Topics for speaking

Generation Gap

Old people are always saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from generation to generation and is always true; it has never been truer than it is today.

These days, grown-ups describe children as "difficult", "rude", "wild" and "irresponsible". Only some people say that they will grow up to make our country a better place.

For kids from 8 to 14 a new term "tweens" has recently been coined. They are no longer children nor yet teenagers, just between – tweens. They are said to be a generation in a fearful hurry to grow up. Instead of playing with Barbies and Lego they are interested in the vagaries of love on TV serials. Girls wear provocative make-up. At this very age kids start pairing off. Tweens have got an insatiable desire for the latest in everything – from jeans with labels so that everyone will know that they've got the latest stuff – to CDs. Kids at their age desperately need to belong and that's why everything comes down to appearance. They think that having the right "stuff" is the quickest way to acceptance. To parents and teachers they can be a nightmare, aping the hairstyles, clothes and make-up of celebrities twice their age. Experts say that the rush to grow up is due to the mass media. Being raised by single-parent families as well as watching TV, which sucks up most of their free time, can also accelerate the desire of children for being independent and creates behaviour problems.

But the most painful part of childhood is the period when they begin to emerge from it: adolescence or the awkward age. There is a complete lack of self-confidence during this time. Adolescents are over conscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others. They feel shy, awkward and clumsy. Feelings are intense and hearts – easily broken. Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair. And besides friends are becoming more and more important these yeas. At schools there are cliques who decide what is "cool". Adolescents may rebel violently against parental authority, but this causes them great unhappiness. And they are not always helped to get through a confusion of life in a steady, productive way. But even teenagers with sympathetic and supportive parents can fall in with bad company.

Most children don't belong to any clubs and they just start roaming the street after school out of sheer boredom. A lot of them become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol because their life is hollow and they don't think of life-long goals. They have nothing to fill the emptiness of their souls with. They demand to have all that they see, and regard it as their right to be entertained every waking moment.

And besides our society is becoming more and more stratified. There has appeared a class of rich people and a class of poor people (to be more exact – people leaving below the poverty line). Children of well-off parents consider themselves "the smart set" or "gilded youth". Their parents give them every material benefit, pocket money any time they ask. A lot of these children have their own brand-new cars and personal computers. It goes without saying that it causes jealousy and the desire to possess the same things on the part of children whose parents are poor and cannot afford it. Such feelings can push teenagers to committing a crime and it leads to a wide spread of juvenile delinquency.

Nowadays children start using computers very early. Tweens and teens are so fascinated by them that they spend hours and hours at their personal computers or at computer clubs. The electronic universe replaces their contacts with friends and dominates their life completely. Obsession with computers brings about a mechanical, disillusioned mentality and inhibits their emotional development.

The heads of youngsters are also being filled with violent pictures they have seen on TV. Children are very naive and impressionable. And no wonder that they are so aggressive and arrogant in real life. They are thrown into such a harsh world, especially if they live in a city. These days a lot of parents think that they should be lenient with their children, they should let them find out about life for themselves, they should leave children to develop their own idea of right and wrong. But it's a grave mistake.

Parents should try to protect their children from possible bad influences and give them clear guidance about right and wrong.There is no way to predict how today's children will turn out. Keeping faith in kids is necessary. They are not bad. They are optimistic. They expect to have a better life than their parents'. And grown-ups – if they are prepared to admit it – could learn a thing or two from their children. One of the biggest lessons they could learn is that enjoyment is not "sinful". Enjoyment, is a principle you could apply to all aspects of life. It is not wrong to enjoy your work and enjoy your leisure, to shed restricting inhibitions. It is surely not wrong to live in the present rather than in the past or future. This emphasis on the present is only to be expected because the young have grown up under the constant threat of World War III, which means complete annihilation. This is their "glorious" heritage. Can we be surprised that they question the wisdom and sanity of their elders?

Global Problems of Today

People have lived in our planet Earth for centuries and global problems have always existed. (люди живут на нашей планете Земля веками, и глобальные проблемы всегда существуют.)

In ancient times the biggest global problem was wars. (В древние времена самой большой глобальной проблемой были войны)

People have been fighting with each other since beginning of the civilization mostly to get new territories and more land. (Люди сражались друг с другом с начала цивилизации главным образом, чтобы получить новые территории и больше земли.)

