martedì 13 maggio 2008

A summary of the questionnaire about the Exchange with American students

During the second semester of our English course we had an exchange with skype with some American students from the Dickinson college. Half of our class, me inclided, was supposed to do the exchange with students from Poznan, but there were some problems and it didn't work, so we all did the exchange with students from Dickinson. As you can imagine there were too much of us and few of them, so not all of us could do skype with the American students all weeks. I think I did skype twice.
However the exchange was nice: we could learn a lot of things about a country which is so distant from us and compare America with Italy. In my opinion it was very useful to speak with an english native speaker, because I had the possibility to do a bit of exercise with my english and I was very satisfied when she understood what I was telling to her. Sometimes it happened that she didn't understand at all, but then I tried to explain with other words what I really meant and so the discussion was comprehensible and successful. When I had to speak in italian I tried to speak more slowly as I could and if she didn't understand I repeated what I wanted to say in clearer and easier words.
What we discussed about wasn't totally new for me; I was very surprised about the ammount of money Americans have to pay for an insurance for health care. In Italy, on the other hand, we have to pay a lot of taxes!!!
During this exchange I hope my english writing, listening and reading is improved, even if I couldn't do much practice because, as I said before, half of our class was more unlucky than the other one. However it was a nice and interensting experience. It would be necessary to do other thousands of experiences like this!!! There are always new things to learn about a foreign language!!!
I envy a bit Americans, because the majority of students after the high school leave home to go to live alone or with a partner for university or for job. I'm not able to leave home and go to live kilometres and kilometres away from home, it dipends from one's personality.
I appreciated a lot the opportunity our teacher Sarah gave us, because we could compare our culture with the culture of the language we are studying and see differences and similarities.

sabato 19 aprile 2008

Discussion with Skype on the 16th April

As we were supposed to do, last week I did Skype with my Italian peers and with our American peer. We talked about immigration and then the discourse went in the direction of health care and taxes in general.
Michelle, our American peer, said us that also in America there are a kind of prejudices against immigrants who come from Spanish and Latin American countries. In Italy, too, there are prejudices against some immigrants, that is against those who come from African and Asian countries.
As far as health care concerns, Michelle said us in America they have to pay an insurance for health care, for whatever type of medical examinations they have to go for and for the medicines they have to take, even if it is the doctor who prescribe them. It is a so difficult situation, moreover for the persons who don't have the money for an insurance...
About taxes, we knew, but it's not a so new thing, that Italians pay more taxes than Americans. Michelle was very surprised about the fact that in Italy we have to pay a tax for the property of our house, for wastes, light, water and so on. She also didn't believe that we have to pay taxes to attend the university. Unfortunately it's so!!!
There are a lot of differences between Italy and America; Skype gives us a great opportunity: we can compare our culture with another one, a bit unknown, and learn how the world is various. We have the opportunity to listen American native-speakers and at the same time to learn a lot of things about their culture and tradition.

venerdì 11 aprile 2008

About immigration in Italy

Searching on the net, on the site of UIL, Unione Italiana del Lavoro, I found a news of the day (10th April 2008), that says that there are about four millions immigrants that live and work regularly in Italy. Of these about the 8% can vote, because they have taken out the Italian citizenship. The experts say this percentage is going to increase. Some persons have asked to the government to accept new job applications for immigrants. Whatever it will be the new government it will face a delicate situation: in Italy there will be new irregular immigrants, who are attracted from a submerged economy, and who can't find a regular job easily. In a letter of the 7th April the government declaires the beginning of a new procedure on immigration, on the flow of new immigrants and on their employment applications. All this will certainly drive to an ungovernability of the migratory movement, which is aggravated by the negative effects of the Bossi-Fini law. The Bossi-Fini law provides that the immigrants who live and work illegaly in Italy are to be expelled from our country and it has been established a predetermined flow of immigrants who can come to Italy. Obviously this law hasn't been working well, because there are a lot of illegal immigrants in Italy and all the campaigns of the candidates to the new government are going to fight strongly against illegal immigration.


