Visitors from the US embassy

Today we had a lovely visit from the US embassy. We had the safety officer talk about his past and American culture and values. He mentioned a lot of times that the USA is all. They are all, which means that America is very multicultured. He is right, USA has immigrants from all over the world, including Norway. He loves Norway, especially because we have a good education system. It is very important to him that his kids get a good education. He himself has ancestors originating from Ireland. He was proud to have that background because they were hard working.

Goodbye Christopher Robin

 

1. A.A. Milne was a soldier under WW1, the war to end all wars. Describe the role of the soldier under WW1 and the trauma they experienced.

During World War 1 many soldiers experienced unhuman scenarios, therefore, PTSD was a common Syndrome amongst former veterans caused by the war. The soldiers were willing to sacrifice themselves to end all wars, but as we know today, it appeared a second World War. WW1 is known for the tactical fighting method where trenches and weapons such as poisonous gas, also referred to as an invisible weapon.

2. How many soldiers died during WW1?

There is estimated around 15-19 million, who died during the war.

3. When he returned for war, how did he adjust?

He came to realise that his fathers writing actually meant something to others. It made people happy. He felt joy when realising that his childhood reminded others of their childhood and their happiness.

4. Happiness, what makes you happy? What did Christopher Robin want from his parents?

Christopher wanted his parents to care for him and love him. He needed attention. He hated it when his mother left.

5. Why did Christopher Robin have such trouble with the characters in his father’s books?

He was angry that people got to share his childhood and his stuffed animals. He wanted his own childhood.

6. What was his relationship with his father?

At the beginning of the movie, he had a good relationship with his mother and the nanny. He wasn’t allowed to speak to his father when he was writing. There were several events where his father had flashbacks, which made Christopher scared. When the mother and nanny left, Christopher was left with his father. Their relationship had a slow start but became a very strong one. They had a good time, but Christopher missed his nanny. A short time after the mother and nanny came back, his father started publishing his poems about Christopher and his animals. They became more distant to each other, Christopher became famous, and his father had to write more. Christopher got sent to a boarding school, where he lived with boys only. When he came back from the school, years later, Christopher was furious over his father. He hated him for ruining his childhood. The only way he could repay him was by sending him to the military. After his duty, Christopher came to realise that his father’s writings made people happy. This made Christopher happy.

7. What was his relationship with his nanny, how did it develop in the movie?

He loved his nanny, she was there his whole life. They did everything together, mainly because of his parents not being there for him. He hated it when she was leaving, he even wanted her sacked. When she came home he was happy and full of joy

8. Christopher Robin went to a private boarding school. Describe life at an all boys school before WW2.

The life was harsh, the boys were getting prepared to go to war. They lived a strict life, with no parents. They had to follow rules and be prepared to do duty later on.

9. Write a post on your blog where you share your thoughts about the movie, using some of the words highlighted here as your point of departure.

The movie started as his father being a famous writer. He grew up as a wealthy child, with no siblings. Just two parents and a nanny. His father wrote about the WW1, which was the war to end all wars. Sadly this did not happen. The movie really reflects on what happiness really is. Christopher was happy with the life he had in the country, but not his glamours and famous life. His mother felt happy when she was out partying. The nanny was in love, and Blue loved writing with his son. Happiness can be found in different places and forms. Some have found it, others not. Christopher had good relationships with his father and nanny. Mostly nanny because she was there ever since he was born. She was more like a mother than his actual mother. His father was there for him when the nanny and mother left.

Ellis Island & Famous Immigrant

The Story:

Those who came to Ellis Island were immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. They came to the US to escape poverty and the reøegios intolerance. There were over 3,000 people who sailed across the ocean. The trip itself lasted for 2 weeks. Most of the immigrants didn’t speak English. When the boat arrived people were cheering for the immigrants. The boat got checked for diseases. The first one to leave the boat was a 15-year-old girl. Only 75% of those who came with the boat, actually went to Ellis Island

After the arrival, they went on to the baggage room, where officers would inspect their luggage. The whole procedure took just a few hours even though none of the immigrants could talk English

In the registry room, the officers could decide there and then if the people could come into the country or had to go through further investigations. Doctors used a button hook to lift up the eyelids, to look for diseases. The Doctors would check people who limped or were short to breathe. If someone was considered a risk to the public health, the doctors would mark their patients with a P or X. P stood for lung problems, X stood for insanity. A total of 120,000 people were sent back, due to illness. The immigrants got questioned 29 questions about themselves, such as where are you from. For some, the Ellis Island was an Isle of hope, for others, it was an Isle of tears.

