The Future Is In Our Hands

Arne Næss (1912-2009) is the founder of "Deep Ecology", and with others philosophes they made the word "Ecosophy". Ecosophy is about every living being and their relation to the entirety. With living being we do not just mean humans and animals, but also those who are a part of the nature like the trees, mountains and waterfalls. The text wildlife is about how the animals and plants give us our food, clothing and in some parts of the world, building materials for our home. So in short they give us what we need to survive.

Many people hunt animals for fun, is that really necessary? Many animals do so we survive, and we humans answer by killing them. According to the Ecosophy every living being is worth the same. So is it right for us humans to kill them, to use them as for example clothes or to make cosmetics? We do not see humans kill other humans for their own need. So why should we treat the animals any different? Even though we humans dominate the world, is it right for us to look down on other living beings? Many animals are almost extinct, and much of the rainforest where many of the animals live is also gone. If every living being is worth as much as us humans, then we should begin to treat them better.

Today we humans make so much pollution, that in reality we need three earths if everybody had the same consumptions as the people living in the rich countries. The pollution is a big threat to the wildlife and nature. Chemical wastes damage the air, soli and water. It makes it worse for humans, animals, and also the nature. Pollution also make global warming, which makes the temprature increase in many parts of the world. If this continues the ice on Antarctic will melt, and the sea level will rise. This could cause that many countries would be flooded especially those with flat ground like Netherland. If we do not decrease our consumptions, it could be crucial for both the earth and every living beings future.  

I personally think that we humans should treat the nature and animals better. We do not need to kill the animals for enjoyment, and also use them as clothes or for cosmetics. In the past, the humans used the animals for their clothes because of the warmth they gave. Now we have other fabrics that we can use. Another thing is that we do not need to throw away our wastes on the ground. It is easy enough to throw them in the trash can. A few days ago while I walked to school, I saw an old woman picked up the garbage that layed on ground. My thoughts; How can people be so lazy that they would not manage to walk a few more meters before they throw it? We should really begin to think more about the future.     


Sources:
Horisonter 10
Searching 10

The picture can you find here.

Curley's Wife and Her Sad Life

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men
George and Lennie are two guys who look for work so they can earn money during the Great Depression. Lennie is a big and strong guy, but he is not too bright, while George is a small man, although he is much smarter then Lennie. They both have a dream about having their own place, with some land and some animals. They find a ranch they can work at, but will they be able to achieve their dream?

Curley's Wife
Curley's Wife is the only woman on the ranch, where George and Lennie work. She is a pretty woman, however she is described as a tart. Her dream is to become a Hollywood actress. A guy offered her the job and said she acted well. He said he would write a letter from Hollywood, but she never got it. Curley's wife thinks her old lady took it, so she married Curley to get away from her.

I think John Steinbeck the author of "Of Mice and Men" decided to include this character because she is a good example of how everybody can not achieve their dream. She is also one of the characters you think badly about in the start, but as you get to know more of her sad and lonely life, you will get more sympathy for her. Curley's wife does not achieve her dreams, and I think Steinbeck tries to tell us that even if the American Dream is for everyone, not everyone can achieve it.

I think the reason Steinbeck did not give her a name, is that she is a side character and more of a device to move the plot forward. She is one of the most important side characters since she is the cause of why Lennie dies. She is more of a "symbol" then a person as she does not have much of an identity. Also by having no name is a way of showing how she is not famous.   

Curley's wife is married to Curley, who she does not love. She thinks Curley fight too much. Her dream of becoming a film actress was also ruined since she dies in chapter 5. In the end Curley’s wife was another example by Steinbeck of how everybody can not achieve their dream.

Sources:

http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/article-353208/Great-Depression

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-american-dream.htm
http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html

Picture

Hans Rickard Strømner (23) ble funnet drept på Klemetsrud (Nyhetsvakt Uke 42)

Tirsdag 18. oktober skriver dagbladet.no om drapet på Klemetsrud. De sier at den omkomne var identifisert på denne tirsdagen og at "Det var 23 år gamle Hans Rickard Strømner som ble funnet drept på Klemetsrud i Oslo 13. oktober". 23 åringen hadde tydeligvis vært forsvunnet siden juli. To hundepassere oppdaget liket ved en grøft nærme en garasje etter at en av hundene oppførte seg rart. Politiet er enda ikke sikker på hvor lenge Strømner har vært død. I løpet av de to siste ukene har politiet hatt hendene fulle med fire forskjellige drap. Dette er det 16. drapet i Norge hittil år. Du kan lese mer om saken her og her.


Bildet er fra Dagbladet.

Problemstilling/Etisk Dilemma

Alle har gjort vanskelige valg gjennom livet sitt, men det kan hende at du ikke har tenkt så mye på hva som ville skjedd hvis du hadde valgt en av delene. Under den kalde krigen (1945-1991) i Øst-Tyskland måtte mange mennesker ta vanskelige valg. Det kunne hende at du ble spurt om å bli informant for Stasi. Stasi var en det politiske politiet i Øst-Tyskland. Å være informant vil si at du måtte gi informasjon til Stasi, når de ønsket det. Det kunne for eksempel hende at du måtte gi informasjon om vennene dine, kollegaene, eller kanskje familien din. Informasjonen kunne være alt fra når naboen din gikk ut med søpla, til at kollegaen din støttet et hemmelig parti som var imot kommunisme.

