OPINION ARTICLE

WHAT PEOPLE IN THEIR THIRTIES SPEND THEIR MONEY ON

According to the latest statistics, boys tend to spend their money on products related to sport or mobility, like cars and motorbikes, while girls prefer things that offer them security such as their own house, furniture or clothes. Generally speaking, it can be said that girls are more mature than boys and buy in a more intelligent, rational and selective way. But let’s concentrate now on what people in their thirties spend their money on.

Spanish young people leave their parents’ home later than other Europeans do. The idea of becoming emancipated does not seem too much important for them. There are several reasons that can explain this fact, but the main one is the growing housing problem in Spain. Every person’s final dream is to live in a house of their own, especially for people that just did “the thirty-somethings”. But buying a home may be one of the biggest investments they will ever make and they will have to get into debt.

Recent figures show that the preference of people at that age is to invest on buying their home at least half of their salary, and even in some cases the 70 % of their incomes. Moreover, following the last researches carried out by Spanish consumer organizations, 60% of people under thirty spend almost the total salary they receive each month. That figure means that they do not save a cent. They just try to enjoy life going out with friends and buying whatever they like without thinking about what fate has in store for them.

Some time ago people did not content themselves with buying a normal flat; they tended to buy the house they had ever dreamed of, such as semi-detached houses, bungalows or duplex apartments. No matter if they had to take out a mortgage with a high interest rate for years. But nowadays the purchase of houses appears to be decreasing due to the current economic crisis and people have to resign themselves to buying small flats.

Finally we will mention that a new preference seems to be appearing in this decade. It is related to home entertainment systems such as plasma screen TVs, home cinema TVs, DVD players or the latest video game consoles. In most cases spending more money than they earn or than they have in their current accounts tends to be the rule followed by people in their thirties. They expect to reach happiness buying everything they want, because for them there is a connection between spending money and quality of life. However, happiness can mean different things to different people. For example, for one person, it may mean having a love relationship, whereas for someone else it may mean having the most luxury car in the market, no matter that they cannot afford it.

TWILIGHT, THE TEENAGERS' REVOLUTION!

I have always loved stories about vampires, so when I saw the trailer at the cinema I knew that I had to watch the movie. But surprise surprise, I found out it was not just a movie, it was a book and even more a saga with four books! The incredible story about Edward, the gorgeous vampire, and Bella, the human caught my attention from the very beginning, and after reading all the books, I just can recommend you to read them. Watching the movie is ok, but there are so many details in the book which are not in the movie that I think it is worth reading it!

Twilight is a young-adult vampire-romance novel written by author Stephanie Meyer. It was originally published in 2005 in hardback. It is the first book of the Twilight series, and introduces seventeen-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan who moves from Phoenix (Arizona)to Forks (Washington, and finds her life in danger when she falls in love with a vampire called Edward Cullen. The novel is followed by New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

Plot summary
Isabella "Bella" Swan moves from sunny Phoenix (arizona)to rainy Forks (Washington)to live with her father, Charlie,while her mother, Renée, travels with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player. Bella attracts much attention at her new school and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay, several boys compete for shy Bella's attention.

When Bella is seated next to Edward Cullen in class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed by her. However, over the next few days Edward warms up to her, and their newfound relationship reaches a climax when Bella is nearly run over by a fellow classmate's van in the school parking lot. Seemingly defying the laws of physics, Edward saves her life when he instantaneously appears next to her and stops the van with his bare hands.

Bella becomes hellbent on figuring out how Edward saved her life, and constantly pesters him with questions. After tricking a family friend, Jacob Black, into telling her local tribal legends, Bella concludes that Edward and his family are vampires who drink animal blood rather than human. Edward confesses that he initially avoided Bella because the scent of her blood was so desirable to him. Over time, Edward and Bella fall in love.

