Why life has to be that way?

Every day when I get up I feel useless and I could say it in capital letters: USELESS. All I do is wake up, clean my face, brush my hair and get dressed to go to school and all this in 30 minutes because I won’t wake up earlier and I don’t want to lose the bus either.

In school I feel useless too because all is so automatic: teacher talks and I take notes. This is all I do. And when I go home I study everything we do in class and I do my homework. I don’t know but this year seems to me the best year, maybe because it is the last and we feel more trust with teachers. I feel this year very stressful too, I have no time to have a life, meet friends, be with my boyfriend or with my family, when they want to do something different I came up and I say I can’t because I have to study. So much stress and pressure is ruining my life.

Whatever, the bad point of this year is the research project and the PAU’s exam. OMG. Well, I already passed the research project and I’m very happy for that but now come what worries me more: the disgusting exam of Selectivitat. Why it has to be that way? I don’t want eight exams in three days about all we are doing this year… I just want to finish, go on holidays in Croatia and, in September, start my degree in Biotechnology.

I’m not that kind of girl that studies very much and has good grades, I don’t study as much as people think. All I do is read and if I don’t get it at first I read it twice. And my grades could be better, but I’m also a lazy person and my motivation comes once a year. All this writing is because I feel useless and this is personal. I do want to have better marks, study more and be more organized but I just can’t,  I’m so distracted this year and I don’t allow it, the mark I need is more than a 10 and it requires effort and planning.

HEALTH

Waist size bigger heartattack risk in women

The George Institute for Global Health is looking into if women with bigger waists relative to their hips have more risk of having heart attacks. The study shows that the relation waist-hip is a better predictor of heart attack than obesity.

This finding has been published in the Journal of the American Heart Association thanks to UK Biobank.

Dr. Sanne Peters, author of the investigation, said that the fat around the abdomen appears to be more hazardous than the fat stored around the hips.

The body composition and the fat distribution differed between the sexes. Women with those characteristics have more risk of suffering a heart attack than men.

Some of the heart attack symptoms are: chest pain, feeling dizzy, sweating, feeling sick, anxiety, etc. Every symptom is different in each person.

Ashleigh Doggett, cardiac nurse, said that this investigation could lead the way in treating patients individually.

First of all, I have to say that is important to find a new measure to diagnose heart attacks because people could try to avoid it. When people know that they can possible have a heart attack then they worry and start to do things as sport to prevent the heart attack. There are lots of factors that can be controlled as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, lack of physical activity, diabetes, etc.

In the other hand, there are also factors that can’t be monitored. In the first place, the age,  and at last, the hereditary and other diseases.

Finally, I want to say that both if you have risk of having a heart attack or not you should always do sport and eat healthier, for your own good.

TED talks

Heather Knight: Silicon-based comedy

Heather Knight’s a roboticist that manages Marilyn Monrobot. That is an association which creates robot performances with socially intelligent robots and sensor-based electronic art. In the speech, Heather Knight introduces Data, a robotic comedian that interacts with the audience. Her aim is to join technology with entertainment. Therefore, she’s trying to create more expressive and friendly robots to attract people. For that reason she looks for art in her new creations.

In my view art is an important element in robots. Technical devices have to be attractive for the public, and for that reason I agree with Heather Knight. I think she is doing an important research because create robots isn’t easy and she find a way very innovative to combine robotic with entertainment. On the other hand I think robots can’t be emotional and feel feelings, what they can do is disrupt our feelings. In this way, robots can make us laugh but we will never make them laugh. At least now.

CANNABIS

The science behind super-strength skunk

Most of the cannabis that is sold illegally in the UK has a higher risk of psychotic mental health episodes.

Cannabis is a very powerful drug because contain Cannabigerol, that compounds three other substances. Two are really important because their impact on users: Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC because is linked to the risk of mental health issues and Cannabidol or CBD that acts as an anti-psychotic and counteracts some of the negative effects of THC.

Every cannabis plant produces THC and CBD but in high potency cannabis all the material is used to make THC. The mental health problems are linked to both substances but cannabis with high levels of THC can lead psychiatric issues.

Unlike THC, is known that CBD can protect users against some effects of cannabis, such as memory impairment.

There are three types of cannabis product. In the first place, in hash the CBD levels are higher than TCH. Therefore, herbal cannabis doesn’t contain CBD at all. Finally, high potency cannabis contains high levels of TCH.