Problemstilling: Du lever i Øst-Tyskland under den kalde krigen. Du har en datter som skal begynne på universitetet. Hun har gode karakterer og alt ligger til rette for at hun skal komme inn. Så sier imidlertid Stasi at du må bli informant, ellers får hun ikke plassen. Les mer om oppgaven her. 

1: Hva er valgmulighetene?

2: Hva ville du gjort? Bruk de etiske modellene når du argumenterer og reflekterer.

1) Jeg kunne ha valgt mellom å bli informant å la min datter få en plass på universitetet. I dette tilfellet kunne det hende at min datter hadde fått en bra utdanning og en bra jobb. Det kunne også hende at jeg måtte tyste på noen jeg kjente og at de kunne fått trøbbel på grunn av meg. Jeg kunne også ha valgt å bare gi informasjon til Stasi, som de ikke hadde bruk for. Eller så kunne jeg valgt å ikke bli informant. Da ville jeg ikke ha risikert at noen jeg kjenner kommer i trøbbel på grunn av meg, men min datter ville ikke da ha kommet inn på universitetet og kanskje ikke fått en bra utdanning eller jobb. Det ville ha vært en god løsning hvis jeg hadde tenkt med pliktetikk siden da ville det bare gått ut over min datter, og ikke mange andre personer. Men kunne føre til at vi ville ha blitt veldig fattige, og måtte leve under veldig dårlige vilkår, hvis vi ikke hadde så mye penger fra før.

2) Jeg ville ha valgt å tenke med konsekvensetikk, og tenkt på hva som kunne ha skjedd. Jeg hadde nok valgt å bli informant, men ikke si noe nyttig info til Stasi. Hvis jeg hadde valgt å ikke bli informant, kunne det hende at jeg ville ha ødelagt min datters framtid, noe jeg ikke vil som far. Men det kunne også hende at noen måtte sitte i fengsel på grunn av det jeg har sagt. Da ville jeg nok ha fått ganske dårlig samvittighet.

Selv om jeg føler at hvis jeg tenker med pliktetikk, ville det riktige være at jeg ikke skulle bli informant. For det var en sjanse på at jeg kunne gjøre at flere kom i fengsel, eller kanskje verre, imotsetning til at min datter fikk universitetsplass. Jeg føler at da ville jeg ha tenkt mer på meg selv, enn andre mennesker jeg ikke kjente så godt. Jeg ville nok valgt å prøve å unngå å si nyttig informasjon til Stasi. Det ville endt opp med at min datter hadde fått en god utdannelse og en god jobb, men at jeg måtte finne på unyttig informasjon å si til Stasi.

Kilder: Wikipedia 16-10-11 14:00
Bilde: Laget i Paint + Microsoft Word

The Korean War

We have got a task in school to write about a war. I chose to write about The Korean War.

The Korean War was a war between South Korea aided by United State of America (USA) United Nation (UN), and North Korea aided by People's Republic of China (PRC) and Soviet Union. Korea was under Japanese rule until Second World War ended. After Japan had been defeated, was Korea divided into South- and North Korea. American troops occupied the south half, while Soviet occupied the north. USA did not want Korea to be communistic, while Soviet Union wanted Korea to be. Stalin the leader of Soviet Union encouraged the North Korean leader Kim Il-sung to attack South Korea.

25. June 1950 crossed North Korean troops the 38th degree border between North- and South Korea. USA and UN then went immediately to help South Korea. 28. June was the North Korean troops already at the South Korean capital Seoul. By the start of September, was the South Korean troops already been driven to Pusan, which is a city in south-east part of South Korea. Some days later came American reinforcement, and they were able to drive back the North Korean troops to the North Korean Capital Pyongyang. After some months fighting around the Korean border, entered the first Chinese troops the war in November 1950. The winter came and many of the American troops froze to death, as they hadn't prepared for the winter. China also had huge losses, since their leader Mao Zedong didn't care much about losing some of his troops.

General Douglas MacArthur wanted to stop the Chinese progressing with nuclear weapons. President of USA Harry S. Truman declined the proposal, and after MacArthur went out with strong criticism, was he degraded from Commander. Mars 1951 USA and UK agree to limit UN's help to only make South Korea independent. 10. July 1951 was the first Armistice negotiations started, and on 27. July 1953 was an agreement signed.

Around 778,000 losses were on South Korea, USA and UN's side, while around 1,300,000 losses were on the communist side. Total losses were around 2,500,000.

27. May 2009, declared North Korea that they wouldn't abide the cease-fire armistice any longer. South Korea has declared that they had high defense prepared to keep the peace. On November 23. 2009, fired North Korea artillery on the South Korean Island Yeonpyeong. Two civilians and two military personnel were killed.

Sources:
http://snl.no/Koreakrigen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War 7-9-11 19:00
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