Violence, sex and the fairy tale

Today (Thursday 12th December) Google have dedicated their doodle (search page animation) to the Grimm brothers, creators of Snow White and other fairy tales. Interestingly, the ABC newspaper have responded by revealing the true nature of these popular tales. It's worth reading as it's quite eye-opening!

The price of freedom

In class we saw a BBC news report about a family escaping Syria who had to decide between suffocating their baby to silence her, or risking the death and mutilation of 500 refugees.

This man and his family are not alone. Across the globe, hundreds, thousands, even hundreds of thousands of families struggle to continue with their daily routine.

Huxley was familiar with suffering on a global scale. He wrote Brave New World in the aftermath of the 1st World War and the Spanish flu. His novel looks for a 'solution' to this kind of suffering and to the pain of such difficult decisions: between a baby and a community of 500.

Huxley looked for security and safety in a common identity and, above all, stability. He wanted to reduce the pain of emotion by minimising friendships and making family unnecessary.

In class you appear to think this was wrong. You appear to prefer greater individuality and more opportunity, even if this means greater uncertainty.

But:

• What about the father who had to decide between his child and the rest of his family and friends? 
• Wouldn't he and the other hundreds of thousands who suffer war and repression prefer Brave New World to our own?

If you're a human, your time's up!

For me, the most interesting and worrying moment in the video we saw in class is when Kevin Warwick starts to explain his work. Kevin's goal is nothing less than to be the one who ushers in a new age of cyborg humans. He states:

"The future I see [as] very rosy if you are a cyborg, or if you are an artificial intelligence machine. If you are a human, well, your time's up."

If he's right, you might want to get on the winning side as soon as possible - why not apply to be his research assistant? You can find out more about him at www.kevinwarwick.com

What makes Kevin special is his degree of personal commitment. In 1998 he started experimenting with a transponder chip (inserted in his forearm) connected to his nervous system. This chip provided a link between his nervous system and other electronic devices.  It allowed him to operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers without lifting a finger. He was able to use his hand movements to operate a cyborg hand or (as if he were disabled) a motorised wheelchair.

Obviously this 'connectivity' is limited as it is only one-way. So can you guess what his stage two was? To study the transmission of signals between people. He upgraded his chip and then went ahead and implanted electrodes in his wife - so that they could 'communicate' electrical impulses to each other directly into each other's nervous system.

Kevin's next step? Obvious, logical and potentially frightening:  to progress to direct brain-to-brain transmission of thoughts and emotions.

What do you think? Is this research exciting? interesting? irrelevant? scary? worrying? necessary? dangerous? ethical?

Predicting the future

You've just watched two videos showing 'future' technology:

• Nextworld: Future Technology.

• Top 10 'new' technologies. 

And you have key vocabulary and grammar for describing trends and the future in your vocabulary pack [or here for download].

Your speaking task is to prepare a 1-2 min speech presenting your ideas (or discussing other people's ideas) about the future in one or more fields, such as:

• sport and leisure
• education
• politics and social policy
• health
• travel and transport
• family and friends

Don't forget, you can use this post to discuss the videos and your ideas, if you want! It'll all be evaluated!

Take a Photo? Save a Life?

At the moment the whole world of newspapers is in turmoil after the New York Post printed this front cover on Tuesday 4th December.

The photographer argues that he was using his flash to warn the driver. He argues that he could have done nothing to help the man. But many blame him. Still others blame the newspaper editors.

Would you have taken the photograph? Do you think the newspaper should have printed it?

The Guardian newspaper in the UK has run an article on the topic, in which other famous photographs are mentioned. One is that of a photographer who snapped a vulture apparently preying on a starving African child.

The Guardian suggests that the photographer ultimately commited suicide, unable to live with the guilt of taking the photograph rather than helping the boy. Interestingly, the real story behind the picture and the suicide is more complex - but no less tragic.

There are photographers who go out of their way to help the subject of their photographs. Nick Ut both photographed the young girl burned by napalm in Vietnam and helped her get medical treatment. (See the my model of the lyrics project in your creative writing pack for more details.)

