ARGUMENT AGAINST BOLOGNA

Two years after signing the Bologna Declaration and three years after the Sorbone Declaration, European Ministers in charge of Higher Education, representing 32 signatories, met in Prague in order to review the progress achieved and to set directions and priorities for the coming years of the process. Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the objective of establishing the European Higher Education Area by 2010.

Ministers reaffirmed that efforts to promote mobility must be continued to enable students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff to benefit from the richness of the European Higher Education Area including its democratic values, diversity of cultures and languages and the diversity of the Higher education systems.

As the Bologna declaration sets out, Ministers asserted that building the European Higher Education Area is a condition for enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of higher education institutions in Europe. They supported the idea that higher education should be considered a public good and is and will remain a public responsibility, and that students are full members of the higher education community. From this point of view, Ministers commented on the further process as follows:

1.                       ADOPTION OF A SYSTEM OF EASILY READABLE AND COMPARABLE DEGREES.

Ministers strongly encouraged universities and other higher education institutions to take full advantage of existing national legislation and European tools aimed at facilitating academic and professional recognition of course units, degrees and other awards, so that citizens can effectively use their qualifications, competencies and skill throughout The European Higher Education Area.

2.                       ADOPTION OF A SYSTEM ESSENTIALLY BASED ON TWO MAIN CYCLES

Ministers noted with satisfaction that the objective of a degree structure based on two main cycles, articulating higher education in undergraduate and graduate studies, has been discussed. Some countries have already adopted this structure and several others are considering it with great interest. Programmes leading to degree should have different orientations and various profiles in order to accommodate a diversity of individual, academic and labour market needs.

3.                       ESTABLISHMENT OF A SYSTEM OF CREDITS

Ministers emphasized that, for a grater flexibility in learning and qualification processes, the adoption of common cornerstones of qualifications, supported by a credit system such as the ECTS( European credit transfer system) or ECTS- compatible, providing both transferability and accumulation functions, is necessary.

4.                       PROMOTION OF MOBILITY

They confirmed their commitment to pursue the removal of all obstacles to the free movement of students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff and emphasized the social dimension of mobility.

5.                       PROMOTION OF THE EUROPEAN DIMENSIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION-

Ministers called upon the higher education system to increase the development of modules, courses and curricula at all levels with “European content”, orientation and organization.

QUALITY TRIANGLE

Presidential Elections

Alex: This election is going to be close!
Helen: I think you’re right. The Republicans and the Democrats are fighting for every vote.

Alex: Did you watch the conventions?
Helen: Yes, I watched a little bit. The party platforms are extremely different.

Alex: Yes, they are! Watching them on TV, it was hard to believe they come from the same country!
Helen: Oh, it wasn’t that bad.

Alex: Hmmm, anyway the delegates certainly clapped hard for their nominees.
Helen: But it was the same stump speech over and over again. In both parties!

Alex: That’s what politicians do best. Talk … the problem is whether they actually do very much.
Helen: Oh, you’re a pessimist!

Alex: I wouldn’t say that. It’s just that I’m sick and tired of all the attack ads.
Helen: I see your point. It would be nice to know what they want to govern the country, rather than why they think the other guy isn’t any good.

Alex: They treat us like idiots! I hate sound bites. Short simple statements that don’t really give me much information. Treat me like I have a brain.
Helen: Some say we get what we deserve. Voter turnout is so low, perhaps we don’t deserve any better.

Alex: But that’s why people don’t come out to vote. They don’t feel represented even if they do vote.
Helen: I think we need a third party in this country.

Alex: I couldn’t agree with you more!
Helen: Perhaps a third party would stop the partisanship.

Alex: Another thing that I don’t think is fair is the electoral system.
Helen: No kidding! Just think, a state like California has 54 electoral votes. One vote majority in the popular vote and ALL of those 54 votes go to ONE candidate!

Alex: It just isn’t fair.
Helen: Of course, there are reasons for that.

Alex: Hmmm. I guess …
Helen: Are you a registered voter?

Alex: Of course! I’m a registered voter and I go to the voting booth to vote. I want that vote to represent my voice.
Helen: OK, OK, no need to give a speech.

Alex: Ha ha, I just think it’s my duty as a citizen to vote.
Helen: Yes, I agree with you. If you can vote, vote!

