Are social networks really helping young people?

In my opinion, there is actually more cons that pros about social networks when it comes to teenagers. The biggest problem is that young people do not know how to use them properly or, at least, in a balanced way. As I see it, in general, they are addicted to their smartphone, constantly checking it to see if they have new messages or likes in social networks. There are moments that we live through the device, and we do not enjoy things “in real life”. You can see people watching some kind of show or performance and instead of watching it directly to keep a memory of it they are continuously recording, or people hanging out in a café and actually not talking to each other, but completely absorbed in their devices. This cause people to spend less time interacting face-to-face and can lead to stress and offline relationship problems. Social networking sites also entice people to waste time and because of that, students who are heavy social media users tend to have lower grades. They also facilitate bullying, which is already a big problem “offline”.

On the other hand, the spread of internet and new gadgets has provided us easy access to lots of information. We can check whenever we want any doubt we could have on google or the Wikipedia, we are constantly informed of news, and of course we are also in permanent touch with our friends or family. For instance, on Friday, when the terrible attacks of Paris happened, you could check in Facebook if your friends that lived near the zone were safe. Easy access of information means culture, and well used can mean a big academic benefit. Social networking sites and internet in general also offer teachers a platform to upload content that students can benefit from, as in the case of sakai in our university.

To sum up, being techno-lover of the social media and new generation gadgets can mean an advantage in culture and awareness of what is happening in the world if used correctly, but using them in a bad way can lead to addiction and make people to lose interest on school and important matters and, in some way, “disconnect” from the real world.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.

The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.

The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition — not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.

To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

Me and sports

The sports I like the most to practise are football and table tennis. I started to play football in my hometown team when I was eight years old, and I played there until I was fourteen years old. Besides practising it I have always watch and support Real Madrid football team, because my father was a fan and transmitted the passion of football to me. We both were also member of Real Murcia, and went every two weekends to support our local team during three years. Table tennis is the other sport I have practised the most, because one of my cousin has a table and we spent the whole summer playing there. Furthermore, my uncle is semi-pro so I also went to some training sessions where I learned a lot.

I also practised a branch of kung fu called wing chun while I was living in Barcelona, but only for three months, because I had to take a train and the metro and I spent like one hour and a half only to get to the gym and I eventually got fed up. I would like to take the classes up in the future as I have always wanted to know more about martial arts.

Now I am a member of a gym here in Murcia but I hardly ever go, because I am not a big fan of the exercises you can practise there, I find it quite boring to be honest.

I have never tried any kind of dangerous sport, mainly because I have fear of heights and most of extreme sports are related to high places. I have some friends that have tried them though, one of them skydived and recorded it, it seems an amazing experience. Another friend of mine got bungee jumping as a birthday present, he was scared at first but after doing it he said he would have jumped more times because of the adrenaline rush.

As I see it, there is no negative aspects about sports, as they are a fun way of staying healthy or get a better physical fitness, and they also put some excitement in everyone’s life. Moreover, practising sports can improve your focus in other aspects of your life like studying. The only negative part I could add is the fanaticism around some football teams, where some of their supporters are violent groups that use football as an excuse to cause trouble. But aside from that, sports provide nothing but benefits to the society from my point of view.

Do young people rely on drinking alcohol and smoking to have a good time?

I would answer yes to that question in general, although it is not my case. I don’t smoke and when I hang out with my friends, alcohol is not a must. As I see it, it is true that most of young people tend to associate an enjoyable time with their friends with alcohol, and that is a pity, because getting used to those habits may lead you to future problems of addiction. However, as you grow up, you usually get rid of them and you give more value to a nice conversation or trip with your friends rather than just getting drunk.

Apart from this kind of “soft drugs”, another problem that I see in modern teenagers is the high dependence they have on social networks. I have seen 4 or 5 people around a table having a drink and every one of them hooked on the phone without even talking to each other. Furthermore, kids are eventually going less to the park or other outdoor locations and are more stuck at home playing videogames or spending time with a tablet.

