Do you know how Obama's childhood was?

Let's know a little more about Barack Obama and his school years...

Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the USA on 20 January 2009. He was one of the most powerful people in the world. But his early life was quite difficult. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii. His mother was from Kansas in the United States. His father was from Kenya. When Obama was just two years old, his father returned to Kenya. Obama only ever saw his father again once, when Barack was ten years old.

Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the USA on 20 January 2009

Obama's mother remarried and in 1967 the family moved to Indonesia. Obama lived in Indonesia for four years. Then his mother wanted him to go to school in the USA, so he went to live with his grandparents in Hawaii. However, although he enjoyed school school, he had his first experience of racism there. When he was just ten years old, a boy asked him if his father ate people!

For many people, Barack Obama is a symbol of the American Dream.

Obama's mother got divorced from her second husband and returned to Hawaii in 1972. In a speech in 2008, Obame said that he was proud of his mother because she had looked after him on her own. As he got older, he started to ask more questions about his identity. He went to a good school, but sometimes it was strange for him because there were very few black students there. He got into trouble at high school. His mother talked to him and told him to work harder. He listened to her advice, worked hard and went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, in 1979 and then Columbia University in New York in 1981. Barack Obama didn't have an easy childhood, and sometimes he had problems at school, but he didn't give up. 

References: Text by Granger, C & Stannet, K.; Hot Spot 4; Ed. Macmillan.

Test: are you an Optimist or a Pessimist? / The Optimism Bias.

The following article was found by Vse.Normalno in a text book for English teaching. Enjoy it!


As you read each cuestion, try to imagine yourself in each situation. Think of how you would react and then choose A) or B). Be honest!

1. You bought a book, but you left it on the bus on the way home. Do you think you will get it back? 

A) Yes, probably - I'll call the bus station.

B) Not very likely. - someone probably took it.

2. You want to buy a shirt/dress that you've seen in a shop. You find they've just sold the last ond. Do you think:

A) Oh well, I can probably find something similar. 

B) Why am I always so unlucky?

3. You get an "A" in an exam. Do you think: 

A) Wow! I'm really good

B) I was lucky with the questions.

4. You're crossing the road. A driver gets annoyed and shouts at you. Do you think:

A) He/She must be having a difficult day.

B) People are so rude!

5. You're trying to figure out a problem with your computer. Do you think:

A) There must be some simple solution to this.

B) I just don't understand computers. I give up!

6. You start a new fitness programme and you're really tired the next day. Do you think:

A) Wow, I worked hard yesterday - it'll be easier next time.

B) Wow, I must be really unfit!

7. A friend you haven't seen for months says "You're looking good". Do you thik:

A) Yes, he's right. Nice of him to notice.

B) Does he really mean it or is he just being nice?

Did you have mostly A) or mostly B) answers?

In case you've chosen A) answers the most, you are an optimist. 

But if you've chosen B) answers the most, you've got a pessimist attitude. Don' t  you think it's time to change your points of view? Let's see why...

This certainty that our future is bound to be better than our past and present is known as the "Optimism Bias" and researches have found that is common to people all over the world and of all ages. Of course, the Optimism Bias can lead us to make some very bad decisions. Often, people don't take out travel insurance because they're sure everything will be all right, they don't worry about saving up for old age because the future looks fine, or they smoke cigarretes in spite of the health warnings on the packet encajar they believe 'it won't happen to me'. Or on a global scale,we carry on polutting the planet, because we're sure that we'll find a way to clean it up some day in the future.

OPTIMISM IS GOOD FOR YOU

But researches believe that the Optimism Bias is actually good for us. People who expect the best are generally likely to be ambitious and adventurous, whereas people who expect the worst are likely to be more cautious, so optimism actually helps to make us successful. Optimists are also healthier because they feel less stress - they can relax because they think that everything is going to be just fine. Not only that, but the Optimism Bias may also have played an important part in ou evolution as human beings. Because we hoped for the best, we were prepared to take risks such as hunting down dangerous animals and travelling across the sea to find new places to live and this is why we became so successful as a species.

