Comment 13

 Vincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. Moreover, although it sounds strange, Van Gogh only sold one of the hundreds of his paintings, which currently reach incredible prices at auctions. The recognition of his work only began one year after his death, as a result of an exhibition. Nowadays, Van Gogh is considered one of the great geniuses of painting. Furthermore, his works had a decisive influence on all the art of the 20th century.

On the one hand, talking about his life, Vincent van Gogh, who was the eldest of six children, received a good education at a private boarding school and at the age of sixteen he entered as an apprentice in an art trading society founded by his uncle. Later, he worked as a teacher, assistant to a Methodist pastor and worker in a bookshop, among other things. However, he felt very lonely, so his friend Paul Gauguin moved into the "yellow house" to be with him, but the relationship became more and more difficult because of their strong characters. In the course of an argument, Van Gogh even attacked Gauguin with a shaving blade; then, feeling sorry for his actions, he cut off his earlobe to give it to Gauguin, who considered him as a dangerous lunatic with whom he had no intention to keep on living with. After that, van Gogh spent a year in a psychiatric hospital. Finally, this artist killed himself with a gunshot.

On the other hand, talking about his works, there is no doubt that Van Gogh was a fantastic painter. His artistic period was short (about 10 years), but intense. Moreover, during that period of time the artist painted more than 800 pictures and we don't know how many more he could have painted or how his art would have advanced if he hadn't ended his career and his life. Besides, we can see how the different periods of his life are reflected in his paintings, so we can observe a dark period, a brighter period, an inspiring period... Some of the paintings of this important artist are Los comedores de patatas, La siesta and la Noche estrellada.

In short, Vincent van Gogh was a very important artist who created a before and after in the history of art. Unfortunately, he had a complicated life and died very young.

Comment 12

 Classical music relates to musical compositions that are from the period known as musical classicism (between 1750 and 1820). Artists who create classical music try to express their ideas through the beauty of the sound. In addition, there are many classical music artists that we all know as Mozart or Bach. Moreover, according to some studies, classical music has many benefits.

On the one hand, Neuroscience has carried out several studies about the incidence of music in the brain. One of the most interesting recent studies took place at the University of Helsinki, which was about the genetic alterations produced by classical music. The result was that classical music is able to turn off the genes involved in the degeneration of the brain and the immune system, allowing the prevention of future neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, many scientists recommend pregnant women to listen to classical music during their pregnancy. This is because it stimulates different areas of the baby's brain and can help it develop healthier.

On the other hand, another area that music affects is the area of health. There is something called music therapy, which is a therapy that is associated to music. This discipline carries out conventional treatments on areas of the brain that are affected such as: cerebrovascular accidents, or dementia, among others. This type of treatment has given excellent results and advances in the reduction of these illnesses, and in this way helps affected patients to recover language and motor skills, as well as memory. In addition, music, especially classical music, helps with relaxation and concentration for any type of person.

To put it in a nutshell, classical music is that kind of music that even after many years, will always persist. Besides, thanks to classical music many other types of music have appeared. From my perspective, although the music I usually listen to is totally different to classical music, I still like it. Moreover, I like listening to classical music while doing my homework because it helps me to concentrate more.

Comment 11

 Halloween is a party that is currently celebrated in practically the whole world and is very popular, especially among children. The word "Halloween" is a contraction of All Hallow's Eve also known as Witches' Night. This is a festival of pagan origin celebrated on 31st October and whose origins date back to an ancient Celtic festival more than 3,000 years ago known as Samhain.

Talking about its origin, although nowadays it is a day of costumes, sweets and children, its origins are not as happy. The festival was celebrated in Ireland when the harvest season came to an end and the "Celtic New Year" began, coinciding with the autumn solstice. It was believed that during that night the spirits of the dead could walk among the alive people. The ancient Celts believed that with the arrival of Samhain the line between this world and the world of the dead would get narrower and the good and bad spirits could pass through it. In addition, it was believed that the use of masks was to ward off evil spirits. Furthermore, there was a banquet at the graves of the family ancestors. Besides, the Halloween holiday came to the United States and Canada in 1840 through Irish immigrants but it didn't start to be massively celebrated until 1921, when the first Halloween parade was held in Minnesota. Over the next few decades, the festival became more and more popular. In the 1970s, it became more and more popular thanks to television series and films.

