The journalWritten by:

María de la Paz BarqueroDaniel Cortes

Patricia FernándezGustavo Ureña

English III

Read them you will not regret!

The Internet: the Most Powerful Mass Media By María de la Paz

Barquero

Nowadays, there exist a lot of electronic devices that give you all the information you need. Examples of those electronic devices are: computers, smartphones, tablets, TV and others. The internet makes them essential in our lives, because you can entertain yourself, know what is happening around the world and find all the things you want.

Some advantage of using this technology is that you can find a lot of information in the fastest and easiest way. Also, all the people have access to the information of the internet. You can see all the news, the old and new ones. Almost all people have an electronic device or have a place near to their house to use this.

But not everything is good. There are disadvantages of mass communication and technology. Not all the information or news that you see in internet is true. Moreover, some teenagers or adults become addicted by using social networks or playing online. Another negative thing is that children can see websites that are not appropriate for them. In addition, people can steal your identity or take your personal information.

The mass media of the past had changed too. Years ago if you want to be up-to-date with the news, you had to wait for the newspaper, in the present with only one click you have the news of the entire world. Furthermore, when you want to say something to a friend that lives far from you, you had to send a letter, nowadays you can send an e-mail and it comes to your friend instantly.

In conclusion, mass media progressed a lot with the internet. Without this amazing tool, we would last more time searching what we want. Also, thanks to this, our life is easier. But we have to remember to take care which websites we visit because not all are reliable. Finally, take advantage of the internet in good way.

Influence of Media in Society By Gustavo Ureña

It has been shown in recent archaeological excavations, that man has had a need to record their

stories and knowledge, to transmit them to future generations and this has used different means

to achieve it. For example, the primitive man, probably the first form of communication was the

implementation of strategies to organize signals or

signs hunting or cave drawings found in caves. Million

years after the appearance of writing, the man made

several ways of disseminating messages to distant

places, the most common were the papyrus,

parchment and letters, and even animals were used,

such as pigeons to send their messages safely and

quickly. Later, due to the high demand for new

knowledge and ideas, the age of print, this was a breakthrough because it allowed playing several

times quickly and orderly information.

Thereby the media have evolved over the years and through several transformations

according to the needs and resources of man. With the advent of the telegraph, the man could

send messages over long distances, even to other continents. Using the infrastructure of the

telegraph, the telephone was incorporated, which instead of sending magnetic signals are

transmitted the voice of people over long distances. The radio was and is one of the most

innovative of all time because it uses electromagnetic waves to transmit voice or sounds from a

broadcast to several receivers at the same time points at long distances; we can say that this is the

first collective means of communication. Finally years later came the television, using the same

principles of radio, we only received only audio but video is still one of the favorite media until

today and now with the introduction of new technologies such as internet , cell phones or laptops,

we can find the radio, television and newspaper digital media, which become predominant means

for today's society.

The incorporation of new technologies, has created a new lifestyle, known as "information

society", its primary function is to use these technologies to facilitate the creation, dissemination

and manipulation of information in the world. This ideology has

made great achievements for the benefit of the mankind, as to

play its role has diminished the digital divide, as more and more

people using these technologies, accessing learning tools and

training to generate new knowledge, reducing the achievement

gap, consequently the people get better job opportunities and

income and which would become major economic benefits,

especially in underdeveloped countries.

Another aspect to consider is the positive and negative influences of media on society.

Among the positive influences, we mention that the information reaches different parts of the

world immediately, for example through news reports on the most important events of each

country as well as entertain. Besides these means make it

possible for many personal relationships stay together or

at least not completely disappear, spread the culture in all

its aspects. On the other hand some negative influences is

that information can be manipulated and use it for self-

interest of a specific group, because the mass media are

often controlled by political ideologies, religious and

economic, can destroy values and cultural identities are addictive, people spend much time doing

nothing productive or beneficial to them or society.

In short, the media has evolved according to man's need to create, transmit and

manipulate information so that other individuals have access to this and create new knowledge.

Also, both past societies like our own, have two things in common, they devised new ways to send

information quickly, safely and effectively, plus a significant impact on their lifestyles. Finally, with

appropriate use of media, both as an individual, and society will get great benefits, improve their

quality of life.

You can do it! By Daniel Cortes

Have you ever thought that you just cannot continue and that you are just going to blow up or give up? Well here is the story of somebody who overcome all his obstacles, and putted his entire positive attitude until he reached his dreams.

The person whose dreams came true is a British theoretical physicist. His name is Stephen Hawking and he has a motor neuronal disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, this disease had becoming worst over the years. He is now almost completely paralyzed and communicates through a speech generating device.

