TEENAGERS

 Nowadays, some people think that teenagers are too immature and unprepared for grown-up life. Others believe that it is false.

I think that it depends on the circumstances. Some, teenagers, aren't prepared to start adulthood. These teenagers are used to having childish attitudes and are pauperied by their parents. On the other hand there are some teenagers who are really prepared to live alone in a flat. There are many teenagers who have only drink, steal o commit crimes.

In conclusion, I think that all teenagers are not equal. Some are lost cases and can never live alone, but others are really prepared to live alone and even create a family.

RAFA BLANCO FLORIT 2ºN BATXILLER A

STRESS

Stress is a symptom which is usual in people. Teenagers may have stress when they start school, but, it isn’t a rule. I think that adolescents start to have the symptoms of stress in different situations.

In my view, teenagers can start being stressed when they have family problems, for example, if the parents are separated, the adolescents bear reberberation. And, consequently, it is a symptom which can start stress. However, also, there are adolescents who don’t worry about family problems, but, finally, they finis accept their damage.

Furthermore, I think that the other reason for the teenagers suffer stress is society. Now a days, our society is wicked because of bad development. Therefore, there are adolescents who suffer hounding, they don’t say anything because they think that they can’t get over it. This is another symptom of stress.

Finally, I think that teenagers begin to have stress for a lot of reasons. But they have to fight it because it can exceed them. Personally, I have had stress an a lot of different situations, and I think that each person exceed the stress in different ways.

Sara Bagur 2n A BTX

BINGE DRINKING

“Botellon” in Spain is an actual and controversial issue. It consists of drinking in the streets or parks. This practise is prohibited by the Spanish government; however, the law isn’t obeyed.

The advantages of “botellon” are obvious. On the one hand, Spaniards like going out at night, but the alcoholic drinks that pubs and clubs serve are very expensive, for this reason, teens prefer getting drunk in the street. On the other hand, despite “botellon” is prohibited, a lot of teens do it and consequently, you can meet people.

Nevertheless, there are more arguments against. If you drink in the street or parks, you can be fined by police, however when there are a lot of people drinking, the police can’t do anything. Another argument against is that when teens finish drinking, they don’t pick up the rubbish, for this reason neighbours complain. The owners of pubs and clubs are also complaining because people don’t consume their alcoholic drinks.

In my opinion, I’m a teenager and I also think that alcohol drinks are very expensive, for this reason, I think that the best solution is to crate a special area where teens can drink.

Pol Frau Vendrell 2ºC

SMOKING BAN

I think that smoking in public places should not be banned, especially in bars and restaurants. That decision should be the job of the restaurant proprietor, who should decide if he allows or not smoking in his business. I think that for two important reasons:

Firstly, I think that nobody is required to go to a place where smoking is permitted, so if smoke is annoying for you, you don’t have to go to that place.

On the other hand, I think that there are many places where smoking should be banned, like hospitals, banks, parks and another public places where always there’s a child.

Secondly, with the economic crisis, ban smoking will decrease the money that owner’s bar collect, because the people will go to the bar less time than before.

In conclusion, personally I think that if this law shouldn’t be approved because everyone is free to go anywhere, and anyone is forced to go to a smokers places.

Marc Zubia 2n B BTX

Why do you think people in general sleep less now than before?

Nowadays, people sleep less than years ago and we must sleep seven or eight hours per night if we want to protect our health.

On the one hand, there are some reasons related to our past. One of the reasons is that in the past, people worked more than now and for this reason they were more tired. Another reason is that now, we often work until late and as a result we sleep less.

On the other hand, at present we have modern technology such as televisions, radios, computers which entertain us. In addition, today we have electrical lighting and for this reason we usually go to bed when we want to. Also, our present society goes out and does new activities as well as going to parties, going on holiday…

In conclusion, I think that people sleep less than in the past and it is worst because we should protect our health, however, we do more activities than before and we are not so bored as years ago.

Pol Frau Vendrell  2 º BATX C.

MAHÓN HARBOUR

Mahón Harbour is one of the biggest natural ports in the Mediterranean sea. It’s situated on the small island of Menorca, in Spain. It’s one of my favourite places in Menorca.

Mahón Harbour is on the east coast of the island, next to the town of Mahón. It has beautiful clear waters, where you can have a relaxing swim in one of the many coves which are situated along the harbour. Very close to were we swim, there are a lot of restaurants where you can eat some of the typical food of the island such as fresh fish, shell-fish and fresh vegetables from the island.

If you like history, you can visit the English fortress of Sant Felip, where you can remember the battles of the past between English, French and Spanish armies. Near to Sant Felip, there is an island which in the past was used as a quarantine hospital, called Lazareto.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a relaxing place in the Mediterranean, Menorca is the place that you have to visit.

Marc Zubia 2n BTX B

IS OUR SOCIETY TOO OBSESSED WITH PROBLEMS OF WEIGHT AND FITNESS?