Today, there are more global problems which can be divided into two categories: ecological problems and social, economic and political issues. (Сегодня есть много глобальных проблем, которые могут быть разделены на две категории: экологические проблемы и социальные, экономические и политические проблемы/вопросы)

The first category includes issues relating to ecological destruction, pollution and global warming as the result. (Первая категория включает вопросы, относящиеся к экологическому разрушению, загрязнению и глобальному потеплению как результату.)

The climate is changing and many people agree that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. (Климат меняется, и многие люди согласны, что климатическое изменение может быть одно из самых больших угроз встретившееся планете.)

Global warming has already killed off some types of animals and plants. (Глобальное потепление уже уничтожило некоторые виды животных и растений)

Rising sea levels are threatening whole nations on islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. (Повышение морских уровней угрожает целым народам на остравах в Тихом и Индийском океанах)

The second category of global problems deals with social, economic and political issues. (Вторая категория глобальных проблем касается социальных, экономических и политических вопросов/тем)

They include global terrorism, poverty, human rights, health issues, racism and many others. (Они включают глобальный терроризм, бедность, права человека, вопросы здоровья, расизм и много других)

We are faced with the problem of global terrorism. And more and more countries are suffering from it. (Мы сталкиваемся с проблемой глобального терроризма. И больше и больше стран страдает от него.)

It is difficult to catch terrorists and prevent their acts. (Трудно ловить террористов и предотвращать их действия)

The most terrible terrorist attack took place on September 11, 2001 in the USA. (Самый ужасный террористический акт случился 11 сентября 2001 в США)

The World Trade Centre, one of the sym¬bols of New York City, was destroyed completely and thou¬sands of people died. (Мировой Торговый Центр был полностью разрушен и тысячи людей погибли.)

The world was shocked and most coun¬tries decided to fight against terrorism. However, new terror¬ist attacks have been committed. (Мир был шокирован и большинство стран решило бороться против терроризма. Однако, новые террористические атаки совершаются.)

Poverty is another global problem. The worst situation is in Africa where people (mostly children) die every day of hunger. (Бедность – еще одна глобальная проблема. Самая плохая ситуация в Африке, где люди (главным образом дети) умирают каждый день от голода.)

The poor also have less access to health, education and other services. (Бедняк также имеет меньший доступ к здравоохранению, образованию и другому обслуживанию)

Incurable diseases and epidemics also are global challenge for humanity. (Неизлечимые болезни и эпидемии также являются глобальным вызовом/проблемой для человечества.)

Another global problem is racism, when people of different races and different skin colour are humiliated and even killed. (еще одна глобальная проблема – расизм, когда люди различных рас и цвета кожи унижаемы и даже убиваемы.)

There are many organisations that fight social global problems, but this battle has lasted for a long time and it will take much time for the solution of all of them. (Есть много организаций, которые борются с социальными глобальными проблемами, но эта борьба длится долгое время и будет занимать много времени для решения всех из них)

We live in the 21st century and humanity has made a great progress in technology, so I think that it is strange that we still have global problems, especially the ones that deal with social, economic and political issues. (Мы живем в 21 веке, и человечество сделало большой прогресс в технологии, поэтому я полагаю, странно, что мы все еще имеем глобальные проблемы, особенно те, которые имеют отношение к социальным, экономическим и политическим вопросам.)

I am sure that they can be solved completely without any conflicts or wars. (Я уверена, что они могут быть решены без каких-либо конфликтов или войн.) 

Ideas On Living In A Foreign Country

Thousands of people emigrate annually. For many, living and working abroad for extended periods of time becomes the adventure of a lifetime. Many set off to unknown lands to fill a gap of time in their lives, improve their fluency in a foreign language, meet new and interesting people, and build self-reliance. The reasons for emigration are quite different: political or religious persecution, poverty, awful living conditions, climate and many more. But the fact is that people take the plunge in search of better life. Decent conditions and the opportunity to spend more time together as a family attract them in spite of the threat of being frustrated very soon. However, I'm sure that living in a foreign country can be rather interesting, and yet has its disadvantages also.

The experience can be so powerful, and alter the traveller's way of thinking so greatly, that he can lose his cultural identity. If one integrates into a new society, he or she will almost certainly meet difficulties when they try to readjust later to their own culture. Another potential problem is that one may become a victim of discrimination, and lose their confidence as a result. Since the behaviour and customs of the guests may be very different from those of the inhabitants of the host culture, they may encounter negative reactions - unfriendliness, or even hostility, for example.However, no matter what the reasons are for working or living abroad, you are bound to meet many interesting characters, collect a wealth of tales to bring back home (well, if you are happy to return, of course!) and learn a lot more about yourself.

