Newspaper

Content2Information Overload

3Why Not Find a Balance?

5Interesting News.. I Think so!

7Newspapers vs. 21st Century

9Humorous Section

10The Achilles Heel

10In Wheelchair to Golfito!

12Animal Intelligence

12Wonderful Animals

14Monkeys and Humans

16Animal Intelligence: Pets

19Only for kids!

20Longevity: Refusing to Be Invisible

20Population Agining Around The World

22Longevity in the 21st Century

24External link: Article

27Homework

27Homework

29Memes Section!

Information OverloadWhy Not Find a Balance?

Since the beginning of history, there have been events that leave a great footprint. In ancient times, these events were transmitted by comments or stories among people. Then it gradually evolved and advancing us with new inventions, like paper, ink and television. Throughout time, they were changing communication techniques to give us the news as we know them now. And with this it became an advantage for some but for others is it a disadvantage.

For different reasons, a lot of people do not want to have a relationship with the news and prefer to stay away from the media. Some of the people who decide to live without the news made this decision regardless some important information comes from newspapers, radio or TV; and they use media only for entertainment leaving aside the information.

Some journalists are guilty that some people do not like the news; because they are subjective and you have to check out a few different reports because they all have different bias. Some people say that many articles are manipulated to focus them on one sector of society; also, they say that government tries to control us or they try to instill ideas in the readers minds. Many people believe that news is a means of controlling peoples minds.

Another reason why people do not like the news is because the news is sad. Most newspaper articles talk about traffic accidents, fraud and murder; these reports depress people. In addition, too many news reports are given in a negative way and never inspire positive feelings. Nobody likes to start the morning with bad news because this can make the rest of the day hard. For these reasons, for some people news contaminates and keeps the people sad.

We also have to take into account that it is important to stay informed about what is happening in the world. The reasons listed above are good to not watch the news, but anyway we have to find a balance with the media. You can be informed about what is happening in the world and the issues that are important for humanity without being a sad person or being influenced by the hidden message of some news. There are also reporters doing a good job.

By Eduardo Jimenez Araya

Interesting News.. I Think so!

I like to watch the news on TV and listen to on the radio too. Sincerely, I prefer positive news than negative. For example, I watch the news about country development, sports, local governments and economics. But, I do not like the ones about entertainment, natural disasters or crime. So, I am going to write my ideas about the news and it is importance to open our mind.

I prefer positive news because we can learn about nice topics. For example, when I hear about country development, I obtain some ideas to do business or sell products. So, I remember when I studied Business Administration in the Masters program, I read El Financiero every week to learn about macroeconomics. So, I had entertainment and funny time when I watched the sports news. Finally, there are some reasons that I think that the news is a good way to improve our professional background and spend a good time.

On the other hand, I disagree with negative news because it is used to make money. For example, sometimes the entertainment news is about famous people and their personal life. The tabloids show us articles about Elizabeth Queen and her family. In Costa Rica reporters take pictures of death bodies with blood around it. Sometimes, I do not like the news because it is just a business.

However, in Costa Rica, some reporters have very interesting ideas about new ways to bring us information. They try to reduce negative news and present more positive news on their programs. The new positives news is about local culture, social responsibility and international folklore. Other ways to change negative news is when reporters show us the images and information with diplomatic forms. Finally, I think that news business owners must read the market and change their business model.

To summarize, we have advantages and disadvantages with the news. But, in my personal opinion, we have more positive things. However, we can pressure news chain owners to moderate the language of negative news. As another example, we can turn off the TV for the negative news. Finally, just enjoy watching TV with positive news!By Felix MataNewspapers vs. 21st Century

In the last years, the development of the Media has spread and gradually left aside the newspaper. For example, the creation of the television, the radio, and the Internet inform people in real time without having to wait until the following day to know the news. Also, the accessories that you can use to be connected are more accessible than in the past, so every day we can see more and more of these "tools" on the street. However, newspaper refuses to die under this kind of globalization and we will see pros and cons about written press.

One of the most important arguments about why the newspaper has decreased in popularity in the last years is because people like to be informed in real time. First, the advanced technology with the computers and Internet connection like Wi-fi permit people to be informed minute by minute about what happening in the world right now. This technology allows to the news company to update their own information every time that they want to. Second, TV and radio also have a piece of cake in this market and they are working to not lose audience, for example by making new programs and different kinds of reports about the news. Third, the newspaper is more traditional, it has no chance or space to change. This makes it more boring for people who see always the same thing.

