A Biography by Núria Sans

                                                        A Biography: Rigoberta Menchú

Rigoberta Menchú, one of the most influential women in South America, was born on January 9, 1959 in a poor indegenous family of the K'iche'ethnic group in Laj Chimel, Guatemala. Menchú worked as a child in the field like her parents and received a primary-school education in several Catholic boarding. Since childhood she knew injustice, discrimination and exploitation at which Indians of Guatemala, who lived in extreme poverty, were subjected.

Her adolescence was marked by the death of her brother, her father and her mother by the army of the country. After that,she worked as an activist campaigning against human right violations committed by the Guatemalan armed forces during the country's civil war, which lasted from 1960 to 1996. She is algo know for her struggle for the situation od indiginuos women in Latin America. She was exiled in Mexico to escape from repression. Soon afterwards she wrote her first book about her biography, called " Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia" ( My name is Rigoberta Menchú and this is how my conscience was born)

Actually, she is 56 years old and she lives in Guatemala again. The latest biographical data I want to mention is that she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for being the voice of indiegenous people. What I admire most about her is her willpower, her courage and her ability to overcome, and that has even more valuable in a place where the woman is undervalued.

                                                                                                                               Núria Sans Hermoso

A for and against essay by Núria Sans Hermoso

Girls and boys should be taught separately

It seems that nowadays the number of single-sex schools are increasing. Most of them are catholical and they usualy are supported by rights policy. This topic has been a reason of controversy in the world of education. However, there are arguments both for and against it.

One of the main advantatges of the separated school seems to be that firls can develop their habilities and talent more easily, without teh company of men. Another argument in favour of the single-sex schools is that the boys or girls show more effort. Furthermore, some investigations believe that the development of some habilities and the way how boys and girls learn are different. Moreover, pupils are not underpressure because of the sex they are.

On the other hand, those who approve the idea of mixed schools, defend that in this kind of education, students can learn from each other, and then they will be more prepared for a real world were  both sexes live together and cooperate in different situations.

 To sum up, I would say that althought boys and irls have a different learning pace and there are not pressure for the sexy ou are, I feel strongly that girls and boys must be thogether in shools learning together.

                                                                                                                      Núria Sans Hermoso

Complaint letter by Núria Sans Hermoso

                                                                                                                                   18 Montserrat Street
                                                                                                                                                      Reading
                                                                                                                                                 NSH  8TH

                                                                                                                                                26 February  

Customer Services Departament
Express Gift
180 Maria Montserrat Street
London W8 6RF

Dear Sir/ Madam
I am writing to complain about some that I bought last week, specifically, my mobile phone from your Internet site <<Go to start now >>

I bought a mobile phone with the appropriate battery. On the first and second day it worked perfectly, but on the third day it started to go very slow. On the third day the mobile phone couldn't open all the applications that it had, for exemple: the camera. The following day I could only call, but not to all the telephone numbers of my mobile's agenda, just a few ones. This morning, when I wanted to call a friend, I realized that the mobile screen was all black. It looked like it was giving signs but the screen didn't work so at the end, I couldn't do anything with the phone. I thought maybe it was a battery's problem, but when I try to use the telephone again the battery didn't work either! I was schocked because it was very expensive mobile and so you expect the best quality of it.

I would like to express my dissatisfaction about your customer services departament . I called them in order to discuss the situation, but I received no apology for them and I was not offered a refund. To make matters worse, the said I must have broken it myself ! An embarrassin situation that I didn't want to repeat any more.


I would be grateful if you could look into the matter urgently.
Thank you for your help with this matter.
Yours faithfully.

Núris S. H.

Núria Sans Hermoso
                                                 

A biography by Tània Faura

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was born, 24 June 1987, in Rosario, Argentina to a working class family.
His father was a factory steel worker, and his mother a cleaner.

He began playing from an early age, and his talent was soon apparent. However, at the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This was a condition that stunded growth, and required expensive medical treatment, including the use of the drug Human growth hormone.

Local Club, River Plate was interested in signing Messi, but didn't want to pay for his medical treatment. However, Messi was given a trial with Barcelona, and Carles Rexach was impressed-offering Messi a contract which included paying for Messi's treatment in Spain.
Messi moved to Barcelona with his father and became part of the prestigious FC Barcelona youth academy. What I admire most about him is his fighting spirit and his sacrifice to football.

