Football Time

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club due to not doing well in the Premiership last season decided to change their manager. We had an opportunity to have a chat with Keith Johnson- a new manager of the football team- about his future intensions to make the team succeed this season.

It has been a big move in Keith’s career, as he says ‘not many people are the Premiership managers’. Before he became a Wolverhampton Wanderers’ manager, he worked for Blackpool Football Team, which at the time wasn’t a very good football team. However, Keith’s intensive trainings and good tactics kept the team up, which was very impressive, giving Keith a better reputation that got him promoted. However, rather than being it a dream job, it is a big opportunity for him to became a manager for England team if he succeed- which is his dream. He is well-know from being a hard player for England team. Keith was a team leader in his previous football experiences, which clearly shows that back in the time he gained his management skills, which can help him, get the team up from the bottom of the Premiership. His hard attitudes towards football have changed and he expects his players to be more creative determined to success.

We asked Keith about the team’s strengths.
‘The biggest team’s strength is that they get on making a good atmosphere around them.’ Team cohesion is very important in terms of success. It is very important to have a common goal and determination to achieve it. The common goal in this case is to stay in the Premiership, which I don’t think will be difficult if everybody will keep to Keith’s plan, which indeed is intensive, but definitely will take them to the top. The main points of the plan are: ‘No drinking, no partying, hard work’

We hope Keith can satisfy the team’s needs and help the players keep their team in the Premiership for a long time.

Broadsheets-The case of The Guardian

The Guardian is a national broadsheet newspaper with a rich and colourful history. The paper is perceived as liberal, middle-class, regional, and metropolitan. The newspaper originated in Manchester, where it was founded by John Edward Taylor in 1821. The Manchester Guardian, the broadsheet’s name at the time, was highly influential during the great reform movements of the nineteenth century. Still today, The Guardian continues offering a crucial and independent forum for those in the country who enjoy debate. The Guardian Media Group, which owns the newspaper, boasts a level of continuity that no other national daily newspaper can equal.

The first edition was published on the 5th May 1821. At this time The Manchester Guardian was a weekly newspaper, which was published only on Saturdays. The Stamp Duty on newspapers forced the price up so high that it was uneconomic to publish more frequently. The newspaper was allowed to be published daily in 1855, when the abolition of Stamp Duty on newspapers permitted a consequent reduction in cover price.

The most famous editor- Charles Prestwick Scott- made the newspaper achieve national and international recognition. The editor held the post for 57 years starting from 1872. When Scott was in charge, the paper's moderate editorial line became more radical, supporting Gladstone when the Liberals split in 1886, and challenging the Second Boer War against popular opinion. Scott bought The Guardian in 1907- after the death of Taylor’s son.



The ownership of the paper was relocated to the Scott Trust (named after John Russell Scott) in June 1936. Scott was the first chairman of the Trust, the British organisation owning The Guardian Media Group and The Manchester Guardian newspaper. The relocation ensured the paper's independence and it developed an eccentric style. It was then well-known for its moralising and its detached attitude to its finances. Traditionally, The Guardian earned a national reputation and the respect of the Left during the Spanish Civil War by being affiliated with the centrist Liberal Party, and with a northern circulation base.

In 1959 the paper decided to remove "Manchester" from its title, becoming simply The Guardian. In 1964, the editor of the paper moved it to London. This occurrence caused the loss of some of the paper’s regional schedules. However, it continued to be heavily subsidised by sales of the less high-brow, however much more profitable, Manchester Evening News. Shortly afterwards financial problems came to a head.

Finance was one of the reasons for The Guardian’s move into London. The Guardian’s position dramatically improved due to the investment in printing and the completion of a move to improved offices in London in 1976. It was also supported by an expansion programme that included the revamping of the Guardian Weekly to include content from both the Washington Post and Le Monde. In 70s and early 80s the political climate became increasingly polarised and the Guardian's position as the voice of the left remained unchallenged.

Seize The Day

Carpe diem- two little words which are probably the most important aspects of the philosophy of Epicurus, but also the main idea of a poem written by a Roman poet Horce to express positive feelings about enjoying life and treating every single day as if tomorrow will never come, but never think about it in a negative way. It is probably the shortest and most popular motto used by many people to make them feel stronger and more independent. This is definitely my favourite motto which I tend to use often.