Key Vocabulary

THE SYSTEM

Voting in the United States is a two party system. Every president since 1852 has been either a Republican or a Democrat.
In the U.S., a “single-member district system” applies. The candidate who gets elected is the one who gets the highest number of votes in their respective state.
Presidents are elected indirectly. The voters are really voting for electors in each state.

In all states, the candidate who wins a plurality, receives all of that state’s electoral votes. All together there are 538 electors (in the “Electoral College). It is very important to win in populous states.

To win the presidential election, a candidate must earn an absolute majority at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes cast nationwide.

Who can run for President?

He must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.

How long is the President in office?

He is in office for 4 years.

Can the President be reelected?

Yes. He can be reelected once. Overall he can be in office for 8 years.

Who can vote?

Anyone who is 18 years of age. There is no national list of eligible voters, so a citizen must first qualify by becoming registered. Citizens register to vote in conjunction with the place they live, if they move to a new location, they typically have to register again. Registration system has been designed to eliminate fraud.

Is the President elected directly?

No. Voters are voting for electors who are members of a party.

When is election day?

Election day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

When is the Inauguration of the President?

The President will be inaugurated on January 20 in the year after the election. From this time he is in office.

What are primaries?

At the primaries the parties nominate their candidates. This takes place about 1 year prior to the election.
There are
- closed / semi-closed primaries (e.g. Arizona)
- open primaries (e.g. Missouri)
- blanket primaries (e.g. Lousiana)

What is “Super Tuesday”

At this day there are pre-elections in at least 8 states. The winner of the primaries is most likely the candidate for the elections.

Kinds of Voting Technology

Elections in the United States are administered at the state and local level, and the federal government does not set mandatory standards for voting technologies.

1. Paper Ballots
2. Lever Machines
3. Punchcards
4. Computer (push-buttons)
5. Marksense Forms
6. Electronic Voting

Electoral College

There is a total of 538 electors. In December the electors meet in each states’s capitol to formally elect the President.
The congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes January 6.

Voting pattern in America

The turn out at the election is only 50%. The problem that has made worse the issue of voter representation is the fact that an individual must initiate voter registration well before election day.

MORE VOCABULARY

To Back: to give support to

Slogan: a short phrase expressing usually a political or advertising message.

A ballot: The piece of paper you write your vote on

To cast a ballot: to put your ballot in the ballot box

To run for president: to try to become a president.

To defeat: to win

Delegates: the people that have to be elected in the different States.

National convention: The candidate is formally nominated at this meeting.

Opinion poll: an attempt to find out the different opinion about something, esp about political matter.

DISCUSS

-          What are the main differences between the U.S.A  elections and the Spanish ones?

-          Do you consider politics something important?

-          Do you believe in politics?

-          What do you hate about elections?

-          What is, from your point of view, the best way of promoting a candidate?

WRITE

-          In Groups of four. Put up a  candidate for President of the U.S.A ( one of the group) , design a short campaign and a slogan to back him/her and obtain support. Try to convince the class.

-          Vote for your President. Use a ballot and cast it in the ballot box.

-          WHO IS THE NEW PRESIDENT???

Dutch abortion ship arrives in Spain

A Dutch boat offering to carry out abortions that circumvent Spanish laws arrived off the Mediterranean coast of Spain on Thursday.  17 Oct 2008

The boat, run by the Dutch charity Women on Waves, docked in the southeastern port of Valencia on Thursday night, where it will shuttle women seeking abortions 12 miles out to sea in order to escape Spanish jurisdiction and perform the procedure.

The four-day mission is supported by more than 30 Spanish organizations, which hope it will serve to highlight the need for a reform of Spain’s abortion laws.

On Friday morning three women seeking terminations – all less than seven weeks pregnant – boarded the yacht “Menina” and were taken out into international waters before being given an abortion pill.

“Women who want an abortion should be given one without them having to pay for it or seek medical permission,” said Spanish gynaecologist Josep Lluis Carbonell. “We are fighting for a woman’s right to choose and for the same respect to be given to her in Spain as it is already across Europe.”

But the boat’s presence sparked angry protests at the quayside where anti-abortion activists, many of them belonging to Catholic youth associations, tried to prevent the “abortion ship” from docking.

As a Dutch-registered vessel, it can operate in international waters under Netherlands’ abortion laws, which are more liberal than those of Spain. The Women on Waves organisation has previously sent ships to Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Ecuador.

