The Shortest Presentation - by Sergio (U3)

This story is about the shortest Presentation I’ve already seen in my life. It was more or less five minutes and it was a Presentation in my English Class. It’s very strange because the person who made that is known due to his longer presentations in our classes and his commentaries in the other presentations, so, when he presents something we think it will take 20 or 30 minutes. Everybody was surprised when he finished this latest work after only 5 minutes.

This speed guy is Erasmo and he studies Architecture. He is in the middle of his graduation course and he likes to present about a lot of themes, from Famous Brazilian Architects to Traditional Brazilian Dances. In this last presentation he told us about the “Wikipedia”.

He began the Presentation turning off the lights. So he put something in the Datashow. He put up his head and spoke with a grave voice: “Hello!”, pause, “You are going too see now a revolution”, pause, “Millions of articles”, pause, “Many Languages”, pause, “A lot of Information”, pause, “This is WIKIPEDIA”, pause, “And everything is free”, pause, “in your computer”, pause, “To everyone”, pause, “This is Wikipedia”, pause, “The revolution of the information”…. It was very different and everybody liked this.

After that, Erasmo gave us some information about the “wiki world” and other alternatives to share information in a free way, like Wiki-dictionary where you can find the meaning of a lot of words. So, with more or less 5 minutes Erasmo finished his cool short presentation.

About a Classmate - by Glaucia (P1)

I have many classmates in the English course. One is Willian. He is very quiet, shy and very calm, but you can’t believe in everything that you see!

In fact, Willian is a CIA detective. His intention is to discover Elton’s dark past. For this, Willian is observant and quiet, because He has to be diligent.

Are you thinking what evidence I have? Well, I swear one day I saw in his pocket a card, where it was written “CIA” . And He has a newspaper with the photo of Elton and the headline was “wanted”. It is very suspect, don’ t you think so?

Well, I don’t know what Elton did, but I know that Willian intends to arrest him.
I think it is good for Elton to be alert. Forewarned is forearmed.

Postcard by Mariana (P1)

Dear Glaucia,

I am having a good time in Tokyo. There are many buildings and cars here.
Although it´s a bit chaotic, the city is wonderful!
The weather is very cold and it is snowing. I adored making snowmen!
I am staying in a “ryokan”, a kind of Japan hotel, and I slept in “tatames”.

Yesterday I visited Harajuku, a neighborhood in Shibuya. There, people wear different clothes and make up. They
are like “manga” characters! I couldn´t resist and I bought a lot of pairs of shoes!

I am going to visit the Imperial Palace tomorrow. It´s amazing and awe-inspiring on pics.
I want to see it with my own eyes!
Oh! And I want to watch a sumo fight. Sumo fighters are very fat and they use tiny trunks.
By the way, what are African people like? I hope that you are having fun there!

Send me a postcard too!
Love
Mariana

Funny News - Tassiana (P1)

São Paulo, October 30th, 2009

Last week, a Brazilian English National Exam was stolen and now it’s suspended. The main suspect is an English student of a language course organized by a group of the University of São Paulo. Alejandra, 17, is a Mathematician and since she started studying English she showed her insecurity when it came to speaking or writing in this language. The theft ocurred when the tests were being transported in an armored car.
Despite the security, Alejandra approached the driver to ask about the location of a street. Many people saw this, so she was accused because her behavior was inappropriate: Brazilian people know that you can’t talk to armored car drivers. To fight the charges, Alejandra said that she didn’t know about this rule because she came from another country, and she had no interest in this test. However, some colleagues of the English course said she was going to take the test and was very afraid of it.
While the police study the case, 3 million students who were preparing for the exam are waiting for an attitude by the government. The government said that a new date is going to be announced.

Letter to a friend - Tassiana (P1)

Dear Rafa,

How wonderful to hear from you. What a wonderful surprise! How did you get my email address? It's been over five years since we last met. It was great to hear your news. I'm so happy for you.
Let me tell you something about my life. Now, I'm finishing my Phisics course at USP, after four years. It is very hard. I spent many hours studying Calculus, and today I ask myself: for what? I'm kidding, it isn't too bad.
I worked at Estação Ciência, a science museum. I loved my job, so I'm writing a paper about non-formal education.
At home everything is OK! My parents miss you because you visited us everyday. Of course I miss you too. Last month, I met Mary, and we talked about many things, including you. She married! Can you believe this? Although I'm very occupied, I have time to talk with my friends.
I can't believe that you visited Fabio. Does he still live in Recife? I miss him, but I don't have time (and money) to visit him. I remember the hours that we were together.
You didn't tell me about your job or your University. I hope that you call me or send an email. Let's keep in touch. On my birthday I'm going to have a party, so I want you to come.
Love
Tassiana (Tassi) xx

