A BRONX TALE,,

This great story takes place in the Bronx. Bronx is a poor neighbourhood situated in the gorgeous city of New York. It’s a well-known place where reside the least privileged people. Dirty business, robberies with guns, violations or murders are really common there. People must be careful because Bronx is a quite dangerous area.

There are three main characters in the story: Calogero, Lorenzo (Calogero’s father) and Sonny.
Calogero, Lorenzo and Rosina are an Italian family who live in the Bronx since a long time ago.

Sonny is the head of a famous mafia which is well-known on the Bronx. He and his gang have the absolute control of this neighbourhood and Sonny is the most fearful gangster there. Everyone knows that Sonny is really vengeful and that he has no qualms.
Sonny has a discreet pub where he meets their boys and where there are alcohol, cigarettes and all kinds of bets and games.

Lorenzo is just a family man. His only aim is will be able some day to earn enough money to look after his family. They’re very poor and he doesn’t earn much money because he is a bus driver. Lorenzo begins to worry about his son when he becomes friend of Sonny and during the story he’s trying all the time to convince his son to stop keeping bad company.

Calogero is an 8-9 year-old child who always says how much he hates his name to his father. He has never understood how his parents could choose a name so inappropriate. He lives in the same street than Sonny. Calogero seems older than he really is because he has seen lots of atrocities since he was a little child and he has spent most of his days in Bronx streets with his friends as well. They are used to steal food, they argue with other children and also they laugh at everybody.
However, Calogero is a very special child and that’s the reason why his parents love him so much. They are usually trying to separate him from street’s life but there’s no way to get it. The reason of Calogero’s affection to the Bronx is Sonny. This gangster is his biggest idol and Calogero always tries to follow his steps.

Time goes by…and Calogero grows up! He’s a handsome teenager now. He has changed a lot, but unfortunately his friends have grown up as well. His friends’ thoughts are completely opposite than his thoughts. They are all terribly changed and Calogero doesn’t feel good with them. They are only worried about black people and they are all day thinking how to bother or hurt them.

Anyway, Calogero has been many days meeting Sonny. They knew each other few years ago when Calogero was still a kid and, from that day, Calogero became his confidence boy. The boy always looked up to Sonny and Sonny treated him as a son. Sony had even changed Calogero’s name…in his gang Calogero is known as “C”. Calogero has learnt a lot with Sonny and his boys and they have lived many new experiences. He’s a mature boy but he still preserves some innocence. He feels the same great admiration to Sonny as well. Everything is perfect to him. Calogero is living exactly his childhood’s dream. But there’s someone who don’t agree with his behaviour…his father! He tries desperately to stop it and make his son realize that he’s heading for a trouble.

Unluckily, “C” is too influenced by Sonny and nothing can take him from his side. One day, unexpectedly, Calogero knows a pretty young girl and he falls in love at first sight. There’s only a little problem: she’s black and it was frowned upon in his neighbourhood.

Everything goes wrong in the end… and things have such a dramatic ending. The story has a very shocking ending…but who didn’t still know that fairytales don’t ever happen in the Bronx?

From my point of view “A BRONX TALE” is a gorgeous film. Probably I liked it so much because all the scenes were unexpectedly, especially the final scene. It was really shocking to me because I though that it would have the typical happy ending. The characters are very well played and each one is perfectly characterized and lifelike. It’s a very successful movie. It reminds me of “Il Padrino”‘s movie which I liked very much as well. With these kinds of films it seems that you are able to feel what their characters are feeling. In a scaring scene you can feel the fear and even when someone shoots a gun, you are so concentrated on the film that you feel like you were inside the scene. I’m afraid that those are magnificent works and nowadays, it’s almost impossible to watch some film like these.
MY MARKING: **** (a masterpiece)

To conclude, I’d like to talk about film’s moral. “A BRONX TALE” hasn’t only a moral: it has two.

Firstly, the main moral is: “You must trust nobody”. Sonny repeats it throughout all the film, and maybe he was right. At least, if you live on the Bronx, it would be some good advice.

And secondly, there’s a final moral. This moral talks about the consequences of our acts. I believe that everything we did in the past will always have a great repercussion in our future. Maybe good or maybe bad, but our acts will always draw our way…Well, it’s like the karma. If you are a kind person and you help the others, there are fewer possibilities to have complications in your future. Otherwise, if you are a cold-hearted person and you don’t care about anything…be careful! Because one day everything you did will go back to you, and then, it’ll be too late to change it.

