What is asperger syndrome, and how is it possible to see that Christopher suffers from it?

In the book “the curious incident of the dog in the night time”, we meet Christopher, a 15 year old boy with asberger syndrome. Asberger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by difficulties in social interaction. A person with asberger syndrome does also have special interests, and they have often an intense interest for a special theme, such as math.  

 

Christopher describes himself as “a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties”, and that is a characteristic which is describing Christopher in a good way. He knows only 2 persons (his father and teacher) well, and have therefore barely any social contact at all. However, this is exactly what he wants, for he want to be alone as much as possible. Christopher has also an intense interest for math. 

Therefore, it is possible to draw a line from his behaviour and to asberger syndrome. This is also confirmed by a small summary, written inside the book’s cover. 


However, is asberger syndrome really a disorder? If we ask Christopher, he would most probably say no. Many persons say that people with asberger syndrome are different from the rest of us, but not disabled, like many of us are thinking. I do agree a bit in that, it is e.g. important to remember that persons with asberger often are much better in math and science.

James May

James May (popular called "captain slow") is a famous British television presenter, writer and journalist. He is best known from the TV-show Top Gear, but he is also  writing in different newspapers and magazines.

James May was born in Bristol, England, in January 1963, which means he is 48 years old today.  In his first year after the public school, he dedicated his life to the music, and studied music at Lanchester University. After graduating, James May worked at a hospital in Chelsea as a records officer.

During the 1980s, James May started his career as a journalist, writing for "The Engineer" and "Autocar."  Through the 90s, he started his career as a TV-presenter, before he was snapped up by Top Gear in 1999.

Today, he is presenting the show together with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.Top Gear is a huge success, and one of the most viewed TV-shows in the world.

Video blog, invisible people

Invisible people is a video blog about homeless people. The man behind the blog was unemployed, when he decided to start blogging.

I think this blog is a good example of the American spirit. When the man became unemployed, he decided to create his own work. He became a entrepreneur, with huge success. If you work hard, you can achieve everything, Many Americans say. This video blog is a perfect example, and shows that if you work hard, you can achieve a lot.

My first thoughts about the movie "Crash"

Crash is a movie about multiculturalism. We meet several people in different situations, and saw how they tried to solve different problems. We saw everything from a police man killing a hitchhiker, to a carpenter telling stories to his daughter. The movie was very varied, but had a clear red line: Multiculturalism. 

Almost every situation we saw,  was tense. Guns was used a lot in this movie, mostly to scare though. The movie was sad, and told us that being foreign and different in USA not always is easy. We saw a multicultural society, which not worked very well.

However, this is also a movie about hope. In one situation, a desperate foreign shop owner shot a 5 year old girl, when she tried to protect her father. Anyway, the girl survived, something she blamed the invisible cap her father had given her.

The movie shows in a great way how hard i can be to be different in USA. It`s maybe a bit exaggerated, but still worth watching.

How to act in our mentor business?

We are soon going to be stationed in a business for 6 days. How are we going to behave?

When stationed in a mentor business, it`s important to behave well. First of all, it`s really central to be polite. Being rude to your mentor, and he/she will start to dislike you from the beginning. It`s also a great advantage to be well prepared, to know why you are visiting this business, and ask about central themes. If you are showing interest for the business, the business will show interest for you.

How not to behave stationed in the mentor business then, you might ask. Well, to be rude and unprepared is no advantage. Being late in the morning is no advantage either. However, I am quite sure that we all will be able to behave well, and get a good time in our mentor businesses.

Poem

Glenyse Ward 

Young, native, poor and sad  

Servant to Mr. and Mrs. Biglow

Likes silverware, carpets and beautiful cups

Feels worthless, depressed and humiliated

Need her family, care and freedom

Fears for her future, her mom and dad

Gives working capacity, a sad story

Wishes the same as she needs

Lives in a garage

Glenyse Ward


By Magnus and Odin

Apologize

In the 1950s, 60 years ago, something terrible happened. Even though its 40 year before I was born, I am really terrified to hear what happened. I am full of disgust over the Australian government, and over all the Australian people, which did this. They ruined so many families, communities, they stole a generation.

Today, it’s important to remember this event, to protect the indigenous people in the future. I would do anything to prevent this to happen again. Are you with me?

