Karianne - English Social Studies

Susan's Collapse

2009-06-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle got famous trough the TV-show Britain’s Got Talent and immediately became a favorite. She was rushed to a rehab clinic after she collapsed after the final of Britain’s Got Talent. Even though she’s been the favorite throughout the entire show she didn’t win; she came 2nd after the dance group Diversity. Maybe it was because the 1st place was so expected that people just didn’t bother to vote for her? Anyways, the reason for why she was rushed to rehab was because of exhaustion. Some show insiders also claimed that once backstage she yelled, "I hate this show" and hurled a glass of water at a staff member before being driven from the studio.
Here's a glogster we made: http://mari09.glogster.com/edit/glog/?action=glogs_create

Blonde by Kathrine Min

2009-04-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

The story is about a young girl named Jean who’s not satisfied with the way she looks. Her dream is to be blond with blue eyes like her friend Lisa; instead she has dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes and a small flat nose. Jean therefore makes up stories about who she really is. For instance that her mom is from Sweden and she’s blonde. Jean doesn’t feel beautiful because the ideal of being beautiful is being blonde.

This is an example of how beauty ideals affect young girls. Our beauty ideals are affected by our surroundings and vary depending on location and place in time. We see clear influences from media, film and fashion in our world today. The media is considered the most influential education medium in existence. It can be quite manipulative and make girls want to be exactly like the beautiful and skinny girls we see on the TV-screen.

Blogger challenge

2009-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

"Your story of how blogging has helped you connect to a global audience and what this connection has meant to you. e.g. the friends you have made, what you have learnt about other cultures, how you are able to share your passions with others, how you are able to use blogging to share your views on topics."

I got my first blog in my Norwegian class, and then I got one in my English class before I got one in my marketing class as well. I have to say I’ve been working a whole lot more on my English blog than on the other ones. And I think I can say that I like blogging. It is way more fun than turning in papers every other week. On your blog you have the possibility to not only post school assignments, but your own personal posts telling others about your views and passions on different topics. You can even bring other creative work to your blog, e.g. a Glogster post or a timeline.

A few weeks ago our English teacher introduced us to a new project, to communicate with American students from Minden in Louisiana through our blogs. Here we’ve been getting to know students from another country and find out more about how they live and what they like to do. Though I have to say I haven’t made any friends yet, I believe we have learned a lot from each other.

When it comes to blogging outside of school, I haven’t been that “active” myself. I have posted some posts about for instance a great movie I saw last weekend or something like that. Reading other blogs on the other hand is fun. My cousin is travelling around the world for some months now and she likes to keep her friends and family updated on how and what she is doing, so I’ve frequently been reading her blog. I feel I have learned a lot from bogging. I have learned more about being creative, sharing my views and passions as well as criticizing other views. By blogging you can have fun and learn at the same time. Hopefully my blog will come in handy when I write my final paper

Link to the challenge: http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2009/03/27/the-student-blogging-challenge-celebration/#comment-3647

Microsoft Office, OneNote

2009-03-31T04:27:00.000-07:00

This program works like a notebook, but it is a lot more organized and you can copy and paste whatever you’d like to OneNote -everything from articles and pictures to PowerPoint’s. That way you don’t need to have a dozen different folders with documents on your computer – you’ll have it all in one place. You can make your own tabs for each subject at school, and then make several pages with notes under each tab. And you don’t even have to save, it saves automatically!

I’m very excited over using OneNote, and I hope I will learn several more functions on OneNote to make it even more effective. It is way better than keeping track of all my school papers, notebooks, power points etc. Hopefully I can use my notes during my exam as well:)

Obama talks to a new audience

2009-03-30T00:53:00.000-07:00

Politicians have used the power of late night television to political advantage for many years. But President Obama made history again by being the first sitting president ever to appear on a late night TV talk show – the Jay Leno’s Tonight show. The Jay Leno’s Tonight show has a very large audience; many people like his show and follow what he does.