I think that everyone should know that “what goes around…comes always back around”

And, once more: if you sometimes try to stop thinking selfishly in yourself and give your help to the people who really need it, always remember that your acts won’t be on vain.

MY OPINION ESSAY

“WHEN WILL WE LEARN TO RESPECT OUR WORLD?”

It seems to me that we have never treated our world properly. In my opinion, we might destroy our planet if we don’t start thinking ideas to change its bad situation and try to conserve everything that surrounds us.

I disagree with people who say that we haven’t caused climate change and also greenhouse effect. It’s clear that we are guilty of today's catastrophes. We are the only ones who have used polluting products and who have wasted so many raw materials even knowing that these facts would be bad for our planet.

Furthermore, I think that we want to have the best life (with all the comforts), but on the other hand we are not prepared to make any effort to get it, we just want to have everything done. And I think that this is wrong.
Maybe if we stop thinking for a while we will realize that we have to work hard to get a better world. However, we could do this work all together and with a little participation from each one of us life would become more enjoyable and we would have everything that we needed.

I really believe that we aren’t aware of how much harm we’re causing to our planet. As a result, we don’t kick the habit of wasting water or using electricity when it’s not necessary or also running out raw materials when we could use alternative energies…and what about air pollution? If we went more by coach or by train our air would be purer. Anyway, sometimes I think that if our behaviour goes on being like this, we won’t ever be able to make the world a better place. In my opinion, if we don’t act soon it will be too late. With a global collaboration the world would be the place we have been dreaming of living.

In conclusion, I’d like to remind you that we only live once and life is something wonderful! So, with a little effort we could make the most of our days and the world would become a beautiful place as well. We would live without pollution or unnecessary wastes. We still have time in order to give our descendants the life they really deserve.

INFORMAL DIALOGUE

A usual day in Zara, while Ariadna was looking for new jeans…

-Ari? What are you doing here? I thought you were living in London!

-Hi Laura! Yes, I’m still living in London. But I’ve just finished my exams and I came here to stay some days with my family and friends.

-Wow!! Great…and are you OK? How is it in London? I haven’t seen you since last year!

-I’m fine! London is wonderful and I’ve met friendly people there. I know! I missed you so much! Is everything alright?

-I’m pleased to hear it! I missed you too! Do you remember our weekends together? Yes, everything is alright…many things have happened this year. I have to tell you!!

-What’s going on? I cannot wait anymore! Tell me it now, please! Ooh, of course I remember our weekends! How could I forget it? We have to go out together again! But first…tell me what has happened!

-Summarizing… Well, I don’t know how to tell you this!

-Oooh, please! I’m begging you!

-I’m…gooing…to…MARRY!

-Is it true? I can’t believe it…it’s gorgeous! Good on you! When is the wedding?

-Yes, yes! I’m really nervous! It’s going to be in summer…will you come? Oh, please!?

-Sure! I’d love it! And moreover, I will spend all my summer holidays here! It will be great! We will have fun together remembering good moments lived.

-Yes, great! What are you doing on Saturday? Would you like to go out with us?

-Yes, thank you! I’ll call you this evening to tell you something, right?

-Alright, see you! Bye honey!

-See you sweetie…and take care!

GAGA'S MURDERER DRESS

As all of you should know Lady Gaga is the most eccentric famous star nowadays.

She has a very unusual style and her dresses are famous around the world. She is able to dress everything you can imagine: from fluorescent wigs or large veils in her face to cans of cola tangled in her wigs. She’s definitely unique!
Her high platform shoes and her amazing clothes cause controversy everywhere she goes.
She loves to be considerate so odd because this is the reason why everybody knows her. Fame has given her money, luxury presents, privileges, lots of good and bad criticisms and especially the global recognition.
But few months ago something scared Gaga to dead because of one of her rareness and it’s not a joke! It is as real as life is!

Once, Lady Gaga promised to the TV program “Friday Night” (BBC): "I prefer to die than being seen from my fans without a pair of platform shoes! I will never give up wearing my wigs or my hats”

Maybe after this incident her thoughts were quite changed.
This is what really happened that day…


While Gaga was going to her last concert in London, she appeared in Heathrow’s airport wearing an eye-catching dress consisting of sticky tape strips in black and yellow (as you can see between these lines). As well she was wearing enormous blue shoes designed by Alexander Mc Queen, who died recently.

