Smarter or Wiser?

Over the centuries, technological advances ahce considerably aided human beings. Every problem was treated with such care that the most amazing idear surged to give a solution to such plights. Nowadays technology have reached unprecedented levels. Transportation, building, communication and food production are now quick and efficient processes, nevertheless, we are still caught in predicaments we cannot solve.Has our copacity for invetion reached its limits?

Since the industrial revolution, technology applied to industry has maximized its production at very low costs and at half the time. This occurred at the expense of millions of workers who were unemployed or even worse, who were deliberately exploited and absolutely deprived of their rights by factory owners. A very similar situation took place in rural communities and farms. There, teams of oxen and ploughs were replaced by tractors and crawlers, which required only one man to do the job that in former times was done by fifty farmers. This change, in turn, could meet the factories need of raw materials.

Furthermore, while in the past people managed to cope with domestic tasks manually and without electricity, today everyday chores are carried out by little devices designed to make our lives easier Eventually, we have grown completely dependent on them. We have fallen prey of technology to be informed, entertain and even educated. Finally, mayor advantages of technologies such as the Internet, satellite tracking system and technology applied to science have all been blurred by its appication to inhuman and cruel ends. For instance, in WWII billions of dollars were invested in the improvement of the machine gun and the gas chamber.

All in all, on the one hand, technological advances have contributed to making our lives easier and more productive. On the other hand, however, we seen to have lost the respect for experience and good judgement. By no accounts quick thinking can be compared to wisdom, if the dire consequences technology have brought about remain unsolved.

Teaching - a blessing in desguise?

For years, the teaching profession has been a prestigious and valued occupation. Teachers were regarded as role models both by children and their parents. Their authority was undisputedand the role they played in society was an indispensable and noble one. However in recent times, teachers´virtuosity has been reduces to a mere assistencialist position.

In asociety ruled by purchasing power, teachers, whose salaries are extremely low, are not considered respectable professionals. On the contrary, the choice of a teaching carreer is now regarded as an unwise one. Furthermore, due to this lack of prestige neither parents nor studentssee teachers ar role models any longer. Parents thenselves being professionals expect their children to choose hhigh earning courses of study eventhough they might overlook their own vocations. The media, in turn, has also become a source of "role models", filled as it is now with uneducated, though incredibly rich sports people or notorious female celebs.

As a result of these detrimental factors, behaviour problems in classrooms did not take long to appear. Naughty and noisy children are a must in today´s schools.
On top of it all, teachers have been deprived of their right to impose discipline . Instead, they are expected to passively acceptbeing mistreated and abused by seven year old kids. What is more, in several occations, teachers who have tried to use a disciplinatory measure have been taken to court , or even worse, have been dismissed from their workplaces.

In conclusion, in spite of all the current negative aspects of teaching there are still young people who go for it. It seems to me that the task of providing children with guidance is both invaluable and rewarding. No matter the drawbacks currently faced by the teaching field, working on your chosen profession is undoubtly a blessing.

Fluorecent adolescent

Being a teenager has never been an easy task, neither fifty years ago nor now. However,while in those days teens fell into mischief without bringing about any dire consecquences, these days the young have become prone to criminal behaviour. Which are the causes that have contributed to such and increase in juvenile delinquency?


Over the last decades crime among the younghas raised dramatically. It is often alleged that the government has failed to provide a solution to this serious problem, which has now reached unprecedented levels. In addition, the predicament these teenagersare caught in is far from a fairy tale.Households made of single or divorced parents who have been unemployed for years; whole families living on welfare; parents unable to provide their children with the basic school material, clothing or even food.
Furthermore, high schools are governed by the lawthat states that you are what you have. For those teens who cannot have the latest "stuff ", it is like throwing them into a lion´s cage where the only way of getting what they think they need is crime. Finally, it is clear the educational system falls shotof its potential. Added to the problem infrastructure and materials, discipline and low marks are commonplace. Teachers find it almost impossible to give students a lesson thus classrooms are chaotic places in which critical thinking cannot be fostered.

Clearly, this situation must be reversed as soon as possible. New policies as regards employment should be applied. Instead of having people living on welfare, which can be degrading, the government should invest funds to activate the country´s productive line which, in turn would generate employment.
Concerning teenagers, schools should be equipped with a psichological and pedagogical department to aid students both emmotionally and academically. What is more, school timetables should be enlarged, giving students the chance to learn a craft, play an instrument or practise spots. In that way, these teenagers will be definitely kept out of the streets.

