Somewhere over the rainbow... A song for this summer!

Hard to choose... Amazing places

Cool Slideshows!

Holidays

Cool Slideshows!

Dream Holidays...

(picture from the internet - unknown author)

Where would you like to go on holidays? If you could, where would your dream holidays be? Is a beautiful sunset like this a strong reason to go on holiday to a paradise with palmtrees, sand and transparent waters?...

Time for a new look!

We are almost saying goodbye to another school year! Some students suggested a change: "Why don't you change the blog's template and make it more colourful?" So, I decided that an year was enough and that we all deserved a new look! I hope it looks better now and that you like it! :)

YOUR SPACE!

This is your space! A space of freedom and possibility. I only have one intention with this post: to give you the chance to publish whatever you want: poems, comments, provocations, questions, thoughts, opinions, advice, suggestions... Talk about the clouds in your spirit or the moments of perfect light!...

(picture from the internet - unkown author)

Slaughter in a US university...

April 17, 2007 — Cho Seung-Hui, 23, the Virginia Tech student who police believe is responsible for killing 33 people at the university he attended.

Everyone is wondering why this keeps happening in the USA. Why is it so easy to buy weapons in that country? How is it possible that tragedies like this one are not enough to make the government enforce a law against weapons? Who is earning money with the business?...

Another problem that worries me is bullying. Some teenagers live a life of fear and despair during their school years and some of them carry in their memory the episodes of violence and humiliation all through their life. There are some who suffer from depression while still at school or afterwards, because the image of themselves is affected and some are not able to overcome the trauma. Some others become killers... Teachers and parents must pay attention to the signs...

(Click on the title to read more about this in the ABC News link.)

(pinture from the internet - ABC News)

Sex at school

There is a survey about sex at school published in the Sábado magazine which says that 11% of the students in high school have already tried sex during breaks and when they don't have classes. The article mentions that it usually happens in the playground, toilets and in some places like behind some buildings and at the gym. I admit that this was a surprise to me. Especially the confessions of some students who talk about having sex without condoms in the school facilities. I thought that some hot kisses and naughty hands were the furthest that you could go with so many people around, but I was mistaken.Our school has got separate toilets and the buildings don't give enough privacy to the couples, so I believe that this only happens in other schools with other types of facilities. However, I would like to know your opinion about this. Again, the discussion over classes of Sexual Education comes to my mind, because I have been facing a lot of ignorance among younger students as far as sexuality is concerned. This week, for example, a young girl told me that kissing a boy was oral sex and it was the only thing they could do at school, because everybody was watching... I couldn't believe my ears. I must say that in the age of information there is still more ignorance than knowledge and we should, as teachers and grown-ups, do the best possible to inform these teenagers and make them aware of the need to have responsible sex and relationships. Parents don't talk about this, in most cases, and teachers think that it's not their business to inform. What do you think? Should children and teenagers grow up like this?...

(picture: cover of Sábado magazine)

Another term before Summer!

Dear student,

Did you rest and had lots of fun during this small two weeks break? So, I think now you are ready to start working hard again in order to have reasons to celebrate in the end of the term! Days are getting bigger, the weather is warmer and the terrible winter is far away. Enjoy the sunny days and give your best in your studies so that you can have some memorable holidays in the Summer! Remember: these may be the best days of your life! HAVE FUN and GOOD LUCK for the final track!

WOMEN have an international day...

Why is it that women still have an international day? I keep wondering about this every year when 8th March comes. Is it because women are an unprotected minority? I don't believe so. Yes, you've got it!... The reason why is because women in the 21st century are still discriminated against almost everywhere! Everyone has to accept this. Just have a quick look at most muslim countries, where women still have to wear veils or burkas and cannot ask for a divorce even if their husbands ill-treat them or have other women...However, you don't have to go so far. Look around and you'll find out that discrimination is everywhere... Men and women are different, of course. It is written that they have the same rights, nevertheless there some facts that prove the contrary. Women usually have two jobs (the house and children and their career); statistics say that there are more unemployed women than men and that the companies prefer men to women when it comes to choose from job candidates; their wages are inferior even if they do the same job and a woman always has to prove to the limit that she is good to have some credit in her career. These are facts. So, it seems that women still need an international day for many decades to come...