Her clothes were extremely uncomfortable and those strips were too tight for her. As a result of it, while she was taking a seat in the plane she began to feel some symptoms of an illness called “deep vein thrombosis” (DVT). This illness affects mainly lower part of legs and thigh’s veins. DVT causes clots which block blood flow.


Lady Gaga was saved by the experienced crew, who insisted on persuade the artist to take her clothes off. Gaga needed some help to be able to do it because her dress was really heavy.
What’s more Gaga took very offended when they also ask her to take her blue shoes off. She said that she was wearing them in memory of her friend Alexander.

THINGS WHICH MAKE LIFE WONDERFUL,,

Have you ever felt so happy that you seemed you be some feet above the ground at least? Have you ever felt so many things inside yourself that it seemed you could explode? Have you counted the times which something made you feel so good that you could only laugh and jump of happiness? Have you ever felt like shouting to the whole world how much you love that person? Is there anything better than feeling happy? Is there something better than knowing how to enjoy the smallest pleasures which life gives us day after day? It’s not possible to change the feeling of satisfaction or absolute happiness for anything else.

How many times have we remembered good moments lived, no matter how far they are, and a smile has put in our face? How could we pay the feeling of knowing that whatever happens if you’re with your loved ones you will have a thousand reasons to be happy? Has someone ever made you so happy that it seemed that you had wings and you could fly? Have you ever loved someone so much that you forgot the world for a while? Is possible to be able to feel the most complete person in the world when you realize that above bad things so much love surrounds you? How can I explain the feeling that I feel when in spite of disappointments so many wonderful people have appeared in my life? Will I be able to thank all the love that has been given to me which asks for nothing in return? Why do we always try to complain when actually we have thousands of reasons to never do it? Why are there people who don’t want to realize how wonderful is life?

You’ll see, today I’m writing about those little things which we don’t even appreciate many times. Things which we don’t attach importance to, but with them live and be happy are worth. I’ll write some of these little things…here they go!

The smile of an innocent child, a true laugh, laughing tears, sweet or unexpectedly kisses, a warn hug when you’re upset, get your hand hold in front of everyone by the person you love, a sincere smile, funny silly things, friendship between good friends and all that this friendship includes (secrets, fun, pieces of advice, confidence…), be able to understand your best friend only with a look, kind looks which make you smile and feel better, the relaxing sound of the sea, realize how beautiful is the seaside at night when you have the person you love by your side, realize that some people who seemed to be cold-hearted were hiding much love inside their heart, know someone and be able to make him/her show all his/her love to everyone, a sincere “I love you”, “I miss you so much” or “I need you more than ever”, unexpectedly gestures from the most unexpected person, family’s love, can trust with someone and know for sure this person will never let you down, get apologized by a person you really love, admire someone and be admired too, keep dreaming even when everything is worries and troubles, find someone who loves you and with the course of time realize that you love this person with all your heart and that you can’t live without him/her,

realize that money will be never as important as our happiness is, be able to make our friends happy with a simply smile, know that you will fight for your loved ones and also know that they would fight for you if you have some troubles…

All those things and more make life beautiful…but don’t you ever forget it! The only two things which are essential in life are love and happiness. So, when you are sad or upset, or when you think that only the worst things happen to you, remember that if you have love and happiness…everything will be fine.

AUTISTIC CHILDREN

“Autism is a disorder of neutral development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize”

Autism appears before children are 3 years old. Why this illness occurs is anybody’s guess. Genetic factors seem to be important.
Parents usually notice autism signs in the first two years of their child’s life. The signs ordinarily develop gradually, but some autistic children first develop normally and then regress.

Possible causes of autism are…

-Children’s diet

-Changes on the digestive tube

-Intoxication with mercury

-Body’s incapacity to use properly vitamins and minerals

-Sensitivity to vaccines

Autism has become more common nowadays, but some doctors think that the increase of autism cases is caused by the new definition that this illness includes now. So, autism encompasses a bigger number of children.
There are more boys affected by autism than girls. Family’s situation, education or life style don’t affect the risk of having autism.

Symptoms of Autism:

The great majority of parents begin to realize that something goes wrong when the child is 18 months. But usually they ask for help when the child is already 2 years old. Some autistic children seem to have no problems before they’re between 1-2 years old. And then, they lose language or social skills which they had acquired before. This fact is known as “regressive type of autism”.
Autistic children have serious difficulties in:

-Games (as school games)

-Social interactions

-Verbal and no verbal communication

Autistic people can…

-Be extremely sensitive as for their hearing, sight, sense of touch, sense of smell or taste. They can refuse to eat something with a smell which isn’t kind for them and they get distressed if someone force them to do it.

