HERE'S HOW YOU CAN DENOUNCE HATE AND RACISM

http://www.univision.com/univision-news/heres-how-you-can-denounce-hate-and-racism

SUMMARY:

This news was published on the 7^th of December by Jessica Weiss and it is about the progressive increase in both 2016 and 2017 of incidents of intolerance. So, in this news, the writer explain how to act in front of situations in which you feel victim of a hate attack and intolerance.

First of all, the writer presents that the 2016 election in the United States has caused a surge in hate-fueled harassment, intimidation and assaults across the country, mostly involving minorities. Specially, more than 800 such “election-related” episodes, mostly anti-black and anti-immigrant, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that combats hate.

In second place, the writer explains that some organizations, like SPLC, encourage people to report incidents. Right after, she also gives options to those who experience hate, since just as incidents of violence are a crime, hate incidents aren't it.

Then, the Weiss cites some authors who talk about these cases. Specifically cites David Barkey, Leader of an anti-racism organization, who says that the minimum act of violence that can be shown by a person must be punished, with the purpose of not increasing these acts of violence, because every incident of hate is important, and should be reported.

Finally, she comments that is so important that people share her history and his anecdotes because all of these are important. As Ryan Lenz, from the SPLC organization, says: “is not a time when people should be silent about what they’re experiencing”.

MY OPINION:

I totally agree with the writer of this news and with all this members of the organizations which combats hate. Nowadays the number of attacks on racism and hatred of minorities has increased enormously.

In my point of view, this increase of hatred towards other people is caused by the great crisis that many countries have been through and are passing through. But innocent people always pay, because the blame for these attacks of hatred against other people is caused by the political parties that govern today.

That’s why I want to send a message to all of those who attack innocent people: all of us with reasoning and without using violence we can fix this world, a world which are gradually destabilizing more.

WORDS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1. entitled
2. instead
3. epithet

WHAT IS THE CARNIVAL IN BRAZIL?

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/carnival-brazil-100582.html

SUMARRY:

This news, written by Caryn Anderson, is about the amazing carnivals of Brazil, specifically she writes about the history of this festival and, then, she explains the most important Carnivals in Brazil, which are in Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Pernambuco.

Lent is the 46-day period observed primarily by Roman Catholics in preparation for Easter. So that’s why carnival began in the 1830 as a continuation of the Portuguese tradition of celebrating on the day before Lent begins. Over the years, people have introduced more festive elements as a street musicians, street performances, dancing, floats, food and beverages. So, as I said before, the writer explains the most important carnivals of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Pernambuco.

Rio de Janeiro, which has been the most well-known carnival, is characterized by being the largest, since it has more than 100 block parades, and because it is heavily influenced by the favelas, the poorest neighborhoods in the city. The celebration is the culmination of months of preparation.

Bahia is characterized because they incorporates its population's African influences, considering that it integrates reggae and traditional African rhythms with traditional samba music and dancing.

Pernambuco also features African influences in its Carnival, but it stands out for their large parades and street dancing begin one week before Carnival begins, ending on Ash Wednesday.  

MY OPINION:

Our country is strongly influenced by the celebration of Brazilian carnivals. So, this weekend some villages started to celebrate this festival. In my point of view, this type of festival is the funniest one of the year because we can wear whatever we want, besides we make awesome floats and we celebrate it wandering around the city.

Apart from all this positive aspects of Carnival, Nowadays some people celebrate it abusing alcohol and other drugs. I think that drinking a little is not bad, but some people have to control oneself because the funniest thing of partying with friends and having fun is remembering it everything the next day.

WORDS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1.    Indulging.

2.    Lent.

3.    Ash.

"INTERNET AND ITS USERS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER"

As you should know, Internet is a network for sharing information which, nowadays, has gained great popularity, considering that everyone has access and uses it. That’s why we have been creating a world where everything works online. So, this fact, can benefit us, but it can also hurt us.

On the one hand, Internet benefits us because it has many advantages. Apart from all the information that provide us, so much information that we can even be self-taught, I think that the best advantage is the technological advance that allows to do.

On the other hand, Internet is the biggest Network, so it contains information of all kinds, bad and good. Apart from that, it is also a good tool to access personal information of people and, thus, use it against them to do harm. This is a real fact and there have been several programs where explains cases, for example, of people who suffer bullying through the internet.

Definitely, Internet can change the world for the better and, daily, we see examples of this. But I really think that this Network can improve the world if used properly. So my conclusion is that Internet can be good or bad, it only depends on the person and their use of it.

PLUMBER FACES TWO YEARS FOR BEATING DOG TO DEATH WITH SHOVEL

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/plumber-faces-years-beating-dog-death-shovel-article-1.2978441

SUMMARY:

This news, written by Laura Dimon was published the 21th of February of 2017 and it was about a plumber who faces two years for beating dog to death with shovel.

Michael Gallagher, 56-years-old man, is a plumber who works in the New York City schools and the Metropolitan Opera House. So, this Levittown man was accused last 23th of December of 2016 of beat his dog, an 11-years-old Shepard mix called Bella, and he is facing up to two years in prison.

According to prosecutors, the crime happened when this drunk man put his dog in a plastic bag and beat her with a metal shovel. He also put a zip tie around the dog's neck. Finally, when Gallagher's wife came home carried Bella to an animal hospital, where she had to be euthanized.

Gallagher's daughter spoke to the Daily News said that she and his family don’t know what to do but they know they don’t want him to come back. She also said that decades ago her father abused of alcohol and she confessed that started drinking again after one of the other family dogs died.

Finally, after all the trials, Gallagher pleaded not guilty. He is being held on $300,000 bail and is due back in court March 21.

MY OPINION:

In my point of view, if this man proves to be so cruel to the animals, this proves that he would also be able to attack the men. So, in my opinion, justice should have pleaded guilty.

I cannot understand why people are bent in mistreating animals because, for me, animals are just like humans, they also are living beings. Following this argument, if a man kill an animal he has to be tried as if he had killed a person and, therefore, go to prison. I'm sure that if he had kill a person he will go to prison. But he not even kill her, he also torture her.

Definitely, although men nowadays treat animals better, we still have to fight for animal rights and fight against animal abuse, because they have the same right to live as we do.

WORDS I DIDN’T KNOW:

1.   Euthanized

2.    Felony

3.    Pleaded.