Are photographers morally obliged to lay down their camera and help? Or should they simply 'do their job'?

Designer Babies

Purchase 5 vials and receive 1-year of 
FREE storage

With this slogan the California Cryobank, one of the leading fertility clinics in the US, presents some of their various ‘special offers’ to the public. The clinic, famous for its wide range of donor choices, has recently raised the argument about artificial insemination. While some might consider ‘custom-making’ your baby an aberration, others question whether liberty of will overcomes the naturally adverse attitude towards this practice.

“Donor 11885 is highly intelligent, creative, and self-expressive - the perfect mix for a successful future in film making”. Through descriptions like this the California Cryobank, a trendy fertilization clinic in the US claimed to be the “Nation's Leading Sperm Bank” by the CBS, parents are able to read about the donors and make their perfect choice. For the sake of simplicity, their webpage enables an intelligent filter to perform more precise searches using several screens about the donors, such as hair colour, level of studies or similarity to celebrities. To accompany their excellent and varied choice of donor vials, special offers are moreover presented: Premium ICI, Premium IUI or simply Web Full-Access to view the full donor profiles.

When I first visited the web page, an obvious display of their rich image to the public, I was taken aback: how can somebody have a child based on criteria such as ‘Hair Texture’ or ‘Religion’ of the donor? What would the parents answer if their kid asked about his or her birth? Absolutely cold, I thought.

Or at least at first glance.

From a rational point of view, artificial insemination is a risky choice. Being guaranteed the donor’s impeccable health state or even intelligence cannot be enough at times. Nonetheless, the decision of having a baby is, for many, too important to let it fade away. So, if a couple decides to have a child: why not be completely certain about their donor? Although it sounds heartless, it is categorically the most secure option to take, even for the baby itself. Artificial insemination is not a matter to be ashamed of, and it is reasonable that the parents’ choice is the one they consider more appropriate.

However, considering the fact that having a baby is an important decision and that every detail must be taken care of, I consider Cryobank’s aggressive advertising rather brusque and lacking tact. Filters such as “Celebrity Look-A-Like” are definitely intended to act as a light-hearted factor for the parents to base such an critical decision on. If a sperm bank wants to disclose certain information about their donors, I believe it should be consistent (real data, not mere opinions) and, above all, relevant. Information such as IQ, personal and family clinical history, physical condition and probably even level of studies would be on the other hand good factors for the parents to choose their ideal donor.

Are you in agreement with Cryobank’s essential goals?

What is your opinion about artificial insemination?

Would you prefer to rely on nature or to make an informed choice if you were in that situation?

Term 2 starts now!

Thanks for the huge number of posts in term one... pity that for many of you, they were all at the last minute!

Remember, as new posts are added, the old ones disappear. Sometimes an older post might be the most interesting one. So either look at the blog once a week or once a fortnight, or use the menu of posts on the right-hand side. Also, I warned you that I would not accept and mark all 5 posts made on the same day. So please don't do this.

This blog is a community of fact, thought and opinion. Use it properly and you'll gain a lot from it. Waste it and you are also wasting your time.

French protests against gay marriage bill

Sofia has cut and pasted this post to the blog from the BBC so that she can comment on it. The post itself will not count towards marks. It is better to summarise (in your own words) the main information in such articles and then include a link to them. This way posts are quicker to read and count towards marks. 

There were marches in Lyon (pictured), Toulouse and Marseilles, as well as Paris

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• French cabinet approves gay bill
• France to introduce gay adoption
• Spain activists fear conservative backlash

Tens of thousands of people have protested in France against plans to legalise same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt.

Police said at least 70,000 took to the streets in Paris; there were other demonstrations in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.

They included Catholic groups and other backers of traditional family rights.

President Francois Hollande has promised to change French law so that gay and lesbian couples can marry.

Despite opposition from more than 1,000 mayors and the Catholic Church, his socialist government approved a bill on the issue earlier this month which will be debated by parliament in January.

