tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29364740907995760722024-03-13T09:17:22.273+01:00English at SandvikaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-48904510457082852932015-05-10T14:27:00.003+02:002015-05-10T14:27:54.192+02:00UK election results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was originally going to write this post on election day, but suddenly the post was half-finished and time became an issue- so this is instead an after-election post; hope you forgive me Ann!<div>
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On Thursday UK held it's breath- who was going to be PM? Would the Conservatives remain in power? could they get rid of the Liberal Democrats? Would Labour once again rule Britain? And the most interesting question if you ask me; how did it work out for UKIP?</div>
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On election day I was personally hoping for a new Labour government, since I am not very fond of Cameron. The result however, is as we know a new one-party government under Cameron. His party received 331 seats- against Labour with 232-, which is absolute majority (this means they have no more need for the Liberal Democrats, who won 8 seats). The UKIP received 12% of the votes, but only got one seat- this due to UK's election system which I have written about earlier. The election surprise however is probably the Scottish Nationalist Party; they received 4,7% of UK votes, and won 56 seats. While UKIP received many more votes, they were scattered across the constituencies, the Scottish Nationalist votes were pretty much concentrated in Scotland, securing majority all over the place. Scottish independence might not be so far away as Cameron is hoping, despite the result of last years referendum.</div>
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This election was of huge importance not only for UK, but for Europe. On Friday I was at a friends place, and ended up discussing the election with some guys. This one guy was hoping for UKIP ending up with more seats (we did not get along that well), while another guy was hoping for the Green Party to win more seats (they only won one)- a girl who threw herself into the discussion was hoping for Labour to win, even though she was not to fond of their leader Ed Miliband (like many Brits, she believed him not to be radical enough for a Labour PM). My point is that when I can show up at Norwegian gathering, and ending up with a debate on UK politics, you can imagine how it is like in the UK; this election was important on the matter of EU, NATO, environment, immigration, Scottish Independence and lots and lots more. How will UK be like in five new years under Cameron? Only time can tell, but he is a popular man and people do seem to like his politics, so maybe it won't be that bad!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-1378557777774016682015-04-23T14:05:00.000+02:002015-04-23T14:05:01.474+02:00Carthage-first impressions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've only just started on the book, perhaps fifty pages in or so, but Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates has got my attention. Her writing style is good, and despite a heavy month ahead, I have no doubt I will finish it. Many questions are stuck in my head, and they can only be answered by reading the book- how did Cressida disappear? That's the main question, and in a months time you can read my full review. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-14053833347220903782015-04-23T13:57:00.000+02:002015-04-23T13:57:34.265+02:00Gay Pride Comrades and the Miners' strike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In 1984, the UK government under Thatcher decided to shut down twenty coal mines, leading up to one of the biggest strikes in UK history; picket-lines fighting police daily, as the government used many unfine methods, such as cutting gas lines to the villages. In order to keep a strike ongoing for a long time, you need support- as you are not given salary when striking-, and the Welch mining-community received support from a somewhat unexpected group; the Gay Pride Comrades. After a year, the strike was over, and the government had it their way; Margaret Thatcher remains a controversial figure after this, still hated by the mining communities. <div>
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So, why did the gay community show support to the mining community, a conservative and not really gay-friendly group of people? One man who pushed the cause in the gay community was the gay activist Mark Ashton, who saw that the coal-miners were struggling with police and media the same way as the gays did. Mark met resistance when suggesting to support them, but after a while they had a support organization up and running, showing huge support to the miners. Despite huge donations, many of the miners and their wives remained hostile and conservative, fearing AIDS and poor influence on the children(the usual anti-gay stuff). </div>
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Homosexuality was illegal in GB, and the gay cause probably saw that if they managed to stand hand in hand with another group, they could achieve higher support and understanding- in fact, the Labour Party manifestoed gay rights one year after these events, and it's probably not a coincidence. In addition to this the miners joined the gay-pride march, something that astonished GB; solidarity before anything became the way of thought. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-85500870431890914892015-04-09T14:56:00.000+02:002015-04-09T15:09:45.955+02:00The old order<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In Europe the last years, we have seen the growth of nationalism; in both the good and the bad term. We have the Scottish nationalism- the wish for independence and the need for self-government, and we have the British, French, Greek etc nationalism- the anti-EU attitude, hate towards immigrants, and what most non-nationalists describes as people who does not know any better, and will bring upon their own destruction (like Germany in the 30s). In GB, which is this articles concern, UKIP (UK Independence party) creates a headache for the Labour and Conservatives. These two parties, who since the Depression days (the period which created Nazi Germany), has had up to 90% percent of the votes and thereby had the opportunity to form a one-party government without much trouble (because for example Labour could get 60%), now has to include the liberals- and even perhaps UKIP after this election- in their government.<br />
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GB has, as we know, a really old out-dated voting system (some would say), and each voting district only has one representant. Thereby will 51% liberal votes only give one liberal representant, and the 49% other votes will be ignored. When parties like UKIP suddenly receives lots of votes in certain districts, and they get people in the Parliament- never heard of in UK history before-, big parts of the UK system suddenly has to realize that the Labour or Conservative days are over.<br />
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Why do many people vote for UKIP? They are against the EU (they don't like non-brits in Brussel governing them), and against immigration. The English system is in many ways stuck in the medieval age. The lords and the old conservatives are terrified because the UKIP wants to throw away the old system, where Hereditary lords, heirs to medieval warriors, can still vote on legislation in a 21st century democracy; they want do replace the House of Lords with a proportional representative senate. Is this bad? I do not think so. That does not mean UKIP is the solution (because they are nationalist scumbags- my personal opinion). However, old UK may be falling down- and a new reality is upon them. With possible Scottish independence within a century, and a nationalist party growing in old England, the old order is threatened. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-10131921252433011872015-02-26T18:39:00.000+01:002015-02-26T18:39:56.193+01:00GB European parliament elections 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The European Parliament elections took place in may 2014, and what we saw throughout Europe was votes thrown on far-right parties. At the same time, there was only a 42% turnout; not even half of the Europeans used their vote. In Britain, The United Kingdom Independence Party(UKIP) became the victor, a party working against the EU.<br />
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So, what is the European Parliament? The European Union is a political and economic union, consisting of a number of European states, kingdoms and so on. There are several smaller parts of the union, like the European Economic Area, in which for example Norway takes part of union, without really being a member. However, the EU is governed much like a state, with a parliament of its own- and a executive power (The European Commission). What's different from a state like, lets say Norway, is that in EU, the Europe Commission (the executive power) has more power than the parliament, which means that the separation of powers is not really that democratic (at least that's what the critics are saying.)</div>
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The European parliament, with it 751 seats, makes its decisions together with the Council Of the European Union, and their roles consist of ratifying new laws, passing new budgets and accepting new member states into the union. </div>
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The MPs are elected every 5th year, directly by the citizens of their respective nation. and there are 28 member states. Each nation gets at least 6, and at most 96 MPs. </div>
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UKIP</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UKIP poster. Far-Right, populist propaganda.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://annmic.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/european-parliament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://annmic.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/european-parliament.jpg" width="235" /></a>In GB UKIP became the winner, because even though the Conservatives won most seats, they lost 7, while UKIP gained additional 11. Why? The European Union has the last ten years seen some poor times. Economically things have been really difficult in the south, and in England the scepticism towards the Euro has increased (they have not accepted the Euro as currency in the Kingdom yet). UKIP is a far-right, populist, party- working against immigration, open borders, and thereby the European Union. History has shown that poor times means far-righters, as well as far-lefters (for example Syriza in Greece). What happens when people from UKIP (and every other major far-right party, including fascists and Nazis) are elected into a parliament which they oppose? We'll have to wait and see, but for the unions sake- I don't think its very positive. For GB sake, it's days in the union isn't looking that bright for the future. </div>
