YOUNG PEOPLE'S TASTES

By Nicolás Ordax

We all know that everyone has different tastes but young people normally have similar ones.

-Fast food: As I have observed above, this is not the healthiest way to eat, but if you eat it only occasionally, there is no problem. It is a very popular way of eating, as it is quick and cheap. People all over the world, but most especially in the USA, eat in fast-food restaurants.

-Chewing gum: this can be a very disgusting habit, especially when people spit in out on the floor. Young people chew gum a great deal, and this always causes problems in class.

-Vegetables: Young people do not eat vegetables – that is a golden rule. I personally think that it is because here in Spain most of the vegetables are not prepared well, they usually are just boiled and lose all their taste.

DIET

By Nicolás Ordax

Nowadays, people are little concerned about following a healthy diet. Many people often eat in fast-food restaurants and only a few take exercise. This is a big problem because all the calories they eat accumulate and this can endanger their health. It is therefore advisable to follow a natural and balanced diet that includes meat, vegetables, dairy products, bread, rice, pasta, fish, eggs... all in the right quantities.

These quantities, and the diet in general, also depend on the age of the person. A six-year-old, for example, will not eat the same than a fifteen-year-old. It is also important to eat a little bit of everything, in order to to consume a wide range of nutrients.

-Pasta provides inmediate energy.

-Milk, cheese and yoghurt provide calcium, which is important for the growth of bones.

-Vegetables provide vitamins, which are important for some body functions.

-Meat, eggs and fish provide proteins, which have structural functions.

The meals in fast-food restaurants are very rich in fat, and their customers do not usually take any exercise, so they become obese. This is a very common condition these days – so, next time, think it over carefully before going into a fast-food restaurant!

The Internet

By Nina Vanishvili

We live in a technological world. Everything around us is managed by technology. The dependence on the new technologies is stronger in teenagers and young people than in older people. If we speak of new technology, in most cases we mean computers. Dependence on computers is greater and greater every day, and this is made possible by the Internet. This little word moves around the world all the time. The use of the Internet is unparalleled, with millions and millions of people working with it all the time, and millions more playing, using and enjoying it. Play stations and other similar types of games are also highly dependent on technology. Old people use technology as well, but they use it for personal reasons, because they need to, but they only depend on it in a few cases. Young people, and particularly teenagers, however, depend on technology because they are accustomed to using it. Moreover, some teenagers are addicted to technological games, computers (the Internet), etc. Technology is one of the most important elements in today’s world but, in my opinion, it is not essential. We lived for thousands of years without technology and I think that we can still live without it now.

The Cau

By Èlia Ramoneda and Guzel Nasibullina

The Cau is an association of boys and girls aged from 5 to 19, guided by caps (similar to supervisors but better, because they are closer to the children and teenagers).

The main function of the Cau is to educate children and teenagers outdoors and give them a good time without the supervision of their parents.
The Cau is divided into 5 units: "Castors i Llúdrigues" (beavers and otters), ages 6 to 8; Llops i Daines (wolves and deers), 8 to 11; "Ràngers i Noies guies" (Rangers and girl guides), 11 to 14; "Pioners i Caravel·les" (pioneers and caravels), 14 to 17, and, finally, the "Trucs" (Tricks), 17 to 19.

Every Saturday children go to the Cau. It is a place that allows them to be free. Sometimes they go for a few hours in the morning but normally they go from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Once a month they go on an excursion outside their city.

In the Cau they learn to be more responsible, share things, talk about their problems, respect nature and make things for themselves.

Buthan

By Èlia Ramoneda and Guzel Nasibullina

Buthan is a country where the wealth is measured bu the happyness of its inhabitants.

Buthan is in the South of China and in the West of Nepal. It is a very peaceful country. For example, Buthan was the first country in the world to ban the tobacco and it's a very happy country because everyone accepts each other and helps each other when someone needs help. It's a very united country. Everyone accepts the other religions but the predominant is the budism. In 2007 they started to have politic elections. In Buthan they didn't have telephone and coins until 1960. And Internet and TV arrived in 1999. Buthan has a little more than 700.000 inhabitants and most of them are 61 years old. Buthan is the place that we have always dreamt.