France already allows civil unions between same-sex couples, but extending their rights was a campaign pledge of Mr Hollande before he was elected in May.

Pink balloons

Protesters in Paris wore pink T-shirts and scarves and carried pink balloons emblazoned with images of a man and woman holding two children's hands.

Saturday also saw counter-rallies in support of same-sex marriage

"A child needs a father and a mother, he needs the paternal and the maternal side and with this bill that might not be possible any more," said one protestor, Marthe Vignault.

"That's the way it is and we can't go against nature."

Saturday also saw counter-rallies in support of same-sex marriage.

The issue is one of the most divisive Mr Hollande has faced, correspondents say. The head of the French Council of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, recently described gay marriage as "the ultimate deceit".

At present only married couples - not civil union partners - can adopt in France.

A number of European nations, including Sweden and the UK, already allow gay adoption.

A tsunami between society

Nobody thought that when in 2004 a tsunami destroyed the coasts of most countries bordering the Indian ocean, including parts of Indonesia,Malaysia,Sri Lanka, India anda Thailand, someone dared to bring this tragedy up to the cinema world, the responsible of this is called J.A.Bayona, who in 2007 he discovered the real story of the Alvarez-Belon family, this story affects him so much that he decided to represent this story on a film.

The plot of "The impossible" is the true story of a family who spends Christmas in Thailand but this holiday will be ruines by the tsunami.The story explains how do they survived to this tragedy and the suffering that the family passes through.

The film was launched in Spain on Thursday,October 11,2012 in 384 cinemas,the first three days of screening they collected 1,2€ million, becoming the highest grossing Spanish film during its first weekend with 7,3€ million, with one million viewers. In its second weekend,the total of money raised to 19,804,715€. Seven days later they achieved a total revenue of 27.456€ million and 3,8 million viewers. This film has the record of the highest collection of money in Spain in all history, beating "other" from Alejandro Amenabar with 27,254,163€.

This succes has been due to the way in which the film is cast, being based on a true story makes the movie much more believable and causes real feelings between the viewers when you see the film because you see what the family went through for surviving. Besides this, the film combines all posible elements as love,friendship,thriller and at the last of the film joy. This cocktail of elements is one of the keys of success.

In my opinion this film is one of the best i've seen during this year, during the movie there was a moment that i really suffered, I felt sorry for them and for all the victima but eventually I left the cinema "happy" for the family because they lastly were all together.

What's your opinion of this film?
Do you think it's morally ethical to make money from a tragedy?

What will happen the 21/12/12?

There are a lot of theories about what will happen. Here are the most popular ones:

1. Outer space
2. Human causes
3. Natural disaster

1. -The popular theory about an asteroid crashing into the earth. Is not the first time and it caused the extinction of dinosaurs.
   -Inversion of the magnetic poles of the earth. It has happened around 20 times. There's evidence that says is happening nowadays.
   -Solar storm. It occurred in1859 and this would affect the technology and in consequence, humans would 'fight' for the things left.
   - Nibiru planet. The extremely elliptical orbit could make it collide with the earth.
2. -Telomeres. In the tip of the chromosomes there are protective caps called Telomeres. When you become older they become shorter and they produce the appearance of: cancer, Alzheimer, heart attacks... The theory says that each generation they become shorter.
   -Nuclear accident
   -Nuclear war
   -Pandemic
3. - Volcanic Eruptions
   - Earthquakes
   - Hurricane
   - Tornadoes
   - Tsunamis.
   
   

More info here: http://www.eselfindelmundo.com

After reading this...

Do you think something will happen on the 21^st of december ? What?

If not, how do you think will end the world? When? 

Is Eminem the best rapper of all history?

Marshall Bruce Mathers,known as Eminem became popular whith his debut album which was released on 1999,along with his second,"The Marshall Mathers LP",and third,"The Eminem show", all of them won Grammy awards,making Eminem the first artist to win the Best Rap Album for three consecutive times."The Marshall Manners LP" is considered one of Eminem's best and most succesful albums. He released his fifth album titles "Encore",few years later he released his sixth album titled "Relapse".In 2010 he released his seventh album "Recovery". Recovery was an international succes and was named the best selling album of 2010 worldwide.

