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English 3

Newspaper: Be Conscious!

Authors: Natalia Miranda

Alejandra Muñoz Mena

Sharmey Saborio

Katherine Vargas

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Table of Contents: Alejandra´s Essay: Disadvantages of social

networks……………………………………………………………….3

Natalia´s Essay: Environmental Problem

Here………………………………………………………………...........8

Sharmey´s Essay: Bullying……………………………………13

Katherine´s Essay: A piece of heaven on earth……..18

Article about Disadvantages of social

networks……………………………………………………………...23

Article about Environmental Problem

Here……………………………………………………………………..24

Article about Bullying…………………………………………..25

Article about: A piece of heaven on earth……………..26

Statistics ……………………………………………………………...27

Wordsearch .…………………………………………………........31

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Around 1,153 000 people live in the Greater Metropolitan Area

(GAM) and have access to the Internet with frequency; out of this

group, 29% use the Internet every day.¹ Thus we can see how much

the Internet is used in this country and we cannot deny that it is a

very simple way to help ourselves with any kind of information or

any kind of work that we need. Social networking is a very good tool

these days, and each day people have more access to this, but it is

important to know that you have to use it carefully because there

are many dangerous disadvantages. For example, you can become a

victim of crime like identity theft, become too much exposed, or you

can become addicted to social networking.

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The first disadvantage of social

networking is that you can become a victim of crime. When you use

social networking, you have to give some information to these sites.

In many cases this information is personal like the ID, cell phone

number, address, bank account, etc. The problem is, if you are not

careful, this information can be used by other people with bad

intentions. This person could be a thief and you can be a victim of

crime, which is called identity theft. This happens when your

information is stolen and someone else uses it for buying expensive

things. For example, with your credit card and all your personal

information, she/he or they can buy electrical devices, jewelry or just

clean out all your money from your account.

¹ Taken from www.elfinancierocr.com

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The second disadvantage of social

networking is that you can become too much exposed and lose your

privacy. A lot of people, who use Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus,

etc, almost always post what they do, what they eat, where they go,

where they are, and every kind of information jeopardize them,

because people who have access to this information can know too

much about these things that users post. And users put their lives in

the hands of strangers, who many times can be persons with bad

intensions and who can cause damage. For this reason it is important

to be careful with what kind of information you want to share. It is

obvious that in social media people share photos and their

information. But also it is important that people get conscious about

how much information is necessary to share and what kind of

information is dangerous to share.

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The third disadvantage of

social networking is that you can become addicted to this. If you are

24/7 in front of a computer, if you read, comment, or share

someone´s post without any reason, check in on Foursquare

everywhere you go, when it is the first thing that you do in the

morning and when you update your status always, it is because you

are an addict. If you usually do all this, it is probable that you are

addicted to media, and it is a big problem that you have to notice

and do something about it. You are spending too much time on

things that are not important in your life; you are ignoring all the

important things to do. The problem is that you put in danger your

work, your studies, your family and your friends because you do not

spend time with them, and you put in risk even your health because

being in the Internet for too much time can cause problems to you,

like difficulty to get focus, headaches, or pain in your hands and all

your body.

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In conclusion, the previous three

negative factors of social networking cause victims of crime, because

of becoming too much exposed, losing your privacy and becoming

addicted to this. We can see now how dangerous social networks

are, but nowadays it is impossible to not be part of social

networking, and day by day it becomes very powerful and useful.

However, we have to be conscious and are prepared to overcome

the negative and dangerous factors that this technological tool

brings. Some advice could be to be more careful with the people who

we add to our profile and to post only necessary information and not

something that will put us in danger. As another example, we could

post only few pictures and little personal data. Also, do a schedule of

how much time we will spend on the Internet in order to not become

addicts. Finally, social networking is useful yes, but it also has

disadvantages, really dangerous disadvantages; however, if we know

how to be careful and smart with it, we can enjoy quietly and

without hazards.