However, even with those difficulties he could success not only in his career but also in his personal life. He has a family with two children, and also two marriages. And even with his disease he could raise his kids and support the family.

The most popular achievements as a famous physicist is the study of general relativity and the theory of prediction that black holes witch made him be the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

So in conclusion, this story show us how does the life will always place difficulties in our lives but it is very important to overcome them and finally grow as a better person, just like Stephen Hawking did with his life!

Stephen Hawking

Dolphins’ Intelligence By Patricia Fernández

There are a lot of things that we do not know about dolphins. They have relatively large and complex brains but are they really that smart? It is very common to associate the concept with the ability to learn or analyze using reason and judgment but to answer this question it is necessary to study the nervous system structures.

A lot of researches have shown that dolphins’ brains present a greater complexity than human beings’ brains. One of the most interesting facts is that dolphins have more neurons, almost fifty percent more than us.

Other researches mention that dolphins teach their young how to get food and survive by themselves against predators and also it is shown that even in captivity, they are able and willing to teach and pass their knowledge to others. They have an amazing ability to communicate with sounds and different kind of dances and jumps.

Dolphins also have a sixth sense, which is the ability to find their prey located far from them, using extremely accurate echoes. Studies show that they use their almost 250 teeth as an antenna to capture back the signal.

Nevertheless, we might think how come they are unable to escape from fishing nets? Why do they keep looking for contact with humans after so much killing? These beautiful creatures are full of mysteries, and there is no way for us to find those answers.

Keys to Longevity By Gustavo Ureña

According to recent studies, laughing, drinking wine, talking to friends and family, walking, are keys to live longer. Also it is essential to strengthen moderate, habits aimed at meeting basic needs and integrate physical and mental activities of daily life. Here we will mention a few keys to longevity.

In physical appearance, physical exercises of low intensity such as walking, stair climbing, swimming, golf, practice of yoga according to age, among others, contribute to improve sense of well-being and almost all health indicators, especially those related to the cardiorespiratory system and infrequent nightlife, which translates to more sleep. Enjoy a few minutes of sun, a source of vitamin D, which helps prevent osteoporosis.

Referring to the mental aspect, for long life is essential to maintain an active memory. For that you should read, study, do mental exercises, decreases the likelihood of developing diseases such as Alzheimer's. We also always have an open and positive attitude all the time. In addition, have the company of family, friends or engage in traditional activities.

Finally on Food aspect, recommended to have a homemade meal, made from natural products without additives or preservatives. A low consumption of snuff and alcohol. Eating fruits, vegetables, grains and natural products rich in minerals, proteins and antioxidants, which may help prevent systemic diseases such as cancer.

In conclusion, people who have a long life, is because a healthy lifestyle, instilled in his youth, likewise

with the interaction of family, friends and society. I think we should learn from them and their lifestyle, if we want to live long, healthy and happy.

Do You Want to Have a Long Life, Won't you? By Patricia Fernández

A lot of things have been said about the secrets to live longer, but do you really want that? If you do, you must change the way of thinking and set some basic rules so you can be on the right path. You will have to be committed with yourself and failure will not be accepted. Would you take the challenge?

Having a good attitude is the key to succeed in everything that we want. If you do not have it, it would be very difficult to change your bad habits. The first thing that we have to do is find a cause and commit to it.

We are what we eat and it is very important that we understand the benefits of eating well. Fruits and vegetables help us to detox our body from our bad eating past. In addition, a routine of daily physical activities might reduce the risk of suffering many diseases. Having a sedentary life can increase the possibility to have heart attacks and many other complications.

Many studies have shown that being close to your family and being part of a group can decrease the risk of depression, and will give you emotional stability. Being happy is essential in the rejuvenating process and avoiding stress factors or just learn how to deal with them will make your life better.

Longevity is not that hard to find; perseverance and discipline will help you succeed.

What Should We Do? By Daniel Cortes

If you want to live longer, you should follow some advice. Take in consideration that longevity can be reached in several ways. But if we really want to live longer, we should really start taking care about this before being an elderly person. So what should we do?

Well, I will begin with the most obvious advice, physical health. The first thing we should take care of is our diet; eating healthy food with a lot of nutrients has shown big changes in people’s lives. Also avoid eating junk food is a good advice. It is ok to eat junk food, but not on a daily basis, this will help you to avoid some diseases.

As a second tip, we can say that doing exercises can also improve our longevity. Several studies show us that exercise, such as walking or swimming impact aging and health on everyone’s life. Consequently, we could say that sedentary people usually live less than others, so avoid having a sedentary life is also a good tip for longevity.

