A bit freaky

Very nice joke was delivered to me via facebook...
:-)

Vaclav Havel dies

Vaclav Havel dies.

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To listen to news about this topic on BBC use this link.

Rihanna - California King Bed

We like it: Rihanna - California King Bed :-)

How its made - Coffee

The way to study English language: How its made - Coffee

ESSO course

I started the ESSO course (English Skills for Staff Officers in Multinational Operations). I hope it is the good example of ADL course.
The forum in Norfolk, USA, where I attended, was fully concentrated to background of ADL, but I thing is the good way for new experience to tray forward side of ADL too.
And, an introduction to ESSO includes a short explanation of the PfP Learning Management System (LMS) and recommended learning activities. It also contains supplementary information, the Objective Vocabulary introduced in the units, learning strategies for language learning, and references to useful online sources and tools for language learning.

Explosion at French nuclear plant of Marcoule

Explosion at French nuclear plant of Marcoule
(by BBC)
One person has been killed and four injured, one seriously, by an explosion at the southern French nuclear plant of Marcoule.
There were no radioactive leaks after the blast, caused by a fire near a furnace in a radioactive waste storage site, a French nuclear official said.
A security perimeter has been set up because of the risk of leakage.
The plant produces MOX fuel, which recycles plutonium from nuclear weapons, but does not include reactors.
(follow the link on BBC)

Norfolk in pictures (II.)

VMASC where ADL Forum was placed


Sunset (and "my Chevy")

Traffic in the town...

Buckroe Beach and Park


A lot of traffic on the I664 due to an accident on I64 - Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel

Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk (II.)

On the photo I stay behind Brigadier General Dourouklis, in the middle of the scene - with black hat, unexpectedly :-)

Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk

I attended the Sixth ADL Forum in Suffolk, Va.

Written by Paul Thurkettle, LMS Admin
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 09:54

Despite the impact of Hurricane Irene, 37 attendees made it to the 2011 Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Forum held at the Virginia Modelling and Simulation Centre in Suffolk, Virginia.

“It was getting very worrying as we did not know what impact the storm would have on us”, stated Paul Thurkettle from the Education and Training Technologies section under ACOS JETE. “We made the decision to go ahead and thankfully 94% of our travellers made it with some interesting tales and adventures”.

The annual ADL Forum now in its sixth year invites ADL developers from NATO and partner nations, users of ADL and academics in the eLearning field together to discuss the ADL program, NATO direction and guidance and discuss best practices for online courses, lessons learned and the latest in academic theory for adult training. The Forum also has representation from Joint Force Command Brunssum and will discuss the ISAF ADL program.


With attendees from NATO education and training centres, NATO commands, Centres of Excellence, Partnership Training Centres and nations including Ukraine, Moldova, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, United States and Slovenia the Forum creates an atmosphere of mutual cooperation.

“With ADL now a major program in many of our nations, we all share the same issues and ambitions, at the forum we can discuss who is doing what and where we can work together or share results”, added Dr. Sürsal, head of the Education and Training Technologies section. “This makes the forum a very valuable asset to ACT, both in letting the community know what the ACT direction and guidance is, as well as seeing and learning where nations are going and what they have done”.

Assistant Chief of Staff, Joint Education, Training and Exercises, Brigadier General Dourouklis (Greek Army) addressed the Forum emphasising the need to work together as well as the key message Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Trainer Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck gave to the African E-Learning conference on the need to create a global community in order to reach all the potential audience NATO needs to in order to fully prepare for the future.

The Forum runs from Aug 30th to Sep 1st.

Eight different types of intelligence

“Intelligence is the capacity to do something useful in the society in which we live. Intelligence is the ability to respond successfully to new situations and the capacity to learn from one’s past experiences.”
Dr. Howard Gardner, author, Frames of Mind and Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice

You can see the eight different types of intelligence, and you can begin to adjust your teaching/tutoring methods to match your learner's (or learners') strengths.

Actually, no one uses just one type of intelligence; we all use several in our daily lives. Some are stronger than others for each person. Thus it's helpful to determine your learner's top intelligences and tailor your methods to best meet your learner's particular combination of strengths.

What gives me the server www.literacyworks.org as my top three intelligences (score 5.0 is highest):

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4.86 Logic/math: You enjoy exploring how things are related, and you like to understand how things work. You like mathematical concepts, puzzles and manipulative games. You are good at critical thinking.