A for and against essay by Guillem Roset

Boarding schools help students achieve better results in education

A recent study by the University of Cambridge, says that the students that course their studies in Boardings Schools achieve better results that the students from the ordinary schools. However, there are both positive and negative aspects of Boarding School.

One of the main advantatges is that in Boarding Schools, the classes are more relaxed and calm than in ordinary schools because the teachers are more strict with their students. Another argument in favour of Boarding Schools is that the students they have a lot of time to dedicate exclusevily to their studies.

Despite this advantatges, the boarding schools there have also disadvantatges. The main disadvantatge is that the students that atend in it, they can miss their families. Another drawback of boarding schools is that the students don't have the liberty to do what they like. It is well known that some students have experienced unhapinnes or even depression as a consequence of staying in that type of schools. 

To conclude, althought Boarding Schools help students achieve better results, this schools can also be a cause of unhappines because the students don't have any social life and any contact with the real world. 

A Formal Letter by Guillem Roset

Carrer Barcelona N/2

Arbeca

25140

La Borrassa

Avinguda Montserrat N/3

Arbeca 25140

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writng because I would like to involve the local community in a project that consists of cleaning up the Juliana's fountain. I am extremely interested in cleaning that zone because the last time that I went there, the place was full of rubbish, and I would be very grateful If you could publish an article involving all the citizens from Arbeca. 

Now I am going to tell you what would be the advantatges of cleaning that zone.

The main advantatge would be that Juliana's fountain would look nice and the Santiago's way pilgrins would be able to take photos. Those photos would be wonderful and the image that they would show to the world is that Arbeca is a clean village. Like this, there are many more advantatges.

Finally, I would like everyone to be involved in the project because Arbeca belongs to its citizens.

Your faithfully,

Guillem Roset Pons

An opinion essay by Guillem Roset

The press has a right to publish photographs and information about the private life celecrities?

The private life of celebrities always has been a matter that caused a lot of morbidness and atraction to the press. However, in my opinion, this kind of press usually is so rude with the private life of celebrities publishing a lot of stupid things and things that aren't important about their lives.

Firstly, it is well-known that celebrities are also humans. With this, I'm saying that they have the right to live with privacy too. Because nobody likes living with a group of people that are telling to the world all the things that you do during all the day.

Secondly, constant attention from paparazzi and reporters can affect the mental healith of a celebrity.

In conclusion, I am convinced that celebrities without the constant follow-up that do the paparazzi, will be more pleasant and friendly with all common people from the streets, because those people go into the streets being suspicious of people.

A biography by Guillem Roset

STEVE ANGELLO

The world-famous DJ and producer Steve Angello was born in Athens, Greece in 1982. As a child, Angello left Greece and he moved to Stockholm, Sweden with her mother and his brother because his father died. In Sweden, he met Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell, which Angello decided to found the SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA few years later.

Angello claim to fame came when he realeased his remix of Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" in 2004. Since then, he has established himself in the House Music scene with such tracks as "Knas", "Rave n' Roll" and "Yeah". In 2009, the SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA, which is composed by him, Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell, have produced hits as "Leave the World Behind", "Save the World", "Antidote", "One", "Greyhound", "Don't You Worry Child", "Miami 2 Ibiza" until 2012. 

Nowadays, he is married to Swedish model Isabel Adrian and they have two daugthers. Moreover, he is working on his first solo album, called "WILD YOUTH". The realease date is not anounced yet. Steve Angello, completely stirred up the Electronic Music scene when he was a member of the SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA. But what I admire the most about him is his dedication that he has with music.

A biography by Simona Atanasova

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong, the only man who has won 7 times the Tour de France, was born in Texas on 8 september 1971 and he had a quiet common childhood. The most important event of his childhood is that his father left, so he was brought up by his mother.

In his early-twenties, he became professional cyclist. in 1996, he had a cancer diagnosis and he was given a 40% chance of survival. Then, he wetted up a cancer charity called Lance Armstrong Foundation. Finally, in 1998, he was recovered and he joined the US postal team.

When he was 28 (in 1996) he started cycling in the Tour de France and by 2005 he has won 7 titles (he was the first one). In 2005 he retired from cycling because his titles had been taken for doping charges.

Today he lives in Texas and in Girona, Catalunya. His Lance Armstrong Foundation has already raised 50 million dollars.

