Mass media

MASS MEDIA 

 Mass media (that is, the press, the radio and television) play an important role in the life of society. They inform, educate and entertain people. They also influence the way people look at the world and make them change their views. Mass media mould public opinion.

The printed media that are magazines and newspapers remain very popular nowadays. They tell us about the latest developments in all areas of life. The most popular local newspapers in Moscow are "The Moscow Komsomolets", "Evening Moscow" and "The arguments and the facts". Most newspapers contain news, detailed articles on home and international affairs, reviews of books, art and TV shows. Many of them also cover sports events.

Radio and TV are among the most important inventions ever made by man. Although radio is able to educate and to inform, to my mind today radio plays primarily the role of entertainment. On the radio one can hear music, plays, news and various discussions or commentaries of current events.  As for television, it is probably the most popular from all mass media. Television is always available as a source of education and entertainment.

  The Internet is an amazing combination of the 3 traditional mass media (press, radio and television). You can read on-line versions of papers and magazines in any language, listen to the radio online. Moreover (besides) everybody will be able to watch television broadcast in the Internet in the nearest future. If you have something interesting to tell to others or you want to share your expert knowledge on-line you can easily create your own site and change it regularly. You can send messages to any place in just several seconds and talk to other people in on-line chats and forums. The wide spread social net is Vkontakte.  

TRANSPORT 

People use various means of communication to get from one place to another.

Do you want to go somewhere? Hundreds of companies are there to help you. They will take care about your tickets and make all the reservations needed. You don't speak the language of the country you go to? There are interpreters that will help you. With modern services you can go around the world. You can choose the means of transport you like: plane, train, ship or you can travel hiking.

Of course, travelling by air is the fastest and the most convenient way, but it is the most expensive too.

Travelling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages. You can see much more interesting places of the country you are travelling through. Modern trains have very comfortable seats. There are also sleeping cars and dining cars which make even the longest journey enjoyable. Speed, comfort and safety are the main advantages of trains and planes. That is why many people prefer them to all other means.

Travelling by sea is very popular. Large ships and small river boats can visit foreign countries and different places of interest within their own country.

Hiking is nice to spend some days near the forest, lakes or rivers, especially when you have a good company of friends.

As for me, I prefer travelling by car. I think it's very convenient. You needn't reserve tour tickets. You needn't carry heavy suitcases. You can stop wherever you wish, and spend at any place as much time as you like. 
 

EDUCATION IN RUSSIA 

Citizens of Russia have the right for education which is guaranteed by the Constitution. The public educational system in our country incorporates pre-school, general school, specialized secondary and higher education.

Pre-school consists of kindergartens and creches. Children there learn reading, writing and arithmetic. But pre-school education isn't compulsory - children can get it at home.

Compulsory education is for children from 6(7) to 17 years of age.

The main link in the system of education is the general school which prepares the younger generation for life and work in modern production. There are various types of schools: general secondary schools, schools specializing in a certain subject, high schools, lyceums and so on. Tuition in most of them is free of charge, but some new types of schools are fee-paying. The term of study in a general secondary school is 11 years and consists of primary, middle and upper stages. At the middle stage of a secondary school the children learn the basic laws of nature and society at the lessons of history, algebra, literature, physics and many others.

After the 9th form pupils have to sit for examinations. Also they have a choice between entering the 10th grade of a general secondary school and enrolling in a specialized secondary or vocational school.

Persons who finish the general secondary school, receive a secondary education certificate, giving them the right to enter any higher educational establishment. Entrance examinations are held in July and August. Institutions are headed by rectors; the faculties are headed by the deans. One has to study in the institute for 5 years. Higher educational institutions train students in one or several specializations.  

EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN 

Education in Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of 5-16. About 93 percent of all children are educated in state schools and the rest attend private schools.

Primary school. Schoolchildren attend a primary school for 6 years (5 to 11 years). When students transfer to Secondary School at the age of 11, they do not take any examination, but their reports are sent on from the Primary School. 
 
Secondary School. Most children - over 80 percent - go to a comprehensive school. «Comprehensive» means all-inclusive. They admit pupils of all abilities. Pupils in all state in schools in England and Wales study 10 main subjects, among them: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education, Information Technology. Religious education is also taught. Attainment tests are given at the ages of 7, 11 and 14. At the age of 16 students sit the exams in as many subjects as possible. Weak students may only sit for three or four subjects. Better students take ten subjects. At the age of 16 about two thirds of these pupils leave school and get jobs. About one-third stay on at school until the age of 18, preparing themselves for higher education.

The 6th Form. More ambitious pupils continue to study in the 6th form. They stay on at school for one or two years to prepare themselves for university. They have only three or four main subjects, which are necessary to pass the advanced level exams at the age of 18. The school year is divided into three terms with the intervals between them during Christmas and Easter holidays lasting about two weeks each and summer holiday which is usually six weeks long. All kinds of out-of-class activities are part of school life in Britain. Most schools have very good libraries which students use for reference work.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC, CROC, or UNCRC) is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of children. The Convention generally defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless an earlier age of majority is recognized by a country's law.