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Environmental problems in this world are a difficult topic. Most people do

not know how important the life in a clean and healthy world is. The world

is destroyed by trash and smoke. People are not conscious about the fact

that the rivers are contaminated with agrochemicals, that the marine

resources are overexploited. An example is that in houses we do not

recycle and throw trash the everywhere. The environmental problems are

affecting the property and quality of people's lives and the people are sick

because of the pollution in the air and the water. Therefore, citizens must

become more aware of the problem, demand respect for the environment

and contribute to its preservation.

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How can the world be

contaminated by the presence of

garbage or smoke? The main cause of

the great quantity of pollution is the

lack of education of the population,

because it is a fact that there are few

people who take care of the

environment. Another cause is that

garbage accumulates on the sidewalks

and this causes floods, on the other hand when the trash reaches the

rivers where the fonts are contaminated and this causes the water to

become impossible to consume. In addition, we must remember that

some laws have attempted to reduce the waste produced by people.

However, there is only a small amount of people who have tried to

reduce the consumption of polluting products.

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The lack of culture and education

are at the root of the problems of environmental pollution. The constant

assault on the environment is a concern because it has become "a

fashion" and there are few people who take action to combat it.

Nowadays people do not mind throwing away no matter whether they

cause damage, pollute rivers and do not recycle. Therefore, it is evident

that the problem begins at home, in schools and work places. The higher

authorities should act quickly and with concrete and immediate actions

to improve the quality of life for all, including strong laws that have a bad

consequence

To discuss measures to prevent

pollution we must to remember that exist some laws that prohibit and

punish to individuals and companies that contaminate the environmental

but the real solution is that the law be fulfilled and punish heavily and in

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a timely manner to the responsible. On the other hand some actions in

recent years have contributed to the protection of green areas and

reduced consumption thus reducing the production of waste and

environmental damage. Governments around the world have

implemented some practices such as separating waste by category,

reusing waste and safer health policies available to citizens. All these

measures should be practiced by everyone not by compromise but by

education and love for the planet. Separating, recycling and disposal are

simple techniques that anyone can put into practice. The importance of

taking action is important to help planet and to allow better life, cleaner

air, among other advantages.

Finally, after mentioning problems with

environmental pollution we must remember that

each person must commit to the trash scraps;

simple actions like sorting trash and worrying

(gerund) about the amount of products we

consume are examples of preventive measures to

improve the planet. According to statistics

companies and individuals who implement plans to reduce pollution levels

in the environment help to reach those ideas spread rapidly between

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different societies and thus soon the idea can be distributed worldwide.

Some simple ideas like saving energy are not implemented by people

despite being an action of general purpose and simple. The interest of the

government can also help to diminish the pollution and we have such a

company in Costa Rica called RITEVE that small actions contributing to the

reduction of car emissions. Other actions such as social initiatives are

acclimated programs that were created as programs dedicated to waste

collection with the help of the same people who are interested in the

welfare of your community. In short every person is obliged to worry

about finding control measures because waste is produced every day and

also to reduce the high consumerism that the global society is facing.

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Bullying is more prevalent in all schools causing great fear among students. The aggressor always behaves aggressively because something is bothering. It is dangerous to let children watch programs of action and violence as this also influences. The victims are shy and unsociable children who are always alone; that makes it easier to hit the victim. Unfortunately, many children end up committing suicide or not wanting to go to school. Parents always ignore what happened, because the child would not talk to anyone, because of the great fear of being disbelieved.

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At present there are

many ways of bullying worldwide. Because of everything

we see and live. Many children feel weakened and at risk of

such abuse. The consequences arising from bullying mean

that many children feel very alone and disoriented,

enabling the fear of going to school and the kids do

everything they can to make excuses. Parents should

always know what is happening to their children in order to

prevent bullying. Today there are many ways to prevent

bullying and great information that abounds in many ways.

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All schools should have programs to prevent

harassment and to ensure communication between

children and teachers in order to prevent any kind of abuse.

In many countries bullying is prevented because of the

large safety management in all schools. How can it be

possible that bullying has come into the world to cause a

great loss of children? It’s best to learn and communicate

how dangerous it can become bullying to everyone close to

this problem in order to avoid the danger that can happen

to our children. Also use technological means to teach

children the ways of bullying that exist. Having good

communication with one´s children makes it easier for

them to tell you what happens.