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But, even though the far-right are the victors, does that mean that the majority of British, or European, citizens belongs to that side? Not really. With only a 42% turnout, we can guess that only those really fighting and mobilizing are the ones voting- every one else simply don't care any more; maybe they've lost hope. Graphs show that there is no member state, in which a majority of the population believes -all things considered- that the Union is a good thing. If the Union is to survive, and reach it's goal -which is that of a federation, like the USA- they have to step it up, make sure every single voter in Europe feels the union is of the better, and not a non-democratic institution, influenced heavily by far-righters. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-72733011056308387672015-01-18T21:15:00.002+01:002015-01-22T10:36:42.231+01:00London tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This week, the English classes went on a school trip to London. Staying at the St. Giles Hotel, Monday-Friday, it became a great trip, packed with museum visits (and of course pubs). Among others, we went to Tate- modern, British museum, Churchill War Rooms, and Warner Brothers studios (the Harry Potter set).<br />
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Tate Modern</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myself, looking quite philosophical, at Tate Modern </td></tr>
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Tate Modern is Britains national modern art gallery, and the class went there the first day. With close to 4,9 million visitors each year, it's quite popular. The gallery is packed with modern artwork, and the exhibitions are called; </div>
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<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;">'Nude/Action/Body'</li>
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I am not that found of modern art, but there were some cool pictures, sculptures and whatnot. I really liked the exhibition showing Russian revolutionary posters. However, not really my thing (we ended up taking a cup of coffee).<br />
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The BBC</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the BBC News Broadcast Room</td></tr>
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One thing I really enjoyed was the BBC. Since some of us was part of the team working on Connected Learners, Ann got us a guided tour in the all new BBC building. Finished in 2013, the building (where over 6000 people work!) is extremely modern, and looked like a great workplace. I was staggered by the, well, positive vibes inside the building; everyone seemed extremely satisfied with their job. </div>
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With coffee (or tee for those wanting to be a bit more British) in our hands, we was guided by a journalist and the head of BBC Technology, who got us inside the broadcast room (where they do editing and stuff for the BBC news, which of course happens live); it was simply awesome. On the top floor we got to see BBC Radio One, which was just as great. If there is one place I, right now, would have worked- this place definitely tops the list. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rosetta Stone</td></tr>
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British Museum</h3>
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After a late nigh, and a groggy morning, me and my friends rushed to British Museum; a museum packed with artefacts brought in from those places once conquered by Britain. We had quite many hours there, so I teamed up with a friend, and managed look through a large part of the museum. Of course, one of my favourite places was the Egyptian section with mummies and stuff, and the infamous Rosetta Stone. What's so special with this stone? It was the key to solving hieroglyphs. In 1799, Napoleons soldiers found this stone by coincidence- and it was three years later brought to British Museums (because the French lost to the Brits in that campaign). Not long after, french scientists cracked the puzzle (the French managed to smuggle out documents and and copies).</div>
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The Rosetta stone is in fact a Ptolemaic decree, dating from 196 BC. It tells which taxes to be cut, and what statues to be built (short version). The decree was ordered in three languages, hieroglyphs, wynen (similar to greek), and demotic- all three found on that stone, thereby making it possible to translate the hieroglyphs.</div>
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In addition to the Rosetta Stone, we saw a cool clock-exhibition, and what is basically whole Greek temples transported back to Britain. And yes, both Egypt and Greece (among others) has demanded that some objects are to be returned, but Britain holds on tight to most of it. </div>
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Churchill War Rooms</h3>
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During the war, the Germans bombed London to pieces during the Blitz. Westminster and the government was of course targeted, and Churchill had no other option than to move underground. Today, this bunker (which remained top secret for many years) is open to audience- and you are able see how the entire war cabinet worked and kept the war effort going. One fun fact (if you can say that), is that the bunker was never built to withstand powerful bombs, so a German direct hit would have destroyed everything- but that never happened, so well. </div>
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We went there, and it was really cool- I have been there before, so I sort of rushed trough- but everything is kept they way it was. Maps, chairs, offices, meeting rooms etc.- it is all there. The war rooms also contains a Churchill museum, showing everything about his life and deeds. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Sindre driving Hagrids Motor bike. (pardon the filter,<br />
it was taken for Instagram purposes)</td></tr>
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Harry Potter </h3>
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The last day, we went to Warner Brothers Studios and their Harry Potter set. Being a 8 movie long franchises, the set got bigger and bigger- and they decided to make a museum out of it. The great hall, wand store, costumes, cars (like the tree stories London bus), the model used for filming Hogwarts- it is all there. I am not the biggest Harry Potter fan, but it was actually really awesome. I was amazed by all the objects created for these movies; paintings, houses, cars, books- the list goes on for ever. </div>
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Different guided tours (walks), pubs, restaurants and cafès</h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here lived Lawrence Of Arabia</td></tr>
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In addition to museum visits, we had a couple of guided walks showing us around London and Westminster. The first walk I, to be honest, feel was a gossip anno 1880 tour. Really not much information, other than who had a romance with who and so on. We got see some interesting places though- such as a house Lenin had lived in. The other walk we had, around Westminster, I found much better. We learned a lot about the parliament, and the area around. To my joy, we went past the house of one of my favourite historical characters; Lawrence Of Arabia. I might do a post on him later!<br />
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The rest of the time in London, I mostly teamed up with two friends of my (Sindre and Anne), and tested out cafès, went on sighting, ate good food (Chinese in Chinatown for example), and tasted the local beer. Overall, it was a really great trip!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sindre, Anne and me. Tnx London!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-32103296952124772502015-01-08T13:32:00.001+01:002015-01-08T13:32:10.010+01:005 reasons for Obama to be satisfied<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The last years has not been easy ones for president Obama, which was shown in the midterm elections. However, despite poor election results, he has achieved lots of goals he can be quite satisfied with:<br />
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Unemployment rate has gone down</h3>
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People working in the states goes up month by month, and the oil prices are kept low. Mitt Romney promised to achieve an unemployment rate below 6%- Obama has achieved 5,8%.</div>
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Gas prices are low</h3>
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To most peoples excitement, gas prices are now bellow 4,5 Norwegian kroner. Prices has gone down with over a dollar pr gallon the last year.</div>
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Relationship with Cuba</h3>
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After fifty years of boycotts, and a hard line in diplomacy (non existing), Obama surprised everyone by handshaking Castro at Nelson Mandela's funeral. In all secrecy, the US government has negotiated with the Cuban government, and announced this winter that their relationship will be normalized. Polls show that the US population is more than happy with this, so Obama has really accomplished something!</div>
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Immigration policy</h3>
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Obama has made sure over 4,2 million immigrants has received protection, and will not be thrown out. Later polls show that people are happy with this (especially Spanish speaking), and most people want the congress to keep working in this direction, instead of trying to block Obama. </div>
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Popular wars</h3>
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Obama has pulled out troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, both wars with little support back home. However, his latest campaign against ISIS receives support- possible because he is not using large amount of ground forces. Obama has stated that he is skeptical when it comes to involving ground forces, due to poor results from previous occupations. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-86291990761780739492014-11-20T17:35:00.000+01:002014-11-20T17:35:15.311+01:009/11 attacks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
9/11 2001, the worst terror attack ever seen hit American soil. Two Boeing plains hit the twin towers, another hit the Pentagon; one went down on a cornfield, probably headed for the president. I thing everyone has seen those clips; the towers collapsing, people jumping; almost three thousand people were killed that day.<br />
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Today we watched "9/11", a documentary never ment to be, made by two french brothers; Jules and Gedeon Naudet. In 2001, they went to New York wanting to make film about being a probationary firefighter, Tony Benetatos. However, one day, out filming the firemen working on a gas leak, they hear a roar- the camera is pointed towards the sound, by reflex.<br />
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What was a normal innocent documentary-film job about a young firefighter, had now turned into filming history. The roar was jumbo jet, hitting the first tower. First on the scene, they were able to film inside the lobby of tower one, filming how firefighters started the demanding walk up over sixty floors; most of them would never come out alive. As the documentary is filmed in the lobby, showing how the chiefs are trying to organize the rescue work, you can hear screams, and bump sounds- people jumping.<br />
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The documentary is really showing what happened, from the inside. Few bodies are shown on camera, but there is no need for it either. The look on the firefighters eyes, the running when the tower collapses, people walking like ghosts trying to find their loved ones- the dust. The film is horrible, gruesome in it's way, but still so magnificently made.<br />
