a)
This episode of 30 Rock is relevant to the subject of racism, and I think that is the reason we watched it. It’s a good example on how we like to think that prejudice and racism belongs to the past when in reality it still creeps around in the back of our minds. In the episode Liz, one of the main characters, gets a new neighbour down the hall. The new guy acts a little strange and has a darker skin tone. Based on his behaviour and some maps pinned on his wall she jumps to the conclusion that he might be a terrorist.
b)
Whether humour is a good or bad way to approach sensitive topic depends on what the topic is and if it’s a nice kind of humour or not. I find some jokes just plain cruel and I can’t imagine how anyone of the offended could find them funny in any way, but if humour is used in a way that can be at least a little funny for all parts involved I would say it’s a good thing. Everybody loves to laugh, and even though it’s nice to be able to talk about serious matters while smiling, it can also make people think that since you are joking about it it’s probably not such a big deal.
4/10/2012
3/11/2012
DEL 4: "INNLEDNINGENS KUNST"
OPPGAVE D:
”For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” Hemingway
1.
Det var ei kald novembernatt, snøen låg fin og kvit i vegkanten og mjukt ljos seiv ut frå vindauga i gata. Ho sat ved omnen og strikka på noko som ein så vidt fekk plass til en tomme nedi. Da han kom inn døra, la ho det frå seg på bordet og smilte mot han. Jakka blei hengt opp på knaggen og skoa stua inn mot veggen. Golvet knirka i det ho reiste seg. Han la handa forsiktig på magen hennar og nynna songen deira mot han eller ho som enno ikkje hadde kjent lukta av nystekt brød eller sett sola skinne.
2.
Dei sto utstilt i vindauget, like strålande rosa som da dei vart kjøpt fyrste gongen. Han sto der, som hypnotisert av skoa. Minna flomma ned i tankane hans som regnet slo mot brusteinane rundt han. Alt var grått, bortsett frå dei ørsmå skoa i vindauget. Han reiv laus blikket og tvang seg sjølv til å gå vidare. Lyden av skritt som aldrig hadde blitt gått klang i øyra hans.
”For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” Hemingway
1.
Det var ei kald novembernatt, snøen låg fin og kvit i vegkanten og mjukt ljos seiv ut frå vindauga i gata. Ho sat ved omnen og strikka på noko som ein så vidt fekk plass til en tomme nedi. Da han kom inn døra, la ho det frå seg på bordet og smilte mot han. Jakka blei hengt opp på knaggen og skoa stua inn mot veggen. Golvet knirka i det ho reiste seg. Han la handa forsiktig på magen hennar og nynna songen deira mot han eller ho som enno ikkje hadde kjent lukta av nystekt brød eller sett sola skinne.
2.
Dei sto utstilt i vindauget, like strålande rosa som da dei vart kjøpt fyrste gongen. Han sto der, som hypnotisert av skoa. Minna flomma ned i tankane hans som regnet slo mot brusteinane rundt han. Alt var grått, bortsett frå dei ørsmå skoa i vindauget. Han reiv laus blikket og tvang seg sjølv til å gå vidare. Lyden av skritt som aldrig hadde blitt gått klang i øyra hans.
DEL 2: "Å VISE"
OPPGAVE B
b)
Vinden uler rundt meg, han riv og slit i jakka mi, nesten som om han prøver og dra meg ut i vatnet. Berget er blitt våt og glatt av skummet frå bølgjene som dansar vilt lenger ute. De treff berget så hardt at det sprutar fleire meter opp, det er like før dei kjem opp til føtene mine. Eg merkar etter ei stund at eg sitt med knyte nevar, negla bora langt inn i handflatene. Bølgjene slår hyppigare mot berget no, dei er nesten oppe i same takt som hjartet mitt. Eg kan kjenne at det jobbar hardt for å halde meg roleg, men det hjelp ikkje. Auga mine flakkar, klarar ikkje halde fast ved noko, konstant på jakt etter skyggar. Eg presser ryggen nærmare naustet og tekk beina opp under meg. Held rundt meg sjølv for å halde varmen, håpar mørket kan gøyme fleir enn ein.
c)
Forsiktig sett han frå seg pizzaen på bordet og går for å hente noko å drikke. Da han kjem tilbake, opnar han lokket, lukkar auga og nyt lukta som fyllar rommet. Han set tenna i eit saftig stykke og let smaken av ost og krydder fylle munnen. Botnen knasar i det han tyggar over, akkurat som han liker det. Han slikkar seg på leppane og tek eit nytt stykke, alt fot oppteken med maten til å leggje merke til pizzasmulane som triller utover hele sofaen.
b)
Vinden uler rundt meg, han riv og slit i jakka mi, nesten som om han prøver og dra meg ut i vatnet. Berget er blitt våt og glatt av skummet frå bølgjene som dansar vilt lenger ute. De treff berget så hardt at det sprutar fleire meter opp, det er like før dei kjem opp til føtene mine. Eg merkar etter ei stund at eg sitt med knyte nevar, negla bora langt inn i handflatene. Bølgjene slår hyppigare mot berget no, dei er nesten oppe i same takt som hjartet mitt. Eg kan kjenne at det jobbar hardt for å halde meg roleg, men det hjelp ikkje. Auga mine flakkar, klarar ikkje halde fast ved noko, konstant på jakt etter skyggar. Eg presser ryggen nærmare naustet og tekk beina opp under meg. Held rundt meg sjølv for å halde varmen, håpar mørket kan gøyme fleir enn ein.
c)
Forsiktig sett han frå seg pizzaen på bordet og går for å hente noko å drikke. Da han kjem tilbake, opnar han lokket, lukkar auga og nyt lukta som fyllar rommet. Han set tenna i eit saftig stykke og let smaken av ost og krydder fylle munnen. Botnen knasar i det han tyggar over, akkurat som han liker det. Han slikkar seg på leppane og tek eit nytt stykke, alt fot oppteken med maten til å leggje merke til pizzasmulane som triller utover hele sofaen.
DEL 1: ”FORSTØRRE ØYEBLIKK”
OPPGAVE A, Øyeblikk 1:
Du sitter på bussen på veg heim fra skolen en ettermiddag. Du er trøtt etter en slitsom dag på skolen, og du ønsker at det skal være stille rundt deg. Men så kommer to eldre damer på, og setter seg på setene rett bak deg. De er av den meget pratsomme sorten.