When Obama entered this show he kind of stepped off the presidential podium; which has both a positive and a negative side. The advantage is: By stepping off the podium he becomes more of an ordinary American citizen which can be very appealing because he’s then reaching out to people in a different way – a more private way. And because of his personality he does very well in these kinds of situations. Another advantage is that by appearing on this show, he appeals to a different set of viewers and listeners that which he can get involved with politics.

The downside by stepping off the presidential podium and entering this show is that many people may see him as a non-serious president. They believe he should be sitting in the White House dealing with the matters of state, the economic problem, instead of appearing on a TV show, having “fun”. But at the same time we are in a new media age and citizens expect him to appeal to the public and we are also entering a time where being who you really are is what matters the most.

Some California students made an emotional video about the hardships their families are facing because of the financial crisis. They called the video “Is anybody listening?” It is a touching video and it makes you realize how serious this crisis really is. Not just for businesses but for everyone. Barack Obama answered the students’ YouTube plea saying: “I am listening. We are listening. America is listening”. The students used the media to get their points across and got a lot of attention. YouTube is a popular trend and many people worldwide watch these videos. I think the students did a great job by posting this video on the Internet; it made even the president listen to what they had to say.

Earth Hour

2009-03-27T15:15:00.001-07:00

This Saturday 28 March at 8.30pm you can vote Earth by switching off your lights for one hour – Earth Hour.

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the chance to use their light switch as their vote. Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes.

I know I will vote Earth and I encourage you to do the same. Switch your lights off on Saturday, March 28 from 8:30-9:30pm=)

Russ; the Norwegian graduation

2009-03-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

Russ is a tradition and cultural phenomenon in Norway. In Norway, students who graduate from high school are called russ and celebrate with the characteristic festivities (russefeiring) during the first few weeks of May. It is a way of ending childhood and of entering into adulthood, but it also marks accomplishing high school and the end of 13 years of school. The festivities officially start on May 1, and last until May 17, which is Norway’s National Day. That day, they commonly celebrate with their own parades.

There are several different types of russ; differing in color of their caps and traditional uniforms which most students carry during the entire russ period: RED = general studies (mathematics, physics, biology, history, literature, English etc); media and communication, art, music, dance and drama; and athletics. This is by far the most common color. BLUE = general studies with economics. BLACK = Vocational courses (like electronics or carpentry). Since Norwegian vocational studies consist of 2 years of schooling and 1 or 2 years of apprenticeship, black russ can choose to celebrate a year earlier than the others or to celebrate in multiple years. GREEN = Agricultural courses. WHITE = sober Christians might use this color, but in most regions they wear the same colors as their classmates. Christian russ might form their own groups to have fun together without peer pressure towards alcohol, sex and drugs.

The russ wear uniforms with their respective colors. Attached to the cap is a tassel at the end of a string, in which they tie knots, often around various items that are rewards for completing assignments listed on the russ knot list. This cap is seldom used before the "russ baptism", which is usually held during the night to May 1. The knot itself often consists of an item representing the accomplishment. For instance kissing a person of the same sex earns you a pink feather. These knots are then knitted and strung along the line extending from the hat. In total, there are about 101 different tasks that can be performed to receive knots. Other examples: Having sex in a roundabout, going swimming in an industrial river, putting a for sale sign on a police car, spending the night at a teacher's house and making him/her breakfast in the morning, all without being noticed, having sex in school, showering a junior with yogurt, going through an entire school day with a sock puppet on the hand. All communication must happen through the sock puppet.

It’s common for several friends to join together to buy a russ car or a bus, painted in their respective russ color. In the russ vehicle, modern tradition requires an expensive stereo inside the vehicle, and on buses, also on the roof. The largest systems allowed can have forty speakers which can generate over sixty thousand watts and is among the best sound systems in the world. Other, more optional accessories, include bus sweaters, bus lighters/key strings, bus caps and a bus song. It is also common to have some sort of theme for the interior and name/concept. Such buses are a large financial burden; a contribution of up to $10,000 per member has occurred. Though, the average is $3-5,000 per member. Including sponsors, the budget on buses can reach over $400,000.

