TOP 3 BEST 2018 MOMENTS

Hi everyone, this is my last 2018 post and, you know,  I’d like to share with you my top three best moments. Are you ready?

SERIE A 2017/18

The Italian football championship is one of the best leagues in Europe with Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga. A few years ago, Serie A was the best championship in Europe with the best players in the world. Now, Italian football is not like before because other leagues like La Liga and Premier League have teams with money so they can afford to buy better players. The only team which is at the same level as the other big European teams is Juventus, indeed it's no coincidence if it won the last seven championships…  But now Serie A, taking its time, is returning to the top.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING AGAIN

Hello guys ... December’s finally arrived and this means that Christmas is coming, followed by lots of lights, coloured shop windows, gifts and probably the most wanted gift: Christmas holidays. 

There are so many typical traditions that remind us of Christmas and here I’m going to list my favourite ones.

VEROLD ENDIR'S BESTIARY 3 - KINDERFANGER

(an original series by Simone Ciucci) 

It was a couple of months ago, I remember those days well, because they changed my life forever.

It all began on a rainy day in fall, not many beasts were showing up and the ones that did were easily eliminated before they got to hurt anyone.

It is unusual for us hunters to have such an easy season. Everyone was feeling great, though I did not

I knew, I felt it, something somewhere was bound to happen, something bigger than usual.

Then, they gave me a job. I wished it was less complicated then the “Wendigo case”.

ANIME VS MANGA

Hi guys! Today I'd like to share with you my latest passion: ANIME AND MANGA!

Manga is the name given to Japanese comics while  Anime is the name used to refer to Japanese cartoons.

Among the "Otaku" (noun used to describe Japanese culture's lovers) there's always been a bone of contention: which one's better?

ALL OF ME, KIM NOBLE

Kim Noble is a 50-year-old woman. She lives in a small house in South London with her 14 year-old-daughter Aimee and more than 100 SEPARATE PERSONALITIES. She has a dissociative identity disorder (DID). That’s because so many different people coexist in her body!

The details of what happened are unclear, but it seems all these personalities are the result of abuses that Kim has suffered since the early age. So her traumatized mind shattered into fragments forming lots of different identities. 

LUCKY STRIKE! IT'S TROYE SIVAN

Do you know Troy Sivan? He's a very famous American singer and today I'd like to tell you some things about him and my five favourite songs. I’m not going to tell you about his life, but if you wanna know more about him click on this link

Before he became a famous singer he acted in a movie (X-Men: Wolverine) but he was only 15 years old. He acted as "young Logan". Have you seen him in that film?

THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MOVEMENT: TEENS FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES

GUN CONTROL AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE

Can you imagine your child, your brother, your sister, your cousin, your friend going to school to build their future and future is that one thing they will never see? That is atrocious, isn’t it?

Gun related violence is an enormous issue in the USA. About 64% of the homicides is gun related and the majority of the victims are mass shootings victims.

This data is incredibly disturbing to look at, especially, when you realize that mass shootings involve the ones happening in schools (like the one in Parkland), places where people should feel and be safe.

But why school shootings are so frequent in the USA? I think there are three main reasons.

MASTERMINDS & GENIUSES BUT ... NOT AT SCHOOL!

Hi guys! This time I’m going to write about something I hope you may find interesting. My post deals with very successful people who actually weren’t so good at school. If you want to find out more about them, you just need to keep reading and, trust me, you won’t regret it.

Albert Einstein

You may have heard something about Einstein’s bad marks in Maths and Physics, well I must tell you that it wasn’t true at all. In fact, Einstein was actually a prodigy in those two subjects. He was able to teach himself things he hadn’t studied yet. What is true about him is that he first failed the exam to enter the Swiss Federal Polytechnic because he didn’t reach the required standard in the general part of the examinations, even though he got a great score in Maths and Physics.

