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.
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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!