Any way, I don't approve of living in a foreign country. As I see it, you should work for the country that you were born in, that has brought you up, educated you. That's why I see emigration as somehow unfair. Being homesick can also be a reason. As for me, I wouldn't feel at home.So I guess that saying "Home Sweet Home" has a stronger meaning than meets the eye! 

Environmental protection

The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.People always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People lived in uncrowded rural areas and did not have pollution – caused by machines. With the development of crowded industrial cities, which created huge amounts of pollutants, the problem has become more important. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth. Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear wastes, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following its fate. The Aral Sea is about to disappear. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous – equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cites.

Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

And even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.

Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities. 

Modern Tourism Narrows the Mind

Until recently, we all believed that travel broadened the mind, but now many believe the exact opposite: "Modern tourism narrows the mind".

It's needless to say that tourism tops the list of pastimes during one's vacations. Why? The answer seems to be unexpectedly easy - it's all because of the strong desire to entertain oneself. Modern tourism includes not only travelling through magnificent scenery or the world's most treasured sites and going sightseeing. Decent travel agencies have understood that providing such tours only is nail-biting because modern clients can't be hooked on that "drag". Moreover, modern tourism tends to disregard these "old-fashioned" tours. Modern tourists demand more - and attentive stuff is ready to offer more.

Besides enjoying sun-soaked beaches or going for a stroll people need shopping. No matter how strange it may seem, but thousands tourists, in spite of being tired of their daily routine, disregard seaside resorts and gorgeous views just to go shopping. I wonder if anyone can say it broadens one's horizons.

Bars, discos, clubs and other entertainment facilities are extremely popular with the tourists. They are fond of these places as if they don't have the same in their own country. In spite of staying out of public eye and packed places, enjoying unique things that can be only found in the place they are in, people want to fill up their time by something common, with no escapade.

In fact, it may indeed be true to say that modern tourism can influence us in a negative way. Sometimes even just travelling experience can be so powerful, and alter the traveller's way of thinking so greatly, that they lose their cultural identity. Another potential problem is that a traveller may become a victim of discrimination, and lose his confidence as a result. Since the behaviour and customs of the locals may be very different from those of the inhabitants of the host culture, they may encounter negative reactions - unfriendliness, or even hostility, for example. Moreover, the fact is that modern tourism is considered to ruin everything that in touches. But as for me, that's a complete nonsense.

So, everything I think of the problem has been said. There are many choices and it is up to travellers to weigh up everything of the issue, to estimate it and come to their own conclusions. 

The Achievement of Science, Technical Revolution and Our Day-to-day Life

As the years go forward our life becomes faster, a lot of new things appear, our mind develops and it cannot stop. It's like a strong river which never ends to run and it is rapidly spreading all over the earth. Many centuries ago people even couldn't imagine that we will be able to exchange information using telephone, fax, Internet as long as they couldn't think that there are a lot of planets except our earth and that people can fly their. If we think how had everything developed, how many new things had appeared and how had the minds of people become so wide we even won't be able to understand it because nowadays we cannot imagine our life without such inventions like lamps, ovens, central heating and others. During the centuries people have been invented the things to make our life easier. A great invention such as transport plays one of the most important roles in our life. We live in flats, can appear in different point of earth within a day, can say hello to people who live in another point of the world. All those things are a product of technical progress and it doesn't stop to grow and develop. Nowadays we live surrounded by machines and other inventions. And with new inventions we become happier because nearly everything is making by machine not by ourselves. And from day to day appear more and more new things. And we don't think about how the first inventions were created. The only thing we know that we never will return to the life which people lived a lot of centuries ago because there is no way back. Everything is handy. We use at home vacuum cleaners to clean the flat, ovens to cook, lifts to walk down in our houses, lamps to make our flats light…. There are a lot of such things like this, and we even don't think about when and where and who invented it. And it's so simple to us. And it's so dear to us that we cannot even live without it. Our century is a century of developing informational connection. Faxes, TV, Internet, and Telephone became the most popular way of getting and sending information. One of the greatest inventions of the century, in my opinion is computer. It's the coup in the technology. When Charles Babbage (1792-1871), a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University invented the first calculating machine in 1812 he could hardly have imagined the situation we find ourselves today. Computer becomes like a brain of human but the only thing it cannot do is to feel. The other things are easy to it. As everything computers also develop. The possibilities of it are so wide. It can do more than 500000 sums in a fraction of a second. Programming became one of the most useful and popular profession. Nowadays computers can pay wages, reserve seats on planes, control sputniks, compose music. Also everybody knows the words Cd Rom, a means of storing information on a disk to be read by a computer, e-mail, which becomes one of the ways to exchange information, the Internet - a network that is a way to get information, to communicate with people, to find everything you need. More and more people become Internet users because we can do so many things their and also cannot say all of them. You can chat there, find job, pay bills, get music, buy something, find referats, and know the latest news exchange information with other people in each point of earth by e-mail and a lot of other functions. As for me it became a usual thing to be connected to Internet. It attracts me by a wide variety of different kinds of information which is necessary to people. Of coarse I use a lot of other things of technology at home. And I think that the main point of such inventions as vacuum cleaners, which we use at home, radio, TV set, mixers, refrigerators, one of the most important thing in every flat all these were invented only after the invention of electricity. So I find the question about technical progress very wide and it's impossible to say about all inventions. And in conclusion I want to say that the technical progress won't stop and the machines will substitute everything except one the human. 

