The11th Hour

We saw an amazing documentary called The 11^th Hour at school. I learnt a great deal about the consequences of how the human beings treat the Earth. The documentary helps us facing the most important issue and environment challenge we have today. With its shocking … pictures it helped me realize how important it is to think environmentally friendly, so we can prevent other and worse nature disasters. If our future generation possibly can live on the Earth, we have to do something now to stop all the damage!

While we watched the documentary we tried 3 different methods to take notes.

Taking notes on google doc. – This was the method which was the most confusing in my opinion. When I wrote there sometimes popped up a random word which belonged to another student in the class. When everybody where editing at the same doc I felt that I lost control. But a positive thing with this is that we can share thought with each other.

Taking notes alone on the computer- this method was better than writing in a commun google doc. I felt that I had a better overview of what I had written, and managed to focus on what I thought was most important in the movie. The negative about writing on the computer is that you get tempted to check other things like facebook. Another thing I also find distracting is the screen light on the pc which takes my attention a bit too easy.

Taking notes on paper – Of the 3 method I liked this the most, mainly because I can`t get distracted of Facebook and other things on the internet. In a strange way writing down keywords on a paper helps me to remember better. A negative thing is that if you are going to write for a long time it will take a lot of time, despite writing on a computer.

Big Miracle and The inuits

We saw a movie called big miracle at school, this movie tells an amazing tale about a small town news reporter and a Greenpeace volunteer who participate in a big experiment which is about saving a family of majestic whales. These animals are trapped in rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Ocean.

I found this movie very sweet and moving, it went directly to my heart. I also found the movie inspiring and interesting especially when I found out that the plot was inspired by a true story. The way the Alaskan natives lived in the movie is different despite how they live today. I therefore like to write about them below.

Alaskan Natives

These are the indigenous people of Alaska, like the Indians of America. The ancestors of the Alaskan Natives megrated into the area thousands of years ago, the established indigenous cultures that have succeed each other over time. The indigenous people are divided into several groups: the Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian. Together they speak twenty different languages which amaze me a lot! Each Alaskan culture has within many different tribes as well.

Facbook

I chose to write about Facebook because it influences our generation and society a lot.  

Informal

Dear diary

I just love Facebook I`m online 24/7, by the way, yesterday an old friend from primary school added me as a friend. I got really excited, and we started to chat. We talked about a lot of things, and it felt like we never had been separated.  Personally I`m addicted to Facebook, cause when I start to chat with my friends I can`t stop. It helps me to keep in touch with old friends and my family which lives in Tromsø. Another thing I just looooove about Facebook is that you can get to know people from all over the world. This helps me to understand other cultures, which in my opinion is extremely interesting.

This is informal because it doesn’t have a structure, the text is also simple written, with abbreviations.

Formal 

Facebook is a social network service, which were launched in 2004. The website has an age limit of 13. To join the website you have to sign in and create a personal profile. You can add other users as friends and  exchange messages on chat, and share photos with each other. The users can also join groups and play games against their friends, like for instance Tetris. The site was originally created for university students and the staff in the U.S with the purpose that it would help students to keep in touch with each other. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his collage friends, at first the website was limited by the Harvard students, but was expanded to other collages in the Boston area. Facebook is the first website with more than 1 billion users.

This text is formal, because it has a complex structure and it has a lot of imformation.

                  

News from Australia and South-Africa

Here are four different news from Australia and South-Africa. They are all recent and we found them on newspapers online from the countries.

A house fire in Cloverdale

A body has been found inside a house at Coverdale this morning. How the fire started is still unknown, but it started around 10am. Arson Squad Detective Sergeant Chris Debruin of the WA Police Arson Squad said that it probably was a male body and that it was found at the rear of the property. And the death is suspicious and is now being treating at this point in time. Neighbors confirmed in an interview they heard an explosion right before the fire started.

The explosive event may have happened inside the house says Det-Sgt Debruin. He says that a scene examination will confirm where the explosion happened.

Family desperate to find missing son Samuel Carew-Reid

 The mother of 21 year old Samuel is desperate to find her missing son. Samuel is a musician who left for a health retreat on Saturday afternoon and the plan was that he was going to stay there for a couple of days. But Samuel left the retreat the same evening and since then no one has seen him. He left the retreat in a silver Subaru Impreza with the registration number 1CKA 679. He left most of his belongings behind. Including his beloved guitar. Samuel is described by his friend and family as a social person and It’s not like him to not keep in touch. He is normally always on Facebook. His credit card has not been used since he went missing and his mother is really worried.  Today, Samuel’s mother Sally-Ann Jones said many of her son’s mates and family had gone to the area to search for him. “Sam is very, very thin and he is not used to being out in the bush. This will have been his third night out in the bush…I am worried he will be cold, hungry and thirsty,” Ms Jones said. Samuel is about 180cm tall and has red hair and beard and green eyes. A lot of police is looking for him, but if you have any information please help.

