Full Motivation is the Wednesday

18 years old girl from Prague, Czech republic. This blog was created by Adéla Mokrá from class 4.R Sorry for the background. Not really :)

[addiemokra]

Mass Media

Who owns the newspapers and TV stations in your country? Do you think this has an effect on the news that you hear? I think most of newspapers and TV stations in the Czech Republic are in private ownership, although I’m not quite sure, it’s not something I tried to find out. However, it has an effect, at least a little one, on the news that we hear, in my opinion. Because it’s not so objective as it should be. A television stations won’t tell something bad about their owner, moreover they want to make money so their “news” are actually nor even interesting, they write and tell you just about worldwide interesting happenings or something “really horrible” that happened in the Czech Republic – exactly what most people want to hear about.

How has technology affected the way that we receive news? A lot. Because in the past, people used to read newspapers every morning. There was no other way to find out what happened, although in some smaller cities or villages they received news a week later, so it wasn’t very reliable. When the TV was invented, people could watch news in the evening, but they still preferred newspapers. They had time to read them and it was probably more comfortable for them. Of course, we have newspapers and TV news, but internet totally took charge. Majority of people have mobiles, tablets or computers with internet, where we receive the news almost immediately. And it’s more comfortable to just read about something on our mobiles/tablets/PCs, because we use them every day and all the time.

Do you think that news reporting has gotten better, worse or stayed the same over your lifetime? In my opinion, it has gotten worse. Well, the technology and other things are, of course, much better, bus news reporting itself is very bad. As I mentioned in 1st question, in news you hear just about worldwide interesting happenings or something “really horrible” that happened in the Czech Republic, but actually it’s not very interesting or important. Some of it, yes, but mostly not. For some reason people are more interested in lives of celebrities than in serious problems in the world.

Do you think that media covers too much bad news and not enough good news? What was the last good new story you heard? Yes, I do. I guess it’s because bad news tend to be more interesting and people can talk and complain about how bad the world is for the rest of the week. The last good story I heard? Well, I have to mention France. We all know about the Charlie Hebdo incident and the rest, but when I heard the terrorists were captured (well, or killed, but they killed innocent people, so...), it was good. However, what made me happier, was the fact that people, at least intelligent people (not old people here, in the Czech Republic), actually stopped blaming Muslims for terrorism (becase we ALL know that Muslim is not equal to terrorist). So it was kind of a good story, I guess.

[addiemokra]

Apology

I'm very sorry but I forgot to finish the Mass media topic.

I will try to post it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow ; u ;

[addiemokra]

The Czech Republic

Brief information below, again.

The Czech Republic is in the centre of Europe and has borders on Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. It was established on 1st January 1993. Official language is Czech. Capital and also the largest city is Prague. The Czech Republic consists of three historical parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. Population is around 11 million inhabitants.

As I said, The Czech Republic consists of three historical parts. Bohemia, a land of hills and plains surrounded by mountains, makes up the western part while the lowlands of Moravia are in the east. Silesia, also a lowland region lies to the north and is also part of Poland. The Czech Republic is also divided into 14 regions. The highest peak is Sněžka with its 1,603 metres. Mountain ranges border much of the country. The Labe is the most important river and it empties into the North Sea. However, the Vltava with its numerous dams is the longest Czech river.

The Czech Republic is parliamentary democracy. The President is elected newly by people for a five-year term. The President appoints the Prime Minister and on his advices he also appoints the members of the cabinet. The Czech parliament consists of two chambers:  the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The highest court in the Czech Republic is the Supreme Court, but there is also the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Administrative Court.

Places of interests. Of course Prague, which is cultural centre of the Czech Republic. Prague is divided into the Old Town and the New Town. Other places for visitation are definitely Brno, the second largest city in Moravia, Ostrava – a centre of metallurgical industry, Plzeň and Olomouc. Other places that are worth visiting are Mariánské lázně and Františkovy lázně, which are spa towns, and Terezín which became major concentration camp during World War II.

[addiemokra]

The United States of America

Brief information below.