The most sold in UK is the high potency cannabis that represents 94% of the market.

Concurrently, cannabis has positive benefits. It’s been the best treatment for Crohns disease and recently researchers are looking at how cannabis’ compounds can help treat other diseases.

In my point of view, drugs are very dangerous substances and it’s obvious that can affect our health negatively. All the users should know the consequences of the consumption. Most of the users of marijuana are consuming because they think is beneficial but it’s still a drug and drugs always damage. 

OPTIMISM

The benefits of positive thinking

People who always look on the bright side are positive thinking. Positive thinking helps us to affront stress and can even improve our health. Yes, those that express positive emotions live 10 years longer, according to specialists.

Being positive is good for us and for the people around us.Face with stressful situations isn’t easy, but if you adopt a positive think you can have more chances of success.

Besides, specialists found that our mind have a powerful effect on our body. This means that our thoughts and attitudes can have a powerful influence on our immunity. Optimistic people exhibit a stronger immune response than those who had a more negative view.

The most important part is that positive thinking is good for our health. Some benefits associated with optimism include reduce risk of death from cardiovascular problems, less depression and an increased lifespan.

Optimistic people have a high ability to cope with problems. That means that resilient people are able to face a crisis or trauma with success and not fall in stress. Optimists look always the best part of the situations, how to solve the problem and deal with stress and depression and they always try to learn from their experiences.

Not everything on optimism is an advantage; sometimes very optimistic people overestimate their own abilities and other’s.

Bad things happen and sometimes you will be disappointed or hurt by the actions of others but if you adopt a positive think you will deal with the situation more easily.

POSITIVE THINKING + POSITIVE ACTIONS = POSITIVE RESULTS

Syria conflict

Putin orders Eastern Ghouta 'humanitarian pause'

This news talks about the order of Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, about a daily humanitarian pause in fightening in the Eastern Ghouta in Syria. In this way, civilians are allowed to leave and are able to be helped by doctors.

Goutha has been under bombardment by the Syrian government and Russian backing for a week. As a result, there have been more than 540 deaths.

Wars aren’t any good for humanity but belong to our reality. Wars exist because after all this years humans aren’t able to be civilised and agree in cohabitation. So, as long as humans exist there will be wars. Unfortunately the wars will be worst because while the years pass, there will be more findings that can be used in wars as weapons and bombs or any other material of war. It has always been said that the human being is a destructive being.

Florida shooting

School threats spike 'significantly'

17 murderers came up in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School of Florida by a small US group.

School Safety Network with base in Ohio has claimed that now there are 65 threats to US schools a day and before there was only 11.

One hour and a half after the gunman, supposedly Nikolas Cruz, killed students and teachers in Parkland, there was a new threat in Brooklyn.

Two boys posted a picture the night before with a rifle and a text that said “Don’t come to school tmw”. One of the student said he was joking but the police found in his home two semi-automatic rifles similar to the one used by the Florida gunman.

Since the Florida shooting, LA school authorities have received 160 calls about a possible criminal threat. Mrs. Klinger thinks that the incidents are related to the intensity how Americans are responding to the tragedy, the copycat effect that incites other students to commit similar attacks and, the most important, social media. Most of the threats come via social media.

Since the Parkland attack the debate was about what to do to ensure stop further attacks on schools. Student survivors want a tighter gun control and the most radicals said to arm teachers.

It seems to me that arming teachers isn’t the solution; I think that we should be more conscious. If there are a couple of police officers in all schools provided by the state most of the students will be afraid and they won’t risk. Maybe there should be a control in all schools to avoid the entrance of weapons. Apparently the number of threats is increasing and it seems very frightening. I can’t imagine that happening in my high school.

BADESHI

Only three people speak this 'extinct' language

Badeshi is a language only three people in the world speak and they are afraid that the language will end when they die. Badeshi used to be spoken in an entire village of northern Pakistan but now is considered endangered.

Over the decades, even the three men started to forget the language. Now, in the area they live, people only speak Torwali so they couldn’t talk in Badeshi fluently.

Maybe is to late now to save Badeshi but at least we can learn a few words to keep the memory of the language:

“Meen naao thi” means My name is

“Meen Badeshi jibe aasa” means I speak Badeshi

“Theen haal khale thi?” means How do you do?

