Society

By virtue of the fact that I chair the Children and Youth Affairs Committee in the Polish Sejm, the most acute problem for me is the living conditions and development of the youngest social group. Children and young people are an integral part of society.

History tells us that enslaved people legally became free on January 1, 1863, with President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. In reality, true freedom came years later for countless enslaved African Americans. Despite the law, Confederate states remained defiant, continuing their brutal practice until Union troops could enforce the law in the Deep South.

The Minister of Education has announced his intention to introduce compulsory pre-school education for children aged three in Slovakia. The Ministry has published only one press release to defend this blanket and mandatory measure. It contains a number of inaccurate claims that do not stand up to critical debate. In this text, I will describe three reasons why the proposed expansion of compulsory school attendance is the wrong public policy.

The declining number of nurses in Bulgaria over recent decades puts hospital healthcare services at risk. There is an unwritten rule that every doctor should have between two and three nurses to support their work effectively. However, in Bulgaria, this ratio is lower. While smaller hospitals in remote and sparsely populated areas are most affected by this issue, larger hospitals are not immune to it either.

Everything begins at home – this phrase seems to be the perfect opening for a discussion about women\'s labor and the baggage of pathologies that mark it. It is within the four walls of the household that mechanisms are formed which later shape the lives of adult women for decades. Everything begins with upbringing. Girls are raised very differently from boys. From an early age, girls are taught that their place is in the home, managing its never-ending duties.

Children, parents, and teachers alike are increasingly questioning the school system. Ongoing reforms are gradually changing its face, yet often only superficially. The pupils suffer the most. Too much attention is paid to \"what?\" and too little to \"why?\". The lack of meaning compounds their fear of not knowing.

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates would walk the streets of Athens, persistently asking people what concepts like virtue, justice, goodness, and happiness meant. The dialogue would continue until the respondent realized they did not truly know. But what if Socrates were to ask you what responsibility is – would you know how to answer?

When a young ODS member challenges Fiala to smoke a joint and ODS suddenly talks about legalization, it is clear that marijuana is no longer just a pirate issue. Fiala smilingly declined the offer, but his surprisingly accommodating response signaled a shift. At the same time, ODS launched a campaign with the slogan \"now is the time for legalization\", a clear ploy to appeal to young voters and disillusioned Pirate supporters.

Czechia ranked 26th out of 30 countries in this year’s Nanny State Index, maintaining its reputation of lifestyle freedom, but continuing to fall in the rankings. The higher a country ranks, the more regulated its lifestyle is. Our country’s approach to regulating food, beverages, alcohol, and electronic cigarettes remains largely liberal. However, in 2017, Czechia was the most liberal country in the ranking.

A new Pope is about to assume his office, but what once was a greatly influential position, making and breaking kingdoms, is becoming obsolete, at least in the Western world. Should a new Pope change that? The relevance of the Pope is hard to measure, but for those interested in number-crunching, several metrics are available.