The United States of America lies in North America. Borders are on Canada and Mexico. America is a federal republic and consisting of 50 states and a federal district. Capital city is Washington D.C. although the largest city is New York. Other larger cities are Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. There are over 293 million people and major ethnic groups are white people, African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native Americans.

The land area of the USA is 9,372,571 sq km and includes Alaska, the largest state which is separated from the USA by Canada, and Hawaii in the central Pacific. There are several high mountain ranges in the western part of the country, including the Rockies, the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada. Central area is mostly plains. The Mississippi-Missouri River, the world’s fourth longest river system, runs mainly in north-sought through the heart of the country. Alaska’s Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America. There are also 58 national parks and hundreds of other federally managed parks, forests, and wilderness areas.

As I said, the USA is a federal republic. The federal government is composed of three branches – legislative, executive and judicial. Congress consists of two houses, Senate and House of Representatives. President is head of the state and espouses the executive branch. In judicial branch, there is Supreme Court. President is elected by people, but each state has different number of points. Bigger population in state means higher number of points, for example, although Alaska is the largest state, is has only 3 points while California has 55.

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American Literature

1. Why was the “Lost Generation” called ‘lost?’ Is Krebs (in “Soldiers Home”) lost in this same way?

2.  What do you think Hemmingway is trying to tell us about the effect of the First World War on young people in the Midwestern United States?

3.  ”7/8 of an iceberg is underwater - I always try to write using this principle” - What do you think Hemmingway meant by this?  Can you find examples of this in “Soldiers Home?”

4.  Reintegration.  Conformity.  Disillusionment.  Try to apply these words to specific examples in the story.

My answers below.

The Lost Generation was called lost because the First World War destroyed the idea that if you acted virtuously, good things would happen. Many young men went to war and died there, or returned somehow wounded (mentally or physically), they lost their friends, fellow soldiers. When soldiers returned home, after years, nobody could have understood them. Their faith in morality which gave them hope was no longer valid, they were lost. Lost means not vanished, but disoriented, depressed, disillusioned. In my opinion, Krebs is lost in the same way. After his return home from war, he finds it difficult to re-enter his old life. Everything changed and Krebs just wants everything to be simple, because the world seems so complicated. He wants a simple life where he can relax and avoid talking and lying about the war. Krebs also feels that he cannot love again, that his soul was removed by the war.

I think Hemingway is trying to tell us how difficult it was for soldiers to return home and what effects the First World Was had on young men. As I already wrote, in Soldier’s Home we can read about Krebs’s re-entry into his old life, but it’s almost impossible for him. The war left soldiers mentally and physically wounded and they were not able to live as they lived before the war.

This quote is part of his Iceberg theory, which is Hemingway’s style of writing. He meant that if he knows enough of what he is writing can allow himself to omit various things, because the reader will get what he meant, even without the things. For example, in Soldier’s Home, Hemingway could have added description of what Krebs had gone though during the First World War. Although it’s not there, the readers can imagine that Krebs had been through a lot of stress and fear. Also Hemingway didn’t mention any of Krebs’ events in Europe or his nightmares.

Reintegration – The whole story is about Krebs’ struggles with reintegration into a post war society. Harold sees it as a conforming to a society he no longer belongs in. Conformity – After Krebs returns home from the war, the greeting of heroes is over. People find it rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late. The society demands conformity. When Krebs wants to talk about the war, nobody seems to care, because they already heard so many stories. Also, his parents want him to conform, find a job, a girl... Disillusionment – Krebs feels disillusioned with the world around him. Women no longer appeal to him, he doesn’t believe in God anymore and he doesn’t know what to do with his life now.

[addiemokra]

EDUCATION

 Comparison of differences in education systems in the Czech Republic and in the UK below!

These two systems of education are different in various things. Although for me is the Czech system really easy, system of education in the UK is said to be much simpler.

