Summer time fun
Here go the links to all of them:
To me graffiti is a way for the writer to express himself in a different way.
There are people that confuse tags with graffiti. Those people associate tags and graffiti with crime or vandalism.
I think a tag is actually an act of vandalism, because a tag is nothing more than the signature of the writer himself or a short word, and there is nothing in it I could call nice.
Graffiti is different: it is art, a means of expression, way different from tags.
Fabrice
This is a widely spoken subject nowadays.
In my opinion, graffiti can be both a crime and an art. It depends. To me, graffiti isn't a crime, but an art. But there are people who just want to vandalise the walls of our town, and of course this shouldn't be done in some places. There should be specific places for the people to do it and for us to enjoy this kind of work.
I like graffiti and in the future I would like someone to teach me how to do it.
Graffiti: Art o
r crime? That’s not an easy question to answer. Most people think that graffiti is a pure act of vandalism, but things are not just like that.
It really is art, but writers (people who produce graffiti art), do not have specific areas to practise it. There are few countries where graffiti is legal.
I consider that it’s an art, depending on the place where it is made, like old buildings or places like that. I think there’s no problem in making a good graffiti there. But writers often just think of spreading their art all over the city, that’s why graffiti should be made legal and appreciated by everyone. If there were places for the graffiti writers to create their art, there wouldn’t be such a high tax of vandalism right now.
I like graffiti and I think it should be legalized.
“The history of streetstyle is a history of tribes"
Max
- Street style is a history of tribes, because every group of people has a distinctive style of dressing and decoration.
There are various tribes in the world, zooties, hippies, etc. and each of it has its own style.
Street style isn’t a specific style, because there are several styles and nobody can really say one is the actual street style.
Rafael
- We don’t agree with that idea, because it is not the type of clothes we wear that shows the way we think, our true personality. The way people think doesn’t influence the way people dress and their moral thinking.
Vanessa and João Dores
"The Punks who dyed their hair green or even the hippies who let their hair grow long at a time when short hair was the norm were risking a great deal - job prospects, family harmony, verbal and sometimes even physical abuse. To adopt the look of a particular styletribe is to put oneself on the firing line. But if this brings a sense of group solidarity and comradeship, then, for many, it is worth it."
I was asked to comment on a certain part of a text we have read in the English class today. I have chosen to write about this part, and I agree with it. At that time, being 'not normal' was almost a crime, people risked a lot just to show their ideas on the world they lived in, and they never thought twice about that, because they didn't care about the consequences as long as they tried, at least, to tell everyone the truth about what they thought about society, discrimination, war, people that were not really living their lives. They wanted everyone to know that. I also think that "group solidarity and comradeship" is worth a lot, but I have to disagree when the author says that that is the reason why they did it...
Hugo Cortez
“The teenager steps out of the parental family into a social vacuum”
Until they are 11-12-year olds, youngsters usually hang out with their family. When they grow up they start feeling a need to step out of it. Sometimes they get into a social vacuum. Sometimes they step into many types of relationships, some bad some good…
The idea of being with friends, doing what you usually do and like, is prior to the idea of being with your parents.
That’s why teenagers step out of their parental family into their own social circle.
embedded here.
1- When you think about your country, which words or pictures come to your mind?
- It is very nice.
Tiago, Gonçalo, Rafael, João Caixeiro, Arsénio
- Only one word: Beach...lol...
João Costa
- One of the Words and pictures is Football, mainly because of Euro 2004, which
(By the way, the first question is about what comes to your mind when the subject is our country... Saying "it is very nice", isn't an answer... Think about that... )
Hugo Batista
- It’s a very great country :P, and the word is “beach” of course. lol
João Dores
- The words which come to my mind when I think about my country are Natural Beauty.
Pedro Quintino
- The beaches and natural beauty.
Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- It’s the worst country in
Vanessa & Sam
- There are nice landscapes in general and the climate is good.
Max
2- How would you describe your country to someone who had never visited it before?
- Great country.
Tiago & Gonçalo
- Very beautiful and interesting country.
Rafael
- It's a wonderful country for any person to visit.
João Costa
- Great country with lots of places to visit all year long, with places for all kinds of tastes.