We already talked about the physical aspects, but what about the emotional aspect. Longevity can also be affected by emotions, for example stressed persons normally have short lives. They always care about other things than their own lives. So trying to have a peaceful life and avoid being upset is also a good way to have a long life.

In conclusion, some good tips for living longer are: eat healthy, do exercises, and have a peaceful live. If you follow these steps, you will for sure have a long life but as Martin Luther King said: “The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.” So what do you really want? A long life or good life

Is Homework Useful or Useless? By María de la Paz Barquero and Daniel Cortes

We as students have many questions about homework, that it helps us or not. Some students are against or in favor. Also, some parents are against homework because that takes away time with their children. Almost all teachers are in favor of homework because the students practice at home. There are some positive and negative aspects about homework that we need to know.

Homework helps us because they force us to study at home. Furthermore, we can practice what we saw in class. Also assignments are positive for us because we can investigate more about the topic and not only know what the teacher explains to us. Not all homework have to be boring, you can have a dynamic homework like watching a video or do a project with your classmates. These aspects make it easier for the teacher because we learn more.

One negative aspect of homework is that parents think that homework take too much time doing all of them because the teachers give a lot of assignments and their children cannot be able to do anything. Several times the teachers think their subject is the only one and give tons of homework to the kids, who at the end of the week are severely exhausted.

Another bad thing of homework is that several times the students do not do it correctly and they copy from another partner or just do not do it. So the professors believe that many of the students are doing the homework, but the truth is that they are only trying to get better score by cheating.

So in conclusion, it is important for students to have homework, but like everything it has a limit. The best homework is the one that needs effort, but not too much so you can learn properly and improve your knowledge. And like the proverb says: “Do not leave today’s homework for tomorrow.” That can definitely help you with any homework.

12 Essential Rules to Live More Like a Zen Monk“We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.” - Thich Nhat HanhPost written by Leo Babauta .

I’m not a Zen monk, nor will I ever become one. However, I find great inspiration in the way they try to live their lives: the simplicity of their lives, the concentration and mindfulness of every activity, the calm and peace they find in their days.You probably don’t want to become a Zen monk either, but you can live your life in a more Zen-like manner by following a few simple rules.Why live more like a Zen monk? Because who among us can’t use a little more concentration, tranquility, and mindfulness in our lives? Because Zen monks for hundreds of years have devoted their lives to being present in everything they do, to being dedicated and to serving others. Because it serves as an example for our lives, and whether we ever really reach that ideal is not the point.One of my favorite Zen monks, Thich Nhat Hanh, simplified the rules in just a few words: “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” It doesn’t get any better than that.However, for those who would like a little more detail, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve discovered to work very well in my experiments with Zen-like living. I am no Zen master … I am not even a Zen Buddhist. However, I’ve found that there are certain principles

that can be applied to any life, no matter what your religious beliefs or what your standard of living.“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.” - Shunryu Suzuki

1. Do one thing at a time. This rule (and some of the others that follow) will be familiar to long-time Zen Habits readers. It’s part of my philosophy, and it’s also a part of the life of a Zen monk: single-task, don’t multi-task. When you’re pouring water, just pour water. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re bathing, just bathe. Don’t try to knock off a few tasks while eating or bathing. Zen proverb: “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”

2. Do it slowly and deliberately. You can do one task at a time, but also rush that task. Instead, take your time, and move slowly. Make your actions deliberate, not rushed and random. It takes practice, but it helps you focus on the task.

3. Do it completely. Put your mind completely on the task. Don’t move on to the next task until you’re finished. If, for some reason, you have no choice but to move on to something else, try to at least put away the unfinished task and clean up after yourself. If you prepare a sandwich, don’t start eating it until you’ve put away the stuff you used to prepare it, wiped down the counter, and washed the dishes used for preparation. Then you’re done with that task, and can focus more completely on the next task.

4. Do less. A Zen monk doesn’t lead a lazy life: he wakes early and has a day filled with work. However, he doesn’t have an unending task list either — there are certain things he’s going to do today, an no more. If you do less, you can do those

things more slowly, more completely and with more concentration. If you fill your day with tasks, you will be rushing from one thing to the next without stopping to think about what you do.

5. Put space between things. Related to the “Do less” rule, but it’s a way of managing your schedule so that you always have time to complete each task. Don’t schedule things close together — instead, leave room between things on your schedule. That gives you a more relaxed schedule, and leaves space in case one task takes longer than you planned.

6. Develop rituals. Zen monks have rituals for many things they do, from eating to cleaning to meditation. Ritual gives something a sense of importance — if it’s important enough to have a ritual, it’s important enough to be given your entire attention, and to be done slowly and correctly. You don’t have to learn the Zen monk rituals — you can create your own, for the preparation of food, for eating, for cleaning, for what you do before you start your work, for what you do when you wake up and before you go to bed, for what you do just before exercise. Anything you want, really.

