Personal Learning Environment
Writing is a really good way to improve our English, but first we have to know how to write correctly, here are my exercises of writing a paragraph.
Paragraph 1. Autobiography
My name is Sagrario Xochipitzahuac Arciniega Silva, I was born in Mexico City on 1997, but I live in Mexico state since I can remember, I have one younger sister called Amber we got along together well, and my parents are Martha and Alejandro, they decided to call me like that because we mexicans are product of a mixture between two cultures: Spanish and Indigenous as my name is.
I went to school when I was too young and I learned to read when I was 4 years old, I had been on three different schools in all my life, one in preschool, then I was changed to another in elementary school for two years but then I returned to the first and finally in the National Preparatory School number 2, since I’m in junior high school and now that I’m in high school.
I have many pets, I like swimming, I play de piano since I was 7 years old and the guitar since I was 11 years old; my plans to the future are study biology at National Autonomous University of Mexico and majoring in Marine Biology, then study a gastronomy career maybe at the Cloister of Sor Juana here in Mexico or in another school in another country.
Paragraph 2. Coffee
Everyone had been drank a good cup of coffee sometime. It's on the breakfast of many people in the world, everyone recognizes a roasted coffee bean but unless you have lived or traveled in a coffee growing country, you might not recognize an actual coffee tree. Or know about the species that exist, the history or the process from the seed to the cup.
Although coffee is referred to as a bean, it is actually the seed of a piece of fruit, known as a coffee cherry. They were termed ‘beans’, as they resemble the appearance of actual beans. The cherries are hand-picked, and the seed is separated from the fruit. The coffee tree is capable of growing more than 30 feet high, is covered with dark-green, waxy leaves growing opposite each other in pairs. Coffee cherries grow along the tree's branches. Coffee as we know it kicked off in Arabia, where roasted beans were first brewed around A.D. 1000. By the 13th century Muslims were drinking coffee religiously. Arabia made export beans infertile by parching or boiling, and it is said that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until the 1600s. In 1696 europeans they founded the first European-owned coffee estate, on colonial Java, now part of Indonesia. In 1727: Brazil’s government wants to be part of the coffee market; but first, they need an agent to smuggle seeds from a coffee country. Enter Lt. Col. Francisco de Melo Palheta, the James Bond of Beans. From these scant shoots sprout the world’s greatest coffee empire. By 1800 Brazil’s monster harvests would turn coffee from an elite indulgence to an everyday elixir, a drink for the people.
To have a cup of coffee is necessary a process to have it and is the next:
Planting the coffee seeds, harvest the cherries, the process the cherries to separate the beans, dry the beans and milling them, export them and then taste the coffee, roast it, grind it and then brew it to have the coffee drink as we know. There are many things that we don't know about coffee but always is interesting to find out them, we only drink coffee or eat it in a dessert or also alone but we don't thought that there were a process to have it or it history or variety of species, so after read that when we drink coffee we won't see it as the same.
References:
Parapraph 3. The hardest day in my life
The hardest day in my life was when all the things happening seemed to be the worst, first I woke up late, and my father scolded me for that, because I didn't arrive to my two first classes, there were too much traffic and then, when I arrive to the school I realize that I had forgotten my very, very, very important homework of literature, I say very very very importante because it was the 80 percent of our trimestral qualification.
Then I tried to calm down, because there were no thing that I could did to correct my mistake, so I continue with my day and my classes, but oh! surprise! then, in the maths class the teacher told us: hey guys! here's a surprise exam, you have 40 minutes to finish it, really bad, because I'm not good in maths, I thought Oh god, what have I done to deserve it?, but well, I did my exam the best I could.
I thought my day couldn't be worse but it was, I argue with my best friend because a really fool thing, she told me that she didn't want to talk me anymore, so I did, I started crying because my day were the hardest of all my life, but as the people say: sometimes we need to have a hard day to realize of the beautiful of the others.
Paragraph 4. Surrogacy
A surrogacy arrangement or surrogacy agreement is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents. There are two main types of surrogacy, gestationalsurrogacy and traditional surrogacy. In gestational surrogacy, the pregnancy results from the transfer of an embryo created by in vitro fertilization (IVF), in a manner so the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate. Gestational surrogates are also referred to as gestational carriers. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is impregnated naturally or artificially, but the resulting child is genetically related to the surrogate. In the United States, gestational surrogacy is more common than traditional surrogacy and is considered less legally complex.