The new generation of school books

By Xènia Nogué

The new computers for the students of 1st and 2nd E.S.O. is a real polemic. Somebody says that it's good for them because they can learn to use a computer and they don't have to carry with books every day and everywhere.

However, I think that it is stupid because the most of the students on this age know how to use a computer and they have to carry with the portable computer and, furthermore, with some books. On top of that they can buy the books for the computer for only 30€ but I think that for this cost the quality will probably be low.

In general I think that these computers are bad for the student's health because they are all day sitting on a chair in front of the computer, thing that I think is bad for their eyes and backs.

Maybe there is something good on this but I can't find it. Maybe it's true that the students don't have to carry so much as before, but between books and computers they carry so much.

I think that to work with computers is a good thing but there is something that is tought bad. If the students can go on Internet always they want they aren't studying. They are playing games online all the day and it isn't good for their learning process.

For me, it doesn't matter if they want to play instead of study. But then, all the politicians say that learning process in Spain is very bad and they try to fix it now but not for the best way, in my opinion. They can put computers for all the students but blok the internet or simply only Facebook and the games online.

Reality shows

By Laia Esquerrà

Are other people’s lives so interesting that TV programmes should be made about them? The answer is obviously yes. We all have this curiosity in us – some more and some less but we all do – and, as almost always, on TV the most eccentric person wins. These programmes are not actually very interesting but they capture our attention. We can sit there watching absolutely nothing and still not change the channel. We can get sick about it but somehow there's nothing better on. So, the question would be: WHY? Why are other people’s lives more interesting than ours? What do they have that we don't?

My answer: NOTHING. Reality shows are just a distraction. Most people do not want to accept their mistakes and their bad luck so other people’s miseries are the best remedy. First, people watch them on TV but after that they want to be there and shout at them, too. That's very shameful and immoral.

Reality shows seem to constitute a very wide-ranging TV genre because they are divided into many different subgenres: survival shows, arts shows, celebrities, modelling, sports, job search, self-improvement/renovation, hidden cameras, competition... but they are all the same.

Reality shows are about fighting with other people, the reason does not matter. Everyone who gets on them does it to become famous. Everyone wants to be a celebrity. What does that show about the society we live in? All the moral values and rights our relatives fought for now seem to be of no value to us – we are throwing them all away. We are a heavily controlled society that craves for money and exhibitionism.

I think we're losing our values and the taste for good programmes and films, and that is a shame.

A day without internet

By Xènia Nogué

What would happen if one day there was no Internet? In the 1st and 2nd ESO classrooms there are computers that students use to work on all their subjects. What is more, they need the Internet to read their virtual books.

So if one day the Internet does not work, these students cannot do anything. And they do not have books with which to do something different, so they do not study.

I think that this is the problem: they cannot do their class if there is no Internet. So, the question is: what do they do when they haven't got Internet? They talk, or play various games. I think this is not good for them. It is true that teachers must have another plan for these situations but it almost never works.

Ultimately, I think that it is another problem derived from working with computers and the Internet.

Foreign languages: important or a waste of time?

By Victoria Englert and Laia Esquerrà

Many people think that learning a language isn’t worth the time spent but it all depends on the country you come from. In Spain people are not interested in learning many languages; they do fine just speaking Spanish. English people think the same way, as do Italians. In central Europe children start studying foreign languages at a very young age and thus acquire the habit of learning languages and taking them into account. They are also known for taking part in exchanges and showing interest in other cultures.

Languages help one to develop as a person. A knowledge and consideration of different cultures helps one to be open-minded when it comes to thinking and taking decisions. One has not one, but various traditions to draw on, while one can communicate better with other people and make friends from many different countries.

People who deny themselves the luxury of learning all these things are usually people who speak a major language, for example: Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, English, Portuguese...

We think languages are important and not a waste of time. It is true that people who have not been interested in languages for many generations now have greater problems because they are not used to them, but they are a great investement.

How important is technology for us today ?

By Leon Buengel

Ipod, mobile phones, Playstation 3, television, Mac Book. These are things that are commonplace in our society. We don't go out without our music. We call our friends to meet up with them. But what would happen if there were no electronic gadgets?