Sorry. Such a small word, with such a big significance. Today, Australia say sorry to all the aboriginal people. Why? Because you all deserve it.

Across America, post 3

The third day has gone, and I am still enjoying the trip. Today, after a late check out from the motel, I started driving further, excited for what`s coming after the next corner.

When you are doing a trip like this, you never know what’s coming. You are travelling all the time, sleeping at different places every night. I have just travelled for 3 days, but have already experienced a big, American city, a smaller village and the countryside. You never get bored; there is always something to experience. You also meet many interesting persons.

Since I am travelling all the time, I am also meeting different landscapes and weather. My journey started in Chicago, a city located north in America, and is going to end in Los Angeles, a city more south, famous for beaches and hot weather. Through the journey, I will drive through desert, forests, over mountains etc, and will hopefully experience a lot. The weather would most probably change a lot, but if it’s raining somewhere, I can just drive on to the next city.

 When I drove on, I saw a landscape which looked more like the pictures I have seen. Big, nice roads, only and the only cars I saw were some local farmers and tourists. The landscape around was really nice as well! Desert covered with small trees and cactus, and some beautiful, conical mountains further away. Quite often, I drove through small villages, often with just a few houses. They villages were looking exactly like they were looking in the 60`s, even the cars was old. Here, you can buy a real, big hamburger, made by a chef only thinking taste, not health. The local farmers are calling villages like this “the only real America,” and told me they never would have lived in a city. I understand them well.

What`s surprised me very much, was all the flags I saw. Regardless where I was, American flag was painted on walls, cars, or hung on flagpoles. The American people are very proud of their country, and the national feeling is strong.

The American flag was adopted June 14, 1777, but then only with 13 stars. The current version of the flag came June 4, 1960 and has 50 stars, one per state in USA. The 13 stripes represent the first 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy and became the first states in the union. The flag, which is called “stars and stripes,” is one of the world’s most recognized symbols.

Right now, I am sitting in the car at a drive in cinema, waiting for the movie to start. Here at the countryside, you are finding things you just think exists in movies, such as this. The journey has been an experience for life. I have seen a lot on my travel so far, and will most probably experience really much later as well. I am really happy that I selected to drive through America instead of a dull city holiday; I am experiencing a lot more of America now.

See ya!

"My" car

Across America, post 2

After a great breakfast (American style), I went to get my car. The weather had changed drastically from yesterday, and even though it still was early in the morning, the temperature was high, and the sun shone. The drive to the place where I had rented the car took less than 10 minutes, and soon I was standing with the keys to my dream car, a Porsche 911, full of expectations.

Badly, the drive started bad. The clock was nine, it was congestion, and it was traffic jam all over Chicago. Luckily, after less than an hour, I drove out of Chicago, and started the 4000 km travel across America.

Along Route 66, there are a lot to experience. The road is going through many American villages and small cities, but also bigger cities, such as Oklahoma and St. Louis. There are many attractions along Route 66 as well. Many car, music and motorcycle shows are being held in towns associated with Route 66. Since Route 66 is such popular for tourists, museums are not rare either. Route 66 is also going close to the city Springfield (yes, it is a real city!), which I, as a Simpsons fan, is a place I definitely is going to visit.

The clock was 14.00, and it was soon time for lunch. Even I had run for over 4 hours, I hadn`t seen anything of what I was expecting yet. I had driven on roads with heavy traffic, and the villages I visited were boringly normal. However, some native guys I talked to, said that the real Route 66 didn`t started before later. I hope they are right.

After a short lunch, I drove on. The weather was still nice, and I the traffic slowed. I was slowly driving out into the “wilderness,” and the forest was slowly being replaced by more and more desert and mountains. The Porsche I am driving is a really great car, and, because of the great roads in America, it was really fun to drive, and the miles flew away.

Later that afternoon, I decided to eat dinner at a small café, decorated with stuff from Route 66. I had a wonderful beef, and wished I had room for their famous deep fried cheesecake, but I hadn`t. For all I ate, my bill was less than $10, including a glass of iced tea (I ordered a raspberry tea and it was delicious). Later that evening, I found a small and nice motel which I booked into.

When I am writing this, I am soon going out to visit a small museum, dedicated to Route 66. Here, I am supposed to find classic American cars, but also other old things which are related to Route 66. They are going to have kind of a show tonight, and through my window, I can see that there are already many people walking towards the museum.

