tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22479046044146138902024-03-13T01:44:32.876-07:00International EnglishSarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-5461225203836800792012-06-12T01:44:00.000-07:002012-06-12T01:44:48.481-07:00What It Was Like Using Internet During The Exam<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Two weeks
ago, I had my International English exam with the help of the World Wide Web.
In my last blog post, I wrote that I thought having this Internet access would
be of great help. And I think I was right. While I still don't know what my
grade will be, I think I used the Internet as much as I could to do my exam as
well as I could. For example: One of the tasks on the exam was to analyze a
text and point out how it was a persuasive text. In that task, I used two
different websites to find several good literary devices used to persuade readers,
which I included in my answer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In another
task, I decided to compare two conflicts that appeared in two different movies,
that both took place in multicultural societies. I used the movie "The
Great Debaters" and "Gran Torino". The conflict in "The
Great Debaters" was segregation, where the main characters experience what
it's like being the suppressed subculture. To write a few good paragraphs about
this, I needed some facts about the black immigration and their living
conditions, in addition to statistics on how many blacks moved from the farms to
the cities. In other words, this is not information I would know without doing
some research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-14021300854365453542012-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:002012-05-03T11:35:12.727-07:00My views on using Internet during the exam<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Unlike Maths,
an English exam is not something you can really cheat on. Often, there is no
right and wrong answer, because you usually include your own opinions and
discussions in the exam. However, one should also make sure to add some facts
to the paper, to make it more interesting and reliable. These facts can be
found on the World Wide Web.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGavljFQiSv6HTdvw8I4zad2DoAfkMBJr3H0VfdLTSxJuz4uepqn3fAu8CZFe9wlfBXoJpya0PZ_Ww70ZbpD5sN_rTtbJSWl-unwbDfpu89qObwKU5zF1DYS-IbcTiXQ0PDn4nl2bqnMLz/s1600/www.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGavljFQiSv6HTdvw8I4zad2DoAfkMBJr3H0VfdLTSxJuz4uepqn3fAu8CZFe9wlfBXoJpya0PZ_Ww70ZbpD5sN_rTtbJSWl-unwbDfpu89qObwKU5zF1DYS-IbcTiXQ0PDn4nl2bqnMLz/s320/www.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Google</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On previous
English exams, all you could do was guess what the topic for the exam would be.
Then you would spend time the days </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">before</i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> the exam doing research on the
Internet, and making notes to yourself about the “imagined" topic.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I think that
letting us use Internet <i>during</i> the exam would be of great help. When you
know the exact topic, you will be able to find a lot of great and useful
information, to make the paper more reflected.
All you have to know is where to look for it. We should embrace the
technology we have, and make the most of it! In almost every subject I have at school, I use the
internet. Psychology, marketing, Norwegian, history..the list goes on. Internet is also of great help when I write texts and blog posts in English-class. It helps me
get inspired to write, and I really do believe that our exams will be a lot
more enjoyable to read if we used the Internet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGCfnmzyuh5pT0Ty5uMgDXmbOYo0KqsTlPTe-NEhlxS19hGs4jmSR2m-TXRPgO8Z_G46xpEoeDcfuLvPXy1pOek9pg-SiRBbRtEycvS7Th9GCz04xyffuEVhIgKKWwd-BTGKYUVcUla5F/s1600/laptop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGCfnmzyuh5pT0Ty5uMgDXmbOYo0KqsTlPTe-NEhlxS19hGs4jmSR2m-TXRPgO8Z_G46xpEoeDcfuLvPXy1pOek9pg-SiRBbRtEycvS7Th9GCz04xyffuEVhIgKKWwd-BTGKYUVcUla5F/s400/laptop1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Google</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div>
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When this is said,
it is imporant to make sure what we read off the Internet is correct. This we
can do by using more than three different sources. When researching a specific topic, I'll often
use Wikipedia, but it's important to remember to use other websites as well ,
such as articles written on <a href="http://bbc.com/">bbc.com</a> or <a href="http://cnn.com/">cnn.com</a>. <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/">CIA</a> (Central Intelligence
Agency) World Factbook is also a trustworthy website, as the information on this
website is written by "well-qualified people in nearly all fields of
study". However, this does not mean one can copy the exact same sentences
from these websites, and paste it into their own paper. What I like to do, is
first read about the topic on several different websites, and find facts and
details that I find fascinating. Then I try to rephrase what I've read, by
using my own words.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHyvOlA99PBbKwUsMUn_X5QfVZjabUIuyk8wD0aTplKhgS7iK7ZBJkpJqBGVrQ2XPO3pgmlxuDsxUjI9s6XMrpA3mub2Z2usdIJEA0nwtGrNwhy8ztSTbxD6ll6hiCtmvl0VZRwELJy0y/s1600/words2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHyvOlA99PBbKwUsMUn_X5QfVZjabUIuyk8wD0aTplKhgS7iK7ZBJkpJqBGVrQ2XPO3pgmlxuDsxUjI9s6XMrpA3mub2Z2usdIJEA0nwtGrNwhy8ztSTbxD6ll6hiCtmvl0VZRwELJy0y/s320/words2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Google</i></td></tr>
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When writing, I also
try to avoid using the same words repeatedly. I'll often use Google to find synonyms. For example, I could
write "Lucky + synonym". It gives me 184,000 results, in 0.29
seconds. Now I know that other alternatives to the word "lucky",
could be: advantegous, beneficial, blessed, serendipotous, or fortunate.