The whole world would be dark, because even our light is electronic. The world of finances would be smashed in less than half a day because it would be impossible to know the sate of stocks and the like in other countries. Traffic lights would not work and there would be many accidents. We would not be able to call a friend to meet up. In our world we NEED electricity – it is necessary for our everyday life – but the idea that people need electronics deserves consideration. How did it come about that life has become impossible without an iPod or mobile phones?

I think the problem is that all this kind of stuff is a luxury. Everyone wants to be different, everyone wants to be connected to the world - so we need the Internet and computers.

We, as the new generation, have another problem. Our problem is that we have to be cool. For example, it is cool to have the new BlackBerry Bold or the new iPod Touch or the new Mac Book Light. These things are not necessary, but we use them to be cool, to be included in a group of people. This is the reason why we cannot live in a world without electronics. We want to form part of a group.

The problem with these devices is that they all have a price. And this is the first problem – people with little money cannot spend it on new iPods or BlackBerrys. Some kids have to live without them, but then they go to school and find that everyone has these things except them. Then they are bullied because they aren't cool.

All in all, I would say that it is good that we have mobile phones and the like – they cannot be bad in themselves. I, for example, use my computer to do homework and research. With my phone I am always connected to the world, and if there is an emergency I can be called. People just have to know that there are risks involved in the use of iPods and phones.

The problems after the school.

By Xènia Nogué

There is a lot of people that when they finish school, they want to live in a flat, maybe with their friends, maybe by themselves. But they can't. Flats in the city are very expensive, and it's very difficult to find a good job and that you like it.

Sometimes you have studied for something and later on you have to work in something different because you need the money to live. When you are young, you think that everything is perfect when you finish to study. But then you discover that it's more difficult to find a job and a place to live on, than study and live with your parents.

Another problem we can add is the flat's cost. They are very expensive for students or for people starting to work. Only rich people can buy a flat for themselves. Most people need help from someone, sometimes their parents, sometimes their grandparents...

That is my opinion but I think it's reality too. So I can only say that you can study for something that you like but at the end you have to work on another thing because it's very difficult to find a job and live of it.

Social network – Connecting People

By Leon Buengel

Facebook, Twitter, Bing. These are some of the names of the many social networks existing in the world. To be connected to the 'world' you have to be connected to a network. Meetings are arranged on the networks and personal problems are discussed on the Internet. Many people live their lives on networks such as these. Facebook becomes their real life while 'real' life is just not real any more. On social networks you can connect with your friends, or find other ones, you can search for guys/ girls, and you can see who the friends of your friends are and add them to your own list of friends. You can join a group on the basis of a shared interest or you just can 'like' various websites. Or you just can post something on other people’s walls and hope that you will receive many ‘likes’ and comments. Or you can do as some people do and post everything that you do under your status - and I really mean everything.

Sure, having a social network is fun and interesting and can help you find friends, but people have to know the problems that exist in relation to the use of a social network. Not only teenagers use Facebook – adults are connected to this 'virtual' world as well.

The following table shows the advantages and disadvantages:

ADVANTAGES:

You are in touch with your friends.

Even if you are away you know what is happening in your city.

You can stay in contact with friends who have moved home.

Old friends can be found and friendships can be rekindled.

You can get in touch with people who have the same interests as you.

You can search for and find friends you just met.

DISADVANTAGES:

People spend too long in front of the computer.

Communication takes place only on the Internet, not in real life.

Personal details such as e-mail addresses are not safe on networks.

You cannot be sure you are chatting with a real person.

There is no privacy, because there are posts about you.

Internet bullying.

Everyone knows what you do, because people post everything that they do.

Racist groups can be formed.

People know where you are.

All in all, I would say that social networks are dangerous, but they are helpful, too. I can say this because I apply many of the advantages to my own situation. I am an exchange student from Germany and I have lived here for half a year. Facebook helps me stay in contact with my friends in Germany and with my parents, and it helps me find friends in Spain too. People help me with homework and I learn things about different people. We talk about when we want to meet and things like that. The disadvantages do not apply to me because I am only on the Internet on my phone, so I do not use my computer very often for anything other than homework.

However, even though Facebook helps many people, there are some people who live their lives on Facebook, and they should be aware of the kind of problems associated with using Facebook.

The manipulation of the information

The manipulation of the information

By Laia Esquerrà

We all know that the information we get through the media has been manipulated, but to what lengths are people willing to go to sell something?