I will hopefully be back soon, with more stuff and pictures about my holiday.

See ya!

Across America, post 1

Today, I`ve finally arrived Chicago. After a long journey, including flight change in Oslo, it felt really good when the big Airbus from SAS touched the ground this morning. Even though it`s raining, and the temperature is way too low, I am really looking forward to this holiday!

Since I saw the movie “cars,” when I was a child, I have always dreamed about driving “Route 66.” Surrounded by beautiful and distinctive nature, the road is often called “the greatest road in the world.” The road goes across America, from Chicago to Los Angeles, and is almost 400 km long. In the years between 1926, to 1985, this was the main road through America, with lots of traffic. However, in June 1985, the road was removed from “the United States Highway System,” because of the new highways they had built, parallel with Route 66. Suddenly, Route 66 was a deserted and forgotten road. 

 In the years that followed, more and more people realized how beautiful this road really was. Running through dessert, forest, and along lakes, but also through small charm full American towns, people started driving the road just for the experience. 

Today, the road is quite popular. It`s often used in movies (such as the movie “Cars”, created by Pixar), but also songs. Anyway, the road has also become a big tourist attraction, with many visitors every year. There are even own companies, which is living only at making trips to the road. 

Today, I have walked slowly around in Chicago, just experiencing the city. I am going to get my rented car tomorrow, so today I have spent the day relaxing, seeing what the city has to offer me. It`s a really nice city, with a lot nice shops and cafes. However, it`s really big! Yes, I had expected a big city, but maybe not at this size? Regardless where I am going, there are skyscrapers, cars and a lot of people everywhere. Even though it`s I nice city, I am glad I don`t live here. I like better smaller cities, with more space. 

Chicago has close to 3 million inhabitants, and is the third largest city in the United States. It`s a typically American city, with skyscrapers and roads everywhere. Still, Chicago is very a very popular city to the tourists. In 2008, around 45, 4 tourists have visited Chicago. The shopping opportunities, thousands of restaurants along with Chicago`s culture continue to draw tourists. 

By the way, it`s late, and I am going to bed. Tomorrow, I will get my car, and start the journey across the United States, something I am really looking forward to! I will be back with more text and pictures soon.

See ya!

A text with linking words

I am really interested in cars, but i have got a "problem". It`s less than 2 years until i am becoming 18, and can buy a car, but the question is: Which car?

My dream car is a Porsche 911, which you can see here. However, it`s not hard to realize that 1.600.000 kr is way to much for an 18 years old boy. Due to the high car taxes here in Norway, cars are really expensive, so buying a car when you are 18 means most often an old, insecure car. That`s in fact quite stupid, thinking of the fact that 18 years old boys are crashing most of all people in the traffic. Therefore, i want a safe car, but which old, cheap car is safe?

English in daily life

English is quite important in my life. Why?

As many other teenagers in Norway, i am watching some english tv-shows (both at the tv and on my computer), many without text. Top Gear is my favorite, i just really love the show! I also like Heartbeat and Hotel Babylon.

I am also reading english. Most at the internet, at english newspapers, forums, magazines etc. There are also a lot more interesting english webpages than norwegians (of course), and its great to be capable to read them.

Oral english, on the other hand, is something i practice quite seldom (except school). I don`t know about any english people here in Trondheim, and is hardly speaking anything except at school.

Myself

 Yo!

As you probably already know, my name is Magnus. I am 16 years old, (birthday 09.03.94), born in Trondheim. I have lived most of my life in Trondheim (except some years in Malvik), and like the city very much. Today, i am living at Steinan (close to Moholt), 5-6 km away from the school.

I have 5 siblings, 2 sisters and 3 brothers, which all are living together with me (i am the oldest). At my free time, i love to relax, doing absolutely nothing. I am often relaxing at home, sitting on my computer or reading. i am also often spending time with friends.

I am really interested in cars, football and computers. My dream car is a Porsche 911 997, which i hope to buy sometimes. I am also interested in radio controlled cars (and helicopters), and i am driving my car a lot. My favorite football teams are Rosenborg (of course) and Manchester United, and i am watching almost every match they are playing.

My two mindmaps!

http://www.creaza.com/my_homepage/mindomo/12055051

http://www.creaza.com/my_homepage/mindomo/12054026

First

English