Most russ have personalized calling cards featuring their name, their photograph and a short slogan. These cards are swapped with other russ and handed out to children or family members; for many children, collecting huge amounts of russ cards is an important activity during May.

During these 3 weeks there are a couple of events going on. For instance Tryvann. With over 40 000 people distributed on 5 days, Tryvann is Norway’s biggest russe assembly and people come from all over the country to take part in this. On every event people select winners in different categories like best sound, best lighting, best concept/idea and so on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ

Act of Union

2009-03-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ireland was a colony of the English from the 12th century. From the late middle ages it was a kingdom, under the same monarch as England, but a separate country. In law and in practice, the Irish government was usually subordinate to the English government.

Henry VIII rejected Rome and put the Church in England under his personal control. This church was to become more protestant, particularly under Elizabeth I. He had repeatedly attempted to subdue the island and turn it protestant, but Ireland's population remained mainly Roman Catholic. The conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism played a large part in 17th century with several wars in England and Ireland: civil wars, colonial wars, and at least one war.

In 1801 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed as a political union. This was the end of the Kingdom of Ireland but not the conflict between Ireland and England.

Parliaments in Britain

2009-03-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

The Parliament is made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. We, the people choose our representatives, who sit in parliament, and these representatives make all the decisions that have to be made at a national level to run society and to change things which they think need to be changed. We choose these representatives in an election. In Britain there are 646 representatives, called Members of Parliament or MPs in the House of Commons. Each one of them represents one constituency. On the day of a general election, there is an election in each of these constituencies. No more than five years can pass between two general elections. On the Election Day, the winner takes it all. There are no extra seats in the House of Commons to be shared out to brave losers. Because it makes it very difficult for medium-sized or small parties to get any of their candidates elected as MPs, the British electoral system is often called unfair.

The leader of the party with the largest number of MPs is the Prime Minister. The prime minister has enormous power like for example he decides the government’s overall strategy. The MPs has the greatest political power - Now, what do they do? They are involved in considering and proposing new laws and can use their position to ask government ministers questions about current issues. They split their time between working in parliament itself, working in the constituency that elected them, and working for their political party. Most MPs are members of one of the three biggest political parties.

The House of Lords is made up of 750 members called Peers. What they do is that they spend about 60% of their time initiating, examining and revising legislation. They are questioning Government and debating policy and finally providing a forum of independent expertise. There are a few ways to become a member of the House of Lords. One example is that you can inherit a title. The Peers are not elected by the people, but can also be elected by the government.

The third part of parliament is the Monarch, ergo the Queen. The Monarch is the official head of state. The monarch does not play any part in the decision making process of parliament. So the monarch rules only symbolically. But the Queen does have to sign the laws that parliament votes for.

Northern Ireland

2009-03-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

The colonization of Ireland: In 1170 Ireland becomes England’s first colony. Henry Vlll’s reign rules from 1507 to 1547, which means that all of Ireland is controlled by England. Then, in 1610, Protestants from Scotland settle in Northern Ireland. The Irish war of Independence was a guerrilla war mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army. The result was the Angelo-Irish Treaty. It established Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.

The Irish Civil War lasted from June 1922 to May 1923. The Free State Army supported the agreement that divided Ireland while the IRA was opposed to the agreement. The war was won by the Free State Army. The Irish were Catholics and the English and Scottish who settled in Northern Ireland were Protestants. In Northern Ireland the Irish Catholics were poor and suppressed by the Protestants. The issues of the conflict were economy, national identity, equal rights and opportunities and independence after colonization. The Population of Northern Ireland today consists of 60% Protestants and 40% Catholics.