Eg lenar meg mot busskuret, seks minuttar til no så kan eg edeleg få ro frå all trafikkstøyen og dei travle menneska som spring fort forbi meg. Namn og årstal dansar framleis i hovudet på meg. Støvkorna virvlar i lufta etter kvar buss som køyrar forbi, sollyset fangar dei og lufta glitrar. Skuldrene mine verkjar, eg kjenn sekken min grev seg lenger og lenger ned. Kjem ikkje bussen snart? Minuttane sneglar seg av garde, sekunda ertar meg, tenkjar eg, seks minuttar har aldrig vore så lenge. Endeleg ser eg bussen min, sjølvsagt må den stoppe for raut ljos, men han kjem i kvart fall. ”Hei,” eg smilar til bussjåføren og sett meg nesten bakarst, så langt unna dei andre passasjerarane som mogleg. Eg set sekken frå meg i nabosetet, tenkjar at viss nokon vil sitje der får dei berre be meg flytte han.
To heile minuttar får eg nyte stilleiken i fred før dei kjem. Dei sett seg rett framfor meg, breiar seg utover seta, trommar med nylakkerte neglar mot ruta. Ho eine tar opp ein gamal telefon og plaprar i veg. Eg synes synd i han som er på den andre enden, men mest synast eg synd i meg sjølv. Ho andre bryr seg ikkje om telefonen, ho føyrer en samtale like godt med seg sjølv som med ho ved sidan av. Kankskje legg ho ikkje en gong merke til at ho ikkje får noko svar eller kanskje ho rett og slett er vand med at ingen orkar henge med på sladderet hennar, ikkje vet eg. Eg klarar ikkje for alt eg maktar å stenge dei ute, orda deira trenger seg inn i tankane mine. Den meiningslause praten deira går meg på nervane.. Det er verkeleg ikkje nokon som bryr seg om du kva du kjøpte på butikken i går, har eg lyst til å sei til ho. Men eg gjer det ikkje, for det er vel eigentleg ikkje mi sak. Eg har vel irritert nokon på bussen før eg og, så eg bit det i meg.
Du sitter på bussen på veg heim fra skolen en ettermiddag. Du er trøtt etter en slitsom dag på skolen, og du ønsker at det skal være stille rundt deg. Men så kommer to eldre damer på, og setter seg på setene rett bak deg. De er av den meget pratsomme sorten.
Eg lenar meg mot busskuret, seks minuttar til no så kan eg edeleg få ro frå all trafikkstøyen og dei travle menneska som spring fort forbi meg. Namn og årstal dansar framleis i hovudet på meg. Støvkorna virvlar i lufta etter kvar buss som køyrar forbi, sollyset fangar dei og lufta glitrar. Skuldrene mine verkjar, eg kjenn sekken min grev seg lenger og lenger ned. Kjem ikkje bussen snart? Minuttane sneglar seg av garde, sekunda ertar meg, tenkjar eg, seks minuttar har aldrig vore så lenge. Endeleg ser eg bussen min, sjølvsagt må den stoppe for raut ljos, men han kjem i kvart fall. ”Hei,” eg smilar til bussjåføren og sett meg nesten bakarst, så langt unna dei andre passasjerarane som mogleg. Eg set sekken frå meg i nabosetet, tenkjar at viss nokon vil sitje der får dei berre be meg flytte han.
To heile minuttar får eg nyte stilleiken i fred før dei kjem. Dei sett seg rett framfor meg, breiar seg utover seta, trommar med nylakkerte neglar mot ruta. Ho eine tar opp ein gamal telefon og plaprar i veg. Eg synes synd i han som er på den andre enden, men mest synast eg synd i meg sjølv. Ho andre bryr seg ikkje om telefonen, ho føyrer en samtale like godt med seg sjølv som med ho ved sidan av. Kankskje legg ho ikkje en gong merke til at ho ikkje får noko svar eller kanskje ho rett og slett er vand med at ingen orkar henge med på sladderet hennar, ikkje vet eg. Eg klarar ikkje for alt eg maktar å stenge dei ute, orda deira trenger seg inn i tankane mine. Den meiningslause praten deira går meg på nervane.. Det er verkeleg ikkje nokon som bryr seg om du kva du kjøpte på butikken i går, har eg lyst til å sei til ho. Men eg gjer det ikkje, for det er vel eigentleg ikkje mi sak. Eg har vel irritert nokon på bussen før eg og, så eg bit det i meg.
3/07/2012
Capital punishment
• Pros (why we should make it legal to kill people):
o They (the criminals) started it.
o Mean people have obviously no right to inhale the same air as the rest of us.
o Killing murderers makes the earth a SO much safer and happier place!
o Also, it is expensive to build prison cells for all of them, executing them solves the capacity problem.
• Cons (why killing people who killed people to show people that killing is wrong, is wrong):
o DOUBLE STANDARDS.
o It’s an “easy” way out.
o Affects an even higher amount of people.
o If the executed person was innocent, wouldn’t that make you a murderer?
o DOUBLE STANDARDS.
o They (the criminals) started it.
o Mean people have obviously no right to inhale the same air as the rest of us.
o Killing murderers makes the earth a SO much safer and happier place!
o Also, it is expensive to build prison cells for all of them, executing them solves the capacity problem.
• Cons (why killing people who killed people to show people that killing is wrong, is wrong):
o DOUBLE STANDARDS.
o It’s an “easy” way out.
o Affects an even higher amount of people.
o If the executed person was innocent, wouldn’t that make you a murderer?
o DOUBLE STANDARDS.
3/06/2012
Å forstørre augeblink
"Øyeblikk 1: Du sitter på bussen på veg heim fra skolen en ettermiddag. Du er trøtt etter en slitsom dag på skolen, og du ønsker at det skal være stille rundt deg. Men så kommer to eldre damer på, og setter seg på setene rett bak deg. De er av den meget pratsomme sorten."
