Sensationalism

You will find  three questions in relation to the topic of news. Answer the questions into a paragraph format

1.      1. Are the news in your country sensationalist? What about the newspapers? Give examples and explain your reasons.

2.      2. Why do you think that the news have to be sensationalists?

3.     3.  Do you consider that people prefer or not the sensationalists’ news?

Technology

Answer the questions into a paragraph format.

1.      How can you explain the importance of technology in our daily lives? How does technology help us in a positive way?

2.      Do you like to have or to be in contact with technology to be updated?

3.      What can be the consequences that technology has brought to our lives?

Student killed by gunman on first day back from summer vacation

Posted: Monday, July 18, 2011 - By AFP

UPDATE: The 18-year-old was attacked at a technical school in Orotina. The shooter shot himself, and died Tuesday at Hospital Mexico.

A teenager shot and killed an 18-year-old student at a school before shooting himself on Monday, according to police.

Juan Pablo Salazar was shot at 9:10 a.m. at the Colegio Ricardo Castro in Orotina, a technical high school school about 60 kilometers west of San José, according to the daily La Nación. The alleged 17-year-old assailant later shot himself in the right temple. The shooter was taken to a nearby hospital by Red Cross relief workers. He was only identified by the last name Villegas because he is a minor. He was not a student of the school, authorities said.

Authorities at Hospital Mexico confirmed Villegas' death Tuesday morning due to a brain hemorrhage.

The student was shot in the school's computer room on the first day of classes after a two week summer break. Some students said the shooter entered the room and made everyone leave except the victim.

Education Minister Leonardo Garnier said via Twitter that the event was a tragedy but there is not enough information out yet to comment further on the event.

The attack comes one year after a 17-year-old student killed a principal at a private school in Heredia, north of San José.

Instructions:

1.      First, you will read the new posted on the blog related to a recent event of a student who was murdered by a friend at a highschool in Orotina, Alajuela.

2.      When you finish reading answer the following questions as your blog’s comment.

1.      What is your perspective or opinion about this pitiful event?

2.      What is your opinion about MEP’s position in regards to the security of the students in an institution? What can be some security precautions to be taken in order to feel safe on the highschool?

3.      Have you ever had a reason to feel insecure in your highschool?

Sports and Exercising

Instructions for your blog

For this first blog, you will write about sports and how important are they for our health.  Answer the two following questions with your own opinion and using a paragraph format.

1. Which sports do you like to play? How are they practiced? Mention and explain 2 of them.
2. What is the importance of playing sports or doing exercise? Talk about the benefits of exercising for our body.

Pollution and Environment

Instructions for your blog 2.

For this second blog, you will write about a problem we as human beings and the Earth in general is facing due to the global warming or the pollution of the environment.

First, you need to take or find out a picture that represents this problem (you upload the picture where you write your comment)

After that, under the picture you will write a description about this problem. You can talk about aspects like: How is it caused? Which are the causes of this problem? What consequences is this problem bringing to human and wild life? Where is it more common? Is there any solution to eradicate this problem?

The following is an example I am providing you:

Red Tide

The red tides take place as consequence of the explosive increasing of a population of tiny seaweeds. They can be provoked because of polluted water from towns, houses or entire cities that goes into the ocean. Because of this contamination, the red tides produce toxins that get into the bodies of animals such as oysters, fish, shell-fish, lobsters, shrimps and crabs. When people or animals consume them, they can cause many diseases as stomachache and severe diarrheas or even in the most serious cases death in animals as well as human beings that ate them. This problem is very common in many countries where they do not have a project of treatment for polluted or residual water and every year affect the economy fishermen, sailors and customers in general.

Addictions

Robert Nixon used to consume alcoholic drinks once in a while. Slowly, he started to drink each day more and things got worse. His behavior was becoming unpredictable. He tells of one incident in a club on a Sunday afternoon when a fight broke out and he and his friends were involved. Minutes later he was outside being questioned by the police and spent several hours at the police station. He was released but in spite of this, the next day he was drinking at his favorite bar again. What kind of person goes everyday desperate for a drink everyday?. Now he is alone, a desperate alcoholic.

Discussion questions for your comment:

What is the difference between a habit and an alcoholic?

Which types of addictions are most socially acceptable than others? Why?

Do you think that they are certain types of personality who are more likely to become addicts?

How can a person who is addicted be treated by his/family, friends, co-workers or partners? Give possible solutions.