Nowadays there is a discussion of the body image because TV, newspapers, mannequins give us a bad image of our body, they show us skinny models which makes everybody want to be like them. However, our society doesn’t think that it may cause some health problems.

Television, newspapers have created a skinny body image. As a result, society is too obsessed with problems of weight as well as fitness. Despite being warned by the government, the society doesn’t want to hear about the problems that it could cause such as anorexia, bulimia… Our Society is too obsessed with weight, so we have to change our mind and we don’t have to think about this body image so much, because there are worse things than our weight. And if you think about your weight so much, you might have depression or you could have some diseases due to losing too much weight.

In conclusion, our society is too obsessed with problems of weight because of the body image that has been created. It also can cause some diseases such as anorexia. So, the Government has to try to ban this body image.

Raúl Cardona 2n BTX C

Is our society too obsessed with problems of weight and fitness?

Our society is obsessed with losing weight. It’s important to do exercise and eat healthily; the problem is when people get a false image of beauty.

The main problem is that fashion models require sizes which are too small. In addition, magazines are full of girls that aren’t real because they use photoshop, with which they remove facial such as moles and wrinkles. They also make them thinner. Then, the girls end up with these perfect images in their minds, and begin to find imperfections in a normal body.

This can be dangerous because there are girls who become obsessed and take extreme measures in order to get that body, like stop eating or throw up food. These diseases are very serious and it’s important they become aware of themselves so as not to make this mistake. The solution is to normalize the situation to see the beauty in imperfections.

In conclusion, people have to be aware of what their body is like and what they need to be healthy and beautiful, and keep in mind that true girls have curves. It’s very important to take care and love oneself.

Claudia Ferrer Florit 2n B Batx.

For and against the use of computers

Some people believe that the increase of the dependency on computers is a bad thing. However many people disagree with this opinion.

They think there are many advantages to computers. Computers make things easier for people. You can learn because there are excellent programs about photography or architecture, for example. Your work can be presented more professionally and you can find information quickly. Furthermore, you can compare prices and buy whatever you want. It’s easier and cheaper. What’s more, you can talk with people all over the world and send photographs without cost, therefore it’s cheaper than speaking on the telephone.

On the other hand, people can get used to talking online and forget how to interact face to face. In addition to this, on chat sites you don’t see the person, so you can only read the messages but not the other person’s body language. Computers can be very addictive and it’s bad for your eyes and your posture. Moreover, people become lazy about checking information and some people post incorrect things. Another thing against computers is that things like pornography are available for anybody to see and it’s very difficult to control these sites.

In my opinion, the use of computers has more advantages than things against but it’s important that we must avoid the abuse. We must know the balance and build the facilities and be careful.

Fornells

Fornells is a village located in a bay in the north of the Balearic island of Menorca, Spain, and it wants to be the ninth municipality of Menorca. Fornells is estimated to have a population of about 1000 people, this number increases in the summer because of the hight level of tourism.

Fornells is the gastronomic capital of the island of Menorca. It has the best quality products from the sea of the Balearic islands. Fornells Bay is deep, measuring 5 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide. The narrow entrance regulates the force of the open sea. Finally we can say that "La caldereta de langosta" is the dish that has given most popularity to this village. The most popular restaurant of this place is a restaurant called "Es cranc pelut".

In conlusion, Fornells is a place I would recommend you because it is a place where you can see a lot of historic monuments that can teach you a lot of things about the history of Menorca.

Diego Atienza Florit 2nB.

PLASTIC SURGERY

Plastic surgery.

Over the centuries women have tried to be as beautiful as they could. Always women have given more importance to their body than men. The technology has advanced and many women have her body operated by plastic surgery in order to improve their self-esteem.

Some people prefer have his body operated because actually our society have given many importance to the physic, furthermore media only show us actors and singers who are always on the spot light and on the front pages of magazines and newspapers, for that reason many people would like to be as them.
Other people think that these operations are a waste of time and over time it could cause bad consequences for our body. Moreover medical clinics are making huge amounts of money helping people get the looks they had always dreamt at. But many times this plastic surgery becomes and obsession and many people come back to these medicals clinics to operate again other part of their body.

In my opinion plastic surgery is a waste of time, unless somebody has an accident or a similar fact that has their body disfigured. We have to accept us because this operations many times includes dangerous risks which could have consequences during our life.



Pilar de Olives,2n batxillerat B

POST YOUR ESSAYS!

I remind you to post your essays before Friday 20th since it's a compulsory activity and part of your final mark.  Don't worry, it's easy and won't take you long.

As soon as I finish correcting your exams, I'll post a list of the mistakes you make in your comments or send you an e-mail.

See you on Friday and good luck in your exams!.

By the way, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEBODY means APROVECHARSE DE ALGUIEN.

RETAKING EXAM

You'll find a list of the students who have to do the retaking exam in the moodle.