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who left a great idea of optimism. His philosophy conveyed the ultimate conviction that individuals can live in a serene happiness, fortified by the continual experience of modest pleasures. His ultimate goal was to live easy, enjoyable and comfortable life, far from everyday troubles. He clearly wanted to explain that people can do whatever they would like to. They can get whatever they desire, if they appreciate every day and take every chance that life can provide to help make their dreams come true; therefore it means living one day at a time and not regretting anything. The ultimate goal for him is simple and short: go for fun and avoid bad sensations.

Why should we appreciate every day, making it the best day of our life, not regretting anything we do?

I think Horce tried to give us an idea of how short life is and that we should make the most of it when we can. Life isn't as easy as it used to be. Growth of technology has its positive and negative effects, indeed. However, war and technology have always been linked very closely. After all, without technology, except for the form of sticks and stones, man’s ability to kill his own kind is extremely limited. From the very first day that technology was introduced to war, its impact has helped shape the latter. Flint-made daggers and spears, and leather or wickerwork shields, did quite as much to shape the tactics adopted by ancient societies as horses did during the middle ages and as tanks, aircraft, and various combat ships do today. They determined, for example, whether formations would be close or open, deep or shallow, rigid or lose. Other technologies determined how far different units comprising a single force could get away from each other without losing touch; therefore playing a critical role in strategy. Technology also helped determine which kinds of formations were most suitable for fighting with enemies, in what kind of terrain, under what kind of circumstances, and so on. It's clever in some way, but I wish it hadn't happened.

Recently, in the newspapers, such as The Guardian and The Times, I have read about two car bombings in central Baghdad. It killed at least 90 people and 265 have been injured. This terrible occurrence took place yesterday morning and has officially been admitted as the biggest attack in the past two months. The target of terrorists was a government area which is north of the fortified Green Zone, hitting the Justice Ministry as well as the seat of the Baghdad provincial administration, which is 500 meters away. The Times said 'There were so many wounded that even civilian cars were pressed into service to bring the casualties to local hospitals.'

I can't believe how terrible it is. This definitely breaks John Locke's rules of natural rights to live, liberty and property, giving a feeling of hatred and disgust to the ones who hate and kill innocent people who weren't ready for death and didn't deserve to die. How can a human being take away somebody's, who is completely innocence, life? This should never be allowed in the modern world. The war has always been a 'dirty biological battle' which never ends, especially in places such as Iraq.

Therefore....

CARPE DIEM.

Poland in Enlightenment

Poland is one of the biggest country of Eastern Europe with established democratic administration, rich history and a great cultural and intellectual heritage but also wonderful countryside, fauna and flora.
The date of official establishment of the country is identifiable for 699 when the monarch Mieszko I adopted Christianity. Poland became a Kingdom in 1025. For the most part of its history The Republic of Poland was an independent, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country.
However, the country lasted till 1795 when the land was divided between three countries: The Kingdom of Prussia, The Russian Empire and Austria. Poland became independent again in 1918 after the First World War.
This is a tiny bit of history of Poland for you.
The Enlightement
To understand the natural world and humankind's place in it solely on the basis of reason and without turning to religious belief was the goal of the wide-ranging intellectual movement called the Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment in Poland is very interesting. It's a period of reformation when Polish literature and culture mature and blossom, bringing many intellectualists, philosophers and artists who bring about new history and culture into the country. The period starts in 1740. It includes Regnal Years of the last king of Poland- Stanislaw August Poniatowski (1764-1795)
Many writers, poets, politicians and also people interested in science were mainly known as ‘enlightened’ clergymen. A very important intellectual horizon emphasises a fight to ‘fix’ the country and to re-establish the right dimension of patriotism which was weakened during the annexation. The artists’ culture-forming role was expressed in a way that by extract the thoughts of European rationalism and criticism which was coming to Poland from Germany. This helped them to find the way in creating work which was original AND polish.

A famous reformer of education and a brilliant political writer, Stanisław Konarski, who taught at the Collegium Resoviense in Rzeszów from 1736, in 1740 he founded the Collegium Nobilium- an elite Warsaw school for sons of the gentry. He founded the first public-reference library on the European mainland in 1747 in Warsaw. Thereafter, he reformed Piarist education in Poland, in accordance with his educational program, the Ordinationes Visitationis Apostolicae. His reforms became a landmark in the 18th-century struggle to modernize the Polish education system.
At the time a very important role in Polish culture had two brothers Andrzej Załuski and Józef Załuski, who established the first in Europe public liberary.