Cyberterrorism

Defined broadly, the term "computer crime" could reasonably include awide variety of criminal offenses, activities, or issues. The potentialscope is even larger when using the frequent companion or substitute term"computer-related crime." Given the pervasiveness of computers in everydaylife, even in the lives of those who have never operated a computer, thereis almost always some nontrivial nexus between crime and computers.

By the FBI's definition, cyberterrorism is well beyond the scope ofthis paper. With increasing frequency this term is being used by the massmedia. Absent any evidence of activity, we'll leave it in the "eye of thebeholder" to determine whether cyberterrorism is currently being deterred,is a phantom menace…or somewhere in between.

A key distinction between electronic civil disobedience and politicizedhacking is anonymity. The motive for remaining secret is simple: themajority of politically motivated hacks are clearly illegal. Mostinstitutions recognize that breaking into an opponent's computer andadding, changing or deleting (HTML) code, even if it is juvenile graffiti,violates some other's rights. Attitudes and opinions begin to divergemarkedly around this point however. One person's activist is another'sterrorist.

"A lot of groups are claiming that they're hacking into sites for ahigher moral purpose, but they're hiding beyond anonymity or pseudonymity.Taking responsibility is not something we see happening."

At the heart of this discussion is the question of motive. Opinionsdiffer just as much within the hacker community as outside over theefficacy of certain actions. The spate of (zombie) DDoS attacks againstprominent e-commerce sites that occurred in February 2000 sparked a debatebetween two prominent hacker collectives. The Electrohippies Collectiveclaims the Internet as a public space liable to be used by groups andindividuals as a means of protest. As activists, they admit no practicaldifference between how cyberspace and the street are used by society.

Recent actions on the Internet against e-commerce sites represent afundamental disagreement about the purposes of the Internet, and theincreasing emphasis on the use of the 'Net as a vehicle for profitabletrade rather than of knowledge and discussion.

The cDc says, the targeted sites were selected for their namerecognition and prestige value, not for their commercial attributes oractivities.

You may make yourself feel good and get a lot of attention, but whenyou crack a Web site, you are violating another person's rights. …what doesthat mean? CRIME! 

Sport and healthy living guide

They say, "Health is above wealth." One of the first duties we owe to ourselves is to keep our bodies in perfect health. If your body suffers from any disorder, our mind suffers with it, and we are unable to make much progress in knowledge, and we are unfit to perform those duties, which are required of us in social life.

There are certain laws of health which deserve particular attention and they are so simple that even a child can learn them. A certain amount of exercise is necessary to keep the body in perfect condition. All the powers (mental and bodily) we possess are strengthened by use and weakened by disuse. Moderation in eating and drinking, reasonable hours of labour and study, enough sleeping time (not less than 7-8 hours a day), regularity in exercise, recreation and rest, cleanliness lay the foundations for health and long healthy happy life.

Thousands of people consider sports to be very helpful in gaining good health. That's why every country pays much attention to developing sports. It is sport that helps to bring up physically strong, strong-willed, courageous and energetic people.

In the last ten years recreational sport has become extremely popular, and, according to doctors is absolutely essential for a long and healthy life.

