Airpocalypse — A Wake-Up Call to All Donned gas masks and locked themselves indoors, residents in Beijing might echo with the term “airpocalypse”, which has been widely and fittingly applied to Northern Chinese residents. City born, city bred, I could personally relate to some popular joke when I saw the high-rise shrouded by the thick smog with the silhouette of the building recedes into darkness. The suffocating smog plagued by industrialization contribute to potential health hazards, depression and may even serve as a catalyst for artistic creation. First and foremost, the heavily-polluted air has posed detrimental hazards to the human body. Call it ignorance or arrogance, regrettably, it was not until the surging incidence of pneumonia that we had become aware of the dire pollution. The particulates resulted from the incomplete combustion in engine, road dust, and wood smoke prove to be harmful, if not lethal, to our respiratory system. Consider, the Great Smog that hit London in December, 1952. Four thousand people died prematurely, and one hundred thousand more were made ill within four days of “airpocalypse”. Furthermore, recent studies have linked the four air quality to depression. One may regard the increase of “the smog blues” as a result of the sombre sky. Some patients, especially those with depression, have seen their condition worsen after exposure to smoggy weather. What’ worse, the depression also brings about the lack of energy, increased need for sleep. Despite these depressing effects, the hazy smog, as it were, trigger artistic creations. The foggy Victorian London remains a perdurable backdrop of the tales of mystery and crimes. As you open the novel of Bleak House, the greasy and murky odor instantly come over you. Moreover, no representation of Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper would be so intriguing without the blackish smog. Mysterious the smog may appeal to some artists, it would be injudicious for us to overlook the dire consequence it exerts. As the foul air hit the city with more frequency, more preventative measures should be taken to better our environment for generations to come.

Three Types of Cell-phone Users Are you a compulsive cell phone user; or do you busy yourself with a flood of messages while dining out? Are you more inclined to engage in a face-to-face conversation rather than texting; or would you feel rather annoyed when trying to talk to someone who can not spare one minute to look at you without tethering to their cell phone? Your answer to these questions will reflect your habits of using the cell-phones. In my observation, all cell phone users can be grouped into three categories based on their dependency—the addicted, the moderately dependent, and non dependent. Addicted users can never stop. They are also known as the “nomophobia”—a term describing a growing fear of being without mobile devices. Getting connected is not the most important thing—it is the only thing. Relentlessly hunting for the optimal wifi signals, they would rendered fidget and restless were their cell phone being taken away. This ‘’irrational fear” and the pang of anxiety has, arguably, afflicted legions of young people who are longing for a sense of belonging. Ironically, they’ve been connected across continents, but having trouble crossing the street to greet their new neighbors. Non-dependent users use their cell-phones only for emergencies. Senior citizens and some celebrities are typical of this category. Some still cling to a Luddite mentality “suffice it to say that hundreds of millions of people lived for thousands of years without cell-phones”, as one senior citizen proudly proclaimed. Some are fully aware of the pros and cons of the cell-phones and are willing to give up the boon only to avoid potential detriments—the starling quantities of misinformation and disinformation. There are also some the famous people like Nicolas Cage who famously declare “if someone needs to talk to me, they know where I live.” The third class of cell phone users— those moderately dependent users —constitute perhaps the bulk of savvy businessman, committed intellectuals and straight A students. They use their phones purely for practical reasons— making a handful phone calls, catching up with the fads occasionally. It is inaccurate, of course, to say they rarely use the cell-phones. They use them as a tool instead of being enslaved by them.

Buen Viaje Conecemo varios medios de transporte: el tren, el avión , la bicicleta, los patines, etc. Aunque de todos ellos hay uno que es el más rápido, el más interesante. Además de todo eso, es fabuloso, porque se puede transformar en lo que tú quieras. Es un vehículo de Doctor Who, pero mucho más seguro. Hoy hemos viajado por el espacio resplandeciente y el desietos desolado, pero igualmente lo podríamos haber hecho por la Quinta Avenida en New York o el Camp Nou en Barcelona. ¿Ya sabes de qué medio de transporte te hablo? ¿ Todavía no? ¡ Pues de cuál va a ser ! ¡ El de la imaginación ! Es el medio de tranporte que te llevará más lejos, más rápido que ningún otro. Con él puedes llegar hasta el último rincón del planeta. Puedes encontrarla en los libros, en los cines, en la televisión , o en boca de los demás. Además si bustas bien, puedes encontrarla detro de tu cabecita ¿Qué te animas a viajar?

What is Freedom of Speech According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. This is the “officially accepted” definition of freedom of speech. Nevertheless, it is necessary to mention that the freedom of speech is a notion that has caused many controversy and a few boundaries need to be drawn accordingly. Initially, Freedom of Speech is one of the most basic rights of man. Every citizen, may, accordingly, speak, write, and press with freedom. It is essential to the exchange of ideas and to the establishment of of an inclusive and transparent government. A glimpse of Chinese history illustrated that almost any enlightened and prosperous dynasty was characterized by a cavalcade of righteous ministers who would speak bluntly to their emperor. Many would even risk their lives to argue with the nobility for the sake of public good. A good emperor, like Emperor Taizong of Tang, one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history, would allowed his ministers speak about hearsay with exemption of being accused of libel. Thanks to his modesty and open-mindedness ."Reign of Zhenguan"-a golden age was created. Freedom of speech, however, is not a matter of downright black and white; It is not something mockery - in the disguise of an expression of opinion. It is something said with due respect to the subject of the speech; It is something with many shades of gray. Therefore, certain boundaries must be drawn. On the Monday of January 7, two brothers, forced their way into the office of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine and opened fire, killing twelve. This“deplorable”atrocity, arguably, results from the disturbing illustration of a growing offensive expression synonymous with Islamphobic, racist. The abuse of the free speech is also evident in the Internet whose unique characteristics allow users to present themselves anonymously, through the use of pseudonyms, avatars. Consequently, the Internet may be used for cyberbullying through inflammatory languages. Freedom of speech truly is a basic human right but it also assumes a level of responsibility on the part who exercise these freedoms as a invisible social contract. As John Stuart Mill put in On Liberty “The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community is to prevent harm to others".