Even if our optimism is unrealistic and leads us to take risks, without it we might all still be living in caves, too afraid to go outside and explore the world in case we get eaten by wild animals.

Font: English Text Book for Language Teaching, Education for Schools

Do you know why sharks attack on humans? [By Myers, Jackson & Tiberio]

The following text has been found in  "What's up?" by Cathy Myers, Sarah Jackson & Silvia Carolina Tiberio, Ed. Pearson Education. Tell us about your point of view. Are you afraid of sharks? Have you seen one? What do you think about?

Do you know why sharks attack on humans?

There are about 450 species of sharks of different sizes. Some sharks are about 20cm long; others can reach 12m. Three species -the tiger shark, the white shark and the bull shark- are responsible for a lot of attacks on humans.

White Shark stalking

Sharks live in deep ocean waters but sometimes come to shallow waters to hunt. They eat fish, dolphins, sea turtles and seals. They are aggresive predators, but they are not man-eaters. So, why do they attack humans?

Experts think that when visibility is poor, sharks mistake people for prey. This can happen when the water is not clear: for example, when there is a lot of splashing. They also explain that the number of people in the sea is going up. "When there are more people, there are more attacks," explains George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack Files of the University of Florida in the United States.

According to the International Shark Attack Files, there are 70 - 100 shark attacks on humans per year but only 5 - 15 of those people die. Bees, wasps and snakes kill many more people per year. So, why are people so afraid of sharks? A possible explanation is that we can control animals on land. In the sea, sharks are not easy to control. Another reason is that when there is shark attack, television and newspapers say a lot about it.

George Burgess thinks that sharks are not villains. They simply get bad press.

George Burgess

¿Por qué se drogan los adolescentes?

Según expertos, las drogas con mayor auge entre la juventud de hoy son la marihuana, los inhalantes, la cocaína y la heroína, y, en menor grado, las pastillas psicotrópicas y el crack (cocaína en piedra). Sin embargo, por haber bajado de costo, la cocaína es cada vez más común, y como efecto, aumenta el uso de la heroína, puesto que el adicto busca cada vez experiencias más intensas, considerando a las drogas "comunes" como algo aburrido. No es solamente en barrios bajos y colonias escondidas donde se adquieren drogas. Las discotecas, los bares, las calles, los amigos, todo ello llega ocasionalmente a llevar al consumo de estas sustancias.


Por los efectos de la sobredosis, o los signos y síntomas del síndrome de abstinencia, el tratamiento médico farmacológico, etc., se pueden dar diversas clasificaciones de drogas. Entre ellas:

De tipo ALCOHOL-BARBITÚRICO. Bebidas que contienen etanol, los barbitúricos y otros fármacos con efectos sedantes como el hidrato de cloral, benzodiacepínicos como el clordiacepoxido y el diacepam, el meprobamato y la metacualona.
De tipo ANFETAMINA. La anfetamina, metafetamina, dexanfetamina, metilfenidato, fenmetracina, metielenedioxianfetamina, etc.
De tipo CANNABIS. Todas las preparaciones de Cannabis Sativa como la marihuana y el hashish.
De tipo COCAÍNA. Como la cocaína, hojas de coca y crack.
De tipo ALUCINÓGENO. Como el LSD, la mezcalina, psilocibina.
De tipo OPIÁCEO. Como la morfina, la codeína, la heroína, y los productos sintéticos que tienen efectos morfínicos como la metadona.
De tipo SOLVENTES VOLATILES. Como el tolueno, la acetona, y el tetracloruro de carbono.



Esta clasificación fue determinada por el comité de expertos en fármaco-dependencia de la OMS reunido en Ginebra en 1973.


¿Por qué se drogan los adolescentes?


1. Por el medio en el que crecen. No significa que solamente la gente de un medio social menos favorecido cae presa de las drogas. Significa que si es una persona insegura y dependiente, está predispuesta a dejarse llevar hacia un camino erróneo y dirigirse hacia las drogas. Es importante la forma y el ambiente en que los padres crían a sus hijos.