I feel very sad for those men. They will see how their language disappears considering that they are the only three men who speak Badeshi. I am so sorry for them because they will see how their children miss that language; they also will forget how to talk because in the entire village the official language is Torwali. I think in the entire world there are lots of endangered languages and whenever they die out, part of the world culture will become extinct forever.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is here

Christmas to me is a celebration that includes spending time with my family and the ones I love the most, decorating the entire house and shopping to give presents to my parents, my sister, my boyfriend and my best friends. Spend Christmas with the ones I love is what means the most to me.

We usually celebrate Christmas at my house but this year I will go to Romania to spend it with my grandmother and my uncle. My dad bought the passages months ago because there were cheaper. We’re going for three weeks and I’m already excited because the last time I saw my grandma was one year ago and I miss her a lot. I’m very close to her because she understands me and loves me so much. She is one of my favorites persons of the world.

I spent Christmas two times before in Romania and we don’t use to decorate so much the house, we just do the Christmas tree. I always do it with my sister and we put bonbons in the tree as globes. It’s so fun to eat the bonbons and close the wrapper and see my dad how disappointed he is when he sees there is no bonbon inside.

My sister has 10 and she still thinks Santa Claus exist. I like to see her eagerness the night before Santa’s coming and I won’t ruin her hope. We do the Santa’s letter together and it’s very fun see how much things she wants, she will bankrupt Santa.

Besides, this is the first time I have boyfriend and I would like to spend Christmas with him too. Three weeks are too much time without him and we won’t spend any day of Christmas’ celebrations together. This makes me feel sad because I love him a lot and I will miss him every day there. 

DENGUE VACCINE

Philippines launches probe into dengue vaccine scare

The dengue fever affects more than 400 million people each year, the disease is transmitted by the mosquito-bone and it’s the responsible of serious illness and death among children in Asia and Latin America. Dengue is a viral infection that causes a illness similar to flu.

Dengvaxia is the first approved dengue vaccine and it’s created by the French drug company Sanofi. The drug company announced that there are no reported deaths related to dengue vaccination.

Last week Sanofi announced its vaccine could worsen the deadly disease in people not infected. The OMS recommended that Dengvaxia should only be administrated to subjects with dengue.

When new diseases are appearing, pharmacists are looking into to solve them. Maybe, their solution is useless and they try to find a new one. They always taste the cure before sell it and they analyze all the symptoms could originate. When the cure is safe and the patient doesn’t get worse, the product has to be approved by the government and then, it could be sold in pharmacies. In a period of 5 years, the scientists analyze the impact of the cure in the population and if they see something wrong they abolish they product from the stores and try to resolve it. I want to be a pharmacist and make cures to solve diseases. The objective is save people, not make them get worst.  

SEAS POLLUTION

UN signals 'end' of throwaway plastic

UN environment ministers met in Kenya to sign a document stating that the flow of plastic into the ocean must be stopped.

Li Lin from WWF International said he want to see a progress on marine litter and micro-plastics and agreed by governments, business, NGOs and consumers as soon as possible because it’s an urgent issue.

Plastics are already damaging life in the sea but we can’t risk waiting before whole ecosystems start to be affected.

After all, the seas are also beset with climate change, acidification, dead zones and different types of pollution.

People is waiting to see governments prompted to move faster with their own polices to clamp down on waste plastic.

Stopping plastic litter requires new technology and new attitudes from the consumers.

Seas pollution is practically caused by flow of plastic. Plastic can’t decompose and its throw away in the ocean. The movement of the waves, the wind and the current accumulate all the plastic waste in a place of the ocean called seventh continent and that’s because covers an enormous space. This plastic is split by the solar radiation in micro-plastics that are ingested as a natural compound of the diet of some animals as fishes and birds. Those animals will be eaten by others animals and finally will affect whole ecosystems. We eat fish so we could say we eat plastic.

POLLUTION

Babies' brains damaged by pollution, Unicef says

UNICEF informed that at least seventeen million babies are breathing toxic air and putting their life at risk. Babies from South Asia are the most affected because are living in areas with pollution six times higher than safe levels.

UNICEF said that breathing polluted air could damage brain tissue and undermine brain’s development that could affect IQ and memory, reduce test scores as well as other neurological behavioral problems. The effects will last a lifetime.

ONU warned that as more as the world urbanizes without adequate protection and pollution reduction measures, more children will be at risk. They called for broad use of masks and air filtering systems.

