The welfare system

The social security is a single expensive programme running by the department of work and pensions agencies which provide financial assistance and social protection for people who got socially recognized condition such as old age, disability, poverty and others. It financed by the government from taxation, contributions by employers and workers over 16 to the national insurance fund. In the UK the official retirement age is 65 for men and 60 for women.  But according to BBC (2004) it will raise to 66 for women and to 68 for men by 2020. The social security systems can be benefits by much different kind of peoples. For example, unemployed people can get a benefit called job seeker’s allowance. Pregnant women get maternity benefits but it is paid for pregnant working women. Young unemployed people aged between 16 and 18 years old are also eligible now for benefits.  Every child can have a tax free payment, it is usually paid monthly. The parent or the person responsible of the child can receive that money. By reducing the benefits, attacking fraud, increasing taxation and targeting these people with greatest needs, it could be easier to solve the problems for state and private.

References: BBC (2004) “Will we still be working at 70?” Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4016969.stm.  Accessed (20/06/2011)

Sport in the UK

Sport plays an important part in the life in Britain’s citizens and is a popular leisure activity. Some of the most popular sports that are played in the UK are tennis, football, golf, rugby, cricket and horse racing.

In England, the national sport is cricket although people might see football as the national but it is the most popular sport. In earlier days, only the rich and the aristocratic people of the British society played cricket. Cricket is played on village greens and in cities on Sundays from April to August.

Football is with no doubt the most popular sport in England and has been played for hundreds of years. Some of England’s football teams are world famous, the famous being Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. The highlight of the English football year is the Football Association (FA) cup final each May. Wembley Stadium is the popular venue for football.

Golf is traditionally the sport most frequently play in Scotland. The most important golf club in Scotland is in the seaside town of St. Andrews, near Dundee.

Rugby is a sport quite similar to football but played with an oval ball. There are two different types of rugby league mainly played in the north of England and rugby union played in the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland together with France and Italy play in an annual tournament called the six nations.

Tennis is not only popular in Britain but all over the world. The world’s most famous tennis tournament is Wimbledon. It started at a small club in south London in the 19th century. It begins on the nearest Monday to June 22. Millions of people watch it on TV live.

References: Golf in Britain (2011) “Golf in Britain”. Available at: http://www.golfinbritain.com/classictours.html#open . Accessed (22/06/2011).

Britain express (2011) “Cricket”. Available at: http://www.britainexpress.com/History/pastimes/cricket.htm. Accessed (22/06/2011).

Services provided by the national health service

The National Health Service (NHS) is known as a service providing health care to all the residents of Britain. The NHS principally look at the aspect that anyone in the UK is able to receive medical care as needed. And through the NHS all the UK’s citizens are able to access to many of his services provided.

In term of services, the NHS provides many such as emergency care, hospital services, dental services, GP services, eye care services, pharmacies, social care services and mental health services.

Concerning the hospital services, according to nhs (2009) “NHS hospital services are run and managed by NHS trusts, which make sure that hospitals provide high-quality healthcare, and that money is spent efficiently.”  When not an emergency, hospital treatment is is arranged through GP, dentist and optician. And the advantage of it is the fact that is free.

Concerning the dental services, most dentists in the UK provide both NHS and private treatment. And the advantage of that is the fact that someone can have work that he need to keep his teeth healthy on the NHS  and cosmetic work privately, without having to go to  2 different dentists.

Concerning the General Practitioners usually called GP, they are the ones providing a huge range of family health services such as advice, vaccinations, examinations, treatment, prescription for medicines. To see a GP is might be better to book an appointment in advance.

Most of the services provided by the NHS are free and to benefit with that all the UK citizens must been registered with a local GP.

References: NHS (2009) “NHS services”. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Pages/NHSServices.aspx . Accessed (20/06/2011)

Crime and punishment

Crime could be defined as an offence against a public law which means that by committing a crime, someone is just broking the law.

Prison is known as the place where people who have committed crime staying in. But although there are many different kind of crime, the main purpose of prison should be punishment.

Young people are the ones nowadays mainly involved in crime. Usually the type of crime they are involved in is called juvenile crime such as joy-riding, vandalism and graffiti. And to deal with it, the best way might be to take them to prison for a short period of time so that it could them to realize how difficult it is to stay in prison. Another problem is the fact that political activists due to the power that they may have think they are permitted to break the law but it is not right and not fair for other citizens because they are the one supposed to show the good example.

Drive while drunk is also a big crime in the society because it can push someone even unconsciously to kill someone else in the road. And with the problem, the law has to be really strict with these kind of people by take them for a while to the prison and even take their car to the pound. Another bad thing which is all over the world is the problem of tax evasion and security fraud. In Saudi Arabia, tax evasion is the more serious problem and the government is working hard to solve it.

References:  DZIT (2011): “Tax treaties”. Available at: http://www.dzit.gov.sa/en/Accord/accord2.shtml . Accessed (20/06/2011)

National archives (2011): “Crime and punishment”. Available at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/candp/punishment/g12/g12cs1.htm . Accessed (20/06/2011)

Media-newspapers

In the UK, newspapers are really used by the population. Many people buy at least one per day and there are also free journal available.

In Britain some of the famous newspapers are The Independent, the Guardian, and The daily telegraph. News can also be accessed thru tabloids instead of newspaper. Although both play the same roles, there are some differences between them hardly relatively to their shapes. For example the broadsheets are more bigger, have longer sentences, use little colour or sometimes no colour, and small picture than what can be found in tabloid. Another aspect that differentiated them is the fact that broadsheets write about serious news but tabloids devote to human interest stories.

References: Blurt it (2011):  “Difference between a tabloid and a Broadsheet”. Available at: http://www.blurtit.com/q710346.html. Accessed (20/06/2011)

Media-tv

Nowadays, it might be difficult to found a house where there is no TV. From years to years, it has become the most important entertainment activities for people when at home. But, the broadcasting might depend on the country. Each country has him one style of broadcasting.

 In the UK, it might be easier to found so many British television broadcasting. The first UK’s broadcasting agency was British Broadcasting Company (BBC). This one does not really depend of government control. They have been many opportunities where BBC has refused to give up in front of the government pressure. Something also common in the UK is the fact that BBC does not screen adverts apart from the promotion of its own future programming. It is well known as a non commercial broadcaster and it gets funded by the TV licenses, it has freedom of speech. Advertisement revenues give a really important portion of the funding for most privately owned television networks but for the majority, their adverts do not take long time maybe from 1 or 3 min. And usually these kinds of advertisements are used to promote goods like shoes, food, and drink.

The famous soaps in the UK are EastEnders, Coronation Street. And they are being broadcasted for many years now. Generally, soap operas are kind of long running series concerned with everyday life. And currently in these there are marriages, divorce, death...

Reference: TV history (2011) “ British TV history”. Available at: http://www.tvhistory.btinternet.co.uk/.Accessed ( 20/06/2011)