The reasons of this enormous interest in sport of all kinds are varied. When you ask people why they spend so much time, effort, and sometimes money, they will talk about the physical benefits (feeling fit, increasing stamina, sleeping better, the chance of living a more active life), psychological benefits (self-discipline and respect, a sense of personal achievement, relaxation, getting rid of aggression), and the social advantages (meeting people with similar interests, the team spirit). However, the social aspect seems to be more important for men than for women. Very often, enjoying a drink with friends after the match is as important for the former as a physical activity itself. The latter generally see sport as a way of keeping fit rather than anything else.

Of course, some people don't consider sport to be a hobby; it is an everyday work for them. Much is spoken now about problems in professional sport. There is a lot drug taking in sport. There is too much pressure on young sports people. Mountaineering and air sports such as hang-gliding, each kill at least 16 people every year. In one Sports Council study of 28,000 people, football was found responsible for more than a quarter of 2,000 injuries seen every year. But still many people are involved in professional sport and millions of people can not live without it. They prefer watching sporting events rather than taking part in them. They are so-called sport-fans. They pack stadiums during sport matches and competitions, they sit glued to the TV, and they are ready to give every moral support to their favourite sportsmen or teams.

In the meantime thousands of ordinary people devote their spare time to going in for sports. They play indoor and outdoor games: volleyball, basketball, table tennis, hockey, lawn tennis. The number of participants and spectators show that the most popular games are basketball, hockey and, of course, football. A lot of people go in for track-and-field athletics, cycling, boxing, wrestling, gymnastics and so on.

Hockey, figure skating, skiing and skating are among the most popular winter sports. In summer swimming is enjoyed by millions of people. There are also many indoor swimming pools, which makes swimming possible all the year round. Cycling is a useful exercise, too, because it takes you out into the fresh air and gives much work to all the muscles. So if you arrange your day correctly you can find an opportunity for sports.

Physical training is an essential part of young people's development. All pupils and students have regular training at PT lessons. These classes are enjoyed by everybody as they give a lot of energy, develop muscles, make pupils strong, quick and healthy. From time to time different kinds of competitions are organized at school or between schools. The most popular sports at school are basketball, football and volleyball. Besides, pupils and students attend a lot of sports clubs and sports sections after classes, where they take up their favourite kind of sport.

Indeed, sport is a part of everyday life of many generations all other the world. So if you think that physical fitness and health are important you are to go in for sports.

Cultures and national stereotypes

A nation is a group of people who share common history and usually a language and usually, but not always, live in the same area. Culture can be described as our everyday life: how we communicate, what makes us happy and said. It also includes our language, religion, traditions, behavior, way of life – in other words, what we do each day. People that belong to various nations may differ and they always differ from one another.

For example, the Germans are regarded as scientifically-minded and industrious, they're always considered solid, intelligent and mathematical. And, for instance, Israeli are believed to be mercenary, industrious, shrewd, loyal to family, religious. There is a big amount of examples we can list about national character of different people. Proving the difference of the national stereotypes I want to compare Russian and English nations. There are a lot of features that vary. The Russians are industrious, tough, brave, progressive and suspicious. They are always considered to be nationalistic, over - patriotic (because of this reason they're good soldiers), we are willing to respect opinion of other people.

Speaking about Englishmen I may note that they're reserved, tradition-loving, courteous, honest, extremely nationalistic and etc. To my mind, they have a specific sense of humor. They say that they can't understand our jokes and anecdotes not only because of the different meanings of the words, but because of their humor is more delicate. Looking at these features of the Russians and the Englishmen it is not hard to mark out the differences. The Englishmen are reserved, but the Russians are open-hearted and communicative. The Englishmen are tradition-loving and the Russians, to my mind, don't keep their traditions in such a degree. There is a great majority of factors that influence the nations stereotype and its people's character. People that live in the southern countries have less problems than those who live in the North and because of this they're more cheerful and artistic. The history also has a great influence on the national character. The peoples in Asia are revengeful because their forefathers often were at war with others. In Africa many countries were colonies of the Great Britain, Holland, Spain and so on and they (Africans) were the slaves and because of this they're still hard-working and industrious. The National Character exists. It is not a myth, it's a reality. But the National Character doesn't describe the character of every person, it describes the character of people of nation in general. Every person has its own character, but according to the person's belonging to some nation many traits of character are similar and these features may be explained as the national character. 