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Bullying has a great stake in society, causing great pain to all those victims. Because of bullying some children or teenagers have a social blockade which causes the victim to be afraid to talk to other people. Then this social manipulation consists of taunting and threatening the child causing great fear. We also have social exclusion which means not having friends, rejection and abuse. And finally we have the harassment which is to disturb the child so much physical as mentally; making him feel depressed and fed up with him situation.

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In conclusion, I must add that ultimately bullying is a phenomenon that is present in our society. Identifying it and admit it is important tools to prevent that you destroy the self-esteem and confidence of our children. It is necessary that children have confidence, to be able to tell you everything that happens to them without any fear of scolding. Young people are the generation of tomorrow, so it is of the utmost importance that we promote violence-free education. The cost of bullying in economic terms it is high, but in terms of suffering is incalculable. It is thus that disorders caused by the aggressor interfere with your daily routine; causing a high suffering, not only of the victim, but also their loved ones. It is so painful to see a child suffer

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Costa Rica is a piece of heaven on earth. All people who like to

travel around the world or just want to know a different country

should visit this place. Costa Rica is a really charming place which

has rivers, beautiful beaches, mountains, and a rich flora and

fauna. Costa Rica has a tropical climate, which is very comfortable.

Also, the Costa Ricans are very nice people; they are characterized

to be friendly, and so congenial with everybody. And the Costa

Rican culture is very interesting. So if someone wants to travel,

they should not miss to pay a visit to our beautiful country.

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First, one of the most important reasons why people must

visit this charming place is because all the places are really close.

You can stay on the beach and in a few minutes you can be near a

river. And if you do not like the hot weather, the mountains and

volcanoes are a good option. So the advantage of Costa Rica is

that all is very close. You just need a car to move from one place

to another, you do not need to take an airplane or travel for a lot

of hours. One of the main characteristics is the convenience of

travelling across the country due to the short distances to drive.

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Another important reason to visit Costa Rica is because has

an enriched nature. In this country you can find a lot of beaches,

rivers and beautiful places to enjoy your vacations. Costa Rica’s

beaches are so clean, surrounded by nature; you can swim and

enjoy a boat trip, and also has ideal beaches to practice surfing. In

the rivers you can be in contact with the nature and maybe

practice extreme sports. So Costa Rica has a lot of variety for

enjoying the perfect vacations.

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Finally, it is important to mention the last reason why people

should come to Costa Rica. Costa Rica has an enriched flora and

fauna, with a big variety of animals and plants. You can visit some

national Parks like Manuel Antonio and enjoy watching the

beautiful animals like toucans or monkeys. Also, if you prefer to go

to the sea, you can have fun with the fish and maybe you can see

dolphins. Costa Rica has large vegetation so you can observe the

great variety of trees and flowers which make a really beautiful

country.

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Finally, I can assure that Costa Rica is one the best options to

travel. If you are thinking about visiting any country, you should

come here and travel around our country. If your choice is to visit

Costa Rica, you will learn that this is an amazing country and you

will have a great vacation. Whatever you like would not be a

problem, if you like the beach, the volcanoes, the rivers, the hot

or cold weather, because Costa Rica has these places. For all these

reasons I repeat that Costa Rica is a piece of heaven on earth. I

assure that Costa Rica is a beautiful place and you have to visit it.

Do not hesitate and pay a visit to our country. It will be worth any

penny you spend.

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Article about Disadvantages of social networks:

Social Networks and the Performance of Individuals and Groups:

A field study involving 190 employees in 38 work groups representing 5 diverse organizations

provided evidence that social networks, as defined in terms of both positive and negative relations, are

related to both individual and group performance. As hypothesized, individual job performance was

positively related to centrality in the advice network and negatively related to centrality in the

hindrance

network. Hindrance network density was significantly and negatively related to group performance.

Social Networks and the Performance of Individuals and Groups Page 4

A growing body of management theory and research takes as its central premise the

embeddedness (Granovetter, 1985) of individuals in social networks. The distinctive characteristic of

this stream of research lies in how it appeals to the structural properties of social networks in

explaining

outcomes. From this perspective, individuals enjoy advantages or suffer disadvantages by virtue of

their

positions within social networks, such as organizational assimilation (Sparrowe & Liden, 1997),

promotions (Burt, 1992), and turnover (Krackhardt & Porter, 1986). Centrality, the extent to which a

given individual is connected to others in a network, is the structural property most often associated

with

instrumental outcomes, including power (Brass, 1984), influence in decision-making (Friedkin, 1993),

and innovation (Ibarra, 1993).