Sometimes I like to finish with a good question or quote, like the this one
that I found at <a href="http://www.quotegarden.com/">www.quotegarden.com</a>:</div>
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<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Give a person a fish
and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they
won't bother you for weeks. ~Author Unknown </i></div>
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<br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-46558027282835034172012-05-02T07:09:00.002-07:002012-05-02T07:09:48.677-07:00Lesotho - Our trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauOV4vZRHig15v0ZGLtBdg27Iy6D9cEhiNethQRT2KMTzqH-hdf7dz-ykCiJ5MKiagFKGxMdyGNSaRhH-qYOiYdVQkkjy82tskFDL1nagAj1kxea2kQJgL5nT6NcOrgxRwvze21wa7aXb/s1600/IMG_3285k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauOV4vZRHig15v0ZGLtBdg27Iy6D9cEhiNethQRT2KMTzqH-hdf7dz-ykCiJ5MKiagFKGxMdyGNSaRhH-qYOiYdVQkkjy82tskFDL1nagAj1kxea2kQJgL5nT6NcOrgxRwvze21wa7aXb/s640/IMG_3285k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In a short while I'll be adding a blogpost about our trip to Lesotho, and the impressions it made on me. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-11163213525922971312012-01-29T13:05:00.000-08:002012-01-29T13:07:54.335-08:00The Great Debaters - the pen is mightier than the sword<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">L</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ast Tuesday we watched the inspiring movie "The Great Debaters" (2007) directed by Denzel Washington, and produced by Oprah Winfrey. The movie is based on an </span><a href="http://www.americanlegacymag.com/debaters.pdf" style="font-size: 11pt;">article</a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> written in a magazine called "American Legacy". This magazine covers subjects of African-American history and culture, and it was in the Spring 1997 issue, that an article was written about the Wiley College 1935 debate team. But to what extent is this movie inspired and based on a true story?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E8UTO4nWOrRnie4E51kTomiN3ifgHSWHFnquYi_WM3SwWIAy6l7rBCKSykeLomIA_4jlLq570JizJILcZQDEzGLRqHjSSVdXmbMT0Q9dOUzoWFRFnPADpqmBk6yUR_yk1s-ulkcp1nKp/s1600/melvintolson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1E8UTO4nWOrRnie4E51kTomiN3ifgHSWHFnquYi_WM3SwWIAy6l7rBCKSykeLomIA_4jlLq570JizJILcZQDEzGLRqHjSSVdXmbMT0Q9dOUzoWFRFnPADpqmBk6yUR_yk1s-ulkcp1nKp/s320/melvintolson.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melvin Tolson. Source: Google Images</span></td></tr>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is a fact that the successful debate team was coached by professor and poet Melvin Tolson (played by Denzel Washington), and that Wiley College, in the town of Marshall, Texas, was a real black college. It is what you call a historically black college, established with the intention of serving the black community. The movie is set in the 1930's, an era of segregation in the US. Melvin Tolson was described as a person of impressive intellect, by students who admired him. Despite it being a turbulent time for blacks in the US, he encouraged his students to stand up for their rights, and express themselves through words. The members on the real 1935 debate team were: James L. Farmer jr, (being the captain of the team and only 14 years old), Hamilton Boswell and Henry Heights. I read an <a href="http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=bd4739cf29b29cb13e297967e8a97a95">article</a> online written by the daughter of Hamilton Boswell, who says that there never was a girl on the debate team. I choose to believe this source, but I have read on other websites that there actually was a female member, named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Bell_Wells">Henrietta Bell Wells. </a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Farmer,_Jr.">JamesL.Farmer jr </a>is the most renowned member of the debate team. In the movie, he is shocked to see his respectful father humiliated by a white man, and not doing anything. This is partly true, as something similar happened in real life. The father of James L.Farmer had to lie to a manager of a train in order to get a bedroom. James L.Farmer had been just as shocked as the movie depicted. The event on the train was when Farmer began to dedicate his life to the end of segregation. In 1942, James L.Farmer founded the Congress of Racial Equality. He continued debating, and once said: <i>"I debated Malcolm X four times and beat him. I'd think, come off it, Malcolm, you can't win. You didn't come up under Tolson</i>". <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In the movie, the debate team makes it to the national championship. This also happened in real life, but the opponent was not Harvard University. After having met and won over countless black and white universities, they met the Trojans on April the 1st. They were the national championships, and were students at the University of Southern California. Before a mixed audience of 2000 people, they won the debate. How I would have loved to see that debate! I read an <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/5047963502/sizes/l/in/photostream/">article</a> written by Hobart Jarrett a professor from Texas who described what one had to do during a debate: "<i>The debater must be able to escape from the most perplexing dilemmas and antinomies. Every man must learn to take it as well as give it. He must be able to think coolly under fire. The platform can be a very hot place, especially in an interracial debate.</i>"<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">I stumbled upon USC's </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(University of Southern Carolina) website, and I found some interesting information. Four days ago, it was announced on the website that their Trojan debate squad would be going to Texas on January the 27th, for a rematch of the famous debate between USC and Wiley College! The situation is a whole lot different today, but it would be great fun if Wiley won again. The students from Wiley say they are humbled to be a part of this, and to be representing Wiley. Read more about it here: </span><a href="http://uscnews.usc.edu/university/trojan_debate_squad_set_for_great_debaters_rematch.html" style="font-size: 11pt;">http://uscnews.usc.edu/university/trojan_debate_squad_set_for_great_debaters_rematch.html</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Sources:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Tolson">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Tolson</a> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_College#Debate_Team">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_College#Debate_Team</a> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wileyc.edu/wileydebaters/release/ShowRelease.asp?ReleaseID=119">http://www.wileyc.edu/wileydebaters/release/ShowRelease.asp?ReleaseID=119</a> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.brianrwright.com/Coffee_Coaster/02_Movie_Reviews/2008/080523_Great_Debaters.htm">http://www.brianrwright.com/Coffee_Coaster/02_Movie_Reviews/2008/080523_Great_Debaters.htm</a> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/education/05wiley.html?pagewanted=all">http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/education/05wiley.html?pagewanted=all</a> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-18867581072328781672012-01-17T03:58:00.000-08:002012-01-23T08:53:27.024-08:00Lamb to the Slaughter<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSSadwF2ruOwsU6tBStvVvC0V8WDHb1YRVZfOKaj1VkiJvboFq8mrqzV4A1UiUjVizswH1FKyepuL5YAkXAkOzD8vEH_lCRrBMzLwUePid0XbF5hvf7rkKJX9rPoXVGSZlejPPfNUYv8y/s1600/lamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSSadwF2ruOwsU6tBStvVvC0V8WDHb1YRVZfOKaj1VkiJvboFq8mrqzV4A1UiUjVizswH1FKyepuL5YAkXAkOzD8vEH_lCRrBMzLwUePid0XbF5hvf7rkKJX9rPoXVGSZlejPPfNUYv8y/s320/lamb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18pt;">T</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">oday we read the short story "</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_to_the_Slaughter"><span lang="EN-US">Lamb to the Slaughter</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">", (written by Roald Dahl) and after that we watched the Alfred Hitchcock version. I preferred the original short story a lot more than the screen version. This is because I liked the way the short story was written, with little dialog and a lot of good descriptions. Here is an example that I liked: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">"</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man, and to feel-almost as a sunbather feels the sun- that warm male glow that came out of him to her when they were alone together"</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8q_8qoOkVe6wkM5UggfzVuBp3xfsHbcTYakQYksU1h4mEhq891hE7rfMl-OrupYP1NEReoBHmMeuj9wz4Z1SEBrxb2hCBnouSLvi8AaXnfuBPui080hYpRvYXmVflZvk7EPX_7MQBxpb/s1600/sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8q_8qoOkVe6wkM5UggfzVuBp3xfsHbcTYakQYksU1h4mEhq891hE7rfMl-OrupYP1NEReoBHmMeuj9wz4Z1SEBrxb2hCBnouSLvi8AaXnfuBPui080hYpRvYXmVflZvk7EPX_7MQBxpb/s200/sheep.