DEATH PARADE: THE QUINDECIM & THE DEATH GAME

Hello there! My name is Aurora and this is my first post on LET’S BLOG! I’m going to start with something I truly love, one of my favourite anime, because, you know I’m fond of anime. What about you?

THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

A lot of us have parents with a regular salary. But I guess sometimes we dream of being rich, don't we?  Just think about the richest men and women in the world! Some people have so much money that they can spend it to buy whatever they want …even  the most expensive, bizarre ones! For example, Leonardo Di Caprio has purchased an island named Blackadore Cay. It is an Eco Resort for Tourists. Anyway, common people can pass a weekend there, it costs an amount with two zeros for one night.

VEROLD ENDIR'S BESTIARY - 2 - SHUB-NIGGURATH

(an original series by Simone Ciucci)

After my adventurous encounter with the wendigos I am finally back home.

Well back to our hideout to be honest, but is the closest thing to a home I have.

When I enter the main hall I start hearing the voices of my comrades, they are good fellows, always respecting each other and helping if needed, that is the way of us hunters. We are just humans, only together we are stronger than the beasts.

After the compliments of my friends for the good job on my… let us say … misadventure, which I cut short, I have still things to do before I can consider that story over.

So I begin my research, our library is huge, filled with esoteric books and guides to the unknown, it would be hell if I did not know who to ask.

Image 1

“Good evening m’lady” I say

She turns around facing me,  as she sees me her expression changes from a focused stare to a happy and warm smile.

“Oh oh! Look who’s back” she says “how was your camping experience”

“I found it quite uncomfortable, I didn’t know deer could be so mean!”

She loughs lively as she comes closer and gives me a hug.

“I’ve come to ask you something”,  I say as she embraces me.

“Yeah, like always…you sure you don’t wanna rest a bit though?” She says as she raises one of her eyebrows slightly concerned.

ANCIENT WORLDS AND FUTURE GOALS: ROME TOTAL WAR 2

Hello, I’m Francesco Giammei. Rome Total War 2 is my favourite computer game and today I’d like to share with you why I like it so much.

It’s about ancient civilizations and it is a strategy game. You can play it online or offline.

Each player has his own faction. I usually play as Sparta. I really admire this ancient Greek city because of its history and because its men were truly honourable. 

The cavalry isn’t very good in the game, but the infantry is the best. The heart of the Spartan infantry (and of the Spartan army) are the Hoplites. The Hoplites are strong Greek soldiers. Every old Greek “Poleis” had their own army made up of Hoplites, but Sparta’s soldiers were the best in Ancient Times.

GILLES DE RAIS: HERO & VILLAIN

Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, also known as Gilles de Rais,was a knight and a leader of the French Army, who fought during the Hundred Years' War, a war fought by the House of Plantagenet (the rulers of the Kingdom of England) against the French House of  Valois from 1337 to 1453 for the right to rule the Kingdom of France, as a companion of Joan of Arc, "La Pucelle d'Orleans”, the heroine of France, the symbol of that war, even now, because of her actions and also her death.

NASA SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE CAPTURED AN AMAZING IMAGE. WHAT IS IT?

Hello everyone,

look at this picture...space bubbles! Nasa Spitzer Space Telescope captured this image of burning, bubbling star formation in the Cat's Paw Nebula. As gas and dust compress to form stars, the gas around these areas heats up and pressurizes, giving them the appearance of bubbles. Radiation from the hot stars also causes these bubbles to glow brightly. Spitzer is an infrared telescope which can help scientists to see through thick clouds of gas and dust in ways our eyes cannot. What do you think about it? What's your favorite nebula? Tell us in the comments.

Giordano C.

COOL!!! OF COURSE, THEY'RE LADY GAGA'S!

Hi, everybody, I'm Lorenzo and this is my first post this year. Today I want to talk about my favourite five Lady Gaga's dresses. She always wears such incredible dresses, doesn't she? Lady Gaga has definitely had a number of unforgettable fashion moments throughout her career!

