It is very hard to set a standard for how much the authorities can monitor us without jeopardizing our privacy. On one hand we lose some of our privacy. But on the other hand, our safety can be in the balance. Both sides of this question arises good and solid reasons for their cause, but if it was up to me, we would have more cameras in our society.
The strongest argument of them all, in my opinion, is that if you are a law abiding citizen, you will not mind big brother watching. I don’t mind the cameras in the shops I enter and I don't mind them watching me in the streets. The cameras have proven over and over again that they make crime rate, among other things, drop. So go crazy, put em' up everywhere. The only demands I have before this would could be put in reality is that the cameras are monitored by people interested in solving crime or preventing them. Not by companies trying to get to know how and where you and I spend our money so they can advertise in a more personal way. The second is that there are no cameras inside anyone’s home. Some privacy is required and this is where I draw my line. The third and final demand I have is that the information at hand is deleted after a certain amount of time. Other that that, sure, put them up in parks, on free ways, in tunnels and dark street corners I don’t mind, as long as the cameras are there to prevent crime and nothing else.
Since we live in Sweden I would not like to se cameras be put up because of “the fight on terror”, which perhaps could be used as an argument in the US or perhaps in the UK. I don’t think the Swedish population, I know I wouldn't, would accept that as a reason for putting up cameras. But in the name of fighting and preventing crime, I do believe that the bigger part of or society, including me, would accept the cameras. I mean, our picture is already being taking in taxis and on some public transports, at least in our bigger cities. Why not extend this to all public transports. As long as your not there to rob, hurt or kill someone there is no need to worry about the cameras because nobody will ever know what you did anyway. And if you are up to no good, at least we have you on camera and will identify you fast and in-expensive. Every tax payers dream; get the bad guy fast and cheap.
The only upholding argument against governments putting up cameras everywhere is the privacy issue. You will get caught on tape and there is a chance, however small it may be, that the information will end up in the wrong hands. But to be honest, what difference does it make if the government knows where you went for coffee during your lunch break or if you prefer McDonalds to Subway? As it is now your credit card company knows all this already and is more likely to give out this information than the government would ever be, at least here in Sweden.
All in all, we are already being watched more or less 24/7, at least in the bigger cities. So what difference would an extra pair of cameras do to us more than give us a safer place to live? Well I certainly can’t come up with one single argument that can overturn my believes on the issue. If you want to live in a safe society, this is unfortunately the only way to go. What is important in this question is not how many cameras is accepted and where, it is how the information are handled and by who, the rest is not interesting.
onsdag 13 maj 2009
onsdag 6 maj 2009
Grades in primary school
There is a “new hype” trying to enter the Swedish school system about grades in primary school being a good thing. A hype telling us that our young learners would benefit from getting graded sooner in our schools. I strongly disagree with this. Nothing would take a turn for the better for Sweden’s young learners with grades earlier than what we have now. The youth of today have enough to worry about without getting grades telling them that they are not good enough.
Children of today grow up with stress none of us grown ups can even imagine. They are expected to wear fashion clothes, play with the right toys and watch the right TV programs in a much larger extent than ever before. Children are not allowed to grow up in their on pace anymore. Why add to their burden by grading them during their primary school when there is no use? Let the children be children for as long as they want to; that is something they really would benefit from in the long run.
Once in a while you hear that early grading would help the teachers, but would it really? We already have national tests in all four of our major subjects carried out in the fifth grade, and we are introducing national tests in the third school year now to make it even easier for the teacher. What more would the grades do? My opinion is that every form teacher in primary school knows all about their students’ weak and strong subjects without the grades. The teacher meet their students every day watching them grow from children to youngsters. The result of this idea would only give more work for the teacher. Time teachers could have put on preparing for upcoming classes would be lost to giving out grades; this would mean that teachers would have to stick to the books at hand a lot more giving the young learners a less satisfying school day in the end. We would give our young learners a less intresting school by giving out grades.
A strong argument for using grades in primary school is that it would be easier for parents and children to know where the child's weak and strong sides in school are. But that is nothing short of nonsense. Today we have a terrific system were children, parents and teacher sit down for at least half an hour every semester talking about every student’s progress, and more often if the child is what could be called a “slow learner”. With this, existing system, all parties concerned gets a very clear picture of how the young learner’s progress is progressing and this without a paper telling the child he is failing one, two or more subjects.