4.57 Spatial: You remember things visually, including exact sizes and shapes of objects. You like posters, charts, and graphics. You like any kind of visual clues. You enjoy drawing. Effective techniques of enhancing your learning using your spatial intelligence include creating and/or using pictures, maps, diagrams, and graphs as you learn things.

4.14 Self: You have a very good sense of self. You like to spend time by yourself and think things over. You will often take in information from another person, mull it over by yourself, and come back to that person later to discuss it. You like working on projects on your own. You often prefer to learn by trial and error. Effective techniques to enhance your learning include keeping a journal and giving yourself time to reflect on new ideas and information.

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In the others skills (nature, language, social, musical, body movement) is my average score above three, I am using that intelligence quite often to help you learn.

Norfolk in pictures

"My plane" in Atlanta...

"My hotel" in Suffolk...

River Park Drive



"My car Chevy"...

I am going to Norfolk

At work I got the final instructions, in the afternoon I left Vyskov in the duty car.
At home I finish packing of my suitcase.

The web page About Norfolk, USA - Aug/Sep 2011 is prepared.

All seems to be prepared, at Sunday I am going to Norfolk (ADL Conference). :-)

Blogger is back

...unable to publish to Blogger for the past 20.5 hours...

Here’s what happened: during scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. A small subset of Blogger users (we estimate 0.16%) may have encountered additional problems specific to their accounts. Yesterday we returned Blogger to a pre-maintenance state and placed the service in read-only mode while we worked on restoring all content: that’s why you haven’t been able to publish. We rolled back to a version of Blogger as of Wednesday May 11th, so your posts since then were temporarily removed. Those are the posts that we’re in the progress of restoring.

Again, we are very sorry for the impact to our authors and readers. We try hard to ensure Blogger is always available for you to share your thoughts and opinions with the world, and we’ll do our best to prevent this from happening again.

Posted by Eddie Kessler, Tech Lead/Manager, Blogger

(original text is here)

Long Journey Home

The American Center would like to remind you of this week´s reading by Charles O. Heller from his new book Long Journey Home.
After painful experience with the Nazi regime, Ota Karel Heller moved to America.
By becoming Charles Ota Heller, he left not only his identity, but also his memories and scars, behind on the other side of the Atlantic.
In his memoir, he now tries to confront the ghosts of the past. Mr. Heller will read in English.

WHEN: April 28, 2011 at 6:30 pm

WHERE: American Center, Tržiště 13, Praha 1 – Staré Město

Image management

This week I worked on thumbs, zoom and image management for articles. From web Articles Images I used BK-multithumb finally.
I studied all settings and info from web Kreacom.dk, downloaded plugin and realized the voted settings.
It seems to be easy but the understanding of all settings took me the long time...

ITEC

I was thinking about participation on ITEC ("Europe's largest gathering of military training & simulation specialists") but the term of ITEC is collided with my other activities...

Joomla 1.6

I will fill out the form to launch the new 100% working Joomla! site, hosted free for 30 days on demo.joomla.org to try new version (1.6) of Joomla - it is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) and application framework that powers 2.7% of the entire web.

Letter (No. 5 - after correction)

JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov, the Czech Republic

Memorandum to Commander of JCBRN Defence COE
From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
16 February 2011
Subject: Report of unit’s involvement in area Lipova

1. The special CBRN unit was sent to the area of Lipova to identify the repeated problem with the source of drinking water connected probably to the small-level earthquake in the mountains of Jeseniky. The problem was identified and the standardized system of measurement was done. The open-area task is completed now.
2. The team was in the area from 10 January 2011 to 12 February 2011. The system of measurement was done in 3 villages (Horni Lipova, Dolni Lipova, Lipova-Lazne). The map is attached.
3. The set of equipment called DS-2010 (Drill Set) was used 18 times in 9 specific points were calculated by software DSX-2009.
4. Based on global data from CHMU there are no foreseeable encountered problems in the future. This small earthquake was connected to misusing of explosive material in the area Konecna, where the new railway tunnel is being built.
5. The necessary actions for repairing the water system in this area will be described in the detailed report (will be sent on 24 February 2011).
Novotny

Radek Novotny
deputy commandant of JCBRN Defence COE appointed for this involvement
cell +420 777 083 126

Letter (No. 6 - after correction)

JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov, the Czech Republic

Memorandum to Personnel of JCBRN Defence COE
From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
22 February 2011
Subject: Open Day for the general public