Best friend by Tassiana (P1)

I have many friends, but good friends I can count in my hands. If I wanted to talk about one of them, I think that I'd talk about the best one of them: my best friend. I met my friend at school when we were 13. Her name is Fran. She was so shy at that time because she was a new student at school. At the begining, our friendship was so hard, and I didn't like her. After, she said the same to me.

But after a little time we became friends. She is so kind. When we are together, we have nice moments. Fran and I travel a lot, on holidays, to her house in Guarujá. Other times, we go out to eat, go bowling or dance.

She gives me good advice, because sometimes I'm so confused. I gave some good advice to her too. The last one was about her boyfriend. Now they're very happy.

Last month we went to parties at USP. She doesn't study at the University. Although, we don't see each other often, we talk everyday on MSN.

Our friendship turns us into best people and now I know: friends can change our lives.

A day difficult to Gabriel - by Willian (P1)

Monday it was an uncommon day to Gabriel. Tragic things happened on this day. In the morning, he got up and went to bathroom, but the lock broke and he was trapped in the bathroom.

Fortunately, he had forgotten his cell phone in the dirty clothes hamper, so he called the locksmith. The locksmith arrived and opened the door of the bathroom. So he paid the locksmith, changed him clothes and came to University by bus. When he was arrived in the University, A manifestation was happening at the gate and the bus driver almost ran over a pedestrian. So the bus driver stopped to help the pedestrian. Fortunately, the pedestrian was not hurt.

Unfortunately, Gabriel arrived late in class and the teacher reprehended him, but fortunately, he arrived before the end of the class and he did not miss the test of Mechanics.

My best friend - by Willian (P1)

My best friend is a co-worker in the same profession. We met at Institute of Chemistry of the University of São Paulo. He was my first colleague when I began the postgraduation in 2006. Since then, we began to go to parties and to work together. One year after, I moved in with him.

His name is Tiago. He is optimistic, he is talkative, he really likes to speak. He is funny, kind and spontaneous, but he is hasty and he is not persistent. Sometimes he is nervous, but he is never aggressive. He is systematic and orderly and sometimes boring.

He likes music, parties and much fun, mainly when there is beer. He is very womanizer, he likes to play the field. We daily work much and rarely we go for a walk in Butantã to amuse ourselves.

We have the same occupation, we are theoretical chemists. He finished the M. Sc. six months before me. Currently, we are doctorate candidate in chemistry, we study similar subjects, specifically, quantum mechanics applied in chemical systems. In the future, he intends to become chemical teacher in univertisy as well as me.

Dreams by Scarlat (U3)

I am a dreamer. My life is full of dream meaning. We have dreams that express our emotional needs or those that show us about what we are living sometimes. Nevertheless, I believe that God can speak to us through our dreams. Therefore, I look for the meaning of some elements of dreams. For example, if you see a house, it could be your interior; if you see your own car, it could mean your way of life. However, I want tell you an experience.

I guess I was seven or eight years old. I was in primary school and I used to do many activities. Since I was a child I used to study and read many books. I was very hardworking and my teacher used to require all exercises that she had assigned in class. Once, I just forgot to do my homework! So, when I went to bed I remembered it and I decided to wake up earlier to do it until 8 a.m.

I dreamt I was doing my homework and the worst of all: I got to read and think about the answers! For me, of course, it was so clear. The sensation was: “Oh, Gosh, a little bit more and I can sleep again. The exercise was almost done when, suddenly, I needed an erase, but I couldn’t find it. Where did I put my erase? I started to look for the erase with my hands.

Finally, I woke up holding an invisible pen and a notebook. How puzzled I was, because I saw that I had not done my obligation and I had to start all over again, now awoken! I’ve never forgot that day. I might remember all the details, like my desire to cry out because I couldn’t sleep anymore that night. I just sat down and without turning on the light, I tried to see through the moonlight, just not to wake my family. That dream was pretty realistic as much as to write and hold on the materials with my hands. Just an erase brought me back to a hard reality.