In 1969 British troops stationed in Northern Ireland. On April 30th 1972, 27 civil rights protesters were shot by members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment; this day is called Bloody Sunday. During the 70s and 80s several bombings/gun attacks happened in Northern Ireland. In 1974, there were terrorist bombings in Birmingham, England. Heading towards peace? In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement was passed. It sets out a plan for devolved government in Northern Ireland on a stable and inclusive basis and provided for the creation of Human Rights and Equality commissions, the early release of terrorist prisoners, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons and far reaching reforms of criminal justice and policing. And in 2005 the IRA agrees to end violence and weapons are destroyed.

I’ve also read Liam O' Flaherty's gripping short story "The Sniper" from the Irish Civil War. Here’s a summary:
The Sniper is a story about two snipers, who's trying to kill each other. They're lying on each side of the road, both of them on rooftops, both trying to get a glimpse of the other. One of the snipers decides to take a smoke, although he knows it’s a big risk. The moment he light his lighter, the other sniper takes a shot. He misses, and the smoker puts out his smoke. Then suddenly an armored car makes its way up the road and stops between the two snipers to talk with an old lady informer. The enemy sniper of the car takes a shot and kills both the lady and the driver, but at the same time, he gets hit by the other sniper in his right arm. It hurts so bad that he can't use his rifle. To kill his enemy sniper, he waves his sniper with his cap on top over the parapet, and just as he hoped, his enemy takes a shot at the cap. He now drops his cap and the rifle to the ground to fake his death. A few moments later, he peers over at his enemy, who is standing on the rooftop across the street with his rifle over his head in victory. The sniper sees his opportunity, and takes a shot at him with his revolver. The enemy falls to the ground dead. It is now safe for the sniper to go out in the road. He gets curious about who the other sniper was, and walks over to check it out. He turns the dead body, and sees the face of his brother.

http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/key-issues/the-agreement.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence http://annejohnsrud.blogspot.com/2009/03/troubles-in-northern-ireland.html

The Reconstruction period

2009-03-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Reconstruction period in America lasted from 1865 to 1877. Since then many historians have argued whether the Reconstruction was a success or a failure. During this period great occurrences happened for the African Americans, and here are two of them.

The first big success was the Freedmen's Bureau. Before the Thirteenth Amendment was implemented African Americans were slaves. Meaning they were without any personal possessions like food and clothing. And worst of all, they were not allowed any formal education! The Freedmen's Bureau was an organization established by Congress, during Reconstruction period, to provide food, clothing, hospitals, legal protection and education to former slaves and also poor whites. Now, with education, African Americans were able to go out and get a job and manage to provide food, a place to live and take care of their family on their own.

The second huge success was the Fifteenth Amendment that gave African Americans the right to vote. It stated that no one could be kept from voting because of their skin color, race or previous condition of servitude. Even though African Americans didn't have much experience within politics their votes made a huge impact on the results of political elections. The winner of the 1868 presidential election was a man named Ulysses S. Grant. He was the Civil War hero and the presidential candidate of the Republican Party which fought for the African Americans rights during the Civil War. They were also the force behind the Fourteenth Amendment, which gave African Americans citizenship. With African Americans able to vote, nine out of ten voted for Grant. If it hadn't been for the African Americans votes, then the Republicans would never have won the election! But not only could the African Americans vote, they also became active politicians after the Civil War and some were actually members of the U.S. Congress, one of them was Hiram Revels, the first African American senator!

Without the Freedmen's Bureau and the Fifteenth Amendment African Americans wouldn't have the life they have today. These two steps were just a part of the process for the African Americans to become American citizens with civil rights after the Civil War.

Senior project

2009-03-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

These next few weeks all the students in my class will be working on their senior project. This is a project where we get to choose what we want to write about from this year’s curriculum. Some of the topics we get to choose from are history, politics, economic conditions etc. within Great Britain or America. When we are done with writing this project we will present it to the rest of the class. I will work together with Anette on this presentation.

I have chosen to write about the difference between the Norwegian and the American school system. I graduated from an American high school last year; this year I will be graduating from my Norwegian high school, so that’s why I think it would be fun to compare the two school systems with each other.