Pace of modern life

In my opinion the pace of modern life is bad for us. there are several reasons for this. This reasons are: Tv, hobbies, cook...

First, we work between seven and eight hours each day. This doesn't allow us much time do all our hobbies. This doesn' allow us much time do all our hobbies. For example, we want to go to the gym, practise some sports and go to the disco at the weekend. Furthermore, there are several reasons why we don't get enough sleep. The main reason is the amount of time that we spend watching tv. Because of this lack of time when we arrive home we don't want to cook, for this reason we buy fast food and pre-cooked food.

In conclusion the pace of modern life doesn't allow a relaxing life. For this nowadays people have health problems.

Dani gomila

Summer in Menorca

Menorca, is an island which has beautiful beaches and good weather. For this reason, it is a place which is visited by many people in summer. However, Menorca also has a lack of night activities, has fewer night activities than other places.

The island, is a beautiful place to go in summer, its beaches and traditional festivals are very beautiful. Menorca is also a peaceful island where there isn't much noise.

On the other hand, Menorca hasn't enough night activities for teenagers. Teenagers, don't know what to do sometimes on the island. This is the reason why less and less tourists come to the Island.

In short, Menorca is a good place for tuists who want to go to the beach. But this island has lack of activities for teenagers.

Dani gomila

THE DEATH PENALTY

The rise of the criminality in the world is a topic about which the mass media is talking all the time time because some states of the world have reinstituted the death penalty. So that’s causing lots of arguments and problems in them.

But, is the death penalty a good choice, or not?

On the one hand, some people see it as positive. Firstly, because the death penalty gives tranquility to the families of the victim who suffered so much. Moreover, it erases the possibilities that the criminal will kill again, so, the justice is better served. In addition, DNA testing and other methods of modern crime scene science can now effectively eliminate almost all uncertainty as to a person's guilt or innocence, so it’s almost impossible that the government can send an innocent person to death.

On the other hand, the death penalty could be seen as cruel and unusual because it is against the Bill of Rights. The most important reason why people are against it, is because there is a possibility that innocent men and women may be put to death, and it doesn't bring the victim back to life. Furthermore, the costs to taxpayers of the death penalty is several times more expensive than that of keeping someone in prison for life, then the prisoner's family must suffer as the victim’s family from seeing their son or husband put to death by the state.

In conclusion, there are more arguments against the Capital Punishment, the reason is very clear: why kill people to show killing is wrong? It’s incoherent as I see it. So, it’s more important that the government spends money on criminal research and security than erase the criminals of the map using large judicial procedures.

BIEL MORRO BENEJAM 2n BATX - A

MAHON HARBOUR

I recommend visiting the harbour of Mahón because it's the second largest natural port in Europe ,almost 6 km long, and it's a harbour every tourist should see. It's situated in the centre of the western Mediterranean, and there have been many conquests and battles. Currently, it has a tourist function (many cruisers arrive throughout the year) but it also has an industrial one (loading and unloading of materials).

Menorca has a rich history: there were many invasions because it's situated in a strategic place for military and dealers. Menorca has a good temperature throughout the year with a typical Mediterranean climate: summers are hot and winters are mild and wet. The typical cold wind is what we call “vent de Tramuntana”. The typical Menorcan species are: “sargantanes” (lizards), red cows and Menorcan horses.

In the harbour there are restaurants, bars, discos, ice cream parlours, a chemist and even a casino and it's only two minutes from the town center! What I like about it is that normally, in summer there is a lot of activity: you can see families going for a walk, foreign people dining in restaurants, people riding bikes...

In short, I recommend this tour because it's very nice. Moreover, you can go up the steps of “Ses Voltes” from where you have wonderful views of Mahon harbour which I really like.

                       

                                                                     Paula Gómez de Tejada 2n BTX B

SON BOU

Son Bou is located on the south coast of the island of Menorca, near Alaior. I have chosen Son Bou because it is one of the most popular places on the island and because it has one of the most fabulous beaches of the Balearic islands.   In Son Bou, you can find everything: beach, bowling, water slides, restaurants, shops, discos and a former reservoir.

In general, Son Bou beach is 4 km long and has a campsite beside the pines which are  about 20 m from the center of the beach. As you go down to the beach, you can see lots of shops and restaurants. The hotels are on your left and on your right you can see lots of villas and water slides.

The climate varies depending on whether it is summer or winter, in summer the sun shines during most days, and in winter, it is very cold with very strong winds. The most modern building is the bowling alley, located next to the shops, while the oldest thing is the prehistoric basilica which you can see at the eastern end of the beach.

In Son Bou, during the summer, you only hear the tourists speak or screams coming from the beach, but during the winter you don’t hear anything because there is absolutely peace and quiet. And if you're near the beach, you can smell the sea and the dead algae, which are called "posidonia". In summer, you can spend all day on the beach , in the water slides, in the bowling alley, eating at the buffets that offer the hotels or restaurants there, and then at night, visiting nightclubs or bars, which are always full (but only in summer).