A for and against essay by Alba Carbonell

Girls and boys should be taught separately

Although it is not as common as it was before, there are still some schools that teach girls and boys separately or even they only accept one gender. In the same way, there are people who think that this has benefits for both parts.

On the one hand, this could indeed have benefits for the students, as it would eliminate the important distraction that implies being all together. People who support this position holds that school should not be a place to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but to study. The most appropriate time to socialize with both boys and girls is not the school time. Moreover, there are girls who prefer to socialize with their same gender and vice versa.

On the other hand, both genders can be a good influence on each other, and everyone can learn from these experiences. Students should not get used to being separated because when they face the real world they will discover that reality does not differentiate them –or it should not- and that gender is not a difference important enough to educate kids separately.

In my opinion, students have to be educated together and equally whichever their gender is, because this is not a matter that affects the education of a person.

A narrative by Alba Carbonell

When I was young, I used to be completely terrified of darkness, and it was so difficult for me to fall asleep. I used to have a tiny lamp next to my bed which was on all night long; however, darkness was still something scary to me, and whenever I wanted to sleep outside I had to bring my little lamp with me.

But then my younger brother was born. He would spend nights crying loudly, until I realised he was more scared of darkness than me. I made a big effort and gave him my lamp so that he could feel more protected, and it worked.

Even though at the beginning I was still a little bit scared without my lamp, I eventually got used to sleeping with no light, so I finally overcame my fear: hadn’t it been for my brother, I would have never lost that fear.

An email by Alba Carbonell

Hi there!
How's it going? I haven't heard from you for ages!
I'm about to start my end of term exams and I’m going completely mad. It starts this Monday and I still have loads of things to do! We haven’t stopped taking exams and doing projects so I truly didn’t have the time, and now I realise that I only have a few days and lots of subjects to study.
You were taking my course last year, so I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to manage to study everything. I’m doing my best and I’m going to work hard, but I’m really stressed anyway. How can I relax myself but still be able to get through it?
Well, I’d better go, I should start studying right now!
Lots of love,
Alba

Opinion essay by Alba Carbonell

The press has a right to publish photographs and information about the private life of celebrities

Since the past century, paparazzis have had an increasing and unstoppable presence in gossip magazines and tabloids, making a living by infiltrating stars’ private lives and getting big, outstanding headlines out of every little move they make. This has come to such extreme that society is starting to wonder to what extent celebrities’ right of privacy gets.

In my view, this job has very little ethical principles and has a big impact on the people’s personal lives, as they are constantly attacked by flashing cameras everywhere they go, and are always being analysed as if they were some subject of study.

What is more, paparazzis get great amounts of money for the big news they publish about that person, no matter if that is affecting his or her mental health, and causing them stress or depression. This kind of job, in my opinion, is completely useless to society, and only brings uninteresting facts disguised in big news to a public who is too reticent to listen to real news.

In conclusion, I believe without a shadow of doubt that celebrities have the same right that everyone else to have their privacy respected, and that it is their choice what they want to show people and what they don’t.

A biography by Alba Carbonell

A biography

Edgar Allan Poe was a writer born in the 19^th of January, 1809, in Boston (Massachusetts), USA. He composed poetry, novels and short stories, especially known for his fantastic and horror literature.  He is considered the father of psychological terror tale and the gothic novel. When he was two years old, his father abandoned Poe’s mother, who was pregnant. When his sister Rosalie was born, they moved to Richmond, Virginia, to some relatives’ house. Not long after, his mother died and Poe was adopted by a married couple from whom he got his family name ‘Allan’.

When he was in his teens, he started to have problems with alcohol, often due to his constant fighting with his stepfather.  He wrote his two first poetry books, Tamerlane and other poems (1827) and Al Aaraf, Tamerlane and minor poems (1829). In 1832 he first got one of histales published by the Baltimore magazine. In 1834 he married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, of only 13. During that time, he was the director of some important publications from Richmond, Boston and Philadelphia. He also lived in New York, with his wife ill from tuberculosis, where he published his most renowned poem, The raven (1845).

His wife’s death had a strong impact on him, and he returned to alcoholism and depression. He is thought to have died victim of delirium tremens, an alcohol withdrawal syndrome, in Baltimore the 7^th of October of 1849. Some of his poems were published after his death.

I personally admire him because of his writing style and especially his poems; they are always dark and full of mysteries, and I found this very exciting. The first poem I read of his was The raven.