing to this fact a bunch of websites give pieces of advice such as: follow some people on social media that will inspire you to get active, keep a workout calendar and track your progress and create a playlist with awesome songs.

To conclude, I would like to add that more and more children are becoming “couch potatos” due to the new technology. I reckon that parents shouldn’t provide their kids with mobiles and that a good way to keep healthy is joining sport clubs like swimming, football or tennis. 

A FOREIGNER IN NEW YORK

REASONS TO GO INTO A CAFÉ

It is known that cafés are the favourite places to meet friends as we can see in a lot of iconic series like “Friends”, “13 reasons why” and “How I met your mother”, but the reasons for going to a cafe have changed over the years, like for example a few years ago when not everybody had internet or cybercafés appeared and they pull in a lot of people.

However, nowdays everybody has ineternet as it is a necessity for almost everything, for this reason most cybercafes are closed. In spite of this fact, more and more cafés provide you with free-wifi, which attracts a great amount of custumers.

It is believed that cafés are quiet places where you can rest and chill out after a long day, but the reality is that most of the time you can’t as they are crowded. I reckon that sometimes the price of beverages in coffe shops is to expensive, specially in big companies as Starbucks where a coffe costs at leats 4 euros.

To conclude, I would add that free-wifi is more and more common in places such as buses, which is very good if you are in foreign country and you need to send a message to your relatives and friends.

WHAT IS MUSIC FOR YOU?

Music is very powerful since it plays a great role in everyone's life. I reckon a song can inspire someone to do amazing things as it can make feel someone as if he was in a cloud 9.

Music in my life plays an important role because, for example, it helps me to chill out when I am on my nerves or when I am exhausted it makes me feel energetic. However, I can't stand listening to music when I am studying or doing my homework.

Nowadays, I am really into pop music and my favourite singer is "The Weeknd" and my favourite band is "Maroon 5". but I like all kinds of music such as hard rock since everytime I listen to a song by AC/DC the first that comes to my mind is when I was a child and my father used to listen to it.

Thus, as I said before, music is very important for everybody, and no one should be judged for the kind of music he listens to, as I am fed up with people that say that if you listen to reggaeton songs you are silly and idiot.

LAUGHING OR NOT LAUGHING? THAT IS THE QUESTION 😂😂

From my point of view, laughing is something natural that we do everyday. It is said that laughing is the best medicene for everything or the more you laugh, the longer you will live, I have always thought that they were only expressions but they seem to be true.

Some scientists have studied the effects of laughter and they have come to the conclusion that it is very beneficial. Some advantages of laughing are: it provides a full-scale workout for your muscles and produces endorphins.

Nowadays, there is a huge bunch of people who go to laughter therapies in order to relieve stress. This therapy is available in group or individual sessions. This kind of therapy is very popular among adults who say that it really works and when they arrive at home their mood is much better.

However, other scientists say that laughing have a lot of downsides and can bring many harmful effects as dislocated jaws, prompt asthma attacks, headaches and cardiac arrhythmia.

To conclude, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that children laugh about 400 times a day whereas adults only 15 since I reckon this fact is due to kids do not have any important issue. Laughter does not come easily to everyone but even fake laughter has the same beneficial effect than real laughter.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR FUNERAL TO BE LIKE?

The death has always been a taboo subject as it is one the worst fear of humans. Many people say that this is the reason for the existence of religions and funerals since they make us believe that there is something beyond death, which makes us feel less scared about it.

A funeral is a ceremony celebrated when someone dies. There are different ways of celebrating it. That depends on the country, culture and society in which someone lives. Funerals are also thought to help people acknowledge that someone they love has died and allow them to say goodbye.

As I said before, not all funerals are celebrated the same way around the world. For example some people in Madagascar have a famous ritual called “famadihana”. Once every five or seven years, a family has a celebration at its ancestral crypt where the bodies, wrapped in cloth, are exhumed and sprayed with wine or perfume. While a band plays, family members dance with the bodies. For them it’s a chance to pass family news to the deceased and ask for their blessings.

To conclude, I would add that I am still too young to think about my burial, but I like the way that funerals are celebrated in Ireland because maybe it is better for your loved ones, on the other hand I would not like that my friends and relatives gave a party after my death.

MASS TOURISM CAN KILL OUR CITIES

Flying overseas is said to be the dream of everyone. That is why the number of tourists increases every year.

