The Island!

To those who like moving stories, The Island, authored by Victoria Hislop comes highly recommended. The plot is gripping. The main actress Alexis logs to find out more about her mother’s,Sofia,  past. All she knows about it is that she grew up in a Cretan village. When Alexis decides to travel to Crete, Sofia gives her a letter for an old friend (Fotini) and says her daughter that she can learn the truth from her.To her surprise, Aexis finds that her family’s life is closely connected with an island, called Spinaloga, the former leper colony. Alexis hears  her grandmother’s and mother’s story from  Fotini as well as a family rent by tragedy, war and passion.

The Island premieres on Mondey night, at 10.00 on Mega channel. Don’t miss it!

Here is the trailer.

 

 

A hug for whoever reading this post.

A great campaign in order to promote the power of a hug..

For anyone that is not convinced yet for the importance of hugs imagine that this kind of affection helps premature babies grow healthy much faster and of course makes any of us feel better even in rough situations..So don’t hesitate and give a hug to anyone you believe deserves it right away..

US here we come.

As the die-hard tennis fan of this blog I think it’s part of my ‘duties’ to inform anyone who might be interested that the US open is officially starting on Monday with the best tennis players of the world performing just for us ,fans. Although it’s  not my personal favourite Grand Slam it is still a Grand Slam and yes I’m planning to treat it as one(spending hours and hours watching matches and commenting in different sites *.*). Unfortunately as action has not started yet there are not many things I could talk ,sorry ,write about. Only this: fans no matter which place of the world you are from get ready for another ,hopefully ,exciting tournament. For the unlucky ones ,including me ,that do not live in America renew your supplies of cooffee ,as staying up late  to watch the matches is unbearable in any other way ,and enjoy (Graham is definetely excluded from these drinking cooffee of course).

Some useful links in order to keep up with the latest news are : usopen.org and atpworldtour.com

Reading an English Book!

The latest year I have been reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. What is different, is the fact that I read it in english and this makes the whole experience a little bit more difficult. When I find a new word ( a word which I don’t know ) I either underline it and then look it up in a dictionary or try to work it out. But, most of the time, I cannot manage to find exactly its meaning, so I get a bit frustrated and bored but others, I find it really interesting and challenging. Another way of finding the new words is surfing the Internet. There are some special websites for this particular aim, such as the Dictionary.com, or you can visit gogle, click on translation and press any word. The meaning is shown as well as the meaning of this word as an adjective, verb, noun, etc. In fact, this ‘hobby’ is a motivation for practicing your English and getting better at the reading part of the exams!

Rumor has it!

This is the trailer of the film Rumour has it with Jenifer Aniston.

Five little pigs

If seeing that title you expect to read a post about a fairy tale guess what you’re wrong.Five little pigs is one of ,my personal favourite crime writer, Agatha Christie masterpieces.In fact it’s another task of Hercule Poirot in which it’s obvious once again his ability to solve a mystery without access to the scene of the crime.In this particular book Poirot has to deal with a crime committed fourteen years ago, as he’s requested by the daughter of the murderer who strongly believes to the innocence of her mother because of a letter she sent to her only few days before her execution.

So I believe it’s clear to everyone now why this book differs from the ones of its kind, as the ability of Christie to portray perfectly the setting and the state of her characters,in here extends and she even manages to show all the different aspects of the crime through the narrations of the people ,who were at the scene, as they remember it. Maybe the book is not unique but there are few details that make it valuable as one of the greatest examples of the talent of the author. A big thank you to Mary Clarissa Miller, who transforms herself  through her books into the best-selling writer Agatha Christie.

A major champion for a major title

I’m sure that everybody who has been following tennis affairs the past few years has heard, read, and watched loads of things about the boy, as he firstly introduced himself, and now the man called Rafael Nadal Pareira, or just Rafa.Who hasn’t heard of the epic final between him and Roger Federer in 2008 in Wimbledon in which Rafa won 3-2? Is this achievement (beating the phenomenal Roger Federer in the Grand Slam in grass) enough to call him a real champion? Personally, I don’t think so. But the past two years have proved that Rafael Nadal deserves that title and maybe even more than that.

Rafa made it once again on Sunday and got his throne back in Wimbledon after ‘the most difficult year of his life’, as he named 2009 season. Learning what the tasks he had to face were in all levels it’s easy to explain his words.First the divorce of his parents and then a tendonitis on his knees that forced him not to even compete in Wimbledon, are two of the reasons that the Wimbledon champion will never forget the 4th of July again, even if he’s not American. His domination over the Czech finalist Thomas Berdych was total as the Spaniard beat him in straight sets: 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. (nothing like his first victory of the trophy in 2008)But Wimbledon was only the last episode in a series of major victories of him the last months in : Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid Opens and, last but not least of course, Roland Garros. Impressive come back, no doubts about this, with Rafa gaining two more majors and reaching eight in total.(5 Roland Garros, 2 Wimbledon, and 1 Australian Open)So now a new question raises, despite the honest respect between the two athletes: can Rafa break Roger Federer’s record of 16 Grand Slams and if so does that prove he’s better even from the great Swiss? Time will show us. For now, congratulations for his victory and a wish for the best of luck in US open,which personally I am waiting eagerly, to Rafa.

Read Me!