Mass Media in our life

Everywhere, every day, exciting things are happening. Each day is filled with news. People learn news and views during reading newspapers and magazines, talking over the telephone or they are kept informed by watching TV or listening to the radio. The press, the radio and television play a big role in the life of the 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 plays a very important role in organizing public opinion. Millions of people watch TV and read newspapers in their free time. Most of people can't do without a newspaper in the underground or during the lunch break. TV also dominates the life of the family most of the time. It is also a habit which impossible to resist. The radio is turned on most of the time, creating a permanent background noise. So Mass Media become a very important part of our life. Mass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries.

Mass media can be used for various purposes: advocacy, both for business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations, and political communication. Entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, and sports, along with light reading. Since the late 20th century also through video and computer games. Journalism is the discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying and presenting information regarding current events, trends, issues and people. Those who practice journalism are known as journalists. Electronic media and print media include: Broadcasting, in the narrow sense, for radio and television. Many instances of various types of recorded discs or tapes. In the 20th century, these were mainly used for music. Video and computer uses followed. Film, most often used for entertainment, but also for documentaries.

The Internet, which has many uses and presents both opportunities and challenges. Examples can include Blogs and podcasts (such as news, music, pre-recorded speech, and video) Mobile phones, which can be used for rapid breaking news and short clips of entertainment like jokes, horoscopes, alerts, games, music, and advertising. Publishing, including electronic publishing Video games, which have developed into a mass form of media since cutting-edge devices such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii broadened their use. Millions of copies of newspapers appear every day. Many people subscribe to two or more newspapers; others buy newspapers at the newsstands. 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. In the USA daily newspapers are published in 34 different languages. The Internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV.

TV is one of the best inventions the man ever made. We are really beginning to forget what the world was without TV. Everybody knows what a great force is TV in the world today. We become better informed by watching documentaries, science programs, discussions and political issues of the day. TV gives us opportunities to see the best actors, sport matches, to meet famous people. TV brings the world to our room. TV helps us to relax after a hard days work. Besides there is a considerable amount of TV programs (News, current affairs viewpoint. Musical Reviews, Sports Review, Travelers Clubs, Good Night Kids. etc) and they gather big audience. They provide useful topics for conversation, wise heated discussions. Current Affairs (Viewpoint, News) These programs deal with political and social problems of modern society. Their aim is to give an analyze of the problems and to show different viewpoints. They are concerned with the counties national events. They show meetings with famous political analysts, discussing the most topical political problems of today. To my mind we can't imagine our lives without mass media. It is silly to avoid it as we can use its advantages.Though we should be careful and filter all information we get.

Social Networks

We don`t imagine our lives without Internet. We can find all necessary information there. We use popular services and sources every day. One of the most popular sources is social nets. A social network is a very useful invention of the 21st century. Nowadays millions of people use social networks. It is an Internet site that gives us a chance to support various contacts, keep friendly relationships with classmates, acquaintances. More functional social nets allow watching photos and video films, to listen to music and so on. There is a possibility to enter different interesting groups. There exist social nets connecting people according to a general interest, for example, computer games players are combined into a social net.

People got used to surfing on the Internet because it is quick and very easy to discover any wish. You don`t need to think of suggestions and ideas. At least what you need is to be able to type correctly. I think social networks help disabled and lonely people very much. They can create an account and start communicating with other identical partners. Most of social networks are used by people to meet friends with similar interests and hobbies. Very often close - minded persons find each other on the Internet. Although people live far away from one another any network can unite them. However why are social networks so widespread and widely used? As we live in an era where technology is at its peak and is in constant development, things like reading books on the internet, shopping online and communication with contacts around the globe, which were impossible a hundred years ago, are now part of everyday life. The most vital part of today's world is speed – the speed of acquiring information.

The appeal of social networks lies firstly in their accessibility – the registration on most of the popular social networks is free of charge. Accessibility and ease of use is what makes sites such as Facebook and MySpace appealing. Secondly social networks create the possibility to connect with friends, acquaintances or even strangers across the world, which is vital in the modern world. While during the pre-internet era communication required countless amounts of time, energy and money then today it is only a click away. In addition social networks allow people to monitor the social developments of their 'friend list'. Finally, in addition to fulfilling the task of a social network, sites such as Facebook, provide entertainment for their users. Take for instance the Facebook applications, which feature all kinds of quizzes and games for the users. And so numbers of users of Facebook are millions.