Source: In Press - Academy of Management Journal

Running Head: Social Networks and the Performance of Individuals and Groups

Social Networks and the Performance of Individuals and Groups

RAYMOND T. SPARROWE

Cleveland State University

Department of Management and Labor Relations

Taken from: http://www.aom.pace.edu/amj/april2001/sparrowe.pdf

1860 East 18th Street, Room 433

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Article about Environmental Problem Here:

Effects of Plastic Pollution

Plastic is a commodity that is consumed on a large-scale all around the world. The production as well as

disposal of plastic, pose a great threat to all the life forms on earth. This material takes years to

discompose, which is one of the factors that kill many animals in water as well as on land. During the

manufacture of plastic, many hazardous chemicals are emitted which has resulted into dreadful disorders

and diseases in humans. Ethylene oxide, xylene and benzene are some of the chemical toxins present in

plastic that has miserable effects on the environment.

This substance is not easy to dispose, as it causes permanent harm to living beings. However, unaware of

the drastic problems caused due to plastic, this substance is recycled and put up in the market for the

people to consume. Hence, it continues to be dangerous and risks the life on earth. Any form of plastic

disposal too, cause harm to the environment in which we dwell. Burning the plastic causes contamination

of atmosphere, due to the release of poisonous chemicals. Disposing plastic into water or land causes

contamination and even increases the mortality rate of animals. Recycling the substance requires labors,

which are at risk of developing skin and respiratory problems, due to inhalation of toxic chemicals. As you

read further, the article discloses some of the harmful consequences of such pollution.

Effects

The rural areas are more prone to any kind of pollution due to poor disposable systems. The people from

rural areas often use plastic bags and bottles on a large-scale. Unaware of the harm caused due to plastic,

rural people are a contributing factor to pollution. Due to improper disposal systems, many stray animals

end up consuming plastic which eventually leads to their death. Also during the rains, the plastic fallen on

the road gets washed away into the nearby water reservoirs and even flow into drains. Plastic flowing in

the drainage blocks the water providing a shelter for mosquitoes to breed.

As we all know that only 1% of water on earth is drinking water, it is soon getting contaminated due to

dumping of plastic wastes. Plastic takes many years to decompose and during the process of

decomposition, it releases some toxic chemicals such as Styrene Trimer, Bisphenol A and a by-product of

Polystyrene. Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical that damages the reproductive system of animals. Disposal

of plastic in oceans affects both marine animals and also the seabirds. As the years pass, plastic releases

harmful chemicals and also breaks down into small pieces, tricking the animals for small water species. The

animal's body might decompose, but the plastic consumed by it will remain to pose threat to other marine

animals. Marine species can also at times get tangled in the plastic layer, formed out of dumping plastic

wastes in the water.

Also wind carry and deposit the plastic from one place to other, littering the land. It also gets stuck on

fences, trees and water bodies. Any animal that comes in the vicinity of plastic, might even get tangled and

suffocate to death.

By: Amruta Gaikwad

Taken from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-plastic-pollution.html

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Article about Bullying:

Devin Brown: 13-Year-Old Commits Suicide after Months Of Bullying:

Devin Brown, 13, should have been lauded as a hero.

When he learned a classmate was planning to brutally murder a teacher at his school, he took action

and told someone who could help. His classmates should have thanked him. Instead, they mercilessly

bullied him, threatened him, and called him a "snitch" — and after what had been months of torture

that culminated in this event, Brown hanged himself in his closet.

Rothschild Middle School in Columbus, Ga., didn't seem to have been a safe environment for

students, especially those who were bullied. In the last six months alone, there were no fewer than

fifteen bullying incidents at the school that required police intervention. Ironically, those were the

last six months of Brown's short life.