Eg lenar meg mot busskuret, seks minuttar til no så kan eg edeleg få ro frå all trafikkstøyen og dei travle menneska som spring fort forbi meg. Namn og årstal dansar framleis i hovudet på meg. Støvkorna virvlar i lufta etter kvar buss som køyrar forbi, sollyset fangar dei og lufta glitrar. Skuldrene mine verkjar, eg kjenn sekken min grev seg lenger og lenger ned. Kjem ikkje bussen snart? Minuttane sneglar seg av garde, sekunda ertar meg, tenkjar eg, seks minuttar har aldrig vore så lenge. Endeleg ser eg bussen min, sjølvsagt må den stoppe for raut ljos, men han kjem i kvart fall. ”Hei,” eg smilar til bussjåføren og sett meg nesten bakarst, så langt unna dei andre passasjerarane som mogleg. Eg set sekken frå meg i nabosetet, tenkjar at viss nokon vil sitje der får dei berre be meg flytte han.
To heile minuttar får eg nyte stilleiken i fred før dei kjem. Dei sett seg rett framfor meg, breiar seg utover seta, trommar med nylakkerte neglar mot ruta. Ho eine tar opp ein gamal telefon og plaprar i veg. Eg synes synd i han som er på den andre enden, men mest synast eg synd i meg sjølv. Ho andre bryr seg ikkje om telefonen, ho føyrer en samtale like godt med seg sjølv som med ho ved sidan av. Kankskje legg ho ikkje en gong merke til at ho ikkje får noko svar eller kanskje ho rett og slett er vand med at ingen orkar henge med på sladderet hennar, ikkje vet eg. Eg klarar ikkje for alt eg maktar å stenge dei ute, orda deira trenger seg inn i tankane mine. Den meiningslause praten deira går meg på nervane.. Det er verkeleg ikkje nokon som bryr seg om du kva du kjøpte på butikken i går, har eg lyst til å sei til ho. Men eg gjer det ikkje, for det er vel eigentleg ikkje mi sak. Eg har vel irritert nokon på bussen før eg og, så eg bit dei i meg.
Eg lenar meg mot busskuret, seks minuttar til no så kan eg edeleg få ro frå all trafikkstøyen og dei travle menneska som spring fort forbi meg. Namn og årstal dansar framleis i hovudet på meg. Støvkorna virvlar i lufta etter kvar buss som køyrar forbi, sollyset fangar dei og lufta glitrar. Skuldrene mine verkjar, eg kjenn sekken min grev seg lenger og lenger ned. Kjem ikkje bussen snart? Minuttane sneglar seg av garde, sekunda ertar meg, tenkjar eg, seks minuttar har aldrig vore så lenge. Endeleg ser eg bussen min, sjølvsagt må den stoppe for raut ljos, men han kjem i kvart fall. ”Hei,” eg smilar til bussjåføren og sett meg nesten bakarst, så langt unna dei andre passasjerarane som mogleg. Eg set sekken frå meg i nabosetet, tenkjar at viss nokon vil sitje der får dei berre be meg flytte han.
To heile minuttar får eg nyte stilleiken i fred før dei kjem. Dei sett seg rett framfor meg, breiar seg utover seta, trommar med nylakkerte neglar mot ruta. Ho eine tar opp ein gamal telefon og plaprar i veg. Eg synes synd i han som er på den andre enden, men mest synast eg synd i meg sjølv. Ho andre bryr seg ikkje om telefonen, ho føyrer en samtale like godt med seg sjølv som med ho ved sidan av. Kankskje legg ho ikkje en gong merke til at ho ikkje får noko svar eller kanskje ho rett og slett er vand med at ingen orkar henge med på sladderet hennar, ikkje vet eg. Eg klarar ikkje for alt eg maktar å stenge dei ute, orda deira trenger seg inn i tankane mine. Den meiningslause praten deira går meg på nervane.. Det er verkeleg ikkje nokon som bryr seg om du kva du kjøpte på butikken i går, har eg lyst til å sei til ho. Men eg gjer det ikkje, for det er vel eigentleg ikkje mi sak. Eg har vel irritert nokon på bussen før eg og, så eg bit dei i meg.
3/05/2012
Noveller
Orda, berre hennar, slepp ikkje ut.
Hausten. Eg hugsar, vil helst ikkje.
Aleine, men ikkje einsam. Før no.
”Orsak,” sa eg. For seint. Eller?
Hausten. Eg hugsar, vil helst ikkje.
Aleine, men ikkje einsam. Før no.
”Orsak,” sa eg. For seint. Eller?
2/13/2012
Why I love sports
I play soccer and dance ballet. Sports are for me a way of expressing myself. It involves physical activity, which is healthy, but it is also a way out for frustration and anger.
I like being a part of a team and it is nice working together towards a goal. I also think working out is much more fun when you can do it with your teammates. Sports bring together people with different interests and backgrounds and it teaches us how to cooperate with each other. Sports teams like my soccer team often travel to other countries to participate in international tournaments. Sports events are therefore a nice opportunity to see different parts of the world and experience something new and fun.
I love ballet because it looks so beautiful when you know how to do it. Dancing ballet takes a lot if physical strength, but it still looks so easy at times. One of the things I love about ballet is how focused the dancers are, and how it really doesn’t show just how much it takes to get the steps right. I love when the dancers dance around and it looks like they are floating above the stage, when they do three pirouettes in a row like it is as easy as walking, and when (like in the picture from Dirty Dancing) they make the audience hold their breaths while they almost fly for a moment.
Another great thing about ballet is that it gives the mind a break from worries and everything else that is going on inside since all your thoughts have to be focused on the dancing.
I like being a part of a team and it is nice working together towards a goal. I also think working out is much more fun when you can do it with your teammates. Sports bring together people with different interests and backgrounds and it teaches us how to cooperate with each other. Sports teams like my soccer team often travel to other countries to participate in international tournaments. Sports events are therefore a nice opportunity to see different parts of the world and experience something new and fun.
I love ballet because it looks so beautiful when you know how to do it. Dancing ballet takes a lot if physical strength, but it still looks so easy at times. One of the things I love about ballet is how focused the dancers are, and how it really doesn’t show just how much it takes to get the steps right. I love when the dancers dance around and it looks like they are floating above the stage, when they do three pirouettes in a row like it is as easy as walking, and when (like in the picture from Dirty Dancing) they make the audience hold their breaths while they almost fly for a moment.