My winter break

2009-02-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

I went to Lifjell for my winter break with my family and some family-friends. Lifjell is a mountain area close to Bø in Telemark County. I went cross-country skiing and sledding, but for the most part I was just relaxing. When I’m at my cottage I also like to play cards when I’m inside. The weather was really nice, almost like Easter. The last part of my vacation I spent at home with my friends and watched movies. Winter break is now over and I’m back at school. Today we had activity day at Sandvika High School and I went cross-country skiing again and the conditions were pretty good.

The Falklands War

2009-02-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

The Falklands are a dense group of more than 740 Islands. These Islands are located 400 miles off the south-eastern tip of South America. The population here is diverse; British, Scandinavian and Chilean. Still, their overhead is the Queen of England.

The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina. The war started with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982. It ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. To Argentina this occurrence was considered as a re-occupation of its own territory, and by the UK as an invasion of a British overseas territory. Britain eventually gained victory and the islands remained under British control but Argentina shows no sign of giving up its claim. The war resulted in all 907 deaths, of which 649 were Argentine and the remaining 258 soldiers were British. The political effects of the war were strong in both countries -among other factors, patriotism!

We recognize this patriotism in the movie “This is England”. The movie is set in 1983 and is about a troubled young boy who lost his father in the Falklands War. One day he comes across a few skinheads and they become his best friends. Then he meets “Combo”, an extremely patriotic man and the cute little boy is no longer so cute. We really get to see the impact the war had on England, and how it affected the people.

What students want

2009-02-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

In this lecture by Michael Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, it is discussed whether the Internet is positive or negative for the student’s education. The technology extends more and more for very day. Each day something new shows up is added at the Internet and to explore the learning through the Internet we have to take risks.

Michael once asked his students: “How many do not actually like school?” Over half of the students raised their hands. Then he asked them: “How many do not like learning?” And there were no hands. Kinds of weird as the students are learning in school…

The Internet is a new type of media used to educate students. At my school every student has his/her own computer, and we use it in every class. And I have to agree; the Internet – for example Facebook can easily distract the students. But we also use Internet for the good; we look up information to learn more. The computer is a device allowing the students to interact with each other during class (and of course outside class as well). This can affect the students both in a negative way as well as in a positive way.

Maybe at times I would learn more if I didn’t have my computer in front of me, but in most cases I wouldn’t. By using my computer I can easier take notes in class and at the same time be attentive to the lecture the teacher is giving.

Michael states that: “We need to move from being knowledgeable to be creating students who are knowledge-able. Meaning able to criticize, analyze, share and evaluate the information we are given. The point is not to remove the Internet access for students, but to teach them how to use the Internet in a positive way.” I agree with this, I think we learn more by using our computers in addition to our textbooks!

The First World War to the Present

2009-01-30T09:33:00.000-08:00

The First World War to The Present on Dipity.

My hometown

2009-01-27T03:40:00.000-08:00

Dear students in Louisiana,

I'm from a place called Høvik, just outside Oslo. I've lived here my whole life and I'm enjoying myself here:) Høvik is located in Bærum municipality. Nearest city is Sandvika, a rather small city, which is also where I go to school. Next to my school is Norway’s biggest shopping center where I usually go shopping if I don’t go shopping in Oslo.

If you like swimming, jumping off cliffs and so on there’s plenty of alternatives here for you. I personally LOVE the summer. Norwegian summer is not nearly among the warmest ones, about 25 degrees Celsius, but I think it’s a nice temperature. If you are more of a winter-lover then Norway is more than perfect for you! We get lots of snow during the winter and therefore we have several different ski slopes for you.

I also have a cottage further south in Norway, in Nissedal. This is a beautiful place. And for me –who loves the summer it’s perfect:D! It’s a very quiet and small place, so if you want to have an entire beach for yourself this is the place to be! The photo below is the view from our yard.

Barack Obama’s inauguration speech

2009-01-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th US president. On Tuesday 20th of January 2009 he held his inauguration speech where he for one thing spoke about the serious challenges America face today. The nation is at war and the economy is badly weakened. Homes have been lost, jobs shed and businesses shuttered. The healthcare is too costly and the schools fail too many.