Another point against the printed newspaper is the contamination and deforestation caused by the paper production process. For example, to make printing paper, thousands of trees have to be cleared, damaging nature and the environment gravely. Also, to produce the paper, thousands of gallons of water are wasted and contaminated. In addition, I have to mention the littering caused by the newspapers once they are not use anymore. People who do not recycle just throw it away anywhere and this causes tons and tons of garbage every year.

The newspapers have one more problem: That depends on the readers comprehension. One advantage of the T.V and e-news is the possibility to show videos permitting the user total comprehension of the reportage. In addition, the newspaper offers low quality images and that sometimes is a problem because that confuses the reader. Also, the language used in newspapers is focused on specific markets. This means that you can read the same story in different ways, for example, the language used by the newspaper La Teja is very different from the newspaper La Nacion and this also causes confusion.

Finally, we can ensure that with the passage of time the newspaper will disappear. Every time we will have more influence of the electronic media in our lives and just like regular books, the newspaper will be promptly replaced virtually. Also, the Environmental Conservation Polices will force to restrict the use of paper to the minimum. And although in the television and radio media the use of different languages is also usual, this is not as marked as in the written medium. This summarizes the difficulties faced by the newspaper in the development of the 21st century. By Pedro Arguedas Herrera

Humorous Section

The Achilles Heel

In Wheelchair to Golfito!

I changed my mind when we visited Golfito with a disabled person. Sure, that trip was a life experiences for me. I believe very few people know the big obstacles on the roads of disabled persons. I was one of them, because I never stopped to thinking in their transport necessities. So, in this essay I am going to write about my trip to Golfito with my friends and one of them is a disabled person.

Our trip began early in the morning at San Jos. Later, we went to my friends house for carrying him to the car. Here, we had the first challenge for us because he needs help to get in the car because he cannot use his legs. Now, in your life, do you think it is difficult to get in the car? You probably do not have difficulties but it is very hard to do for a disabled person. That day, I learned it!

Later, on the road we had more problems. I do not know if that word is correct but at that time it was a problem. For example, when my friend needed to go to the restroom we had to help him. One person was taking firmly the wheelchair while another friend was helping my friend to sit him on the wheelchair. Sincerely, one time is easy but six hours in one trip of 400 kilometers was not easy to do. But not only for us was difficult, it was complicated for my friend too.

On the other hand, I have not good feelings. Probably it is no fine but I have to write it. Because some disabled persons make abuses when they are using their physical condition as justification. For example, on my parents neighborhood a blind man always requires the first sit on the bus and that place is the most dangerous place. That is a situation very particularly for me because I think the disable persons have their rights but they could fight reasonably and not only for enforce the law. Sorry, but I had to write about this situation.

To summarize, coming back to my story in Golfito and its road, I overcame my life because I can obtain sensibility. The disable persons have a lot of things to give to our society. For example, they have a lot of courage, good sense of humor and are very smart. Persons without handicap have to learn a lot of things from disable persons, especially their life perspective. And their positivism!

By Felix Mata

Animal IntelligenceWonderful Animals

Most humans believe that animals are just company for us or simply pets, but a lot of important studies and studies about behavior control discovered that animals have a great intelligence, those animals are able to resolve problems and they even can communicate with us. Some of those studies have demonstrated many mechanisms that they use to communicate with each other, like sounds or gestures. Many people spend their time making those studies to learn every day more about animals and their wonders.

An example that we mentioned in the last paragraph is about the feelings and the different ways of communication that chickens have to develop. When those little animals feel that they are in danger, they use communication systems with sounds to alarm the others. Those sounds are not just for danger situation. They use it to recognize others too. In Jonathan Balcombes book Second Nature, he explains that they develop strong feelings for their couples.

Another case where we can see the feelings of animals is with Koko the gorilla. This animal shows us her feelings in different situations, for example, Koko had a pet, and when his pet died, she started to cry and communicated how she felt expressing it with gestures. All this can be possible because Koko learned a language system to express herself using gestures. With this system the gorilla can answer different questions and tell us when she is hungry or angry.

We can see a lot of cases of animals doing amazing things; parrots that can categorize; elephants that figure out how to eat more food and whales playing and socialize. Another of the abilities that they show us is the communication with us. Some birds can vocalize and the chimpanzees can learn how do signals with their hands to tell us that they want.

Around the world, we can find so many kinds of animals with extraordinary abilities and feelings that we cannot imagine. Every day we discover thousands of reasons to get fascinated with all around us. The last reason makes us stop thinking of animals like simply pets and make us to act different with them. We need to start taking care of the animals, help in the different campaigns that we see every day or at least we have to love our pets and not abuse them. We have to learn about it because some animals are more human that some people.