7. Designate time for certain things. There are certain times in the day of a Zen monk designated for certain activities. A time for for bathing, a time for work, a time for cleaning, a time for eating. This ensures that those things get done regularly. You can designate time for your own activities, whether that be work or cleaning or exercise or quiet contemplation. If it’s important enough to do regularly, consider designating a time for it.

8. Devote time to sitting. In the life of a Zen monk, sitting meditation (zazen) is one of the most important parts of his day. Each day, there is time designated just for sitting. This meditation is really practice for learning to be present. You can devote time for sitting meditation, or do what I do: I use running as a way to practice being in the moment. You could use any activity in the same way, as long as you do it regularly and practice being present.

9. Smile and serve others. Zen monks spend part of their day in service to others, whether that be other monks in the monastery or people on the outside world. It teaches them humility, and ensures that their lives are not just selfish, but devoted to others. If you’re a parent, it’s likely you already spend at least some time in service to others in your household, and non-parents may already do this too. Similarly, smiling and being kind to others can be a great way to improve the lives of those around you. Also consider volunteering for charity work.

10. Make cleaning and cooking become meditation. Aside from the zazen mentioned above, cooking and cleaning are to of the most exalted parts of a Zen monk’s day. They are both great ways to practice mindfulness, and can be great rituals performed each day. If cooking and cleaning seem like boring chores to you, try doing them as a form of meditation. Put your entire mind into those tasks, concentrate, and do them slowly and completely. It could change your entire day (as well as leave you with a cleaner house).

11. Think about what is necessary. There is little in a Zen monk’s life that isn’t necessary. He doesn’t have a closet full of shoes, or the latest in trendy

clothes. He doesn’t have a refrigerator and cabinets full of junk food. He doesn’t have the latest gadgets, cars, televisions, or iPod. He has basic clothing, basic shelter, basic utensils, basic tools, and the most basic food (they eat simple, vegetarian meals consisting usually of rice, miso soup, vegetables, and pickled vegetables). Now, I’m not saying you should live exactly like a Zen monk — I certainly don’t. But it does serve as a reminder that there is much in our lives that aren’t necessary, and it can be useful to give some thought about what we really need, and whether it is important to have all the stuff we have that’s not necessary.

12. Live simply. The corollary of Rule 11 is that if something isn’t necessary, you can probably live without it. And so to live simply is to rid your life of as many of the unnecessary and unessential things as you can, to make room for the essential. Now, what is essential will be different to each person. For me, my family, my writing, my running and my reading are essential. To others, yoga and spending time with close friends might be essential. For others it will be nursing and volunteering and going to church and collecting comic books. There is no law saying what should be essential for you — but you should consider what is most important to your life, and make room for that by eliminating the other less essential things in your life.

“Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” - Wu Li

Mass Media Influence on SocietyBy Rayuso

Mass Media Influence

In the last 50 years the media influence has grown exponentially with the advance of technology, first there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet.

We live in a society that depends on information and communication to keep moving in the right direction and do our daily activities like work, entertainment, health care, education, personal relationships, traveling and anything else that we have to do.

A common person in the city usually wakes up checks the tv news or newspaper, goes to work, makes a few phone calls, eats with their family when possible and makes his decisions based on the information that he has either from their co workers, news, tv, friends, family, financial reports, etc.

What we need to be aware is that most of our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. In our work we usually know what we have to do based on our experience and studies, however on our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of.

We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and education. However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that we should know how it really works.

How mass Media Influence works

Of all the media distribution channels the most influential has been the television, we are constantly exposed to thousands of images of violence, advertising, sex, celebrities and much more, in fact a its known that a child is exposed to about 40,000 ads a year.

But who owns the media, which are the companies or people that shape our values, beliefs and decisions? The media is basically dominated by five major companies they are:

Time Warner

VIACOM

Vivendi Universal

Walt Disney

News Corp

Those 5 companies own 95% of all the media that we get every day. They own the major entertainment theme parks, entertainment movie studios, television and radio broadcast networks and programing, video news and sports entertainment.

They also own integrated telecommunications, wireless phones, video games softwares, electronic media, the music industry and more.

Years ago there was more diversity in companies, but they have merged so now they are just a few and they have the power to shape the opinion and beliefs of us and our kids. So its important to be aware of what your kids are exposed to every day and you should also try to look at things from different perspectives and not just from the one the media gives you.

References

http://zenhabits.net/12-essential-rules-to-live-more-like-a-zen-monk/

http://rayuso.hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society