Jundiaí by Mariana C. (U3)

I grew up in Jundiaí, a city in the countryside of São Paulo and that, in my opinion is one of the best places to be raised. The name Jundiaí is a word from Tupi and comes from “jundiá”, that means catfish, and “y” that means river. From the twelfth century on the area was inhabited by indigenous peoples, and settled by the Europeans in 1615. Because of the cultivation of coffee, many immigrants came to the city, especially the Italians. Today the city has a strong Italian influence due to immigration. On 28 March 1865 Jundiaí was elevated to city.

With great force in the agricultural economy, Jundiaí stood out in cultivation of the grape, fact that today is responsible for the traditional Grape Festival. In addition, the city has a privileged geography with the “Serra do Japi”. Located southwest of the city, the mountain is a huge environmental reserve with one of the largest forest areas intact of São Paulo state. Besides, there is a beautiful new park called “ Parque da Cidade”, where we can run, do exercises, have a picnic, see the nature, the lake, and also the capybaras.
The alternatives to have fun in Jundiaí are not many compared to São Paulo. There are just one big mall, where you can find restaurants like Mc Donalds, Habbib’s, Burguer King, and other ones. Jundiaí has also just one cinema (with 9 rooms) and two theaters. There is, a main avenue where you find more places to eat, pubs, and places where you can dance too.

Nowadays Jundiaí has approximately 350,000 inhabitants and has one of the best HDI of all the state, taking the second place, after São Caetano. Because of the quality of life that the city offers, many paulistanos are moving here to have more security and for a much lower price of houses, food, rent, schools, and other things. One of the advantages is that Jundiaí is very well located between the cities of Campinas and Sao Paulo, being the perfect place to live for those working in these cities.
Knowing all these advantages, and to know much more about the city, you also should end up here sometime and see the beauties by yourself.

Goiânia, my hometown by Walter (U3)

My favourite place is my hometown, Goiânia. It's the capital and the largest city in the Brazilian state of Goiás, with a population of 1,250 million people in the city and 2,063 in its metropolitan area.



I like Goiânia, among other reasons, for it was planned to be a garden-city, privileging vegetation. It's considered the woodiest city (approximately 30%) of Brazil and the second of the world (the first is Edmonton, Canada). It is placed in the "Cerrado" landscape, vegetal space characterized by extensive savanna formations crossed by gallery forests and stream valleys. The Cerrado includes various types of vegetation: purple, yellow and pink "ipês" and flowered "flamboyants" are the most beautiful trees in my hometown. There are many urban parks within urban space, besides buildings and shopping malls, like Vaca Brava, Zoológico, Areião e Buritis, where people can enjoy the green landscape, walking and running around and going there with family and friends. The climate is semi humid tropical with an average temperature of 22°C. There's a wet season, from October to April, and a dry one, from May to September. This brings an enviable quality of life and a beautiful urban space to the its inhabitants and tourists.



Another impressing thing in my hometown is its architectonic and spacial design. Many of the first buildings were constructed in the "art deco" style, like Theatre Goiânia, and they give to the city a special "charm" to the city. It impresses also by the geometrical forms of streets and squares: for example, streets in the form of a spoke, with the Praça Cívica as the center, with the seats of the state and municipal government – the Palace of Esmeraldas and the Palace of Campinas. Praça Cívica makes the head of a triangle, with three avenues (Araguaia, Tocantins and Paranaiba, the most important of the state) as the sides of it – together the four elements resemble the mantle of Our Lady of the Apparition. The collection of buildings, monuments and the original center in the city is considered one of the most important in Brazil and they have been recognized by the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage.



Goiânia's history begins in the Colonial Period, when the first ideas of transferring the capital of Goiás came to light (before, the state capital was the town of City of Goiás, previously named Vila Boa). The impetus behind the efforts to move the state capital was the need to locate it in accordance with the economic interests of the state, for the old capital wasn't in any way a thriving agricultural site. Goiás, both the city and state, were born in the context of gold extraction in the Colonial Period. With the decadence of the golden period, agriculture has taken place as the main activity in the state. And the old capital didn't go along with the new economy.



Legislators kept the idea of a change alive for a long time, but only in the 1930's the idea of a change became a reality during the government of Pedro Ludovico, the new governor appointed by the Vargas Dictatorship. In 1933, a commission for the new capital decided on the present location and the foundation stone was laid, being the city founded on October 24, 1933 by then Governor Pedro Ludovico. In 1937 a decree was signed transferring the state capital from the City of Goiás to Goiânia. The official inauguration only occurred in 1942 with the presence of the president of the Republic, governors and ministers.