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The policemen ate the evidence</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I think this sentence had an interesting comparison, and it also truly shows how much he meant to her. Unfortunately, I don't this is something that was as easy to see in the film. I know that it is not possible to read the characters' thoughts on film, but there are certain scenes I don't think they should have excluded. For example at the very beginning of the short-story, where Mary's "blissful part of the day" was described. I </span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">liked</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> the Mary in the short story better than in the film, because she wasn't as frantic and annoying towards Patrick.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I did not expect the story to end the way it did, so I was rather surprised. However, this surprising ending made the short story interesting and fun. While reading it, I didn't understand why she put the meat in the oven, but it turned out to be a great way to remove the evidence. </span></span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-10274002311367391112011-12-20T02:29:00.001-08:002012-01-08T05:32:04.189-08:00Living In Norway<div style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YscloS99pYQ/TvUH14VIAMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/TZp8UNIDWYM/s1600/norway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YscloS99pYQ/TvUH14VIAMI/AAAAAAAAAEE/TZp8UNIDWYM/s320/norway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>W</b></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">hat's it like living in Norway? </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When foreigners hear "Norway", they might think : cold, polar bears, and beautiful mountains. Others might not even know anything about Norway! However, if that's the case, I hope you'll learn a bit more about Norway after reading this blog post! I'm </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">a student from Oslo, and I've lived in Norway nearly all my life. I started in kindergarden when I was around 4, followed by elementry school, secondary school, and now high school. Norway is a small, but great country to live in, although we sometimes tend to forget it. </span><br />
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</div><div style="font-size: 11pt;">In Norway, we have everything we need.Thanks to the oil we've found outside our coast, we are one of the richest countries in the world. Tourists who travel to Norway come to see the beautful scenery, but are shocked by the high prices here. Oslo was recently announced as the <a href="http://www.citymayors.com/economics/expensive_cities2.html">the most expensive city in the world! </a></div><div style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11pt;">For a year, my family lived in Australia. When people heard I was from Norway, they'd ask: "Can you speak Norway? Or Norwish? Or what language do you speak there?" In Norway we speak Norwegian! It is closely related to Swedish and Danish, and speakers the three languages should be able to understand each other well..However, out of personal experience, this is not always entirely true. I think a lot of Norwegians find it hard to understand Danish, and the other way around. </div></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Norway is divided into 19 different regions, and in these regions you will find dialects of the Norwegian language. I speak what we call "Bokmål", and it is what everyone else around Oslo also will speak. Norwegians from Stavanger, in the region Rogaland will speak with a "Stavangersk"-dialect. It's quite fascinating to listen to, as I'm not really that used to it!<br />
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</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-25543354558988814122011-12-20T02:15:00.000-08:002011-12-28T05:56:20.115-08:00Our Lesotho Project<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjtIn4azI4UxioC9Fa52SSYg1x5tif6DJv24aB97vTdBWKE0i27YSbbGq_bbXrzHK_4spROAw-KGYXIo6UPbs-Xk-AO3V9PhmT8sMY-ehTvtfSdbg0qcBl1kb1y38D79LUY4KwCBJx8EH/s1600/africa+map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjjtIn4azI4UxioC9Fa52SSYg1x5tif6DJv24aB97vTdBWKE0i27YSbbGq_bbXrzHK_4spROAw-KGYXIo6UPbs-Xk-AO3V9PhmT8sMY-ehTvtfSdbg0qcBl1kb1y38D79LUY4KwCBJx8EH/s1600/africa+map.gif" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b>wo weeks ago we started an exciting project called Project Lesotho. Lesotho is a small, landlocked country in South Africa. Being surrounded by South Africa, their main economy is based on the exportation of diamonds and water sold to these countries. Despite this exportation, the country still suffers from poverty, and it is causing bad living conditions. The poverty combined with AIDS has caused the median age to be 22,9 years. Lesotho has the third highest HIV prevalence in the world!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In April 2011, a teacher at a primary school from Lesotho visited an International English class. She told them about the school she teaches at, and the situation they are in. The school is called Mamoeketsi primary school, and it has around 800 pupils. Their classrooms are really small, so in order to move around, the students have to walk on the desks. They now have 5 computers, but no Internet. This is where we want to help!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To show their gratitude to last years International English class, the students at Mamoketsi primary school sent letters. Our class sat together in a large circle, where we read all of them. It was touching, inspiring and very motivating! After reading the letters, we split our class up in different groups. I'm in a group that is in charge of marketing. How do we draw attention to our project? We made a group on Facebook, and we now have 39 "likes" on the page. You can like us <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Lesotho/128717280574348?ref=ts">here</a>! We also made a twitter-account, make sure that you <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ProjectLesotho">follow</a> us! We will be posting the latest news and updates on how we are doing with our project! </span><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Tuesday all the groups made buns and brewed coffee that we sold at different places. While some groups sold at our school or in Oslo, my group decided to meet up at the train station in Sandvika, 07:15. Unfortunately, students from another school were already there selling exactly the same as us! Despite this, we still earned 600 kroner. Everything helps I guess.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most exciting part about this project is that we've recieved funding from Akershus Fylkeskommune, and 3 students will be able to go Lesotho in March 2012!!</span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-12422079459433757182011-12-06T10:37:00.000-08:002012-01-03T01:55:40.919-08:00The Use (Or Abuse) Of Social Media<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>S</b></span>tatistics show that social networking dominates our time spent online. Sites that are frequently used are Facebook and Twitter, and having an account on both these websites, I can confirm that those are the websites I spend the most time on. Today there are more than 800 million active users on Facebook, and no less than 1 billion tweets are posted per week. But why have these sites become so popular, and what are the pros and cons of them? Although these sites can be really time-consuming, I cannot picture myself not having a Facebook account. This is quite a scary thought, but it has actually become a big part of (especially) teenagers’ lives. To illustrate this point, I was shocked when an adult relative recently asked me “How do I add people on Facebook?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nxCODG0HEcoKrVK7Q49E3iCuv3FHW6T7tLNz9KJffmZR6HdCDkYulqkHRQRNV0WBeSykEhC0H8UjBVIw-vFSHypiHoCHr4wEDm_wENFCUVPRMEDj6mvOACZiMbEu948v4U1AqFpfef-b/s1600/students+computers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nxCODG0HEcoKrVK7Q49E3iCuv3FHW6T7tLNz9KJffmZR6HdCDkYulqkHRQRNV0WBeSykEhC0H8UjBVIw-vFSHypiHoCHr4wEDm_wENFCUVPRMEDj6mvOACZiMbEu948v4U1AqFpfef-b/s400/students+computers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Google.</i> Why do <b>you</b> use Facebook?