The genetics and us

How can apples be red and tasty the whole year? And why are we more resistent about certain diseases than 50 years before? The answer is simple: genetics. It is everywhere around us and influences our life, sometimes even without our knowledge.
Firstly I want to tell you that scientists developed many useful and great things by genetic research, for instance the manipulation of food. It holds longer and doesn’t get bad so far. The genetic manipulated apples are also bigger and less vermiculated (worms in it) than the normal grown apples.
Apart from that there are also dangers included. With gene manipulation we could set cruel things into the world, like more painful and destroying weapons for senseless wars.
Do you know the story about “Frankenstein”? I think that this could be come true. Scientists could create monsters and mutants that will kill us, without their will.
Another risk is also that plants could be overspread and suck the whole water from the world, so everyone has to die.
So, my opinion is that we have to be very careful and never underestimate the danger of experimenting with genetics. The consequences would be too much and horrible. But I’ll still eat genetic manipulated apples, because they taste better.

Writing a report

To: Mr. Jones

From: Chantal Werle

Subject: A great summer in Vorarlberg

Date: 19th October

Introduction:

As you ordered, I looked up for some great facilities, amenities and spezial places in Vorarlberg. Now I will present you the results from my successful research:

Feldkirch Altstadt:

This city is just characteristic and romantic. There are many old cafés and little pubs around there, but also lots modern shops like H&M, Wäscheprinz, Sajas, DM, … The road is stoned with cobblestones and on the housetops are many doves, which are typical for this city.

Dornbirn Messepark:

For the shopping queens in the group, the most attractive place would be the big shopping center in Dornbirn with more than 60 shops. Clothes, jewelries, shoes, sport articles, flowers, or just a little cute present for family and friends, the youngsters will find everything they need there.

Bodensee:

In Bregenz there is the biggest sea in Vorarlberg. You can walk down the Promenade near the sea, eat delicious ice cream and enjoy a sunny day between many other peoples. Or you can drive to the Rohrspitz in Höchst (also a part of the Bodensee) and relax at the sandy beach, drink cocktails at the restaurant near the Bodensee or do some activities like surfing, swimming and wakeboarding.

Alpine-Coaster Golm:

The “Alpine-Coaster” in Schruns is one of the funniest things you can do in summer in Vorarlberg. You sit in a so called “Bob” and drive 6 metres above the ground downhill. A great adventure for teenagers!

So therefore I recommend Vorarlberg as a vacation spot for younger people and I hope that they will come to this lovely country.

Opinion essay

When you watch TV and carefully look at the commercials, I am sure you will notice that there are hardly any without a happy family grinning out of the box. This shown family type is called the nuclear "ideal" family. But as I see it this type of family is not the ideal one and in the following paragraphs I will explain my opinion.

Let's imagine there is the nuclear family consisting of a father, a mother and one or two children and they have always stick together like that. So let's say the man has got a drinking problem, the woman choleric person and the children hate each other. Would this family still be ideal? Or wouldn't it be better if the parents get divorced and the children be separated?
But the downside of a single parent family type is that there is an important part of the child missing. So I also absolutely disagree with the opinion of some people, that this family type is the only real one.
I also strongly believe that the adoptive family is a bad type. Sooner or later the children want to meet their real parents and then the adoptive parents have no chance, except to accept the wish of the children and risk that they won't come back to them again. They'll never be the number one parents.
A widely spread family type is the blended family. This type is created, when two divorced people remarry and bring their children with them. Two days ago a friend of mine told me about his situation at home and how he hates his new father and his new sisters. So this also doesn't sound like the perfect type.

So what could be an ideal family? For me it is when everyone respect and love each other. There should be harmony and understanding between the family members and sometimes disagreements but no awful rows. Then nothing else matters, neither how many people being involved nor how is their relationship to each other.

I don't think it matters today for society how the family is setted together. 50 years ago it was important to have as many children as possible, because the child mortality was higher. And there was hardly any divorcement.