1. An Open Day for general public is going to be organized on the military base in Vyskov on 12 April 2011 (The Anniversary of Joining NATO) from 9:00 to 13:00. Our unit was asked by COL Vsechnovi to contribute to the program.
2. The Training Department will prepare the small show of our special anti-chemical suits in the area between blocks B and C (COL Prvnisef is in charge of this show). The show will take 15 minutes and will be presented twice (10:00 and 11:00).
3. The Teaching Department is responsible for preparing an interactive show in the M&S room (building 257). The simulation of a nuclear attack will be presented at 10:00. Use the same example as on the DAT conference (from September 2010) – it is based on unclassified data. COL Druhysef is in charge of this.
4. The logistic branch (LB) is responsible for providing light refreshment on the first floor of building 257, the budget allocation for this is 10.000 CZK.
5. COL Prvnisef, COL Druhysef and commander of LB will prepare the text for an article in The Order No. 15. The Aid-de-Camp converts the final text of The Order to the article about the preparation of this day for web pages.
6. If you need any further information do not hesitate to contact me as soon as possible. I will also require an update by no later than 6 April 2011.
Novotny

Radek Novotny
deputy commander of JCBRN Defence COE appointed for this action
cell +420 777 083 126

Composition (No. 11 - after correction)

As of the 1 January 2011, a new rank structure was applied in the Czech military. This new structure is supposed to be equivalent to those in most NATO countries. I am not in favor of this change.
Firstly, only the rank structure of the lower levels was changed. To the best of my knowledge, the ranks of officers and generals are the same, and are based on the same principle as all countries around the world. The same responsibility is given to the captain in the Czech army or in the US Army. So, it makes all imaginable situations easier that you know the rank of the person you are speaking to or working with.
Secondly, when Czech Army became fully professional, there were no enlisted men and we only had the sergeants and warrant officers. The lowest rank in the Czech Army was the Staff-Sergeant. It was not logical to have the lowest rank in the Czech military on the same equivalent level which in other countries was fifth in their rank structure. From my point of view, the new rank structure is a logical final step of changing our army from a conscript army to a professional one.
Moreover, I have heard many stories about situations based on misusing the Czech rank system by foreigners, and vice-versa. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it made problems with a communication as foreign forces believe that our soldiers were in fact officers and saluted them.
Generally speaking, the changing of the rank system was the logical step in the development of our army. It could have been implemented over a longer time period, without the big change of “rank down” (for many soldiers). Taking everything into account, it had to be done and we can only discuss the way how it was realized.

Composition (No. 10 - after correction)

The Czech Republic joined NATO 12 years ago. Twelve years is the long time for many people, it is one thirds of their working carrier (from passing the university to retirement). So, it is time to say: “What about the way NATO conducts its military operation?”
However I did not participate on any operation abroad, I have many very different pieces of information about it. So, it is difficult to speak about some concrete situations, but it is possible to try to make a résumé of general information – where and why the countries joined NATO to participate in local conflicts. Let summarize this type of information.
Firstly, where the NATO countries participate in some local conflicts? Nowadays there is the well-known conflict in Afghanistan, which seems to be endless. Needles to say, the situation in Kosovo or Iraq is still unclear and the units of NATO countries have to stay there longer than the expected time. According to today’s news, in Libya, Egypt or Yemen it would be the same in near future.
Secondly, the simple answer to the question “why” does not exist. But all these places, except Kosovo, have one thing, which connects them together – and that is oil. And if we changed the word “oil” to word “resources”, we would be able to add the countries created in the area “Yugoslavia”. So, the resources seem to be a reason why we participate on these conflicts, although in the role of the pace-keeper. Moreover, I suppose, it not necessary to describe the logic way from “resources and having the area of them under control” to “to be prospering country” or “wealth”. The status “having resources” and “to be rich” are not equivalent, but it is necessary to have resources to be able to start and develop the process in the economy.
Generally speaking, I feel the membership of our country in NATO as “the ticket to club of rich countries”. The politicians had been probably motivated by the same ideas. Taking everything into account, the described circumstances seem to me as the international political system based on the idea to have the areas with resources under control. It is possible to discuss if the system is moral or immoral. But it is the way that has been used many times in the past and it works. Who has resources is the winner.