 

BOB HOPE

Bob arrived in 1908, from Bristol England. He came with his family. They came to New York but later moved to Cleveland. in Ohio. He became a star on Broadway, Tv and Radio. He entertained military forces and got declared first and only honorary veteran of the US armed forces.

 

CHARLES BERGLUND

He went there alone. He went there and became a doctor. His first job was at Ellis Island, where he inspected the sick ones who came from overseas. He later became a surgeon in Miami, where he became a rich investor.

Is America The still the land of opportunity?

The Spread of English

Why is English a World Language?

Like French, Spanish and Mandarin, English is one of the most spoken and used languages in the world. English is the 3rd most spoken language in the world after Mandarin and Spanish. Mandarin has over 1.3 billion native speakers and hundreds of millions worldwide. Back in the 1600s, the British Empire travelled around to build up new colonies, the biggest ones were India, Australia and Northern America.

Today, more and more people are learning English. Either if it is through movies, politics or school there is almost always something written in English. After WW 2, the USA had a huge impact on the way the world knows English. With several movies and tv-series being released every year, more and more people got to know the language. In India, learning English has become essential for later use. The technological world is becoming more of a ”one language” world. In business, English is the most used language.

3 varieties of English:

English is spread all over the world, and of course, there are different types of dialects and accents. The English language has been spread all over the world since the 1600s, ever since the British Empire conquered several countries and made them their colonies. Today, we have other ways of spreading the language. The language is important within business and jobs in general, therefore there have been

Indian English is different than the other two languages down below. In India, English is their 1st language but there are still millions who don’t speak it. Hindu is one of the official languages in India alongside English. Just like Australia, India was a British Colony. This means their language is heavily affected by English.

American English is known for being bold and not as posh as British English. English is their official language. America is a large country and contains a lot of dialects. There are Western, Southern, Northan and many more accents and dialects.

Australian English is a dialect, often referred to as an accent. The accent comes from English settlers who had a different dialect than the typical posh dialect. Pronunciation has developed over the years, new words and grammar have also come a long way. Here is a list over their new words;

American – Australian

Trunk – Boot

Shopping Cart – Trolley

Diapers – Nappey

How can I improve my English?

1. I have spoken to Ann and looked at one or more of my blog posts with her

I have, we talked about small grammar mistakes. I have improved this by looking over the text every time I write a blog post or an exam.

2. I have written my plans for improving my English, how I have been working with English and what I can do better

My plan is to focus on my sentence build up. Where I should put certain words and sentence marks (punctuations and commas).

3. This is my goal for English this year, grade and achievement.

My main goal is to go from a 5 to a 6. As of now, I believe that the only reason for my ‘Termin Karakter’ to be a 5, was because of my exam. I was silly enough to choose 1 task that I was not supposed to do. Sadly that held me back from a 6, but I am still motivated to get a 6.

4. This is my opinion on the Ask software.

I like the idea of Ask, but English is not that good. They have grammar mistakes and basic mistakes. I would rather watch English movies and videos online. I learned 80% of my English from YouTube. So I don’t need the Ask.

 

The Promodo Technique

The Promodo Technique is a learning technique. It originates from the 1980s and is used to stop procrastination and make students or workers more efficient with their work. It is designed to boost results.

Here is a short list of how to use the technique:

1. Get rid of every form of distractions, this could be your phone, radio or maybe people around you. As long as it can prevent your efficiency, get rid of it.
2. Set a time of 25 minutes. Try to not use your phone for this part.
3. After working for 25 minutes you are welcome to take a break. Do something that will put your mind on something else. The break can be between 5-10 minutes. Don’t make it too long!
4. Repeat the process for some time, and you will get results!

 

I have used the technique myself and I am very happy with my results in School. I even went as far as selling my Playstation 4. This was a big distraction because playing games were so fun. Nowadays I work out or study til fill the ”lost” time.

SPENT

• A talk afterwards about cultural differences, working life, and the welfare state.