By Eduardo Jimenez Araya

Monkeys and Humans

In this project we are going to talk about the brain differences between monkeys and humans, because there are some studies that said that the difference is one gene or that we share 98.7% of similarities, but there are other reasons about, why we are very similar. Now we are going to talk about three main reasons: the activity of the genes in humans, the capacity of the language, opposable thumb in the hand.Activity on the genes: Ajit Varki a scientist of California University in San Diego and researchers of the Institute Max Plank of genetic anthropology in Germany made a study that revels that one main difference between humans and chimpanzee lies on the creative genes. These studies revealed that the activity on the creative gene in humans is five times superior than chimpanzee genes. They figure out these conclusions because they studied the RNA of the DNA of humans and chimpanzee.

The capacity of language: The humans have the vocal cavity and the vocal strings that allow humans talk, and thus united to intelligence humans had created cods that help to communicate verbally. This capacity of communication helps humans to develop more intelligence.

Opposable thumb in the hand: The thumb can touch the rest of the finger tips. This can make easy the objects manipulation, with this useful tool humans can create new things, can manipulate things easily. The problem with the chimpanzee is that they do not have this important tool.

With this information we can know that here is not just the 1% left that make the big difference between humans and chimpanzee, there are other kind of things that are involved in this big difference

By Javier Robleto

Animal Intelligence: Pets

Many children want a pet, and ask their parents to buy it. Some parents agree with this petition because their children can become more responsible and understand the importance of caring for a living being. Also pets are an important part in the growth of children. For example, when a child is an only child or not have friends, pets become a great company, and when the child has learning problems. But not only children need a pet also adults do. Although there are studies that focus on the intelligence of chimpanzees, pets such as dogs and cats, also demonstrate their cognitive intelligence.The reason why children and adults prefer the dogs is because they become to real friends and are faithful to their masters. There are different breeds of dogs. Some of them can be playful, seem like a baby, and guard. Dogs are very noble pets, which are always trying to help their masters because they have a big cognitive intelligence. These pets are trained by people to perform different tasks. Some dogs help blind people; others are helping the police to trace drugs and search for lost people. On the other hand, the intelligence of the dogs is not only based on training, they are able to understand and act in different situations. They can express feelings of happiness (when moving its tail) and sadness. There are dogs that when their master dies they do not leave him. They even do not leave on the side of the tomb.

In addition some breeds of dogs are great playmates for young children and their caregivers. Many people buy this pet to give the child company and help them develop during childhood. For example, when a child has a pet, he becomes a responsibility because he must take care and keep it happy. In the United States, there are programs in prisons where dogs are used to rehabilitate the deprived of their liberty. The program consists of assigning each prisoner a dog, and they have to bathe, groom, feed, and walk the dog; this makes the prisoners aware of the responsibility of caring for another living being.

Another excellent pet are cats because they are good companions for the elderly people, is very quiet and has many skills. When a person is getting old sometimes feels alone and depressed because they do not have family or live in faraway places, but when they buy a cat, their life change completely because it gives them joy and they feel accompanied. In addition, cats are very intelligent, have a good sense of direction, never lose the direction of where they live. Even if they are away from home, they know how to comeback. They understand what humans say, and they know how to manipulate to get what they want. Even if the cat is not happy at home, it goes away to search for a better place.In conclusion, pets have also shown that they are very intelligent, not just acting on instinct. They really come to understand the behavior of the people. In order to help the human being they have the ability to learn how to act in different situations. There are many movies that talk about animals, such as dogs and cats which can vocalize and reason, as well as maintain a full conversation. Of course, they are just films and this is part of the imagination of the people, but these films are not very far from reality. Although dogs and cats cannot speak, they always are looking for ways to communicate with the people to get what they need. Each day shows that they are capable of performing multiple tasks, always with the illusion of helping their master. They give love, company and help; they do not expect anything in exchange. With the passing of the years, pets have become true friends.

By Olga Fallas Abarca

Only for kids!

Longevity: Refusing to Be InvisiblePopulation Agining Around The World

In this moment the population that the world has is getting older. By 2020 more than one million people between the 65 years old will be living in the world. So now we are going to give a little information about what is happening and what the studies predict. Lets take a look from the demographic point of view: population ageing means that fewer children are born and more people are getting older.

Studies had been made and demonstrate that people are going to be older in 2020 reaching the 70 years old and the mortality is going to decrease. Since the 1970s the proportion of elderly was 41 years old, in 1990s 61 years old, this figure means that is going to be a big increase if we do not do something.

There actually currently more than 20 countries that have already reach or outstrip these number, some of those countries were the elderly people is more than the rest of habitants are: Costa Rica with an average of 77, Cuba with 76, Jamaica with 75, Malaysia with 72, and the republic of Korea with 72.