It is an open secret that Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world, some of the most important advantages of tourism in our country are: it brings in money (this is probably the main benefit and the reason why it has been promoted so much in recent years) and unemployment decreases.

Unfortunately, tourism can also be a source of problems, too. One of the main issues is the lack of respect of some tourists for local traditions and culture, getting drunk in public, or behaving rudely or inappropriately. One of the best known activities that tourists make is get into trouble by practising "balconing", which is really popular among tourists who are drunk and consists of jumping from a hotel's balcony into a swimming pool.

From my point of view , the government should take action in Barcelona, whose problems are the high number of tourists, which is the opposite in Turkey, where tourism has decreased due to the terrorist attacks. I would add that as it is said in the article the answer is not to attack tourism since everyone is a tourist at some point in their life.

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN HONEST PERSON OR...?

Since we were kids we have been always told that we must not tell lies (especially by parents or teachers). There are a lot of stories whose moral is: you must not lie. The best known one is “Pinocchio”, whose key message is: if you lie, bad things are going to happen to you.

Thus, during our childhood we may have told little lies. However, while we get older our lies are bigger and worse. There are different kinds of lies, for example the one that is for making feel someone better or the ones that everybody has told at least once time, for example: “ I will be there in five minutes”.

Nowadays, we are used to seeing a big number of lies on social media (Instagram, Snapchat...). In these places people often lie about their lives, making it look more amusing and amazing. It is known that “influencers” are the most common ones to tell lies, as they make a living out of it.

To conclude, I would add that, from my point of view, you always have to be honest with everybody and have friends who are trustworthy, because a relationship without trust is like having a phone without service. And what do you do with a phone without service? You play games.

SUMMER AND MUSIC

TOMORROWLAND

Summer is thought to be the perfect season for trying new things as students do not have to go to school or study for their exams. Some of the common things that people usually do in this season are: going to the beach or swimming pool, going shopping, eating ice-creams...

It is an open secret that music and people have been always very close since music has the ability to express feelings or to bring you back some memories. For example most people when they feel blue they prefer to listen to sad music, and when for example they feel over the moon they prefer to listen to the contrary.

One of the most famous songs right now is “Despacito” performed by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. This song has had a huge success in a lot of countries and its video has become the one with the most number of views on youtube. However, it seems that I am the only person that cannot stand it. “Mi gente” by J Balvin and “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons are some of the most listened songs, too.

To conclude, I would add that this season is also perfect for music festivals like: Tomorrowland (which is celebrated every year in Belgium and is one of the most astonishing ), Glastonbury...,etc. Sadly, these festivals are not affordable for everybody.

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN

The objetive of this essay is to discuss if short attention

span is due to technology. In the following lines I am going to write about: how technology affects young people’s life, the advantages of Internet and its main downside.

Nowadays, internet is thought to be the greatest invention of all times for several reasons: instant communication with anyone in the world and gives access to an endless supply of entertainment, knowledge and information.

Nevertheless, they have a negative impact on learning, as it is said in the article, we live in a hyper-stimulating world, because of this more and more learners have problems to concentrate in a chalk-and-talk lesson. Schools have tried to solve this banning mobile phones, but as we can see this has not solved anything.

It is an open secret that they also have a negative impact on young people’s social life. There are a big number of studies carried out by psychologists that say that people who spend a lot of time alone using internet and technology may have low communication skills. This is due to the fact that they spend so much time communicating remotely with people rather than face-to-face.

To conclude, I would add that I reckon that having attention depend on each person and even if teachers made their classes more amusing, students would not pay more attention.

CERVANTES

Cervantes is one of the best known writers of the world and a Spanish icon. It is considered by many to be the first modern novelist.

His life wasn’t easy: he fought in the Gulf of Lepanto, where he was wounded in his left hand and that's how he earned the nickname "El manco de Lepanto". After that, he continued fighting in the Mediterranean. When he came back to Spain in 1575 his ship was captured by pirates and he was taken as a slave in Algiers until 1580. but when he come back to Spain his life wasn’t better as he always had economic problems. His most known novel is Don Quixote, which has had an amazing influence on later literature. It is believed that its influence can be seen in such writers as Sir Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Benito Perez Galdos and in painters like William Hogarth and Pablo Picasso. Cervantes' fame was far greater in death than in life.