His songs aren't the typical commercial songs were lyrics doesn't mind at all,in my opinion the key of his success its the lyrics of his songs,every verse of his sings has sense and in each of his songs he tries to explain us something important. Some of his songs deal with the society,he expresses his opinion about the society without any worries,this makes the listener to rhink about the society.
Eminem had a very dificult childhood,his mum was a junkie and they didn't have any money so they lived in a mobile home,they lived in lots of cities.Also during his adolescence Eminem suffered attacks from a bully,one of them left Eminem in coma for 5 days. The reason why he never mentions his dad on his songs is because he abandoned him when he was young so for Eminem he doesn't have dad.One common theme on his songs is his daughters, the song "When i'm gone" it's dedicated to one of his daughters,he express the importance of his daughter for him and the desire of spending more time with her, the chorus of this song says that when he goes, they have to carry on and to don't feel the pain only smile.The other songs talk about rappers that were very importantfor him, as in the song "I need a doctor" talks about Dr.dre, Dr.dre was the only that bet for him when he started,tha fact that Eminem is white made that nobody trus on him, in a certain way without Dr.dre, Eminem wouldn't arrive so far, he was who teach him everything about rap, Obviously all this songs wouldn't be so popular without a good rhythm.

In his entire career Eminem has achieved ten number-one albums on the billboard 200. He had sold more than 42 millions tracks and 49,1 million albums in The United States, and 100 million albums worldwide. Apart from winning 13 Grammys he also won an Oscar for the best original song "Lose Yourself" on his own film "8 mile".

In my opinion Eminem it's the best rapper in history,because as I said his life has been always very difficult and nobody thought that he was going to be someone because he was white.He had to make a double effort and to overlap all the critca when he start with the music. I usually listen his songs and i love them,my favourite is "When I'm gone", and i think that someone who doesn't normally listen to rap, they would like Eminem songs.

What do you think about Eminem?
Is he the best of all history?

Is Tupac Shakur alive?

Tupac Shakur supposedly died in September 1996 as a victim of a drive-by shooting.

But in the years followed , fans and friends of the rapper have kept rumors alive that the star might not have died at the hands of an anonymous gunman that warm September night. It's here, at the supposed end of Shakur's life, where our journey begins.

There are nowadays a lot of people talking about Tupac’s death, and you do not know who you can really trust. I have been doing a research about the death of Tupac Shakur and there is too many informationand  so I selected some of it and made a  “Top five proofs”:

1. When 2pac got shot, some journalists said he went to the hospital with a helicopter, some others said he went in an ambulance, and finally, Suge Knight, old friend of 2pac that was actually in the car when 2pac died, said he drove him all the way to hospital so, how did Tupac go to the hospital? who is not saying all the truth? what are they trying to hide?
2. Tupac used to call himself Makaveli,(Machiavelli) who was an Italian war strategist who advocated faking one's death to fool their enemies. Tupac wanted the same. Is it coincidence that he named himself the same as a man who faked his death?
3. Another proof could be that 2pac got cremated the day after his death, since when does someone get cremated just the day after a murder? 
4. There is a photo of an autopsy of Tupac where you can see his body dead, but in the photo, there is a missing tattoo that 2pac had in his neck, I do not know if it could be because of a problem with the camera photo, but, if it is true, this might be a pretty clear proof of him being alive.
5. Last but not least, there is a song (This life I lead), if you reverse what Tupac is saying in one verse, it says " Yes Im alive and me missing you", this one might be the most clear one. I have posted a video that explains it.

All of this could just be a paranoia made by people that loves 2pac’s music, and they do not want to accept his death. Or it could be that he is actually alive. What do you think?

It is on you to believe whether his alive or not but the only thing known for sure  is that Tupac Shakur was a great rapper and that he’s music will last forever even if his dead or alive. 