More recently studies shows that other thing that affects this problem on having elderly people is the strong decrease of birth rate, like china that we agree that is the country with more population in the world, had decrease the birth rate. Studies shows that the fertility in china had decrease from 5.5% in 1970 to 1.8% in the current year.

Elderly people are increasing and are something that we have to be worry about, because it means that in the future young people is going to be less than this days, and who is going to take care of the elderly or be worry about things that in this moment young people are doing.

By Javier Robleto

Longevity in the 21st Century

It is possible for a person in the 21st century to live for 100 years? In some places it seems it is possible. In France there was the oldest woman in the world who died at the age of 122. It is believed that lifestyle greatly influenced in their longevity because at the age of 100 years she still was riding her bicycle. Also in Canada it is estimated that there are at least 4,600 people over 100 years old. It is true that genetics contributes much to longevity but what can we do to live longer? We can start by taking three important tips: Stay fit, eat healthy and avoid addictions like alcohol and smoking.

To stay fit it is important to perform daily exercise, at least half an hour per day. Scientists recommend exercising at least three times a week but this proved that people who live longer perform daily exercises. This helps to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI), helps us to maintain our ideal weight and also helps us to avoid cardiovascular diseases that cause early death. Another benefit of exercise is that performing this activity reduces the level of stress that we suffer because of our accelerated lifestyle, another factor that causes early mortality.

Eating well is always a tip we heard since we were children, but globalization and the influence of other cultures has led us to eat fast food or junk food, prepared with high fat levels and that does not benefit our health. Antioxidants provided by natural foods, like vegetables and fruits, help to avoid substances that alter our DNA and cause cancer cells. Nutritionists recommend frequent consumption of foods such as apples, green tea, vegetables, pure water and wine. Eating a low-fat diet helps longevity and also prevents cardiovascular diseases.

Completely avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption is an important factor to achieve longevity. Smoking increases the possibilities of cancer, heart disease, stroke and respiratory problems. This problem also is caused to people who are around us because they are passive smokers. Alcohol abuse causes damage at the level of our stomach, liver and pancreas, causing cancer in all these areas. Also this affects people socially because it generates stress, family problems and problems with society. Certainly avoiding these two addictions increase our chances of living longer.

If we really want to increase our life expectancy, it is necessary to follow these three tips which should be a habit in our lives. Exercise helps us to relax and have a more resistant body. Healthy eating prevents substance that can endanger our health seriously; avoiding smoking and alcohol prevents us from digestive diseases, pulmonary and psychological. Keeping our body and mind healthy is the best way to sum up the secret to longevity that every day becomes a more distant goal.By Pedro Arguedas Herrera

External link: Article10 ways to live to 100

RealBuzzThu, Nov 22, 2012 09:14 GMT

10 ways to live to 100: Eat foods that boost your lifespanEat foods that boost your lifespanIf you want to increase your life expectancy, try eating nutrient-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables and plenty of oily fish. Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout, are a good source of vitamins A and D, which are good for the immune system, and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a lowered risk of heart disease and stroke. For a tasty way to increase your life expectancy, you could also try snacking on antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, which can lower your risk of heart disease. Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived a grand total of 122 years and 164 days, put her good health in part down to her regular chocolate consumption.

Learn how to deal with stressStress affects just about every aspect of our health. As well as its mental and emotional implications, stress can contribute to high blood pressure and weight gain, and a study by Pennsylvania State University researchers has found that how you deal with stress can affect your health up to 10 years later. To stay healthy into old age, try to find effective ways to deal with stress, such as exercise, meditation and using relaxing essential oils such as chamomile, lavender and bergamot.

Think yourself youngWhile ageing is an inevitable part of life, research by psychologist Ellen Langer has demonstrated that it may be possible to think yourself younger. Her ground-breaking experiment found that when elderly participants were treated as physically capable and encouraged to think of themselves in this way, their bodies actually followed suit, with tests showing remarkable improvement in many areas, including dexterity, speed of movement, memory, arthritis and blood pressure. Try to adopt a younger, more positive mindset to stay physically and mentally younger for longer.

Become a volunteerNot only is volunteering good for boosting your emotional wellbeing and creating social bonds, research results published in the journalHealth Psychologyhave also found that taking on voluntary work could help you to live longer. However, the study revealed that your motives need to be right in order to reap the rewards, as people who volunteered in order to help others rather than for their own personal satisfaction were found to live longer than those who didnt.