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think one of the main reasons people use Facebook is to read the recent updates, create a network, keep in touch with friends, <i>see</i> and be <i>seen.</i> You wouldn’t want to miss seeing the funny picture your friend posted, or the other friend’s changed relationship status. You want to avoid having the feeling you get when a group of people are talking about a TV show you have never seen. No one likes to feel excluded, and I am convinced that the majority of teenagers joined Facebook because “everyone else was there”. <i> </i>I remember when I was younger; although no one ever mentioned it, everyone knew that it was important to have a lot of friends on Facebook, even if this meant adding people you had only met once, and not really spoken to. Luckily things are not like that anymore, and most people have understood that the website can be a great way to learn new things as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing to remember is that a big part of what is written on Facebook is unnecessary information. But it is important to add that Facebook and Twitter can also be used for other things, such as taking part in interesting discussions, and reading posts written by politicians. A lot of people find it exciting and fun being able to participate in debates, and have other people read your thoughts and opinions. It has become a platform where we, as consumers, can read about what companies are working with, and what they are selling. Like I’ve written on my blog, the social media is a great place for companies to market their products, without any costs. The best way to reach the young target group is not through newspapers, TV or radio, but through social media. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like lecturer Cecilie Staude talked about in her presentation, one should always keep in mind and take into consideration that anyone can read your posts, and you should never post offensive things. The same goes for pictures that could get you in trouble in the future, for example when you start looking for a job. If a person already has a job, posting inappropriate things can lead to negative consequences if your boss sees it. You’d think this was common sense, but there have been situations where people of higher authority have posted statuses on social media, that they have gotten in trouble for.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether Facebook should be used and allowed in school, I am not sure. As mentioned, it can be very time-consuming, and if you lack self-discipline it might give you difficulties with paying attention in class. However, having reached the age of 17, we should be able to control the use of social media during lessons (if we are not supposed to use them). In addition to social media perhaps negatively affecting your concentration, it might decrease your motivation when working with tasks in class, and result in you wasting valuable time where you could have been working.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8PjMC51N2QvkUILZhs-UzlR4Md0YUOYE84s78xpiYTT8qlfyDd_Tspist4FXQtlIzM-XFh9S3TSEr5U8KwgqWt4iRIPoUjf07iKlxlHXC4ddaLFdWwynWK-dQKdFAgksXV0EAz1RBx9L/s1600/laptop+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8PjMC51N2QvkUILZhs-UzlR4Md0YUOYE84s78xpiYTT8qlfyDd_Tspist4FXQtlIzM-XFh9S3TSEr5U8KwgqWt4iRIPoUjf07iKlxlHXC4ddaLFdWwynWK-dQKdFAgksXV0EAz1RBx9L/s320/laptop+books.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image from Google. </i>Do you think the computer makes you unfocused in class?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some teachers are strictly against the use of social media in class, and I think it would definitely take some time for them to adjust if the rules were changed, but that is beside the point. My point is that instead of closing the internet and forbidding the use of social media in class, permitting the use of social media could cause an opposite effect on the students. When taking away the opportunity we have of checking our Facebooks, we are immediately more tempted to do so. When letting us do as we want, the temptation is removed, and we won’t feel that urge anymore. By doing this, the teachers are also giving the students more freedom, and the chance to show responsibility. If a student fails to do so, the student should realize that his or her bad grade might have something to do with the lack of interest and attention they have paid in class. I am convinced that this is a great way for students to learn self-discipline, and that it is our own decision based on our values and goals, whether we want to learn or not. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To sum it up, Facebook and other types of social media have positive and negative sides, and can be used for different purposes. I think Facebook is fun, and I mostly use it to read about what my friends are doing, look at pictures, and chat. Sometimes my parents suspect that I never do my homework, and waste too much time on social media. This is where they are wrong. I think that a lot of teenagers nowadays are multi-taskers like me, and often I’ll discuss homework with others through these social media. While it may be true that I also do waste some time on these sites, there is a saying by John Lennon that goes like this “<i>Time you enjoyed wasting, was not wasted.”</i></span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sources: </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/stats-time-spent-online/"><span lang="EN-US">http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/stats-time-spent-online/</span></a><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/teens-use-social-media/">http://www.simplyzesty.com/social-media/teens-use-social-media/</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-68279344322818851312011-12-05T00:17:00.000-08:002011-12-05T00:17:40.215-08:00I've been nominated!Hi! I've been nominated for "Best Student Blog 2011", and I'd be really happy if you voted for me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI17CWUyNXWrSkFD5vXk7O6u6dQTW0czZjEZ-vlgOV9ZDWRQh87y0-4ziTDTQINGuUVUd52pZs0ZSYUQyIwLjpyKeZUsq1IceKq9e82u7pxq1yZm9eqSdiDtAl4veqcphxFjVovC2hrbdX/s1600/nominated.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI17CWUyNXWrSkFD5vXk7O6u6dQTW0czZjEZ-vlgOV9ZDWRQh87y0-4ziTDTQINGuUVUd52pZs0ZSYUQyIwLjpyKeZUsq1IceKq9e82u7pxq1yZm9eqSdiDtAl4veqcphxFjVovC2hrbdX/s320/nominated.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Vote by clicking <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://edublogawards.com/2011-3/best-student-blog-2011/?nominee=k86kxt">here</a> </span>and choose the category "Best Student Blog".</div><div><br />
</div><div>Thank you so much!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Sara</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-38923601377186562642011-11-29T01:17:00.000-08:002011-11-29T07:31:06.338-08:00My Edublog Nominations<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every year it is difficult to find the best blogs, but this year I have decided to nominate in the following categories:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtwh5wSjV3kdO-F_lMNV_WSl3maky2h2NGe7TYtAiCHr_TDtqffp_cwq1gWvM7LafKQLks39MIaPpFFlOn8oDIny_Yb3PQze8cEZy5jAvaubpUmkDTQKkoF_6ihTgirvMig8tCxK9hk64/s1600/edublogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtwh5wSjV3kdO-F_lMNV_WSl3maky2h2NGe7TYtAiCHr_TDtqffp_cwq1gWvM7LafKQLks39MIaPpFFlOn8oDIny_Yb3PQze8cEZy5jAvaubpUmkDTQKkoF_6ihTgirvMig8tCxK9hk64/s200/edublogs.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best student blog:</span></u></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've decided to nominate <b><a href="http://www.martine-tonnem.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Martine's blog</span> </a></b>as the best student blog. The layout is nice, and she has written a lot of interesting and useful articles for students. </span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Best group blog:</u> Voices From The Learning Revolution <a href="http://plpnetwork.com/category/voices/page/2/">http://plpnetwork.com/category/voices/page/2/</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Best Teacher blog: </u></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my <b><a href="http://annmic.wordpress.com/">teacher's blog</a></b>. She writes useful posts about how you can have good presentations in class, and often she will include interesting links and videos in her posts.