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Below is a clip from the documentary, showing the collapse from the inside.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-38639238746780563112014-11-20T10:46:00.002+01:002014-11-20T10:46:55.801+01:00Edublogs awards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
My nominees for the Edublogs awards </h3>
<br />
Best librarian blog, for being an awesome school librarian with an awesome blog: <a href="http://metaingrid.blogspot.com/">Metaingrid.blogspot.com</a><br />
<br />
Best student blog, for having a really good and informative blog: <a href="http://relatedsignals.com/">http://relatedsignals.com/</a><br />
<br />
Best teacher blog, for using it active in class, posting great tasks and really making a difference: <a href="http://annmichaelsen.com/">http://annmichaelsen.com/</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-36780036642753421112014-10-18T17:52:00.002+02:002014-10-18T17:52:49.213+02:00"If not me, who? If not now, when?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Late September, Emma Watson held a speech at the UN. She addressed the importance of feminism, and launched a new campaign, called "He For She." The goal of the campaign is to mobilize men and boys, and make them the advocates for equal rights between the sexes. She started the speech by telling how she became a feminist, and said that: <i>"I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive."</i><br />
<br />
In her speech, she made it clear how feminism is not a fight just for women, but also a fight for men; equal rights will benefit everyone; socially, politically and economical.<br />
<br />
Watson's speech was, I think, a punch in the stomach to so many people, both men and women. Because, Watson has right;"feminism" has become an unpopular word. Very few of my friends, even though they say they want equal rights, would call themselves feminists. What Watson did with her speech, was to remind the world that feminism is not about women gaining power over men, it is simply about equal rights, that will benefit everyone. ¨<br />
<br />
I have always regarded myself as a feminist, because I find it absurd that men earn more in salary for the same work as women. It's really quite simple. Unfairness is wrong, and the only way to remove this inequality is to fight for it, and never forget how much those before us had to fight, just to to get where we are today.<br />
<br />
Emma Watson's campaign is important, because it is about remembering that feminism isn't a bad word, it is a word that should be won back.<br />
<br />
<br />
http://www.heforshe.org/</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-9863895894687615632014-09-18T18:28:00.000+02:002014-11-12T14:23:08.022+01:00The Cameron ministry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On the 11th of may 2010 prime minister Gordon Brown and his Labour government resigned, giving the Downing street nr. 10 keys to the new Conservative PM David Cameron.<br />
<br />
With 36 percent of the votes, Cameron did not form his government alone. Being the first since Churchill, he formed a coalition government; he did so with the 23 percent Liberal Democrats.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Foreign policy</h3>
<br />
The Cameron ministry has, as most conservatives governments, a pro-NATO attitude, and has taken part in all NATO operation during the four years they have been in office. Cameron has stated that they believe in foreign intervention in order to spread "democracy and freedom", and that the terror-threat must be defeated by power.<br />
<br />
The conservation wanted to intervene in Syria, but the Liberal Democrats voted against it in parliament, a major defeat for Cameron; one of the problems of a coalition. After the defeat Cameron stated that <i>"I strongly believe in the need for a tough response to the use of chemical weapons but I also believe in respecting the will of this House of Commons ... It is clear to me that the British Parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action. I get that and the Government will act accordingly."</i></div>
<br />
The ministry is against a full EU-membership, but Cameron believes some of the policies (fishing, military) are good for the UK. Overall they have a conservative attitude on foreign policies, with NATO being an exeption.<br />
<br />
<b>Economomy and climate</b><br />
<br />
Some of the Cameron administration’s most important economic goals are reduction of employment and wealth tax. The administration views this as something important because they think this will boost English companies’ ability to compete in the international market. The administration does also wish to increase tax on flying for people who uses air transport a lot as well as remove tax for people who don’t use air transport that often, the administration wish to do this to make people fly less and in that way decrease the total amount of CO2 emission in the UK.<br />
<br />
A economy policy that the Cameron ministry focuses on is enviroment. Cameron has descibed himself as "passionate about our environment" and believe that it is our "social responsibility to the next generation". Some of the reforms Cameron would like to introduce is a fair fuel stabilizer which will keep the oil prices stable. As the price of oil goes up, the taxes will decrease, and if the price of oil goes down, the taxes will also increase.
Another policy is the taxation cut. The ministry promised to reduce tax on alcohol, corporations and small businesses, as well as increasing the inheritance tax exemption.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-88892924109949911742014-09-04T14:52:00.000+02:002014-09-07T17:26:11.283+02:006th June 1944; D-Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This year is a year with many anniversaries; 100 years since the Great War, 25 years since fall of the Berlin wall, and 70 years since the Allied landings in Normandy, D-Day.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The Invasion of Normandy</h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit.jpg/800px-Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit.jpg/800px-Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK4TVrmlYRkC6Gnnw9qTi1VpHS7OgwWGLWgJmH4TWBplbxOFztdFEmD-sM9qTaEozL1FH270jLGxuC5DLRWLlSEHg9aj5M4hD8VUAvlfkvKSpPIjCGw-dEduWmqZyLkZ1U1WAGlHpaeA/s1600/1942_d-day_normandy_map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK4TVrmlYRkC6Gnnw9qTi1VpHS7OgwWGLWgJmH4TWBplbxOFztdFEmD-sM9qTaEozL1FH270jLGxuC5DLRWLlSEHg9aj5M4hD8VUAvlfkvKSpPIjCGw-dEduWmqZyLkZ1U1WAGlHpaeA/s1600/1942_d-day_normandy_map.gif" height="198" width="320" /></a>In June, 1944, Nazi Germany was crumbling. For five years they had fought against nation after nation, laying most of Europe under occupation. Against them stood the Allied forces; mainly the US, UK, Canada, Australia and exiled troops from the occupied nations- such as Free France.<br />
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For several months, the Allied commanders had been planning the biggest military operation in history; the invasion and liberation of Europe, beginning with France. Codenamed "Operation Overlord", the invasion was to take place in Normandy; landings on the beaches and from the air. On a single day, 160.000 allied soldiers were to be put ashore, making way for over one million allied soldiers the following days. The goal of the first day? secure the beaches, crossroads and small towns near the coast- creating what is known as a spearhead. Name of the day? Operation Neptune, Delivery-day.<br />
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The operation was postponed several times due to bad weather, but soon the date was set; 6th of June. For a year, allied troops had been training in England, and the scale of the whole thing was meant to surprise the german forces.<br />
<br />
The germans was of course expecting an invasion, but exactly how big and where was unclear. With hard fighting both on the Italian, African and Eastern front, the amount of german forces placed in the West was modest. The fortifications along the beaches was however heavy, and "Festung Europa" would not be easy to invade.<br />
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<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="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/90/94/f9/9094f9b0f5b28204deb0faf502a00a7e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/90/94/f9/9094f9b0f5b28204deb0faf502a00a7e.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American soldiers, first wave, landing at Omaha. <br />
Part of "magnificent eleven",<br />
taken by Robert Capa on the beach.<br />
Notice the falling soldiers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the night to the 6th of June, the allied forces crossed the channel. The same night, a number of airborne troops was dropped over inland Normandy <br />
to destroy long-range artillery zeroed in on the beaches. In the morning, the german soldiers placed at the beaches codenamed "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Juno" and "Sword" sounded the alarm, and prepared their positions. In the horizon, as a german soldier told in an interview; "there were more ships than we had men".<br />
<br />
At 0630, the landings took place, and especially at Omaha the US-troop met severe resistance. With heavy incoming machine-gun fire, sharpshooters and small-artillery, Omaha became a living hell. In few hours, 3000 american soldiers lost their lives before before they managed to secure the beach. On other beaches the fighting was easier, but still with a high casualty rate. Overall there was at least 10.000 allied casualties on the first day; and the goals of the first day was not accomplished before D-Day+3. German casualties on day one lies at ca 4000.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Remembering D-Day</h3>
<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="http://darkroom-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/2014/04/REU-FRANCE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://darkroom-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/2014/04/REU-FRANCE3.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">War cemetery for American soldiers in Normandy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
This year, being 70 years since the invasion, is an important year for many people; especially those who was there. Many veterans are still alive, and this is probably the last anniversary with so many attendants. A huge ceremony took place on the 6th of june this summer, with state officials from all the nations involved.<br />
<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="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/6/1402061588147/48f8091c-2291-4e34-971c-97826c56d80d-460x276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/6/6/1402061588147/48f8091c-2291-4e34-971c-97826c56d80d-460x276.jpeg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French president Hollande speaking to veterans <br />
during the ceremony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
Robert Edlin fought on Omaha with the 2nd ranger battalion. This is an extract from his accounts in the book "The voices of D-day":<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="NO-BOK"><i>"...there were bodies from the I I6th
floating everywhere. They were facedown in the water with packs still on their
backs. They had inflated their life jackets. Fortunately, most of the Rangers
did not inflate theirs or they also might have turned over and drowned.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="NO-BOK"><i>I began to run with my rifle in front of