In conclusion, Son Bou is one of the best beaches on the island, and that is why, and for all the activities offered in the summer, tourists and the inhabitants of Menorca love it. In my opinion, the best place on the beach and surrounding area is the beach itself and the bowling alley if you like bowling.  In short, I would recommend this beach to everyone who comes to the island.

                                                                                                   Sergio Toledo 2n BTX B

SANT CLIMENT

Sant Climent is a small village in Menorca which is only five minutes from Maó. It's not as busy as Maó, therefore, it's extremely picturesque. I'm going to describe this town during the “fiestas”, which are celebrated in a different town every week in summer, but I think that the “fiesta de Sant Climent” is the best.

The town is small but very pretty, it has a yellow and white church. This is a building every tourist should see. The most attractive place for me is the square, near the church, where the “Jaleo” is celebrated.

The “Jaleo” is a typical meeting of black Minorcan horses and their riders. They jump around the square to the sound of specific music.


When you are there you can see people who are dancing, drinking “pomada” (an alcoholic drink, a mixture of Minorcan gin with lemonade) and you can also hear the music band playing the “Jaleo”. You can watch the Jaleo or, if you are brave enough, you can make the horses jump. It’s the perfect moment to meet many people and have fun.


In conclusion, I recommend a visit to this town in summer , especially during its “fiestas”, because it's amazing and it's an experience that you can't miss.


Natàlia Mercadal Llambias 2n BTX A

PREGONDA

I will describe a special place for me: Pregonda. It is a beach in Es Mercadal, in Menorca. I like to be there because it is very relaxing, like a paradise. When you are there, you can forget everything and be happy with all the nature around you. It is the most beautiful and peaceful place you could ever see in the world.

To arrive at this beach, you have to leave your car at a previous beach called Binimel·là. You have to walk for about twenty minutes until you arrive at Pregondó which is very close to Pregonda. To get to Pregonda from Pregondó you have to walk for about five more minutes. Walking is worth it when you arrive there but you can also get there by bike.

This beach has some little islands in front. The sand is thick and depending on where you are, it can be a little bit reddish. There are also three houses and one of them is camouflaged by the surrounding  rocks.

For me, the best season to visit is in winter. I occasionally go there when I want to feel free, as it was my own place. It is extremely quiet and completely deserted. You can smell the happiness and feel how time stops.

To conclude, if I were you and if I had the chance, I would definitely go there and have a rest forgetting the world.

                                                                             Sara Ortego Huguet 2n BTX A

COVA D'EN XOROI

Menorca is the island where I live and, where you can find many delightful places, like the place which I am going to describe to you. This spectacular place is a cave called Cova de’n Xoroi situated in the municipality of Alayor on the south coast of Menorca in the middle of a cliff in Cala en Porter, which is a popular tourist resort. In my opinion, it is the best place on the island.

According to legend, there is an interesting story that I will summarize for you. One day a Moorish man appeared on the coasts of Menorca, but nobody knows how. Perhaps he was the only survivor from some shipwreck and took refuge in the cave. Xoroi, which is the Moorish man’s name, was in love with a girl who lived in the countryside. Xoroi kidnapped her when she was about to marry. Nothing was known about the missing girl. But one day it snowed on the island and some footprints appeared and betrayed him. Armed men followed the footprints which led to a cave and they found a man, a woman and three children, fruit of their love. Xoroi and his oldest son threw themselves into the sea, the sea which had brought him and then taken him away.

Cova de’n Xoroi is a place where you can find a chill atmosphere during the day and party atmosphere at night. It is open from early in the morning until dawn. During the summer, every afternoon, people can enjoy the ‘’ambient session’’ from 18.00 in the evening and then at eleven Cova d’en Xoroi becomes a disco with international DJs. There are many parties at night, Ambient live, Dolce Vita, Freestyle, Ibizabla, We love 80’s, Hippychic party and so on, but the most popular one is the foam party.

In this fascinating place in the middle of the cliff, just above the sea you can watch the sunset perfectly from the large terrace. At night you may have to wear a cardigan, as its privileged position by the sea means that when strong winds blow the cold is quite uncomfortable, particularly in the foam party.

This is a place which is different from the other places that you can visit because it adapts to the shape of the rocks along the cliff to make it a fabulous place where you can relax in the afternoon and you can dance like a mad person at night. Cova de’n Xoroi has some bars inside with comfortable chairs and tables. Sometimes it is like being in the Caribbean with the spectacular sunshades.

In conlusion, Cova de’n Xoroi is my favorite place in Menorca. And you shouldn’t forget the camera or you will miss the glorious views.                        

                                                                            Carolina García Belmonte 2n BTX B

PLASTIC SURGERY

Nowadays a lot of people decide to improve their body with plastic surgery. Moreover people want to be prettier or more handsome and, sometimes, be younger. Now, with the improvement of plastic surgery, it’s possible. But there are some risks too.

