The Blind Side

The Blind Side is one of my favorites films. I had seen it thousands of times and I think that I will never get tired of it. It's about one big black boy called Michael Oher that have to live in friends’ houses or even, he have to sleep in the street because he have a lot of family problems: he don't know nothing about his father, his mother is a junkie and he was separated from his brothers by the Social services when he was very young. He goes to the school but he gets mark down and the teachers don’t want to help him because he never pay attention in class and he can barely write. He doesn't have any friend except a little and funny boy called Sean JR. 

JR mother, Ane, it's an interior designer with a strong character. One day, she see Michael walking alone down the street, at night and shivering with cold then, she decided to provide him a place to sleep at home. The next morning, Michael leaves the house but Ane, invites him to stay longer. 

Gradually, Michale becomes a member of the family and later, they will end up adopting him. 

Parallel to all of this, Michale start to improve his marks and the school allow him to enter in the football team. At first, this sport not convince him because he don't want to hurt anyone, but later, he also improve because he considerate the team his family and he wants to protect them (and he also has the help of all his family, overcoat, of his new little brother) At the end, he's so good in this sport that all the university teams wants to contracted him for the respective university teams. 

At least, a boy who apparently, will not going to get anything in his life, ends in the university and playing in a professional football team. The best of this film is that it's based in a true story.

A place to visiti: Finland (audio)

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A place to visit: Finland (pictures)

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Oral presentation

This term, Berta and I have done an oral presentation about Tanzania. We choose this country because our parents have been there and we have a lot of pictures in home and we think that it's a beautiful country for all the landscapes, the Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain of all Africa), the volcanos, the natural and wild reserves where you can find all kind of animals,... This country it's also reach in culture: there are a lot of different tribes with different costumes and religions. 

Now the video of our presentation, hope you like it!

The 2015 Dr.Frankenstein

The Italian neuroscientist Sergio Canavero is convinced that  "In just two years, will be possible the whole body transplantation, so patients with quadriplegia, cancer or progressive muscular dystrophy may be able to replace their ill bodies for another healthy.

The idea sounds crazy and many of his friends think that it's impossible, but the Italian says that the last obstacle, the connection between the spinal cord of the donor with the spinal cord of the receiver, is already overtaken and it's expected that in June, the doctor present a project for perform this kind of transplantations. 

According with Canavero, the operation is completely practicable with the medical advances that exist, “it isn't necessary wait for discover something else” said. In fact, the experiments for the whole body transplantation, started the last century: in 1945, there was attempt of transplanted the head of one dog to another (although the animals could only survive between two and six days). Later, in the 70's, a British scientific tried to do the same but this time with two monkeys: the monkey could survive but it couldn't move because the scientific was not able to connect the spinal cord.

Now, according with the Italian doctor, this problem doesn’t exist, if an organ reject another, this could be solved with drugs. In any case, could be a rejection caused by a psychological reason (like in some face transplants) and in this sense, Canavero explains that three months before the operation, the patient must use a kind of virtual machine which will show like a picture of the patient with the body that will have after the operation. In this way, the patient wouldn't experience a psychological rejection. 

Even so, the process will be slowly: before the operation the patient will be into a coma for a month for avoid movements and then, the patient must be subjected to physical therapy to recovermotion. Further, the operation will last 36 hours and it will be needed between 100 and 150 professionals, and it's also possible that before the transplantation, the patient have a change of humor and character. For this last problem, Canavero proposed the cloning cells. 

Candidates ready for this kind of operations is not missing; the doctor says that he has received a lot of requests although the success is not fully insured. 

The project financing, ten millions euros, it's also expected: a researcher of Turín have publish a book about the head transplantation and the benefits of it will go to the first intervention.

So the only thing left to solve is where will be perform the first operation. According to Canavero, "the country that makes the first whole body transplantation will be like the first man to reach the moon, something that all countries should aspire". 

I think that this kind of "experiments" should be done for prove if it can be done or not. I don't know, maybe this operation it's possible and thanks to this doctor people who have to spend his live in a wheelchair or people who have the days of live count, can survived and have a better life although there is the problem of the change of humor an character (even so the doctor Canavero says that could also be solved). Anyway, if you are about to die and the doctors get to choose you between die or live but with another character, what would you say? It's a complicated topic.