</span></i></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-59636101722506539502011-11-08T03:57:00.000-08:002011-11-08T03:57:53.229-08:00Blog & Twitter<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">W</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;">hen we were first told that we had to make our own blogs, I must admit I was a tad skeptical. Blogging is not something I would ever picture myself doing. On the other hand, this blog does not consist of irrelevant information about my life, but is full of school-related articles I have written in class and at home. The whole idea of having a blog is something I now find fun and useful, as it is exciting being able to share your work with others, and comment on other people's work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Checking out the statistics, I see that I have 228 visits the last month, and a total number of 376 visits since I started blogging! Most of the people who have visited my blog are from Norway, but I have also had people from USA, Alaska and Russia who have stopped by. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9pYPKyD5SLGyR8p32fbBLf-3Uukbaya87kF_5QVrHT-JwFqkyPQJ2C8zQtsQZ4Cw4ysOmlovCuwZmZKrc9OD7XVyb97rod4cK40zv44rL6zCbbdqnI4j0abT6qI2c_4Jf1IwgnmAULHY/s1600/blue+bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9pYPKyD5SLGyR8p32fbBLf-3Uukbaya87kF_5QVrHT-JwFqkyPQJ2C8zQtsQZ4Cw4ysOmlovCuwZmZKrc9OD7XVyb97rod4cK40zv44rL6zCbbdqnI4j0abT6qI2c_4Jf1IwgnmAULHY/s200/blue+bird.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In addition to writing a blog, we have also started using Twitter. I have earlier tried making an account, but could not come up with a name that was not taken, so I gave up. Today I ended up with the name "Sarismas". Follow me! I have linked a "follow me" twitter-button on this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am exploring Twitter, and I'm trying to understand the concept of it. Currently I have 20 followers, and I am following 28 people myself. If you have any tips to fun people I can follow, please leave a comment! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To promote my blog, I'll link it on Twitter, and see if I get some more visitors, and maybe comments!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-73987085848897894442011-11-04T12:53:00.000-07:002011-11-04T12:53:08.995-07:00Cash is King..News of the World 1843-2011<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg_xZ1hBjScup6gkWsgZGCzVehpsMF26TsX7vNefirq_FVoamM7fjRW2bew6Z4t7W97ComlxW8Ob-MPTKcPZwtjMg44v2ssc0mJ6kfcv2kwbXwjgXov0wlfwh2rX0jjDczlIATeUXszIP/s1600/news+of+the+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWg_xZ1hBjScup6gkWsgZGCzVehpsMF26TsX7vNefirq_FVoamM7fjRW2bew6Z4t7W97ComlxW8Ob-MPTKcPZwtjMg44v2ssc0mJ6kfcv2kwbXwjgXov0wlfwh2rX0jjDczlIATeUXszIP/s320/news+of+the+world.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></b></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>W</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ith 7,5 million readers, the newspaper "News of the World" was known for writing about celebrity-based scoops. At one point it was one of the biggest selling English language newspapers in the world. That is how the competency goal "Analyze and assess the role of some English-language media in international society" can be related to News of the World. It was a national newspaper, published in the United Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">In 2011, the 7th of July, the newspaper printed its final edition, with the headline "Thank You and Goodbye". The reason for this headline was that their secret had been revealed. For nearly a decade, the newspaper had gained information and juicy stories<b> </b>illegally. To outdo their rival newspapers and increase sales, they had hired private investigators to hack mobile phones owned by people considered as interesting subjects for the paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KyzifgUKfsM8mSZLaEMFgS5GMKgofWPaP23suT6DEx3EFkX3CbDjU5f4bmnMafEA0Xp1eG-FMqY1GSwZ9f58EmcxfmErnrIfEuOZwHU0ka9GmskDlZpGZ4EfNZWDa5SjBDfUrhvIZF_W/s1600/rupert-murdoch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KyzifgUKfsM8mSZLaEMFgS5GMKgofWPaP23suT6DEx3EFkX3CbDjU5f4bmnMafEA0Xp1eG-FMqY1GSwZ9f58EmcxfmErnrIfEuOZwHU0ka9GmskDlZpGZ4EfNZWDa5SjBDfUrhvIZF_W/s200/rupert-murdoch.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rupert Murdoch</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">The owner of the newspaper was Rupert Murdoch, and this is how he was described by an editor he used to work with: <i>"All Rupert cares about is getting the story, getting it first, and getting it right. He doesn't want to know how the sausage is made."</i> In other words, Murdoch was fully aware of what was going on, but decided to ignore most parts of it. He was very manipulating and demanding, creating internal rivalries within the paper. In one case the rivalry was so serious that the features desk and the news desk were just as likely to hack one another's phones, as if they were the phones of the subject of some story.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">But how did the police find out the newspaper was committing such a crime? A police investigation was instigated in 2011 when it was revealed that the newspaper had hacked into Milly Dowler's phone. She went missing in 2002. Investigators and reporters from the paper had deleted messages from her phone, to make room for more. This had misled the Milly Dowler’s family and friends into believing she was still alive, and the deleted messages were also potential evidence for the police. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">Although this was the first major revelation in the scandal, it turned out that Milly Dowler's phone was not the only one they hacked. In November 2005, the paper wrote a story about how Prince William was suffering from a knee injury, something that was not known by many people, apart from his family and doctor. This lead to suspicion in the Buckingham Palace, and they were soon convinced that the prince's voicemail has been hacked.</span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmCfW3r9rv7QNOsxxXgoB6RmCUpDqFBF0hhp0KSkG7xhwuud8UxjlflbErxluZZqhbVJulsQSbdc_SYpSRVM3sulRgEXJC6W6Znyf7HooiRkHv6ztoCqKvUKnn_ScrosGqEyy5YuZS3jE/s1600/hugh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSmCfW3r9rv7QNOsxxXgoB6RmCUpDqFBF0hhp0KSkG7xhwuud8UxjlflbErxluZZqhbVJulsQSbdc_SYpSRVM3sulRgEXJC6W6Znyf7HooiRkHv6ztoCqKvUKnn_ScrosGqEyy5YuZS3jE/s320/hugh.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">After a lot of investigation, the police had found that over 7000 phones were hacked by News of the World, these phones belonging to <i>crime victims</i>, <i>celebrities</i>, <i>sport stars</i> and <i>politicians</i>. Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller being two of the celebrities who were hacked. Also, some families of those who died in the <i>terrorist attacks</i> in London, had their private voice mails hacked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">The newspaper broke all media ethics, and invaded other peoples’ private life. This is a serious violation of the law, and three journalists were arrested. It is shocking that a newspaper will actually go this far, just for the money. At the end of the day, that is what it’s all about. Cash is king.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> "I realized the extent to which phone-hacking paranoia had spread when my lunch date sat down, turned off his cell phone, removed the battery and laid the dismantled device before him on the table, like a small but dangerous animal he had temporarily stunned".</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">This is what I read in an English magazine published last month, and it shows how some people in the UK where really affected and frightened by the hacking. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">After reading several different websites, I've understood that this whole case was pretty complex, as there are years and numbers that aren't the same all places. A countless number of allegations have been put forward, but not yet confirmed. Many different people were involved, and questions about whether everyone working in the paper knew, are being raised. It has obviously been a challenging and difficult job for the police to investigate the hacking, but luckily News of the World was stopped. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-73220528228744198412011-10-25T12:06:00.000-07:002011-10-25T12:08:09.734-07:00Gran Torino<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuqlOFOEMMx0bk4KYgC52zrJX_B-unUTve2T6p7m_3Npr9ZOe3pScSoTxdRoFFfd95QG1fgXP5qKPoj_a3jM064cWzKBbOt0g1phcw43eKSbrugxTxB2Mr12w4ug5WTLc46_tC-CsSqtt/s1600/granto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuqlOFOEMMx0bk4KYgC52zrJX_B-unUTve2T6p7m_3Npr9ZOe3pScSoTxdRoFFfd95QG1fgXP5qKPoj_a3jM064cWzKBbOt0g1phcw43eKSbrugxTxB2Mr12w4ug5WTLc46_tC-CsSqtt/s320/granto.jpg" width="216" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>T</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;">he 18.10 we watched the movie "Gran Torino". It is directed by, produced by and starring Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski. It is an American drama film, released in 2008. The movie was chosen as one of the Ten Best Films of 2008. Eastwood also received an award for Best Actor from the National Board of Review. </span></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">The film covers the following curriculum goal: "Elaborate on and discuss aspects of multicultural societies in the English-speaking world". In the movie we meet Walt Kowalski, an old cranky Polish man who's wife has just passed away. In general, Walt is negative towards other cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religion, and uses a lot of racial slurs and cursing words. Walt does not have a close relationship with his son and his family, they clearly do not know each other well.