english: 30 rock tasks

·        I think you wanted us to watch this episode because the main theme throughout the episode is racism, which we’re discussing in English right now. In the episode we can see how easy it is to misjudge a person just because of their origination and how different personalities deal with this. Even though the world and it’s perception of certain religious backgrounds has developed and changed over time, we can still clearly see how easy it is to overreact and be mistaken about certain things. If the neighbor of one of the main characters had been European or white instead of Middle Eastern, she might now even have reacted at the things she reacted so strongly on. 

·         I think that humor is a good way to approach some sensitive topics, not all though. I think it is easier for those the topics isn’t so sensitive for to use humor as a way to talk and deal with the different topics. When that being said, I don’t really think that many Middle Eastern people would find this episode amusing. Even though the episode mainly makes fun of oversensitive Americans, it can still be hurtful to watch for those it concerns. But all in all I think most people, no matter what sex, skin-color or religious origin, would find it easier to talk and discuss those topics when humor is used – in a good way.

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norsk; skrivetrening

Litt sein norsklekse, men datamaskinen har vært nede en liten stund... Fikk ikke opp den hvor jeg hadde oversatt alt til nynorsk, så da ble det bare "eg" og "ikkje."

Du kommer gående bortover Thomas Angells gate ca. klokka seks en lørdags ettermiddag. Det er ganske lite folk ute, men du ser tre godt berusa unge gutter egle seg inn på en norsk soldat som går like foran deg. Soldaten har mørk hud, og de tre guttene snakker svært nedsettende til han. Det er tydelig at de vil slåss. Du vurderer om du skal gripe inn, men lar det være.

Dei kvisktra seg i mellom, lot ordene henge tungt i lufta rundt ham, skitnet til uniformen hans. De lusket rundt ham, ålte seg innpå. Kroppsspråket hans endret seg drastisk og han begynte å gå raskere. De økte tempoet, smøg seg enda nærmere. Eg så utover gaten idet vi passerte hotellet. Det var tydeligvis ikkje bare eg som hadde merket stemningen som var på vei opp mot overflaten. De få forvirrande personene som vandret gjennom gatene hadde økt tempoet og prøvde å unngå situasjonen- akkurat som soldaten. Uniformen hans begynte å se mer og meir utbrent ut mot den mørke huden hans. De unge jegerne vaklet på ustødige bein, strevde med å holde seg på en rett linje. Det var en liten flokk på jakt mot ett ensomt byttedyr.

Dei nedsetjande orda reiv og slet i ham, og eg kunne sjå at han var skremt. Orda var voldelege og fråstøytande. Det verbale misbruket var vondt for øynene, det stakk i øyra, det knep seg i magen min og eg fikk dårleg samvittighet for korleis eg lot ham løpe aleine. Munnen min åpnet seg og kroppen spente alle musklene jeg hadde. Pusten hans peste og eg så at kan gjorde seg klar til angrepet. eg ville strekke ut en hånd, gjøre noe for å forhindre dette i å skje. Idet hånden min løftet seg og blikket låste seg inn på jegernes ustødige fottrinn, ombestemte hjernen seg helt. Det låste blikket mitt hang igjen idet kroppen snudde seg rundt og eg gikk bestemt i motsatt retning, forbi hotellet, forbi kinoen, langt vekk fra de vemmelige hyenene og den stakkarslige haren. Det var tydeleg at de ville slåss, og det var tydeleg at eg var feig.

Rakk ikke skrive på nynorsk helt på nynorsk, men det får bare være...

english: the death penalty.

INDIVIDUAL WRITING TASKS

-         Which of these last words made most of an impression on you? Why? What do you think this person was feeling at that moment?

“I’m ready, Warden” and “I have come here today to die, not make speeches” really made an impression on me. I think “I’m ready, Warden” finally is going to get some peace of mind. I think he has accepted what his has done and realised that you can’t take it back, and that no matter how many times you apologize – it won’t make it right or go away. I believe he has found some acceptance of himself by this.

 “I have come here today to die, not make speeches” gives me an impression that he’s not happy about his sentence, but he as well has accepted it. It seems like he’s saying; “I’m doing what you’re forcing me to, but I’m not going to hold a speech in my own funeral.”

-         Death penalty – pros and cons. Make a list. Are you for or against the death penalty, personally? Explain.

-                     Pros	-                     cons
“saves” the society from another killer. It is proved that it has a deterrent effect. Cheaper way to “get rid of” dangerous people.	It is not human to kill another human. You can’t kill everyone. No way back. Who has the right to decide when someone’s life is going to be taken?

I am against capital punishment, because I know that if it was me sitting on death row, I couldn’t bear it. What if I was innocent- and sentenced to die, for something I’ve never done. I don’t believe in taking an innocent man’s life.  Irrespectively of what a person has done, in what way should this person’s life be treated? I believe that there must be a different way than capital punishment. Convicts and other humans do not deserve to be cut over the same comb.

Is it really morally right to kill so other will stop if it is proven to work? Will it ever be “human” to murder a fellow human being, even though he/she is a murderer him/herself? I might not support the system of capital punishment, but other people do. And I cannot say I am all against it ether. It is a safe way to “get rid of” dangerous people, but is it worth taking the risk of killing a possible innocent man or women? For what can ever make up for the suffering of an innocent life?