Ideas of that period led eventually to one of the greatest achievements of Poland, the Constitution of the 3rd May (1791) It was the second-oldest world constitution. There were also other reforms, like the creation of the Komisja Edukacji Narodowej- first ministry of education in the world, which attempted to transform the Commonwealth into a modern constitutional monarchy.
Although attempts of political reform were let down by the civil war- Targowica Confederation- and military intervention of the Commonwealth neighbour, ending in the partitions of Poland, the cultural impact of that period persevered Polish culture for many years.
The ideas of the Polish Enlightenment had also significant impact abroad. Poland experienced a large output of political, particularly constitutional writing. Thomas Jefferson put his attention upon some of this literature after it was widely and carefully discussed in France.


It seems like I've said a lot about Polish Enlightenment, but there is still a lot to say.

Hope you enjoy it!

Speak soon!

Philosophical Liberalism

Liberalism is not easy to describe, much less to define. There is no doubt that it is directly related to beliefs in the importance to individual freedom. In the period between the Reformation and French Revolution it was known as 'a new philosophy with an idea of social initiative and social control surrendered to the idea of an individual initiative and individual control.' It has a wide importance in the world history as the belief had been recognized and accepted by many philosophers. Early liberalism was optimistic, energetic and philosophic, because it represented growing forces which appeared likely to become victorious without great difficulty and to bring by their victory great benefits to mankind.

Liberalism had its origin in England and Holland. It stood for religous tolerantion and it was Protestant. Liberalism valued commerce and industry. Rather than making raise the monarchy and all the aristocracy it favoured the raising of middle class. There was a belief which put an emphasis upon the importance of education as opposed to congenital characteristics. This belief states that all men are born equal, and that their subsequent inequality is a product of circumances.

There was a bias against government because they were in hands of kings and aristocracies. They hoped that it would all change and the understanding and respect would be accepted.
In the 17th Century, liberal ideas began to influence governments in Europe. Countries such us The Netherlands, Switzerland, England in Poland were strongly opposed, often by armed might, by those who favoured absolute monarchy and established religion.

Is Liberalism Individualism?

Meanwhile individualism had penetrated into philosophy. Decrates' fundamental certainty 'I think therefore I am', made his basis of knowledge different for each person, since for each the world starts with his own existence, not that of other individuals or of the community.

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679)is identified as the most important direct antecedent of modern individualist philosophy. In his Leviathan, Hobbes approved to all individuals natural liberty, as well as equality on the basis of which they are licensed to undertake whatever actions are necessary in order to preserve themselves from their fellow creatures. Hobbes believed that the exercise of such natural liberty logically leads to unceasing conflict and unremitting fear so long as no single sovereign ruler exists to maintain peace.

In contrast to Hobbes, Locke maintains that the natural condition of individual proprietorship can be maintained tranquilly because human beings are deemed sufficiently rational that they can and do generally constrain their free action under the terms of the laws of nature.

Court Reporting

The lecutre on Media Law was very interesting today. It gave me an idea of how The Court Reporters work. They play a critical role not only in judicial proceedings, but also at every meeting where the spoken lanugage word needs to be presrved as a written transcript

The Court Reporters can start reporting only if the case has been ACTIVE. The case is not active when the person gets arressted with no evidence. In this case the person can be kept by the police for 24 hours, unless the person becomes charged by the police which means that the case becomes ACTIVE. This is when the reporters can start writing about it. They can write anything that has been said in the Court but only if the judge is present. Sometimes written accounts of spoken language is necessary for correspondence, records, or legal proof, and court reporters provide those accounts

We focused on different types of crime. For anyone to be convicted of a criminal offence, guilt must be admitted or must be proven in court.
There are three main types of crime:

1. INDICTABLE-only offences, which are the most serious crimes, punishable by the longest prison terms. Examples for this type of crime would be murder, rape or robbery.

2. Either-way offences- such charges can be dealt with either at a Crown court or at a magistrates court. A magistrates can decide whether a particular case is a serious one which needs to be dealt with in Crown court, or if thr magistrates can deal with it

3. Summary offences are very minor ones comapre to the other two. Good examples for those are common assult, drunkenness. These are also relatively easy to deal with.

There are two types of magistrate- lay magistrates and district judges. Their main role is to deal with the majority of criminal court cases, however, because they have limited powers to sentence in the event of a convinction, the most serious cases go to the Crown courts.

It all seems to be pretty complicated, but once you get the main idea, it seems to be straightforward. We are supposed to go to a court in Winchester and sit there for an hour to see what it all looks like. It might be quite weird but I can't wait to see it! It will be so much easier to understand how it all works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOBs25_g23s

This look crazy!


Speak soon!