me. I went directly across the beach to try to get to the seaway. In front of
me was part of the II6th Infantry, pinned down and lying behind beach
obstacles. They hadn't made it to the seaway. I kept screaming at them, 'You
have to get up and go! You gotta get up and go!' But they didn't. They were
worn out and defeated completely. There wasn't any time to help them.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="NO-BOK"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="NO-BOK"><i>I continued across the beach. There were
mines and obstacles all up and down the beach. The air corps had missed it
entirely. There were no shell holes in which to take cover. The mines had not
been detonated. Absolutely nothing that had been planned for that part of the
beach had worked. I knew that Vierville-sur-Mer was going to be a hellhole, and
it was.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="NO-BOK"><i>When I was about twenty yards from the
seaway I was hit by what I assume was a sniper bullet. It shattered and broke
my right leg. I thought, well, I've got a Purple Heart. I fell, and as I did,
it was like a searing hot poker rammed into my leg. My rifle fell ten feet or
so in front of me. I crawled forward to get to it, picked it up, and as I rose
on my left leg, another burst of I think machine gun fire tore the muscles out
of that leg, knocking me down again..."</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-45688538712221842042014-09-04T13:38:00.001+02:002014-09-04T13:38:16.792+02:00The Scottish independence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On the 18th of September, the Scotts have to make a daring choice. The last weeks a ballot has been sent out to every citizen of Scotland over the age of 16- on it there is a straightforward question; "Should Scotland be an independent country?" yes or no. For many people this will be an easy answer. A scotsman we skyped with in class said it like this; "should you vote with your brain, or with your heart?"- his answer was of course the heart. <br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
What does it take?</h3>
<div>
So, let us start with a scenario where the Scottish people declare independence; how will this be done? Who will be citizens? what about the currency? The army? NATO? EU? The questions are many; it is not easy declaring independence.</div>
<div>
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<div>
To gain independence, they have to have over 50 percent of the votes; at the moment being, they are somewhere between 30 and 40 percent- meaning that there in reality, despite the voting of the heart, is a slim chance of an independent Scotland. However, all the plans are made by the Scottish government, and everything is prepared, just in case of a majority voting yes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For a start, the Scottish government is planning on keeping the GBP- hopefully within a british currency-union. If not, things will become interesting. Everyone born in Scotland, or living in Scotland, will be able to become citizens; it is worth mentioning that Scotland only has 5,3 million citizens- they are in need of people. Government calculations suggests a standing army of 15.000 men, with a active reserve force of 5.000 (similar to Norway). When it comes to the possibility of a NATO-membership, the government is divided. The question really lies on nuclear weapons; the UK uses scotland as a base for NATO nuclear-weapons, and according to the british army there is no other place to place them- the Scottish government would like to have them removed (with or without a NATO-alliance). The case is that those for independence is looking towards Norway and the other scandinavian countries. No EU, perhaps NATO, it's own foreign policy and basically just being an independent nation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The arguments of the no-side, is that many big corporations etc is threatening to pull out of Scotland, and that it really is a hassle; especially the healthcare and supplies of medicine is a big concern for many people. There are clearly plenty of those wanting independence in their heart, but still to many believing that Scotland is better of as a part of the UK. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-38679873378342748522014-09-04T10:51:00.000+02:002014-09-04T10:51:09.729+02:00My expectations <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I'm a bit late on writing this post (my fault), anyways; This year I have Social Studies, and my expectations are great! It's a follow-up course from last years International-English, but with more focus on politics, culture and history. In other words; it's perfect!<br />
<br />
I will once again write posts on a weekly basis, covering subjects ranging from Scottish politics to the first world war. I hope you enjoy!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-50098543825855211902014-05-18T20:58:00.001+02:002014-05-18T20:58:19.983+02:00The clash of the subcultures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the best movies I know of is The Breakfast Club. One of the reasons I like it so much, is not merely because of the acting skills, or the way it is directed, it is because it shows how these characters, all from a different subculture, works together and learns so much from each other; despite their differences.<br />
<br />
The movie takes place at a high school, and the main characters are at detention. The teacher, named Mr. Vernon, are looking over them- and the teenagers are doing what they can to "rebel" against him, though some of them are objecting to it at the beginning. The movie is so special, because it shows the huge variety between the students, and tells the story of how they come together. The character development, and the story line is really special!<br />
<br />
The characters are:<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
John Bender</h4>
<div>
John is the rebel in the detention group, and the only one who clearly stands up against Mr. Vernon. He is a victim of child abuse, and comes from the working class. In the beginning, he is clearly hostile against the others- but his softer sides shows after a while, and he defends Claire when Mr. Vernon is rough against her. John is in many ways the event-creator in the movie, starting many of the memorable sequences. He is at detention for setting of the fire alarm.</div>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<br />Andrew Clark</h4>
<div>
Andrew is the stereotypical athlete boy, and is at detention for beating up a student. He is, despite this, quite responsible and stands up for whats right; which we learns outwards in the movie. The reason for him being so "tough", is because of pressure coming from his father. His entire life is guided, and he does not make his own decisions; we learn this in a sequence where they are all telling about themselves for each other, as the time goes by. </div>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<br />Claire Standish</h4>
<div>
Claire seems to be the classical "perfect" girl. Popular, with many friends, she comes from a wealthy family, and is at detention for going to the mall during class. She is highly affected by her friends, and her parents are spoiling her, but she is aware of it; painfully aware of it that is. She admits that she feel pressured by her friends, and that she therefore won't hang out with any "unpopular" people. She ends up with crushing on Bender, which she hated at the start. </div>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Allison Reynolds</h4>
<br />
Allison is the "weirdo" in the group- but she turns out to be an essential part. She is a quite isolated as a person, and stays quiet during the first half of the film, but burst out some randoms "screams" etc. She comes from the classical middle class, but she is not accepted by her parents; she opens up to the others, Andrew in particular, in the latter part of the movie.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Brian Johnson</h4>
Brian Johnson is the typical "geek". He is at detention for bringing a flare gun, which he intended to kill himself with- this because he received an F on a test. He is a careful type of character, but is not affraid of speaking. He comes from the upper middle class, and is under huge pressure from his parents to became a academic. He tries to keep the peace within the group, being sort of a diplomat. He is the one who gives the group it's name.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-52173029459479470832014-04-08T14:47:00.002+02:002014-04-09T22:25:40.148+02:00The Object Of Power<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="" style="line-height: 24px;">A comparison between Orwell's 1984 and North Korea</span></h2>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">What is the cause that makes humans rule over other humans, their fellow man,
in inhumane ways? Whether it is behind a
red flag, hammer and a sickle, or behind the hatred of the swastika- the human
race has throughout history struggled towards the perfect society, that with no
weaknesses, that will last a thousand years. Every single time we have tried
this, we have failed- we look back, and we say “How on earth could they think
like that?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">When George Orwell wrote 1984, he wrote a warning. He wrote a
warning against the totalitarian and “perfect” oligarchy. The book was
published in 1949, one year before Orwell’s death. Just a few months earlier, a
new nation took shape. I will write more about this state, because the similarities
between this state and Orwell’s 1984 have since 1949 increased dramatically. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In 1984 we meet Winston Smith, and the fictional country
“Oceania”. Winston works in the Ministry of truth- where they, of course, works
with the complete opposite. In Oceania, English Socialism (or INGOSC as it is
called in “new speech”) is the ruling ideology. The Party, ruled by “Big
Brother” controls everything, and Winston’s job is to correct the history- an
important part of the system. </span><i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">"Who controls the past
controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."<w:sdt citation="t" id="-1965339042"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:
field-begin'></span> CITATION Geo49 \l 1044 <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--> <span style="font-style: normal; mso-no-proof: yes;">(Orwell, 1949)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt>- </span></i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> That, is the slogan of the Party.</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">
When the Party is consistent and keeps “correcting” the history, the population
of Oceania are kept at bay. To eliminate people from history, or give someone
the credits for something they did not do, is not something Orwell came up with
in his book. We are well known with Soviets censorship and their correction of
history- Whether it was old photos of former Party-members who for some reason were
no longer in the Party, or historical events not suiting the Soviet cause. Of
course, some people could look at the photograph and say “that’s not how it
was”, but how can they prove it? If someone or something is written out of
history, then it is completely removed; every single newspaper obliterated, and
lost in oblivion. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
The birth of INGSOC in Oceania happened in the same way as the communism in Soviet