</span></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">A new people move to his neighbourhood, replacing a polish family who lived there before. These new people are called "Hmong people", and Walt is not liking them. Walt used to be a Korean War veteran, and at first he links them to the coreans who were his enemies. When learning that these people actually were on his side of the war, it does not change the way he acts towards them. All Walt wishes for is to be left alone, but these new neighbours keep interrupting his peace and quiet.</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"></div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The Hmong family consists of a mother, the daughter Sue, and her brother Thao. A Hmong gang is trying to force the boy Thao into joining them, creating a scene outside their house. Walt has no choice but to get involved, and acts out of selfish reasons rather than wanting to help someone out. He scares the gang away. </div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">After this, Walt is looked upon like a hero to the Hmong people. This is exactly the opposite of what Walt wishes to happen. They show their gratitude by giving him gifts and homemade food. Being the grumpy man he is, he still shows no kindness towards them. The person who is especially nice to him, is Sue. What amazed me, was that no matter how harsh or rude Walt was towards the Hmong people, Sue never stopped being kind, and trying to include him. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMupnTXeH9rKF68SlyiVjJeYgnMvxV1d3Tvj_SNmuRFWpnCSbPH9Avm_-p0cBu-3PEKHo5EYsiRWtSWvHtpKOdJ1u0lRy3OK43oi94SLneiiSA5EXtWGHUvE5eX-RNufhMjM_GqejGvSP4/s1600/gran+torino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMupnTXeH9rKF68SlyiVjJeYgnMvxV1d3Tvj_SNmuRFWpnCSbPH9Avm_-p0cBu-3PEKHo5EYsiRWtSWvHtpKOdJ1u0lRy3OK43oi94SLneiiSA5EXtWGHUvE5eX-RNufhMjM_GqejGvSP4/s640/gran+torino.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sue, Thao and their mother giving gifts of gratitude</i><br />
<div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Through the movie, you are dwelling on several questions. What is really Walt's problem? What has happened to him, that could have made him this angry? And last but not least, does he actually care about anyone but himself? Like mentioned, he is clearly not very close to his family, but there are several things you notice Walt values. He is a handyman, and likes maintaining his house. He also cares a lot about his Labrador Daisy, and maybe he feels she is the only one he can really talk to? Referring to the movie title, the car in his garage is also something that is precious to him. Walt wishes to spend his time on his veranda sipping beer. But something seems to be missing in his life.</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This "something" ,he finds in the Hmong people. In the beginning of the movie, Thao is forced into stealing Walt's Gran Torino. He does not succeed, and according to the gang, he has blown his first "initiation". His family are very upset with him for trying to steal the car. This leads to him having to pay up for it by working for Mr. Kowalski. After some time, Walt sees something in the young boy. He sees that he is dutiful, willing to work, kind and polite. Walt starts trusting the boy, and wishes to help him in avoiding the harassment from the gang members. A friendship between the old man and boy has evolved. At one point in the movie, Walt says he has more in common with Thao's family than his.</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The ending was really surprising and touching. Walt has turned into a completely different person, and made a choice that might have saved Thao and his family's life. He actually shows affection for other people. More importantly, he has accepted a different culture, and learned that they are good people. He is finally at peace. Accepting other societies is not something he would have done before. In the end he has become the Hmong peoples "protector" and close friend. I think it was a really beautiful movie, because it describes the process Walt goes through, from being introverted to kindhearted. There were also a lot of humor in the movie, keeping it from being too serious and sad. </div><div lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-66423639030267440782011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:002011-10-13T13:01:34.451-07:00Social Media<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSWg24OrwT7i7s6HjEAZgzeAWDbqiHwrBy3XDuza3WLO71f4aBfTFqEYIosLoz0s-Hl9EuXmmPGMSrtfc0XhVo7Z0CMjl3RQM-RBBQ16dRIJ7Z2lZFtd0xEyORwM9LX2Ck1hpqd9SYR4V/s1600/marketing+facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSWg24OrwT7i7s6HjEAZgzeAWDbqiHwrBy3XDuza3WLO71f4aBfTFqEYIosLoz0s-Hl9EuXmmPGMSrtfc0XhVo7Z0CMjl3RQM-RBBQ16dRIJ7Z2lZFtd0xEyORwM9LX2Ck1hpqd9SYR4V/s200/marketing+facebook.jpg" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>L</b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ast Tuesday, we listened to lecturer <a href="http://ceciliestaude.no/">Cecilie Staude</a>. She works at the college BI, but also travels around and holds presentations. Sometimes her audience will be students like us, sometimes pensioners, politicians, artists or companies. She lectures us all about the same thing: social media. It has become such an important platform for marketing, and a lot of companies need help with marketing their products through social media. Pensioners need help with being introduced to these sites, and for us students being the ones who use it the most, it is very interesting to learn things you never thought over before.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Facebook is the website that is used the most. 98% percent of people in Norway from the ages 14-24, are on Facebook, including myself. Through this website, we receive information quicker than ever. We add friends, post statuses, upload pictures, and comment other peoples' activity. If something interests or shocks us, we will often "share" it on Facebook, this way spreading the information or news with just a click. This can both be positive and negative for the marketing of companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GSWd9AjD9rS28P9kCz-v-dmc5n4u7-Mtx_830duoBmyHSZbUz4yO4rvMRi3sLs2SbOV0rERRHoVSD0p4a7VXXW9MI7lt77gtdNtAhQ8Uqx8RGfR_ovt95A7tdt_QUaVEIeNoHo0Pdnxm/s1600/facebook2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GSWd9AjD9rS28P9kCz-v-dmc5n4u7-Mtx_830duoBmyHSZbUz4yO4rvMRi3sLs2SbOV0rERRHoVSD0p4a7VXXW9MI7lt77gtdNtAhQ8Uqx8RGfR_ovt95A7tdt_QUaVEIeNoHo0Pdnxm/s200/facebook2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For example, if you are thinking about joining a gym, do you choose Elixia or Sats? You might research a bit on both websites, but of course they will both say they are fantastic and the best. What you then do, is talk to other consumers through social media, and read their opinions about the two different gyms. Maybe someone posted on Facebook or Twitter that Sats wasn't showing good service? This will definitely affect your final decision. What this means, is that companies in today’s society are losing control of what is being said about them. On the other hand, the fact that information now travels fast can also be a positive thing. A happy customer or consumer might share positive things about the product, leading to more people wanting to try it!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">To sum it up, it has become unavoidable to not be on websites like Facebook if you are trying to market something. Whether you're a gym trying to sell memberships, a company selling clothes, or a politician trying to gather votes, you need to market yourself. Consumers today are no longer interested in just receiving information, from TV, brochures or radio. We want <i>to participate</i> in discussions about the products, or reflect over community-related questions on the social media.