MARTIN LUTHER KING AND HIS DREAM

During the Summer we read an article about Martin Luther King. He was a Protestant minister, leader of a movement for African Americans civil rights. However King was a great man first of all for his battles for the emancipation of black people. He even ended up in jail, risked his own life several times, but despite everything he kept living to reach his dream.

VEROLD ENDIR'S BESTIARY - 1 - WENDIGOS

(an original series by Simone Ciucci) 

Hello to everyone who is reading this.  My name will remain anonymous to defend my identity in case this journal falls into wrong hands.

If you are reading it, know that what you will discover may seem strange or even impossible, but many things in this world have been hidden from your eyes.

I was hired to investigate and write about strange events taking place in the dark of our forest,   in our town: Verold Endir.

They wanted me to understand if something mysterious and inexplicable was happening and that was one of my first encounters with the supernatural.

BAD GAL RIRI

Today, Rihanna  is one of the most famous celebrities in the world. Rihanna is not just a singer. She’s an actress, an ambassador, a model, a stylist and the creative director for Fenty X Puma and Fenty X Savage clothing brands. She is the creative director for her Fenty Beauty make-up brand, too.

Before becoming  BadGalRiri, Rihanna was a Barbadian girl. Her rebellious behaviour was probably the result of a hard childhood, characterized by her father's cocaine addiction and bullying. Can you believe she was  teased for her too light skin colour? Rihanna has always had a passion for music. In her adolescence, she formed a trio with her friends. At the age of 16, she moved to America to follow her dream  to become a singer.

READING THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

Eugenio: Holden, rebellious but highly sensitive

Holden Caufield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is well-known for his rebellious attitude. After reading the excerpt from the 1951 novel, The Phoniness of the World, the reader can understand the sixteen-year-old boy’s spirit: although he embodies the typical teenage behaviour, he is highly sensitive.

OZUNA, MY FAVOURITE LATIN ARTIST

Are you a fan of Latin music and reggaeton? If you are, you will love reading my first post. I am a big fan of this kind of music, so I chose to start writing about a famous Latin-American singer, his name is Ozuna.

Who’s Ozuna?

Jan Carlo Ozuna, known as Ozuna, was born on March 13^th, 1992 in Puerto Rico. Raised by his grandmother because of the economic conditions of his family, from a small age shows great passion for music dreaming of becoming a singer with a worldwide recognition.

Now at the age of 26, he has a huge success in his musical career, producing songs that quickly become viral in fact, he is considered the best artist with most success in the generation of reggaeton singers.

GEORGE GRAY - CATCH THE WIND OF DESTINY WHEREVER THEY DRIVE THE BOAT

Here are Andrea's and Sofia's reflections of Edgar Lee Masters' poem, George Gray

ANDREA: REGRET IN GEORGE GRAY

This epitaph by Edgar Lee Masters wants to underline the irremediable despair of those who didn’t have the courage to face life in order to fully live it. The poem is written in free verse , without any rhyme nor structures of stanzas.

DO YOU EVER FEEL ANXIOUS? WELL, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

We are reflecting on The Hard Task of Growing Up in our English lessons in this final year. We have worked on poems, novels, articles, clips from movies, songs and videos so far. We also listened to an interview with global star Shawn Mendes and  to one of his songs, In My Blood. Both in the song and in the interview Shawn Mendes refers to his issue with anxiety and gives his own personal vision on the matter. We were asked by our teacher to write about our own struggle with anxiety. Here's what  some of us had to say. 

Karina

Anxiety is a combination of emotions which include fear, worry and most of the time it's due to nothing. You can feel anxious or nervous before a test, before a job interview or when you fight with someone really close to you, but the hardest moments are when you feel anxious because you don't think you're good enough.

DO YOU LOVE ED SHEERAN? WE DO!

If you've been following our blog since it started, you'll know our staff love Ed Sheeran. We are new entries and wanted to start blogging with something we really like. So, why not Ed Sheeran, we thought. 