Supporters of plastic surgery present four main arguments. In the first place they think that it’s very important to be proud of your own body. If you don’t like your body, you will be depressed and won’t enjoy life. Secondly, we have the best hospitals in Spain. Consequently, plastic surgery is safer than most people think. Another reason is that plastic surgery is important and necessary when somebody has had an accident and needs it. Finally they say that with her or his body they can do whatever they want.

Opponents of plastic surgery offer four counterarguments. Firstly they think that personality is more important than appearance. Secondly, plastic surgery is sometimes dangerous; a lot of people have died because of it. A person’s life is more important than to be prettier or more handsome. Another reason is that plastic surgery is addictive, when you have improved a part of your body you want to do the same with the rest of it, you want to be perfect. Finally it’s very expensive, you have to spend a lot of money, which you can do a lot of more necessary things with, like buy a house.

On balance, I’m not in favour of plastic surgery because I think it’s more important to be proud of your personality, it’s good to be different and natural. In addition, you can be disappointed with the results of plastic surgery or die.


Rafa Fernández García 2n BTX C

THE BOLOGNA PLAN

The Bologna’s plan has been well-estabilished in Spain this year although it began in 1999 in the EU. Its objective is standardizing university studies and that students do the job themselves. But, there are a lot of opinions which are for and against.

In my opinion, there are things which I’m not for. For example, Bologna’s plan has made ‘top’ marks go up because there is more demand of it. Therefore, the Bologna’s plan promotes doing university studies with more autonomy. Another thing that I think which isn’t correctly is that law isn’t standardizing due to economy and level, because universities are cheaper in other countries than Spain.

However, there are thing which I think to be correct. For example, the Bologna’s plan helps students to find a job and the university studies are less difficult than years ago. For these reasons, I think that it can improve the social status is Spain. From my point of view, selectivitat text is easier than years ago because the student can do more exams to get better marks.

Consequently, the Bolonia’s planhas things for and against, however I suppose that it will be a good law for Spaniards.

Sara Bagur 2n BTX A

THE SMOKING BAN IN SPAIN

The new law against smoking in Spain has been quite discussed. Some people think that it is excessive and other people say it’s OK. Obviously, people who are against the law smoke. I don’t smoke, but I think that the smoking ban is too tough.

I don’t like people who smoke and throw you the polluted air but I also think that the decision of smoking should be voluntary. It’s also a contradiction because, for example: smoking is not allowed in bars but you can buy cigarettes there. Moreover, it seems to me that banning smoking in bars, restaurants and other places like parks and the surroundings of schools are too many places to prohibit smoking. Despite the fact that not many years ago bars were forced to have isolated areas in order not to annoy non-smokers, now all the money they had spent has been wasted with no profit.

The way I see it, this law won’t stop the increasing number of smokers; if the government really wants to stop smoking it should make Spaniards aware of the risks of smoking or prohibit the sale of tobacco. But I don’t think that the government wants to stop the number of smokers in Spain because it has great benefits from cigarettes’ taxes. Finally, I think that this law is nonsense and the number of smokers in Spain won’t decrease because of it.

Sara Ortego Huguet 2ºA

SHOULD CARS CIRCULATE IN CITY CENTRES?

Recently, some governments have considered a law that bans cars in city centers. This law has generated a debate.

On the one hand, there are the people who are for this new law. They say that cars produce a lot of pollution in city centers, especially in the jams. Cities would be cleaner without pollution and the health of the population who live in this city would be better. Furthermore, moving in the city would be safer. And the people who live in the city would have a better life, without noise, jams or pollution.

On the other hand, there are people who think that this law is bad, because it will be more difficult and slower to move in big cities, because everyone would have to use the public service, which is set by a timetable, so the people couldn’t move whenever they wanted. Furthermore, public services use stations, which makes it difficult for people to go to areas which are far from these stations, especially for disabled people.

In conclusion, this law has advantages like cleaner cities, but it has a very big disadvantage, it would make it more difficult to move in big cities if cars couldn’t circulate in them.

TV: COULD YOU BE WITHOUT IT?

The TV was a great invention which everybody likes. They didn’t abuse of it, and, for this reason in the past they didn’t have problems against this machine since it was an entertainment and a mass media. Nowadays it has changed because a lot of people spend many hours in front of the television.

Supporters of watching TV present three main arguments. Firstly, they think that TV is a fantastic way of entertainment, because if you don’t know what to do you can always turn on the television, lie down on the sofa, and watch different types of programs. Secondly, this machine offers you history, cooking, discovery programs and they have an educational purpose. Finally, the TV is an important mass media with which you can be aware of what’s going on around the world. It offers you a lot of news.

Opponents of watching too much TV give four counterarguments. Firstly, they say that television replaces interaction between people, and this is a big problem, because there are a lot of people who can’t have a long conversation. Secondly, they argue that there are a lot of programs which aren’t appropriate for children, and all of them must be prohibited at particular times. Finally, one of the most serious problems is that it’s addictive and causes procrastination for students.