Does the way you dress reflect your character?

Bikers, skaters, rappers, punks, mods, rastafaris, goths, skins, latin kings, posh people...The fisrt impression is that they are all very different, but is that true? Just because they dress differently doesn’t mean the individual has to be a better or worse person, or does it? Just because a person decides to wear expensive clothes means he is an arrogant, overbearing and insincere person? Or are skaters rebels and violent in nature just because they practice the sport they love? I do believe that because we are free to choose the way we want to dress, clothes do reflect part of our character, because it’s our decision to dress as we want to. However, this does not mean that a skin can’t be nice to you if you have the chance of meeting him (obviously not at 1am in a dark alley) So maybe we are missing out many opportunities of meeting nice, interesting people by judging them for their appearance, and not the real person they are. Do you think we miss-judge people because of their appearance? Can a posh guy be friend with a rastafari?

Albert Mateo

Does being happy have anything to do with having money?

I’ve just seen a great documentary called Marley which tells the story of Robert Nesta Marley Booker (Bob Marley) and there’s this phrase that he says which I can’t stop thinking about. It is the answer he gives to a journalist who asks him if he’s rich, reffering to money, which is, “Possesions make you rich? I don’t have that type of richness. My richness is life”. After thinking about this words, I’ve ended asking me one question. Does being happy have anything to do with having money? Although happiness is very relative, because it depends in everyone’s personal values, the majority of the people value more friends, family and relationships than money. There’s also this example that I looked up which demonstrates that money is not needed for happiness. Children laugh 4 times as much per day as adults do, and as far as I’m concerned, most children have a rudimentary concept of money at best. It is then when we grow up that some people give too much importance to money, to the point where the need to acquire and to obtain luxuries fullfills their happiness. But again, money can’t buy love or real friendships. On the other hand it is true that a person that struggles through life, because he has no money, will have more worries because he won’t be able to feed his family, pay the rent, or give a good education to his sons. What do you think? Can a poor person from the poorest countries, where poeple have only each other, be more happy than a millionaire in the U.S?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWvnzduzBs

Albert Mateo Pino

THE SECRET OF THE NAKED MOLE RATS

Could this creature blind, toothy, hairless and about the size of a finger keep the secret of survival after a heart attack or a stroke? It's called naked mole rat, and despite of having a repulsive aspect, scientists believe they can give us important clues on how to keep the brain alive when oxygen is deficient. The key may be in how brain cells regulate their intake of calcium. The African hairless mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is famous for survival in extreme conditions in underground colonies where there isn’t enough oxygen and the percentage of carbon dioxide is very high. They are able to withstand extreme hypoxia half hour without damaging their brain cells. They have the ‘’hold breath’’ record. Interested in their incredible abilities, researchers from the universities of Illinois, have studied the underground lifestyle of these rodents, according to their findings, the rat can survive thanks to how the brain cells can regulate their calcium intake. Could this be an important scientist avance? What is your point of view on animal testing?

Augusta Thoenig

Life after death - the real (sad) story

Imagine. One day you are a university professor. 12 days later you are running for your life. Why? Because some journalists took your photo from Facebook for a story. Only, they messed up.

Someone with the same first name had been shot protesting against the government. They became a martyr. Their face was used on posters all around the world. Only now it was your face. Now you were the martyr. 

Within days you are visited by the secret security forces. 'Help us!' they demand. You refuse. They threaten. You run.

You survive, but in a refugee camp:

"To live the life of a refugee is to be a leaf in the air. You just hang in the air with no sense of belonging." 

As one journalist explains, "today we consume, and demand, stories and photographs faster than ever before" and this means that corners are cut. Not all information is checked. 

Our university professor blames the Western media for ruining her life and that of her family. Are the media to blame? Or are we? Or is Facebook?

The full story is here.

'TAMUDAZO'

Raul Tamudo, has always been an enormous player. All Spain knows who is, and he has played in several teams. Firstly, he played in Español, lots of years of his career, he played in Español. Then, when he was older enough, he went to the Real Sociedad. He wasn't so good. Everyone though he was too old to play football. Just at the end of the year, he went to Rayo Vallecano to play his last year of football player.