"He said, 'Everyone is calling me a snitch and he said there's about 15-20 people who want to jump

on me,'" recalled Devin's father, Ray Brown, who knew his son was being bullied before the "snitch"

incident but was powerless to stop it.

Of the previous instances of bullying, Brown added, "We talked to the school, they said, 'We haven't

heard anything about it, just let it go.'"

Although he didn't leave a note, Devin Brown apparently told friends he was planning on committing

suicide after school that day. They thought he was just blowing off steam, so they didn't tell anyone

or even think much of it until his death.

He didn't do anything wrong. This boy loved cooking and mixed martial arts, but the pain he faced

every day at school was too much to hide within the passion he had for his hobbies. Bullying broke

Devin down until nothing could put him back together.

In honor of his son, Ray Brown has pledged to work to end school bullying.

"I am going to do whatever I can in his name to stop it," he said. "There is no reason a kid should be

scared to go to school."

The Brown family hopes to start a foundation to fight back against bullying, so other children in their

son's situation — especially at his troubled school — do not have to resort to suicide just so

someone hears their cries for help.

Taken from:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/33851/devin-brown-13-year-old-commits-suicide-after-

months-of-bullying

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Article about: A piece of heaven on earth

Costa Rica is located in the Central American isthmus, between the Pacific Ocean

and the Caribbean Sea. It is a privileged destination because of its location in the

middle of the Western Hemisphere. Its varied landscapes and mild climate make

this small country the perfect getaway for a spectacular vacation, medical or

health tourism, a memorable business meeting or convention.

“Land of peace, Costa Rica is the oldest democracy in Latin America with more

than 100 years of political stability.”

Costa Rica's economy has been constantly growing during the last 10 years. The

country has signed seven trade agreements with other Latin American countries,

and one trade with the United States (CAFTA). It also has preferential access

agreements with several European markets. This economic development has

been encouraged by direct ocean access on both coastlines, easy access by road

to neighboring countries, Nicaragua and Panama, as well as regular flight

connections to North America, Latin America and Europe. Costa Rica has two

international airports: Juan Santamaría in the capital city and Daniel Oduber in

the northern city of Liberia.

Costa Rica is internationally known as a potential major electricity producer: 97%

of the territory has electric power and telecommunications are available

throughout the territory. In terms of health indicators, Costa Rica has the best

life expectancy rate of Latin America: 78 years on average.

Costa Rica attracts important investments thanks to its efficient productivity in

high technology, its well-educated population and the high-quality technical

education accessible in the country.

“Exuberant nature, pristine beaches, active volcanoes, contrasting landscapes,

impressive places of scenic beauty, biological diversity.”

This is Costa Rica the perfect place to spend your vacations in the tropics.

Taken from: http://www.tourism.co.cr/

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Statistics:

Taken from: http://www.thenewecologist.com/2011/06/environmental-statistics

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Source: http://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/recent-polls/

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Tourist Arrivals in Costa Rica since 2003

In 2005 more than 1.5 million people have visited Costa Rica, half of whom are North Americans. The Swedish figure for 5’500 entries. To compare: more than 12’000 Swiss visit the country every year – in proportion to their population they are twice more likely to visit Costa Rica than the Swedish...

2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009

Total visits 1 238 692

1 437 098

1 679 000

1 725 261

2 089 000

1 922 579

Costa Rica’s main visiting countries

Austria 3 957 4 660 4 244 5 107 6 124 5 504

Belgium 5 504 5 650 4 844 5 977 8 368 9 509

Canada 54 656 74 212 86 906 88 304 109 854 102 471

France 23 606 23 467 24 365 24 392 34 622 30 737

Germany 29 151 34 154 38 523 37 847 44 705 40 918

Holland 24 665 21 905 24 173 24 303 30 615 25 006

Sweden 3 726 4 085 5 947 - - 6 939

Switzerland 10 893 11 604 12 730 13 144 12 985 12 343

Spain 34 442 42 381 49 218 50 225 54 029 46 457

UK 23 019 24 158 26 917 27 890 40 250 28 882

USA 510 751 633 640 758 134 731 236 807 162 770 129

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Source: http://www.travelcostarica.nu/tourism-in-costa-rica

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Wordsearch:

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