To conclude, I think that TV is designed to make people passive and uncritical. In my opinion, people should watch less television and if they do, they have to watch programs which contribute to their education as well as comedies or science fiction films.

THE SMOKING BAN IN SPAIN

The new law against smoking in Spain has been quite discussed. Some people think that it is excessive and other people say it’s OK. Obviously, people who are against the law smoke. I don’t smoke, but I think that the smoking ban is too tough.

I don’t like people who smoke and throw you the polluted air but I also think that the decision of smoking should be voluntary. It’s also a contradiction because, for example: smoking is not allowed in bars but you can buy cigarettes there. Moreover, it seems to me that banning smoking in bars, restaurants and other places like parks and the surroundings of schools are too many places to prohibit smoking. Despite the fact that not many years ago bars were forced to have isolated areas in order not to annoy non-smokers, now all the money they had spent has been wasted with no profit.

The way I see it, this law won’t stop the increasing number of smokers; if the government really wants to stop smoking it should make Spaniards aware of the risks of smoking or prohibit the sale of tobacco. But I don’t think that the government wants to stop the number of smokers in Spain because it has great benefits from cigarettes’ taxes. Finally, I think that this law is nonsense and the number of smokers in Spain won’t decrease because of it.

Sara Ortego Huguet 2ºA

SHOULD ABORTION BE LEGALISED?

Abortion in Spain has been legalized since 2009. While some people agree with this law, others disagree.

On the one hand, people who are against abortion, say that aborting means murdering, because you are killing a baby; a person who can’t decide whether to live or not. They think that people should be more responsible, that they ought to think more before acting, so that this wouldn’t happen.

On the other hand, people who are in favour of it, say that if the abortion takes place early, the baby isn’t formed yet, so, it doesn’t mean any murder at all. They also say that abortions are safe medical procedures, as less than 0.5% risk of serious complications, and that women should have the right to control their own body.

I think that aborting isn’t a good solution, because, as it is legalized, some people can see it as a normal thing and don’t care about it in the way they should. However, as I see it, there are some circumstances when you can justify it. For example, if you know that the baby is going to suffer from a serious illness, like degenerative or deadly ones, or if the woman has got pregnant involuntarily, because not aborting in these cases, would mean further psychological harm.

Paula Segui Llull 2n A BTX

FOR AND AGAINST DOING SPORT

Sport has always been a method to be healthy, fit and other benefits to human health. But not everything in sports is an advantage, since an excess or abuse can be detrimental to be healthy and so is taking substances that help you stand but both are detrimental to long for your body.

It is known that sport is good for the body because it has many advantages such as physical benefit because it makes you burn calories and makes you increase your muscle mass to have a good body, besides it also prevents diseases (cardiobascular, breathing ...) and it also has psychological benefits by reducing stress, you produce well-etc.

Moreover, although it is very beneficial to do exercise regularly, abuse has its downside because it wears you out and as a result you may suffer injuries or cardiovascular disease.

There is also the case of athletes or individuals who very often take substances that are prohibited which will eventually hurt them with illnesses and can even cause death when they abuse these substances.

In conclusion, sports are good for health and fitness but they are also bad in case of abuse or taking substances to have more stamina and be better than others.

Manel Estrada 2n BTX C

SLEEP DEBT

Nowadays we can see a big difference between the time that we sleep now and ages ago. With the discovery of electricity and also our lifestyle, our sleeping time has changed.

Ages ago people went to sleep when the sun set and they got up very early. That had a positive effect since people had more vitality in their jobs. But nowadays with electrical lighting, televisions, electrical appliances, etc. This makes us work harder to be able to pay for everything and we less time to sleep.

As I see it, modern life may be bad for everybody because the health experts say that sleep is as important as eating and drinking. A sleep debt can affect health and cause physical problems such as stress, hallucinations (in extreme cases), daytime sleepiness. This sleep debt makes people work with less vitality and many countries lose money in productivity.

In conclusion, nowadays people should give more importance to sleep, however, it is an important thing to live more and better.

Manel Estrada 2n BTX C

THE SMOKING BAN

Some people think that the new smoking ban will decrease the number of smokers in Spain. Other people consider that it will be a complete disaster for restaurants and pubs owners. In my opinion, people will get used to it and nobody will talk about it.

For one thing is clear, smoking is bad for our health; experts think that if people don’t smoke in public places there will be a reduction in lung cancers, especially when we talk about people such as waiters, who work in places where smoking is something natural. This is one of the reasons why the government has decided to go on with the prohibition despite the criticism of smokers in general.

However, in my opinion, this law should have been passed before. We must not forget that this same government allowed pubs and restaurants to create special rooms for smokers. Consequently they spent a lot of money just two or three years ago and now they are not allowed to use those spaces.