Writing and receiving correspondence with the help of post is a long process. It takes time and money. More over a letter can be lost. But e-mail can`t be lost and doesn`t take much time. A social network is a very useful invention of the 21st century. Thanks to modern technologies people can not only write different kinds of letters to their partners all over the world, but talk and see them by means of a web camera. But on the other hand, social networks are a great trouble. They made people forget traditional heart-to-heart talk. Sometimes you can`t see the eyes of your partners and feel their emotions. Besides, social networks are full of aggressive, cruel, violent and dangerous videos for children.

Many uncertain persons try to raise their self-confidence using social networks. It can be said that on the internet, namely on social networking sites you can never be certain of who is "listening". I believe networks can be used by adult people and children at the age of fourteen and up. As for me, I use social networks with great pleasure as they give me a helping hand with my self-education and communication.

Leadership And Motivation

"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." Ralph Nader.

There are at least two major influences that affect how individuals perform in their environment.

These influences include: i) the type of leadership that exists, and ii) personal motivation. While neither is scientific in nature, there is significant research that identifies some theories and general conclusions about why people perform, how they perform, and why some people display different behaviours that puts them in positions of leadership.

Motivation is a goal-oriented characteristic that helps a person achieve his objectives. It pushes an individual to work hard at achieving his or her goals. An executive must have the right leadership traits to influence motivation. However, there is no specific blueprint for motivation. As a leader, one should keep an open perspective on human nature. Knowing different needs of subordinates will certainly make the decision-making process easier.

Both an employee as well as manager must possess leadership and motivational traits. An effective leader must have a thorough knowledge of motivational factors for others. He must understand the basic needs of employees, peers and his superiors. Leadership is used as a means of motivating others.

Given below are important guidelines that outline the basic view of motivation:
- Harmonize and match the subordinate needs with the organizational needs. As a leader, the executive must ensure that the business has the same morals and ethics that he seeks in his employees. He should make sure that his subordinates are encouraged and trained in a manner that meets the needs of the business.
- Appreciation and rewards are key motivators that influence a person to achieve a desired goal. Rewarding good/ exceptional behavior with a small token of appreciation, certificate or letter can be a great motivator. If a certificate is awarded to a person, it should mention the particular act or the quality for which the individual is being rewarded.
- Being a role model is also a key motivator that influences people in reaching their goals. A leader should set a good example to ensure his people to grow and achieve their goals effectively.
- Encouraging individuals to get involved in planning and important issues resolution procedure not only motivates them, but also teaches the intricacies of these key decision-making factors. Moreover, it will help everyone to get better understanding of their role in the organization. The communication will be unambiguous and will certainly attract acknowledgement and appreciation from the leader.
- Developing moral and team spirit certainly has a key impact on the well-being of an organization. The metal or emotional state of a person constitutes his or her moral fabric. A leader's actions and decisions affect the morale of his subordinates. Hence, he should always be aware of his decisions and activities. Team spirit is the soul of the organization. The leader should always make sure his subordinates enjoy performing their duties as a team and make themselves a part of the organization's plans.
- A leader should step into the shoes of the subordinates and view things from subordinate's angle. He should empathize with them during difficult times. Empathizing with their personal problems makes them stronger-mentally and emotionally.
- A meaningful and challenging job accomplished inculcates a sense of achievement among employees. The executive must make their employees feel they are performing an important work that is necessary for the organization's well-being and success. This motivational aspect drives them to fulfill goals.

Remember, "To become an efficient leader, you must be self-motivated". You must know your identity, your needs and you must have a strong urge to do anything to achieve your goals. Once you are self-motivated, only then you can motivate others to achieve their goals and to harmonize their personal goals with the common goals of the organization. 

Crime and Punishment

If we look into history we shall find that laws, which are, or ought to be, conventions between men in a state of freedom, have been, for the most part the work of the passions of a few, or the consequences of a fortuitous or temporary necessity.Observe that by justice I understand nothing more than that bond which is necessary to keep the interest of individuals united, without which men would return to their original state of barbarity. All punishments which exceed the necessity of preserving this bond are in their nature unjust.

The end of punishment, therefore, is no other than to prevent the criminal from doing further injury to society, and to prevent others from committing the like offence. Such punishments, therefore, and such a mode of inflicting them, ought to be chosen, as will make the strongest and most lasting impressions on the minds of others, with the least torment to the body of the criminal.

The torture of a criminal during the course of his trial is a cruelty consecrated by custom in most nations. It is used with an intent either to make him confess his crime, or to explain some contradiction into which he had been led during his examination, or discover his accomplices, or for some kind of metaphysical and incomprehensible purgation of infamy, or, finally, in order to discover other crimes of which he is not accused, but of which he may be guilty.