In conclusion, social and economic problems have led to juvenile crime yet solutions are at hand. To copoe with this plight effectively we need to ensure the young have a model to look up to both at their homes and schools. Athough all the suggestions above mentioned will require a long-term investment both in social policies and education, it is high time we startedthinking about teenagers´future which happens to be also ours.

The Anatomy Lesson

The Anatomy Lesson by Rembrandt is the picture that I have chose to portray the scientific and technological advances of history. In my opinion, all the advances of humanity in every field of science, from psychology to medicine are the result of humans´ inquisitive minds and curious spirits.

Stress at College

By the end of every term, the ghost of stress hovers above college students. Lost of studying, sleepless nights and careless eating. Do they ring a bell to you? Exams are one of the most stressful situations we have to cope with yet there are a series of steps to follow to get over them.

Most of us believe that the more hours we study the better. This is a common misconseption though. When it comes to studying quantity outweighs quantity. In order to works at is optimum potential our brains need both oxigen and fresh air . We need to keep our blood circulating an the only way of achieving this is moving. Go for a walk. Meet your friends: Leave your place. Devote a fraction of your time to relaxing and ensuring all that reading finally becomes knowledge.

Undoubtedly, long studying hours is not the only factor that can result in stress. All the anxiety and nervousness our bodies are exposed to may inevitably lead to insomnia. This is a rather common symptom of stress. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about it. As the saying goes: if you can´t beat them, join them. You could take advantage of those peaceful hours at night and study or just relax. Make the most of your time- do not try to avoid it since once your exams are over, your biological clock will return to its normal rhythm.

Finally, your eating can play a decesive influence on your performanceduring the exams periods. Try not to neglect your eating habits. Keeping a balanced diet will aid both your body and your mind to successfully undergo the exams period.

We are all well aware that a stress free end of term is an unattainable task. However, we are convinced that following the suggestions mentiones above you will be a ble to overcome the stress fuelled by exams and get the best results. At this time of the year your well being is as crucial as studying. Give it a try!

You look just like your mother!

More than once, I can assure you, you´ve heard someone saying: "you look just like your mother!" - Do I? Well, fortunately for me, my mother rocks!

Among the infinite possible gene combinations, there is always one (or some) that we cannot get away with. Either my dad´s nose or my mum´s legs...It seems I´m a copy of them. Darwin and Mendel have explained in a convincing way why my eyes are brown, however they haven´t done much to explain why I burst into tears when I can´t manage a situation (just like my mum) and I tend to avoid every confrontation (just like my dad).

How is it that our characters are shaped? Is it a genetic question? Is it a background question?
After some reading I came to know that as well as our parent pass us physical traits, they also transmit character or rather hints of it. It’s our private social interaction with our families and later public social interaction which help us develop our characters. There are many theories,for instance, evolutionary psychology claims that "At birth, everyone starts from scratch, with a unique genotype, some inbuilt instincts (including a temperament), and a pre-wired capacity to learn certain kinds of behaviours". So then, according to Freud, who based his studies and theories on Darwin´s work, we are in fact shaped by our backgrounds. High on top of the list being our parents, the ones we mostly interact with in the early stages of our life.
As a conclusion, I can say that, although we are likely to inherit some characteristics from our parents, society does influence the way we think and behave. This fact reinforces the view that portrays human beings as unbelievably complex and flexible creatures.

Tough Enough

When I had to think of a topic for a cartoon, I wanted it to represent me and how I feel: This is my cartoon
In this cartoon I try to represent something that sooner or later we are all confronted with: that is independence.
As this is our last year at college, I wanted to portray the fears and insecurities that we all feel now that we are about to step into adult life.
Once we get our degree, the first thing we need to do is to get a job. Even though most of us already work, supporting ourselves is by far a differet thing. Luckily for English teachers job opportunities abound. We might be offered jobs in private institutes, schools, even our houses can be places of work. However working conditions vary, and there are many people out there who might want to benefit from both our capacities and inexperience. I have to confess that the name "tough enough" came up rather naturally. I quite often find myself saying that.

As regards the experience of being a cartooninst, I really enjoyed. The idea came up almost immediately, the dialogues though, were more difficult. I guess that it is because we are always so concerned about our writings, finding synonyms or fancy words that when it comes to simple language we just have to think twice as much!