A radio programme has conducted a survey of young people’s television viewing habits. As a result, they have established that young people are spending more time in front of a screen , either watching TV or playing computer games, than doing sport or socializing with friends. Readers have been asked  to write in to the programme suggesting why this is happening, saying how serious they think the problem is, and what they think should be done about it.

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing regarding the survey your programme conducted about youngsters. This topic is controversial and is staring to become a serious problem.

The fact that the use of  TV or consoles has increased is hardly surprising. First and foremost, there is a wide range of media available such as DVDs, Blu ray discs, etc. Nowadays, there are too involving games available on a variety of consoles. For instance, a great deal of teenagers have multi-player games like play-stations 3. Furthermore, parents are also blame for this problem, because they are using the TV as a “nanny” during early years and added to this , they work so much time that have lack of quality time and accordingly, kids are left amuse themselves.

A final consideration is that some parents are overprotective. What I mean by this, is that most of the time, they would prefer to keep an eye on their offspring and consequently, they do not let them go out to a park or gather with their friends instead of playing games or watching TV. Hence, young people lack confidence, they become shy or introverted and prefer their own company. As a result, they start losing touch with their friends.

It will become a negative and worrying problem for our society if some steps are not taken to remedy the situation. Because of the fact that game industries are becoming more and more dangerous, we need to talk to our children and educate them to use TVs or consoles in moderation. We should put ourselves out to show them the bad effects and health problems they cause, from teens who have already faced them. By foregoing excercise, they risk their health. For example, staring at a screen for hours is harmful because it affects the eyesight. They will become addicted and increasingly cut off from friends. The society need suitable facilities for the youth of the town.

To conclude, I do not think that the problem is as serious as  we think. The media gives a negative viewpoint  of society and sometimes exaggerates too much. On the other hand, it will definitely become serious unless we do not do something.

Yours faithfully,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Alina Kritikou.

nuclear power:how important is it to us?

Nowadays,15% of world’s  electricity  comes from  nuclear power,also  utility  reactions  heat  water  to  produce  steam , which is  used  to generate electricity.Although,many people  speak  out  about  the  dangers  of  nuclear  power,there are advantages.

One of  the  most  significant  advantages  of  using  fission  nuclear  energy  is  that  it  is  a  viable alternative  to  fossil  fuel which is said  to be  deplenting.This is why more and  more  experts  support  the  opinion of developing  more  nuclear  reactors.Moreover,by using nuclear  power  we do not  pollute the  air which  is a  great  advantage  too and as  we all  know  our  planet  is  in  danger,so in  this  way  we protect the environment.Furthermore,by using  fission  there is  greater  energy yield,so with fission  we consume substances  that  can  be  replaced rather than using oil.Finally,the  power which is produced is from controlled non-explosive reactions  so  we do not have to  worry so  much.

On the other hand,one  of  the  main  risks  in nuclear power  is  the  way the  radioactive  waste  is managed.Sientists usually put the  waste  into  a  concrete  container and  they  put  those container  into  the  soil.Also, it is important to remember that many countries take advantage this process in order to make  nuclear  weapons  which  will  use  in wars.Of course, those weapons are  destructive because the effects of  radioactive stay  for many  years.In addition it is true that many people are afraid of explosions  ,which they might exist,such as the explosion in Chernobyl.The radioactive fallout of this great explosion were absolutely fatal.Many people still die from those materials.

In this  controversial topic there is a third side too.There  is fusion  , which  it  could  be used.It is  safer  but it is  still  under  investigation and the effects are  unclear.Also many people  think about using wind power or solar power.Although,those kinds of alternatives are not produce the same quantity of electricity.

I believe that fusion is the  best  choice of  producing energy and we  must not  worry about an explosion because many scientists support that they can control it.

an assigment

Here’s one of my most recent pieces of writing: an imaginary formal letter to a politician outlining my ideas about the financial support that should be given in sports by the government.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Having read an article expressing your opinion on sports funds published in the local newspaper on the 18th of June I am writing to express my concern at hearing the from your point of view there should be a radical increase in money spent in this field.

First and foremost,I would like to comment on the extract from the article, in which it is highlighted that sports achievements are nowadays a means of national appeal. Despite this fact being partially true as attention is given to a certain country as a consequence of those achievements, this is not the initial goal. Where positive publicity may be caused by sports for a rather short period of time this image of a successful nation must be maintained by completing other major tasks, for instance fighting against unemployment and poverty.

Regarding the proposal of raising the expenditure on all sports facilities and training equipment, I would like to express my alarm at hearing this suggestion. Spending more on sports will probably cause the decrease of fundraising in other fundamental fields for the progress of our society. Wasting money in order to be strong in the sporting world while vital civil services are not given the attention needed cannot be beneficial for anyone. Of course a small increase in the money provided for sports could be a show of support and motivation towards the athletes and might indirectly lead to moments of victory in the future.

All in all,despite the fact that achievements in the sports field reflect a healthy and improving society, a tremendous amount of money spent on that will lead to nothing but a negative impact on other services. In contradiction, providing a larger amount of money in services, such as education, so that even more children can take up a sport and maybe evolve into  great athletes one day would be much wiser.

I would be interested in hearing other readers’ comments regarding this issue.

Yours faithfully,

Irene Mavrikaki.