In short, there will always be different opinions and points of view about smoking but I honestly think that everybody will be pretty happy about the new legislation in the future.

José Mª Morillas Jiménez 2n Batx. C

ABORTION IN SPAIN

Abortion in Spain has been legalized since July 5, 2010. It has been a quite controversial issue, however, nowadays global recession has pushed this matter into the background.

On the one hand, some people think it is a good idea if you are young and you have had an absentmindedness or if you know your baby is deformed and you do not want your baby to suffer a hard life. Moreover, it is a good way to stop a child’s birth whose mother has been raped. Some people defend this idea if children’s parents have trouble with drugs or money and know the baby’s life will be awful.

On the other hand, some people criticize abortion because it means taking the life of another human without punishment and say that if it is used as a contraception method it is not correct because contraception should be taken before. Furthermore, in case of rape, the child is not responsible, so he or she shouldn’t be killed. Women who have an abortion usually regret it later because this decision is usually taken when the women are young and inexperienced.

To conclude, I am definitely against this way of killing an innocent, nevertheless, I think people should be able to use this method in case of rape. The way I see it, abortion shouldn’t be legal or at least shouldn’t be so easy to get free from your responsibility.

Sara Ortego Huguet 2ºA

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization has been an issue of discussion for a long time. Some people disagree with this idea because they think that it has an adverse effect on poors countries and others thing that it’s beneficial because many people nowadays can have foreign friends, and can also communicate with them by Internet.

On the one hand, nowadays, everybody can travel anywhere in a short time and travel to exotic places that before it was unthinkable.
Decades ago there weren’t so many airlines companies, consequently, mani people at the present enjoy their holidays in a different countries or in other cities in the same country. In addition traveling by plane is more confortable than travel by boat.

On the other hand globalization prejudices undeveloped countries because multinationals exploit them. They make people work in bad conditions, with low salaries and they do dangerous jobs.
 

In conclusion globalization benefits rich people, but prejudices poor people. Globalization has made that many companies has opened the market and make us easier to buy products with low prizes but also many children of underdeveloped countries has been exploited.
Pilar

People with higher health risks should pay more taxes

I don’t think people with higher health risks should pay more taxes because they are ill and they haven’t chosen this future, it’s bad luck. In my opinion, a person without health risks can spend more money than another with health risks. I think they don’t have to pay more taxes because there are a lot of this people who can’t afford to pay more, people who don’t have enough money to live and pay their taxes. It’s true that smokers have decided to start smoking, that they have chosen and enjoyed it, but now they are ill and they can’t stop smoking.

Finally they shouldn’t pay more taxes because we don’t know who will spend more in hospitals, the healthiest person could be the one who spends more money.

Rafa Fernández García

THE DEATH PENALTY

There has always been controversy about the death penalty. There are a lot of people against but there are people that agree with the death penalty it.

On the one hand, there are some arguments in favour of death penalty such us, eye for eye, for example, people think that if a person kills somebody, this killer must be killed. Another argument in favour the death penalty is that the death penalty can be cheaper than if the state keeps these killers.

On the other hand, there are people who think that killers also have got dignity and they can’t be killed. Moreover, people against the death penalty agree that killers deserve a second opportunity but first they have to spend some years in prison, so that they can be reeducated.

In my opinion, I am against death penalty, because I think that killers are humans like us and they can be reeducated.

ERIC PONS PONS

Why do you think people in general sleep less now than before?

People sleep less now than before and I think that it is because of several problems like technologic, T.V, internet or our lifestyle.

On the one hand technology is very harmful because the human body will be on alert if we use technology before sleeping and there are a lot of people who do it.

On the other hand I think that people now have got another lifestyle, now life is quick and we haven’t got time to rest, It make because of upsets us when we need more time to sleep. Although we need eight hours’ sleep, we sleep less.

Another reason is caffeine, our society drinks a lot of coffee and it is bad. Specialists recommend one or two coffees per day but many people drink a lot of more than one or two coffees.

In conclusion, I think that humans should change some of these things to sleep more.

ERIC PONS PONS

PLASTIC SURGERY

Nowadays a lot of people decide to improve their body with plastic surgery. Moreover people want to be prettier or more handsome and, sometimes, be younger. Now, with the improvement of plastic surgery, it’s possible. But there are some risks too.

Supporters of plastic surgery present four main arguments. In the first place they think that it’s very important to be proud of your own body. If you don’t like your body, you will be depressed and won’t enjoy life. Secondly, we have the best hospitals in Spain. Consequently, plastic surgery is safer than most people think. Another reason is that plastic surgery is important and necessary when somebody has had an accident and needs it. Finally they say that with her or his body they can do whatever they want.