-Live unusual distress when their routines are changed

-Carry out repeated corporal gestures

-Show unusual affection to some objects

Symptoms can be moderate or severe.

Moreover, they have communication problems. Some of these problems are…

-They are unable to start or keep a conversation

-They communicate with gestures instead of words

-They talk very slowly or even they don’t talk

-They don’t look the objects which the others are looking

-They don’t refer correctly to themselves (They can say: –You’re hungry! When they meant: -I’m hungry!)

-(On their first 14 months) They don’t point out some objects to get the others attention on them (as all of the other children do).

-They repeat words or memorize landscapes (as advertisements)

About their social interaction:

-They have many difficulties to make friends

-They don’t participate in interactive games

-They’re withdrawn

-They cannot answer to visual contact or laughs

-They can avoid visual contact

-They can treat people as an object

-They prefer to spend their time alone instead of being with other people

Their answers to sensorial information…

-They aren’t startled when there are heavy noises

-They show an increase or a fall in their 5 senses

-Rare noises can seem painful to them and they cover their ears with their hands

-Physical contact is overwhelming for them and they can avoid it

-They rub areas and they put some objects in their mouth

-Their answer to pain seems to increase or fall

Neither their behaviour is very usual…

-They express their feelings with intensive anger attacks

-They only pay attention to a specific topic or a labour (perseverance)

-They have a short period of attention

-They have very restricted interests

-They’re hyperactive or too passive

-They show an aggressive behaviour to other people or even to themselves

-They show their necessity to be alone

-They use repeating corporal gestures

An early intervention improves the final result in most of little autistic children. The most successful treatment is based on child’s specific necessities.

There are some effective therapies…

-Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

-Medicines

-Physiotherapy

-Language and speech therapy

A.B.A. therapies are carried out in children’s home, by the supervision of a psychologist. These therapies are used to be very expensive.

Doctors usually use medicines to treat behaviour problems or emotional problems which an autistic child can suffer, as…

-Aggression

-Anxiety

-Extreme compulsions that the child cannot stop

-Hyperactivity

-Impulsivity

-Irritation

-Changes on their frame of mind

-Anger or rage fits

-Problems when they have to sleep

-Tantrums

Their diet…

Some autistic children have a free of gluten and casein diet. Gluten is found in food which contains wheat, rye and barley. Casein is found in milk, cheese and other dairy products.

I think that autistic children are really special. They live in another world created by their own and nobody else has any place there. Perhaps they hide their feelings and they never know how to express their thoughts. They’re wonderful people and usually they are the cleverest children because they only are able to understand logic things. Things which have a final solution or a reasonable explication, as maths. But they’re so antisociable because they cannot understand simply things as a hug, a parents’ kiss or a joke.
In conclusion, I would like to say that we all have to take care of them and try to give them an easier life. Because even if they aren’t able to thank to us, we will do what is right.

DESEASES IN AFRICA (OUR 3rd ORAL PRESENTATION)

TRANSCRIPTION...

Hi class! Today we're going to talk about diseases in Africa. To understand better the reasons why people there live in so bad conditions we're going to explain you the beginning of the social problems in Africa, the causes of all, and the solutions used to help the African people (as organizations)

Do you know why AFRICA is called THE THIRD WORLD???

If you don’t know we're going to explain it now!

The social problems in Africa began during the XIX while the Industrial Revolution was taking place in the other parts of the world.
In Africa live approximately 750 Million people. This continent is one of the richest continents of the whole world because it has got a lot of petrol, diamonds, gold, cotton and cacao. Because of the lack of industries Africa has to export all their raw materials (cotton, petrol...) without receiving much in exchange. This fact has been happening since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution until nowadays. THAT’s the reason of the poverty and social problems in Africa.

As a result of this situation they haven't got much food, the mortality encrase, there’s child explotation, reduction of life expectancy, malnutrition (specially child malnutrition) and they live in very bad resources ------> all those facts cause DISEASES and our aim is explain the most seriously of them to you.

Diseases can be transmitted by insects (as mosquitoes), through food and water and through intimate contact.

MALARIA: Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver, and then infect red blood cells.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If is not treated, malaria can quickly become life by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs.

YELLOW FEVER: Yellow fever is one of the most common diseases transmitted by insects (in this case a mosquito) in Africa. Some time ago the yellow fever was only transmitted by one type of mosquito and because of climatic change and the evolution of the characteristics of the different mosquitoes, now all types of mosquitoes are able to transmit this virus.
The symptoms of the yellow fever are yellow coloured eyes, yellow skin (but not like the Simpsons), the fever you all know but extremely high.