In Spain abortion was legalised in 1985, but it is only offered under restricted circumstances and rarely in a public hospital. Legal terminations are only allowed until the 12th week of pregnancy in cases of rape or until the 22nd week in cases of severe foetal malformation.

But there is no time limit on abortions if there is a risk to the mother’s physical or mental health. Over the last decade the number of abortions performed in Spain has doubled to 100,000 a year.

The vast majority of those are carried out in private clinics after determining an alleged risk to the mother’s mental health, something that opponents say is a blatant abuse of the law.

Spain‘s socialist government announced last month that it would explore ways to reform the law and said it favours legislation similar to that in Britain, which makes abortions freely available up to the 24th week of pregnancy.

Genetic engineering boosts intelligence

US researchers have genetically modified mice to be better at learning and remembering. Team leader Joe Tsien, a neurobiologist at Princeton University said simply: “They’re smarter.” Humans also have the added gene, although it is not yet known whether it has the same function in people. But the scientists believe their results show that one day it may be possible to boost human intelligence.

Side effects

However, Dr Tim Bliss, head of neurophysiology at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “When you insert a gene at random into the genome you don’t know what might happen. These animals seem to be OK, but there might be all sorts of hidden down sides to having this extra protein.

Smart young things

The research team from Princeton, Washington and MIT universities found that adding a single gene to mice significantly boosted the animals’ ability to solve maze tasks, learn from objects and sounds in their environment and to retain that knowledge.

ARTICLE 2

Should genetic engineering be stopped?

ROBIN: Our first caller is David Gerry, who’s on the line from BC in Canada. David, does any of this worry you?

DAVID GERRY: Yes, the speed with which all of these things are being introduced is such that if there is a problem we don’t have the opportunity to identify it and react. If the process were like the introduction of a new drug which takes twelve years then we could be reasonably assured that there are very few side affects, but there are so many products coming on the market so quickly there’s no long term data to reassure us that there isn’t a problem.

ROBIN: Our next caller is from Estonia – Jaak Aru, What are your feelings about this issue?

JAAK ARU: So far we have been talking about creation and evolution. In other words, either God created or Nature developed all the species on the earth. From this year on, starting with Dolly the sheep, we do have proof there is a third subject which is able to develop species – that is human beings.

ROBIN: Dora Samuel is calling from Berlin. Dora, do you agree that strong legislation and labelling are needed?

DORA SAMUEL: Well, I_m against genetic engineering because it_s an invention as dangerous as the invention of the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb.

ROBIN: They killed a lot of people when they were used in Japan. Are you saying that genetic manipulation can kill people in the same way?

DORA SAMUEL: We don_t know because even the engineers who have invented this thing don_t know what_s going to happen in the future. They have no idea of the side effects.

1. Should genetic engineering be stopped?
2. What are its positive and negative aspects?
3. What is the opinion of the Catholic Church on this topic?

Vocabulary – Halloween  . Quiz – Halloween

Hangman – Halloween

Halloween, the time of pumpkins, candies, ghosts, witches and much more, is annually celebrated on 31 October.
That’s the night before All Saints Day. Its origins date back thousands of years to the Celtic festival of Samhaim or The Feast of the Sun, a most significant holiday of the Celtic year. This day marked the end of summer but also the season of darkness as well as the beginning of the New Year on 1 November.

Druids in Britain and Ireland would light bonfires, dance around them and offer sacrifices of animal and crops. The fires were also intended to give warmth to the households and to keep free from evil spirits. Through the ages these practices changed.

The Irish hollowed out turnips, placed a light inside to keep away the bad and stingy Jack. As the legend says, Jack was a man who tricked the devil and after Jack had died he was allowed neither in heaven nor in hell. With a lantern in his hand he began to search for a resting place on Earth. This was the original Jack-o-Lantern. Since Halloween came to America from Ireland (Scotland and Wales) people used pumpkins because they were bigger and easier to hollow out than turnips.

During the centuries the cultures have added their own elements to the way Halloween is celebrated.

Children love the custom of dressing-up in fancy costumes and going from door-to-door yelling “Trick-or-Treat” . Adults instead join spooky parties which are nearly held all over the cities and villages on that special evening. A spooky decoration, games and “frightening food” are nuts and bolts for a Halloween party your friends won’t soon forget