juliannewritesstuff-blog

[juliannewritesstuff-blog]

the thing you are most afraid to write. write that.

Nayyirah Waheed (via wordsnquotes)

[juliannewritesstuff-blog]

Russia’s withdrawal from Eurovision 2017

As we all know, the relationship between Russia and Ukraine has not been the best, and it has been getting worse, as we can all see during the organisation of this year’s ESC (Eurovision Song Contest) in the city of Kyiv - Ukraine.

In the 2016 version of the contest in the city of Stockholm - Sweden, Sergey Lazarev from Russia was the big favourite to win the trophy. But in the end, it went to Jamala from Ukraine with her song ‘1944′, about the deportation of the Crimean people to central Asia during the government of Stalin.

The ESC is a non-political organisation, and it was very controversial that a song like Jamala´s was able to compete. But as none of the lyrics contained any political meaning, and the song was about the story of her family, it was suitable to enter the competition.

Of course Russia was not happy at all that Ukraine won with that song and over their artist that was the favourite until the end, so they made a big deal about it whether to participate or not in the 2017 edition of the contest, and they decided to do so right before the deadline of the submission of the songs.

On 12 March 2017 Yuliya Samoylova, a wheelchair-bound singer was chosen to represent them this year. Unfortunately, on 13 March 2017 the Ukrainian authorities announced that Yuliya had entered Crimea illegally in 2015 for a concert. Therefore, she was banned to enter the country for the ESC.

We are aware of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, so it is against Ukrainian law to enter Crimea without permission from the government. This just made the controversy rise even more, the opinions about this situation are very diverse, and the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) has been trying to appeal to Ukrainian law to let Yuliya into the country in the month of May.

The options given were: 1- That Russia chooses another singer that has not broken Ukrainian law. 2- That the performance was broadcast via Satellite from outside Ukraine.

None of these were suitable for any country. Ukraine even banned Yuliya from appearing in Ukrainian TV, and Russia refused to broadcast via satellite, because all artists deserve to perform on the same stage. (Which I agree with.) And they also refused to change the artist.

Russia is known for being booed in the ESC because of their anti-gay laws, and the ESC is known for being very pro-gay and most of the fans belong to the LGBTQ+ community. They know they were going to be booed even more in Ukraine, so they sent a wheelchair-bound singer in order to avoid booing and generate empathy. And sadly, it did not work. 

Conversations were held, statements were made from both sides until finally today: (13 April 2017.) Channel One Russia decided not to participate in the 2017 version of the ESC due to the difficulties to solve this predicament, and the resilience of Ukraine to keep the travel ban on Yuliya.

I think Ukraine did well at not allowing Russia to get away with their whims and being so stubborn, and not letting a person who broke Ukrainian law to enter their country.

For me, the EBU has done poorly at keeping things non-political, and being so permissive towards Russia. They are the owners of the contest and they should have given an Ultimatum to Russia whether to change their artist or withdraw, period. 

And we all would have saved all these weeks of controversy.

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Schools and education in 2050.

I envision a school system that really cares about the enjoyment of the learning process. Most schools right now use a very old-fashioned way of teaching and treating people. They do not really care about the quality of life and uniqueness of the students, they just want to shape them in a certain way that their society has accepted.

In the future, the developed countries as well as those developing right now, will have a school system that is suitable for any kind of person, and they will embrace our talents and help us grow as great people.

The way of teaching will not be just the teacher giving all the facts and information, they will only provide the foundation of the topic and it’s objective. So it will be up to the students to discover and learn everything about it in the funniest and easiest way for each one. Then the teacher will instruct and guide them if there is any mistake.

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Is education becoming useless?

I really do not think that education is becoming useless, we need to be educated so we are able to advance and evolve as the human race. But the education system is the one becoming useless.

There is a whole plethora of ways to educate people, the learning processes are very diverse as the people that are learning. Everybody has a different way to experiment explain, and understand the world.

Nowadays, there are schools that understand this situation, and are able to provide students with a lot of different tools and method, so they can understand a topic and apply it. Also, teachers should treat students as real and complete human beings, not like most of teachers that think we are just machines. 

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You will be shown to pictures…

1- Describe each picture in a 50-word paragraph each.

2- Contrast the two pictures in the third paragraph (50 words), express your preference for either one, and explain why.

1- It is an overcrowded classroom in an ugly high school, everything is very poor looking, not only it is an old building, but also they have run out of chairs for the students. Everything is unorganised. And the students do not look like they are learning anything. It looks more like a prison than a high school.

2- It is a very modern building with an unconventional way of teaching. Despite the fact that there are no classrooms, the do have an organisation. Everyone has a way of learning, and they provide students with any kind of materials, so they are able to understand the topics.

3- I like the second school better because the ambient looks very welcoming and modern. The students are happy to go there, so they are willing to be taught. Whereas, the other school is looking very lugubrious and hostile. Those factors, including the big amount of people are not very helpful with motivation. Personally, I would prefer the second school. 

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Incarceration system in the USA.

Private prisons  in the USA are earning ridiculous amounts of money by just having people locked in. To keep them more time in jail, they get infractions for any bad deed. Even though there are 2 million people in jail, crime rate does not decrease, these prisons make money and do nothing for society. The common tax payers are the ones keeping prisons funded so they can maintain the prisoners, these companies make near 1.7 billion dollars per year.