It was the last match of the league. Lots of teams could go to second division, and Rayo was one of them. The minutes were going through and sudddenly Zaragoza scored a goal. That made Rayo Vallecano have fewer opportunities to survive in first division. The minutes were going through and the result was still 0-0. Suddenly in the minute 87, on the other match, At.Madrid scored a goal to Villareal, that made, that if Rayo scored a goal, he will survive in first division. But they didn't have lot of time.

It was nearly the end of the match, the final whistle was going to be heard, but suddenly, when the time was over, TAMUDO appeared. Minute +90, corner. The goalkeeper goes to top the ball in the corner. The ball goes out everyone goes to their real position. Everyone, unless Tamudo. They have again the ball, they try to make a goal, and the ball touches the wood. The ball arrives to Tamudo and with the head...... GOAAAAAL!!!! The gal was valid, but sincerely it was outside. Rayo Vallecano stayed in first division, and Villareal went out.

What do you think aout Rayo Vallecano?

What do you think about Villareal?

Do you think it's unfair?

Is There Someone Next Door?

I’m not talking about the building 20m from here, but our nearest planet 56'000,000km from here: Mars. For many years, planet Mars has been one of mysteries in space, however, this is the nearest one. Jim Adams, sub director of NASA’s Technology bets there is life on Mars.

Adams says: “We now have six people living on earth, in the space station. Our next step is sending those six people to Mars throughout 25 space missions. However, his main objective isn’t discovering life out of earth, but answering a few questions about the Earth’s formation, Mars and of course, knowing if it contains life.

NASA has sent a satellite called Curiosity to Mars; however, its results have been negative. Why not carrying that satellite with people so that there are much more reliable answers? Jim is keen on the idea that the methane they found in the red planet is the principal evidence that we’re not alone.

After seeing this video and reading what Jim Adam says, do you really think there is life on Mars? What’s more, do you think they are like us?

This video really convinced me about the high probability of the fact that there is life. That is supported by the high tech machines that have been sent there, mentioned in the video, which are now giving us very interesting information.

Spain: Deficient in Education

There are many young people who, in the past years, have placed Spain in the top of sporting success. However, unfortunately we can’t say the same when talking about compulsory education. Also in this, Spain leads the European ranking: champion in school failure. According to data gathered by UNESCO, one out of every four Spanish young people aged between 15 and 24 left school before completing their basic education. This fact is utterly jaw-dropping. Moreover, the Spanish average of school failure is higher than in Europe, where there is a much lower school drop-out rate: 1 out of 5. If sporting success causes so much social pride, these dismal facts should certainly disturb all of society.

There are no ifs and buts, this is extremely serious! In a country so affected by the economic crisis, where unemployment exceeds 25%, is such a big bag of people with a minimum formation sustainable? What image do we give to the rest of the world with such a high rate of the so called “nini”?

Furthermore, I invite you, as students, to express what do you think is the cause of this issue? Do you believe that the Spanish system has flaws or, on the contrary, is an efficient system?

P.S: Judging on what you’ve read I personally think that advocating the last option does not make much sense… 

Remedios Cervantes, what a mistake!!!

Sometimes, it's better stay still and look as an idiot, that move and prove it...

Remedios Cervantes, a famous woman, went to 'Atrapa un millón' to participate. She only was helping; she was invited to help, not to do anything else. But she went mad, and in the last second of the last minute, she changes de final answer. That made the real participant loose 5000€.

She didn't have the necessity of doing it, because she wasn't wining anything, but she did it. The other participant went blank when he saw his 5000€ go down. He didn't know what to do.
Finally, the program decided to give another opportunity to the boy, but this time with Remedios Cervantes. The boy then won 10.000€, two times his initial price.
¿Do you think that is fair?
¿Had he had to go with nothing because those are the rules of the program?

Marc Castellà