2. Para aliviar las tensiones. En esta época de prisas y stress, es fácil buscar alivio a través de pastillas. Al auto recetarse medicamentos para subir y bajar de peso o controlar el estado de ánimo, la persona está cayendo en la adicción.


3. Para despertar la creatividad. Existe la idea de que la droga te da más capacidad para desarrollar ideas, cuando en realidad acaba con todos tus recursos. Muchos inventores destacados en la historia no necesitaron incitar su creatividad con sustancias, pues eran cristianos que conocían las capacidades que Dios les dio, las desarrollaron y solicitaron la ayuda de aquel que diseñó el universo.


4. Para contestar las interrogantes existenciales. ¿Quién soy? ¿De dónde vengo? ¿Cuál es el propósito en la vida? Este tipo de preguntas no hallarán respuesta en las filosofías del mundo, sin embargo, muchos jóvenes han sido engañados al pensar que el uso de alguna sustancia va a abrirles el entendimiento a estas cuestiones.


5. Para escapar de sus circunstancias. Cuando un joven no tiene una base sólida como es la fe en Cristo, puede intentar huir de su realidad, o evadir sus responsabilidades, así como manifestar su inconformidad con el medio que lo rodea. Y aceptemos que lo que rodea a miles de jóvenes hoy en día es crisis a todos los niveles.


6. Para obtener experiencias espirituales. No falta quién diga que ha visto a Dios durante uno de sus "viajes". Es triste, pero el hombre siempre ha querido tomar atajos para llegar a Dios en una forma fácil o mágica, en vez de enfrentarse a Él y aceptar su condición de pecador.


7. Para ser aceptados. Cuando una persona carece de convicciones, es fácil que se deje arrastrar por el grupo mayoritario, para no tener que sufrir el rechazo.



8. Para buscar placer. En una cultura como la de finales de este siglo, todo es "ahora", "disfruta" y "¡Tienes que tenerlo!". La mayor parte de los jóvenes no sabe ya distinguir entre lo bueno y lo malo, por lo que no tiene armas para tomar decisiones sabias, sino sólo aquellas que satisfagan su ego.

Misteriosa Buenos Aires: La Galera (Mysterious Buenos Aires: The wagon) - Review (English Version)

Misteriosa Buenos Aires –Spanish for Mysterious Buenos Aires – was written by Manuel Bernabé Mujica Láinez (Buenos Aires,1910 - Cruz Chica, Córdoba, 1984) in 1950 which talks about ghosts, supernatural stories and other imaginary or real tales of B.A. The book has 42 short stories about the biggest Argentinian city. It tells what Lainez knew about B.A. and its fictions.


Misteriosa Buenos Aires, Manuel Mujica Lainez. Ed. Sudamericana

One of them is La Galera –The wagon–. This short story talks about a woman who had to travel to B.A. from Córdoba –a crowded city of Argentina- because she had killed her own sister to inherit her fortune.

The story begins when Catalina Vargas –the murderer– was traveling by wagon with the gold of Lucrecia Vargas –her dead sister– and suffering with her partners because it was so hot. They couldn’t open the window because there was too much dust outside the wagon.

She remembered how she had changed the medicines to her sister and how she escaped with the wealth.

Then, she saw something strange. She saw, behind the smoke of a cigarette, the face of Lucrecia in front of her! But suddenly something odder happened: the wheel of the wagon fell off and everyone had to go out.

She slept under a tree while the driver was repairing the wheel. When he sounded the horn, she couldn’t stand up! She was desperate and frightened. She could see her sister among her partners with her appearance. The driver thought that Lucrecia was Catalina, and left her under the tree because she had disappeared –her look was taken by her sister–. Lucrecia had vengeance, and Catalina was alone in the middle of the field.



This story is fascinating because it has everything that someone wants to read: mystery, action, a fantastic and real atmosphere, a murder and a perfect ending that shows the revenge from a supernatural world.