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.”

Obama talks a lot about the economy. The situation America is up against calls for action to create new jobs and to lay a new foundation for growth. Among other factors they have to raise healthcare's quality and transform the schools, colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

”Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

Obama also mentions that America is ready to lead. America is a country of diversity and the nation has to believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass.
Other topic Obama has is that he would like to make peace in Afghanistan, contribute to a change of climate and help the poor nations.

“…know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.”

Barack Obama is a great speaker. He has really been gifted with his oratory. I think that the problems he wants to solve will be difficult and hard, but it needs to be done to create a better America. The speech he held was long, but not too long. I believe that America should be grateful that Obama won the election. I personally think Obama will do a very good job concerning the war, the economy and the health problem. And probably even more.

Devolution UK

2009-01-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

http://hoka.glogster.com/glog-302/

"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

2008-12-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

I have just barely started to read the book”Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer. Therefore I don’t have much to say about the book so far. I will thus write a little about the background for the book. But first, ”Into the Wild” is a bestselling non-fiction book about the adventures of Christopher McCandless. The predominant theme of Into the Wild is man’s role in nature. Chris McCandless believes that man’s ultimate joy can only be found in communion with nature.

After graduating in 1990, McCandless ceased communicating with his family, gave the entire balance of a $24,000 savings account to charity, abandoned his car and burned all the money he had in his wallet. In April 1992 Chris McCandless hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. From there he headed down the snow-covered trail to begin a new life for himself. Four month later his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter.

Into the Wild - author's note, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild

Rupert Brooke and "The Soldier"

2008-12-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Rupert Brooke was born in England August 3rd 1887. He attended Rudby School and later King’s College University of Cambridge. Brooke had a troubled love life and fell heavily in love several times, in both women and men. Brooke left England to travel in France and Germany for several months before he returned to England again. In England he spent his time in both London and Cambridge. After experiencing a mental breakdown in 1913, Brooke traveled again, spending several months in America, Canada, and the South Seas. He returned to England at the outbreak of World War I and later died of blood poisoning from a mosquito bite in 1915.

Rupert Brooke’s poem “The Soldier” was written at the start of World War I. In this poem Brooke expresses his love for England and how he believes it is right to fight and die for his country. Brooke uses repetition of the word England in a very patriotic style, and he also uses personification to describe England as if it were a person, for example, “her sights and sounds, dreams happy as her day”. The poem deals with the two themes death and love which evoke feeling in people. The poem creates an image of a brave man who would do anything for his country. Before Brooke died in 1915 he got to fight in the war, therefore the poem has a very traditional viewpoint. The poem is also very idealistic. Brookes says in his forth line, "In that rich earth a richer dust concealed." This means that if he is to die in a country other than England that the soil would be made better because there would now be a piece of England within it. It also means that his country, England, is superior to any other country. His poem was used to inspire young men to enlist as well as to bring comfort to the families of the victims of war.

I believe that since this poem was written in the very early years of war, the poet has not experienced the truth of war and the extreme brutality that soldiers experience at the end of war, when they get tired and cannot bear to fight in the war any longer. Therefore I think he writes more than he can stand for. But I do believe that this is a very good poem.

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/181, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Brooke, http://www.ciao.co.uk/Poetry_Analysis__Review_5476922, http://www.azete.com/preview/52719, http://chawedrosin.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/rupert-brooke02.jpg

Crash

2008-12-13T03:26:00.000-08:00

The title of the film I just saw is “Crash”, and the genre of the film is crime and drama. The film is made to point out a part of a society in America. The foreigners came to The US in order to comply with a wish for a better life. They wanted the American Dream. This dream has for its object that any citizen, regardless of family, wealth or background, can become the President of The United States. Since America is a nation of immigrants they made this film to show how all the nations can “crash” together in an American society.

Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of interconnected characters: A police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated and spoiled wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.