Edward Christopher Sheeran is the most-selling male pop star in the world. He has sold more than 38 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide. Two of his albums are in the list of the best-selling albums in UK chart history: x(at number 20) and ÷(at number 34).

His album ÷ (Divide) sold over 400,000 in just three days, it sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

In this post we’re going to write about  some of Ed's most famous songs.

ALEXANDER THROCKMORTON AND THE PURSUIT OF GENIUS

In youth my wings were strong and tireless, 

but I did not know the mountains.

In age I knew the mountains

But my weary wings could not follow my vision

Genius is wisdom and youth.

(E.L. Masters, Spoon River Anthology, 1915)

Alexander Throckmorton is one of the protagonists of Edgar Lee Masters’ collection of poems Spoon River Anthology. Each poem tells the story of one of Spoon River’s citizens. All the protagonists,  now dead, confess their desires, ambitions and, above all, their regrets. 

The poem, composed by five free lines, is written in the first person. In the first line Alexander describes life as a flight whose destination is the “mountains”. These mountains stand for knowledge and experience. Instead,  the “wings”, which makes him able to fly, symbolise dreams, ambitions, desires, energy, and freedom.

PARKOUR: ONLY FOR THE BRAVE!

Hello there! This is our first post on LET’S BLOG! so we would like to start from something we are really fascinated by, one of the riskiest sport ever invented: PARKOUR? Have you ever heard anything about it?

Parkour is a very dangerous activity. You have to overcome whichever obstacle with the best efficiensy, speed, and movement semplicity, adapting yourself to the surrounding space, nature or urban, by running, jumping, balance.

As you may have guessed, this is serious business! If you are wondering where Parkour was born and what our favourite stunts are, keep reading!    

A POP SONG IN A FEW STEPS

Warning! This post is full of audios so put your headphones on and let’s get started!

1)TEXT: 90% of pop songs are love songs so we’re going to write a text about love. Well, in this case we’re supposed to use words such as sweet, love, heart... so love everywhere.

1a) VERSE: in the verse we can talk about our love for a girl or a boy: we can say we are falling in love with someone or that she/he is the sweetest person in the world; we want to kiss him/her for our entire life and so on.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018: PITY WE WERE NOT THERE!

Are you an avid football fan? If you are, you’ll love reading our first post for LET’S BLOG!   We are great football fans, so we’ve chosen to start writing about FIFA World Cup.                                                                                                                          

FIFA World Cup is the biggest football tournament. There are 32 national teams competing and it takes place every four years. 

Brazil national team won the cup five times, while Italy and Germany “just” four times.

2014 FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil. During the tournament Germany played against Argentina. The victory-goal was scored by Mario Gotze during the extra time after taking Miroslav Klose place, that was the best world cup goal scorer of all time.

A NEW BANNER AND A LITTLE MESSAGE

So, recently,  I’ve decided to finally get over with the new banner.

The first idea was pretty simple, a teenage girl, specifically the older version of the red-haired one from our first banner, sitting in her office working on her pc.

Even though I started drawing it, the subject itself did not really interest me, at least not enough to make me excited at the idea of finishing it.

But now, here you have this beautiful mess I dare to call “our new banner”.

MILAN FASHION WEEK

You’re interested in fashion but you couldn’t see the Milan Fashion Week?!? Well, make sure to read the whole article so as not to miss your second chance to know what happened. If, instead, fashion is not your passion, well … you might learn something new!

MFW took place in Milan between the 19^th and 25^th of September. For those who don’t know how fashion shows work I’m gonna tell you that were presented just SS’019 (Spring/Summer 2019) collections. So if you were interested in autumn or winter clothes you’re late because for those collections there was another MFW previously, in February.

WE ARE ON HOLIDAY!

LET'S BLOG STAFF WISHES YOU A VERY RELAXING SUMMER.