Quit smokingSmoking is one of the worlds biggest killers and is a cause of many chronic and life-threatening diseases, including cancer and heart disease. In fact, statistics show that approximately every six seconds, someone dies due to tobacco. To increase your life expectancy and quality of life, try to quit smoking now. The good news is, experts have found that the risk of having a heart attack decreases within just 24 hours of quitting smoking.

10 ways to live to 100: Laugh moreStay activeHands up if youre guilty of sitting down at a desk or in front of a television screen for several hours each day! The truth is, most of us spend far too long sat in front of a screen and not nearly enough hours on our feet. However, researchers from the University of Queensland have found that for every hour you watch TV you may shorten your life by as much 22 minutes! To increase your health and life expectancy, try heading out for a walk after your evening meal rather than settling down for a TV marathon. Research results published in the journalPLoS Medicineindicate that walking a total of just two and a half hours a week could add more than seven years to your life.

Have regular health checksMany of us have a head-in-the-sand approach to our health and are guilty of ignoring symptoms we should really get checked out. However, it is never worth taking a chance on your health. Look after your body and help to extend your life expectancy by visiting your doctor about any concerns you may have and making time for regular health checks such as cervical smear tests for women and blood pressure checks. Men should also make sure they regularly check themselves for signs of testicular cancer, while women should check their breasts for signs of breast cancer.

Laugh moreOne of the most fun ways to make it to 100 is to work more laughter into your life. Studies have found a multitude of ways in which laughter boosts your health, including lowering blood pressure levels, reducing bad cholesterol, enhancing the immune system and helping blood vessels to function better. A study in Norway also found that those who laughed most often in everyday life were 35 per cent less likely to die during the study period.

Get more sleepThe powers of a good nights sleep are often underestimated; however, getting enough sleep is essential for good health. Researchers have found that the hormonal changes resulting from a lack of sleep trigger changes in the body similar to ageing, meaning that ongoing sleep deprivation could exacerbate age-related conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Lack of sleep can also increase stress levels, which is bad news for our health. To boost your wellbeing, try to make sleep a priority and adopt good sleeping habits; going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.

Improve your social lifeIf you want to live to 100, its worth taking some time to nurture your friendships. Research suggests that having regular contact with your friends can help you to live longer by reducing feelings of depression, stress and risky behavior, and encouraging you to look after your health. In fact, a study by Brigham Young University found that having few friends affects your longevity as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Bonding with your co-workers is also a good idea, as research by Tel Aviv University found that having social support from colleagues reduced participants risk of death from any cause over the 20 year study period.HomeworkHomework

Through the time education has evolved in a positive way, and it has become a very important part of society, because the people who study have a secured job in the future. To achieve that a person may become a professional he must go through different processes. The person begins the process of learning since childhood. The student must pass exams and do daily homework that assist the learning process. But most of the tasks that teachers leave for the children are quite heavy; they need much care and dedication to get a good result. Many times these tasks cause tiredness, stress and frustration.

Fatigue is very common that children present. From an early age children must perform the homework that teachers tell them to be able to pass the school year. But most of the time these tasks become annoying due to the fact that the children go to school like eight hours per day. They arrive home for eating and should immediately take the notebooks and books to do the tasks that are for the next day. Also, homework is quite harsh children takes up to four hours to resolve them. This generates that they feel tired because they could not sleep well. That is why some kids go to school sleepy.

Stress is a symptom that is caused by the accumulation of a lot of homework. Stress is very harmful for all people but especially for children, which should not feel bad. Children take classes with different teachers, but each teacher leaves them different tasks every day and they must be delivered within eight days. When the student must do lots of homework and handing them over for the next class, he suffers from stress because he does not have enough time to finish each one. The student is under pressure all the time. Stress causes in children many illnesses from diseases such as headache, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and sleeping disorders.

When the teacher leaves a very difficult homework, the student feels frustration because he cannot resolve it by himself. In many cases parents should help their children so that they can do a good job, for example, when the teacher says the child should make a model of the solar system. The child begins to feel frustration because he has no idea of how to do it or what materials he must use in order to get a good grade. Parents feel the discomfort of the child. That is why they prefer to do the homework themselves; they try to help their children. But if the parents make the task of their children, it is of no help because the child was not learning.

In my opinion, the school is to learn and make the child develop useful skills for the future. These tasks are necessary to make the child go through knowledge, but homework must be efficient, and easy to perform. The tasks should not cause fatigue, stress or frustration to the students because many times it causes that the child does not want to continue with the learning process. Children learn very quickly. They are really smart but teachers must teach with patience and wisdom. Education is very important, but how far can the children withstand the pressure of the difficult tasks to pass the course?

By Olga Fallas Abarca

Memes Section!

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