Opponents of plastic surgery offer four counterarguments. Firstly they think that personality is more important than appearance. Secondly, plastic surgery is sometimes dangerous; a lot of people have died because of it. A person’s life is more important than to be prettier or more handsome. Another reason is that plastic surgery is addictive, when you have improved a part of your body you want to do the same with the rest of it, you want to be perfect. Finally it’s very expensive, you have to spend a lot of money, which you can do a lot of more necessary things with, like buy a house.

On balance, I’m not in favour of plastic surgery because I think it’s more important to be proud of your personality, it’s good to be different and natural. In addition, you can be disappointed with the results of plastic surgery or die.

Rafa Fernández García

why do you think people in general sleep less than before?

Sleep is a natural activity for humans it has always been necessary but Is it necessary at present?

Years ago, the majority of people woke up early to work all day, usually in the countryside. These people, when the sun went down, went to bed physically tired the day after because they had to work hard to survive. However things have changed. As a result, people work to eat but we also spend money on discos or having some beers in a bar…Those activities are typical at night and at that time our body is tired because it is late but we drink alcohol or caffeine to be awake. We also drink some tea or some coffee when we have to study. The day after, our body isn’t as well as normally. You can’t concentrate on your activities, your reflexes can be worse. You can be definitely more tired and irritable. Furthermore the activities you do that day can get an awful answer from your body.

Nowadays people sleep less than before because of artificial stimulants and entertainment. For these reasons, during the day, people feel tired and they don’t do activities energetically.

Miriam Sánchez

2n Batx B

TEENAGERS UNDER PRESSURE

Teenagers are used to being under pressure. This pressure normally appears in situations like exams or workloads, for example. This stress sometimes starts at school, and family problems make it worse.


Pressure and its effects can be controlled. Its effects are physical and psychological, like stomach pains, backache or anxiety. These signs can be beaten following simple rules. These rules are having a healthy and good diet; practising exercise regulary or activities like dancing or yoga; and sleep regulary between seven and nine hours a day. Following these rules, stress can be controlled and your lifestyle can improve.


Despite controlling these effects, pressure and stress can't be eliminated, but knowing how to act you can reduce them. Stress and studies normally go together, if we know to beat this anxiety, we will be better.




Patricia Martínez, 2n C batx.

EATING HABITS

Eating habits is a very important topic because it affects every person. Nowadays it's a problem for a lot of people.

In my opinion, consumers should change their eating habits for a lot of reasons. On the one hand, people can change their eating habits. They should change their lifestyle because nowadays the lifestyle is very fast and people haven't time in order to eat. On the other hand, people should change their mentality since eating habits is a very important problem. However, it is very difficult for people to change their lifestyle.

In conclusion, consumers should change their eating habits in order to be healthy.

David Tomaseti Gómez, 2n batx. A

SHOULD CARS BE BANNED FROM CITY CENTRES?

This topic is very clear. Should cars be banned from city centers? That's the question, yes or no? This topic is very important because it affects people. There are advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, people think that cars should be driven in city centers as there are advantages. It's very comfortable, besides without cars in city centers it would be a disaster. People believe it since there are disabled people who can't walk or catch a bus.

On the other hand, people believe that cars shouldn't be driven in city centers since there are disadvantages. In the first place this is a very big problem in large cities. People think that it must be banned too because it would reduce pollution and the number of accidents. Another important advantage is that there would be no need for large car parks and parking spaces and this would allow building new entertainment places.

On the balance, I'm not in favour of banning cars in city centers because I think that people would be angry. However, I believe that the number of cars should be reduced.

David Tomaseti Gómez, 2n batx. A

AN UNUSUAL PRESENT

Last Saturday was one of my best friend’s birthday. In Maó, I and four friends more (Pilli, Raquel, Miriam and Andrea) decided to prepare her a little surprise, a special present…but with a very clear hint I’m going to explain later.

Few days before her party we all went shopping, in order to buy her some things we thought she would like (like a jacket, a bracelet, two pairs of earrings and so on), and furthermore, we took a big empty box to put all the presents inside.

On Saturday, we had to go to her house at half past five, but apart from this things we have bought to her we wanted to prepare her a surprise-gift, so, we collected all the materials we needed to made it (it was a rocket, because she is always late!) and at half past three we went to my house and began making it. We took more than an hour to build it. We also made her a martian. Then we filled the box with lots of small pieces of paper, fake presents… we wrapped all the presents, including some jokes more like two toothbrushes or three packages of popcorn and we closed the box. Then we cut her name’s letters of cardboard and we painted them. We fixed the letters on the box and afterwards we wrapped the big box too. I took many photos, and to take one of them I wanted to climb on a chair in order to take it from the top and I fell on the floor, but fortunately I didn’t get hurt. After this we couldn’t stop laughing.

Finally we arrived at her home an hour and a half later! She was a bit angry, but when she saw the big present and began opening it she wasn’t angry anymore. She was really surprised and happy, she understood why we had arrived late and she almost cries when she read a letter and a dedication we wrote to her with a photo of all together.

Cristina Melià Seguí, 2nd Batx. B