The house on the left is the same as the one on the right but they do not look alike. The real house (on the right) is falling to pieces, has green netting and is full of graffiti. In the magazine, the house is plain white, has some amazing wooden doors (one of which does not actually exist) and looks like a restored country house. No one would recognize them.

After seeing this example how can we believe what we see in magazines? Every single picture is manipulated. We don't get any real information through the press and even less through commercial magazines. Fashion magazines are also great manipulators. All the models get longer legs, have their skin colour and shadows modified and their clothing gets retouched.

The only type of magazine we could believe could be the celebrity magazines, which are meant to reveal their secrets, but none can prove what they print and celebrities often get annoyed because the information published is not true, so who should we believe? I think we shall never know where the limits are.

Barcelona, the third happiest city in the world

Barcelona, the third happiest city in the world

By Pol Berbel Arqués

Forbes and the market research company GfK Roper City Brands published a list of the 10 happiest cities in the world. Barcelona is in the third position, after Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. Barcelona is in the 15th position in a survey made by the ONU in 2009 for its standard of living.

This list is the result of a study based on the opinion of 10,000 people who probably have never visited these cities. A worker of Oh-Barcelona asked about it to his teamwork in order to find out what Barcelona citizens really think.

People who were born in Barcelona say that this position of the city is justified because of its mild climate, its geographical location and its cultural and night life. The opinion of foreigners who live here is the same, but they add that catalans are quite reserved.

Is Barcelona a good or bad place to live in?
By Denice Arandia

Barcelona is a city situated in the north-est of Spain.
Last year, Barcelona had 4.992.193 inhabitants.
Most of the people are from different races because a lot of immigrants and foreigners live here.
I don't know if that is good or bad, but it contributes to develop the city and to share cultures of different contries.

Barcelona is a little bit expensive, although it doesn't bother us, because we have a lot of advantages and a good standard of life.

It's a beautiful city to walk in and to see, especially the arquitecture and the art.
Moreover, its good weather and its beaches make it lovely and attractive for the tourists.
Barcelona is situated near the sea, and when summer arrives there are a lot of parties near these places.

Above all, we have to think that it's a town that can show good and bad things, but it's a nice place to live.

The friendship
By Anastasia Macovei

One of the most important things in this world is friendship. A friend is like a brother or a sister. The word ''friendship'' comes from the latin and it means: amicus = amore. You have friendship in every stage of your life. There are friendships which are born in just minutes, and others that become a real friendship over years, they take a lot of time. A real friendship never finishes, it is for ever. We are friends, not only humans, but animals have friends too.

The principal part of friendship is confidence and fidelity, because if you aren’t faithful to your friend you are not his friend. A friend, when you need help, always helps you, you can always tell him your secrets, you are really friends, and he gives you advice, and all that you need. In life friendship is very important, and you can have a lot of friends, but in the moment when you need help you see who your friends really are. A friend is always with you, in the bad moments and in the happy moments, he always is going to be with you.

There are not only friendship with girls, girls and boys are friends too, but there are people who think that there can't be friendship between a girl and a boy, because in the end the boy or the girl falls in love with the other person, and then nothing is the same. When you have a boyfriend, and you split up with him, very few people save the friendship that they had before they fell in love.

You will never forgot the best moments of a friendship, a friend always can get a smile on your face, he always makes you laugh, and when you are sad, he is sad too, because he feels that you are sad, and for that reason he is sad too, but he tries to put a smile on your face.A boyfriend or a girlfriend is also like a good friend, because they love you a lot, and when you need something, they help you, they make you feel very special, but remember that it will never be forever.