-         What is another word (synonym) used in the text for the death penalty?

Capital punishment.

-         How many states in the US have a law permitting the death penalty and what percentage of the total number of US states does this represent?

Thirty five states, but it’s only practiced in half of them. 35/52= 67,3 %

-                            - Which method is used as the primary form of execution?

Lethal injection.

-                           -What are some of the arguments mentioned that support capital  punishment?

An eye for an eye from the Bible, capital punishment deters crime, capital punishment keeps offenders from returning to society and committing new crime, it is cheaper because keeping criminals in prison is expensive. 

-         What are the arguments expressing opposition?

Innocent inmates can be executed before they have a chance to prove their innocence, statistics which show that capital punishment is not a deterrent and is more expensive than life in prison.

-         Why are many of the prisoners on death row black?

Due to blacks’ poor economic state they cannot hire a good attorney, and they may also face prejudiced juries.

english: sports

My favorite sports moment

My favorite sports moment is sort of weird and unusual. It’s not when my favorite athlete or team won an important game, nor was it when I scored a game. It was when I was still riding horse dressage.

It happened a few years back, when I was about twelve years old. On the schedule horse dressage was next and we were just finished with grooming the horses. I loved (still do) horse dressage, so I was very excited about it. We started warming up, everything went great and I was laughing with the others, just goofing around. So we started doing our exercises or “tricks” as I like to call them and I was done with four of five. I started doing the last one, something I liked to call the bow. It’s when the horse is bowing with his front legs, almost as if he is praying. So my horse, Manchester, was doing great and my teacher was thrilled, because he usually wouldn’t do that with anyone (It was my first time riding Manchester). And just when she said “nice work, Vilde” Manchester sat down as a dog. I was totally taken by surprise and I didn’t know exactly what to do. The look on my teacher’s eyes as the horse laid down on his back, with me on, was hilarious!

So he laid down on his back and started rolling around, over me. I was in shock, just lying there being rolled over. Then he got up and started running around. My teacher ran towards me and helped me up, she was very upset. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to cry or laugh. I was in no pain at all, so I started laughing. And laughing and laughing. In the sand where he had rolled, was a print in the sand, looking just like Donald Duck. I got my a hold of my horse and went back to riding.

I don’t know exactly why this is one of my favorite sports moment, but I think it’s because it was just so funny and I was taken by surprise. What made it even better was the Donald Duck mark in the sand and the look on my teacher’s face. I’ll never forget it.

english: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

We've been reading a novel named The Curious Incident of the Dog n the Night-Time the past few weeks and during the class conversation we were given some questions, where we were suppose to choose one of the questions. Here is my answer:

Why did you like/dislike the book?

I didn’t like the book, mainly because it’s just not a good book. The story itself is great, but it’s not a book I’d pick up to read, let alone continue to read after the first 50 pages.

The author has done a good job doing his research about Asperger syndrome and he describes Christopher’s mind very well, but the book itself – not good. My mind got tired after the first ten pages after having to read every page over and over again just to understand what he meant. Yes, I know that Christopher always explains why he is thinking this and that, but I found it exhausting and confusing instead of helpful. Also I don’t have Asperger syndrome so it’s hard for me to understand why he acts like he does, even though the author tells me exactly why and still I can’t relate to him what so ever.

One of the other reasons I didn’t like the novel is the characters. I don’t like Christopher’s mother’s character because she is childish, selfish and still she believes she has the right to barge into his life, just because she wrote him letters – as if that should make up for her leaving. She could have called, visited and so on. Another character I dislike is his father, or it’s sort of a love/hate relationship I’ve got with this man. He loves Christopher very much and he puts up with all of his madness, but still I can’t get over the fact that he killed a dog just because Mrs. Shears was tired of him, lied about it and told a child that his mother was dead (when she wasn’t.) I can see that he thought it was easier, but in my book that just makes you weak.

All in all, the story and the concept is good, it’s a good description of how a person with Asperger syndrome thinks and deals with different situations, but it’s not a good book; it was exhausting to read, difficult to keep up with all the facts and the story itself is kind of boring. Therefore my conclusions is that I didn’t like it.

English: Looting in London taskis

Looting in London

1)      The difference between looting and rioting is that looting doesn’t involve physical violence and looting involves a wider range of people and is so to speak less dangerous to your health.

2) Define these words:

·        Social exclusion: a concept used to characterize contemporary forms of social disadvantage.

·         Disregard: to pay no attention to, ignore, to treat without proper respect or attentiveness.

·         Social norms:  the accepted behaviors within a society or group. (Here England)

·         High-unemployment: when many people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks.

·         Criminologist: someone who studies the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes and control of criminal behavior.

·         Opportunism: the conscious policy and practice of taking selfish advantage of circumstances, with little regard for principles.

·         Consumerism: a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts.

3) Yes, I thing this can happen anywhere in the world. Because unemployment occurs here as well. I also think that no matter where you are there will be people who, misunderstand me correct, needs to get anger out and who are sly, that will take advantage if a situation like this would occur.

4) - I think that it says that the social conditions in England are bad and poor. They need to change and turn it around so people will have fewer reasons to conduct these actions.

-          This may be connected to the traditional class system because the system sort of gives a “better” life to the ones who are born into the higher class and it is harder for the state to provide for all of them who are “poor.”