Project Galileo

The Galileo positioning system, referred to simply as Galileo, is a proposed Global Navigation Satellite System, to be built by the European Satellite Navigation Industries for the European Union and European Space Agency (ESA) as an alternative to the United States operated Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian GLONASS. Galileo will make Europe more autonomous from the other world (espescially from USA).

The Galileo system will consist of 30 satellites. First Galileo satellite (it weights 600kg) was sent to the space in 2005. As a reaction to the starting of Galileo U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense sent a letter to his European colleagues; in the letter it was said that the Galileo system can be a threat to US security when it is in wrong hands – it was logical reaction against the monopol-crushing competitor.

According to the latest news the European Union said that Europe's $4.9 billion satellite navigation system Galileo is in deep crisis and will require more public funds to get back on track. "Galileo is in a profound and serious crisis. Galileo has already seen major delays because the eight companies in the consortium are arguing over how to divide the workload. We're in a dead-end street," said the German Transport Minister Tiefensee. "The cardinal problem is that the companies still have not been able to agree on the way forward. We need to find an alternative solution.” He is also sure that the system will be not completed before 2012 (Galileo was originally to have started launching its 30 satellites -- compared to GPS's 24 -- by 2008. however, that date was postponed to 2011 due to previous disagreements between EU governments on how to pay for the system).

In my opinion it would be stupid if the project stucks in finacial questions. Somewhere it was said that the entire cost of project Galileo is the same as the cost of ca 150-200 km highway – Isn’t the project worth of 200 km highway? EU should take the weight and bring this project to a succsessful end. EU is very good sponsor because it’s a union and it represents the interests of many nations (interestin is the fact that countries like China and South-Corea take part in the project Galileo). Let us hope that the golden mean will be found between the different interests.

Links:


http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

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• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_positioning_systemorg/wiki/Galileo_positioning_system

Celebrating the Europe Day

We had decided with friends that we have to go and celebrate the Europe Day. But how to do it? I think the thought for that is found very nicely in the post about Tibet. Dalai-Lama has said: "Talk about the situation in Tibet. When more people know about Tibet, then more often one question is going to be asked: When Tibet is going to be free?"

Fortunately Europe is free, but we think that in this day, we should talk as much as we can about this event. What more we talk about it, then more we are going to realize that Europe is all around us. I hope that with today's little journey we have made at least some people to think about the EU.

So we labeled eachother with different things about the EU and Estonia. After that we went to the city and had a big tour, during this we wished everyone good Europe Day and we answered delighted all the questions, which came up.

Happy beginning.

The first people, who were interested why we are dressed like this. So we explained what we are celebrating. Those girls seemed to be very amused about us.

When we visited the library, then we saw my homeroom teacher. Europe boys brought to her face a beautiful smile.

Very interesting for us was talking with an old man, who had a slipover, which had big EU stars (mainly in the back). When he saw our cheerfulness, then he happily started a conversation with us and now we know that the differences between our generations aren't so big, as we could think. He said that in his generation he doesn't know a soul, who is against European Union.

When we started to go back, then we saw Kaarli's sister in the shop. In the beginning she was very frightened about us. But then we explained the goal of our dressing and message- to make people to think about the EU at least for a moment and at the same time announce that today is Europe Day.

The end.

In the evening ended our celebrations about the Europe Day. We were delighted to see clever smiles on the face of the people, when we wished them good Europe day. Nobody bristled at us even once and this was a big and positive experience.

9 May-Europe Day

Today we celebrate the Europe Day and with it our writings end. But why on this date? On the 9-th of May in 1950 Robert Schuman presented the idea of uniting the Europe, this proffer is also known as the Schuman Declaration and it is considered as the beginning of EU.

In a fashion, this day is the symbol of Europe- 9-th of May is the European Day. Also, 50 years have past from celebrating the contract of Rome and some of you have certainly heard that the motto of Europe is "Together since 1957". Actually this sentence is made to celebrate this jubilee. The official motto is “United in diversity”, there is more to read about it in here.

Our blog-team wishes good Europe Day to everybody and we invite you to celebrate it. In Tartu there are several events and we are planning to take part in them.