Another great thing about ballet is that it gives the mind a break from worries and everything else that is going on inside since all your thoughts have to be focused on the dancing.
2/08/2012
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
How would the story have been different had it been written in a different point of view? How does the fact that Christopher has Asberger’s syndrome affect the novel?
I think that the fact that the book is written in Christopher’s point of view has everything to say for the story. It is what makes the book differ from other stories. I also think that if it had been written from someone else’s point of view we would have a completely different picture of Christopher. Most of the book takes place inside his mind, and if the narrator had for example his father, we would only get to see what he thought was going on.
People with Asperger’s syndrome can often come across as strange to others. Mark Haddon makes me like Christopher through how his thoughts are described and his confusion regarding human behaviour. If I had met Christopher through another character I don’t think I would have liked him so much, because as I said, they can come across quite strange. With the word strange I am not thinking about strange as in doing weird and peculiar things, but some Autistic people can seem a little cold and emotionless. If the scene where he hits the policeman had been written from outside his mind it would be hard to understand why he assaulted him. It would, to me, have been a stupid act since the policeman really didn’t deserve it, and I would not have liked Christopher. However, by telling us how other people touching him makes him feel I feel empathy towards him.
His syndrome highly affects the language in the book as well as it influences which of the characters we like. It makes the language simple, but at the same time he manages to express himself in a good way. The straightforward way the book was written takes away all the unnecessary things we say during a day. I think this makes me think about how we communicate with each other, and how we in some cases tend to never really say what we want to say.
I think that the fact that the book is written in Christopher’s point of view has everything to say for the story. It is what makes the book differ from other stories. I also think that if it had been written from someone else’s point of view we would have a completely different picture of Christopher. Most of the book takes place inside his mind, and if the narrator had for example his father, we would only get to see what he thought was going on.
People with Asperger’s syndrome can often come across as strange to others. Mark Haddon makes me like Christopher through how his thoughts are described and his confusion regarding human behaviour. If I had met Christopher through another character I don’t think I would have liked him so much, because as I said, they can come across quite strange. With the word strange I am not thinking about strange as in doing weird and peculiar things, but some Autistic people can seem a little cold and emotionless. If the scene where he hits the policeman had been written from outside his mind it would be hard to understand why he assaulted him. It would, to me, have been a stupid act since the policeman really didn’t deserve it, and I would not have liked Christopher. However, by telling us how other people touching him makes him feel I feel empathy towards him.
His syndrome highly affects the language in the book as well as it influences which of the characters we like. It makes the language simple, but at the same time he manages to express himself in a good way. The straightforward way the book was written takes away all the unnecessary things we say during a day. I think this makes me think about how we communicate with each other, and how we in some cases tend to never really say what we want to say.
11/24/2011
11/22/2011
Bildeanalyse
Dette er et landskapsbilde, og teknikken som er brukt er fotografi. Bildet forestiller et utsnitt av en bru (mellomgrunnen), to ender (forgrunnen) og en ås og bygninger (bakgrunnen). Bildet har det gylne snitt som komposisjonsprinsipp, med endene i den nedre høyre firkanten, refleksjonen i den nedre venstre firkanten, brua i den øvre venstre firkanten og bakgrunnen i den øvre høyre. Lyset er i gråtoner, selv om et er relativt lyse farger som fremhever gulfargen på brua. Bruas refleksjon er i kontrast til elva som blir opplyst av den overskyete himmelen. Bildet er tatt i normalperspektiv.
Det første vi legger merke til ved dette bildet er den gule broen. Dette fører til at blikket blir ført bakover i bildet, langs broen. Deretter ned på endene og så ned på refleksjonen i vannet. Dette skyldes at øynene våre følger kontraster og linjer som blir skapt av lysforskjellene.
I begynnelsen virker bildet melankolsk, men når man legger merke til endene får man en mer romantisk stemning. Disse endene kan tolkes som et symbol på kjærlighet, ettersom det er en hun-, og en han-and, istedenfor en flokk. Broen kan være et symbol på samhold og det å være knyttet sammen. Det er også mange stabile trekanter på undersiden som holder bruen oppe. Dette gir bildet en følelse av å være stabilt.
Det er også mange horisontale linjer i bildet ettersom bildet er i landskapsformat og hovedmotivet ligger relativt horisontalt. I tillegg ligger også den synlige elvebredden vannrett, sammen med krusningene i elven. Likevel gjør den nesten vertikale gjenspeilingen i vannet at bildet fortsatt blir spennende å se på. Det er også ustabile trekanter i gjenspeilingen, noe som gjør at den øvre delen av bildet virker mer stabilt enn den nedre delen.
Kontrasten mellom bruas speilbilde og refleksjonen fra himmelen i vannet skaper uro og spenning i bilde. Samtidig er det noe bevegelse i bildet som forsterker effekten av urolighet.
Bildet kan tolkes på flere måter, det kan enten formidle kjærlighet og samhold, men også det at det finnes to sider av samme sak ettersom det er gjenspeiling i vannet.
11/16/2011
The Riots in London and how they might be affected by the class system
What is the difference between looting and rioting?
o When people are rioting they are breaking things and causing disorder violently, like breaking into shops and crushing cars etc. Looting is common under riots because it makes it easier. Looting is stealing stuff and doesn’t involve violent actions.
Define the underlined (blue) words and phrases. Also note down other words you find difficult, and find out what they mean.
o Social exclusion: to be “excluded” from society (sosial eksklusjon)
o Disregard social norms: to not obey the social norms (å ikke følge normene i samfunnet)
o High unemployment: A high number of unemployed people (høy arbeidsledigehet)
o Criminologist: expert on crime and criminal behavior (kriminolog)
o Opportunism: taking advantage of opportunities and not caring about the consequences it may have on others
o Lack of intervention: when little or nothing is done to help change something. (Mangel på tiltak)
o Consumerism: Our consuming of products and services (forbruk)
o Catalyst of unrest: a trigger of something, a reason for something happening faster
• Could this happen in Trondheim? In Oslo? Why/why not?
• What can this say about the social conditions in England? How may this be connected to the traditional class system?
I don’t think it is likely that this will happen in Oslo or Trondheim, but it is possible in a smaller scale. In London many of the participating people were unemployed and didn’t have much to loose. That is not the current situation in Norway, we don’t have that big economical differences between people as London has. We also have many systems made to help people in unfortunate situations.