and North Korea; the need of a revolution, risen from the ashes of war.</span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
Juche (the idea of being self-provided) is the ideal idea in North Korea. In
Oceania the “telescreens” yells out propaganda on how the rations are at an
all-time high (even though they are decreasing), and how the factories are
producing more than ever before. This is not unlike North Korea at all, where
the state-radio is giving the same message to the population. The state-radio
is of course the only legal station, and the only one which the North-Korean
radios are able to receive. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
The US, the enemy, is referred to as the source of all evil. If the economy is
wavering, or the nation suffers from hunger or epidemics, the US are being held
responsible. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
The exact same situation is the case in Orwell’s Oceania. Eurasia is the menace
to society, and if something is going badly, Eurasia is to blame. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
This is a considerable difference from Oceania, where the majority belongs in
the proletarian class.</span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
Another essential difference, of which
it is important to notice, is that The Party in North-Korea, unlike The Party
in Oceania, never talks about the class system anymore- it is actually
uncertain whether or not the people themselves knows which class they belong
to, until they are sentenced for it. We do however assume that those living in
Pyongyang belong to the core class, and that they are fully aware that there is
a whole other reality outside of the city. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
In North-Korea, “thought crimes” are real, and the labour camps and “re-education”
camps are well known to the outside world. We are aware of six political prison
camps, with over two-hundred-thousand inmates, and about ten re-education camps
with over one-hundred-thousand-inmates. Although, having one camp called “prisoner
camp nr 25, and another called “re-education camp nr 77”, the numbers are
probably much higher. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
In the eighties and nineties, former guard and now defector Ahn Myohn-Chol<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> worked
in Labour Camp nr 22, or Hoeryong concentration camp as it is called<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>. In
his testimonies he describes conditions which can only be compared to that of
the camps we saw in Europe during the existence of Nazi-Germany. He tells
describes how one third of the inmates in the camp (Hoeryong had around fifty
thousand inmates in 1990) had severe damages to their bodies such as missing
eyes, missing ears, bashed knuckles, and cuts all over their bodies. He tells
how the inmates looked like living skeletons, how these “skeletons” were forced
to carry out hard labour, and he describes public executions of elders no
longer fit for work. The food in the camp consisted of 300g of corn each day-
if the prisoners got hold of meat; it came from rats running around in the
camp. When inmates died, they were burned in ovens. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
In order to understand the scale of the camp, it has to be mentioned that it is
25 square miles, and has over one-thousand guards armed with automatic weapons
and hand grenades. A guard is never punished for killing a prisoner, and surrounding
the camp is a huge system of electric fences and minefields. New reports suggest that this particular camp
was closed in 2012, and that every inmate at that time (thirty-thousand) was
starved to death. There are two other camps in the same scale still being
operational; Yudok and Pukchang. As mentioned earlier, the sources are few. <a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
This is shown extremely well in 1984, where everyone simply accepts that sooner
or later, they will be caught- and that thought crimes must be punished. One
character in the book, Tom Parsons- the co-worker of Winston- becomes tremendously
proud when his daughter chose to report him for thought crimes, since he spoke
bad words about The Party in his sleep. It is highly likely that similar cases
are taking place in North-Korea. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
When ending up in a North-Korean camp however, there are probably few who end
up loving The Party. But on the other hand; if you do not know of the outside
world, maybe not even the world outside of the camp, maybe you end up loving
The Party after all? </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
It has been rebellions in the North-Koreans camps, but the last one ended up
with over ten thousand prisoners being mowed down by machineguns.<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
Anyhow, the similarities between the North-Korean camps and those of Oceania
are not few- they are alarmingly many.</span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
In 1984, we are told about “Big Brother”, the leader of The Party; the Party is
the leadership, and on the top of the hierarchy is “Big Brother”. Whether or
not Big Brother exists is irrelevant, because he is there; on the posters, in
the books, in people’s minds. In North-Korea, there is a similar scenario going
on: the Korean Labour Party, The party, is led by the father of the revolution
Kim Il Sung- despite the fact that he passed away in 1994. He is looked upon as
the eternal leader of the nation, and a crime against the nation is a crime
against him- denying his very existence is a crime in itself, just like denying
the existence of Big Brother is a crime in Oceania. It hangs huge pictures of
Kim Il Sung everywhere, and ceremonies celebrating him is on the daily agenda. Members
of The Party, if it is North-Korea or Oceania, live in luxury, while the rest
of the people suffer. The current head of state in North-Korea, Kim Jong-un
lives like a god, and he enjoys it. Whether or not he is a marionette being
controlled by others in The Party is unknown, but there is without doubt others
in The Party that has a lot of power. Heads of state comes and goes, sometimes
through purges, just like those Orwell writes about in 1984. Not even within
The Party can you feel safe. </span><br /><span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
I do not believe it is possible to understand the process which has taken place
over the last sixty years. The nationalism that rose after the Second World War,
the need for socialism, and the enclosure that took place after the Korean War;
it has been the perfect recipe to the perfect oligarchy- perfect to The Party
that is. </span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">The reason why I
am using the Soviet communism as an example is that if you want to understand
North Korea, you have to understand the Soviet Union. Without Soviet lurking in
the background, North Korea would probably look quite different today. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">North Korea
became an state in 1949, well backed by the Soviet Union. A few years earlier,
1945, the allied forces had seized control over the Japanese-occupied Korea.
The northern part fell under Soviet command, and the southern under American.
The following years, the north became more and more independent, before they
eventually became an independent state. The Soviet forces backed out of the
north and the Americans from the south. North Korea, with Kim Il Sung as leader
(a character that has several similarities with 1984 and “Big “Brother”), saw
their chance to attack South Korea- and the Korean War started. After this war,
North Korea has become the most closed country in the world, while South Korea
has moved in the complete opposite direction. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">The formation of
the North Korean state and the outbreak of the war, in many ways looked upon as
North Koreas revolution, has secured them an enemy image for eternity. To the
North, it is them and the US, communism against capitalism. To the North-Koreans the war against USA is
continuous, and the propaganda keeps telling them about the “final stage” of
the war, which soon will reach it heights, and the rearmament has been going on
for ever(at least on paper).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">During the 1960’s,
North Korea adopted the Songun-doctrine<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>, a
doctrine that ensures the military full priority. Songun became the
national-doctrine in 1994, after Kim Il Sungs death. Before the
Songun-doctrine, North Korea practised (and still practises) the Juche-doctrine<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>, a
doctrine that, at least in theory, puts North Korea in the centre, and declares
that they, and no one else, is to be responsible for their provisions- which
exclude the possibility of import. The Juche-Doctrine also declares (if we
interpret a speech by Kim Il Sung) that North Korea are, in the same way Nazi-Germany
looked upon them self, übermenchen (better humans/over humans). When looking at
North Korea today there are several similarities to Nazi-Germany, like the
race-ideology, and their view on “Non-North-Koreans”. It is a very complex view
which is hard to comprehend, but that can be connected with the
Japanese-occupation, and the years of conflict. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">Juche and Songun have
many parallels to INGSOC, and form the basis for a comparison between Oceania
and North Korea. The whole idea that the military should be prioritized before
anything else is something we read a lot about in 1984- The war against Eurasia
rages, and they are in extreme need of soldiers and war material. After a
while, it turns out that the war against Eurasia is not nearly as comprehensive
as the Party claims, much like the war against the US is described by the Party
in North Korea. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">But this enemy
image; why is it necessary? What is the purpose with the intentional creation
of Eurasia, or the US, as an enemy? You will see that it creates unity and
solidarity within the people, and gather the people in the fight against their
enemy. This especially happens in the time of a great crisis, which is
something neither Oceania nor North-Korea has been without. The people are
being convinced that if they (or when, as they say) defeats this enemy, then
everything will be solved. The North-Koreans has this conception that the
Songun-system is an absolute necessity- if they do not have Songun, how can
they defeat the US? And if they do not defeat the US, how can they ensure their
own existence? </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">We could ask
ourselves if any of these states has any intention of winning a war- and the
answer would of course be no. Oceania is using the war as an eternal source for
propaganda, and North-Korea is doing the same. The only essential difference is
whether or not the North-Korean population knows that there is no real war at
the moment, or if only certain parts of the population knows; It is very
uncertain how much information that reaches the people, but we can assume that
most people are aware that there is no huge armed conflict going on- unlike
Oceania, where everyone believe there is war</span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">North-Korea is,
similarly to Oceania, divided in classes. While in Ingsoc-Oceania there is the
upper class (the inner party), the middle class (the outer party) and the lower
class (the proletarians), North-Korea uses the so called “Songbun-system”<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>.