I think that the main problem is ethical or moral. If we started to do this kind of operations, we will be doing the same as Dr.Frankenstein, nothing will be natural, I mean, you will born with one body and you will die with the body of another person! Or what it's worse, we could live forever. All seem to be a science fiction film...

Original new: http://www.elmundo.es/salud/2015/02/27/54ef8a0fca4741b0718b4579.html

Orizoba still keeping the secret

For over half a century, seven men who were climbing the north face of the Peak of Orizaba (Mexico) at a height of 5.300 meters, suffered an avalanche of snow and four of the group disappeared in it. The bodies were never found, but this week, a group of mountaineers that were crossing the area, found two of the four corpses that might be of those who disappeared 56 years ago (except if the DNA test says the otherwise).

The expedition of the City of Mexico found last Sunday one of the corpses by chance. One of the members of the expedition was climbing a crater when suddenly, slipped and fell. In this moment, he saw something round and he thought that it was a coconut, but it turn to be a skull. The mountaineers announced the discovery in the social networks and they warned to the Red Cross. The picture that they take of the head and one arm of the mummy was very successful and the Mexican Association of Mountaineers began to move quickly for exhume the mummy. Then, the second corpse was discovered hugging the first. They also found a red jumper, a jacket and a bag: remains of the expedition. 

Luis Espinoza, one of the seven men that were climbing the peak that November of 1959, still have a picture of that same day at the foot of the mountain where later, four of his friends would be missing until now. In the picture, we can see one of the group dressed in a red jumper. 

After almost a live, two of the members of his group had been found but two bodies still missing: the mountain still keeping the secret.

Original new: http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/03/06/actualidad/1425638791_599529.html

Why it's so hard to see black and blue?

Few days ago, the only think spoken in the social networks and the question that have the world without sleep was: Is the dress blue and black or white and golden? Well, taking advantage of the fame of this dress, the organization against the gender violence The Salvation Army, has carried out an advertising campaign with the catchword "Why is so hard to see black and blue" and a picture of a women full of bruises and dressing that famous dress (in this case, the dress is white and golden). The picture is also accompanied by another phrase that says the next: "The only illusion is think that has been her election. One in six women is a victim of the gender violence. Stop the gender violence". With this campaign, the organization want to show that even the most beautiful dress (or in this case, the most famous) can't cover the bruises of the woman skin, and it has been done because there are still people who can't see the reality of the problem of the gender violence (the 35% of the women in the world suffered gender violence). Using this dress, the organization wants that this message reach as many people as possible like the question of the color of the dress. 

After, for bolster the campaign, the same organization had publish another picture answering the question of the first ("Why is so hard to see black and blue?"): "Because they covered it with white and gold" and adding the phone number of the association and another phrase: "majority of women who are abused never report it".

I think hat it's a good advesrtiment and also, a good moment to publish it because coincide the fame of this dress with the day of the woman. Besides, The Salvation Army had turne a "silly" internet fasciantion into a powerfull awareness campaign. It's an original campaing with an original catchword for try to make aware the women that suffered abuses that they have to say it. The campaign also encourage to all the poeple who knows someone who is going throuht this situation to report too.

Original new: http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2015/03/06/54f9e4d6e2704e326f8b456d.html

Siwitzerland, come back

Last summer was one of the best summers of my life because I went on vacations with some friends to Switzerland! We went there because the family of my best friend has a house there because they use to go on winter to ski, and they left the house to us some days.

The house was in a little and beautiful village called Elm, well, the house was not exactly in the village, it was in the slope of the mountain of the Alpes. It was so nice and reminded me to the house of Heidi because it was made all with wood, the next house nearly were in a hundred meters... And next to the house, always appeared rabbits, deer... We also have a cable railway near the house!

We were in Switzerland about ten days. My friend and me, left the airport of Girona in the morning and at noon, we landed in Germany. Then, we took a taxi that took us to the train station and there, we eat and we took the first train. It was the longest journey because it took us to Switzerland. Once there, we took three more trains to arrive to Elm, there, my friend's brother and his friends were waiting for us for, at least, take us at home. They had gone by car two days before. 