Let’s face it; when we look at this idea it is easy to se that it is an idea not worth perusing. Giving out grades in primary school will only leave the teacher with more work but no help for the young learners becoming better students. A “slow learner” will not benefit from bad grades telling him or her she is falling behind. A text précising the problem how ever could help. That way all parties would really know what the young learner needs to practice more on instead of a piece of paper saying fail, fail, fail…
Children of today grow up with stress none of us grown ups can even imagine. They are expected to wear fashion clothes, play with the right toys and watch the right TV programs in a much larger extent than ever before. Children are not allowed to grow up in their on pace anymore. Why add to their burden by grading them during their primary school when there is no use? Let the children be children for as long as they want to; that is something they really would benefit from in the long run.
Once in a while you hear that early grading would help the teachers, but would it really? We already have national tests in all four of our major subjects carried out in the fifth grade, and we are introducing national tests in the third school year now to make it even easier for the teacher. What more would the grades do? My opinion is that every form teacher in primary school knows all about their students’ weak and strong subjects without the grades. The teacher meet their students every day watching them grow from children to youngsters. The result of this idea would only give more work for the teacher. Time teachers could have put on preparing for upcoming classes would be lost to giving out grades; this would mean that teachers would have to stick to the books at hand a lot more giving the young learners a less satisfying school day in the end. We would give our young learners a less intresting school by giving out grades.
A strong argument for using grades in primary school is that it would be easier for parents and children to know where the child's weak and strong sides in school are. But that is nothing short of nonsense. Today we have a terrific system were children, parents and teacher sit down for at least half an hour every semester talking about every student’s progress, and more often if the child is what could be called a “slow learner”. With this, existing system, all parties concerned gets a very clear picture of how the young learner’s progress is progressing and this without a paper telling the child he is failing one, two or more subjects.
Let’s face it; when we look at this idea it is easy to se that it is an idea not worth perusing. Giving out grades in primary school will only leave the teacher with more work but no help for the young learners becoming better students. A “slow learner” will not benefit from bad grades telling him or her she is falling behind. A text précising the problem how ever could help. That way all parties would really know what the young learner needs to practice more on instead of a piece of paper saying fail, fail, fail…
onsdag 29 april 2009
Our enviroment
It is proven beyond reasonable doubt that the way we live our lives, at least in the western part of the world, is destroying our planet. Still almost none of us are willing to put in the extra effort to give our grandchildren a chance to experience the earth the way we and our ancestors have. How can we continue our way of life year after year when we all know we are hurting and destroying our own and only world?
The first and biggest reason for this is money. Money makes the world go round, just look at where we are today. And making money is still more important than saving the earth. The people making the big bucks do not care enough to spend a few % of their winnings to save the world. They are more concerned about their bank accounts then the polar ice. People who make billions surely could help a lot by donating millions to programmes trying to save our planet and reverse the progress.
A second reason is the lack of interest from “the Jones’s”, because not only rich, or super rich, people are to blame for where we are today. “The Jones’s” could have a big saying in our strive to save the earth if they just could muster up some energy to do it.
The most efficient and quickest way to reach a change in the climate is to start with one self. How many of us don’t use the car when we know we only gain minutes compared to using the bicycle? And when we shop for light bulbs, many of us do not choose the cheaper ones instead of the low energy ones although we know that in the long run the low energy bulbs will be cheaper? Even when we go shopping for groceries most of us tend to buy the non environmental friendly products, and why? There is only one reason; because it is cheaper.
The time has come when we all, super rich or dirt poor, must help out the way we can. Otherwise we will hand over a planet filled with environmental problems to our children. And how are we going defend our actions when the line of no return is reached and crossed? We certainly can’t say we didn’t know. We’ve known for decades. The only thing we have to say for ourselves is that we where trying to save some money for our children. I’ll bet their answer will be “for what?”
The first and biggest reason for this is money. Money makes the world go round, just look at where we are today. And making money is still more important than saving the earth. The people making the big bucks do not care enough to spend a few % of their winnings to save the world. They are more concerned about their bank accounts then the polar ice. People who make billions surely could help a lot by donating millions to programmes trying to save our planet and reverse the progress.
