11th hour.

Today at class we saw a movie called 11th hour. I have actually seen this movie before, but it was nice to see it again. Before we started, our teacher divided us in two groups and said that we were supposed to write down some notes\ keywords from the movie. Some of us were supposed to use computer and the rest were supposed to write them down by hand and then switch after 20 minutes.  For me it was best to write them down by hand, because pc distracts me a bit. But back to movie. .. 

11 hour movie is documentary film, created, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, on the state of the natural environment. Many politicians and scientists told us about in how bad condition our planet is, caused by human beings. I seldom think about what we, human beings are doing to our most important friend, nature. It is not like if we have technology and recourses that we are not addicted to nature any more. It is false. If we are not going to respect the nature, our planet might end up like Venus --> No humans. 

Technology won’t be able to do the things nature is doing for us, our problem is how we're thinking. For me it was a bit shocking that if we don't change the way we live, half of the variety on earth will be gone. It is not like that the earth is going to die; we are going to die if we don't save the environment humans can live in. We have to remember that nature is not our property, we have no rights for it, so we should treat it more gently. If our climate still changes we will end up with a lot of harm, many floods and acid rain and so on. We are in very unusual period for our planet where everything is based on economy and not nature. That’s why, we should slow a little bit down, and think more about our ``mother`` nature. 

This movie gave me lots of new topics that I probably will check out on the internet and I think everybody should take their time to see this movie because it might wake you up. 

-Do have any others thoughts abotu this movie?  

The Endublog Awards!

This year I would to nominate the following student blog in category : best student blog, and I would also like to nominate a blog in the category best teacher blog. I have chosen these blogs because I really liked  Amalies layout but also my teachers blog. Both of them are writing in interesting way, which makes you want to read more. Both of them have pictures on every post which makes it easier to read. (or more fun)

Amalie has a really good blog, she is 16 year old girl,  and she's writing about many interesting topics. I think that everybody should take some of their time to see her blog , because it's worth it.

 

Ann has many followers on every continent! She is a relly good teacher, and many of my teachers have this stupid way of thinking that u have to use books to learn the subject, but she's different. Im looking really forward to Tuesdays ( It is when we're having 4 hours with Ann) Everybody should chceck her blog out, no matter how old you are. There you can find topics all from Roald Dahl to history or current news.

You'll find the links below

 

 

 

 

Links

Amalies blog - http://amaliepaasandvika.blogspot.no/

 

Anns blog ( my teacher) - http://annmic.wordpress.com/

- Do you want me to read your blog?

Blog, Do you like it, or not ?

Our teacher gave us some questions that we were supposed to answer on our blogs. So here they are:

·        Do you think there is more pressure on how you perform/write when you use blogs instead of writing a paper for the teacher only?

Well, I think it’s better to have a blog because it gives me a motivation to write better, and I’m trying to find interesting topics and write about them. It’s also great that not only my teacher sees my work but also other people so they can help me, in many ways (my English, but also inspire me) .

·        Do you think the use of blogs reduces the difference between your work at school and your everyday life?

Well, I am not sure. I think it depends on how much effort you put in to your blog. Many people say that blog does not help you learning English, but I have learnt a lot and it gives me a motivation since many people read it ( not that many, but more than one person) It’s much better than boring classes like we had before. It’s a modern way of learning English which is brilliant and inspiring !

 

 

 

Alaska and Whales

On Tuesday we saw a movie called Big Miracle in class. The movie was about three whales trapped in the ice in Alaska. The main point was how much people are able to do when they stand together and are supporting each other. It was interesting to see that even huge animals such as whales can get in trouble and be in need of our help. I wanted to find more about whales, so I browsed the internet for information. I like whales because they are enormous and make cute noises.

So here are some facts about whales :

 * Whale is the common name for various marine mammals

 * The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins

 * Whales range in size from the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed at 30 m (98 ft) and 180 tones!!!!

 * Whales collectively inhabit all the world's oceans and number in the millions, with annual population growth rate estimates for various species ranging from 3% to 13%

 * For centuries, whales have been hunted for meat and as a source of raw materials. By the middle of the 20th century, industrial whaling had left many species seriously endangered, leading to the end of whaling in all but a few countries.

 * Whales breathe air, are warm-blooded, nurse their young with milk from mammary glands, and have body hair.

 * Whales breathe via blowholes; baleen whales have two and toothed whales have one. These are located on the top of the head

Source: Wikipedia

And since these whales were trapped in Alaska, here are some facts about Alaska

* Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area

* It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with the international boundary with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait.

*Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million (It’s about two cents per acre!! *really cheap)

*Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined

* Alaska is divided in 6 regions

* Like all other U.S. states, Alaska is governed as a republic

I hope you liked my facts about whales and Alaska and I appreciate if you would leave a comment!


- Have you ever seen a whale before?

Assisted suicide

 

Informal and formal text.

Formal- Assisted suicide is way of helping people to end their suffering. Assistance (Assisted suicide) may mean providing one with drugs or equipment to end one’s life.

It is not equal to euthanasia, which is voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary way of end someone's painful existence .Voluntary euthanasia is legal in some countries and U.S. states. Non-voluntary euthanasia is illegal in all countries. Involuntary euthanasia is usually considered murder. In decades, people had a problem to find a balance between legal and moral conceptions of suicide and personal right to death.

In other words people feel that the concept of assisted suicide conflicts with their values.

Informal-

I think that it’s a good idea to help people end their painful lives in a human way instead of suffering till death. If I would be stuck in a bed for many months without hope of getting better again, I would maybe think about assisted suicide as an option. Of course I don't think anybody is able to put themselves in that kind of situation. Taking someone’s life is a serious thing.

That's why I think that it's a bit stupid that some church people have enough power to decide that it is not allowed to help someone ending their lives. I think doctors should have the last word, because what's the point of having a person in a bed for months suffering till death if we are actually able to help them?

Assisted-suicide is legal in several jurisdictions, including Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and three American states (Oregon, Washington, and Montana).

 

 

 

Book burning

Books were one of the first casualties of the NAZI regime when Hitler seized power in 1933. The NAZIs organized mass burnings of books written by Jews. Virtually all books by Jewish authors were destroyed.  The book burnings were carefully prepared. It wasn’t only books written by Jews but also people from other countries. They also burned books written by people that had different ideologies to be sure that their ideology would be the ``biggest one``. It was such a big lost to Jewish people because so many books were burned.

 

"There where books are burned, in the end people too are burned." -- Heinrich Heine