Hugo Batista
- I think it is an interesting place with such great things to visit.
João Dores
- Our country is very beautiful, we can’t deny it. Only our politicians aren't the best, but we are trying to handle them.
Pedro Quintino
-
Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- We just have a few words to tell them: history, beaches, climate, people. If you want to come here you are very welcome.
Vanessa & Sam
- The country is nice. It’s the government’s guilt that we have problems.
Max
- Our country is beautiful, it has green spaces and good beaches.
João Caixeiro
- It is a very beautiful country. Very beautiful beaches and green spaces.
Arsénio
3- We can all play a role in the country we live in. What do you think we can do to make our country a better place to live in?
- More green spaces.
Tiago & Gonçalo
- More places for the families to be together and for the children to play.
Rafael
- More parks, green spaces, etc.
João Costa
- What can we do to make this country better? It's those simple things that the majority of the people just don't care about, like not throwing garbage in the street, parks, etc. Recycling and all those things that are small, but very important to the country.
(Again, the answers are not the most correct, because the questions refer to what we, the common people, can do to make Portugal a better country and "we" can create more green spaces, but we are not creating them, so, instead at least we must take care of the green spaces that we already have...)
Hugo Batista
- Less pollution, more employment.
João Dores
- Better Politicians, more Jobs and Less Pollution. We have lots of green places, but more green places could be nice too.
Pedro Quintino
- Green spaces, less pollution, and better politicians.
Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- We can become better workers, change the government and be more responsible.
Vanessa & Sam
- We could try and improve the people’s living conditions.
Max
- Less pollution would be great.
João Caixeiro & Arsénio
Some students had the chance to state their opinions about the town they live in.
1- Do you like living in your town? Why/why not?
- I like living in my town. It has lots of things to do and a great natural beauty. But I used to like my city more some time ago, because now I feel that it's being destroyed.
Pedro Quintino
- Yes, but...there are jerks who bring pollution to the city...
João Costa
- Yes, we do, because this is the town where we were born and we like it a lot.
Tiago and Gonçalo
- I like living in my town. It is on one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
Rafael
- Yes, I do, because we have so many places to visit : )
João Dores
- Yeah, we do, because we have a lot to see, visit and places to be!
Fabrice, Pedro & Carlos
- No. Our town is the most boring town in
Vanessa & Samuel
- On the one hand, I like living here, but on the other hand I do not, because there are parts of the town that are very dangerous to walk alone. But there are also very pretty landscapes to see and for me it is one of the quietest towns to live in.
Max
- Yes, it's a little small, but this is where I have my friends.
João Caixeiro
- I like living in
Mellanie Verhage
- I like my village very much, because I grew op here.
Stefanie Groot
- I like living in my town, because it has one of the most beautiful bays in the world and so much more…
Arsénio
2- What do you like best about your town?
- Its natural beauty, its beaches, some people.
Pedro Quintino
- The beaches but I prefer the countryside.
João Costa
- The beaches.
Tiago, Arsénio, Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- The beaches,
Rafael
- The beaches, of course :P
João Dores
- We like downtown.
Vanessa & Sam
- What I like best in town is girls, XD and the beaches. All the rest is not very important to me.
Max
- What I like best is the city I live in a suburb from
Mellanie Verhage
- Places to hang out, the café.
Stefanie Groot
- My Town doesn't have many things to spend time on, but it has great beaches and green spaces.
João Caixeiro
3- What do you think is not that good about your town?
- Some people. They are to blame for the destruction of the city.
Pedro Quintino
- The beaches but I prefer the countryside.
João Costa
- Night life is too quiet.
Tiago
- Night life, because sometimes there are many problems.
Rafael
- The pollution
João Dores
- Pollution around town, the natural environment destroyed, etc.
Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- We don't consider Setúbal a town, we consider it a little village. Setúbal has just a few shops and places for us to go.
Vanessa & Sam
-What it is not good in the city is the police. It does not do anything when the robberies or other types of crime happen It is rare for them to do anything.
Max
- The things which are not good about my town are: the green spaces, because there are just a few.
Mellanie Verhage
- There's one thing. Not many people live here.
Stefanie Groot
- Pollution.
João Caixeiro & Arsénio
4- If you had to advise a visitor to your town about places to go and see, which would they be?