(picture from the internet - unknown author)

SAY NO TO SMOKING

Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, an addictive stimulant which temporarily improves alertness, memory, and mood, but also forms a strong physical and psychological chemical dependence (addiction). Nicotine, like any stimulant, can also increase anxiety, restlessness, and disturb metabolism. Medical research has determined that tobacco smoking is a major contributing factor towards many health problems, particularly lung cancer (which has a survival percentage of 16.4%), emphysema, and cardiovascular disease. Many countries regulate or restrict tobacco sales and advertising and require warnings to be placed prominently on the product packaging. Many governments now restrict or ban smoking in a variety of public venues. The Portuguese government has recently approved a similar law.

It is known that tobacco kills thousands of people every year. It kills more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined.

If we are intelligent human beings we must say that it is time to STOP! Young people must be aware of the dangers and be strong enough to say NO. You don't have to smoke to be "cool". To be cool is to be healthy!

(picture from the internet - unknown author)

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...

Today

Lovers are happy!

Teenagers sigh

And adults dream about their adolescence

when they used to feel

that LOVE was in the air ...

Be my Valentine

They say

But should we think about love

Only today?....

ABORTION

(pictures from the internet - unknown author)
I AM PRO-LIFE

Abortion(dic.): the deliberate ending of a pregnancy at an early stage. A medical operation to end pregnancy at an early stage.

The struggle over the abortion issue has been long and hard.

The heartbeat begins on the 21st day after conception.

Should we have the right to kill someone?...
I believe that abortion is a war on the unborn...

I believe abortion is a crime.

(Click on the title and read more about this issue...)

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

(pictures from the internet - unknown authors)

During the past 20 years, obesity among adults has risen significantly in the United States. The latest data show that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older—over 60 million people—are obese. This increase is not limited to adults. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged 6–19 years, 16 percent (over 9 million young people) are considered overweight. This problem doesn't affect only the United States. This is a problem for all developed countries, including Portugal. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions. It's imperative to teach healthy habits and make teenagers aware of the health problems that may affect them one day...

“There’s nothing glamorous about an ending like hers.”

21-year-old Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston dies of anorexia.

The death of anorexic model Ana Carolina Reston has those close to her hoping the fashion industry will finally wake up to the dangers of the eating disorder.
Reston, 21, a Brazilian model who weighed only 88 pounds at the time of her death, succumbed to a generalized infection caused by anorexia nervosa.

BODY IMAGE

Fashion models have contributed to the growth in eating disorders among young girls. There is a link between the images of "abnormally thin" models which dominate TV and magazines and the rise of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. It seems that many girls and women become unhappy about their own appearance after reading fashion magazines. Men also look at the bodies of athletes and want to look like them... What about you? Do you care a lot about your image? Do you feel that you are influenced by fashion and by the patterns that are presented in magazines and on TV? Do we need to feel well with our body in order to feel happy inside?...

Special wishes for the NEW YEAR...

Dear student,

The New Year has just started and with it lots of inner promises and new commitments come to our minds.... It seems that every year we are given the chance to start something new, to change what is not right or what we consider that should be altered... What are your commitments for the new year? Do you intend to change something in your life? What are your wishes for 2007?...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!
I wish the peace and light of this season may last in your hearts all through the year...

BUYING CHRISTMAS...

CHRISTMAS....
It's a time of love, peace, reunion, forgiveness, dreams and hopes... People say that it is a time TO GIVE and TO RECEIVE!... I think it is a time to share, but not only gifts... It's time to be with an open heart with the ones we love and to give something to the ones who need... We shouldn't buy Christmas... We should have it in our hearts when we walk in the world...

OUR PLANET...OUR LIFE...

"The Earth is not dying - it is being killed. And the people who are killing it have names and addresses." U. Utah Philips

Who should protect the Earth? How can we contribute to the preservation of our planet? Who are the ones to blame?Are the future generations safe?...