Composition (No. 9 - after correction)

A famous British scientist once stated at the end of the 19th century that electricity was no more than a fashionable craze. How has the invention of electricity changed our lives? And how would our lives look like without electricity?
Firstly, we use a lot of equipment, without thinking how they work. Many of them work using electricity as a source of energy. We realize this fact just at the moment when the source of electricity is unavailable – the system of providing us with electricity is out of work or the battery is empty.
Secondly, although we use a lot of equipment based on electricity as the source of energy, many of them represent only the way how to make our life more simple and easier. But some of them we need for “normal being”. From my point of view, it is electricity as a source of light (electric bulbs in their wide variability) and a source for equipment producing heat (electric cooker) or cold (refrigerator). On the contrary, I can imagine our life without TV, phone, radio – there is an endless list of examples.
Moreover, I have knowledge from many SCI-FI books I have read. So, I could imagine that if electricity had not been invented, we would have used some equipment based on the different sources, for example memories based on the neurons and machines based on the artificial stomach as the source of energy.
Generally speaking, human beings have huge potential to invent. According to ideas from the book “Darkness” by Ondřej Neff based on idea the idea “the principle of electricity can be temporarily switched off”, if the principle of energy did not work, we would adapt to new circumstances. As they say in the USA: “Yes, we can”.
Taking everything into account, people are able to adapt to any circumstances. If there had been no electricity, human beings would have been able to invent a different source of energy and to use it. Therefore, the British scientist was proved very wrong – it is, without doubt, one of the most important inventions of all time.

Composition (No. 8 - after correction)

There are many problematic issues in the world today and public health seems to be a front-runner. As the rising numbers of governments have made smoking in public places illegal, many businesses now say that no one can smoke in any of their offices, even the entire building.
Firstly, based only on the statistical data, there is a direct correlation between health and smoking. The dependence of probability to die of cancer and the number of cigarettes smoked per day epitomizes common used sentence, but it is still only a theory based on the statistical data. No chemical process in the body, which is responsible for the beginning of cancer is described. So the global war against smokers is only a political game. The governments like the tax on cigarettes.
Secondly, “the clever smoker” practices his obsession with cigarettes outside all the time. It is a well-known fact that an enclosed area (any room) smells with cigarette smoke more than two days, although the air is completely refreshed through the open window after smoking. So, every “clever smoker” smokes outside so as to not restrict non-smokers, and, generally, to not restrict the use of inside areas of the building.
Moreover, many good ideas and solutions were built in small group of people taking a discussion about some problems by the smoking of cigarettes. Smoking has been adopted in the cultural and social environment for many years and, vice-versa, the rooting out of “human environment” will take many years.
Generally speaking, smoking is the cultural attitude based in previous centuries. Although the addiction on nicotine is described in many medical texts, the amount of advertisement for cigarettes decreased in this century. Taking everything into account, governments are not able to change attitude of previous generation in one day. It is not the issue for some restricted law “where it is allowed to smoke”, but the solution is based on teaching the next generation to be non-smokers completely.

Composition (No. 7 - after correction)

Information Technology (IT) and communication technology is an integral part of today’s modern society. As IT is introduced into most areas of military life, it seems that the human factor is gradually diminishing from decision-making processes. But the human factor has to have the priority in the decision-making processes.
Firstly, information technology is not at such a high level to be able to make decisions on a full-time basis. The problem is not in fact how quickly the computer is able to trace all available ways of solving a specific situation, but we do not have the technologies to put in the computer memory as many well described situations as is necessary. Artificial intelligence, on what the decision-making process is based in IT, needs the huge quantity of relevant data.
Secondly, in future we will probably be able to collect, to order and to sort the tera or penta bytes of data. But, who will be responsible to put into the computer the result which situation from the real world the action has to be signed as the example of bad solution of the situation, and vice versa, which description of real activities has to be signed as permitted or which as the best way. Although the final resolution is individual every time and depends on many circumstances, only humans have ability to make decision, especially if it is connected with other human being. And, according to sentence fro ancients Greek: “You never would be in the same river”, it is very difficult to write in the computer program strict rules how to use the description of the similar situation “A” and the solution evaluated as the best solution of that situation “A” to find the best solution of the new situation “B”. The new situation “B” only looks like the situation “A”, it has never been the some.
Generally speaking, IT is not ready for building the artificial intelligence. Taking everything into account, the human being is the only one who is nowadays responsible for his action. And, the theory above is fully independent on fact if we are speaking about civilian or military area, even though it is possible to search some specific circumstances in the military life. But as I used only philosophical categories the ideas are applicable on both, military and civilian area.