In the Indian capital, Delhi, the smog air was covering the entire city and parents accused the authorities of haven’t in mine their children’s health.

In northern China, air pollution will cut life expectancy by about thee years. Meanwhile, scientists in London found that the British smog is linked to lower birth weights, higher infant mortality and disease later in life.

Most of countries and cities with high levels of pollution are underdeveloped countries and haven’t the money to reduce the emitting of contamination. The polluted air will stay in the atmosphere and we and the others animals will breath this air. I agree with UNICEF to increase the use of masks and filtering systems to reduce the high impact in our health.

Babies are not the only affected, all the population is affected and in most of cases, the same population is the responsible from the polluted air we breathe. We can’t do anything to solve it, the problem begins with the government and it’s the only one that can reduce the emitting of contaminants to the atmosphere by using methods that could respect the safe levels of pollution.

HAPPINESS

What I think about happiness

I don’t really know where to start… Happiness to me is everything: have the people I love close and enjoy the little things of live, as pizza, for example. These little things make us the happiest. It’s not a sensitive thing, quite the opposite, is the most subjective issue. Why it is an issue? Well, what makes one happy does not necessary make someone else happy. What I mean is that happiness is what we are dreaming about and it depends on each one.

Lots of poets, philosophers, writers had thought about happiness. For example, Aristotle said that happiness was an aspiration in live that everyone can got by knowledge. I think happiness is a state of mind, we cannot touch it, we just feel it. We may feel happiness when we win lottery, but it’s temporal happiness.

What’s more, I think happiness is about other people. Meaning it depends on our family or the closest persons we have. If our family or our friends are happy, we are happy. And if your boyfriend leaves you, you may feel heartbroken. On the other hand, if we succeed in live, we are happy. The sentiment of success may have a positive emotional impact on us, and that’s why we feel happy.

According to society, happiness is different depending on people’s age. Children don’t need a reason to be happy; in fact they release happiness around. Adolescents think they would get happiness if they follow trends, if they have brand clothes,… Adults are happy if they are making a family, having kids,… The elderly is happy if their kids are growing according to its expectations.

I have been always a happy girl, I laugh much and I feel very good accompanied by my beloved ones.

In my opinion, everyone should enjoy happiness. Be happy is the best feeling you can feel.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates 

1-O Catalonia referendum

1-Oct, an historical memory

Catalans had requested a referendum for the independence from Spain. But the Spanish government had denied it. Despite everything, all Catalans have organized everything for today, 1^st October of 2017, for vote. They used public locals as schools for the illegal voting and Spain, from the other side, had demand to the police to confiscate all the ballot box. Guardia Civil and the National Police followed the government’s demand and they used violence against the civil population to cancel the vote. In spite of everything, the Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalan’s police, gave support to the nation and they faced with the Spanish police.

The TUE, the UE’s treaty, invalidate the state that use military aggression against the population. And the Guardia Civil is a military body, by the way. Therefore, Spain can be judged by the TUE.

The people that vote today was united and with courage tried to stop the police aggression that were inhuman. The National Police tried to stop a referendum that the Spanish government declared as “illegal” with police’s responsibility, using nightsticks and rubber balls that are illegal in Catalonia. Meaning that Spain tried to stop the vote with illegal weapons.

Until today I didn’t consider myself an independentist but now Spain has disappoint me a lot. Today, Catalonia got the independence. Today, Spain lost Catalonia by its acts. 

Catalonia referendum

Tractors roll into Barcelona to support vote

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41439787

29.09.2017, Catalonia

Last Friday, there were a pile of tractors with the lone-star flag of Catalan independence standing up for Sunday’s banned referendum. The Spanish government wants to stop the referendum because it says is unconstitutional.

Catalonia has demanded a referendum on independence since 2010. There is a law that says all the autonomous communities can declare its liberty.

Tractoradas had been the centre of attention today. It could also been saw in Girona and Tarragona. The objective is to impede police officers to close the polling stations.

The police have orders from the state to confiscate all referendum materials and to prevent public buildings being used as polling stations. Nevertheless, teachers and students are organizing to keep them open for the vote, using coded messages on social media.

Hundreds of teachers and students made a manifestation on the streets to make clear to the Spanish government that Catalonia will vote. Besides, it has been set up a website so people can see which schools are open for the vote.

