Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin

1809 - 1882

This week we are celebrating the birth of Charles Darwin that was born two hundred years ago.

This extraordinary naturalist was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was famous for his theories about evolution and natural selection.

From December 1831 to October 1836 Darwin made his famous journey in H.M.S. Beagle, a science expedition around the world. During the trip he collected a variety of plants, animals, bones…… for further studies. When he returned to London he started a scientific research about his notes that he had made during the expedition.

As a consequence of his studies in 1859 he published the book “Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection”. After the publication there was a big fuss about it and he was denounced by the church.

But why was there a big fuss?.... Darwin was the first person who explained the evolution of species with true evidence, and explained as well how species change and adapt to the environment, only the stronger and that have the ability to adapt to the environment can survive in it, and in this evolution he included humans.

He died on 26 April, 1882 and he was buried in Westminster Abbey close to another great scientific Isaac Newton.

ATHEIST BUS IN BARCELONA

As our teacher suggested us I’m going to write about the atheist campaign in Barcelona.

This month has started an atheist bus campaign in Barcelona. Two buses of the line fourteen and forty-one have begun running with the advertising “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”.

This campaign is as a result of the campaign launched the last October in London by Guardian newspaper and supported by the British Humanist Association and atheist campaigner Professor Richard Dawkins.

The Spanish organizer wants to spread this campaign in others towns like Valencia, Bilbao, Sevilla and Zaragoza, but it does depend on the advertisement collection.

I agree with this kind of campaign. The Catholic Institution is allowed to express an opinion about important subjects like the abortion, education, gay marriage……, where the government has the authority and the competence about it, the Catholic Institution hasn’t been able to comment anything about this sensitive subjects due to we are in a lay society, and of course with this bus advertisement some Christian associations in Barcelona has announced a campaign in God defence.

From my point of view the atheist has the same rights to show to the citizens their thoughts and express with absolutely freedom their opinions.

Come back

Christmas holiday has just finished and we go back to our daily routine.

During the holidays, we can do whatever we want without any control and stress of a timetable, everyday is different and we discover a new way of life, and you think…. why can’t we always live like a holidays?, but it’s not always so easy.

Why every day is a routine? maybe because we live with a timetable, we know exactly what we will do during the day, since we wake up in the morning until the last time of the day:

A normal day:

7:00 a.m. wake up
8:00 a.m. – 14:00 p.m. working
14:00 p.m. – 16:00 p.m. lunch
16:00 p.m. – 18:00 p.m. still working

But, what can we do in order to change our daily routine? Please if you know how, let me know.

We start a new term and a new year and I know and I’m sure that something special and amazing will happen in our daily routine, maybe in the tram, in the street, in our job, or…. why not? in our English Class.

My darling partners, I wish you that this New Year and this new time bring you an exciting experiences.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas is coming and as usual customs and traditions.

Santa Llúcia is the Christmas market that it has been hold for two hundred years in front of the cathedral. It’s considered one of the most important Christmas traditions in Barcelona.

In this market you can find everything about Christmas decorations, such a lights, Christmas trees, cribs figures, plants…. . In addition there are a group of shops that sell traditional craftworks or handicrafts.

There is a typical figure called “caganer” that you can find in this fair. The “caganer” is a character that shows a person from the rural areas of Catalonia having a shit, and normally it’s put inside the crib. This figure is thought that comes from the XVIII century.

Nowadays you can find “caganers” with the image of the most famous people during the year, for example this year the new figures are Barack Obama, Lula da Silva, Fernando Alonso….

Another interesting Christmas tradition is the “Tió”. It’s about a trunk where children beat it and singing at the same time, then the trunk give presents.

If you have time, it’s really interesting to visit this Christmas market and it’s not compulsory to buy.

A Curious Book

I have just finished reading the book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night – Time”, and only a little bit comment about it.

From my point of view it has been a fascinating, entertaining and enjoyable book. The main character, Christopher with his particular traits and his interpretation about the world show to readers another view of the “normal” behaviour of human being.

His logical conclusion about some issues it has made me feel so funny and in some statements I have burst out laughing. I think that we should learn about some reasoning of Christopher, because sometimes the work out or the answer about some problems is more logical or easy than we thought.

I have spent a good time reading this book, therefore I will recommend it.

Discovering our own city

Sometimes we know more interesting places about other cities that about our own city.

That’s an example. Last Saturday I was doing one of my favorites hobbies, go shopping, in the center of Barcelona with my partner when the dinner time arrived, we are looking for a restaurant when we saw a group of people looking a particular building, we approached it and we discovered a beautiful and curios restaurant in the Montsió Street called “Els quatre gats”.

It was my first time that I have seen this restaurant and we decided to enter and eat. Inside it was a fantastic and incredible modernist room with a big piano, where at night the pianist provided the entertainment, also I can saw some pictures of Pablo Picasso.

This restaurant is considered one of the most important modernist building in Barcelona when it’s possible to eat Catalan and Mediterranean food.

For my was a great discovering but at the same time I was very sad and made me a little bit shame, because sometimes we don’t know what a wonderful things we have in our own city or country.

If you don’t know this particular restaurant I recommend it, not only for visiting even for eating.

Our Darling Queen

What a surprise !!!

The new biography about our Queen Sofia “La reina muy de cerca” ,that was published last week by editorial Planeta and written by the journalist Pilar Urbano, has caused a huge stir in our society.

In this book she talks and expresses her personal opinion about some important and current issues, with great sensitivity towards our society, like abortion, gay marriages, terrorism , religious schools, euthanasia…….and so on.

The Queen at this moment wants to share her thoughts and feelings with everybody after thirty years in the Spanish Monarchy.

From my point of view, neither of the Monarchy Institution members should have any opinion about national issues.


Well classmates what's your opinion??