Composition (No. 6 - after correction)

Some people belive that marriage is now only a tradition and a thing of the past, with only a piece of paper to show for it. These days it is much more popular to live together. Some people think that marriage is too restrictive in what people can adn can’t do.
Firstly, I have experience of both situations. I had lived with one girl together for more then six years. Finally, she had decided to leave me. It was easy process, because we were not married and we had no strictly together owned things. She had studied the university, she had been provided with money by her parents. Vice-versa, I owned the flat where we lived, I had earned money, etc. I have to say I have never understood her decision, but it was for me strong piece of experience. I had decided that I have never got married.
Secondly, I am married now. I had the long discussion about the changing my strong opinion from previous time after I had met my future wife. The discussion had taken for a long time. We both have known the endless list of advantages and disadvantages of marriage. Finally, I got married when our son Philip was “on the way to be born” and final decision was done due to him - to have the same name as mother and father together.
Generally speaking, the law is not pushing us to get married. Instead of “The last things” – the mother of your children will not be in the same group as the children in the legacy process if you are not married – there are no benefits for men and women to get married. You are paying the same income taxes and you have the equal rights as married parents. By the time, I understood that it is very often about the feeling of the women to be more protected for the future unexpected situations if she is married.
Taking everything into account, it depends on us as individuals to make our decision. Although, if you stay together “without the piece of essential paper” you have to be prepared for time when your children will ask you why you are not married. Even though, nowadays I believe the marriage status is the symbol of decision to live together until “death do us part”.

This Be The Verse

Philip Larkin / This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but the do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.

---

Rade Novotny / “poem transmitted“

Your mother and father upset and confuse you so much that you are not able to deal with problems in your life. Probably they do it without intentions, although their effect may not be benefitial. And they fill you with the responsibility for everything wrong that has happened or been done.

They upset you because they you think behave or speak in a way that lacks intelligence or good judgement. They wear old fassion hats and coats. They are silly and sentimental, full of unnecessary emotion or, vice-versa, fighting or arguing with each other.

They give and leave misery for each other to deal with.
It becomes worse and worse.
So, make yourself independent as soon as possible.
And, finally, don’t have any kids, don’t become a parent yourself.

Letter (No. 4 - after correction)

From: CPT Radek Novotny, JCBRN Defence COE, Vyskov
To: Members of Council of The town Kromeriz
Date: 2011-02-10
Subject: Permission to perform military exercise

Ladies and gentlemen,
I would ask you for permission to perform a military exercise in the north part of the district Kromeriz, in the area next to the northern suburb of your town, on the road between the suburb Severnik and the village Nejblizsi (map is attached).
The exercise will be held from 31st of March 2011 to 3rd of April 2011. The main task of the exercise is to practice our ability to create the field facility for decontamination in a new unknown area, as quickly as possible. This type of exercise has never been held in the area like this. So, it is fitting for us, due to the characteristic “unknown area”.
We need the only one piece of liaise procedure, to inform people in your local news. Putting the info sign on the road will be in our responsibility. No area around the road will be used.
We suppose there will be no negative impact on the environment, on the fields besides the road, on the people living in Severnik and Nejblizsi. In the case of a fire or an emergency, one part of the road will be available for emergency vehicles at all times.
If you require any further information, do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to your reply.
Novotny

Composition (No. 5 - after correction)

Water is a vital part of our existence and we need water for our survival. Due to the fact that water is not available in all places around the world in the same quantity, it must be transported. So, currently it is contained in many different forms. Unfortunately, people prefer one with the longest decomposition time – the plastic bottle.
Firstly, although there are many different forms of water containers, people still prefer the plastic bottle. Other basic forms of water containers had some troubles. The first, glass bottles are too heavy to carry, they are able to be used repeatly, but the process of cleaning them required a lot energy. The second basic form, paper boxes with alluminia or PE interior surface are not as solid as the plastic and glass bottles.
Secondly, even though there are many inputs (oil, energy etc.) to produce plastic bottles, they are cheaper than paper boxes and glass bottles. Needless to say, in my opinion, if we count the costs of production and the costs of wastage process (separation of bottles and transforming of this separated waste to new material – small bubbles or powder, which is later used as a source for other productions), the previous sentence is not right. But, it is necessary to use this process of separation due to the long decomposition time of plastic bottles.
Finally, very often people ask for water packed in container, even though there is the possibility to use the water from the tap. It is widely believed that tap water is not the same quality as the packed water. Surprisingly, in Mid-European countries the quality of tap water is generally higher than packed water. Fortunately, in many restaurants it is now accepted and you can get tap water as standard.
Taking everything into account, it is understandable from the technical point of view (weight, solidity etc.) why people prefer the plastic bottle, but it is necessary to separate them from the waste and use them as the source for the next production. If we do not, forests, beaches etc. will be changed to a dump.