In London many of the unemployed live in the same areas and maybe that was a contributing factor to trigging the riots. When there are a lot of people in same situation living close to each other I think that the urge to do something drastic comes faster. To try to make the situation change is a natural desire and with many people wanting the same thing is might be easier to do something as drastic as the riots.
The social conditions in England are highly influenced by the traditional class system, as the class system still exists. It is hard to get out of the social class you are in and it’s easy to blame the ones “above” you. Even if you marry into the upper class it takes about three generations to be fully accepted, according to a radio-program on BBC. The riots in London are most likely a reaction to the class system. Class distinction is not a good thing and it leads to differences and injustice. Many of the young people feel like someone is responsible for doing something about the unfairness, and when nothing is done they try to get attention.
o When people are rioting they are breaking things and causing disorder violently, like breaking into shops and crushing cars etc. Looting is common under riots because it makes it easier. Looting is stealing stuff and doesn’t involve violent actions.
Define the underlined (blue) words and phrases. Also note down other words you find difficult, and find out what they mean.
o Social exclusion: to be “excluded” from society (sosial eksklusjon)
o Disregard social norms: to not obey the social norms (å ikke følge normene i samfunnet)
o High unemployment: A high number of unemployed people (høy arbeidsledigehet)
o Criminologist: expert on crime and criminal behavior (kriminolog)
o Opportunism: taking advantage of opportunities and not caring about the consequences it may have on others
o Lack of intervention: when little or nothing is done to help change something. (Mangel på tiltak)
o Consumerism: Our consuming of products and services (forbruk)
o Catalyst of unrest: a trigger of something, a reason for something happening faster
• Could this happen in Trondheim? In Oslo? Why/why not?
• What can this say about the social conditions in England? How may this be connected to the traditional class system?
I don’t think it is likely that this will happen in Oslo or Trondheim, but it is possible in a smaller scale. In London many of the participating people were unemployed and didn’t have much to loose. That is not the current situation in Norway, we don’t have that big economical differences between people as London has. We also have many systems made to help people in unfortunate situations.
In London many of the unemployed live in the same areas and maybe that was a contributing factor to trigging the riots. When there are a lot of people in same situation living close to each other I think that the urge to do something drastic comes faster. To try to make the situation change is a natural desire and with many people wanting the same thing is might be easier to do something as drastic as the riots.
The social conditions in England are highly influenced by the traditional class system, as the class system still exists. It is hard to get out of the social class you are in and it’s easy to blame the ones “above” you. Even if you marry into the upper class it takes about three generations to be fully accepted, according to a radio-program on BBC. The riots in London are most likely a reaction to the class system. Class distinction is not a good thing and it leads to differences and injustice. Many of the young people feel like someone is responsible for doing something about the unfairness, and when nothing is done they try to get attention.
10/24/2011
10/23/2011
Finally things are happening!
Dinner was delicious! They convinced me to try one of Australia’s specialties, Minted Lemon Lamb, and I really enjoyed it. For dessert I had Mango Passion fruit Pavlova roll. Normally I think the dessert is the highlight of the meal, but passion fruit didn’t turn out to be my cup of tea…
I had a lovely evening (yes, I’m aware I sound like a grandmother saying that) and they even offered me a ride out of this place tomorrow! They’re going to Townsville in Queensland for the weekend and asked if I wanted to join! I instantly said yes of course (when I come to think about it maybe it wasn’t such a great idea) so you wont hear from me for a few days, except for occasional “I have not been kidnapped and murdered by anyone yet” messages.
I thought I’d give you a list of all the places I plan on visiting during my visit for you to look at while I’m away (and so you can all be incredible jealous of me ☺)
♥ Great Barrier Reef (Queensland)
♥ The Opera House (Sydney)
♥ Harbor Bridge (Sydney)
♥ Kangaroo Island (!)
♥ The Parliament House (Canberra)
♥ The Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
♥ And anything else my wallet can afford really
They are currently hunting a killer shark in Rottnest Island, so I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere near there for a couple of weeks. Also there has been some sort of violent protests in Sydney, luckily it wasn’t in Canberra which is the current location of HM Queen Elisabeth II. Can’t say I actually know what she’s doing there, but I guess you have to visit from time to time when you are head of the Commonwealth of Nations…
You can catch a glimps of her in between that Australian lady talking about her clothes.
So I guess that’s it for now! Take care and don’t miss me too much ;)
I had a lovely evening (yes, I’m aware I sound like a grandmother saying that) and they even offered me a ride out of this place tomorrow! They’re going to Townsville in Queensland for the weekend and asked if I wanted to join! I instantly said yes of course (when I come to think about it maybe it wasn’t such a great idea) so you wont hear from me for a few days, except for occasional “I have not been kidnapped and murdered by anyone yet” messages.
I thought I’d give you a list of all the places I plan on visiting during my visit for you to look at while I’m away (and so you can all be incredible jealous of me ☺)
♥ Great Barrier Reef (Queensland)
♥ The Opera House (Sydney)
♥ Harbor Bridge (Sydney)
♥ Kangaroo Island (!)
♥ The Parliament House (Canberra)
♥ The Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
♥ And anything else my wallet can afford really
They are currently hunting a killer shark in Rottnest Island, so I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere near there for a couple of weeks. Also there has been some sort of violent protests in Sydney, luckily it wasn’t in Canberra which is the current location of HM Queen Elisabeth II. Can’t say I actually know what she’s doing there, but I guess you have to visit from time to time when you are head of the Commonwealth of Nations…
You can catch a glimps of her in between that Australian lady talking about her clothes.
So I guess that’s it for now! Take care and don’t miss me too much ;)
Storytelling and cricket
Uluru was freaking amazing!! No words can ever describe how incredible and breathtaking that one mountain was.
I could show you a hundred pictures of it, but you wouldn’t understand. It wasn’t just the orange coloured stone, it was the whole experience. When we got of the bus a tall man wearing some sort of hat made out of feathers and leather approached us. He told us that he was going to be our guide throughout the expedition.
