PORTFOLIO #18 WALLS

PORTFOLIO #18 WALLS

Sidewalls

Sidewalls is an Argentinian film that allows us to meditate on the fact that people who live in the large urban center feel miserable as they live in a constant rush; ignoring one each other ,inmersing in the technologies of nowadays and having the tendency to be insensitive and gloomy. In some cases this is true,people's expectations are somehow darkened by their experiences.Mariana and Martin, the main characters, are afraid of undergoing  friendships or relationships owing to their failure in love which made them lose their self-esteem and led them to the origin of their phobias. They exhibited guilt due to their couples had abandoned them, as a consequence Martin and Mariana developed an irrational fear (She was claustrophobic and he was a phobic of means of transport).
In my opinion, Sidewalls also reflects the negative aspects of dating;in fact, it is difficult to find a person with the same interests, way of thinking and dreams.The characters are frustated because of their sexual encounters , it will be assumed that they really crave a relationship, since the sense of loneliness and lack of love perpetuated their daily lives. Apart from this,both of them have something in common, they are dependant on their personal objects, it can be said that they make them their treasures ;even though they try to be in contact with strangers, they cannot afford it nor establishing a bond with people being happy neither.

TED has also included WALLS among its talks. Forget Wi-Fi , meet the new Li-Fi Internet by Harald Haas

Harald Haas demonstrates that it is possible to transmit a video from a standard off-the-shelf LED lamp to a solar cell with a laptop acting as a receiver, taking into account that there is no Wi-Fi involved, it is just light. Even though, there will be a massive extension of the Internet to close the digital device and also to allow for what we call "the Internet of things",leading to the connection of  tens of billions of devices to the Internet. Harald encourages the use of existing infrastructure like Li-fi or Light Fidelity to transmit data incredibly fast ;and also in a safe and secure manner due to this data is transported by the light and encoded in subtle changes of the brightness. There are so many LEDs around us , so there is a rich infrastructure of Li-Fi transmitters. Another way of using existing infrastructure to receive data from the Li-Fi lights are solar cells and solar panels. Solar cells absorb light and convert it into electrical energy, for that reason we can use a solar cell to charge our mobile phones.

Harald has discovered that fifty megabytes per second can be received from a standard off-the- shelf solar cell, and it is faster than most broadband connections in these days. In the video he explains and shows a lab demonstration of the process of using a new techonology, in that case he proves that the solar cell is able to decode and stream information. A solar cell has become a receiver for high-speed wireless signals encoded in light, while it maintains its primary function as an energy harvesting device, it could be said that it is possible to use existing solar cells on the roof of a hut to act as a broadband receiver from a laser station on a close by hill, or indeed, lamp post.

I am inclined to believe that this new technology will be useful in order to be aware of other types of receiving data information, We can access to Internet freely with something that it is everywhere and that is light spectrum.This methodology has been experimenting in order to decrease the potentially harmful electromagnetic pollution emitted by wireless internet routers, therefore we are protecting the environment and also access to Internet without paying, it can be said that Li-Fi will provide internet signals fast without interferences in a secure way.

PORTFOLIO 17. Arguments and Counterarguments: Capital Punishment.

PORTFOLIO 17. Arguments and Counterarguments: Capital Punishment.

Jeremy Irons gives arguments and counterarguments against death penalty. They will be developed in the following chart. 

For	Against
Some countries execute people who were under 18 years old when the crime was committed, others use the death penalty against people with mental and intellectual disabilities and several others apply the death penalty after unfair trials	Death penalty is not a deterrent of crime and it is irreversible.
A person who murders other one deserve to die. Any single person must be judged by his/her offends.	There are criminals who prefer to live outside of the rules that society sets. These individuals may never be rehabilitated. The death penalty completely eliminates that possibility from the equation
When someone commits a horrific crime capital punishment provides a safety net for the rest of the society. A sentence of death prevents that person from committing another horrific crime. It also reduces the influence that person would have on prison populations.	Death penalty abuses two of the most basic human rights. Everyone has the right to live and no one shall be subject to torture. Death penalty  tortures physically  by the brutal nature of execution and psychologically by forcing individuals to wait to be killed
Capital punishment laws create space for potential rehabilitation without dealing with issues of prison over-population.	It costs more to implement the death penalty than offer life in prison.

PORTFOLIO 16 & WRITING TERM TEST.

PORTFOLIO 16 & WRITING TERM TEST.

Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison. Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree?

Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be punishable by prison, some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits.

One justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. However, burglary or possession of drugs, for example, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not present a direct danger to anyone in the community. Keeping these types of criminals in prison is expensive for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment as they often commit the same crime again when they come out of prison.

Personally, I also believe punishments should reform people so they do not reoffend. A further reason not to put these people in prison is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse crime when they are released. By keeping them in the community, helping others, they not only learn new skills, but they could also develop more empathy and care towards others. If this occurs, society can only benefit.