</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Staude also talked about how it can be challenging to avoid mixing your personal life, with the more professional part of you on Facebook. When talking about this, she mentioned how <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jensstoltenberg">Jens Stoltenberg</a> is a person who does this well. He currently has 279,999 people who have "liked" his page. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-48418576777122677852011-10-09T08:25:00.000-07:002011-10-09T08:25:40.373-07:00English in Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHpDRplWq_9fZzK2tfRLrGxZPavXhkhmA6emGQXQ3QRqPknRj8icYtrzkTGhYuXYE_4tHnon5N5wJeeEiKtEhq3pEllYVvuQxCJfF4buTSAsY6da8EbzrV3HArEHkFtCF0l39YxGCpnYp/s1600/japanese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHpDRplWq_9fZzK2tfRLrGxZPavXhkhmA6emGQXQ3QRqPknRj8icYtrzkTGhYuXYE_4tHnon5N5wJeeEiKtEhq3pEllYVvuQxCJfF4buTSAsY6da8EbzrV3HArEHkFtCF0l39YxGCpnYp/s320/japanese.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">L</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ast class we were given the task to write about different varieties of English. We chose Japanese English, also called “Japlish”, “Japanglish” or “Engrish”. This is defined as a “form of bad translation from Japanese by someone who is decent at translating vocabulary but has a poor grasp of English grammar”. It is called Engrish because the Japanese do not know the differences between the letter “l” and “r”. This means a Japanese person will say “flied lice” instead of “fried rice” and “risten” instead of “listen.” Due to these pronunciation difficulties, misunderstandings and mistakes can easily occur.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Japan was never a British Colony, but they are still using English words in their daily life. It is said that 10% of the words in the Japanese language dictionary are foreign, but the problem is that a lot of them have lost their original meaning, and make absolutely no sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When looking for information about this variety of English, we also came across a lot of websites which have posted amusing pictures of Japanese signs in English.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is the newer Japanese generation who will use English words, so a Japanese grandmother and her granddaughter might not always understand each other. Films in English, music and TV-shows affect the youth in Japan, just like it does here.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We also found sites looking for people who can teach English in Japan. I think it seems like they might need this, in order to learn how to speak and use the language properly. Poor translations from online language translation tools are being used too much, without consulting a native English speaker. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-2540679138907388432011-09-26T12:17:00.000-07:002011-09-26T12:17:38.520-07:009/11 A Day We Will Never Forget<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">D</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">o you remember where you were when the first plane struck? Because I don't. I was probably soon going home, after a regular Tuesday at primary school. I was only 6 years old, and to be honest I don't remember much about this horrible attack when it happened. With this being the worst and biggest terrorist attack the world has ever seen, I have obviously learned and heard a lot about it since the day it happened. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAOfQlVeKbyg8FTQ5RSYRLQx6T51vI2TqHVCKjpKEjRGVOM5FGd1ITYdd8q1B8UbxBNls0jeu7WSvhGJYLIvbiMreR-aLywb1jkFP-hT-fxFgACCb5QLgUUBUufwcd7IUCAXKtY63uAkm/s1600/9-11+%25281%2529.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAOfQlVeKbyg8FTQ5RSYRLQx6T51vI2TqHVCKjpKEjRGVOM5FGd1ITYdd8q1B8UbxBNls0jeu7WSvhGJYLIvbiMreR-aLywb1jkFP-hT-fxFgACCb5QLgUUBUufwcd7IUCAXKtY63uAkm/s320/9-11+%25281%2529.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Last class we watched the "accidental documentary" called 9/11- the Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition", which was supposed to be a film about fire fighter Tony Benetatos, <span> </span>a newly hired fire-fighter at a firestation in New York. Little did they know that their camera would be the only one to capture the first plane flying into Tower 1, and that this clip would be seen all over the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Searching the net about this terrorist attack, I still can't believe it actually happened. The documentary we watched showed no gruesome scenes, and of that, I'm glad. The camera follows the firefighters as they helplessly try to save as many lives as possible, while risking their own. You could hear the screams, the crash of the second plane hitting Tower 2, and last but not least; the sounds of people hitting the ground. You knew that these people had thought through their options, and decided to jump to their deaths, rather than being burned alive. As many as 200 hundred people fell from the sky that day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">How can someone be so cruel? How can someone take so many lives? I can't imagine what it must have been like to be trapped in one of the towers, and I can't imagine what it would be like to know that your loved one is in there. That morning, the world froze. The feeling I have about this, is the same feeling I have about what happened at Utøya. It's just not possible to accept the fact that it happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC3NoJIJoUIIluC6ufU0GJvj5NzPqbG3MK2AIJqNlDnG3d9Btk2dFa-52oMykieywEEp9CYHLmKfCAvK4FgJOoubdKoNxdVGfSwwC9JeWLcQKsIoi-j6yl_fMZhMLye41vSGy6vgydrRJ/s1600/the+falling+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC3NoJIJoUIIluC6ufU0GJvj5NzPqbG3MK2AIJqNlDnG3d9Btk2dFa-52oMykieywEEp9CYHLmKfCAvK4FgJOoubdKoNxdVGfSwwC9JeWLcQKsIoi-j6yl_fMZhMLye41vSGy6vgydrRJ/s400/the+falling+man.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"The Falling Man"</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What made the biggest impression on me, were definitely the sounds.<span> </span>It was really awful, but my curiosity about the falling people led me to a short documentary on YouTube, called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXnA9FjvLSU"><b>"The falling man"</b></a>. In this documentary, the attacks are described from regular New-Yorkers side, and several journalists'. One photographer, Richard Drew, captures a photo of a man falling from one of the towers. It really hits you. This photo can be described in so many words; <span> </span>sad, terrifying, touching, awful, and shocking. You think: Who is this man? They tried to identify him, but it was not possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The photo gives the impression that the man is falling straight down, but a series of photos taken of him show that he was tumbling through the air. The picture is so strong, and peaceful in a way. It alone gives a true sense of the horror that day, the day we will never forget.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-11117476664042441042011-09-09T10:43:00.000-07:002011-09-09T10:43:48.193-07:00Erin Brockovich - capable of greatness<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">T</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">his English class we watched the biographical movie "Erin Brockovich"(2000), with Julia Roberts in the leading role. Before watching the movie we had some time to do research, and read a bit about the real Erin and her story. We also watched a short clip about her. To be honest, I had never heard of Erin Brockovich before, and I didn’t really understand what it was she had done that was so amazing. I decided to let the movie enlighten me on this, instead of a ton of different websites.