Composition (No. 4 - after correction)

The policemen in the United Kingdom are routinely unarmed, whereas in the North America and most European countries – as elsewhere – policemen are routinely armed. The policemen in the Czech Republic are routinely armed. It is very difficult to say which model of police is better, because there are many advantages and disadvantages of armed police.
In my opinion, the basic advantage of armed police is the presence of power. The police officer with a gun is more respectable than without. The effect of the gun-visibility, like the effect of the uniform, gives the police power to correct the behavior of people around him with any action whatever. This is a very strange effect of police presence on the street. People seethe police as the face of the law. I suppose, it is the way how to intimidate the people not to commit criminal acts. Probably, this my point of view is not so easily applicable to the USA, where it is the right of every person to carry gun by law.
Contrary, there are many examples of the police misusing theirs gun. According to police statistical data, there are more then five hundred incidents per year when the police gun is used incorrectly or illegally and the other people (the public) are real or potential victims of these situations.
Taking everything into account, it is my opinion that is not necessary to change the present situation regarding armed police. In different counties, they have different culture and different expectations from their national police units. Both models – armed and unarmed police - are “working”. From my point of view the calls for a reduction in police reliance on firepower are only “the political games”. Needless to say, I have good knowledge only about the situation in the Czech Republic and it is very difficult for me to compare it with the other countries.

Composition (No. 1 - after correction)

Media pay a lot of attention to the lives of famous people, especially of politicians on one hand and celebrities (pop stars, actor and actresses) on the other. The question is if there is any positive impact of making their lives public and open to public scrutiny.
Firstly, there is a problem of the definition of media which we speak about and definition of public scrutiny. As I am using the word media, let me use it for “correct media” only, so I mean only CT channels from Czech TV and Czech Radio channels. I separate other media as “noncorrect” because I think the journalist culture in the Czech Republic is going down day by day and there is a strong dictate of advertisement and firms which are paying for it. So other media do not give us relevant information. The second word definition, which I would discus, is the public scrutiny. With the reference to vocabulary, public scrutiny is “examination in all possible details”. So I will speak about the examination of politicians because the celebrities are the target of “non correct media”, in my point of view.
Secondly, I try to evaluate the public scrutiny level of Czech politicians in comparison to other countries. I have only particular knowledge of the level of public scrutiny in the USA from my short stay there and from the other type of the media which I have not mentioned yet, from the Internet. It seems to me that the level of public scrutiny in the Czech Republic is very low. Many people have only a limited time period in their day scheduler to read information from newspapers and Internet news services about politicians and their activities. So they have no idea about other ways to examine the politician’s activities and finally they lose their ability to remember that before election there were promises which were forgotten after election and again presented when the next election is in the so called election year.
Finally, needless to say that there is a small group of people, very often absolvents of universities, who discuss with the politicians on the “practical level of the concrete technician problems” for example though their own articles and they have no ambition to exam private life of politicians.
Taking everything into account, in the Czech Republic there are two main group of people, one big group of passive people which have extremely low level of public scrutiny to politicians and the second small group of active people with different ideas about politicians, but both of them without the active scrutiny with any impact on private lives of politicians. Nevertheless, there is the other point of the view to this problem, the symbol of this is the newspaper Blesk, but it is not my cup of tea.