To sum up, I don't believe there is an ideal family type and everyone can make his own family perfect, no matter how the combination is.

Virgins

Introduction:

The play "Virgins" is a production of the Vienna English Theatre. It starts with an amusing dance by the actors which play Zoey, Jack, Suzie and Nick. Then the main play goes on with Zoey who writes in her diary about a party she've been. The happenings of this party will release the main conflicts of the story, because Jack did something bad and though he asks her sister Zoey not to tell it their father Nick she does. And Nick gets very angry in addition to his anger about his wife Suzie, because she works too much yet she doesn't have enough time for Nick. And so the play goes on ...

conclusion/bottom line:

Even though they had many conflicts to solve, they found together at the end of the play. Jack forgives Zoey that she told Nick about his problem with the two girls, Suzie promises that she will have more time for Nick in future and Nick release that Jack isn't just a stupid youngster like he was. My opinion is that the play remains of a normal family life. The teenagers are rebellious do wrong things, the parents quarrel about things f.i. too less time for each other. So, to conclude, the play seems to be a kind of reality show.

Dry your eyes

“Dry your eyes“ is a song written by “The Street“.
In the first stanza we can see that the lyrical I is sad and depressed about the fact that his girlfriend split up their relationship. The chorus shows how a good friend tries to comfort the love victim. The second stanza tells us how his life crashes and how he tries to get her back again by begging. He’s of the opinion that his life is empty without her. He wants to change what happened, but he isn’t able to. Finally he tells her that in past it was hard for him to tell her things, but the more he tells her the more she pulls away.
My interpretation of this song is that men can also be hurt by women.

Dear Cousin …

I was very shocked when I read your letter. I nearly got a heart-attack. But as I said once, I’ll help you whenever you get in troubles, though I didn’t expect such big troubles!

The story with the police man sounds like an accident. Do you recognize when we were kids and behaved mischievously? Our parents always figured it out, shouted at us and then everything was in order again. Therefore my opinion is that you should go to the police, because it makes all even worse when they catch you once and it also destroys yourself when you run away from “the problem”. Don’t be scared about the consequences, though it could mean prison.
The problem with the girl is much heavier! Sorry that I am joking, but the letter sounds too negative. You told her about the police man?! Ok mate, keep cool! Maybe she understands it and wait for you until you get out of prison. I think if she really loves you she will act like that. Girls can be very romantic yet they do stuff like that. Your life will never be the same again, but you have to make the best of it. If you decide to go to the police, please tell your mum first the whole story. She will be shocked, like I was, but she will understand it some day and help you to find to yourself again. Don’t be shy to tell her, because of her actually problems with your dad. Your mum is a strong person and I think she will bear it.

Finally I want to tell you that I am always by your side if you need my help. If you want me to leave Chicago and come to you I’ll do.
Yours,

Cousin from Chicago

xoxo

Book review of: Paranoid Park

The teenage drama “Paranoid Park” is written by the US-author Blake Nelson. It was published in 2006 an first published in the United States of America by Viking, a member of the Penguin Group (USA).

At first I will tell you the story of the “no-name narrator”. He used to be a normal teenager. His parents get divorced and his girlfriend Jennifer doesn’t really love him, although. One evening the narrator planned an evening with his mate Jared. They want to go out but then Jared cancelled their meeting and so the narrator goes to the so called “Paranoid Park”. It is a park, where only the best skaters drive around. There he meets “Downtown children” and starts to talk with one guy named “Scratch”. They make out to do “train hopping” and so it happens. A police man catches them and starts to beat them up. The narrator defends himself and killed the police man. And then he decides not to tell anyone about what happened. Only at the end of the book he writes a letter to his friend Macy McLaughlin.
In my opinion the story is good because it is exciting until the end, whether the narrator tells the police what he has done or not. I also think that there are many youngsters who relate to the main character because they have similar problems.

The message of the book is that if you made something wrong or get in troubles, it makes it even worse not to speak about it and therefore it would be great if many teenagers read the meaningful book.

Rate 8/10