At first we all thought his outfit was for entertainment’s sake, but the closer we got to the mountain, the more it seemed like he was really attached to Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock as he called it, in some kind of way. And not just in a “Oh, this is such a beautiful place! Let’s live here!” kind of way, but in a more, I don’t really know how to describe this but it was almost as he talked about Uluru the same way he would tell us about his son.
I was all “It’s a rock man, chill” at first, but when he started telling stories of how the natives believed it had healing powers and how they had special rituals that could only be done here, he had me mesmerized (and trust me, the whole group was just as spellbound as me). And just like we noticed how his voice changed when he talked about Ayer’s rock, his eyes would shine in a special way when someone ask questions allowing him to go deeper into the stories of the aboriginals.
His stories was beautifully illustrated by the cave painting surrounding us and on our way back he told us how European settlers had come to claim the land of Australia. It all started with the arrival of Captain James Cook back in 1770. In a well-known European manner he claimed the east coast of Australia on behalf of Britain, of course without including any of the interests of the people already living there. Later the Englishmen basically used the country as a prison for a large number of their convicts.
The majority of you have probably learned all this at school, and unless you are going to Australia in the nearest future and plan on impressing the locals with you knowledge, you most likely don’t want to hear me retell the history of Australia. Therefore I found this for those of you who’s actually interested:
He’s even Australian so you get to hear their lovely accent. It’s in seven parts so it covers more than the essentials.
Over to something completely different, cricket! On the bus ride home we stopped by a neighbour town to get some food, and behind the little cafeteria we ate in there was a cricket match going on so we decided to watch.
I think the players were about fourteen years old, each team had it’s own suit and name so I figured it was two school teams playing each other. It makes sense because the school year is different in Australia; summer vacation for us isn’t at the same time as theirs.
Cricket is a very popular sport down here, I guess it’s the colonization fault as cricket has its origins in England. It’s also a widespread sport in India, which supports my assumption. In fact England has had a lot of influence overall on Australia’s culture. I might not be the right person to comment on the consequences of colonization but it’s kind of sad that an ancient culture had to be oppressed just because some wealthy men wanted to be even richer.
Other then that, all the Australian I have meet so far seem to be just as I expected them to be, friendly, welcoming and laidback. Another thing I have noticed is that it appears that they are a more thankful people than the Norwegians. I get the feeling that they appreciate family and traditions more than we do. They also seem to have a completely different view on strangers. Maybe that is because tourism is a huge business and many are dependent on travellers here. I like to think that it’s because they’re just nicer than most people though!
I’m going into town now (I know… Crazy, right?) to meet some of the guys I met on the bus trip to Uluru.
Byeee! (I really have no idea how you end a blog post…)
Picture sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebrook/3652865917/in/pool-70793332@N00/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/68394487@N07/6224905490/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/amygoes211/3740695765/ & http://collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Australia/australia_movie_image.jpg
I could show you a hundred pictures of it, but you wouldn’t understand. It wasn’t just the orange coloured stone, it was the whole experience. When we got of the bus a tall man wearing some sort of hat made out of feathers and leather approached us. He told us that he was going to be our guide throughout the expedition.
At first we all thought his outfit was for entertainment’s sake, but the closer we got to the mountain, the more it seemed like he was really attached to Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock as he called it, in some kind of way. And not just in a “Oh, this is such a beautiful place! Let’s live here!” kind of way, but in a more, I don’t really know how to describe this but it was almost as he talked about Uluru the same way he would tell us about his son.
I was all “It’s a rock man, chill” at first, but when he started telling stories of how the natives believed it had healing powers and how they had special rituals that could only be done here, he had me mesmerized (and trust me, the whole group was just as spellbound as me). And just like we noticed how his voice changed when he talked about Ayer’s rock, his eyes would shine in a special way when someone ask questions allowing him to go deeper into the stories of the aboriginals.
His stories was beautifully illustrated by the cave painting surrounding us and on our way back he told us how European settlers had come to claim the land of Australia. It all started with the arrival of Captain James Cook back in 1770. In a well-known European manner he claimed the east coast of Australia on behalf of Britain, of course without including any of the interests of the people already living there. Later the Englishmen basically used the country as a prison for a large number of their convicts.
The majority of you have probably learned all this at school, and unless you are going to Australia in the nearest future and plan on impressing the locals with you knowledge, you most likely don’t want to hear me retell the history of Australia. Therefore I found this for those of you who’s actually interested:
He’s even Australian so you get to hear their lovely accent. It’s in seven parts so it covers more than the essentials.
Over to something completely different, cricket! On the bus ride home we stopped by a neighbour town to get some food, and behind the little cafeteria we ate in there was a cricket match going on so we decided to watch.
I think the players were about fourteen years old, each team had it’s own suit and name so I figured it was two school teams playing each other. It makes sense because the school year is different in Australia; summer vacation for us isn’t at the same time as theirs.
Cricket is a very popular sport down here, I guess it’s the colonization fault as cricket has its origins in England. It’s also a widespread sport in India, which supports my assumption. In fact England has had a lot of influence overall on Australia’s culture. I might not be the right person to comment on the consequences of colonization but it’s kind of sad that an ancient culture had to be oppressed just because some wealthy men wanted to be even richer.
Other then that, all the Australian I have meet so far seem to be just as I expected them to be, friendly, welcoming and laidback. Another thing I have noticed is that it appears that they are a more thankful people than the Norwegians. I get the feeling that they appreciate family and traditions more than we do. They also seem to have a completely different view on strangers. Maybe that is because tourism is a huge business and many are dependent on travellers here. I like to think that it’s because they’re just nicer than most people though!
I’m going into town now (I know… Crazy, right?) to meet some of the guys I met on the bus trip to Uluru.
Byeee! (I really have no idea how you end a blog post…)
Picture sources: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebrook/3652865917/in/pool-70793332@N00/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/68394487@N07/6224905490/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/amygoes211/3740695765/ & http://collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Australia/australia_movie_image.jpg
Flags and cute guys
Hi again!
Stupid me managed to get the time all wrong, turns out the bus doesn’t leave for two hours… So I figured I’d tell you a little about this amazing country I’m in!
First of all, let me show you their flag (let's just pretend you've never seen it before and really care about it's hidden meanings...):
Pretty cool, huh?
Each of the colours in Australia’s flag symbolizes different characteristics and values of the people.