Well, after this short explanation about immigration in Italy, but it will be very very long to examine it in all its details and it tooks hours hours, so I tried to resume the principal concepts, what do I think about immigration?


First of all in Italy there are too many illegal immigrants. In my opinion it's right to give to a person the opportunity to live in another country, but this person has to try to find a regular work in the new country. There are a lot of non-EU immigrants who come to Italy and work and live illegaly, rob and commit crimes, but the horrible thing about this is that they don't pass even a day in prison, they are free the day after the commission of the crime: about this question I'm speechless and I have to say there isn't justice in Italy!!! How many cases like these do I hear on television?...I can't count them...
However, there are not only illegal immigrants in Italy, but also good persons, who have a respectable job and live regularly as if they were Italian.

About the possibility to vote or not to vote, I think non-EU persons can vote only when they have taken out the Italian citizenship. It's not right that an immigrant can vote immediately after he or she has come to Italy, but he/she has to obtain a certain status (the Italian citizenship) and become aware of the Italian Constitution and laws. Only after being comparable to an Italian person in his/her rights and obligations he/she can obtain the faculty to vote.
Immigration is a delicate issue the new government has to cope with and I hope it will resolve this important question in the best way!


Brief reflections on the final project

As we are supposed to develop a cultural topic for our final project, I'm starting thinking about it...I'd like to discuss, even if my peers agree, about health care, a really interesting aspect that concerns both Italy and USA.
As a person and a woman, first of all in my life I think about my health and this is a very delicate topic in our society. I heard of persons who are ill and haven't got a bed to sleep on in the hospital, or persons who died because of national health disservice. In my opinion these are unthinkable, unimaginable things!!!
Many times happened to me that I had to wait for a long time to make a medical examination even if I had an appointment and this is not possible... When I have to go to the hospital for an usual check-up I'm speechless because of the situations I see and it's for these reasons that I'd like to discuss about this important topic and compare it with the American situation, see differences and similarities and see if also American people have such problems with health care.

sabato 29 marzo 2008

Keeping reading the sources of information about the elections

As I said in the previous post, the best site about the elections is in my opinion the BBC site. Keeping reading the sources of information about the elections I have noticed that the three sites are updated about the most important news of the moment. You can find the news regarding the Italian and American elections very easily, moreover on the BBC website: it is the best organised. I think the news regarding the elections on the Die Zeit site are a bit hard to find because maybe Germany is not particularly interested in the elections in these days.

As regards the elections, the BBC site and the Affari Italiani site are updated with the last news regarding the elections. As the Italian elections are coming soon, on Affari Italiani there are a lot of articles about what the left and the right candidates are saying to try to win them.
On the BBC site you can find the news regarding the American and Italian elections, even if in UK there'll be no elections, because I think the BBC site is the site par excellence: on it you can find whatever kind of information you want about all over the world!!!