In my opinion, these prisons are doing nothing but wasting money. These selfish corporations are just getting more rich and do nothing for the greater good, people are getting locked in by almost nothing. I do not think that the USA is the land of freedom.

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How can you effectively manage a large class group?

To manage a large group, you need a teacher that can light up a room just by showing up. The level of the voice is also very important, it needs to be loud but not that much. Good teachers knows what they are talking about, if they show some insecurity, the students will stop paying attention.

Large groups are very difficult, and even more knowing that each person learns at a different pace. But everyone enjoys a good game, this is a great thing to do when teaching. There is a whole wide world didactic games, and everyone has a chance to participate.

Technology is a great tool as well, the teacher can show them a good documentary or a movie about the topic that is being taught, and make them take notes so they do not fall asleep. Then make group discussions, and make sure everyone gives their own opinion.

Teachers can set up role-playing activities so the students get involved with the topic. It is good to have monitory time off-class in case a student needs it. As it is a large group, they can not pay enough attention to everyone at the same time during class.

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Are people really afraid of technology?

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How should teachers use I.T in class?

In my opinion, it is good to have some support from technology to make classes more entertaining. Of course teachers should be able to teach a class without help from technology, but it is a fun way of doing it. Because sometimes is good to show pictures or a video, perhaps, an on-line game that supports the lesson.

The use of technology helps to keep students away from distraction, and to be awake and aware of the topics. Because if all the classes are theoretical, it gets boring. People are in need of a teacher that can be dynamic and smart at the same time. Technology is not safe from failing one day, so the teacher always needs a plan B.

Technology offers us a new world of possibilities when teaching, obviously, the device should not be the one teaching the whole class, let us remember that it is only a tool that supports the method and topic.

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APTIS Written Mock Test

1- APTIS Travel Club Membership Form.

Full name: Julianne Abad. 

Date of birth: 13th July 1995.

City: Manizales - Colombia.

Native language: Spanish.

Interests (list 3): Photography, Music, Drawing.

2-  Please write some reasons why you are interested in travel.

I would like to travel in order to know the world and experience as much cultures as I can.

I love to learn, and by traveling is how you really learn.

3- APTIS Travel Club Chat.

Sam: Can you remember the first time you went on a journey by yourself?

I was feeling very anxious because I did not like to travel on my own, and I always thought the worst things were going to happen. I’m very unlucky and it would not be a surprise if something went wrong.

Miguel: What are the most interesting places to visit in your country?

The mountains the coffee farms the coastal cities, and many more urban locations that are amazing. But this country will also provide you with astonishing natural landscapes that make us feel in peace and harmony.

Michelle: What is the most exciting journey you’ve been on?

I went hiking to a volcano in my hometown. It was freezing, but the scenery was amazing. It was so high that we almost ran out of air, but it was worth it all the way.

4- You are a member of a travel club, write an e-mail to your friend and another one to the secretary of the club.

-To a friend:

Hello there! I was wondering if you found out abut Mr Price’s absence at the next club meeting. I feel so disappointed. I was totally hoping to meet him, but the opportunities are endless so, I will just wait for the next time he’s in town, and hopefully I’ll get that autograph I was waiting for. Bye!

-To the secretary:

Dear Mrs Golightly.

It has come to my attention that Mr. David Price will not be attending our next club meeting. I am terribly disappointed because of this news. I was hoping to get a copy of his new book from himself, and also getting an autograph, even getting a picture perhaps.

Actually I thought the book was going to be a little more affordable, I was shocked when I saw the price. However, taking into account his experiences and wisdom, I realize, that it is a fair price to pay for a book that contains all of this information.

I would like to request to be informed about Mr. Price’s schedule so I will be able to attend one of his meetings when he’s back in town or somewhere near.

Also, I would like to order two copies of his book. I think it would be a lovely gift for a dear friend.

Thank you.

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Teacher’s Union

Dear Mr. Jaramillo,

The purpose of this letter is due to the meeting we had this morning with Mr. Munro. We would like you to consider the following topic in order to show our disagreement.

Bringing native speakers to our school is unnecessary and expensive. First, we are perfectly capable of teaching proper English because our current teachers have been trained and have experienced the language abroad.

Besides, there is no budget to afford a native teacher. The budget has already been used to maintain the facilities, class material and, teacher’s wages.

At the meeting, Mr. Munro also proposed to ask parents for more money in order to hire native speakers. We consider this a risk because the parents might get angry and take their children out from the school if the tuition goes up.

- Andrés C. & Julianne A.

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Should women be paid more than men?

I do not agree that women should be paid more than men. I think that we all should be paid equally for doing the same job. If you are working more than the rest of the people, then you should be paid more for this extra job regardless of the gender.

As human beings, we are capable of doing the same things, we all get sick and need vacations. The difference here is that you could have special needs or you are a pregnant woman. Women should be able to keep their jobs and still getting paid while they recover from giving birth and nurturing their baby.

Most of men do not understand women’s situation, they do not really care and they always think for themselves. There are people that do their jobs with good attitube because they love what they do and feel really motivated for keeping up the pace.

So you should be rewarded with that extra money if you are beyond efficient in your job, not because you are just male.

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