TOP 5 LIVE PERFORMANCES

Hi everybody this is probably my last post for this school year and I know I will miss you all! So,  today I want to talk about something pretty special (drum roll) … My TOP five favourite live performances. Are you ready for some great music? 

HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION!

This is your chance to dive into the famous wizard’s magical world with Harry Potter: The Exhibition! Boston, Toronto, Chicago, New York, Seattle, Sydney, Singapore, Madrid, Paris! And it has also came to Milan, on 11 May 2018 and it is going to close in September.  There’s time enough to plan and go, you have no excuses.

What can you see?

Do you wonder what to expect? You’ll see the films’ most popular locations just like the Gryffindor common room and the dormitory, famous classrooms like Potions and Herbology. The Forbidden Forest which are filled with thousands of authentic props, costumes, and creatures. And… don’t worry! The forest is forbidden only for Harry and his friends!

 There are beautiful environments and displays, not to mention some amazing interactive elements. You can enter the Quidditch area and toss a Quaffle ball. What about pulling your own Mandrake in the Herbology classroom? Now, you can do it! And so forth and so on! What are you waiting for? Go, buy your ticket!

13 REASONS WHY IS BACK

You've perfectly understood that I love watching tv series. Today I'm gonna talk about one of the most significant tv series I've ever seen. I'm talking about 13 Reasons Why. It's an American teen drama tv series directed by Brian Yorkey who provoked great discussion last year when it came out on Netflix. It may be tough to watch and it is suggested for an audience of +14.

If you have not seen it,  you can’t miss it, I'm sure you’ll find it thought-provoking and captivating.  So, as soon as you have some free time,  watch it!

Before reading on, I’d suggest you to take a look at one of our old posts about this series (CLICK HERE) if you want to know more about its characters.

DRAWING, DRAWING, DRAWING!

 

One of my best black & white drawings

I'm fond of drawing

I’ve always loved drawing. Since I was a child. I remember when I was about four and I used to draw on walls, clothes or whatever I found. I’ve drawn everywhere!

Through the years drawing became a very important part of my life. I think drawing is a way to better express yourself, because sometimes when words can’t explain what’s inside you,  your pencil will.

Even when your mood isn’t so good,  drawing can help you. You can feel lighter, because when the pencil flows on the paper it’s like your bad feelings and thoughts go away from your mind.

Liceo Artistico

When we are about thirteen/fourteen we must choose what type of school we want to attend. There are several kinds of high school based on different types of subjects, for example there is the Liceo Scientifico which is based on scientific subjects like Maths, Physics and Science or the Liceo Artistico, based on Arts, Drawing and Design.

When I was fourteen I decided to choose Liceo Artistico. But, unfortunately, my parents weren’t glad of my choice and had me change my mind. They used to tell me that I would be a homeless person drawing on the streets, that drawing can’t be a real  job and so on. So I chose Liceo Scientifico.

ALL ABOUT ED SHEERAN!

I have to admit Ed Sheeran is the only singer who has never disappointed me. He is able to convey something new in every song. I never get tired of him. It may be for his wonderful voice, his simplicity and the spontaneity I feel when he just sings a note.

Now he is the biggest selling male pop star in the world and his album DIVIDE sold over 400,000 in just three days.
Here are 9 curious facts about ED, which make him even more lovable. Ready?

A VERY ROMANTIC ROYAL WEDDING

Who would ever have thought Prince Harry could fall in love with a common girl and decide to marry her so early?

Prince Harry is the more rebellious of Lady D’s two sons. There are many stories about his wild parties and he had never been engaged before.

He had never been in a hurry to settle down like his brother William but now that he got married, he was able to create something wonderful, something nobody expected.

WHY DO WE LIKE WATCHING HORROR MOVIES?