CHOLERA: Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium “Vibrio cholerae”. It has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five days, and causes painless and watery diarrhoea which can causes quickly a severe dehydration and even death if treatment is not given early. Vomiting also occurs in most patients.

HEPATITIS A: is an acute infection of the liver caused of a virus transmitted trough water and food. Here, were we live, there’s no risk of infection because our food is controlled and our water is clean but in Africa it isn’t like that because of the lack of resources. An another thing we have here are vaccines.

HEPATITIS B: Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver. The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person. Hepatitis B virus can cause an acute illness with symptoms that last several weeks, including yellowing of the skin and eyes or vomiting and abdominal pain. People can take several months to a year to recover from the symptoms. Hepatitis B is preventable with a safe and effective vaccine.

AIDS: I think it is one of the biggest problems related to diseases in the world but in Africa more than 75% of the Africans are infected of AIDS. As you all know AIDS is a disease transmitted by intimate contact. Here in our area (Europe) AIDS is known but is not so usual as in Africa is. The cause is again the same as before THE BAD RESOURCES, because there they haven't got any money for condoms or things like that.

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE: It's another disease transmitted through intimate contact but not like you'll think with sex; the virus of the meningococcal disease is situated or habited in the area of the nose and of the throat, so you can be infected kissing or simply sharing a glass of water or eating from the same apple. Here in Europe we can do those things because there is no risk of infection, (we are vaccinated) but in Africa they use to share all what they have without being worry of diseases.

OTHER DISEASES:

SCHIOSTOSOMIASIS: Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by flatworms of the genus Schistosoma. Larval forms of the parasites, which are released by freshwater snails, penetrate the skin of people in the water. In the body, the larvae develop into adult schistosomes, which live in the blood vessels. Some of them pass out of the body in the urine or faeces. Others are trapped in body tissues, causing an immune reaction.

RABIES: Is a disease that is transmitted to humans from animals) that is caused by a virus. Rabies infects domestic and wild animals, and is spread to people through close contact with infected saliva (via bites or scratches). Once symptoms of the disease develop, rabies is fatal.

Apart from volunteer doctors who go there to try to cure them and to help them to be able to live in better resources, there are many organizations which try to help them in all the aspects: health, economic problems, education, food... A great example of it is NGO: for example nowadays they’re building there new schools to give education to the children and hospitals to take care of the illnest people.

Anyway, we also can become a great help to African people. We can give them a better life with not much effort. How can we do it? It’s easy. We can be „godparents“to African children. To do it we only have to choose one of the organizations which are in our country. Then we have to subscribe there, and paying a really low quantity of money per month, we will be able to give education, food and clothes to children until they will be 14. Also, we can participate in charities; send them our old clothes or our old toys, and much more. And I can assure that with few acts like these we can help a lot of people giving them a better life and make them a little happier.


MY REFLECTION...

This was our third oral presentation, so this time we had to show that we had improved compared with the other times. We chose a really interesting topic and we searched much information about it. We knew that it would be a quite difficult presentation because we had to talk about diseases and it means we had to use a scientific vocabulary. Also we must know all the symptoms and cures by heart.

In class, I got really nervous because this time we had only the key words in the PowerPoint and I hadn’t got any paper between my hands. I studied hard for this presentation because I wanted to do a good work and be able to get a nice mark, but I think I don’t did it as well as I expected.

As I said before, there were some words really difficult to learn and they were all essential to talk about those diseases. Maybe I wouldn’t have got so nervous if I had studied some days before. I’m quite happy with my pronunciation (I worked quite a lot with my speaking) but I know that I still have to improve it very much.

Laura and I couldn’t study together, and perhaps we didn’t know exactly when our turn to talk was.
The worst moment for me was when I was talking about an illness and I completely forgot the key words! Then, I was too nervous because I realized I hadn’t written them down in the paper!!

The thing that I liked the most was our PowerPoint, we used very visual images and we only wrote the key words.

Anyway, I enjoyed this work very much because I learnt a lot about diseases absolutely unknown for me and I can assure that I studied hard for it!
I hope with all my own to do best presentations the next year and improve my pronunciation! But especially, the thing I want to change first is…my nervous! I hope to be able my next year to control them properly.

In spite of my nervous and the forgotten words I think we did a nice work together!