Songbun is a system which divides the people into three very similar classes:
“The core class”, “the uncertain class” and “the hostile class”. It is
uncertain how many that are in each class, but most people belongs to (if we
use a speech held by Kim Il Sung in 1958 as a source) the middle class, about
55% that is.</span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">From the very
beginning North-Korea has had a severe judicial system, if it can be called
that at all. People are, just like in Oceania, sentenced without any obvious
reason. In Oceania, the concept of “thought crimes” is central. Negative
thoughts about The Party will be revealed, and those thinking them will be punished.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">We have very few
sources from these camps: there are reports based on satellite imaging, and a
handful of statements from eye-witnesses- both from former guards, and former
inmates.</span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">But what is the
purpose of these camps? What is North-Koreas motivation? There is not much
keeping you from being taken to a camp; criticizing The Party, or just being
part of the lower class, can be enough. The degree of your sentence varies from
crime to crime, but you will most likely end up spending the rest of your life
in the camp without a reel sentence anyways. To punish the family of the prosecuted,
known as Sippenhaft in German, is common. The intention of this is probably as
simple as just oppressing every doubter of the system. If they punish every
doubter, then they are ensuring a dehumanisation of the doubters, and a comprehensive
brainwash of the remaining; it contributes in the creation of a twisted
understanding of reality among the population. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">Oceania’s labour
camps are equivalent with those of North-Korea, with one difference that is; In
1984, Oceania has reached a point where they are trying to torture the
prisoners until they fall in love with The Party, before being executed (or in
some few cases released)- and they are successful. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">North-Korea has,
just like Oceania, a system which is based upon snitching- that neighbours
reports neighbours, and that brothers report sisters. This is something we know
from Soviet, Nazi-Germany and Iran- just to mention a few. The secret police is
extremely effective in these countries, and the police known as “The thought
Police” in Oceania reflect in the North-Korean “Bowibu”- a police we know very
little about, except that they are responsible for the practical work with the
concentration camps, and the police-system of the country.<a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><a href="file:///D:/liul2103/Desktop/The%20Object%20of%20power.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">So, it is clear
that the fate of the inhabitants of both North-Korea and Oceania is being
decided by The Party- but what exactly is this “Party”?</span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">You could ask how
on earth North-Korea ended up being a state that is at best comparable with a
fictional state from a book. What exactly is the agenda of the North-Korean
government? Is there, or has there ever been socialism there? And why has the
world for over sixty years just watched them develop like this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">It is important
to understand that since the end of the Korean War, the world has done
everything in its power to pretend like North-Korea is not a real state- and
North-Korea has done everything in their power to follow the “Juche” idea, to
be independent. North-Korea has found themselves being in a sort of “Germany
1938 mode” since 1953- just completely closed- and they have buried themselves
deeper and deeper in the sand. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">The Party
exploited the hatred against the US and South-Korea, and they have cultivated
it further. In sixty years, they have made sure that few of those who lived in
Korea before the war is alive and they have erased the history from the history
books. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">They have made sure to do exactly what is being done in George Orwell’s
1984; they have made the population helpless and one-hundred percent dependent
of the state. The Party clutches on to an ideology that does not work at all,
other than to keep the population hungry, and at bay. Maybe they are doing it
by conviction, or maybe they are doing it simply because the system itself has
created an evil circle. How do you stop it? If you ask any question, you will
be shot- probably because someone else is afraid of being shot.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">And no; of course
there is not a hint of socialism in North-Korea. Their system is something of
its own; call it communism, fascism, Nazism or Ingsoc- it is still wrong. You
will just end up putting a name on a system that may have started with an idea
of soviet-communism, but that ended up with something completely different. </span><br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:="">
The state controls everything. Not for the benefits of the people, but for the
benefits of The Party. Correction; The Party controls everything- because The
Party is the state. They follow their
own twisted Juche/Songun ideology, an ideology that reflects in Ingsoc; Oceania
in the center, self-contained and with focus on military force- North-Korea in
the center, self-contained and with focus on military force. </span></div>
<br />
<span 12pt="" 150="" font-size:="" line-height:=""><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Why these nations
have ended up like this, and what goes through the mind of their leaders other
than power, can only be guessed. They have most likely become victims of their
own system. The current leader of North-Korea is number three in the line, and
to him the system probably goes without saying. What can be done? I do not
think anyone can answer that question. O’Brian, a character in 1984, says that
the proletarians will never rise up, and that they will never bring The Party
to its feet. That is probably more than
the words of a man sickened with power; when North-Korea has been able to keep
the system running for so long, just like Oceania, then the possibility of a
new revolution is simply not there. The states have utterly control over the
population, and the main focus is simply to maintain control. O’Brian puts it
like this: <i><b>“</b></i></span><i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Power is not a means; it is an end. One
does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes
the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of
persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of
power is power.</b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b> “</b><w:sdt citation="t" id="593981033"><!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
CITATION Geo49 \l 1044 <span style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]--> <span style="font-style: normal; mso-no-proof: yes;">(Orwell, 1949)</span><!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]--></w:sdt></span></span></i><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<h1>
Bibliography<o:p></o:p><span lang="NO-BOK" style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: NO-BOK; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></span></h1>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>BIBLIOGRAPHY<span style='mso-element:
field-separator'></span><![endif]--><i>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche</i>. <span lang="NO-BOK">(u.d.).<o:p></o:p></span><w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="NO-BOK">Harden, B.
(2012). <i>Flukten Fra Leir 14.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="NO-BOK">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoeryong_concentration_camp</span></i><span lang="NO-BOK">. (u.d.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="NO-BOK">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_North_Korea</span></i><span lang="NO-BOK">. (u.d.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="NO-BOK">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisons_in_North_Korea</span></i><span lang="NO-BOK">. (u.d.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="NO-BOK">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songbun</span></i><span lang="NO-BOK">. (u.d.).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="NO-BOK">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songun</span></i><span lang="NO-BOK">. </span>(u.d.).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoBibliography" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
Orwell, G. (1949). <i>1984.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Yodok Stories </i>(2008). <span lang="NO-BOK">[Film].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-91529560380342716662014-03-18T12:49:00.001+01:002014-03-18T12:50:38.051+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">These last weeks we have worked with Alaska on a ww2 project, and this is the text my group wrote:</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 28px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Norway during World War II</span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-8dba9553-d505-28ce-3c23-82440e4888ca" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The invasion of Poland the 1. of September in 1939 marks the beginning of World War II in Europe, and by 1942 the majority of Western-European soil was under German ruling. </span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A German ship was sunk by a British submarine outside the southern coast of Norway the 8. of April 1940, and thus the Norwegian government were alarmed, and started evacuation towards North. The invasion on the following day initially came as a surprise, seeing as Norway had declared themselves neutral in the war. The Norwegian military was backed by French and British forces in the North, however they were outnumbered and unprepared for the sudden attack.. An important thing to note is that the southern parts of Norway were not prioritized, because the government and had already fled north, and the import of iron ore from Sweden to Germany went by railway through Northern Norway to the city of Narvik. Within in the first day of the invasion the Germans took control over big parts of Norway, including the capital, and demanded the Norwegian government and king to capitulate. The king did not obey, and it would be another 1-2 months before the Germans had complete control over Norway. </span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 32px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 32px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Milorg</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though Norway was under German ruling, the patriotism was strong among many Norwegians. Resistance groups were quickly formed, but were not well organized. In the beginning they mainly printed illegal newspapers, but as the groups proceeded to be more organized, they executed several advanced sabotages, such as “the heavy water sabotage”. Milorg was the main resistance movement in Norway during WW2, and was formed in May 1941 in order to gather the various resistance groups. As time progressed, Milorg became more and more organized. The Norwegian government was in exile in London, and Milorg answered to them. Milorg did not obey direct orders from the SOE(Special Operations Executive), the British government’s organization for organizing resistance groups in occupied countries. However, the Norwegian government had some degree of cooperation with the SOE. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" />In Norway, several smaller groups under command from London, started to arise. Groups like the “Oslo gang” were responsible for several high-risk operations, such as the sinking of Donau, and bombings of German offices in Oslo. The Milorg groups in Norway received weapons and equipment by airdrops, and to this day you can come across old containers in the forest(mostly empty though). The nickname for the Milorg groups near Oslo became “Gutta på Skauen”, which translates directly into “the boys in the forest”. One of Milorg bases located in Ringeriket, had enough weapons to arm three thousand men. By the end of the war, Milorg numbered 50.000 armed soldiers. </span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the war, Milorg groups received weapons, trained saboteurs, and executed a number of missions. However, Milorg was not alone fighting the germans in Norway- several independent groups(though cooperative with Milorg) existed as well, such as the communist Osvald-group. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the german forces capitulated on the 8th of may 1945, Milorg was given the task of disarming the 400.000 german soldiers on Norwegian soil, as well as arresting traitors and free captivities in the german prison camps. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 27px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Norwegian heavy water sabotage</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Norwegian heavy water sabotage” is by many referred to as the most important and successful sabotage operation during the entire Second World War. To this date, the operation is used as an example all over the world on how to perform a flawless sabotage operation.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the World War II, the Germans were trying to make nuclear weapons for use in the war, and they were producing Heavy water, which is needed for the production, in occupied Norway. The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of operations undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs in cooperation with the British special command. The goal of the operations was to blow up the Vemork Hydroelectric Plant where the heavy water was produced.