Anyone with any information about  the 21-year-old should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Man arrested for city cop killings in South Africa
A 28 year old man has been arrested for killing two police officers in Hout Bay, Western Cape in South Africa. He got arrested 15th October and he’s going to the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court this Wednesday.
The two police officers were last seen in Imizamo Yethu, where they also were shot. The female officer died immediately and the male died when he arrived at the hospital.
The article also mentions that since April there has been over 150 police-officer-attacks in South Africa
We found this news-article under the top-news on the site

Blue flags in South-Africa

Three beaches in the domain of the Eden District Municipality- Wilderness, were granted Blue flag status at the official blue flag Beach Launch in Hermanus last week. The Gibbs- Halla says that they are extremely proud to have achieved the blue flag on their first attempt.  Blue flag is an international coastal management program that accredits beaches and boats. Beaches must meet starnards of excellence in water quality, environmental education and information as well as safety and services. 

Reading two short stories

Today in, class we were going to write about two short stories. We chose the short stories "puppies for sale" and "two kinds". These are two very different stories. We chose "Two kinds"  because we found it interesting and Ann, our teacher also showed it to us. "Puppies for sale" did we chose because we where looking for a short shortstory and found this one very moving, in the story we learned that even though there are a huge difference between pet and owner, there is a great equality too. 

Two kinds 

The story takes place in Chinatown. This story is about a mother who want her daugther to success in life. The mother wants her daughter to try many different activitetes. eventyally the mother wants her daughter to be a pianist, but the daughter is not good at the piano at all and she tries many methods to find her musical talent. Through the whole story there are many conflicts between the daughter Amy and her mother.

The climax of the story is at a piano recital and the event that unfold the day after. The mother wants to be proud of her daughter and her musical talent. I think it seems like her mother wants her to be well at the piano more than the daughter herself. She is doing this recital and she actually feels confident, but the performance ends up in a disaster. She lets her mother down and makes a fool of herself. After the performance she regrets not taking the piano lessons more seriously. She finds out that she has let her mother down, after that she also realize that she really wish she had tried harder, and not taken her mother for granted.

Puppies for sale:

The Short story is about a farmer who needs to sell his puppies. The farmer accidently meets a little boy who wants to buy one of the puppies. The farmer tells the boy that his puppies came from good parents and that they cost a great deal of money. He offers the farmer thirty-nine cents to take a look at the puppies. While the puppies followed their mother the little boy noticed a puppy which jumped after the others, the little boy told the farmer that he wanted the last puppy.

The father told the little boy that the puppy never would be able to run and play with him like the others. The boy rolled up the one leg of his trousers and showed the farmer a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself which led to a specially made shoe. The little boy told the farmer that he didn`t run well himself and that he needed someone who understood him.

                                     

Lamb to the Slaughter

I read the text called lamb to the slaughter and I found it both interesting and entertaining. The thing I liked the best with the short story is that you have to read between the lines to understand the whole meaning.

The text is about the Maloney couple, Mary and Patrick. Mary is a typical sweethearted housewife, intelligent, conscientious and faithful to her husband. Dahl’s descriptions gave me the impression that the house is clean and well organized by Mrs. Maloney. I can also tell that she is pregnant because she is situated in their living room sewing something, probably for the coming baby. Mr. Maloney is a police officer, they have a routine that Mary has a drink ready for him when he comes home from work. This tells me that Patrick`s job litterally dries the life out of him and that it affect their everyday a lot.

in the beginning af the story everything goes as regular; he comes home and gets the drink. The regular routine turns when he wants to talk to her about something, he also starts to reject all of Marys food and drink offers. We can assume that he tells her that he has found some new girl and is planning to leave Mary.

She rejects with stubbornness and don`t want to face the naked truth that her husband that she loves with all her heart is planning on leaving her. She hits him as hard as she can in the back of his head with the lamb-leg without thinking, and realizes that she has killed him.

With a mind as clear as a crystal she acts normal and goes through with the plan. The police come to investigate the case, but conclude with not finding the murder of Mr. Maloney. Mary as intelligent as she is makes sure that the police in the end eats the lamb-leg which is the evidence.

After I read the story I honestly don`t think of Mary as the sweet and decent housewife as I thought she was in the beginging of the story,before she killed her husband.

Do you feel sorry for Mr. Maloney for being killed? Or do you think that he deserved to be punished after all?

Picture from the movie "Lamb to the slaughter"

Australia and South Africa

This is a school project about Australia and South Africa, we tried to find good questions and answers, but we would love your input so feel free to comment.

Australia

•  What is their national sport?

They don`t have any national sports, but they have strong international teams in cricket, field hockey, rugby, netball

• Do they have any national instruments?

 In Australia they have a instrument called didgeridoo. A didgeridoo is a wind instrument made by the native australian. 

• · Do they have any famous people? 