Their relationship is thrown into chaos when another vampire Coven sweeps into Forks. James,a tracker vampire who is intrigued by the Cullens' relationship with a human, wants to hunt Bella for sport. The Cullens attempt to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. There, Bella receives a phone call from James, who claims he is holding her mother captive. When Bella surrenders herself, James attacks her, but Edward, along with the other Cullens, rescues Bella and kills James.

Once they realize that James has bitten Bella's hand, Edward sucks the venom from her system before it can spread and transform her into a vampire, and she is then sent to a hospital. Upon returning to Forks, Bella and Edward attend their school prom and Bella expresses her desire to become a vampire, which Edward refuses.

Click here to enter the Twilight Saga official website: http://www.thetwilightsaga.com/

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT

SUSAN BOYLE BECOMES SCOTLAND'S NEW INTERNET SENSATION!

A 47-year-old church volunteer from West Lothian has become an unlikely overnight singing sensation with millions watching her perform online. Susan Boyle, from Blackburn, stunned judges on ITV's Britain's Got Talent with her performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables on Saturday. Since then Hollywood actress Demi Moore has joined the legions of fans who have voiced their support on the internet. Ms Boyle has now become the bookies' favourite to win the talent show.

Ms Boyle, who told viewers she had "never been kissed", said she had always wanted to be a singer. She said: "I entered the competition because I wanted to have a chance at my singing. "I found it very nerve-wracking to begin with but once I settled down and began to sing, I thought that the audience accepted me a bit more. Then I sort of relaxed and began to enjoy it.

Ms Boyle, who is currently unemployed, is a keen church-goer and community worker who is well-known for her Karaoke performances. She said: "It all began for me at age 12, when I used to sing in choirs and school concerts. Then after that when I got older I was singing in clubs."

SUSAN BOYLE-MANIA is gripping the Internet with millions of fans desperate to find out all they can about the Scots singing sensation. Her shock popularity is growing bigger by the day with at least three dedicated new fans sites and more 70 groups on Facebook being set up in her honour in under a week. And her “musician” profile on Facebook, set up by an ardent fan, has over 10,000 fans already just days after she appeared in hit TV show Britain’s Got Talent. That’s on top of the 5.5 MILLION views she’s had on YouTube. Click here to watch her outstanding performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

JOKES TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH!

Here you have some jokes I've found in a web for English students:
http://www.englishclub.com/esl-jokes/index.htm

"An English teacher wrote these words on the whiteboard: "woman without her man is nothing". The teacher then asked the students to punctuate the words correctly. The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing." The women wrote: "Woman! Without her, man is nothing."

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying: “everyone who thinks you’re stupid, stand up!” After a few seconds little Johnny stood up. “Do you think you’re stupid, Johnny?” the teacher asked. “No, Miss, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!”

God and the man: a man visits God and says, 'God, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?' God says, 'No, ask me anything at all.' So the man says, 'God, you've been around for a very long time, so, for you, how long is a thousand years?' God replies, 'For me, a thousand years is only five minutes.' The man then says, 'That's interesting God. And, for you, how much is a million dollars?' God replies, 'For me, a million dollars is only five cents.' The man says, 'Really? Well then God, could you lend me five cents please?' God looks at the man, smiles, and says, 'Of course my son, just wait five minutes!'

If you enjoyed these jokes you can find much more in the web mentioned above. Have fun!

CARTOONS

http://galleryoftheabsurd.typead.com

Have you ever visited this website? It is the blog of a very famous cartoonist from the USA. She not only paints current star celebrities, but also politicians and religious people. Her irreverent portraits are published in The New York Times and The New York Post.

Some time ago I read an article about her and I entered her website. It is really funny and a good way to learn English! She is the best comic artist I've ever known.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare represents the highest point of English literature and possibly one of the highest of all world literature, as everybody acknowledges. He was an outstanding poet, playwright, player and theatre shareholder. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (England) in 1564, Shakespeare was the third son of a quite well-off family. For this reason, and although there are no surviving records of this period, it is thought that he was likely educated at the King’s New School, above all in Latin grammar and the classics.