A second reason is the lack of interest from “the Jones’s”, because not only rich, or super rich, people are to blame for where we are today. “The Jones’s” could have a big saying in our strive to save the earth if they just could muster up some energy to do it.
The most efficient and quickest way to reach a change in the climate is to start with one self. How many of us don’t use the car when we know we only gain minutes compared to using the bicycle? And when we shop for light bulbs, many of us do not choose the cheaper ones instead of the low energy ones although we know that in the long run the low energy bulbs will be cheaper? Even when we go shopping for groceries most of us tend to buy the non environmental friendly products, and why? There is only one reason; because it is cheaper.
The time has come when we all, super rich or dirt poor, must help out the way we can. Otherwise we will hand over a planet filled with environmental problems to our children. And how are we going defend our actions when the line of no return is reached and crossed? We certainly can’t say we didn’t know. We’ve known for decades. The only thing we have to say for ourselves is that we where trying to save some money for our children. I’ll bet their answer will be “for what?”
onsdag 22 april 2009
My favourite TV shows
My absolute favourite TV-show is Family Guy. Yeah, I know it is a cartoon but I can’t help it. It cracks me up and I just love it. My second favourite show on the “telly” is Dr House. His arrogance and way of treating people is right up my ally, it amuses me so to speak. The third and final TV-show that needs mentioning here is Seinfeld. At first I didn’t se the greatness in it but now I just can’t get enough of it and watch it almost every day.
What I like so much about Family Guy is the way they make fun of celebrities. How Peter says something that has actually happened, recent or past, and then shows it in the funniest way. My favourite Family Guy episode is when “Stewie”, the infant of the “Parker” family, travels to the future and finds out he turns out a lonely virgin with a dead end job instead of the world dictator he dreams of becoming. Another episode worth mentioning is when all the characters in Family Guy re-tells Star Wars, episode IV, A new Hope. It is just brilliant with “Stewie” as Darth Vader, “Peter” as Han Solo and “Chris” as Luke Skywalker among others. You just got to love it!
Dr House by him self is funny enough to make you follow the series. The way he uses his “friends” to get his painkillers and how he always knows what other people will do in different situations, no matter what the circumstances are is nothing short of brilliance. He seems to be gambling with his patient’s health but in the end House is always right and saves the day just in the nick of time. Even though you always know it is going to turn out alright for the patients it is still a great show with a nice touch of feel good factor in it. Plus, a few laughs are guaranteed…
If I had to point out the single funniest character I know of I would have to say “George Costanza” in Seinfeld. His way of life and the way he always mess it up over and over again making the same mistakes over and over again is just spot on. He is hilarious! I am not to found of Kramer or Elaine, but George; he’s my man. This one time, of many, he feels lonely and goes back to his ex partner but remembers after only five minutes with her why he hated her guts and left her the week earlier. He panics, of course, and makes a complete mess out of the whole situation, very very funny. When he gets job with the New York Yankees, a dream job for him, he manage to fuck that up as well. This is not a tenth of all the reasons why I love him so much. The way he choose his words and speaks of himself in the third person and how he and his parents always fight because their so different from each other makes me laugh, and what more can you ask from a sitcom about nothing?
What I like so much about Family Guy is the way they make fun of celebrities. How Peter says something that has actually happened, recent or past, and then shows it in the funniest way. My favourite Family Guy episode is when “Stewie”, the infant of the “Parker” family, travels to the future and finds out he turns out a lonely virgin with a dead end job instead of the world dictator he dreams of becoming. Another episode worth mentioning is when all the characters in Family Guy re-tells Star Wars, episode IV, A new Hope. It is just brilliant with “Stewie” as Darth Vader, “Peter” as Han Solo and “Chris” as Luke Skywalker among others. You just got to love it!