It has been a year since the searchers found Cervantes's tomb, nowadays his remains rest in the new monument in his honor in the church of San Ildefonso of the convent of the Trinitarias of Madrid, where a ceremony was held in his honor attended by important politicians.

In my view Cervantes and Shakespeare have had an enormous influence until now ( in contemporary novel, theater, films and TV series) since both of them are two universal icons of literature. I reckon it is absurd to compare them since both are just as good.

A REVIEW

One of my favourite programmes right now is "La que se avecina", which is the most popular series in Spain, but I also like "Big Bang Theory". Both of them are sitcoms. I like "La que se avecina" because it makes me laugh a lot.

The sitcom is about a community of neighbours. Every episode is different from the previous one, but it is always funny. All the characters are fantastic, but some of them are better than others. My favourite character is Antonio Recio and I am sure that everybody agrees that he is the best or one of the best charaters. Even the actor has said in a lot of interviews that his character is a little evil (as he is homophobic, racist...), but at the same time everyone likes him. My other favourite character was Estela, but she doesn't work any more in the series.

I enjoy the programme but I would change some things, for example I don't like that they always put the same episodes which is repetitive and boring, but there are a lot of latest episodes that they only have put 3 or 4 times. My least favourite character would be Raquel since she used to be funny, but now she isn't any more.

To conclude, I would recommend this programme as it is very funny and entertaining. Personally, I think it is worthwhile watching it.

ANTONIO RECIO

BOOT CAMPS

A boot camp is a militarized camp for teens who have bad behavior. It is a kind of reformatory institution which is very popular in the United States. There instructors make teens improve their behavior and be more positive about the future. In my opinion, I think that boot camps are a good idea in some cases.

As I see it, boot camps are a good idea since the most part of teens who have been there said that at first they hated it, but at the end they are grateful to have been there as they were out of control but after the boot camp they have changed their lives-

Personally, I think if I had bad behavior, miss school... In short, if I was out of control and my parents sent me to a boot camp, I would do anything so that my parents wouldn't send me there.

In conclusion, I believe that boot camps are a good option for some teens as they help them for the future.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON A MILLION EUROS ON THE LOTTERY?

If I won a million euros, I would be shocked at firt, but later I would be jumping of joy. It is obious that, if you won the lottery, you would be happy because now you could do a lot of things with that money you can not do before.

The first thing that I would do is travelling around the world. The first places that I would visit are: Thailand, Japan and Ireland ( as the last time that I went there was amazing and I had so much fun). I would buy my parents whatever they want and I would give some money to charity, too. I would save the rest of the money for the future and I might ask for advice on how to invest it.

I do not think that winning one million euros would make a big difference to my life, and it would not change my future. Because I would go to university to get a job in the future.

If I had that money I would not waste it in unnecessary things, I would not leave my studies, either. In addition, I would not broast about my money and I would not trust people who suddenly would want to be my friends.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

I am sure that everyone has ever thought to be able to live more than 100 years or forever. Some scientists, like for example Ray Kutzweill, say that in 2045 human beings will be inmortal, bacause science is developing the necessary technology to do it. The only thing that people have to do is stay healthy.

On the one hand, it would be incredible and amazing to live more than 100 years or forever, because I could do all things that I want to do ( like travelling around the world and visiting different cultures ) and enjoy life.

On the other hand, I think that it would be boring and I would be afraid to die because the only way to die it would be for an accident or a serious illness. In conclusion, I would like to live forever.

I think in the year 3000 eveything will be completely different. According to an investigaror from London School of Economics and Political Science, humans will be taller and  there will be no racial differences. Technology will be amazing, but one of the problems is that social skills will decrease. 

EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN ENGLISH

Nowadays, English is described as "the language of opportunities", but there are a lot of people who do not think the same, also they think that learning English or any other language is a waste of time. There are several points to consider.

On the one hand, there are a lot of adventages for example you can meet new people and make friends from other countries, you will be able to undertand the lyrics of American and British songs, it makes easier to get a job and if you, for example, travel to England you will undertand their culture better because you can speak English.

On the other hand, there are people who think that it's no necessary to learn a language because millions of people speak Spanish and there are many jobs that do no need foreign languages. One of the disadvantages is that it takes a lot of time and effort.

To sum up, there are advantages and disadvantages but, from my pint of view, learning English or any other language is very important for your future.