lunedì 17 marzo 2008

Comparing the news regarding the elections

The aim of this week’s task is to compare the news regarding the elections in newspapers and magazines from three different countries. We are supposed to look for 3 online newspapers, news magazines, news radios or news websites from 3 different countries (1 source per country). We have to follow the news about the two elections for a few days and observe differences and similarities in the way the news is presented, the words used, the images used, the amount of coverage, the location of the news.
I have decided to follow the news on "Die Zeit" for Germany, which is an online newspaper and magazine, on "Affari Italiani" for Italy, which is an online news website, and on "BBC" for UK, which is the most visited site of TV news in England.
All the three websites is well organized: you may find the news you want with great facility. The most important news are on the homepage and the secondary ones are related to the homepage by links.
On "Die Zeit" the news are divided in some categories, which are: national and international news, economy, news on social life and on culture. There are also less important categories like literature, money, health, music, travel, community, jobs, shopping, autos.
The newspaper is well-organized and you can find whatever you want, from news to books, from videos and music to flats.
For what concerns the American-Italian elections, in these days the newspaper doesn't say much about them, because it comes first the important anti-Chinese protest in Tibet.
The German elections are in the front page, but I think they are not so stressed, because I think it is more important the news from Tibet. However the news about the German elections are related to what happens in Germany in these days, that is to the debates and discussions the right and left parties had. There is also an article of 3/4 pages about left wings which says that Germany is coming back to the left wing. However through the searchbar you can find Italian and US election, but for me it was hard to find them, probably because my PC was a bit slow!!!
The news on "Affari Italiani" are well organized too. The news are divided in categories: the most important are on the homepage and the secondary ones are related to them by links. If you click on "Politica" it appears the news about the Italian elections, what the candidates say in their dibates to try to win the next elections. The news are shown in a very clear way, the titles that present them are very explanatory of what they are about to say. There are also news about international elections, for example today it comes first the new shock of Sarkozy in the French elections. The site has also links related to sport, shopping, economy, gossip, newsletter and so on. Dipending on the importance of the news, it may sometimes happen that a gossip news comes in the front page as it has happened today, that in the front page of the site of "Affari Italiani" there is a news saying that the popstar, ex-call girl Ashley, who now is at the top of the hits, has made lost to Spitzer his role of governor of the state of New York.
In these days "Affari Italiani" doesn't say much about the American elections, probably becuase there aren't relevant news. It speak moreover about the French elections and the situation in Tibet and in the Middle East.
The site of the BBC is very clear and easy to understand. As for the other two websites, today on BBC homepage the news about Tibet come first. Then it speaks about a New Parliament that opens in Pakistan and a bleak picture of Iraq condition. If you search for US or Italian elections you may find whatever kind of information you want on the elections. From this point of view, this is the site I like most. It's very coloured and catch your attention at the first sight. You have also the possibility to watch and listen to the news. You can also see sport, cultural, weather news. The news are presented in 33 languages. You can also listen to the BBC radio and there is also a site on which you can learn english through online vocabulary, courses and grammar: I think this is a fantastic opportunity to hear english native speaker pronunciation and to learn english in a funny a constructive way.
This is my favourite site of the three I have spoken about, first of all because English is the language I like most and then because it is the most clear and organized site.
On the three sites there are some images that represent what the articles speak about. In my opinion "Die Zeit" is a bit "cold", but clear and well-organized: it reflects the German culture at all. The most "friendly" and "cosy" site is that of the "BBC". I think the way the three sites are presented reflects the culture and also the politics of their nation.
That's all!
Bye!
Letizia

venerdì 7 marzo 2008

Elections: candidates on the right (McCain and PDL)

I have to start this post saying that I have never been well-informed and updated about politics in general, either American or Italian. On tv everyday I see news about politicians, but I have never been so interested about them. I think politics, especially in Italy, has now become a way people can emerge, promising things they can't often guarantee and realize. Surfing the net I have now a superficial idea about McCain, an American Senator who is promoting his electoral campaign against those of Obama and Clinton as President of the United States. The personal site of Berlusconi and PDL also helped me a lot to understand his mission and what he want to realize in Italy.


McCain

After having seen some videos and transcripts of discourses about McCain, I can see that he is very honoured to be American: he has never believed he was destined to be President. He do believe Americans are born with responsibilities to the country that has protected their God-given rights, and the opportunities they afford them. He owe his country the meaning that service to America has given his life, and the sense that he is part of something greater than himself, part of a kinship of ideals that have always represented the last, best hope of mankind. His campaign must be, and will be more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound-bites, or useless arguments from the past that address not a single American's concerns for their family's security.


Presidential candidates are judged on their records, their character and the whole of their life experiences. But Republicans are also expected to concentrate their efforts on the challenges that will confront America on their watch and explain how they intend to address them.


America is at war in two countries and involved in a long and difficult fight with violent extremists who despise it, its values and modernity itself. He will defend the decision to destroy Saddam Hussein's regime as he criticized the failed tactics that were employed for too long to establish the conditions that will allow them to leave that country with their country's interests secure and their honor intact. In particulare McCain says that the next President must explain how he or she intends to bring that war to the swiftest possible conclusion without exacerbating a sectarian conflict that could quickly descend into genocide; destabilizing the entire Middle East; enabling their adversaries in the region to extend their influence and undermine their security there; and emboldening terrorists to attack them elsewhere with weapons Americans dare not allow them to possess. The next President must encourage the greater participation and cooperation of Americans'allies in the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.


