Final reflection

Well, this is my final post(finally I got it!!) and I will talk about my English transition through my two years in batxillerat. To analyse it, I've choosed two different your-says: one from first batxillerat and one of second batxillerat.

I've been very surprised(and ashamed haha) when I find one of my first your-says on the blog:

first: http://nadiaarenasbat.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/your-say_57.html
second: http://nadiaarenasbat.blogspot.com.es/2016/05/tattoos.html

From the first post I must say: WHY THE HELL I DID THIS???????? It's a your-say without taking care about grammar and syntax, with uncomplete sentences and very short and not deep description of a too easy topic: really, about my cat? I used undifficult adjectives and undifficult sentences(my vocabulary was the same as the vocabulary from my sister who is 13 years old) to do a fast your.say and finish my blog essays, what is very noticeable if I analyse how I wrote.

Comparing this your-say with my last your-say, all is different. This post is rich of vocbulary, have clear and long sentences with sense and it's a deeper topic. There're more details and a organized structure. I must also say that with most of your-says I did this year(especially from the second and the third term) I didn't need the computer too translate words. I can also see it on writings we do in class or in exams.

So, I think my final your-says of the third term in second batxillerat are much much much better than my old posts in first batxillerat. Apart from our class work, I think the fact that I'm much focused on my studies had also helped to improve my blog writings, and I'm proud of my english now. This is noticeable on my wirtings, but also in my listenings we do in class and how I speak now English(withut interrumptions and much more confortable and with more self-confidence). Because of this I'm very thankful to the English teachers I have in batxilllerat, because now I realized the importance of English in thw World.

Global sleeping revealed by app data

A study by scientists and published in Science Advances analysed data collected from an app about world's sleeping patterns. It showed things like the Dutch sleep nearly one hour more than people in Singapoore or Japan which had an average of seven hours and 24 minutes sleep while the poeple in the Netherlands had eight hours and 12 minutes, and that women routinely get more sleep than men(middle-aged men the least of all). Researchers say the findings could be used to deal with the "global sleep crisis", and the team at the Michigan University used this app to help people overcome jetlag.
People in the UK averaged under eight hours, less than the French. Country's average bedtime had the biggest impact on the time: the later a country stays up into the night, the less sleep it gets. Time a country wakes up seems to have little effect on sleep duration.

Prof Daniel Forger, one of the researches, told: "Society is pushing us to stay up late, our (body) clocks are trying to get us up earlier and in the middle the amount of sleep is being sacrificed; that's what we think is going on in global sleep crisis. If you look at countries that are really getting less sleep then I'd spend less time worrying about alarm clocks and more about what people are doing at night."

The study shows also that people who spend the most time in natural sunlight tended to go to bed earlier, and that there is a effect of age on sleep: a wide range of sleep and wake-up times was found in young people.

"I think it's interesting, there's been a trend for these studies using data from twitter and apps and finding interesting correlations across the world we've never been able to do by putting people in sleep lab. It highlights that althought our body clocks are programming us to do certain things, we can't as we're ruled by social circumstances. We son't know the long term consequences of this for many years" says Dr Akhilesh Reddy, from the University of Cambridge.

Disrupted sleep in shift workers are linked to health problems like type 2 diabetes.

NEW WORDS:
*average
*amount
*disrupted

PERSONAL COMMENT:
I think it's a very interesting topic even if you're not an undierstanded perso in this area. Because of this we can see the negative and positive influences of the differents lifestyles of the countries and how this affects the sleep.


News item by BBC

Tattoos

My favourite way of art are tattoos. Yes, for me and thousands of people tattoos are art embodied on people's skins.There can be people against them, and peoeple in favor them, but nobody can deny that there're big artworks in some tattoos.

Make tattoos is a very complex process. Much people only see the final product, the superficial part of this art: the ready-made tattoo on someone's body, the form, the colours, the shades,... but don't know that nehind that is a tattooist with many pression and response over his shoulders. At first, to be a tattooist you must have the quality of beeing a super painter, and then, perfect it with drawing classes, etc. Your hand must can draw with 100% pressicion and without mistakes. Then, you must get the tattooist license(what includes an amply knowledge of hygiene and diseases). Once you get it, you must be disclosed in this big tattoo world and that is like when we search for jobs: they would many experience, but if you want experience, you must firstly work. But who contract you without experience?????? So, if you achieve this, get ready for all type of people: these who don't know what they want, these who change their opinion on the last moment, these who complains all time, these who won't like your job... You will handle with all them.