At the age of eighteen Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six. They arranged the ceremony in haste because Ann was three months pregnant. Their first son was a girl called Susanna and less than two years later Ann had twins: Hammet, who died at the age of eleven, and Judith. Unfortunately, nowadays there are no direct living descendants of the genius.

Probably around 1585 Shakespeare moved to London with his family to begin a successful career as an actor, writer and part-owner of the leading company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as The King’s Men. There he produced his best comedies, for example The Comedy of Errors; histories, like Henry IV and also tragedies, such as Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth, just to mention some of the best-known ones.

It is widely believed that the dramatist retired to his native village some years before his death, although he went on visiting London and had constant contact with the theatre scene. William Shakespeare died in April 1616 and was buried in the chancel of the Holy Trinity Church two days after his death. Beside his grave, his family erected in his memory a bust of him in the act of writing. He was much admired in his own lifetime, and even some of his colleagues considered him a serious rival. Luckily, he lived for and from his work, what was very difficult in his time.

His works have been translated into almost all languages and his plays are continually being performed all throughout the world. This gives an idea of the importance and greatness of this author, who has influenced and still influences many writers of our time with his revolutionary techniques. Shakespeare themes deal with love, honour, respect, revenge, etc. His topics are universal and up-to-date, such as the idea of the never-ending love seen in the well-known Romeo and Juliet. His plots entertain and, what is more, have no expire date because they still interest our teenagers, despite considering him difficult to read or even boring. But if we introduce them to him, they will surely end up enjoying his writings.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING YOUR OWN HOME

Every person’s final dream is to live in a house of their own. But buying a home may be one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. It is a serious commitment because you are choosing the place where you are going to live, maybe for ever. So, take the time to think about your decision carefully. The house you buy says a great deal about you, your income, your goals and what you expect in the future. When buying a house, there are certain rules and considerations to follow if you do not want to take unnecessary risks. Below there are a few guidelines you should follow before you make up your mind.

Things to consider when buying a house:

1. The first thing you should do is to ask yourself how long you are planning to stay there. That means, are you planning to stay five or more years, for example? Or are you just passing through because you hope to eventually move somewhere else? If you are going to stay in one place at least five years, buying a house makes much more sense than renting it. Otherwise, you might want to consider waiting to buy one in the place you end up living longer

.

2. Other important factors to take into account are the location of the house, its size and its price, in order to determine exactly what you want. First of all, the house location should be good. It is important that your new house should be near service centres such as hospitals, schools and markets. Second, the size of the house should be appropriate for your family. For example, if your family is large, it will be difficult to live comfortably in a small house. And third, the price is an important point. Buying a house can range from the affordable to the very expensive, depending on the location and the features of the house. For example, a house located within the city costs more than living in the suburbs or in small towns.

3. Think honestly about how much you can afford. To do it, write out how much you earn and subtract all your costs, including costs you will have as a new homeowner, such as taxes, insurances or bills. That way you will find how much you can pay for a mortgage every month.

4. When you already know what you want, the next question is how you can find it. First, decide if you want to buy directly from the owner or if you want the experience, advice and service that a estate agent can provide. If you decide to buy directly from the owner, look for advertisements in the newspapers. But if you turn to an estate agent, he will search for your perfect house. Once you find the house you like, your agent will take care of the details of the sale. Normally the agent's commission is paid by the seller, so you won't have to pay the agent. Be aware that the agent's fees may be reflected in a slightly higher price for the property. A third way of buying a house is looking for it in the internet. There are different websites that give you details of houses all over the world. Finally, you may also go to a public rental housing agency.

5. Try to visit several banks to negotiate the mortgage and compare their offers. If that doesn’t work well with you, there are a number of financing and crediting firms that you can approach.

Deciding whether to buy your home may be one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. Do not rush into it. Use this leaflet to think of advantages and disadvantages of buying or renting a house. As you can see, there are many things that go into a home-buying decision.