The blue symbolizes truth, loyalty, perseverance, justice and vigilance. White is a symbol for peace and honesty, while the red represents bravery, strength, hardiness and spirit.
The star on the right refers to Australia’s position in the southern hemisphere. The bigger star underneath the flag of the United Kingdom is the star of the Commonwealth of Nations and it’s there simply because Australia is a part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The official name of Australia is even the Commonwealth of Australia.
The country is a former colony of the United Kingdom, which is symbolized through their flag in the top left corner. Since they were under the United Kingdom’s control at the time they were obligated to include it. It’s an ongoing debate in Australia regarding removal of the Union Jack, but so far nothing has been changed.
Over to something far more exiting, I might get to see Jesse Spencer when I get to Sydney!
Just look at the guy...
He is performing with Band from TV on Saturday! He is such a good actor (he plays a doctor on House which is one of my favourite TV series). I’d probably go to his concert even if he sucked to be honest. Hugh Laurie might be a contributing fact to that as he is also in Band from TV…
That's all for now!
Picture sources: http://daytranslations.com/images/Flag_of_Australia_svg.png & http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19600000/wallpaper-jennifer-morrison-and-jesse-spencer-19697993-1024-768.jpg
Stupid me managed to get the time all wrong, turns out the bus doesn’t leave for two hours… So I figured I’d tell you a little about this amazing country I’m in!
First of all, let me show you their flag (let's just pretend you've never seen it before and really care about it's hidden meanings...):
Pretty cool, huh?
Each of the colours in Australia’s flag symbolizes different characteristics and values of the people.
The blue symbolizes truth, loyalty, perseverance, justice and vigilance. White is a symbol for peace and honesty, while the red represents bravery, strength, hardiness and spirit.
The star on the right refers to Australia’s position in the southern hemisphere. The bigger star underneath the flag of the United Kingdom is the star of the Commonwealth of Nations and it’s there simply because Australia is a part of the Commonwealth of Nations. The official name of Australia is even the Commonwealth of Australia.
The country is a former colony of the United Kingdom, which is symbolized through their flag in the top left corner. Since they were under the United Kingdom’s control at the time they were obligated to include it. It’s an ongoing debate in Australia regarding removal of the Union Jack, but so far nothing has been changed.
Over to something far more exiting, I might get to see Jesse Spencer when I get to Sydney!
Just look at the guy...
He is performing with Band from TV on Saturday! He is such a good actor (he plays a doctor on House which is one of my favourite TV series). I’d probably go to his concert even if he sucked to be honest. Hugh Laurie might be a contributing fact to that as he is also in Band from TV…
That's all for now!
Picture sources: http://daytranslations.com/images/Flag_of_Australia_svg.png & http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19600000/wallpaper-jennifer-morrison-and-jesse-spencer-19697993-1024-768.jpg
10/22/2011
Soon on my way to Uluru!
I’m so exited! I just checked with the receptionist downstairs and she told me they have daily bus trips to Uluru! Even though the bus looks extremely old and dirty and all kinds of gross things I almost can’t wait to get on it!
I haven’t really done anything worth mentioning since last time. It’s mostly because there is literally nothing to do in this area. Nothing! Luckily they’ve got free Internet access and great food. Otherwise I’d probably have died of boredom by now…
Sorry for my lack of enthusiasm, I know I should be thankful for just being in Australia, but I could just as well have spent the last couple of days back in Norway. But you know what? I’ll stop this right now. Starting now I will stop all the whining and negativity and start exploring this amazing country for real! Also, now you can all stop thinking about me as a spoiled little brat ☺
Besides, I’m going to Uluru in one hour! I’ll tell you all about it when I get back!
P.S. I know there’s a lot if explanation marks in this post, but I can’t help it!!
Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uluru1_2003-11-21.jpg
I haven’t really done anything worth mentioning since last time. It’s mostly because there is literally nothing to do in this area. Nothing! Luckily they’ve got free Internet access and great food. Otherwise I’d probably have died of boredom by now…
Sorry for my lack of enthusiasm, I know I should be thankful for just being in Australia, but I could just as well have spent the last couple of days back in Norway. But you know what? I’ll stop this right now. Starting now I will stop all the whining and negativity and start exploring this amazing country for real! Also, now you can all stop thinking about me as a spoiled little brat ☺
Besides, I’m going to Uluru in one hour! I’ll tell you all about it when I get back!
P.S. I know there’s a lot if explanation marks in this post, but I can’t help it!!
Picture source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Uluru1_2003-11-21.jpg
10/15/2011
Airportwhining from a very hungry traveler
Wohoo! Can you guess where I am right now?! I’ll give you a hint, it's that continent you never remember the name of. At least I never do.
You know how I said I was planning a trip to Australia? (or maybe you don't, depends on whether you actually know me or if you're some random stalker from Russia) After two days of delays and bad weather I’m here! Going to Australia has always been a big dream of mine, but I’ve never been much of a saver so to afford the trip I had to find a cheap solution. Just to inform you; cheap flights from Trondheim to Australia isn’t something you just stumble over. Luckily, after searching the Internet for some (a lot! Seriously, you have no idea…) of hours I found an affordable flight!
Trondheim (Norway) – Amsterdam (Netherlands)– Darwin (Australia)– Alice Springs (Australia). Almost a full day of travelling, which really isn't too bad when your travelling over 15 000 km.
On schedule, excluding the flight time, it would be 1 hour and 20 minuets in Amsterdam, 6 hours and 45 minutes in Singapore (!) and then 3 hours and 5 minutes in Darwin before I would arrive in Alice Springs at half past nine in the morning. Only problem was; nothing was on time. I tried my very best to focus on this:
(The only picture of Alice Springs where it actually looks like a nice place...)
However, after being stuck in a surprisingly ugly airport (considering Singapore’s standards) I had a hard time saying “Thank you” when they finally let me on board. You guys probably don’t care about what I ate at the airports or how many weird people I had to sit with during the flight, so I’ll just skip that.
It’s now half past nine in the evening, and I’m so tired I could probably fall asleep on the back of a jumping elephant. My current location is Alice Springs, or “the Alice” as everyone who lives here calls it. Alice is located in the Northern Territory of Australia, and the main reason for me being in this city, (excuse me; town, as Wikipedia calls it, as there is only about 27 thousand inhabitants) is that it was what cost me the least to fly to.