Intrview with foreign students

With our participation in European Spring Day blog competition we decided to question some foreign students who learn in Tartu University to get a better overview from people who have lived in EU for their whole life.
So after some preparations we could do a small interview with five foreign students. Two of them were from Hungary, two from Germany and one from Holland.
It turned out to be a very successful interview – although they had no time to prepare they still managed to give very comprehensive and interesting answers. So although the clips below are quite long they are certainly worth watching.
All students answered that they came here with the ERASMUS project which is created by European Union to ease students stuyding oppurtunities abroad.
Asking them why Estonia they mostly said that they didn’t know nothing about Eastern-Europe or Baltic States and as they were all interested about this region different routs brought them here.
They also spoke very interesting about life in Estonia and Estonian stereotypes. For example the girl from Holland brought out that although we haven’t been an independent country for even 20 years but our quality of life can already be compared with Holland’s life.
After that our chat carried on to Turkey topic where were some adversative opinions. They brought out some positive and some negative aspects about Turkey joining EU. They thought that first of all Turkey should try to deal with their inner problems – maybe conduct some reformations and arrange an referendum to know if Turkish inhabitants at all want to join EU and after that start to concentrate on filling EU criterions.
Talking about the future of EU they didn’t have much to say as you never know what future brings. However they expected that eventhough the structure of European Union will probably change it will still be there, at least until the end of our generation. Same time they didn’t think that there could be an unified European people who would speak same language and live in same country as all the nations in EU are too different for that.
Watch clips about the interview below.

1. Where are you from? How did EU help you coming coming to Estonia? Why Estonia?

2. What did you know about Estonia before coming here and what do you think about it now?

3. Should Turkey join EU?

4. What will be the future of EU?

Treatise competition "My Europe"

This year, 50 years will pass from the signing of the Rome Treaty. We can say that this treaty was the beginning of the European Union. To celebrate this occasion, there was held a research competition- "My Europe". We are delighted to say that students from our did very well- Tarmo Puolokainen was I and Aire Rihe got the III place. Congratulations!

Our opinion about the EU

(our blogteam)

Our opinions about the European Union


This year our team takes part in the blog-contest "Europe in united diversity". The project is financed by the EU naturally, but what do the participants think about their bankroller? Not all opinions are positive, as one might expect. Here are our thoughts:


Henrik, Lauri and Maria accentuated, that at first this union had only economical purposes. Henrik and Maria wrote, that this cooperation has expanded to all spheres. Naturally comes up the question "why". Ants answered, that as in previous centuries the countries were unified with the connections between dynastics (marriage, blood relation), nowadays the connecting organ would be the EU. Discourse and transaction are necessary, only its "forms" are different.

The main question to the young in my opinion is: Does the EU have future? "It does!" as sounded our unanimous answer. I personally think, that it is wrong to ask an Estonian wether "the Great Union" has future or not. The answer is obvious: must have! Without this union we have nowhere to head, especially considering present relations between Estonia and Russia. Triinu wrote, that if Estonia would not have the EU behind him, we would be forced to please Russia more and more and finally maybe even be a part of "the Unbeatable Alliance of Free Countries". Even so our beliefs didn`t quite coincide. Liis sees the EU as another alliance, that might or might not have future. It is just a big experiment that has lots of victims. She presumes that the EU would decay as most of unions between different states around the world, but she is not sure. Thinking about the future: what would we do without when the EU really disunifies?


Some memorable quotes as follows:

Estonia as any other member of EU should make concendings and contributions to EU`s future, but as I previously said: I am deeply convinced, that yoining the EU was 100% the right step for us.

Triinu

I see kind of combined-water-receptacle-efect here: the water level obtains "equal level". By that I mean sharing all the goods (money and the like) inside EU. Present politics supports all the newcomers and someday all our social-economical disparities will be overcomed.

Ants

The EU is important to me in every way, because my life and its quality depends on that.

Helge

It is the realization and result of ideas.

Marit

The EU has influenced us more than we might have expected.

Henrik

Most of us also mentioned all kinds of projects and student exchanges. A small country like "Estonia would face serious difficulties being alone outside the union" sounded one thought. The conclusion is rather common: most of the bloggers are relatively positive disposed about this economical-alliance. Sure there was critics. I personally am happy that Estonia is part of this big circle of countries, especially having Russia as our nearest neighbour. There is something big, that stands behind us and shows its support to our decisions.

(only Ants is missing from this picutre)

Study about the future of the EU

One fine springday me, Marit and Maria sat down with our religion teacher Toomas Jürgenstein and started a cosy conversation about the EU. Actually the teacher talked and we listened as usually...

In the morning of the 27th April, a little bit confused because of the nights events, I went with Karl to debrief 62 students from two classes(11d, 10a)...

The full interview and results of the canvass are here in Estonian.

Summary:

I can say peacefully that the students of the Treffner's school are satisfied with Estonia joining the European Union. Although bigger half of the students would like to study abroad, they think that Estonian culture would perdure. Also our dear religion teacher was of the opinion that in relation to joining the European Union, our population isn't going to decrease. It was good to read that the students are in the opinion that EU will defend Estonia in case of need( in relation with Russia) and this the Union does.

Triinu