The ten days past very fast! We did a lot of excursions through the Alpes. What impressed me the more was the beautiful landscape! All was very green and some mountains still have snow in the peaks. Further, in front of the house, there was a big mountain with waterfalls. The mountain was so high that you couldn’t see the sun until half past seven!

We also visited some cities such Zurich and Lucerne. In Zurich, my friend and I spent the day shopping and seeing the city although the guys that were tired of walk, spent the day complaining about our shops. The second city that we visited, Lucerne, was my favorite; it has a beautiful bridge, the Kapellbrücke, decorated with flowers and it that cross the lake of the four sides that we crossed by ferry. Another day, we visited the Schaffhausen waterfalls that were very awesome and some more villages and little cities.

The return trip was like the journey of the way there, with all the trains and the plane but without the enthusiasm because our vacations in Switzerland were running out and my friend and I were so tired, that we slept most of the way.

How I had said formerly, what impressed me the most was all the landscapes! All was so beautiful: it didn’t seem real to me, I was like in a film!!! Another thing was the currency, in Switzerland they have the Swiss franc and of course, I have to change my money before the trip. And my friend had to do the shopping because I didn’t understand the change of money… Anyway, I think I still have some Swiss franc in the wallet.

Another think that impressed I was the language: it’s true that in Switzerland they speak in German, but they have a very strange accent: even my friend, who’s German, didn’t understand them. Luckily, everybody speak in English so we could understand with everybody. 

Below, there is a part of the video that we made of our trip!

Jordi Casals and Muerte Por Funky

In the subject of Spanish language, we had to read the book "Muerte por Funky", written by Jordi Casals. The main character of the book, Eutanasio, works helping people to commit suicide and between all of this "works", there also are loves problems, revenges for suicides that went wrong... Well, the author of the book lives in Figueres and he teaches history in the high school of Roses, so he came to make a speech about the book and clarify some doubts.

In the morning, all the students of first of batxillerat and some teachers went to the Convent Of Santa Clara where the speech would take place. When we were all sitting, Jordi Casals started the conference.

At the beginning of it, the author confessed us that it wasn’t the first time that he did this kind of conferences to students of a high school and for this, he already knew more or less which would be our questions. So during the two hours which latest the conference, he didn’t stop talking about the book. He told us some interesting facts about the novel, for example, he told us that at first, what now is the novel, it would have been a screen player, but some friends convince him to pass it at novel. He also talked about the set of the novel: the history elapses in the Barcelona of 80's, when the music was an important entertainment in the city and also, in the Barcelona that he lived. Jordi explains us that before be teacher, he was member of a group of music and for this, all the musical references in the book such as the fact that the main character, is also manager of a rock band in Barcelona that will have exit at the end of the novel or what I think is the most quirky of the book: the titles of the chapters: instead of be a number or a “normal title”, are the name of different songs. Jordi also talked about this, he say that while he was writing the novel, in his way to the school by car, for example, he listened to some song that inspired him for make the

chapter and for this, he decided to put the title of the song at the beginning of it. He also talked about all the characters of the novel and he admitted that he was inspired by some friends for make them. The novel have autobiographical dates too, like the set of the novel, the music elements, the romantic infidelities... Summing up, the speech was very interesting and entertaining because we laugh a lot and there also were a very emotional moment when the author talked about the suicide and the complications and difficulties of the live, but he advised us to think that always, something better will come. 

I think that the students where a little participatory. When Jordi stopped to talked, rather, when made him finish because time was running, we make a few questions but I think that it was because the dedicatory) author had already answered all the questions that we had! Anyway, when the speech ends, we were able to talk with the author and he signed our books (well, actually the author only put my sister name in the dedicatory).