No man can be judged a criminal until he be found guilty; nor can society take from him the public protection until it have been proved that he has violated the conditions on which it was granted. What right, then, but that of power, can authorise the punishment of a citizen so long as there remains any doubt of his guilt? This dilemma is frequent. Either he is guilty, or not guilty. If guilty, he should only suffer the punishment ordained by the laws, and torture becomes useless, as his confession is unnecessary. If he be not guilty, you torture the innocent; for, in the eye of the law, every man is innocent whose crime has not been proved.Crimes are more effectually prevented by the certainty than the severity of punishment.

In proportion as punishments become more cruel, the minds of men, as a fluid rises to the same height with that which surrounds it, grow hardened and insensible; and the force of the passions still continuing in the space of an hundred years the wheel terrifies no more than formerly the prison. That a punishment may produce the effect required, it is sufficient that the evil it occasions should exceed the good expected from the crime, including in the calculation the certainty of the punishment, and the privation of the expected advantage. All severity beyond this is superfluous, and therefore tyrannical.

The death penalty is pernicious to society, from the example of barbarity it affords. If the passions, or the necessity of war, have taught men to shed the blood of their fellow creatures, the laws, which are intended to moderate the ferocity of mankind, should not increase it by examples of barbarity, the more horrible as this punishment is usually attended with formal pageantry. Is it not absurd, that the laws, which detest and punish homicide, should, in order to prevent murder, publicly commit murder themselves?

It is better to prevent crimes than to punish them. This is the fundamental principle of good legislation, which is the art of conducting men to the maximum of happiness, and to the minimum of misery, if we may apply this mathematical expression to the good and evil of life....

Would you prevent crimes? Let the laws be clear and simple, let the entire force of the nation be united in their defence, let them be intended rather to favour every individual than any particular classes of men; let the laws be feared, and the laws only. The fear of the laws is salutary, but the fear of men is a fruitful and fatal source of crimes. 

Role of Women in Society

The ongoing changes in social, political and economic spheres of the country entail not only the raise of women's role in society, in addition they are accompanied by breaking of stereotypes to treat human beings by sex that had been shaping through decades. Free economic relations and democratization of all spheres of life create the basis for eventual equal social rights for any human being regardless of sex, for both men and women.

From a legal point of view, a man and a woman in Russia are equal. However, in practice, there are no real mechanisms of women's rights fulfillment as well as for their active participation in social life.

Such questions as women and their place in the society, their political and social activity as well as enlightening of those problems in mass media; questions of creation of informational data-base as well as maternity and childhood cannot be effectively solved by governmental bodies, especially in the situation of economic crisis.

That is why it is important today to assist the creation of such mechanisms through the activation of women's public organizations. And non-governmental charity organizations become a single source for support of such projects.Housework, chores and raising children are generally considered to belong to a woman's domain. Despite the fact that birthrates in the country have been falling, children are obstacles in the labor market. It is understandable that women decide to defer having children later or do not have children at all. Along with that, there is a lack of knowledge about modern contraception and a correspondingly large number of abortions. The frequency of abortions in Russia is one of the highest in the world.

Women comprise 54 percent of contemporary Russian society. However, the number of women taking part in the country's political, economic and civic life shows that women are restricted in the spheres of politics and government. Women's salaries are on average lower than men's, and women are likewise far more likely to fall victim to violence and unemployment. According to United Nations Gender Organization data, 67 percent of those unemployed in Russia are women. A lack of state financing in social programs has caused further tightening in the labor market, particularly for women. Female unemployment is rising at a catastrophically high rate. Women have less access to retraining programs than men, while women entrepreneurs are a rarity.

Women's social status is a serious problem. Few female decision-makers can be found in positions of social importance. This strengthens the stereotype of "male superiority" and hinders the creation of true partnerships between men and women.

One of the most important reflections of equity is equal rights in the labor market. Analysis of existing legislation of Russia confirms its prohibition on gender discrimination. However, legislation itself creates only a certain legal environment, certain conditions for equality, but does not ensure their fulfillment.

Thus, the main goals are protection of women's rights and elimination of discrimination in society; widening women's participation in policy decision-making processes on the local, regional and national levels; support for cooperation between women's organizations on the national and international arenas; widening access to international resources and experience of women's organizations on an international level.