Composition (No. 2 - after correction)

The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999. The joining documents were signed on 12th April 1999 in the USA. Some politicians and other skeptics argue that the Czech Republic does not command the same authority as more established members of NATO. Is it possible to be annoyed with this opinion?
Firstly, what type of information can we use as arguments to support our opinion? Soldiers, members of the army, have the same information as civilians. For example, from news, magazines, newspapers, TV or Internet. However, they have particulary some information so called internal, from the army sphere. But the level of this information is strictly depend on the position of the soldier in the army and only some of soldiers have some specific information. I am from the biggest group of the most solders who have only the first type of the information, so called „public information“. And it depends only on me if I try to collect information and study them to know details about our position in NATO. So my opinion and my supportive argument will be only from the public sources of information.
To the best of my knowlidge, the Czech Republic has the expected authority in NATO. We have some specialists in the Czech Army – chemical specialists, medical specialists, pilots. They are (or were) in the relevant types of operations, for example in the Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan. And the same is about czech commandants, they are (or were) on the relevant positions in the command structure of those operations. We have members of the Czech Army in the relevant command structures of the permanent command chain of NATO. They have relevant level of information I think. The liaison between the Czech republic and NATO is on relevant level. Regarless to say that the latest sentence I wrote is based on my knowledge about VTC conferences between Vyskov and Norfolk but this type of information is published on the web. Generaly speaking I think we have the relevant position in the NATO structure and we have relevant representatives in the relevant locations.
Taking everithing into account, the Czech republic has the relevant authority thoughout the members of the Czech army on their positions in the command structure of NATO. Needless to say that media very often describe only conrete incorrect situation connected with Czech members in NATO due to media likes to describe only situations which seems to be wrong generaly. This reality leads to have different opinion about this problem as was written in the third sentence of first paragraph.

Is the European Unification a Solution?

Very interesting essey written by Mr. Václav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic:

Is the European Unification (and the Deliberate Undermining of Nation-States) a Solution, or a Step to an Ever-Growing Problem?
The two words, „Challenging Prospects“, chosen for this year’s Com.Sult congress have been used as titles of congresses and conferences many times in the past, but this time their use seems to be appropriate, at least when we talk about Europe. We should say loudly what many Europeans, especially their politicians, also see but do not want to admit, that Europe faces a substantial, long-term, very serious problem. It is not a short-term, or medium term business cycle phenomenon. And it is not part of a global crisis, it is very European. Even the recent crisis was not global. It was euro-american.
...

Composition (No. 3 - after correction)

It is widely believed that rich countries (for example the EU-member countries, the USA, etc.) should help those less fortunate than themselves. Very often they provide them with food, especially as so called humanitarian assistance. Although, it would be better improve their educational and healthcare system. For example, give them and teach them new technologies to grow their own food (corn etc.) and become more independent.

Firstly, take this example. Why is it better to teach somebody how to plant corn effectively than to provide them with corn. The first (teaching) you can do once; the second (providing) you have to do constantly due to their dependence. Although, it’s probably cheaper only to provide food than to teach, but only for limited time (5 or 10 years maybe). The country will gradually become independent and it will not be necessary to provide food continually.

Secondly, an increasing level of educational and healthcare systems in poor countries will also bring a different way of thinking. Currently people in poor countries are thinking about migrating to rich countries because of their poor financial situation. It leads to low level productivity of work, and, consequently, it leads generally to a slow increase in the GDP. So the poor country remains poor. And vice-versa, better education encourages production, with leads to economic growth and wealth. Finally, it makes the country independent and it motivates people to be more responsible for themselves.

Needless to say, there are some situations (floods, earthquakes etc.) when international assistance is the only way to quickly and effectively help.

Taking everything into account, it is my opinion that there is no possibility to stay in position when everyone is responsible for themselves, and it is indifferent if we are speaking about any person or any countries. We are not living separately from others and other cultures etc. So there is the better way how to help to others then only providing food to them.

Using a Dictogloss

Yesterday we learned the English language with using a dictogloss. I trayed to find the definition of "DICTOGLOSS" on the Internet and, finally, this one seems to me to be the best:

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Using a Dictogloss
Dictogloss is an activity in which short pieces of language are read out at normal speed to students, who take down the key words and then attempt to reconstruct the passage using their short term memory, their general understanding of the text, and notes they take while listening. A dictogloss commonly uses the following procedure:

• Preparation: introduce the topic and key vocabulary.
• Dictation: Read the text aloud at normal or near-normal speed, allowing students to orally reconstruct in small groups afterwards. On the second reading, students note down key words.
• Analysis: Students attempt to reconstruct the text in their own words, first in pairs and subsequently in larger groups. The students will be utilizing their existing grammatical and lexical knowledge, practising their ability to record and extract the main ideas in a text, working collaboratively to produce a legible written record, proof-reading and revising work, and as a by-product justifying their opinions and asking questions to check and clarify information.
• Feedback / Correction / Evaluation: The completed texts are checked for meaning and accuracy.