There are two types of schools in both, the UK and the Czech Republic. Although their names are not the same! In the UK are state-funded schools, which are almost free, and public schools, also known as private, for which you have to pay a fee. On the other hand in the Czech Republic there are public, or state, schools, which are free, and private schools. Another difference is that children in the UK, who attend public schools, have to wear uniforms, unlike children attending Czech schools. Marking at schools is also different. While British schools have marking by letters (A-F), the Czech ones have marking by numbers (1-5). British kids start in school at 9 am, but in the Czech Republic kids start one hour earlier.

The first difference can be found in nursery schools. In both, the Czech Republic and the UK, children enter them at the age of 3. However in Britain kids stay in nursery schools only for year or two, unlike Czech kids, who stay there until they are 6 or even 7 years old. After nursery school, children continue with primary school. In the UK the primary school takes 6/7 years, but it takes 9 in the Czech Republic. Then there are secondary schools. While in the UK it takes you 7 years, in the CZ it lasts for only 3 or 4 years. Talking about the British secondary schools, children at the age of 16 take GCSE exams. There is also so-called sixth-form, which are two final years of secondary schools. In the Czech Republic, children have three options with secondary schools. There are SOŠ, technical schools, SOU, vocational, and grammar schools. SOŠ and grammar schools take 4 years and students finish with maturita exams, unlike SOU which take only 3 years and are finished with a certificate. The higher education is similar for both countries. At the age of 18, students go to universities which last for 3-6 years and study to get, firstly, bachelor’s degree and then master’s degree.

[addiemokra]

Housing

1.  How are homes different in the Czech Republic compared to England or the United States?

2.  Please describe your house and the area where you live.  What do you like about it?  What don’t you like?

3.  What’s in your room? (What does it look like?)  Are there any changes you would like to make?

4.  Is it better to buy or to rent a house or flat?  GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR ANSWER

Here we go again! My answers should be under "read more".

1. Although I was in the UK once, it’s hard to write how are homes different. When I was in London, I noticed they have a lot of detached and semi-detached houses in the suburb, which in the Czech Republic, Prague at least, isn’t as common as it is in England. In the UK they also have terrace houses, which are houses situated in a long row. I don’t remember seeing any of these in Prague, or the Czech Republic in general. There are, of course, other differences, inside of the house. I noticed that even children in the UK often have double bed, while children in the Czech Republic have single bed or bunk. I’m not very sure if it’s true, though. What I know for sure is that in England there are different plugs. When I was in the UK, I was really confused because nobody told me that, my mistake!

2. I live in a rented flat with my mother, her boyfriend and my younger brother. Although it is rented, the flat belongs to mother of my mother’s boyfriend. The flat is on the eight floor of a block of flats. It’s Prague 4, Chodov, which is something like suburb of Prague, and our block of flats is actually one of many others, together they form one big housing estate. It’s not typical housing estate as you can think. It’s really quiet here, which is one of the things I appreciate the most. Our flat has a balcony which offers you view on the entire surroundings. View from my room, however, isn’t as good as from the living room. The only things I can see are another blocks of flats, but it doesn’t bother me. When I’m really bored, I watch people who live there. As I said, I really like the silence and also bus stop or subway station only 5 minutes away from my home. We don’t live here long enough, so I haven’t found anything I don’t like yet.

3. My small room is full of unnecessary things and according to my mother, it’s chaotic mess. When you walk in, there are two big wardrobes on both sides, one bed, desk with computer on it and a few cupboards and bookcases. Because it used to be someone else’s bedroom, there are old wallpapers with floral printing and green carpet, but in my opinion it looks really great. One of my cupboards, which has things for school in it, has two little flowers in flowerpots on it. Not that I don’t like flowers, but every single one I’ve ever had died. There are also stuffed unicorns and one of my biggest prides, small collection of different LPs by The Beatles, Pink Floyd or David Bowie. As you probably already guessed, I also have black modern gramophone. Besides that, I also have passion for books and my bookcases are full of them. The biggest wall in my room has a lot of pictures, photographs and posters on it, 3D one with Jack Daniel’s theme. There are a lot of things I would like to change, but I don’t know for how long I’m going to stay here, so any changes would be useless. Moreover, I like my room as it is, after all.