Sometimes, people don't know what get tattoed but have an idea. With this idea, you must achieve a cool draw that will go with them in their bodies for always(as long as they don't eliminate it with laser). The draws must be perfect, you have this pression of don't get out of the line and don't do any mistakes. It can be irreversible. Your pulse must be accurate.

And then.. hope the customer likes(better loves!!!!)the tattoo.

Personally, I have 3 tattos(for the moment). I made my first tattoo after finish 4th of ESO. It's a crown on the finger. My second tatto is hidden by my bra on my rib. There I have written "Todo pasa" with a lace, and I had made it last summer. My last tattoo is made a month ago, and it's my grandparents wedding year in roman numbers, MCMXCIII.

I don't repent of any of my tattoos, because all three have his meaning for me and I was very very very sure of make them. They a part of me. 

US election: Jeb Bush refuses to back Donald Trump

Florida Governor Jeb Bush joins Republicans who refuse to support the New York business campaign and will not vote for Donald Trump in November's presidential election.
Some Republicans said they would back Democrat Hillary Clinton, but Bush ruled that out: "Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strenghth of character, and he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy."

Bush had previously pledged to support Republican nominee while he was a candidat for president. Republican Senator Lindsday Graham of Sth Carolina announced onn Friday dhat he also would not vote for Trump: "I think Donald Trump is going to places where very few people have gone and I'm not going with him".

Trump's campaign swiftly responded to him: "While I will unify the party, Lindsey Graham has shown himself to be beyond rehabilitton. And like the voters who rejected him, so will I", said Mr Trump.

Many republican candidates for lower offices are running on the same ballot as Trump, who alienated minority voters throught his rhetoric about building a wall in Mexico and banning US entry to Muslim travellers.

Some Republicans, including Senator McCain, have begun to call for the party to oppose the nominee and work to independently elect a conservative candidate like Nebrasja Santor Ben Sasse, who indicated that he will not support Trump.

NEW WORDS:
*pledged
*swiftly
*rejected

PERSONAL COMMENT:
I agree with all the republicans who not support Donald Trump, they have good reasons for it. It's not normal that this man will build a wall in Mexico and banning the entry of Muslims in the XXI century, but the worst is that there are many people that support him.

News item by the BBC

China deploys folk singer to disputed Spratly Islands

Chinese military chanteuse folk singer Song Zuying's career around the world has taken her to new destinations: she entertains workers on Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys in the South China Sea, the first stop of her tour in the disputed territory where China reclamed land and builiding military facilities on reefs. The photos of the perfomance reveal multi-story buildings and a large warship. Other Asian countries like Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, claim also sovereignty over the reefs and islands of the Spratlys, where China has been building artificial islands arguing that the structures are for civilian pruposes althought neighbour countries complain about the possible military use.

The show by Song with a 50.strong troupe of navy entertainers included magic tricks and many songs, and it took place in front of the People's Liberation Army's second ship. The photos show the extent of the infrastructure being built on Fiery Cross and large crowds of military personnel enjoying the show against a backdrop of the new facilities.
China turned the reef into an island throught a dredging operation and constructed buildings and an air strip.

NEW WORDS:
*reef
*backdrop
*strip
*dredging

PERSONAL COMMENT:
I find it a good idea and a boost for Song's career, but the topic with the artificial island.. I think too that it's relacionated with military use.

News item by the BBC

Syria conflict: 'Dozens killed' in Aleppo battle

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights informed rebels advanced into government-held western districts by detonating a tunnel bomb but were pushed back. The consequences had been the most intense battle(with gun battles, air strikes and arillery attacks) in Aleppo for more than a year and the death of dozens of people, killed in fierce clashed between rebel groups and government forces.

The Syirian military confirmed a 48hour ceasefire in the city. Another fighting in Aleppo in the past 2 weeks killed 300 people. The rebel groups fight under the name "Fatah Halab"

Activits reported government warplanes carried out more than 20 air strikes on rebel area after a freeze in fighting declared by the government.

After the US State Department announced an extension of the cessation of hostilities agreed with Russia, a US statement said: "Since this went into effect today in Damascus, we have seen an overall decrease in violence in these areas, even thought there have been reports of continued fighting in some locations." However, Al-Nusra(allied to a number of rebel groups) is exclused from this cessation. Syria's government and its ally Russia say al-Nusra positions there is being targeted, but the opposition and the US accuse them of indiscriminately attacking civilians and rebels.