The name Goiânia came about in 1933 after a contest that was put on by a local newspaper of the new city. Readers from all over the state contributed, with some of the most voted names being Petrônia, Americana, Petrolândia, Goianópolis, Goiânia, Bartolomeu Bueno, Campanha, Eldorado, Anhanguera, Liberdade, Goianésia, and Pátria Nova, among others. In 1935 Pedro Ludovico used the name Goiânia for the first time signing a decree creating the municipality of Goiânia.



The economy of my hometown is today based on a variety of industries, nevertheless the local economy's roots are found in the agriculture around the city. The other main economical activities include the vehicle sales, service and textile industries, governmental sector (for being the capital of the state), organization of national events and congresses (due to its localization on the centre of the country) and private medical centers/clinics of all kinds.



Goiânia, however, is not the Garden of Eden (but Adam lived in my hometown before his expulsion from Paradise!). Though the center and downtown were planned and have an excellent urban structure, the growth without order of peripheral regions brought problems like an increasing traffic of vehicles in the center and lack of services and violence in some suburbs. I have to mention also a yet incipient space for diversified cultural activities and for development of careers out of main sectors in the local economy. But Goiânia is still a pleasant place to live in, with the economy of the great urban centers and the quality of life of the small towns.

São Paulo by Caio (U3)

I have been living in São Paulo since I was born, and despite all the problems, I love this city. I was born and grew up in the west part of São Paulo. I used to go to a square near my house with my mother every afternoon, and on Sundays my dad would take me to the Ibirapuera Park.

There was a lot of things to do at Ibirapuera park, like going to the planetarium every start of season, because it was when the show changed, riding a bicycle or playing with my brother.

As I was getting older, I gradually discovered new places in the city, fun places, sometimes creepy places too.

In my teenager days, I moved to a city near São Paulo, but I continued to come to São Paulo almost two or three times a week, because the city was very close to São Paulo. You can’t even distinguish between them. I would come by train on weekdays, or by car on the weekends with my friends. In spite of moving to another town, I continued to hang out in São Paulo, because my first college was near the center of the São Paulo. As I did Computer Sciences, all my friends and me were (and still are) technology enthusiasts and liked rock music, so we would go to “Galeria do Rock” or “Santa Efigênia” after classes, because those places were very close to the college. After I finished the college, I continued to go to São Paulo every day, because I worked there.

And I didn’t even talk about the cuisine or the nightlife! São Paulo is like NY, a city that never sleeps. What a pleasure it was to discover nice restaurants or cool places to go at night. Well, it’s still a pleasure, even though I have been living here for twenty-seven years, I still don’t know every place of the city. My friends and I look at magazines and websites to get a first impression of the places and then we go to see them by ourselves!
I don’t know if I could live in a city without all those things that make São Paulo so cool!

A letter to a friend by Luis (P1)

Dear Renata,
How amazing to hear from you. How long since we last met? Over 8 years? Yes, I think so. What a wonderful surprise! By the way, how did you get my email address? Probably it was Thiago, because I ran into him at USP last month.

It’s great to hear your news. I’m happy that you and Marcelo are still together. Since that time I knew you would be together. Don't forget me in your wedding, ok? So, let me tell you something about my life, the things that happened after 2001 (some of them, sure).

Guess what! I’m studying at USP too! However, I went to the Engineering area, not the Law area as you at SanFran. I’ve been taking Petroleum Engineering at Poli since 2007. I'm going to help to pollute the planet but I'll be rich (lol). I’m kidding, of couse.

I spent 2 years in a course preparing myself for the Fuvest test while you came to USP directly from high school. I wasn’t the most intelligent of class but you are, I told you every time but you didn’t believe in me…
Some things have not changed. My parents still live in the same place in São José dos Campos (so me too when I go there some weekends and holidays). I’m still single (this is a little hard to change because no woman has deserved me lol) and I’m still slim (Can you believe it? God damn it! However I’ve been going to gym every day since…last week).

We need to meet, to go to a party or to a bar or to go out at night. We should find people from that time (as Thiago, Nathália, Luciana, Brian, Ferraz and the others – and Marcelo, of course) to do something special. I think that you do not remember that October 14th is my birthday. So let’s do something!
See you,
Luís

My best friend - Luis (P1)

I don’t know if I have only one best friend (or if I have a best friend). It’s hard to talk about this because I had friends at each moment of my life. Currently, I regard Josué as my best friend.