A few days ago, I was alone in my bedroom watching a horror movie and  wondered why we like watching films that scare us. Apparently it doesn’t make much sense but…

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A FAN OF VAMPIRES TO LOVE TWILIGHT

The Twilight Saga

The first time I heard about it, I was studying at home with a friend of mine, who told me about this saga, Twilight.  I couldn’t wait to see the films so I started asking her questions about it. “You don’t have to be a fan of vampire stories to  like these films”, she said. “The Twilight saga talks about a girl, Bella Swan, who fell in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. From the day she saw him, everything changed”. That was enough, I saw the films and … here I am! I am a huge fan now.

This saga is made up of 5 films: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn part 1 and Breaking Dawn part 2.  My favourite ones are Breaking Dawn part 1 and 2 because Bella is transformed into a vampire by Edward after nearly dying living birth to Renesme, Bella and Edward’s daughter.

EGYPT FROM MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

MEMORIES FROM MY CHILDHOOD

When I was seven years old my family and I went to Egypt!  Incredibly enough, I have  very cool memories of it!

I remember, while we were going to St. Catherine's monastery.  I saw the desert and I was amazed.  I especially love this memory because I still remember the many different colours of the sand: black, red, blue,green and brown. I would have never expected the sand to have so many shades and colours. 

MOVIE REVIEW: THE PRESTIGE

You know when you want to relax and see a movie on the sofa after a long day? Well, yesterday I saw a wonderful movie, one of Christopher Nolan’s masterpieces. To tell the truth,  I was skeptical at first, but still I had to see it. And guess what? I’ve discovered I love it. One of the best movie in the world!

MARIA VITTORIA'S TOP 5 TV SERIES

 

Hi there! You know, I love watching movies, but maybe you don’t know that first of all I love watching tv series. What about you?

Today’s post includes some recommendations, my top 5 favourite TV series. So, if you haven’t seen them yet, they may help you fill in some of your spare time.

BENNY, MY AMERICAN DREAM CAME TRUE!

Going to the USA has always been one of my dreams and it was so exciting for me when it became  true. I was in New York City for a week from the 20th to the 28th of February. It was such an amazing experience because I didn’t go there just as a tourist but wearing the dresses of a UN delegate! If you want to know more about my journey,  continue reading this post!

BEING A DELEGATE

As I said, I went to NYC and I was one of the young delegates that took part in the United Nations conferences.

Of course,  it was just a simulation, but it was organized as real UN conferences. There were people from Italy, USA, France and other countries.

During these simulations you have to speak in English in order to talk and debate with the other delegates, you have to wear a formal dress and you feel like a real delegate. Each one represents a nation and has to show the position of his/her own country. During the conference I met a lot of people and we were inside the UN headquarters.

THE UN

As you know - well, I hope you know - the United Nations is an international organization that was born in 1945, after the 2ndWorld War, which has the aim  of maintaining peace, protecting natural and historical places and buildings, guaranteeing that all the people have the same rights, guarantee security  and so on. In my opinion this is one of the best “things” men have created.

I am very interested in what the UN did and does to help people. Of course, its goals are huge and difficult to achieve. There is also something that doesn’t work properly, even in the UN,  or there are things the  UN could do but don’t, but I can assure you that the UN have done and currently do a lot to achieve its aims, despite some hurdles.

MOVIE REVIEW - THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE (2017)

Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it   

We saw this interesting movie at school a little while back.  It is about the Holocaust during the Second World War.Do you want to know more about it? Enjoy the reading!

The zookeeper's wife is a 2017 war drama directed by Niki Caro. The main protagonists are  Antonina Zabinska (Jessica Chastain), Jan Zabinska (Johan Heldenbergh),  a nazi soldier Lutz Heck ( Daniel Bruhl).

EDUCATION'S DEATH VALLEY (KEN ROBINSON)

Diversity, curiosity and creativity, these are the three principles on which human life flourishes, according to Ken Robinson.

IS VLADIMIR PUTIN THE NEW CZAR OF RUSSIA?

A few weeks ago Vladimir Putin won the new Russian elections. This will be his fourth, not consecutive, term. It is a great goal for a President so let’s find out something new about him and his political career.