In order to stay healthy, young people should try to get away from bad influences that may come from, for example, some groups of friends, where one can unconsciously copy bad behaviours. Another good idea is to try to focus on good habits such as practising sports like football, running, going to the gym, etc. Getting into a sport team can substantially improve not only your fitness but your mind-set and your attitude towards new challenges.

Anyhow, sometimes young people just have to make their own mistakes and learn from them, no matter how many times they are given advices or warnings about anything, because that is how we grew up and get experience in life. 

Letter to my parents

Hello mum and dad!

I’m writing this letter to thank you for all the love that you have given me since I was born. I had a fantastic childhood, and as I see it, being happy in your early years is the key to become a nice person in every aspect of your life.

Sometimes I find myself smiling when I remember many special moments of my childhood. Playing outdoors with my neighbourhood friends is such a sweet memory to recall. We spent hours and hours riding the bike and talking and moaning about our Maths homework. I also enjoyed my football trainings as a child. I met so many friends there! Getting into a sport team is something that everyone should do. Having fun while doing healthy activities is such a perfect combination.

The sad point is that nowadays I see many kids hooked on their tablets playing videogames instead of enjoying nature while spending their spare time with some friends. They are strongly influenced by advertisements and are on social networks. From my point of view, they are wasting the best part of their childhood, which is playing outdoors with your friends!

Anyhow, what I stated above makes me appreciate even more the education that you gave me, not demanding high standards but at the same time teaching me to share responsibilities at home and in life in general. I feel that that balance made a difference, and I just wanted to share my thoughts with you to say thank you for all these years. You made of me who I am nowadays.

One big hug, your son, Alejandro.

Space Debris. Outline + Introduction + Conclusion

Outline + Introduction + Conclusion

I. The amount of space debris has increased greatly in the recent years due to the numerous launches of satellites that many space companies have made. In the mid and late twentieth century the number of launches was much lower than now, so this was not a great issue. With the spread of GPS, Internet, and mobile communications in general, this has become a major problem that governments are ignoring. Space debris is now a problem with bad consequences for our planet.

II. Risks of accidents

A.      In the space

B.      On the Earth surface

III. Contamination.

A.      Radioactive piece fall in the ocean

B.      Impacts could cause fire on forests

IV. Prevention and Solutions

                A.Research on disposable materials

                B.Space “cleaning” programmes

V. Due to the potential dangers that space debris can cause, both to the environment and people, governments must create prevention and solution plans to solve this problem and to avoid future issues related to this matter. We cannot keep ignoring space trash and its consequences.

Environment protection in Spain

As I see it, in Spain people are not really committed to the protection of the environment in general, but from my point of view this is getting better over time. From some years to now, several improvements have been done, for example the installation of recycle containers instead of the unique bin from the past. Now there is also a coastal area protection law that forbids the construction of buildings to protect animal species. But there is a lot of work to do though. The air pollution is a serious concern nowadays. Cities like Madrid or Barcelona are often covered with a layer of contaminated air which is a danger to health, more specially to the elderly and children. Building more bike lanes would be a good solution for these matters, and also encouraging people to use more the public transport by lowering prices.

In my family there is not much concern about natural environment. We do not usually recycle, only glass and paper, but not plastic for example. I always try to recycle some dangerous items like batteries or used oil. Some friends of mine do recycle at home and some others just do not care and even throw trash while walking around the street. I think that we Spanish people have to learn from countries like Japan, where the protection of the environment is a must and many laws enforce that commitment.

Thesis Outline: "Murcia needs a bike lane"

Thesis Outline – Murcia Bike Lane

I.  Murcia, because of the great number of inhabitants urgently needs a proper bike lane.

II. Bike renting is available but there is no safe place to drive them

     A. Accidents due to bikes and cars sharing roads

     B. Lack of use of this service because of the danger

III. Would solve chaotic traffic downtown

     A. Punctuality at work

     B. Relief on stress on the morning

IV. Reduction of contamination

     A. Bikes do not throw any toxic gas whatsoever

     B. Using public transport would be more suitable due to less cars

V. Because of the amount of benefits related to both environmental matters and safety, Murcia needs a bike lane in order to stay free of pollution and accidents downtown.