I met him in 2005 in São José dos Campos, where I had lived before coming to São Paulo to study at USP. He still lives there. We have friends in common and they introduced me to him. At that time, I was studying for the university entrance examination but he was already in the university. He studies Biomedical Engineering.

We went travelling together sometimes. The last time was on the New Year, when we went to Ilhabela. The trip ended up in a robbery but this is another story.
When I go to São José dos Campos I visit him and we often go to some bar or go out at night. He has already come to some parties at USP.

We live in different cities but we don’t stop talking. We chat on MSN or text each other often.

He is so funny and outgoing. He would be a clown if he was not smart. But if he has some work to do, people can trust in him because he will do it seriously. I don’t know how but he can be shy and charming at the same time. Girls love this. I think he is smart. Because of this I like him.

We don’t have plans to work together because we study in so different areas. Sometimes he says that he wants to work in São José dos Campos while I think that I will work in another city. However, no distance will separate us (so I hope).

My Best Friend - Mariana B. (P1)

My best friend’s name is Ana Paula. We met on secondary school, in 2005. On our first week there, we started to talk and became good friends. Some days later, we met two other girls, Juliana and Jéssica, so we formed an inseparable group, called MaJuNaJé.

Ana is very funny and reliable. Well, she is a bit jealous, but she has a great heart. We don’t have brothers or sisters, so we are like sisters. Her parents are lovely and I like them.

She studies Nutrition. We studied together for the entrance exam on university. My friend passed, but I didn’t. So I studied one more year. During this period, we didn’t call each other very often. In spite of the distance between us, she continued to stand by me. And now we are both students at University of São Paulo.

Once a week, Ana and I have lunch together at Bandejão.
I hope that we will still be friends for many years because her friendship is very important to me.

Oh! And our two other friends study at our university too.

My best friend by Roxana (P1)

Hi, my name is Roxana I am a pharmacist. I am studying at the University of Sao Paulo. In this university I knew many people I have many friends but my best friend is Tatiana. She is very friendly. She studies at the University of Sao Paulo, too. She studies cosmetology and is very intelligent. She works as a researcher in a private hospital.

In the university she is very charming and communicative but in her job she is very quiet because she works with many doctors. She doesn’t like speaking when there are many men around. She is shy and very serious.

Tatiana loves football. She loves the Sao Paulo team, so she is San Paulina. She says that the Sao Paulo team fans are very smart, polite, and quiet. Tatiana also says that there are many teams in which the people are very rude and bad- mannered.

She doesn’t like jealous, rude, and moody people. She prefers to have quiet, sensitive, and very friendly friends.
Tatiana is a special person she has many projects because she is a dreamer. I think that she is going to achieve her dreams because she really deserves.

Piracicaba by Patricia (U3)

I´m a person from the state of São Paulo and I was born in a small city called Piracicaba. The name is derived from “tupi guarani” and means “the place where the fish stop”, because there is a river whose name is Piracicaba too. My city is not far away from the capital of state, it is only 190 kilometers and it´s near another city called Campinas. This city is smaller than São Paulo but it´s bigger than Piracicaba, so it´s an important city in São Paulo countryside. I like the place where it is; it is not far from those important cities and has the fragrance of the countryside.

My mother’s family and also my father’s are from Piracicaba, that´s why I was born there. Near Piracicaba, there is a place where the Italian immigrants built called Santa Cecilia. There are a lot of farms, and when the Italians came to Brazil they went to live there, built their homes and used the lands for the planting of greens and vegetables. My great-grandparents and grandparents lived for a time at this place. So my family grows and grows at Piracicaba.

In my city, there are some places that I like to go, for examples: there is a sugar cane talent (this place is from XIX century, when the Brazilian economy was strictly agrarian) and today the government uses this places for some parties and shows. The view is wonderful near the river; nature at it’s the best. In July a party whose name is the nation party happens; there are foods from all the parts on the globe: Chinese, Japanese, German, Italian and also Brazilian food, from the Southeast, Northeast. I prefer all kinds of food, but the northeaster food has some special flavoring.