Jan Egeland, an UN humanitarian adviser, complainer that the government was refusing to allow aid deliveries to thousands of people in besieged areas: "It's a disgrace to see that while the population of Aleppo is bleeding, their options to flee have never been more difficult than now".

"What is happening in Aleppo is a tragedy that requires a stronger reaction", said Frenc Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, asserting that the Syrian government bore full responsability for the mentioned bloodshed.

Russia confirmed it had withdrawn 30 aircraft from its airbase in Syria that were there six months after launching an air campaing to bolster president Bashar al-Assad.

NEW WORDS:
*clashed
*cessation of hostilities
*targeted

PERSONAL COMMENT:
Personally, I think that's very sad that Syria is still in a war. When will this finish? Everyone sees that it's useless and that it only produces pain on civils, like all wars in history. I hope it ends early, because there die more innocent people than these who are involucred.

News item from BBC

Migrant crisis: EU plans penalties for refusing asylum seekers

The European Commission proposed a change in EU asylum rules, such as sanctions of €250,000 per person to countries refusing to take their share of asylum seekers. This needs support from most member states as well as MEP's. However, EU officials hope that twinned with a deal Turkey(that reduced migrant numbers) the tensions over migrations can be reduced.

The basic Dublin regulation will require refugees to claim asylum in the member state where they arrive, what will stop "asylum shopping" where refugees make multiple asylum claims. An other change are the plans to help economically countries that receive much asylum claims.

UK and Ireland can opt out of asylum policies, and the British government has indicated that it won't take part. Denmark is also exempt.

Under this new proposal, if a country receives more than 150% os its annual "fair share" os asylum seekers, the relocation would activate according to a country's population and economy. Countries that don't accept the punishment would be fined, and the money will go to states such as Italy and Greece.

There're different opinions about this proposal:
-Poland: the foreign minister says it was "a serious proposal"
-Slovakia: the interior minister complained it as failed to respect reality.
-Hungary: they called it at "blackmail" and "unacceptable"
-The Czech Republic: that it was a unpleaseant suprise as it returned to a concept of mandatory quotas that had been rejected.

The 4 countries were outvoted when the plan was agreed:
Poland had agreed some 7,000 asylum seekers and the fine would be of €1.75bn
Hungary's government announced plans for a referendum on the plan.

Germany suspended the Dublin rule in August, then it said it would take in all Syrian refugees and promped an influx of 50,000 migrants into EU via Greece.

The Commission proposed that a European Union Agency for Asylum should oversee the countries, and that there will be stronger guarantees for children without parents seeking asylum as well a change in the way family members are viewed.

NEW WORDS:
-MEP's
-twinned
-blackmail

PERSONAL OPINION:
I find it a very fair plan, because refugees should need at first only asylum indifferently from where. So, I think The Commission will stop the refugees that are not thankful and ungrateful that will take advantages from European helps. However, this mustn't say that refugees are not welcome.

Item news from BBC

Batxillerat review: I just want to be done

Well, finally we're on March, our last(I hope!!!!!!) month in the highschool. My feelings are very confusing: on the one part, I will finish batxillerat, forget highschool, the many exams we have in all this weeks, forget all the subjects, teachers(you not Sònia!!haha), the mornings at 7:30 picking the bus and start a new life in the University with new classmates, new friends, new ambience, my own car, more liberty, etc. But I know I will miss all this, my current classmates and teachers, the mornings in the bus, Empuriabrava,...the fact of not being adult.

Being honest, I have many fears of what will happen since September. I think we're still not conscious that all the aspects of our life will change. This doesn't mean that it will be better, it also doesn't mean it will be worst. It simply mean that nothing will be the same., because we're on the point of our life that will decide how all will continue: up to this point we have made always what our parents and our teachers says to us, but now we must decide by ourselves how we will structure our life: if we go to University or not, what we will study, if we want to work now or not, where and when all this,... and very important, how we afront it. We must catch all the oportunities life give us and make the best of it.

I will enjoy this summer like I never enjoy it, because I will start a new life stage and I'm very proud of me to arrive at this point like this way: I will have my batxillerat degree(and it has been so difficult to me. Difficult but also nice, because I learned so much -not only academic stuff- and I had sooooo many good moments with my friends and classmates here..), I will have my driver's license, I will work,... One year ago, I was sure I wouldn't make all this so good(for me). But I have prove it to myself: when I will something, I can get it, throught easy or difficult ways, but I will arrive. So, I know this is probably one of the more important life moments. And I hope I can enjoy it completely with all the poeple around me.