The most famous actors from Australia areHugh Jackman, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe. 
Some famous bands and singers from Ausralia are for eksample ACDC and Kylie Minogue.

Some famous bands and singers from Ausralia are for eksample ACDC and Kylie Minogue.

Some famous bands and singers from Ausralia are for eksample ACDC and Kylie Minogue.

• · How do they govern? 

Australia is an independent country and the head of state is queen Elisabeth II.

• · Do they have any famous people? 

The most famous actors from Australia are Hugh Jackman, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe.

Some famous bands and singers from ausralia is foreksample ACDC and Kylie Minogue.

•  How do they celebrate the national day in Australia? 

26th of January is the national day in Australia. Most people celebrate by getting togheter with friends and family and they all have a big bbq and drink beer

South Africa

Do they have any national-sport?

No, South Africa hasn’t any national sport, but Football, Rugby and Cricket are

well known sports.  

Do they have any famous people? 

The most famous South African person has to be Nelson Mandela “Mandiba”. He is

well-known all over the world and did a great work the time he lived. In

addition is Desmond Tutu another famous person.

What is typical South Africa? 
The climate is often very hot and sometimes it is long periods of drought. The African kitchen is 

very varied, but they are known for their commodities. And one other thing they are known for is 

their wild animals in the country. They have beautiful beaches where it is great surf 

opportunities. Many of the beaches are also protected against sharks.  

Do they have any national monuments?

One thing is the castle of good hope. The castle of good hope can you find in Cape Town. This 

is the oldest building in South Africa and was built between 1666 and 1679. One other national 

monument is the Freedom Park. The park will strive to accommodate all of the country`s 

experiences and symbols to tell a story about the struggle of humanity for freedom in South 

Africa.

Here are some questions we would like if you answered for us: 

- How do you celebrate your national day? 

- Do you have any special traditions? 

- How do you govern your country? 

Dictionaries on Web

 

 Merriam Webster

This dictionary has ads at both sides of the searching spot/square which makes the dictionary-site a bit confusing in my opinion. A thing I like about this dictionary is that it has a button where I as a visitor can listen how to pronounce the word I looked up. It also has synonyms at the bottom of the site which is a big plus if you are struggling with a varied vocabulary.

 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horse

 

Cambridge dictionaries online

This dictionary is the most confusing of the tree I chose to use, mainly because it has too many ads. A funny thing with this dictionary is that it has a button for pronouncing the word in British English, and in American English. This dictionary is not to prefer for people in a hurry because of all the ads which makes it cumbersome.   

 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Heinle`s Newbury House Dictionary

This Dictionary is tidy and without ads which makes it less confusing than the others I used. It is easy to understand, and looks up new words fast with good descriptions and examples . Another thing I like about this dictionary is when I looked up words a list words stating with the same letter showed up on the left side of the searching square. I liked this Dictionary best manly because it is tidy without ads which makes it easy to understand.

 http://nhd.heinle.com/Definition.aspx?word=horse

Color Blitz

Every single spring the Hindus celebrate the beginning of a new season with a festival called Holi, or the festival of colours. Thousands of Hindus takes part of this spectacular coloured event in all Hindu countries all over the wolrd.

There are many purposes of why Hindus celebrate this festival, but the main and foremost is to welcome the start of a new season with new opportunities and joy. Originally the purpose was celebrating commemorating good harvests and the fertile from the past year. The way the Hindus celebrate this event is completely different from other festivals, the special thing is that people throw coloured powder in the air, and at each other. The coloured powder is a symbol of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. The festival has also a religious purpose, it is related to the Hindus Gods Shiva and Krishna, but today the festival is celebrated independent of religion. People have fun and celebrate the amazing event with enthusiasm, humour and pleasure all over the world.

 This picthure is taken under the festival celebrations in Berlin, July 29

Living in Norway

When I first got this assignment of writing a blog post about Living in Norway I was sceptical. To be honest my attitude was a bit negative, I had absolutely no clue of what I could write about.

Eventually I began to write down the first things that popped into my head when someone mentions the word Norway.

 When I usually hear the word Norway I think of random facts, for instance that our country has many incredible resources, for instance oil. By selling oil to other countries our nation gets rich, which again makes us to one of the best counties in the whole world to live in. When I sit here in my warm and comfy bed with absolutely no worries but what to wear tomorrow, one little thought pops up in my head;  maybe a country isn`t all about the money  and the wealth, but about the people who live there. I think that one of the reasons that Norway is one of the best countries in the world to live in, is the way have way we care about each other. I have to say that behind the prosperity and superiority of our country, hard work and struggle can be found. So when we think of Norwegians in an all over perspective, can we then allow us self to act superior to other states and nationalities?

 

 My opinion is that we have right to be proud of our country, and what we have achieved. I think we should be grateful of being a part of Norway, and since we are as strong and careing as we are today, I think that we should use our knowledge to help other countries.