In love with summer

When I was little, each year, diuring the summer holidays, my family used to rend a house in somewhere in Spain and we spend 15 days there. We had visited most of Spain but we stopped doing it because my brother, my cousins and inclouding me, started to spend the vacations with our friends, working,... But I miss this "family vacations", it was so funny! We have been in each autonomus region of Spain. We usually rend a house in little villages, I don't know exacly why, I guess it should be because there, is where the biggest houses where because we were 12 cousins and adding the parents we were 18 perosns in one house! We spent a really really good time and we also learn new things, the cousins,  used to have a big room for all of us and the houses used to have a big garden with a swimimg pool where we swam altought the water were 5ºC. In Cazorla for example, we also had a tennis court (altought we didn't used it very much...), in the Pais Vasc the propietary of the house that we had rented had a farm where we went to "work", I put work between quaotes because we played more in the mountains of bales of straw than work, anyway, we feed the cows, we collected the eggs from the chickens and the propietary of the farm give us rides in the tractor shovel! In Palencia, the propietary of the house also let us work in his farm, but it was a differents one: he had a bee's farm and he tought us to make honey! He also had horses and we gone on some horseback riding. And we did it and more in our "free time"; during the mornigs, we did routes throught the mountain and it was also very funny! We went to beautiful places, we swam in lakes, rivers,... one year, we devote to look for fossils (and we found quite!), we saw a lot of animals: deers, rabits, snakes that my father and my brother like to catch,... actually, my brother was always searching animals: in Soria, he catch a big lizard and it bit his hand and left a good mark on it, and another year, I think it was in Cadiz, we devote to take care of a bird, a cat, shrews, two dogs and two turtles (a weird combination of animals) that we had found. 

The years that we spend the vacations in the beach, we spend the hole day in differents beuatifull beaches diving, doing canoing trips, in boats,... and for a change, my brother was always catching octopus (of course, he also was bitten by one), eels, starfish,... And my summer, didn't end after all of this: at the end of the vacations, the "reduced family", I mean, without cosins: only my parents, my siblings and me, used to go to Mallorca or Menorca where we continue diving, going to a beautifull beaches,...

We always had a great time: all the cousins laugt a lot togehter, we knew many people,... Now, we do something similar: each summer, all the cousins went to a house that our grandparents have in Benicassim (Valencia) and we stay there for a few days without parents! It's also very funny because we know a lot of people there (all of us have been going there almost since our birth) and ther's also beach, waterparks, music festivals (the FIB, the Rotottom, the Arenal Sound,...), so we spend a really good time!

For all of this, I'm waiting patiet this summer, further, last year I went to Switzerland with my best friend and it was one of the better vacacions of my life (I will talk about this trip in another ocasion) and we're preparing another forthis year! 

Summer, come now please!

Valentine's Day in numbers

There's no doubt that Valentiene’s day is one of the American most popular holidays; more than 62% of Americans celebrate it by sending cards and flowers, giving candy or other gifts or enjoying romantic dinners (or the three!). But does anyone know the history behinds valentine’s day? Well, this celebration comes from the ancient Rome; during the reign of the emperor Claudio III, he diced to send all the young men to the war and for make them better soldiers, he decided to ban the marriage. Valentin, a friar, realized the injustice that this prohibition supposed for the young people and he decided to marry young couples secretly. He did this until he was find out by the emperor and imprisoned. But this is not all: in the prison, he fell in love with the daughter of the director of the prison and before be executed for breach of the rules, he wrote a love card to his love (and here comes the tradition of the love cards), and all of this pass the February 14: now known as Valentine's day. Even so, the tradition of the "romantic day" didn’t appear until the XVIII century.

Anyway, nowadays this holiday, especially in America, has been stablished like a consumer holiday. I found some interesting studies about the amount of money spent during the day and what impressed me the most is the next: each year, 1 billion of valentine’s cards are sent, more than any other holiday except Christmas. More than 33 million of heart chocolate boxes are sold, more than 220 million of roses are produced for the holiday and 4 million of dollars are expended in jewelry! American spends more than 20 billion of dollars on Valentine’s Day, what means 130 dollars per person each year! And at least, the "ultimate romantic gesture"; more than 6 million couples engaged this day.
This day supposed a big amount of money for the Americans and it shouldn’t be that way, I mean, is nice make a little detail to the person that you love, but have an average of 130 dollars per persona is a lot! Instead of wait for the day, Americans should fear it!