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first parts of the sabotage were called “Operation Grouse” and “Operation Freshman”. “Operation Grouse” started on 19. October 1942, when four Norwegian soldiers parachuted onto the Hardangervidda to do recon and guide the “Operation Freshman”. “Operation Freshman” consisted of soldiers from the “British royal engineers baton” who brought explosives and were specially trained to destroy facilities in seconds, using explosives. Unfortunately the glider and the airplane that pulled it, crashed about 250 kilometers away from the landing zone. Only a few crew members survived the crash, but they got captured, tortured and executed by the Gestapo. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the failed “Operation Freshman”, London decided that a new group consisting of Norwegians was to join the Grouse team, and that they together should carry out the sabotage. The new group of men received the codename “Operation Gunnerside”.They parachuted onto Hardangervidda on 16. February 1943, and they meet up with the Grouse team a week later. Before Gunnerside got dropped out, Grouse had to stay on the Hardangervidda 5 months without provisions in the winter. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On 27. February the group started moving towards the Vemork Plant. They decided to cross the gorge instead of crossing the guarded suspension bridge. They walked along the railway tracks leading to the plant, and waited. During the night, they managed to sneak in and plant the explosives. The explosion destroyed the heavy water cells and 500 kilos of heavy water. There were no prisoners, and not a single life was lost during the operation.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Norwegian special forces still “blow up” the Vemork Hydroelectric Plant several times a year as training, walking the same route as the Grouse Company.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vemork after Grouse and Gunnerside</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short time after the successful operation, the Germans restarted the production at Vemork. The Americans wanted the production to stop permanent, so they decided to bomb the power plant and factories at Rjukan (the city nearby). the 16. november 1943, 700 bombs of 500kg each got dropped over Vemork and Rjukan. Only 18 Bombs hit the targets and 50 Kg of heavy water got destroyed and 22 civilians died during the attack.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the bombing the germans decided to move the production to germany. The production equipment and the remaining 600 kg of heavy water was put on a ferry to be transported out of Norway. Three Norwegian saboteurs planted explosives on the ferry and blew it up in the middle of the fjord. The ferry sunk with all the equipment on board and 14 civilians and 4 soldiers died.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, we have written about Norwegians who fought on the Norwegian side, but we think it’s important to add that there were also Norwegians serving in the German military service during the Second World War.</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We estimate that there were about 15000 Norwegians who signed up for German army, and about 6000 of these ended up serving on the front. They had various tasks, but the majority of them fought against the Soviet forces on the east-front. They were part of the SS (Schutzstaffel), a German military group, independent from the regular German military. A lot of these Norwegians claimed that they wanted to help Finlands in their fight against the Soviets. The ones who didn't fight directly in the war were for instance working in the concentration camps. We know there were norwegian soldiers present in both Stalingrad, and Berlin- as well as the Warsaw uprising. The most famous norwegian regiments in the SS was “Regiment Nordland” “Division Wiking”, “Norges SS” “Germanske SS Norge” the SS ski force, as well as the so called police forces. Over 800 Norwegians were killed on the east front. <br class="kix-line-break" />Norwegian concentration guards were mainly found in the Stutthof and Mauthausen concentration camps. They either served as regular guards or had a main responsibility for the Nordic prisoners. There were also several Norwegians who served in the German Red Cross, mostly as nurses. Most of the Norwegians who served in the German forces during the war were sentenced to 3.5 years of prison, for treason. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-4074054573033979452014-03-04T13:21:00.000+01:002014-03-04T13:21:10.165+01:00Orwell's Oceania and North korea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/1984first.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/1984first.jpg" height="400" width="268" /></a>So, these days we are starting on our in-depth project in English, and I am writing an essay compering the ideology "INGSOC", which is a fictional ideology from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four">George Orwell's book "1984</a>", with the North Korean Communism. Orwell wrote his book at the same time as North Korea came to existence, and the development in North Korea since that time is quite frightening, and has a lot in common with Oceania(the nation in which 1984 is taking place).<br />
I will post the whole essay here when it is finished! If you have not read 1984, I recommend it strongly- since it is one of the most important books of the last century.<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-48229317387145005142014-01-14T16:06:00.002+01:002014-01-14T16:06:16.489+01:00The bottled dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The world is at an water crisis- you may not realize it, but it is true. The shortage of water around the world is starting to become a serious problem, and peoples will to do something about it does not seem to be there. Water is the source of everything on this planet, and everything we make, eat and drink is reliable on water, or is water. But the water disappearing from the major reservoirs is only one part water problem; the contamination of the existing drinking water, the tap water in peoples homes, is causing diseases and a high number of problems, mostly ignored by the government. So not only is the drinking water disappearing, but we are poisoning what we have left.<br />
<br />
Because of the poisoned water, people tend to by bottled water- the pure, clean, highly controlled and regulated water you can by on the local supermarket- at least, people think it's cleaner and purer than the tap water. Bottled-water is not only, in many cases, just as contaminated as the tap water, but it is simply unfair to make the worlds population dependent on it.<br />
Water is the one thing we are one hundred percent dependent on, and if we were to say that "ok, so the tap water is contaminated, but lets focus on clean bottled water"- then the only way of getting, what might be cleaner water, is by buying it. So..if you can not afford to buy the bottled water, then you have to drink the tap water.<br />
The problem right now however, is that people think the bottled water is cleaner- which is wrong. A 2010 test showed that 70% of the most popular bottled water-brands contained much more bacteria than the tap water, and sometimes one hundred times more that the permitted limit. The companies tapping the water is using pictures of glaciers, and are naming the brands after famous mountains- making the impression that it's pure- however they are often following other rules than the public tap-water systems, and they are not forced to do the same testing of the water. But there has been done tests, and traces of birth control pills, steroids, painkillers and much more are found in the bottles, as well as the tap-water. <br />
<br />
The point is, that being dependent on bottled water is not a solution to anything- it is simply a bad idea. Today we watched a documentary called "the last call of the oasis", and it deals with this exact subject. In the documentary they use Singapore as an example of how to solve the water shortage-crisis. There, they recycle water- and they have been able to get past the so called "yuck" factor. People seem to forget that all water is recycled in nature, so does it really matter if we speed up the process and recycle it our selves? In Singapore they have managed to get acceptance from the consumers, and the sewage is processed into pure drinking water. It is probably as simple as that; get past the "yuck" factor, and start recycling water.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-62772996250010692982014-01-03T15:28:00.000+01:002014-01-03T15:28:06.109+01:00The Joy Luck Club- First impressions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Joy Luck Club is a novel written by Amy Tan, and tells the story of four Chinese immigrants and their four daughters, who forms a club- The Joy Luck Club. In the club they play mahjong for money, and the book is structured much like the game. With four parts, divided into sixteen chapters and sixteen different stories- all related but told from a different point of view.<br />
<br />
I have now read the first chapters of the book, and I must say it's really interesting and catchy. I am not really a "reader", I don't read many books a year, and when i do it's mostly biographies etc, but I am looking forward to reading the rest!<br />
<br />
Happy new year!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-31658500414734445442013-11-26T10:38:00.001+01:002013-11-26T10:44:23.743+01:00Edublog awards- best teacher and student blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the 2013 edublog awards, I nominate my teacher Ann S. Michaelsen for the best teacher blog!<br />
Check out here blog here: <a href="http://annmic.wordpress.com/">http://annmic.wordpress.com/</a><br />
<br />
For the 2013 edublog award, I nominate my fellow student Haakon H. Bakker's blog- related signals.<br />
Check out his blog here: <a href="http://relatedsignals.com/">http://relatedsignals.com/</a><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-86122918917097326122013-11-04T19:42:00.000+01:002013-11-04T19:42:07.399+01:00Grand Torino<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="en-GB">Last week </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/img2/gran-torino-FL-poster-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.firstshowing.net/img2/gran-torino-FL-poster-full.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
we watched the movie Grand
Torino. Starring, and directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie takes place in
Detroit- where Walt Kowalski(Eastwood), a old man and Korean War veteran, who
is angry at the world lives. His new neighbours, a Hmong family, makes his life
take a sudden turn.<br />
For more info on the movie- look here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Torino"><span lang="en-GB">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Torino</span></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
My assignment is to
answer five questions related to the movie, so there will be lots of spoilers
ahead- be warned!</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;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b> <span style="font-size: 11pt;">• How would you
describe the relationship between Walt and the priest? How does this
relationship change during the movie?</span></b></div>
<div lang="nb-NO" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<span lang="nb-NO">Our
first </span><span lang="en-GB">meeting with the priest is at the funeral for
Walt's wife. Walt clearly disapproves of the priest's age- and later he states
that he is just "an overeducated
27-year-old virgin who likes to hold the hands of superstitious old ladies and
promise them everlasting life." However, the priest apparently promised
Walt's wife to make Walt come to confession- a promise he would not break. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
But Walt's view on
the priest, and the church itself, is not very positive. However, the priest
keeps pushing Walt, and eventually they have a talk about life and death- a
subject Walt has much experience with. As the time goes by, Walt accepts the
priest as a person, and although Walt may not accept the church, he seems to
find peace when he goes to confession at the end. </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;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>• Walt tells the
priest that what haunts men is not what they are ordered to do, but what they
do when not ordered to do </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>something. What does
he mean by this?</b></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;">
Walt served in the
Korean War, a war which is often referred to as "the forgotten war".
Like any other war, the Korean war was terrible- especially for the civilians,
and like in any war- soldiers did on both sides did things they should not have
done. In war your true face comes forth.
Will you kill a civilian if ordered to? Will you kill a civilian if not ordered
to? In every war throughout history, the answer unfortunately turns out to be
yes. And it don't have to be the question on killing civilians either, it could
be to burn down a house, or maybe kill a enemy soldier you didn't have to kill.
Of course, some people do these terrible things simply because they are plain
evil persons- like the SS death squadrons, such as those in SS Division
Totenkopf, during ww2. The SS is known for their brutality towards civilians
during the war, and most of the divisions were put together by volunteers.