In general, the cost for gestational surrogacy (including all agency fees, attorneys’ fees, screening and surrogate fees, and medical and insurance costs) ranges from around $100,000 to $150,000, depending the program chosen. Standard programs vary in the source of the egg donation, IVF insurance coverage, legal needs and other circumstances.
There are two types of surrogacy that are:
Full surrogacy (also known as Host or Gestational) - Full surrogacy involves the implantation of an embryo created using either:
-
the eggs and sperm of the intended parents
-
a donated egg fertilised with sperm from the intended father
-
an embryo created using donor eggs and sperm.
Partial surrogacy (also known Straight or Traditional) - Partial surrogacy involves sperm from the intended father and an egg from the surrogate. Here fertilisation is (usually) done by artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination (IUI).
The risks associated with surrogacy depend on the type of surrogacy (full or partial) undertaken. Generally, the risks associated with full surrogacy are similar to those for IVF. There is also a risk of transferring HIV and hepatitis, and so screening of everyone involved in surrogacy involving IUI is recommended, and required in surrogacy arrangements involving IVF.If a registered donor at a licensed clinic is used, the donor will automatically be screened. Surrogacy involves complicated legal issues and we recommend that you seek your own legal advice before making any decisions. It is important to know that surrogacy arrangements are unenforcable. It is also advisable to receive counselling before starting the surrogacy process, to help you think about all the questions involved.
Countries where gestational and commercial surrogacy is allowed: United States, South African Republic and Ukraine.
Countries where gestational surrogacy is allowed but not commercial: Аustralia, Britain (you can cover the operating expenses of the surrogate mother), Denmark (with serious limitations), Israel, Spain, Canada, Netherlands (Banning advertising surrogacy, offers services to mothers rental and selection of the latter) some US states (New Hampshire, Virginia).
Countries where gestational and commercial surrogacy is prohibited: Germany (the onus on doctors and mediators and not the parents and the surrogate mother), Norway, Sweden, some US states (Arizona, Michigan, New Jersey), France.
Real case:
David and Jonathan's Story
About 10 years ago, we took a risk and made an appointment with Sandra at Northwest Surrogacy Center—a decision that changed our lives forever.
From the start of our relationship with Sandra, it just clicked. She treated us like we were her only clients. Through her efforts we were connected with a remarkable, selfless, beautiful gestational carrier.
Sandra seems to have a gift for knowing who will make a good gestational carrier. She guided us through the selection, screening, and legal process but never took the joy, love, and humanness away from the bond we formed with our gestational carrier and the ultimate goal of increasing our family. We ended up with twins, Sophie and Eli, born in 2003, and our dreams were fulfilled.
With Sandra's guidance, the gestational carrier willingly involved us in the pregnancy and birth—and yet was so positive and supportive that these were our babies, not hers. We've remained in contact in a very positive way with our gestational carrier. We count it as a blessing every day that this remarkable woman came into our lives with Sandra's expert help. Northwest Surrogacy Center changed our lives. We're forever grateful for that risk we took in first meeting with Sandra.
References:
-
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/fertility-treatment-options-surrogacy.html
-
http://www.circlesurrogacy.com/
-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrogacy
Paragraph 5. Looking Beyond Viagra
Sildenafil, sold as Viagra and other trade names, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Its use for sexual dysfunction in women is not clear. It was originally discovered by Pfizer scientists Andrew Bell, David Brown, and Nicholas Terrett.Since becoming available in 1998, sildenafil has been a common treatment for erectile dysfunction; its primary competitors are tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra). It acts by inhibiting cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), an enzyme that promotes degradation of cGMP, which regulates blood flow in the penis.