In the film we see prejudice – like when Jean (the spoiled wife) wants the locks changed again after Daniel (the locksmith) has been there. We see love, for instance between Cameron, the black Hollywood director, and his wife Christine. In the end also we see hope – like when John (the racist officer) rescues Christine from an explosion caused by a car-accident. We see hope again when the Iranian disposes of his gun, and when Anthony (one of the two black gangsters) sets free the working children. The main theme that we can perceive throughout the film is racism. Other themes we come upon are lack of confidence in others, misunderstanding, hate and fear.

I absolutely recommend this film. It makes you see what's really going on right outside your door. You see how each member live together in a society in the streets of Los Angeles. It's sad, but at the same time we distinguish that it is hope out there.

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2005_Crash/2005_crash_009.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_(2004_film), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/

South Africa

2008-12-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

My dream destination is South Africa. South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The capital is Pretoria. South Africa has eleven official languages, but the main languages are English and African. 17, 6 % of the adult’s population can't either read or write. Apartheid is the official concept on the racialist politic where the white minority suppresses the black majority of people through a line of racialist laws. African National Congress (ANC) is the largest party in South Africa. It was the first organized party for the black people in the country. The prison on Robben Island was one of the world’s most attracted prisons. The prisoners there were those who disagreed with apartheid. Nelson Mandela, one of the leaders in ANC, was in the prison on Robben Island for half of his lifetime. Today the island is a museum. Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in South Africa. Mandela has since the release been an important key figure in the equalize politics between the races in South Africa. Because of his effort he got the Nobel Prize in 1993.

When it's summer in Europe, it is winter in South Africa. In South Africa the climate changes from region to region. The country is mountainous with changeable scenery with forest areas and cliffs, but it is also desert and nice seashores. South Africa’s highest mountain is called Njesuthi, and is 3446 meters above sea level. Africa has a versatile animal life. The Big Five are the most known animals in Africa. The Big Five includes leopard, buffalo, lion, rhinoceros and elephant. They got the name The Big Five because they were the five most sought animals for the hunters. You first became a true hunter after you shot all of them.

In the Valley of Elah

2008-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

When a soldier who recently returned to the U.S. from the front lines of Iraq goes AWOL, his veteran father starts the search for his lost son. Mike’s father, Hank (Tommy Lee Jones), quickly recruits Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) to assist him in his search for the missing soldier. While searching for his son, Hank strikes upon the very heart of the American experience in the Iraqi conflict.

The movie”In the Valley of Elah” has a strong impact on young people because serving in a war may change who you are. In the movie we meet several young soldiers who values are changed because of their service in Iraq. As mentioned earlier, one of the soldiers goes AWOL and it turns out that his friends were the ones who killed him!

Mike was a nice guy, and normally he would never hurt anyone. But after killing a child in Iraq by running the child down he is changed forever. In the movies from Mike’s cell phone we see Mike and his friends do inhumanly things towards innocent people. To ease the pain Mike feels inside he starts taking drugs.

The reason why they change so much has to do with all the lives they have to take. They have to serve their country by killing people; sometimes innocent people. Something no one wants to do, but someone has to.

http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/In_the_Valley_of_Elah/index.html

Should a country have a military draft or not?

2008-10-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to think. I have both pros and cons for military drafting. But I do believe that everyone should be required do some sort of public service. If not as a career, then just to help and support their community/country. I understand that not everybody wants to serve in the military...

On the one hand, I think it would be best if it was required at least two years service in the military. This way there is always someone to protect the country, if needed. Furthermore, a military draft will increase the military power which will result in frightening away other countries so that they won't attack.

In the near future I think we should only draft men. And then if something were to happen and a country is needy for more military working capacity, then the country should discuss wether or not to draft women.

On the other hand I don't think we should force somebody to serve in the military if they don't want to. First of all because I don't think that that person would pull one's weight. Specifically because he or she doesn't really want to be there (lack of motivation). It is a personal and difficult choice for most people and therefore a draft should not be forced on you.

I don't really have a conclution on this topic since I'm remaining neutral so feel free to comment:)