I've read one more article about Tibet and it's strugle for independence by Vsevolod Ovchinnikov, dating 2007. And it expresses absolutely different opinion) He, as he was in Tibet twice - in 1955 and 1990, confirms that the situation changed absolutely. The life span rised twice, slavery was replased by farming and lots of schools appeared. The Chinese are working there mosetly as teachers and doctors. So, this point of view was very important for me.

Yana's journal entry

The article “Turn off the TV, and get the kids to read” is about a woman who made her children read books and almost didn’t allow them to watch television until they aged 13. She thought that parents should not allow their children watch TV, to play computer games, while their character and habits are being formed. Also she said that reading is relaxing, enjoyable and usefull for her son and daughter than watching television. In my opinion, nowadays children are becoming more dependant on the mass media and different kinds of entertainment such as computer games and TV shows. They spend too much time in front if the computer which influence on not only their physical state but mental health too. Very often this is the mistake of the parents who allow their children to do what they want. As for me, Erica C. Roach was right because she tried to bring up her children without negative contact with the television and computer games. I think parents should be aware of what their children do and watch, and then children will become mental healthy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/lweb01read.html?scp=11&sq=

I’ve read the article about the riots in city Lhasa, in Tibet in 2008. I’ve chose it because Buddhism and those events matter to me deeply. The article tells about foreign diplomats’ meeting with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi and following issues had been discussed. It is clearly obvious that Chinese government hid the truth about the riots from the foreign society, making Tibetan monks keep silence during European and Japanese journalists’ visit to Lhasa, which was sponsored by Chinese government. The results of the trip were wished to close the debates about boycotting of the Olimpics in August. But the truth is that during the riots hundreds of peoples were killed and and the Tibetans have been infringed in rights.
I would really like to know more about the situation, because it is really frightening. I guess all the people new about it, but the Olimpics still had been held. No avident reaction came from abroad to protect those people. It terrifies me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/world/asia/30tibet.html?scp=10&sq=buddhism%20Opinion&st=nyt

kra-kra-kra))) it's just a chek!) one-two-three - GO!)

Olya's journal entry about the article " Japan’s Whaling Obsession"

The article, which I’ve decided to read, is dedicated to two things which I always find interesting to myself. The first thing is whales- the most wonderful, the rarest mammals in the world whose protection now is under the question. And the second thing is Japan- the country which I greatly admire. In the article which I have chosen, these two things are combined because it’s described the attitude of Japanese officials and researchers to the problem of the whales’ murder as a matter of tradition and science. According to this article, most of the world’s countries agreed that these mammals should be granted a stay of extinction. But Japan didn’t, continuing commercial and scientific hunts. The Japanese explain their tradition of eating whales’ meat as a national habit.
To my mind, it’s very hard to find the right way in this situation. But nevertheless, the authorities of Japan should assume the measures for saving such unusual species. Firstly, it’s the problem of moral. Very often people don’t notice the most evident facts. Although it’s a normal to eat animals and fish we still must remember that they are also alive creatures who also have the right to exist. Secondly, accounting for the fact that whales have become really very rare, people should revise their views concerning the value of these mammals.
To sum up, I would like to say that I am against any slaughter even if there is a question of national traditions.

Ksu article

I've decided to choose an overwiew of the film Artificial Intelligense. I watched this film on winter holidays, and I was impressed by it very much. This film is about robot-boy(David), who was invented in order to live in families which have no children. One of David's peculiarities is ability to have feelings, own dreams like an ordinary little boy, to love his future parents. The tragedy of David was that his "mother" Monica left him, because she though David had tried to killed her own son, but she was mistaken. So she betrayed him and left alone in yhe forest. But the worst thing was that at the same time people opened the hunting for robots, and when people caught them they destroyed them in a very cruel manner. They did it in order to"demolishing artificially".
The article, which I've read is devoted to the question whether people have any power to create virtually living creatures and then destroy them. How big is our responsibility for this creatures?
This film is some kind of question. And Steve Spielberg, who is a director of this movie,"confronts a crucial question:"Do the virtual selves we project into the world, on screen and elsewhere, bring us closer to knowing who we are, or do they distract us from our search for that knowledge?"(Critics'Pick, Film Review:Do Androids Long for Mom? written by A.O.Scott; N-Y Times, June 29,2001.)

Thesis statement

I really sorry that I posted my thesis statements so late. There are they:

1. It is very fulfilling to help others because it makes you happy, it makes happy the person received a help from you, the person can help you in exchange.

2. Honesty is the most valuable trait of a friend's character because you can trust the honest person, you will be sure this friend would never lie to you, and you would know his/her true opinion about a situation.

3. Passing my degree has been my greatest achievment so far because it let me choose my path in life completely, gave me confidence in myself, was a really good challenge.

4. My studies is the one thing that give me real satisfaction because I like to receive new knowledge, I think if I try my best I would get my aim, study divert from problems.

5. Using a computer is probably one of the most important skills for a person nowadays because the Internat depends on computers, almost all firms are computerized, computers themselves have already become an important part of modern society.

6. Feeling competent about doing my job gives me confidence because I can be sure in results, nobody will value my job as incompetent, the work gives a feeling of pleasure when I know how to do it.

Ksu's thesis statements

1. It's very fulfilling to help other people because:
a) it helps me to solve my own problems
b) it makes me happy, because I'm needed
c) it makes me sure that other people will help me.
2. Honesty is the most valuable trait of a friend's character because:
a) it's a basis for friendship
b) there is no trust btween fiends without honesty
c) it makes you sure that your friend is frank with you
3. Passing my degree has been my greatest achievement so far because:
a) I managed to pass it earlier
b) my results were not so bad
c) my winter holidays were long
4.My studies is the one thing that give me real satisfaction because:
a) it gives me a lot of new knowledges
b) it helps me to develope myself
c) it is my future
5. Using a computer is probably one of the most importaint skills for a person nowadays because:
a) computer has become an essential part of modern life
b) almost all modern professions are connected with computer
c) computer is a source of great opportunities
6. Feeling competent about doing my job gives me confidence because:
a) it gives me an opportunity to choose a high-paid job
b) it makes my work respectable