Another place that I like is the University of São Paulo. In Piracicaba this University has some courses that emphasize agronomy like: agronomic and forest engineering. There are a lot of natural resources, green areas, and animals. The people (that are not the students and teachers) use this place to picnics, play with kites or just walk, doing some exercises. When I lived there I would always go to walk and used to call all my friends to spent afternoons there, eating, talking. The history of this campus is very interesting: a person whose name is Luis de Queiroz had a great farm and he donated the land only if in the place they built a faculty of agronomy. There are also two other Universities in Piracicaba: one is Unimep (University of Piracicaba) and the other is an Odontology University. Those three Universities make of Piracicaba a city that has so many students from different states of Brazil. It´s a small city in the state of São Paulo, it is not a cosmopolitan city, but there are lots of students. This is an interesting thing because the bars and the nightclubs are always a good place to go.

Even so I do not intend to live again in Piracicaba. I like living in São Paulo and the opportunities found here. However, the tranquility and the knowledge to survive without stress that has been a characteristic there also makes no comparison.

Abortion by Patricia (U3)

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus/embryo, resulting in a death. It Can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or it can be induced.

In many parts of the world there is prominent and divisive public controversy over the ethical and legal issues of abortion. Some countries are secular, but they let the churches interfere. In Brazil, for example, the abortion is a crime, unless in the fetus/embryo may cause the death of the mother, in other words, a risk of death for the mother, in cases of rape too.

In the whole world, there are people against and favor; the main positions are the pro-choice position, which argues in favor of access to abortion, and the pro-life position, which argues against access to abortion.
Opinions of abortion may be described as being a combination of beliefs on its morality, and beliefs on the responsibility, ethical scope, and proper extent of governmental authorities in public policy. Religious ethics also has an influence upon both personal opinion and the greater debate over abortion.

In my opinion, the problem is when the religious ethics interfere and has an influence upon personal opinion and the great debate over abortions. The religion is very important for the human, but I think in cases like this the approval of the priest or minister isn’t necessary. Every case is a different case. I believe that people can choose what they wanted, of course that it is important to have some laws in cases like abortion, analyzing the case and if it is necessary to do, or many women will do the illegal or legal abortion in clinics not so reliable.

Finally, we have to have good doctors, clinics. Of course all of this is far from being done, especially in Brazil, but it is the right procedure.

Smoking law - Vanesa (U3)

Nowadays, it seems that smoke-free law is one of the most discussed questions. The law forbids people to smoke in internal enviroments and harm a person who might be near them and would inhale the smoke.

As I understand it, the main question is where your freedom ends and the other person's rights begin. A lot of people argue that the law is unfair because it is against the right of freedom, but as I said, one's freedom ends when it starts damaging another one's freedom and rights.

Actually, I also think that everyone must have the right of choice, it's true. But in an indoor place, you can't choose or avoid inhaling the smoke.In this way, the law is a very good way to ensure that a smoker will be perfectly conscious to go out of the place and damage only his/her own health. After all, the law wouldn't be necessary if people did simple things that are simply their duty, like avoiding smoking in indoor places or next to a nonsmoker.

Finally, by increasing cigarette taxes, avoiding advertisement of this product or limiting their use in public places are necessary measures in order to encourage people to stop smoking. Sometimes a law like that works like an efficient way of education that becomes a very important habit, as what occured with car's safety belt law.

Gay adoption by Cristian (U3)

If you ask me I don’t know what to say, because for me it isn’t natural to have “two fathers” or “two mothers”. Another thing is that,> how do you explain to your son or daughter that you like people of your same sex?

The point I’m trying to make is that in our society it’s difficult to accept gay adoption, because in our mind we have the image that we have to have one father and one mother, not “two fathers” or “two mothers”.

If you want my opinion, all is relative, I mean, if you show me that a child growing in that environment is happier than one growing in an orphanage he or she will grow without traumas, I'll accept it..

What really worries me is that the child thinks that it would be normal to have “two fathers” or “two mothers”, I think it isn’t natural but at the same I prefer a child with “two fathers” or “two mothers” in a house with clothes, food and love than a child living on the street without those things.

The polemical case of abortion by Walter Dos Santos (U3)

Abortion is one of the most controversial and tragic dilemmas of human beings in our times. The problem is: how to conciliate the responsibility for the protection of the prenatal human life and the preservation of the personal liberty of women? It's not enough simply adhering to one or another position and then condemning the people who disagree with us. In my opinion, if any problematic area needs balance and good sense, abortion is one of them.