Critics of this more rehabilitative approach to crime believe that justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that community service could be less likely to have that effect. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that long prison sentences deter criminals.

In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to society in prison is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation. Community service for non-violent crimes benefits both society and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether community service or prison is more likely to stop someone reoffending. I strongly believe that decisions on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evidence of what actually works.

Tips

1. Introduce your essay by restating the question in your own words.
2. If the essay asks you to what extent do you agree?, make your opinion clear throughout. You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion.
3. The structure should be:

• Introduction
• The first reason why you agree/disagree
• The second reason why you agree/disagree
• The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one)
• Conclusion

      4. Use phrases to organise and link your ideas, e.g. Owing to … , One justification for … , The first thing to consider is … , A further reason … , In conclusion ... .
      5. If you do not have solid evidence for your ideas, use modal verbs such as might, may or could (e.g. they could develop more empathy and care) or other tentative phrases (e.g. it does not appear to be an effective punishment).
     6. Conclude by restating your opinion and summarising your two or three main arguments.

Jeremy Irons: Death penalty

Death penalty

Jeremy Irons talks about death penalty, he mentions some arguments and counter arguments against death penalty. His position is against Death penalty,he says that it is not a deterrent against the crime that it punishes and it also does not stop criminal chaos. Even though, it targets the economically disadvantage for those who cannot afford good legal councel, those without a voice in society, it can be assumed that it will help those societies
Nevertheless death penalty is irreversible, and results in the death of innocence when someone is dead a retrospective pardon is of little use to them or their family. Basically, it abuses two of the most basic human rights: everyone has the right to live and no one shall be subject to torture, they are applied to every single human being.Taking everything into consideration, it does not matter how terrible was the crime, everyone has the right to life.

PORTFOLIO 15: Essay Gender Diversity in Education.

Reading textIn most universities there are more male students than female students on science courses. What is the reason for this? What could be done to balance out the numbers? In higher education, science subjects are typically dominated by male students. This negatively impacts the world of work, as fewer females then go into the science, technology and engineering sectors. This essay will explore the reasons for the lack of gender diversity in science and suggest ways to create equal opportunities in this area.The most likely reason for the imbalance is that society reinforces the idea that boys and girls have different interests and abilities. We see this from a very early age when little boys are given cars and Lego while girls get dolls. The former are encouraged to build things whereas the latter learn to care for others. Later on, we are told that girls are better at languages or boys have better spatial awareness. In fact, there is no evidence that biological differences between the sexes make one gender more talented than another at a particular subject. It is society, not nature, that tells us girls should favour arts and humanities and leave maths and physics to the boys.Coupled with this is the lack of positive female role models youngsters see doing science-related jobs. Cartoons and stories often show the crazy scientist, genius inventor, or adventurous astronaut as a man. Furthermore, there is an unfortunate perception that scientists are geeky, have poor social skills or that their work is lonely and detached from the rest of the world. These are false stereotypes portrayed by the media, but they may mean that girls do not identify with scientists, and see science as an unappealing career path. If girls saw more positive female role models in science it would give them more confidence and a greater sense of belonging in those subjects.Given these points, it is important to tackle this issue right from a child's early education. By the time young women are at university, it may already be too late to disprove the view that science is 'not for them'. Hence, for very young children gender-neutral play needs to be encouraged. As children get older, both the education system and the media must raise awareness of female achievements in the field of science, as well as exposing them to a more diverse set of characters in books and films. We need to find ways to show young girls that science is fun, interesting, and, most importantly, theirs too.

1. Read the question carefully. If the question asks you to discuss the reasons for a problem and suggest solutions, make sure you do both.

1. In your introduction, restate the question in your own words and say what your essay will do. This essay will outline the reasons for … and offer solutions to the problem.  

1. Plan the paragraphs of your essay before you write. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarises the main idea of the paragraph.

1. Develop your position fully by extending your ideas and using examples to support your arguments. Use linking expressions like Coupled with, Furthermore, In fact and Given these points to show what is coming next.

1. Try to use a wide range of vocabulary. Use natural-sounding collocations like equal opportunities and role model. Avoid repetition by using synonyms or words with similar meanings: girls, young women, females; children, youngsters. You can also use the former and the latter to refer to things you have just mentioned.

6.Build the conclusion from the ideas in the essay rather than introducing new ones.       Essay Gender diversity in Education      It would be hardworking to enhance academic professions for equal genders, even though gender diversity in education will attain equal opportunities to males and females; providing them an inclusive educational environment from kindergarten to higher education. This essay will outline the different aspects of diversity such as selection of university subjects, students population balance and gender roles.

 Gender diversity in Education 

Sources:

British Council. An essay about women in science. Website:https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/advanced-c1-writing/essay-about-women-science

 SI news. Women are outnumbering men at university

website: https://www.studyinternational.com/news/record-high-numbers-women-outnumbering-men-university-globally/