The next President must lead an effort to restructure American military, intelligence, diplomacy and all relevant branches of government to combat Islamic extremism, encourage the vast majority of moderates to win the battle for the soul of Islam, and meet the many other rising challenges in this changing world.


He will campaign in favor of seizing the opportunities presented by the growth of free markets throughout the world, helping displaced workers acquire new and lasting employment and educating American children to prepare them for the new economic realities by giving parents choices about their children's education they do not have now.


He will campaign to strengthen job growth in America by helping businesses become more competitive with lower taxes and less regulation.


He will campaign to make health care more accessible to more Americans with reforms that will bring down costs in the health care industry down without ruining the quality of the world's best medical care.


He will campaign to reduce American dangerous dependence on foreign oil with an energy policy that encourages American industry and technology to make their country safer, cleaner and more prosperous by leading the world in the use, development and discovery of alternative sources of energy.


He'll travel across the country in cities and rural areas, in communities of all ethnic backgrounds and income levels, offering his ideas and listening to the concerns and advice of Americans. He says that Americans aren't interested in an election where they are just talked to and not listened to; an election that offers platitudes instead of principles and insults instead of ideas; an election that results -- no matter who wins -- in four years of unkept promises and a government that is just a battleground for the next election. Their patience is at an end for politicians who value ambition over principle, and for partisanship that is less a contest of ideas than an uncivil brawl over the spoils of power.


He finally says that Republicans have to make the future better that the past. As he has served America all his life, he will fight every minute of every day to make certain Americans have a government that is as capable, wise, brave and decent as the great people they serve.


Berlusconi and the PDL

The electoral campaign of Berlusconi is based on 7 missions:

1) more growth and more infrastructure;

2) more helps to families;

3) more safety, more justice;

4) more services to citizens;

5) more support to the south Italy;

6) more federalism;

7) an extraordinary plane of public finance with the reorganization of the State.

All of that signifies: less taxes on families, on work, on companies = more consumptions, more production, more work = more revenues in the state coffers to help who is in need, to realize the infrastructures, to reduce the public debt.


The first mission of the PDL is to raise the growth of the state, to guarantee more infrastructures and more sources of energy, more work, more liberalizations and more support to the "made in Italy" and a reorganization of the public administration.

The second mission is to reduce taxes, to give all citizens a home, more social services and to give a future to the youth people.

The third mission is to guarantee more justice and safety, through the reduction of the numbers of non-European people and through a considerable presence of district policemen and through the fight against national and international terrorism.

The fourth mission want to reorganize the hospital structures and to eliminate the waiting lists, to facilitate the access to university to all people, also to the most indigent and to reward the most competent students and professors. The PDL also want to realize the so called "Founds of founds" to finance the investment on the research folowing the French model and to promote the Italian creativity in the field of the entertainment and of the art, encouraging the integration of foreign cultures into the Italian. For what concerns the envaironment the PDL want to defend the cultural inheritance and the conservation of the lanscape.

The fifth mission want to create more infastructures, streets and motorways in the south Italy, and a bridge on the "stretto di Messina"; they will also fight against the organized crime. An important goal the PDL want to achieve is to reorganize the system of waste in south Italy which the government of Prodi has completely destroyed.

The sixth mission is focused on the control of tax evasions and they will reward the regions with less tax evasions.

The seventh mission want to reduce the debt of the State, offering to the investors better opportunities of investment.


For what concerns the way McCain and Berlusconi interact with their audience, seeing the videos of some discourses of them, I can say they speak in a very relaxed and calm way. They sometimes become a bit angry when they speak about what the opponent party want to realize in a possible nominee as President. In general they seem very optimistic to become the next President and hopeful of the mission they want to realize.


I can see my post is very very long, but the things I wanted to say, or better the missions the two Presidents want to realize are very very long to show you.

I hope you'll appreciate my work!

Bye bye!

Letizia