Thousands of young men, including
Norwegians, took part in massacres, well knowing it was massacres- and not
necessarily with orders to do so. Though ww2 may be a special case cause of the
organizing and the scale of it, similar
things happens in almost every armed conflict- with or without orders. In the
Korean war, no one had any goal to exterminate a whole "rase", like
in ww2- but it still happened civilians were killed on purpose. Civilians could
be killed in anger, or they could be killed in the heat of a fight. In war
soldiers tends to get more brutal, and maybe develop a hate towards the ones
they are fighting- especially if you are at the front for a long time, your
psych will suffer- and you end up doing something terrible, perhaps together
with your fellow soldiers, and without orders. The killing of surrendered
enemies was probably the most common case.
When at the front, Walt probably saw a lot of this. In the movie he says,
when describing Korea and death, that you'll never forget killing a seventeen
year old with a bayonet- and he clearly regrets this action, even though he
probably had to do it. He probably saw much worse things, and he because of
what he tells the priest, we can assume that he took part in things he was not
ordered to, and that were not necessary
.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin: 0in;">
<br /></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;">
<b>• After the attack,
Walt gets a haircut and shave, gets a new suit and goes to confession. What is
the significance of these actions? </b></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;">
By doing these
things, he marks that he is at the last stage of his life. He wants to look
good, and he want god's forgiveness before doing what he have to do. He want to
go down with style, and he want's it to be meaningful.<br />
By cutting his hair and shaving, he does something common- but still something
he will do for the last time. His new suit is tailored, and he says he's never
had a special made suit before. It could be compared to how we treat our dead,
before we, for example, cremate them. Humans have a need to "go down with
style", and if we can decide when to die, we'll buy the suit before- and
not after.</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;">
<b>• What does respect
mean to Walt? What does respect mean to you?</b></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;">
Walt is clearly a
man of the old guard- he likes respect, and he think you should earn it.
However, he does not seek respect for being a veteran- but for being who he is,
and I agree with that. Of course, there is different kinds of respect. I could
respect someone for something they believe, or something they have done- but
not necessarily for everything about them. Like anything else, it's
complicated. </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;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>• Walt calls his son
after going to the doctor but doesn’t discuss the visit with him. Why do you
think that he didn’t share the news </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>about his illness?
Under the circumstances would you have acted differently? Why or why not? Have
you ever had big news that </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>you changed your
mind about sharing? </b></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;">
He probably didn't
want to tell them, because he had to do what he had to do. Nothing could get in
his way, and his mind was made up that this was the end for him. However, he
most likely felt that he had to talk to his son for the last time. They did not
get along very well, but for Walt the last phone call was probably much like
his last confession. He probably also felt that it wouldn't do any good
telling. He was going to die.</div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
I have no idea what
I would have done- but I like to think that I, if in that exact situation,
would have done the same. It would not have done any good telling, and for his
son to hear him in a nice way over the phone(usually they'd argue), was
probably the best way ending it. </div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">
Yes, I've had news
and changed my mind, and since I changed my mind, I am certainly not going to
share it here! </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-21640723393952026482013-10-24T20:42:00.000+02:002013-10-24T20:42:01.712+02:00Nelson Mandela- before his imprisonment <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Young_Mandela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Young_Mandela.jpg" width="256" /></a>Everyone has heard about Nelson Mandela- the man who conquered apartheid, and became the first black president i South Africa. When he was released from prison, after 27 years, he became the leader of ANC(African National Congress), and started negotiations with the president in order to abolish apartheid- the negotiations ended with an multiracial election in 94, which ended with victory to Mandela and the ANC. His story after his release and election is well known- but what was his life like before his imprisonment?<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The start of Mandela's political activism</h3>
Mandela was born in 1918- but I will start in 1940. After getting to know that an marriage had been arranged for him, Mandela fled to Johannesburg, where he worked in the mines- getting his first sight of "South African capitalism in action". He was later fired, because he was a runaway. In Johannesburg, he befriended ANC activists, and members of the communist party. He did, however, not become a member because of the party's atheistic beliefs, and the fact that he saw the struggle in Africa as an racial conflict, not a class struggle. When studying law later on, he became friends with several other liberal, white, communist Europeans, and he also became a member of the ANC. Mandela did however still believe that the fight for political self-determination should be done by blacks only, not involving the communist party. In order to mobilize the youth, African National Congress Youth League was founded in 1944- and Mandela became a member of the executive committee. <br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The 1948 election</h3>
<div>
In the whites only, general election of 1948, the National Party came to power. Clearly racists, the new government expanded racial segregation with the new apartheid legislation. Mandela, who had worked his way upwards gaining more influence in the ANC, started together with his fellow members, to advocate and take direct actions towards apartheid- such as strikes and boycotts. With a new, more militant, board coming together in the ANC, the organisation moved towards a more revolutionary path. In 1949, Mandela became much more involved in politics, and as a result of this he failed his final year at the university, and was thrown out.</div>
<div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The road towards a more violent path</h3>
</div>
<div>
In 1950, Mandela became president of the ANCYL, and he argued against a united front with the communists- however, he was outvoted, and at some point he changed his view on things completely. His mistrust towards communism broke down, and he was heavily influenced by Karl Marx, Lenin, Mao etc. In 1952 ANC started their Defiance campaign- encouraging people to ignore the apartheid laws. In protests, supporting the ANC, 8500 protesters were arrested- after the campaign, ANC's membership grew from 20.000 to 100.000. Later on the same year, Mandela and 20 others were arrested under the new "Suppression of communism act", and sentenced to hard labour.<br />
in 1955, Mandela asked the ANC leader to request weapons from China- so that the ANC could start guerilla warfare</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Umkhonto we Sizwe- Spear of the Nation</h3>
</div>
<div>
In 1961, with inspiration from Castro's 26th of July movement, and the Cuban revolution, Mandela co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe(MK)- which over time became the armed wing of the ANC- with most of it's members being communists. Mandela and the other leaders of the MK decided to start with acts of sabotage directed at the government- especially military installations and power plants- with the use of bombings. They would do this at night, to avoid as much civilian casualties as possible. Mandela did however express, that if these tactics were to fail, they should move towards a more openly "guerilla warfare and terrorism".</div>
<div>
In their first campaigns, they bombed a subway station- and on the 16 December 1961, they detonated 57 bombs- however few civilians were killed. Their attacks went on for 18 months- as a part of their campaign for a full constitutional change. In the later 60s, the MK were suppressed in South Africa, but they continued to exists outside of the country, fighting against the Rhodesian army, among other things. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mandela was however arrested in 1962, and was first accused of arranging worker strikes and other minor charges, but later on he was also accused of sabotage and guerilla warfare- risking death penalty. Outside of South Africa, Mandela had a huge amount of support- and the trial ended with him being sentenced to life imprisonment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The MK continued with bombings directed towards the South African government until 1986, killing 130- of these 100 civilians, with over 60 of them being black. In 1994, after the fall of apartheid, the MK was integrated into the South African Army.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-61357540356962566752013-10-09T16:10:00.000+02:002013-10-09T16:10:17.908+02:00Peace One Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Peace_one_day_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Peace_one_day_logo.jpg" width="205" /></a>Jeremey Gilley is an actor, a filmmaker, and the founder of Peace One Day. A non-profit organisation that wants to make, well, peace in the world. We were lucky enough to have a Skype meeting with him in our class, where he told us about the project.<br />
<br />
Peace One Day was founded in 1999, with the idea of having one day of non-violence, ceasefire around the world. Gilley sat down with many powerful people, such as Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and the UN-Secretary Kofi Annan, and they made a resolution for the UN. It was presented in 2001 by Great Britain and Costa Rica in the UN, and was adopted. The 21 of September would be the official Peace day.<br />
The first years, nothing major happened with peace day. But in 2007 a ceasefire was accepted for one day in Afghanistan, and the Taliban agreed not intervene when the UN and the Afghan government gave 1,4 million children polio-vaccination, in areas normally unreachable due to the war. <br />
This year, more than 600million people was aware of Peace-day. And what Gilley said, was that peace day is not only about war, but also about your home, and your personal life. Surveys reveal that when you know about peace day, you will behave less violent on that day. Peace day has become a great international event, and in 2016 Gilley think 3 billion people will be aware of the day. If people think of peace, it will be peace!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2936474090799576072.post-68558964122274768592013-09-17T11:45:00.001+02:002013-09-17T11:45:15.564+02:00Think before you act!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.thinkb4u.com/">thinkb4u</a> is a very informative website that definitely learned me a thing or two. On the website you learn about the dangers on the web, by following a family through videos. After each video, you are given a question, and the next video reflects your answer.<br />
The following paragraph is from the about page, and it gives you a clue of what answers you'll find<br />
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<b><i>As more of our life happens online, Internet skills are crucial to living responsibly. What are the skills needed to navigate today’s Internet society? How can parents and educators teach themselves, their families, and their communities about important topics like identity protection, fraud detection, and digital citizenship?
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Not only is the site informative, it has a beautiful design as well. It's easy to understand, and there is something for everyone. By experience I would say adults probably are in most need of this site though. Everyone can learn something, but adults are often struggling most with the internet norms! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1