The welfare state has a lot to say. In the US you have to pay for almost nothing. It is easier to get a job here in Norway.

• What events in the game do you think could not happen in Norway? Why?

It is not normal to get pulled over by the cops and then go to court. It is not normal to get stopped on the way to work by someone who wants you to join their union.

• What things are different in Spent in relation to Norwegian conditions?

You have to borrow a lot of money, and it looks like it is easier to not pay for a certain bill. This includes car insurance or rent.

• Is it the way it is to be poor in Norway too? Why?

It’s easier to be poor in Norway because the government tries to help you out. If you become homeless you have the chance of working and go to rehab.

Girls Fight Against Climate Change

Last week I was unfortunately ill and gone from school. My fellow classmates talked with two classes, one from Israel and one from India. They talked about their issues regarding climate change and their solutions. We posted answers to our teacher Ann’s questions. A class from Australia gave us feedback to our answers.

In Australia, there is a major problem with droughts, fires, high temperatures and electricity shortages. The people of South Australian have come up with some solutions for these problems. They use wind turbines and solar panels to simulate electricity. They have also banned plastic bags. Several fast food restaurants have banned plastic straws. In Oslo, McDonald’s have started using paper straws.

 

Bye bye plastic bags.

In today’s class, we watched a TED talk by two young girls. They were talking about the plastic bag issue in Bali. The problem is the quantity of plastic bags on the island. The girl’s plan is to recycle everything. They started a campaign that spread over the whole island. They got help from both local and international schools. The word spread, and they tried to get their government involved. Sadly they failed the first time. This gave them the idea of getting signatures from as many as possible. Their plan was to get 1 million signatures, to not get ”ignored” by the government. Fortunately, they did not get ignored. They made a plan with the governor that the plastic bag problem would be gone by 2018.

Students in Belgium walk-in protest against EU Climate Politics

In Sweden, a young girl held a speech about the future of our climate. A girl in Belgium caught on and started a protest. They demand the EU increase its effort against climate change. They protested by striking school and walked in the capital. The girl got several thousand of students behind her. They used posters with humour and sarcasm to show their thoughts on the situation.  Earlier, there has been a protest in Paris. The ”Yellow Vests” protest. This is also against EU climate politics. The walk in Brussels ended up in front of the EU Headquarters. I think this strengthens the word they are trying to put out there. As a youth, I am inspired by my peers. They have really managed to tell the world that we are facing a major problem.

Watch the video under:

http://time.com/5514197/belgium-climate-change-protests/

 

Brexit

Facts vs Fear

The Media has used more fear than facts. This means that they have used the people’s feelings. They have spread scary news, where they are referring to things that will happen if Britain stays in the EU. One is peoples jobs. The media said that if they keep on staying in, several jobs will be lost.

Brexit explained in roughly 50 words.

Brexit or ‘Britains Exit’ is Britain leaving the European Union,. Politicians like Boris Jonson voted for the ‘Leave’ button. If Britain exit the EU, trading will become harder to proceed. Several jobs will be lost, as big companies will move their HQ’s away from London and out the other EU countries. Nobody really knows what is going to happen to migrants, as people who live in EU countries can work in other EU countries without a Visa.

Trumps Wall

1. What is the story behind the wall?

Donald Trump wants to keep illegal immigrants away from the United States. He also doesn’t want drug trades and criminals to flood the streets of America. His solution is to build a BIG wall. Huge, as he likes to call it.

2. Why is it so important?

It is important to build the wall so that the Government don’t have to use time, money and resources on crime removal, deportations and new employment. Those who come in as migrants are in need of jobs.

3. What is a government shutdown? Is this the first time this happens?

A government shutdown occurs when the Congress fails to appropriate funds. An example, if a country experiences a hurricane the country often go in a state of emergency. Which follows up with a shutdown. This is not the first time. It happened back in 2013

4. Are there any similarities to the building a wall along the Mexican border and Brexit?

In theory yes. Physically, no. The point is to keep people whos not part of a country or union, away from their country. In Ireland and Northern-Irland, the border will keep migrants from getting in free.

5. Who is affected by this shutdown?

Government workers.

6. What does the “Buck stops with me” mean

It means taking responsibility. It usually occurs when several people pass on a problem, but then one take full responsibility.