Interview to a German classmate
By Berta Fontboté

Our English teacher told us there is a German student in 1st year of BTX at our school. His name is Zeno and he is sixteen years old. He is staying in Barcelona for a year. Let's get to know about him and his country:
-Why are you studying at this school?
I'm here to improve my Spanish.-Why did you choose Spanish?
Because I like how it sounds. In Germany Spanish has become important and the number of Spanish students has increased in the last few years. In my school there are three classes in each level and two of these three study Spanish.
-Really? And how long have you studied Spanish?
I've studied Spanish for two years.-How long are you going to stay in Barcelona?
I'm going to stay in Barcelona for a year.
-Who are you staying with?
I'm staying with a host family.
-And, where does your real family live?
They are in Berlin, my native city.
-Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Yes, I’ve got a little sister who is fourteen years old. But now, I have two new Spanish brothers and I teach them German.
-Perhaps you miss Germany, don’t you?
Of course, I miss my family and my friends. But in reality I don’t have much time to think about Germany.
-Do you like Barcelona?
Yes, I do.
-Have you visited Gaudi’s architecture?
Yes, I have, and I like it very much!
-And have you visited our country before?
Yes, this is the second time that I've come here. The first time I visited Vic and Girona. -Do you prefer Spanish weather or German weather?
Definitely I prefer Spanish weather! In Germany it’s always cloudy, and it rains a lot...
-And, what about food? Do you prefer Spanish food or German food?
I would choose German food. Here, in Spain, the food has always oil, and I don’t like too much oil.
-... Because in Germany you cook with butter, don’t you?
Yes, we do. That’s why I’m not used to oil.
-Is the education system very different in Germany?
Yes it is. Here, the classes are like... :the teacher writes everything on the blackboard and the students copy it. In Germany the classes are much more interactive.
-What’s your favourite subject?
In Germany it was Physics, but here I don’t know... It’s for the language, you know?
Yes..., here it’s all different...
-Are you planning to go to University? What degree are you going to study?
Yes, I want to study Physics.
-What do you do in your free time?
I play Handball and I play the drums too.
-Really? So, Do you have a band?
Yes! In Germany I've got a band.
-What sort of films do you like?
I like thrillers. My favourite film is "Public Enemy".
-And who is your favourite actor?
I like Will Smith (very much) a lot.-Have you watched any Spanish films?
(Maybe) I haven't watched a lot of Spanish films. But I watch films in Spanish. Oh, and (last day) yesterday I watched "Rec".
-What type of music do you listen to?
I like indie-rock. I listen to The Kooks.
-This question must be asked... Do you like BFC?
Hahaha, m... yes! But in reality I don't like football very much. In Germany I don't support any team.
-Tell us a typical meal from your country?
Hm... I don't know. The Patata con Pau is a typical German food.
-And are the Frankfurts as good as it is said?
Maybe.... but I’m vegeterian... -Oops!

Let’s make a work of art!
By Aitana Ferrándiz & Berta Fontboté

This experience is about how a group of people interpret an object previously chosen. In this case, the object chosen is a broken umbrella. The objective of this study is to know the different ways people can see the same object.

In the explanation of what the person sees, maybe, you'll see some of their hidden problems.
What we've done:
First of all we showed the umbrella to some students. Then we asked what they think the broken umbrella means and these are the results we obtained:
''In my opinion this doesn't mean anything.''
''You've lost your hope.''
''Unuseless, without solution.''
''There's a problem in society.''
''Incomplete.''''You feel saved, but are you really saved?
''Powerlessness, it gets out of hand, because it's a thing that you can't control.''
''It's a disease!''
''An empty space in my life.''
''Fragile, disadvantaged with the others.''

Pollock used not to name his paintings, but his friends did it.
When the artist creates work of art, does he always have the intention or the knowledge of what he wants to express?

Plastic surgery
By Laia Esquerrà

Plastic surgery is, like everything, good and bad. It solves a lot of problems but now it’s used a lot in some countries and sometimes people even abuse it.

For adults I think it’s OK. From my point of view they can do whatever they want with their bodies but they should think about it beforehand.

On one hand there are the good things, like that it helps people with some diseases or health problems and after accidents.

On the other hand there are the people who do it to feel better, to have a perfect body, but do they really think that plastic surgery is going to solve their psychological problems? Are people going to like you more after the operation?

In my opinion, they should think about it beforehand. Everybody is as he’s born and has their own beauty.

I think that parents who permit their kids to have plastic surgery are very irresponsible. Children and teenagers bodies aren’t grown, they are still changing and it is dangerous to change a body, which is changing on its own. Furthermore, it would be unsure how it would end. I think the law shouldn’t permit it.To sum up, I think that people should think about what they do with their bodies before they have plastic surgery. From my point of view, they also should care about their friends or relatives who are going to be operated on.