- Our Downtown, the beaches, Arrábida mountain, etc....
Pedro Quintino
- Figueirinha beach.
João Costa
- The beaches, downtown, …
Tiago
- The beaches,
Rafael
- The beaches, Sao Filipe Castle, the Convent of Jesus.
João Dores
- The beaches, our monuments, etc.
Fabrice, Carlos & Pedro
- Downtown, the beaches and Arrabida mountain.
Vanessa & Sam
- It depends. There are cultural places for us to visit, for example, the fort of S. Filipe and Jesus monastery. If you want to enjoy yourself, you can go to the beach.
Max
- If I could advise someone to visit places around here, I would advise him/her to visit the cinema.
Mellanie Verhage
- There are not many things to visit, but I would tell them to go to the café and then to
Stefanie Groot
- Especially the beaches.
João Caixeiro
- Arrabida mountain, the beaches, etc.
A few of the students have expressed their opinion on the topic
1 - How do you feel about the school you are attending?
We feel that we don't like very much our school, not because of the conditions, but because of some people, some teachers and students… We prefer more modest people.
Vanessa and Samuel
At the moment, I'm feeling happy with the school I'm attending. The people are nice and we have lots of fun.
Pedro Quintino
That's oK, it's a big school.
João Costa
The school is very nice, we feel good here.
Gonçalo and Tiago
The school is fine, It's well organized, the people are nice, etc.
Fabrice
It’s a very good school.
Rafael and Max
2 - What strikes you most at this school and why?
We like very much our school canteen and the staff is very skilled compared with the staff in other schools.
Vanessa and Samuel
In general nothing strikes me especially... I just don't like its location. It's a little bit away from the city.
Pedro Quintino
I like the library, because there are lots of resources there.
João Costa
The thing we like most is the friends we have here...
Gonçalo and Tiago
The soccer field, the bar, because they are good places for us to socialize.
Fabrice
The conditions the school offers are good. The equipment and services are the best in the city.
Rafael and Max
3 - What kind of school is it (no. of students, courses provided, services, equipment, etc.)?
It's a very good school. The best in our city, we think. The school has very good conditions, and also some courses other schools don't have.
Vanessa and Samuel
It has a large number of students, excellent equipment and services. As for the courses, there are the ordinary ones each school offers and some more, like Informatics and Social Entertainment.
Pedro Quintino
This school has very good equipment, services and lots of students.
João Costa
Our school has 1,200 students, there are technological courses, humanities, arts, etc... The equipment is very good.
Gonçalo and Tiago
It's a secondary school, with about 1,200 students (I think), and the school provides courses like Informatics, Sciences, Arts, Humanities, Technological Courses, etc. This school doesn't have a gym though, but it has a soccer field, a library, and we have a lot of computers and other useful equipment.
Fabrice
It's a secondary school, but the school also has pre-intermediate students. The school has many students. It offers several courses, from technological to scientific ones. There is a library, a dining hall, a buffet, a stationary, a conference room, etc.
Rafael and Max
4- How about the area of studies you are in? What do you think about it?
We attend the technological course of computer science. It's a very good course, but a difficult one too. I (Vanessa) like to learn about hardware, software, etc. a lot.
Vanessa and Samuel
Our area of studies is the best :D. I’m enjoying the course. And my friends are great.
Pedro Quintino
That's a little bit difficult, but that's fine.
João Costa
I don't like the area I have chosen and I will definitely change to another course next year.
Tiago
I’m in the area of Informatics. I don’t like it though.
Fabrice
We study Informatics. We think it is a very good course, because there are many prospects for the future.
Rafael and Max
5- How about school/education in your country? Mention both its good and not so good aspects.
Good aspects = none. Bad ones = lots!!! Thanks to our politicians.
Pedro Quintino
In my country education is a big mess, because here there's no one who seems to get hold of it. What can we do?
João Costa
It is not the greatest education system in
Gonçalo and Tiago
Well, I don't think there are any good aspects, besides education itself! The bad aspects are like a lot, too many to mention.
Fabrice
We think it is oK. There are good aspects, but at the moment people talk more against the lessons, which have to be taught by teachers who have to replace those who miss school for some reason.