The primary indication of sildenafil is treatment of erectile dysfunction (inability to sustain a satisfactory erection to complete intercourse). Its use is now standard treatment for erectile dysfunction including diabetes.But as well as erectile dysfunction, sildenafil citrate is also effective in the rare disease pulmonary arterial hypertension. It relaxes the arterial wall, leading to decreased pulmonary arterial resistance and pressure. This, in turn, reduces the workload of the right ventricle of the heart and improves symptoms of right-sided heart failure. Because PDE5 is primarily distributed within the arterial wall smooth muscle of the lungs and penis, sildenafil acts selectively in both these areas without inducing vasodilation in other areas of the body. Pfizer submitted an additional registration for sildenafil to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and sildenafil was approved for this indication in June 2005. The preparation is named Revatio, to avoid confusion with Viagra, and the 20-mg tablets are white and round. Sildenafil joins bosentan and prostacyclin-based therapies for this condition.
Common side effects include headaches and heart burn, as well as flushed skin. Caution is advised in those who have cardiovascular disease. Rare but serious side effects include prolonged erections, which can lead to damage to the penis, and sudden-onset hearing loss. Sildenafil should not be taken by people who take nitrates such as nitroglycerin, as this may result in a severe and potentially fatal drop in blood pressure. Viagra works only when you are sexually stimulated. Take it about 1 hour before sexual activity. You may take VIAGRA between 30 minutes to 4 hours before sexual activity if needed. So don’t worry. There’s plenty of time to be spontaneous with your partner. After sex the erection should go away. In the rare event of an erection lasting more than 4 hours, seek immediate medical help to avoid long-term. injury.
References
Paragraph 6. Thirty years on... (Comparison of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy)
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King, both a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, had a seismic impact on race relations in the United States, beginning in the mid-1950s. Among many efforts, King headed the SCLC. Through his activism, he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the South and other areas of the nation, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. King was assassinated in April 1968, and continues to be remembered as one of the most lauded African-American leaders in history, often referenced by his 1963 speech, "I Have a Dream."
John F. Kennedy was Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts, he served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate before becoming the 35th president in 1961. As president, Kennedy faced a number of foreign crises, especially in Cuba and Berlin, but managed to secure such achievements as the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the Alliance for Progress. On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King shared an era and a cause, but they were not close allies, as the tone of these remarks makes clear. They admired each other’s best qualities but were suspicious of the other’s flaws. On civil rights, they marched to different cadences. Early in his administration, President Kennedy did not want to be seen as too eager to press for such moves as equal housing and voting protection for minorities, even though he saw such changes as inevitable. King was not invited to his inauguration or to an initial meeting of civil rights figures in the Oval Office.King and other leaders did not think the new White House was doing all it could. Freedom Riders intent on ending segregation in interstate transportation spread through the South and began to force Kennedy’s hand. In May of 1961, Bobby Kennedy personally directed the deployment of federal marshals to protect King in a dangerous situation in Montgomery, Ala., where the civil rights leader had gone to preach to Freedom Rider supporters in Ralph Abernathy’s First Baptist Church.
References:
-
http://millercenter.org/presidentialclassroom/exhibits/dr-martin-luther-king-lbj-and-jfk
-
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2014/0120/Martin-Luther-King-Jr.-and-John-F.-Kennedy-civil-rights-wary-allies
-
http://www.taylormarsh.com/2011/01/dr-martin-luther-king-and-john-f-kennedy-2/
Paragraph 7. My community festivities
I live in Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias which is in the Estado de México, and I think that that the most important festivity is in july 25th when is commemorated the saint Santiago Apostol, Sundays before this great festival the figure of Santiago Apostol is paraded in the streets near the center, that figure is usually stores in the main church, but in that special occasion is taken out, the streets are adorned with red and yellow ribbons hanging from poles and roofs, the people agree to make rugs with painted sawdust that makes different figures or patterns.
At the end of the tour, which begins and ends in the church there, some chinelos meet in the main courtyard of the church and dance around it as well as people who also want to celebrate and have fun too, the mayor of Chalco hires musical bands and they play for hours, in the evening fireworks are burned also in the main courtyard of the church and you can feel something special in the environment, is the happiness and euphoria of the town.
There is also a fair of rides or mechanical games, that lasts a month since July to August, in that fair there also are putting locals where you can find all kinds of food, typical Mexican food, junk food, alcoholic drinks and things like souvenirs such as clothes, jewlery, typical items of communities near Chalco and a lot of things more, I hope you give you a chance one day and come to Chalco to enjoy of this festivity where we will receive you with open arms.