The Spanish government is opposed to the vote and will deploy thousands of national police officers to stop the vote and to guarantee Spanish sovereignty.

What’s more, the European Union said the referendum was illegal but they will work towards a political solution to solve the problem.

Catalans have its rights and can choose the future of their nation. We should all vote on Sunday because the future of a nation is up to us. I don’t declare myself independent and I think Catalans are the ones that must choose for Catalonia. As I learned in History, Catalonia has demanded independence since lots of years ago and there has been also a Catalan Republic. This one will be the second Catalan Republic, if the voting goes well. If the nation has success and gets the independence I wish the best to Catalonia and I hope there will not be political problems between countries and I also hope there will be free movement across the continent.

North Korea and the US

North Korea: Trump and Kim call each other mad

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41356836

Friday, 22-09-2017 (Asia)

In Trump’s statement for a UN speech, he threats North Korea and its president, Kim Jon Un, saying that US will totally destroy North Korea if US it’s forced to defend itself. The two countries began to insult by calling each other “mad”.

North Korea started buying weapons and testing missiles. The Foreign Minister from Korea has warned US about testing the hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean due to the US president’s threat.

Kim’s target is mounting the nuclear bomb and firing it over Japan into the Pacific Ocean. As a result, it could be environmental damage and fallout. What’s more, if the missile fails over Japan or prematurely detonate, there would be a nuclear war.

The president of North Korea said “Now that Trump has denied the existence of and insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world and made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history, Trump will pay dearly for his speech.” He ended by saying he would tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire.

In response, Trump said in a tweet that Kim is a madman that doesn’t mind starving or killing his people.

In my opinion, the detonation of an H-bomb can be catastrophic for the world, one of theses bombs could end cities like New York and paralyze huge companies as Apple, Facebook and Google. Besides, the world doesn’t need a nuclear war. There are other solutions for make peace; one of them is sign a peace treaty. The consequences of a war are terrible, and the president from the United States Donald Trump is asking for war. He is threaten North Korea as if he could defend itself but he is only provoking Kim. The United States should know they will lose the war, they don’t have the armament and the atomic devices that Korea has. 

PAU'S WRITING

Sarah and Eva are talking about going shopping on Black Friday

Informal letter

Dear Lourdes,

Our summer holidays ended last week and I cannot imagine routine starts again. I do not want to because summer seems to me very short. I only went to the beach for a few times because I worked as a waitress in a Restaurant in Sant Pere Pescador. You may know it: Can Trona’s Restaurant. It’s such a big restaurant and we are a lot of workers. We have more than a hundred tables and it is always full. So, you can imagine the chaos.

Wherever, I did not want to start school again because I am scared for what comes next. I am scared for TdR, for Selectivitat and for University. I do not consider myself a coward but I think I am. I have my ideas clear and I know perfectly what I want to be in a future. My goals are finish what I started: Batxillerat, and then do the Selectivitat exam to enter at UB, Barcelona’s University. I want a degree in Pharmacy. My dream is to work in a lab and do chemical work like medicines. I want to be kind a doctor to heal people.

I know my dreams are not easy and I also know I have to effort myself until get it. I am sure I will. I trust myself as no one and I know my limits. I really believe in myself and I know that I will get wherever I propose. Besides, I have my family’s support, the most important in my opinion. Most people can not go to University because economical problems. I do not consider my family rich but they would do anything for my education. They always let me free to choose what I wanted; they never pushed me to do what they wanted. I am very happy for that and I appreciate them a lot, I know I can trust them as they can trust me.

Finally, but not less important, I have support from my boyfriend. I know I will have him ever after and he is very important for me because he gives me strength and balance. We faced lots of challenges and we keep going. All troubles make us stronger. Together we can do anything we propose. We will not surrender. I know I can count on him as he can count on me.

“No one’s written your destiny for you.”

As Obama said, no one writes our destiny. I truly think there is no destiny. Everyone is free to do what they want, to be what they want without depending on other people. 

We were born not to follow orders but to make things, things we like, things that can cause revolutions. Everyone is unique in this world and you need to prove it. Prove that you are not a normal person, that you have thoughts and dreams and that you can get success. Everyone has failures but you need to learn from them, not to disappoint yourself. 

Everyone has something to offer to the world and we need to find what it is, and it will be not easy. That is why you need strength; you must struggle for what you want.

I'm happy to see you again.

Best wishes,

Ioana Salajan