4. Both options have their pluses and minuses. For my whole life I’ve been living in rented flats, so it’s hard to be objective. In my opinion, being in rented house or flat is the best choice for young people or families, because there are possibilities they would like to move out or their family suddenly gets bigger. Another reason of renting a house or flat may be that people don’t have enough money to actually buy their own house or flat. There are some disadvantages, too. Owner of the rented house or flat may decide to live in or sell the place and sometimes you can’t do anything else than finding another flat or house. This obviously can’t happen to you if you own in. Moreover, as an owner you can do different changes in your home without asking somebody else. On the other hand, you have to take care of every single thing in your house or flat, which you don’t have to, if you rent something. As I said at the beginning, both options have their advantages and disadvantages. I would rather rent a flat, as a student, because if I would like to move out, it would be easier this way. However, if I will have a family sometime in the future, I’m definitely planning to buy my own house.

[addiemokra]

Travel, tourism and transport

1. Compare the different forms of public transport in Prague.  What are the advantages (good things) and disadvantages of each?

2.  Tell me about one holiday experience you have had.  Be specific! (talk about accommodation, sightseeing, activities, travel, etc..)

3.  What are some reasons people travel?

4.  Mass tourism and its impact on cities - discuss

Click on "read more" to read my answers.

1. We can find 3 main forms of public transport in Prague, which are buses, trams and subway, although there are other forms, such as taxi and ferries. I would like to start with subway, not because I like it the most, but because I use it the most. People, including me, like subway because of its quickness. Travelling by subway is also very easy, because it connects almost every important part of Prague. On the other hand, some people don’t have to like subway because most of the time you travel underground, which means you can’t see anything, unlike when travelling by bus or tram, and subway tends to be a quiet place. However, I like buses more. It’s not as quick as subway or sometimes even trams, but it’s more comfortable and not as overcrowded as subway can be. The only disadvantage I would like to point out is the air, especially in hot weather, which is the same for trams. Public transport I like the least is tram. As I said, the air can be really horrible and trams are often very overcrowded, especially in the mornings. The only advantage of trams can be nice view, but even then I’m not going to like them.

2. This one is really hard since I don’t really travel anywhere. I remember one holiday experience, although I was only 11 years old. It was summer 2007 and we flew to Tunisia, Tabarka. Our way there was terrible from what I can remember, but it’s probably because I really hate planes – since then I’ve never been on a plane again. I didn’t know what to expect, it was my first stay at foreign country. When we arrived, we’ve been taken to our room in hotel we were staying at. It was a simple room with only small bathroom and four beds, it was the nicest room I’ve ever seen, though. Our beds were decorated with towels, which looked like various animals, every single day, and although it wasn’t one of the luxury hotel, it definitely looked like one. There was no kitchen, because we had all inclusive and for meals there was special dining room with “Swedish tables” – or differently called buffets. Since my mother doesn’t like sightseeing as much as I do, we spent most of the days at beach or at the hotel’s pool. I remember evening activities for kids which were really funny. Employees taught us different types of dances and the last evening of our staying we, children, performed for our parents. I really enjoyed that!

3. In my opinion, there are two types of people. People who travel to relax from daily rush in their lives and people who want to discover new culture and meet new other people. Sure, there are also people who travel because their job or school requires it, but they probably chose it because they do love travelling. Every once in a while, everybody needs to go away from the city or village where he or she lives.

4. Mass tourism is definitely hard topic to talk about. On one side we have cities which need mass tourism, because they just wouldn’t survive without it, and on the other side there are cities, for example London, New York, Paris, etc., for which mass tourism doesn’t have to be as important as somebody may think.  Mass tourism is surely good for countries where unemployment is a big problem, because it brings them a lot of useful money. But it’s not good for cities I’ve already written. Sure, there are a lot of people who profit from mass tourism, but it must be terrible for ordinary people living in the city. Everything gets expensive and therefore people with less money are not even able to pay rent. Moreover, these cities would survive without mass tourism, because they have other businesses in the environment. But then again, it’s just my opinion.