Nations that ratify this convention are bound to it by international law. Compliance is monitored by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child which is composed of members from countries around the world. Once a year, the Committee submits a report to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, which also hears a statement from the CRC Chair, and the Assembly adopts a Resolution on the Rights of the Child.[4]

Governments of countries that have ratified the Convention are required to report to, and appear before, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child periodically to be examined on their progress with regards to the advancement of the implementation of the Convention and the status of child rights in their country. Their reports and the committee's written views and concerns are available on the committee's website.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention and opened it for signature on 20 November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of its Declaration of the Rights of the Child).[5] It came into force on 2 September 1990, after it was ratified by the required number of nations. As of November 2009, 194 countries have ratified it,[1] including every member of the United Nations except Somalia and the United States.[4][6] Somalia's cabinet ministers have announced plans to ratify the treaty.[7]

Two optional protocols were adopted on 25 May 2000. The First Optional Protocol restricts the involvement of children in military conflicts, and the Second Optional Protocol prohibits the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Both protocols have been ratified by more than 120 states.

 Contents

The Convention deals with the child-specific needs and rights. It requires that states act in the best interests of the child. This approach is different from the common law approach found in many countries that had previously treated children as possessions or chattels, ownership of which was sometimes argued over in family disputes.

The preemption doctrine[clarification needed] requires the Federal Government[clarification needed] to have an established and pervasive pattern of regulation in the subject matter at issue.[clarification needed]

In many jurisdictions, properly implementing the Convention requires an overhaul of child custody and guardianship laws, or, at the very least, a creative approach within the existing laws. The Convention acknowledges that every child has certain basic rights, including the right to life, his or her own name and identity, to be raised by his or her parents within a family or cultural grouping, and to have a relationship with both parents, even if they are separated.

The Convention obliges states to allow parents to exercise their parental responsibilities. The Convention also acknowledges that children have the right to express their opinions and to have those opinions heard and acted upon when appropriate, to be protected from abuse or exploitation, and to have their privacy protected, and it requires that their lives not be subject to excessive interference.

The Convention also obliges signatory states to provide separate legal representation for a child in any judicial dispute concerning their care and asks that the child's viewpoint be heard in such cases. The Convention forbids capital punishment for children.

In its General Comment 8 (2000) the Committee on the Rights of the Child stated that there was an "obligation of all States parties to move quickly to prohibit and eliminate all corporal punishment and all other cruel or degrading forms of punishment of children".[10] Article 19 of the Convention states that State Parties must "take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence",[11] but it makes no reference to corporal punishment, and the Committee's interpretation on this point has been explicitly rejected by several States Party to the Convention, including Australia,[12] Canada and the United Kingdom.

The European Court of Human Rights has made reference to the Convention when interpreting the European Convention on Human Rights.[13]

[edit] State parties and signatories

As of November 2009, 194 countries have ratified, accepted, or acceded to it (some with stated reservations or interpretations) including every member of the United Nations except Somalia and the United States.[4][6] Somalia has announced that it would shortly do so. 

YOUTH PROBLEMS 

Youth is the time when a person is trying to find his place in the world. Young people face lots of problems which are very important for them. They also understand that from now they’ll have to do everything by themselves, and to “fight” with everybody around them for better life.

The first problem that young people meet is to choose their future profession, it means that they have to choose the future of their life. It’s not an easy task to make the right choice of a job. It’s very easy they think, but when they become older they understand that they must be well-educated and well-informed. That’s why I think it’s very important to have a good education at school. And if you work hard everything will be OK.

One of them is a generation gap. Every generation is unique in its experience. It has its own ideals and a system of values concerning every aspect of human life. Adults always complain that the young are not what they were. In fact today the young are better educated. They grow up more quickly. The adult always teach the young how to live. They prefer to make their own mistakes rather than to listen to the warnings of the adults. The young want to live their own life. I think that parents will never understand their children.

Another problem that young people face today concerns their relationship with their friends. I think that a person can and should have a lot of friends. Не/she can be on good terms with the classmates. But at the same time there can be only two or three real friends. I believe that real friends will never betray each other. They will always understand and help each other.

The problem of love is very important for young people. Today they fall in love when they reach the age of Romeo and Juliet. Romanticism and idealism very often accompany the love of the young. They can love deeply and passionately, they believe that their love will last forever. Unfortunately, often their hearts are broken. Young people are not always ready to have stable relations. For a happy family life two people must understand and respect each other. - How do the young communicate nowadays?

Today the young can choose either traditional way of communication or a modern one. Traditionally the young meet after classes with their school or university friends at a cafe or a club to get fun, relax and acquire new friends. They go to the cinemas, theatres, concert halls or disco clubs. But if the young people do not like noisy clubs and other places of entertainment, they can find friends without leaving their apartments - the Internet gives such an opportunity. Although this international Web Wide Web is intended for getting knowledge, only few users employ it in this way. Other users employ the ICQ programme only for chatting. They can sit for twenty two hours at their displays carrying on endless chats with newly made friends. And it is a great problem of the present and future. Such young people do not eat, sleep, work or learn properly. They are only interested in their e-mail boxes. The best way for them is to go on chatting with their ICQ partners without meeting them. In general all the problems of the youth are linked with the present rather then with the past or future.