Dr House by him self is funny enough to make you follow the series. The way he uses his “friends” to get his painkillers and how he always knows what other people will do in different situations, no matter what the circumstances are is nothing short of brilliance. He seems to be gambling with his patient’s health but in the end House is always right and saves the day just in the nick of time. Even though you always know it is going to turn out alright for the patients it is still a great show with a nice touch of feel good factor in it. Plus, a few laughs are guaranteed…
If I had to point out the single funniest character I know of I would have to say “George Costanza” in Seinfeld. His way of life and the way he always mess it up over and over again making the same mistakes over and over again is just spot on. He is hilarious! I am not to found of Kramer or Elaine, but George; he’s my man. This one time, of many, he feels lonely and goes back to his ex partner but remembers after only five minutes with her why he hated her guts and left her the week earlier. He panics, of course, and makes a complete mess out of the whole situation, very very funny. When he gets job with the New York Yankees, a dream job for him, he manage to fuck that up as well. This is not a tenth of all the reasons why I love him so much. The way he choose his words and speaks of himself in the third person and how he and his parents always fight because their so different from each other makes me laugh, and what more can you ask from a sitcom about nothing?
tisdag 14 april 2009
Blogg assignment #1
The most important thing for a child when he or she grows up is, in my opinion, feeling loved by ones parents. I know it’s a cliché but if a child is allowed to grow up in a loving family with both parents a lot is won on just that. Not only because the child will have two role models but also because there will always be two people there for him, or her, sharing the ups and downs everybody goes through when growing up.
Raising a child takes a lot of time, and I think that to give a child the best possible start in life, and a fair chance to in the future become a contributing part of society, there just needs to be two grown ups around to manage that. There just isn’t enough time for one parent to ensure a child’s upbringing the way two parents can.
Not that it is impossible to raise a child on ones own, but with work and everything else that has to be sorted out every day it is hard to keep up. I know there are hundreds of “sunshine stories” out there where single mothers, or fathers, have done everything to make sure their children gets the best upbringing available. Sadly though, there are thousands of stories with not so much sunshine where single parents have not been giving their children enough love, support and time.
I’m not saying you have to be a bad parent just because you’re a single parent. But it is a lot easier to be a good parent, feel good about yourself and be able to enjoy some time with friends if all the trouble of raising a child is split two ways.
Of course there are thousands of exceptions to this. A single, working parent is obviously a lot better than two drinking or abusive ones. I hope you as a reader can se the obvious in that and don’t comment on just that. And for the record, because I’m sure you’re wondering. Yes I do believe that same sex parents are fully and equally capable to give children a great upbringing. Raising a child is in your heart, or in your head, it damn sure isn’t in your trousers!
The greatest responsibility for us adults is to ensure that every child gets the best upbringing available for them. Preferably with the child’s parents in a safe surrounding where he or she is given the time and opportunity to be a child with everything that comes with it. Unfortunately enough, this is impossible. But it is our responsibility as adults to work with this as the only goal in our minds; because frankly, anything else is just not good enough.
Raising a child takes a lot of time, and I think that to give a child the best possible start in life, and a fair chance to in the future become a contributing part of society, there just needs to be two grown ups around to manage that. There just isn’t enough time for one parent to ensure a child’s upbringing the way two parents can.
Not that it is impossible to raise a child on ones own, but with work and everything else that has to be sorted out every day it is hard to keep up. I know there are hundreds of “sunshine stories” out there where single mothers, or fathers, have done everything to make sure their children gets the best upbringing available. Sadly though, there are thousands of stories with not so much sunshine where single parents have not been giving their children enough love, support and time.
I’m not saying you have to be a bad parent just because you’re a single parent. But it is a lot easier to be a good parent, feel good about yourself and be able to enjoy some time with friends if all the trouble of raising a child is split two ways.
Of course there are thousands of exceptions to this. A single, working parent is obviously a lot better than two drinking or abusive ones. I hope you as a reader can se the obvious in that and don’t comment on just that. And for the record, because I’m sure you’re wondering. Yes I do believe that same sex parents are fully and equally capable to give children a great upbringing. Raising a child is in your heart, or in your head, it damn sure isn’t in your trousers!
The greatest responsibility for us adults is to ensure that every child gets the best upbringing available for them. Preferably with the child’s parents in a safe surrounding where he or she is given the time and opportunity to be a child with everything that comes with it. Unfortunately enough, this is impossible. But it is our responsibility as adults to work with this as the only goal in our minds; because frankly, anything else is just not good enough.
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