As befitting its origins as a grammar teaching methodology, one of the primary benefits of a dictogloss is to reveal gaps in the students’ prior-knowledge and inter-language – hence its popularity as a diagnostic tool. Increasingly, however, the technique is being used as a more learner-centred form of dictation, leading in to work on areas such as pronunciation, lexis, functional exponents and spelling. Unlike traditional dictation exercises, in a dictogloss the emphasis is on the students’ ability to communicate in order to re-convey the meaning of the text, as opposed to re-producing it word for word. Tasks can be graded by giving ‘skeleton texts’ (the key nouns, for example) to the students before the first reading, by variations in the reading speed, or by decreasing the length of the text to be reconstructed (with the caveat that all texts should be of sufficient length that the students are not able to store it word-for-word in their short-term memory).

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(source)

Next song with lyrics

The Counting Crows : "Accidentally In Love"

So she said what's the problem baby
What's the problem I don't know
Well maybe I'm in love (love)
Think about it every time
I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it

How much longer will it take to cure this
Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)
Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love

Come on, come on
Turn a little faster
Come on, come on
The world will follow after
Come on, come on
Cause everybody's after love

So I said I'm a snowball running
Running down into the spring that's coming all this love
Melting under blue skies
Belting out sunlight
Shimmering love

Well baby I surrender
To the strawberry ice cream
Never ever end of all this love
Well I didn't mean to do it
But there's no escaping your love

These lines of lightning
Mean we're never alone,
Never alone, no, no

Come on, Come on
Move a little closer
Come on, Come on
I want to hear you whisper
Come on, Come on
Settle down inside my love

Come on, come on
Jump a little higher
Come on, come on
If you feel a little lighter
Come on, come on
We were once
Upon a time in love

We're accidentally in love
Accidentally in love [x7]

Accidentally

I'm In Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
I'm in Love, I'm in Love,
Accidentally [x2]

Come on, come on
Spin a little tighter
Come on, come on
And the world's a little brighter
Come on, come on
Just get yourself inside her

Love ...I'm in love

In the army now

I used the same way (described in previous article) to learn English two years ago. I remember the song In The Army Now by Status Quo:



Status Quo : In The Army Now

A vacation in a foreign land
Uncle Sam does the best he can
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Now you remember what the draftman said
Nothing to do all day but stay in bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

You'll be the hero of the neighbourhood
Nobody knows that you left for good
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Smiling faces as you wait to land
But once you get there no one gives a damn
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Handgrenades flying over your head
Missiles flying over your head
If you want to survive get out of bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Shots ring out in the dead of night
The sergant calls [stand up and fight!]
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

You've got your orders better shoot on sight
Your finger's on the trigger
But it don't seem right
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Night is falling and you just can't see
Is this illusion or reality
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh, you're in the army now

Oh, oh, you're in the army now

First week of English course

This week was the first of eight when I participate on the 8-week English course. So now, in the weekend I repeat for example the songs we listened to.

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James Blunt : Same Mistake

So while I'm turning in my sheets
And once again I cannot sleep
Walk out the door and up the street
Look at the stars beneath my feet
Remember rights that I did wrong
So here I go

Hello, hello

There is no place I cannot go
My mind is muddy but
My heart is heavy does it show
I lose the track that loses me
So here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

And so I sent some men to fight
And one came back at dead of night
Said he'd seen my enemy
Said he looked just like me
So I set out to cut myself
And here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake again

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

And maybe someday we will meet
And maybe talk but not just speak
Don't buy the promises cause
There are no promises I keep
and my reflection troubles me
So here I go

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake

I'm not calling for a second chance
I'm screaming at the top of my voice
Give me reason, but don't give me choice
Cause I'll just make the same mistake again

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
So while I'm turning in my sheets

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
And once again I cannot sleep

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Walk out the door and up the street

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Look at the stars

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Look at the stars falling down

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
And I wonder where

uhuuuu uhuuuu uhuuuu
Did I go wrong

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The second song is on youtube here and lyrics is below:

Jason Mraz : I'm Yours

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
Now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment babay sing with me
I love peace for melody
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
Please don't, please don't, please don't
There's no need to complicate
Cause our time is short
This oh this this is out fate, I'm yours!