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDWhdVmx8e292_dXHuvhisC6aPSbDPMxWXka5FCXyAiJDITnZsUlhVbpBKumdtW3Rks-LX9uRK1WUnDVz0s_iOJ_WsvJ3YO2ttrS0N8iCOuPhKZKHFAtbUQ54OQELeP8NmDkTe8Ytf7KO/s1600/Erin+Brockovich2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDWhdVmx8e292_dXHuvhisC6aPSbDPMxWXka5FCXyAiJDITnZsUlhVbpBKumdtW3Rks-LX9uRK1WUnDVz0s_iOJ_WsvJ3YO2ttrS0N8iCOuPhKZKHFAtbUQ54OQELeP8NmDkTe8Ytf7KO/s400/Erin+Brockovich2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich</i></td></tr>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Julia Roberts plays the role of Erin, an unemployed woman, divorced twice and with three kids under the age of 10. In other words, she has not got her life sorted, and is struggling to find a job. The problem is that no one will hire her, as she has no former work experience. As to any mother, her children mean everything to her, and she is in a state of desperation. The feeling that she is not able to properly take care of them is awful, and matters are only made worse when Erins’ babysitter moves from the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite having all odds against her, she keeps trying to make her situation better, showing how determined and tough she is. Driving home from yet another job interview, a car slams into her, injuring her neck. She hires the law firm Masry and Vititoe to represent her in trial, because she is, <i>quote </i>:<i>"gonna make the shithead pay for it"</i>. Unfortunately luck isn't on her side, and the "shithead" in the other car gets away with it, and she fails to win the case. It is during the scene in court you see the feisty, rude and smart-mouthed side of Erin. The lawyer who had promised her that they would win the case is Ed Masry, and little does he know that he will be seeing a lot of Erin in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A short time later, she is in his office, demanding a job. She says:<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0P7KR5bvV7JhJdTuqb4hPDvO0LkkpTUe7zn2lqKGVPCxH0EahojCpRe-Y_NMYeq4nJxLolFio2Tfhr_koaWdTgyHdGoFj6dlNcUz565ygYaDu6DBBP-HEbDybYad9eK_2S0VgQFEeXxYX/s1600/Erin+Brockovich7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0P7KR5bvV7JhJdTuqb4hPDvO0LkkpTUe7zn2lqKGVPCxH0EahojCpRe-Y_NMYeq4nJxLolFio2Tfhr_koaWdTgyHdGoFj6dlNcUz565ygYaDu6DBBP-HEbDybYad9eK_2S0VgQFEeXxYX/s320/Erin+Brockovich7.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"I'm smart, I'm hardworking, I'll do anything and I'm not leaving here without a job. Don't make me beg."</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Masry, who feels he's indebted to her for losing the case, gives her a job as a file clerk in the company. This is the start of a long collaboration. I read on a website that their actual relationship was very stormy, and Ed and Erin were known for their loud arguments and use of inappropriate language. The film does depict this kind of relationship between them. In the office Erin quickly becomes unpopular with the girls, because of her brash personality and inappropriate clothing. Brockovich could not care less, and continues on with her work.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A little later, Erin uncovers a case involving water pollution caused by the utility Pacific Gas & Electric in a small desert town called Hinkley. She finds out that there is a connection between the toxic chemicals that have leaked into the underground water and the health problems of the residents in Hinkley. The water is polluted with chromium six which is highly toxic, and was resulting in cancer, nose bleeds and rare diseases for the residents.<span> </span>Erin becomes very devoted to the case, both professionally and personally as she fights for the justice of the inhabitants. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh231N7ztYKWk4KO1oqZmsGT4RiHawoqD1NptbQNaFxPJsGMSlmhohEMRz4jHLEBYFuzhtc3zq5qmaaUN_7kkDMGWDG0zVg27LGw0p12rl2eh4O8tTDZIorroKZXWoOQFH-Xj2UPOVxMNDC/s1600/Erin+Brockovich6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh231N7ztYKWk4KO1oqZmsGT4RiHawoqD1NptbQNaFxPJsGMSlmhohEMRz4jHLEBYFuzhtc3zq5qmaaUN_7kkDMGWDG0zVg27LGw0p12rl2eh4O8tTDZIorroKZXWoOQFH-Xj2UPOVxMNDC/s320/Erin+Brockovich6.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The real Erin Brockovich</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">During the investigation, Erin has missed her little daughter’s first word, and her son is missing her at the dinner table. At one point she says: <i>"Not personal!? That is my work, my sweat, my time away from my kids! If that's not personal, I don't know what is!"</i> Problems keep occurring, like the financial ability of Masry's small law firm to take on such a complex case, but after around 11 months, they succeed. The firm wins a 333 million dollar settlement from PG&E.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This story is really eye-opening and amazing.<span> </span>A person, who is looked at as a "nobody", was able to make a big difference to a lot of people’s lives. It is about fighting for people’s rights, and revealing corruption. I find this film extra interesting because it was based on a true story, but it is important to keep in mind that everything might not be entirely true.<span> </span>For example, did the real Brockovich really memorize all 634 plaintiffs and their cases? In fact, she did. Erin once explained that since she suffers from dyslexia, the way she learns is through memorization.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSC2IsiEeVUkYtzfuPzKJCaLDitqbShxQQLv_8ErRnvJ_RVHUSjJ_ktUVN8m1SBsnKAJiAD_RbPpMzaXUj3U3rmhKdfVSPSyfMx6CwMlh0xLZz-9ustxsYmVRtNb40D0U0VLFme_Ze8lY/s1600/erin+brockovich+waitress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSC2IsiEeVUkYtzfuPzKJCaLDitqbShxQQLv_8ErRnvJ_RVHUSjJ_ktUVN8m1SBsnKAJiAD_RbPpMzaXUj3U3rmhKdfVSPSyfMx6CwMlh0xLZz-9ustxsYmVRtNb40D0U0VLFme_Ze8lY/s320/erin+brockovich+waitress.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Erin Brockovich's appearance in the film</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Another interesting fact is that the real Erin Brockovich actually makes an appearance in the film. When Erin in the movie takes her kids to the restaurant, Erin Brockovich is the blonde waitress. At times I also found the film hilarious. Erin's cheeky remarks and brilliant comebacks spice up scenes that could have been boring, and when she said <i>"We had that water brought in special for you folks, came from a well in Hinkley..",</i> that actually did happen, but in a different context! Today, Erin Brockovich lives in a mansion near Malibu, and runs her own environmental consultancy. She has never had any plans to become a lawyer, and she has no plans to change her attitude or appearance. </span></span></div><br />
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</div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2247904604414613890.post-91063186924070073032011-08-23T03:29:00.000-07:002011-08-23T03:53:16.595-07:00"Life without limbs? Or life without limits?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJZgLuAF-u4_KKH8q8neE8C16ri5US_zlLkQrbVFH5EBVZ7mkrF3Qt-roXYYVcmK8luIqMw709zNQyhid3d3ovUVKOOn0DHFtUoDhjY1gX_o1N5m21f5RsxVHdep1zlYf7LPpObnrae9s/s1600/pc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJZgLuAF-u4_KKH8q8neE8C16ri5US_zlLkQrbVFH5EBVZ7mkrF3Qt-roXYYVcmK8luIqMw709zNQyhid3d3ovUVKOOn0DHFtUoDhjY1gX_o1N5m21f5RsxVHdep1zlYf7LPpObnrae9s/s320/pc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">T</span>oday, I had my first International English class, and I really liked it. This is one of the classes I was especially looking forward to, as English has always been one of my favourite subjects. For me, it was out of the question to not continue with this subject. I feel that there is so much more to learn, and I am positive this will be an exciting and challenging year! I am looking forward to becoming a better writer and user of this language.<br />
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<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKnKG35BP1eSjd8b0qLWD47TPywFOjTt2Aw2ccQwB1lu1HjnWpaMQ7Cu9HHtgky2MoZpl5xcVLoreJhvQM6uMYzmaLO5_fLMSlKpiVB2ly_JdjhDxceKNZmbuxumti2DkyY3dDbDpVeXh/s1600/circus+butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKnKG35BP1eSjd8b0qLWD47TPywFOjTt2Aw2ccQwB1lu1HjnWpaMQ7Cu9HHtgky2MoZpl5xcVLoreJhvQM6uMYzmaLO5_fLMSlKpiVB2ly_JdjhDxceKNZmbuxumti2DkyY3dDbDpVeXh/s200/circus+butterfly.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div>I was happy to hear that we will be using our computers a lot, instead of slightly out of date textbooks..I am eager to get started with this subject, and to get inspired! Today we watched the short film "<a href="http://thebutterflycircus.com/"><b>The Butterfly Circus</b></a>" starring the Australian motivational speaker and preacher Nick Vujicic, who was born limbless.<br />
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After doing some reasearch about the film and Vujicic, I came across a post written by a girl who really had her eyes opened when she watched a video of him. She is inspired, and after reading <a href="http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/user-stories/thank-you-so-much/"><b>her post</b></a>, you really understand how amazing he is! Despite having no legs or arms, he has still found his way in life, and today he travels around and encourages people to do the same. Anything is possible, don't give up on your dreams..I found "Butterfly Circus" touching, and it reminds you of how you can achieve anything as long as you try hard enough!<br />
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</div><div>Looking through the competency goals for this year, I see that I will have plenty of things to work with, and I wil try to achieve best results possible!<br />
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</div></div>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947012125855403307noreply@blogger.com1