Still, it’s kind of convenient because it isn’t so far from Uluru! Uluru is actually one of the major reasons for all the blow-ins in Alice Springs. If you don't know what a blow-in is, google it.
Tomorrow I’m going to find the fastest way out of here, but with my luck I’ll probably be stuck for another day or two before someone is willing to drive me somewhere else. Right now all I feel like doing (except sleeping) is calling room service to get a large chicken sandwich to stop that purple monster inside my stomach from making any more of those loud noises, or maybe I’ll get an icebox cake, anything containing carbs is fine with me right now.
Tune in again in a few days, I’ll keep you updated!
Picture sources:
http://www.tourism.thealice.com.au/photo-gallery.html, http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/images/fullsized/old-map-australia.png & http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/370205584_013d1995e6.jpg
And for those of you who couldn't figure out what a blown-in was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Springs#Itinerant_population, better luck next time. You can always google how to learn googling...
You know how I said I was planning a trip to Australia? (or maybe you don't, depends on whether you actually know me or if you're some random stalker from Russia) After two days of delays and bad weather I’m here! Going to Australia has always been a big dream of mine, but I’ve never been much of a saver so to afford the trip I had to find a cheap solution. Just to inform you; cheap flights from Trondheim to Australia isn’t something you just stumble over. Luckily, after searching the Internet for some (a lot! Seriously, you have no idea…) of hours I found an affordable flight!
Trondheim (Norway) – Amsterdam (Netherlands)– Darwin (Australia)– Alice Springs (Australia). Almost a full day of travelling, which really isn't too bad when your travelling over 15 000 km.
On schedule, excluding the flight time, it would be 1 hour and 20 minuets in Amsterdam, 6 hours and 45 minutes in Singapore (!) and then 3 hours and 5 minutes in Darwin before I would arrive in Alice Springs at half past nine in the morning. Only problem was; nothing was on time. I tried my very best to focus on this:
(The only picture of Alice Springs where it actually looks like a nice place...)
However, after being stuck in a surprisingly ugly airport (considering Singapore’s standards) I had a hard time saying “Thank you” when they finally let me on board. You guys probably don’t care about what I ate at the airports or how many weird people I had to sit with during the flight, so I’ll just skip that.
It’s now half past nine in the evening, and I’m so tired I could probably fall asleep on the back of a jumping elephant. My current location is Alice Springs, or “the Alice” as everyone who lives here calls it. Alice is located in the Northern Territory of Australia, and the main reason for me being in this city, (excuse me; town, as Wikipedia calls it, as there is only about 27 thousand inhabitants) is that it was what cost me the least to fly to.
Still, it’s kind of convenient because it isn’t so far from Uluru! Uluru is actually one of the major reasons for all the blow-ins in Alice Springs. If you don't know what a blow-in is, google it.
Tomorrow I’m going to find the fastest way out of here, but with my luck I’ll probably be stuck for another day or two before someone is willing to drive me somewhere else. Right now all I feel like doing (except sleeping) is calling room service to get a large chicken sandwich to stop that purple monster inside my stomach from making any more of those loud noises, or maybe I’ll get an icebox cake, anything containing carbs is fine with me right now.
Tune in again in a few days, I’ll keep you updated!
Picture sources:
http://www.tourism.thealice.com.au/photo-gallery.html, http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/images/fullsized/old-map-australia.png & http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/370205584_013d1995e6.jpg
And for those of you who couldn't figure out what a blown-in was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Springs#Itinerant_population, better luck next time. You can always google how to learn googling...
9/30/2011
Meningsfulle ord om iPod touch
iPod touch er designet i California, men produsert I Kina. Minnekapasiteten er 32 GB, noe som gjør den meget godt egnet for både musikk og video. I tillegg kan man laste ned tusenvis av underholdende spill og andre applikasjoner etter behov fra Appstore.
Jeg gikk lystig ned trappa til første etasje og satte meg ned på min faste plass ved frokostbordet. Jeg helte cornflakes i skålen min på autopilot. Jeg skulle akkurat til å komplimentere de sprø flakene med litt kald, økologisk melk fra Tine, da mor kom stormende inn. «Stopp!» utbrøt hun. Det var da jeg la merke til en plitter ny iPod som lå i skålen min, begravd under oransje flak. Tenk om jeg hadde helt melk på den, det hadde tatt seg ut!
Jeg gikk lystig ned trappa til første etasje og satte meg ned på min faste plass ved frokostbordet. Jeg helte cornflakes i skålen min på autopilot. Jeg skulle akkurat til å komplimentere de sprø flakene med litt kald, økologisk melk fra Tine, da mor kom stormende inn. «Stopp!» utbrøt hun. Det var da jeg la merke til en plitter ny iPod som lå i skålen min, begravd under oransje flak. Tenk om jeg hadde helt melk på den, det hadde tatt seg ut!
9/28/2011
My thoughts on "Blood Diamond"
I think Blood Diamond was a really god movie. Both because the story was so strong and because it was so well made. The actors did a great job making the characters seem real, especially Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou who played the main characters, Danny Artcher, Maddy Bowen and Solomon Vandy.
The film successfully managed to focus on many themes at the same time. Even though the civil war, smuggling and child soldiers dominated the happenings in Blood Diamond, love was still a very present theme. I loved how Danny Artcher was such a complex character and how it took so long before we got to know his past. I also really liked Jennifer Connelly’s character, and the way the relationship between her and Danny grew.
It was a very touching movie and I would recommend everyone to watch it!
Picture source: http://www.trailerdownload.net/resources/movies/blood-diamond/wallpapers/cash/Blood%20Diamond-wallpaper-270990.jpg
The film successfully managed to focus on many themes at the same time. Even though the civil war, smuggling and child soldiers dominated the happenings in Blood Diamond, love was still a very present theme. I loved how Danny Artcher was such a complex character and how it took so long before we got to know his past. I also really liked Jennifer Connelly’s character, and the way the relationship between her and Danny grew.
It was a very touching movie and I would recommend everyone to watch it!
Picture source: http://www.trailerdownload.net/resources/movies/blood-diamond/wallpapers/cash/Blood%20Diamond-wallpaper-270990.jpg
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