-
Weekly paragraphs
1.-Reasons why I want to study biology.
I want to study biology for many reasons, in this text I'm going to explain some. The biology interests me so much because it explains our origins and the reasons of different facts in nature and in our lives. Also it's very interesting knowing why some animals act like they do, the functions of the plants and how we all are related with the nature.
I remember that I wanted to study biology since I was a child, when I went to the elementary school. The interest appeared because a teacher had studied marine biology in Baja California and he told us that he have had many travels into the sea. He told us that even he lived in a ship for a long time because he worked in a project of turtles.
As my ex teacher, I want to specialise in marine biology because the sea and its surroundings have something that attracts me. Is something like a tickling that runs through myself when I think about the life that happens in surface of the sea, in the seabed, and in the beach. Finally I want to stand out that biology helps us to know in what way is directed our environment and how we can help to improve it each day.
2.- Learning a new language (English).
We all hear that our teachers told us frequently that we have to study English or another language because it is important, but do we really know why?. Whereas for some people is hard learn a new language, some just don't like it. But there are also people that like it and it's easy for them, I think that this is an important point because if you like something you will practise it most.
In my case, I like studying English and I feel really good when I notice that I learnt a new word, a new phrase, or that I know how to use new vocabulary. I think that it's not so hard to me learning English, because how I said before, I like it, but I have to be sincere, I don't make a time exclusively for that. If I had a schedule just for practising English I will be better, so that´s an objective to do in vacations.
To make easier learning English, it's very important the practise, one thing that I do is that when I'm alone I try to speak myself in English, in my mind or loud, maybe it sounds weird but it's useful. Another thing that I do is search the lyrics of the songs in English that I like and then look for the meaning of the words that I don't know, then I try to memorize the song and while I sing it, I remember the meaning of the new words. I think that the most important point in it is the constancy and have a motivation to keep practising.
3.- My favorite artists.
I like many artists, but some of them are my favorites for different reasons. The reasons are first, obviously, its works, and based in them the sensations that makes me feel. Another reason is that they inspire me and I admire its originality and attitude in life.
My favorite artists in music are Lana del Rey first because I like her music so much, is different of what I had heard before, and because she is really grateful with its fans and simple. Another of my favorite artists is Sky Ferreira because she has an incredible voice and its style is different, she is messy and with that she looks gorgeous, she goes against of the typical stereotypes of a pretty woman and is authentic. One of my other favorite female artists is MØ, I like her because she manages herself, she started from zero, singing and creating in her bedroom and all of her songs are completely hers, and now she is having the recognizing that she deserves.
A musical group that I really love is TOPS, and the reason why I like is because its music have something "magical" or "heavenly" that makes me happy when I hear it, it's calmly and the lyrics are deep and have a pretty meaning that makes me reflect. To finish, I want to mention Cristina Otero, she is a photographer and she is only 19 years old but she is very recognized in its ambit and the stuff that she do is really amazing, it transmit you many sensations with just one picture. I have many artists that I like, but I had to choose a few to write this paragraphs, I invite you to see and hear its work, it's really recommended.
4.- Bats workshop.
In fifth year of preparatory school I entered to a workshop of bats imparted by my ex biology teacher of that year. The workshop interested me because I didn't know too much about the bats and the teacher told us that we would do dissections and field trips. So me and a friend decided to enter to the workshop, it was every tuesday from 12 to 13:40.
In that year only entered 12 students at first, but at the pass of time, we reduced to only 4. The students that left the workshop told us that they thought it was a bit boring and they expected more, but for us, the four students that remained, it became more interesting. We started learning about the taxonomy and basic habits of the bats, then we worked with the collection of dissected bats of the school.
We learned to identify different species and orders of bats measuring different parts of its body, the teacher told us that we was going to do a field trip, however, it wasn't possible in that year because there was short time to holidays. In spite of that, I learned a lot of new things like: bats are not bad for humans, in fact they are benefic to harvests because they eat unfavorable insects, and just are known three species that feed with blood in the whole world. I liked the workshop because I learned that is a myth that bats are bad and terrifying and now I know that we have to protect them and divulge its importance.