First of all, I mean abortion as any action aimed at the termination of a pregnancy already established and as the last resource to be sought by a woman or a couple. As a Bible believer, I understand that the real must be distinguished from the ideal. Human life in general and prenatal human life in particular is a gift of God, who has made human beings in His image and requires preservation and respect for this gift. For this, abortions for reasons of birth control, gender selection, or convenience are to be seen in the same level of as a premeditated murder of a child or adult people. In order to avoid this option, attitudes like strengthening family relationships, assuring the rights of citizenship, educating both men and women concerning responsible sexuality and family planning should be emphasized by instances like family, churches, school and mass media. Simple initiatives and principles like these could promote a better climate for discussion of the consequences and needs of a decision like abortion.

Well, this is the ideal. Likewise, we have the real world where abortion should be performed for serious and unfortunate reasons that not merely an undesired or inconvenient pregnancy. Women and couples may face exceptional circumstances such as significant threats to the pregnant woman's life, serious danger to her health, severe congenital defects diagnosed in the fetus, and pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. To be contrary to the option of abortion in these cases, to be honest, means to impose on the involved people a bigger and more intense suffering than she or they could bear. Obviously, the final decision whether to end the pregnancy or not should be made by the woman and couple involved in these situations, after medical consultation and personal reflection. Any attempts to induce or to dissuade a woman to remain pregnant or to end pregnancy in such cases should be rejected.

Tough concepts like above were exposed by me, I suppose that an abortion might be accomplished by a woman or a couple without she or they realizing the moral consequences of her/their choices. As a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian, I radically support that no condemnation or prejudice must be directed to these people. Instead, the message of infinite love and forgiveness of God unto all of us can and need be extended to them. You can support high patterns of moral conduct without negleting high patterns of acceptance and caring love. Furthermore, I believe that Christians should not impose their morality upon society by force or legislation, especially in two cases: if society is composed by a majority of non Christians or if the so-called Christian majority doesn't support the official position of their religious leaders.

Smoking law prohibition by Caio (U3)

In my opinion, this new smoking law in São Paulo is the greatest thing ever. I can't think about anything better than going out at night and not coming back home smelling like an ashtray.

Generally speaking, the only people complaining about this law are a few smokers, because even some of them realize that blowing smoke at other people isn't a nice thing. Not that they want to blow smoke at our faces, but they do that indirectly when they smoke. You can't control the wind and the air circulation in closed environments.

Some pubs may dislike this idea, because they my lose customers, but smokers will certainly think about a way to smoke. The most common solution that I saw was people going out of the pubs for five or ten minutes just to smoke.
To be honest, I'm not against smoking, but please, if you want to smoke, do it very far away from me, because I'll never get used to the smell of cigarettes. And as far as I know, almost every non-smoker doesn't like their smell either, and think almost the same thing about them as I do.

Abortion: a crime or a right? by Mariana (U3)

Last year a controversy began in order to discuss if abortion is or isn’t a crime. Currently, in Brazil abortion is a crime, except in two situations: rape and life-threatening maternity. Some people argue defending abortion as a crime because they believe that life begins at the moment of the child’s conception. In this way, an abortion will be a murder. In contrast, other people think that the murder is not the point. They believe that abortion is a women’s right, and also say that women are able to decide when and how to have a child.

In my opinion, abortion should be prohibited because I believe that the right of a child's life is above the woman’s, once the child has no way to choose and didn’t ask for that situation. Therefore, the exceptions have to be established in cases of rape and life threatening maternity.

To be honest, I think that this discussion is far from an end. I always think of the other side of this discussion and sometimes agree, but I still think that life is an inalienable right for both the child and the woman.

Capital Punishment by Sergio (U3)

This is a polemic topic. If you ask me, I don’t have a solid position about it. I suppose Capital Punishment isn’t the biggest problem, the trial is more important than that. If you don’t have a trial without differences between rich and poor people you can’t defend Capital Punishment. In my opinion, it isn’t the solution to the crimes in our society. As far as I’m concerned, if we have the Capital Punishment, who is punished are the poorest people, so, it’s not correct. As I understand it, it will be more a problem than a solution.

However, it could be a good idea if you agree this will be an example to others not to do the same crime. To tell you the truth, if someone killed my mother or my sisters, maybe I would wish this guy had to be killed too. The point I’m trying to make is: it’s very difficult for those who lost a friend or a member of his family. So, it’s really a difficult topic to discuss.