On the other hand, one of the most typical things about Halloween is the famous trick or treat. That night, all the children go out on the street in their costumes and knock on people's houses, asking for candy and saying "trick or treat". The origin of this is a popular Celtic legend. This legend says that on Halloween night all kinds of spirits could walk around the Earth and among them, there was a particularly evil one called Jack O'lantern, who would go around the houses asking for "trick or treat". According to tradition, it was better to make a treat, no matter what it cost as long as you didn't fall for his trick, which was to curse the house. Nowadays children go around the streets on Halloween night in their costumes, trick-or-treating and saying the famous phrase "trick or treat". If the residents of the house give them candy, it means that they have accepted the deal, if they refuse, the children will spend some kind of mischief like throwing eggs at the door.

In short, Halloween night is fun, but also a bit scary and we should not forget its history. In my opinion, Halloween is a party that we have adopted from other countries, but it is still cool and I find it very curious to see everyone dressed up in the street.

Comment 10

 Nowadays, we live in a society where our appearance, although not as important as some years ago, is still important. Moreover, in terms of our appearance, we can talk about the way we dress, make-up, piercings, tattoos... Today we are going to focus on the hairstyle and how it has changed over the years, in addition to some problems it has.

On the one hand, hairstyles are a way of expression. In the past, there were no such things as hair dyes or straighteners. However, nowadays it is very common to see people with hair colors such as blue, pink or green, especially teenagers. With their hairstyle they try to express themselves and send a message about how they are. Besides, it' s really fun to play with colors, dare to cut it or do any kind of hairstyle. And you don't have to worry about it if it doesn't look good, because you can always have it cut or dyed again.

On the other hand, our hairstyle can be a problem sometimes. Although it's not as common as it was a few years ago, there are some places where you can be looked badly at just because of your hairstyle. In addition, in certain jobs the same thing happens. If you apply for a job with a "weird" hairstyle and there is another candidate with "normal" hair, sometimes they choose the second one just because they like their appearance better, and that is very bad. Furthermore, another problem with hair and hairstyles is that they can create insecurities among people. Especially hair loss and baldness stand out. This affects both men and women but especially men. For some people hair loss is a big problem because while other people of the same age have a lot of hair, they are bald. However, you shouldn't worry about this because it's totally normal.

In short, hair is a complement for our look, and it can be fun to change it sometimes. From my point of view, everyone should wear their hair the way they like it and the way they are most comfortable. Also, you don't have to worry about problems like hair loss because it's very common.

Comment 9

 Nowadays, it is very common that animals are used to do experiments in different areas of science such as medicine. However, this doesn't mean that these experiments are correct. Moreover, these experiments involve many different kinds of animals like rats, frogs, chickens, rabbits... This is a very controversial topic and there are different opinions about it.

On the one hand, there are people who support these experiments as long as they do some things. Animals have rights too, so these experiments should be done trying to respect them. Furthermore, they have to be done trying to make the animal suffer as little as possible and die in a decent way. Besides, the studies that require experimentation on animals are only those that are going to do some kind of good to humans.

On the other hand, there are people who disagree with this at all. Animal rights extremists often portray those who experiment on animals as being so cruel as to have forfeited any own moral standing. Moreover, you cannot prove that the suffering of those animals is going to be compensated with the improvement of human life, because the life of an animal, either a mouse or a frog, has value, just like a human life.

In short, experimentation on small or large animals is a huge moral dilemma and everyone has a different view about it. In addition, there are many debates about this. From my point of view, these experiments are wrong and I am not in favour of them because I don't agree with animal suffering. Besides, animals are often used in sectors such as cosmetics, and I think that killing animals just to do make-up is a horrible thing. In my opinion, scientists should look for other methods to test their products, such as on plants.

Comment 8

 A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. These shows are very popular among people of any age. Everyone enjoys listening to their favorite artist's music live. However, because of the current situation (caused by the Covid 19), the celebration of these concerts has to be cancelled.

On the one hand, there are many people who agree with the suspension of this kind of shows. Currently, we are living a global pandemic and we must take many measures to prevent the transmission of the virus. Moreover, concerts are not an essential activity, and you can still enjoy the music of your favorite artists through platforms like Youtube or Spotify. Besides, the more we follow the established rules and keep the security distance, the sooner this virus will disappear and we can return to normal life.

On the other hand, there are other people who don't agree with this. For many people, enjoying live music is an essential activity in their lives. Furthermore, there are measures that can be taken to avoid infections, such as everyone wearing a mask all the time, there being delimited areas on the floor to be able to maintain a safe distance or you having to spend the whole concert sitting down. In addition, as we all know, the fact that there are no concerts means a loss of money not only for the singers, but also for the rest of the team who have a job related to this.

In short, concerts are good fun and cool events. Besides, you can go to have a good time with your friends there. Nevertheless, because of the current situation it is difficult to determine if it is right that concerts should take place or not. From my point of view, although I love going to concerts, I think this is not the time for live music.