MY COMMENTS :)

http://bushess05.blogspot.com/2013/01/journal-set-2-entry-1-roasted-coffee.html


http://iremoyku.blogspot.com/2013/06/journal-4-gymnastics.html


http://zahide-denizli.blogspot.com/2013/06/article-entry-2-multi-media-advantages.html?showComment=1371222794408#c6350013544363935899


http://ozlemdogann.blogspot.com/2013/04/multi-media-entry-3-ask-me.html

REVISED ENTRY 2

SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME

    In this article, the writer talks about the unexpected number of the young adults who live with their families in their homes. The writer states that young people couldn't manage to live in a seperate house from their families. She supported her ideas with examples and short stories. I agree with the writer. I think young people depend on their families in terms of psychological and financial issues. They should be with their families, and feel the support of their parents. It is important for them because they are not ready for the real life when they are only 18. Also, they have to be supported from their families financially because they don't earn money on their own. Earning money while they are going to school is so hard for young people. In the article, the writer also points out the increasing age of marriage among adults. It is a result of the fact that more young people live with their families. They want to live with their families untill they marry because they cannot earn their lives on their own. The writer states this idea with some examples. In general, I like this article and agree with the writer. The writer states the idea very explicitly.

      From this graphic. we can easily conclude that the number of the young people who live with their families has increased in the recent years. This stems from the financial re. Also, the lack of jobs among young people is another reason for this raise. To sum up, I believe that young people especially about 18 years old should live with their families.

REVISED ENTRY 1

SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP

    At some nights, we stare at ceiling constantly; we cannot fall asleep. Maybe it's because we have something in our minds or have had four cup of coffee during the day. This situation may not last long for us, but there are some people who cannot sleep well for days. These people are suffering from a sleep disorder: insomnia.

      Insomnia, or sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which there is an inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep as long as desired. Patients generally complain about not closing their eyes for more than a couple of minutes when trying to fall asleep. If sleeplessness lasts for more than a couple of nights, it could become a chronic disorder. This chronic disorder could also be very dangerous because sleeping is very important for one's health of body and mind. Insomnia disconcerts the natural balance of sleep and recovery of this situation could be troublesome.

    The reasons for suffering from insomnia vary from people to people. Some patients generally have rest in the  afternoon or towards evening. That's why they have trouble in going to sleep at nights. Also some people push the limits of their bodies and this makes them lack of sleeping. Consuming so much caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee is another reason for insomnia. Also people who are on medication could undergo this disorder because medications also unbalances sleeping. In addition, a stres-filled life mostly comes with insomnia. There are other several factors that stimulate insomnia but these are the most common ones. 

       Insomnia is a common disorder among adults. Most adults have experienced insomnia at one time or another in their lives. An estimated 30%-50% of the general population are affected by insomnia, and 10% of them have chronic insomnia. This symptom comes up also for children. According to a research, two out of three children under 10 years old suffer from a sleep disorder at one time. We can conclude that insomnia is very widespread.

Insomnia may seem to be a nightmare but there is nothing to fear from it. It could be easily cured. It is possible for insomniacs to sleep like a log and have sweet dreams during nights.

ARTICLE REFLECTION 4

I SURF, THEREFORE, I AM

     In this article, the writer discusses the usage of the Internet among young people, especially her students. She tells the situation with examples of her students. She says that today's young people use the Internet only for surfing. They spend a great deal of time on the Internet, just for surfing. They are, so to speak, in an ocean of infromation. They cannot distinguish true information and wrong information. That's why they are not safe while they are urfing on the Internet. I totally agree with the writer. We all spend time on the Internet. Some of us spend so much time that it may do harm for us. In fact, I use the Internet both for searching and surfing. I admit that sometimes, the time I spend on the Internet may be a lot. However, we should be conscious about the Internet issue. It is so beneficial for everyone. All people can use the Internet and learn so many things. Today, most people couldn't do without the Internet. Nonetheless, all people should be careful because the Internet may become an addiction for them. It is important to limit the time of the usage of the Internet. Especially parents should be conscious about this subject. The writer also points out this topic. To sum up, the writer states this fact explicitly in her article. She also supports her ideas with some examples of her students. I appreciate her writing style. 

ARTICLE REFLECTION 3

AT HOME WITH MAMMA

In the article "At Home with Mamma", the writer talks about the choice of young Italian men about living with family. The writer states that this choice stems from three main reasons. I agree with the writer. First reason is financial support. Young Italian men choose to live with their families because they don't want to spend so much money. If they live without their families in a different house, they have to spend money on rent, food and bills. This is a very reasonable choice when we consider today's economic situation. The second reason is the universities. When young men go to a university far from their homes, they have to leave their houses. Some young men prefer to stay with their families. The writer says about this topic that the number of young men living at home would be higher if they had a chance to attend to a university near their houses. Also, the mothers of these young Italian men are the reason of this choice. Italian mothers, like other mothers around the world, love their children so much, as you can see in these pictures. They don't want their boys live without them, even if the boys get married. This affects the thoughts of boys about living with their families. Moreover, I like the way of writing of the writer. 

ARTICLE REFLECTION 2

SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME

In this article, the writer talks about the unexpected number of young adults who live with their families in their homes. The writer states that young people couldn't manage to live in a seperate house from their families. She improved her idea with examples and short stories. I agree with the writer. I think young people depend on their families in terms of psychological and financial issues. They should be with their families and feel the support of their parents. It is important for them because they are not ready for the real life when they are only 18. Also, they have to be supported from their families financially because they don't earn money on their own. Earning money while they are going to school is so hard for young people. In the article, the writer also points out the increasing age of marriage among adults. It is a result of the fact that more young people live with their families. They want to live with their families untill they marry because they cannot earn their lives on their own. The writer states this idea with some examples. In general, I like this article and agree with the writer. The writer states the idea very explicitly.

From this graphic. we can easily conclude that the number of the young people who live with their families has increased in the recent years. This is because of the financial reasons. Also, the lack of jobs among young people is another reason for this raise. To sum up, I believe that young people especially about 18 years old should live with their families.

ARTICLE REFLECTION 1

RAPPORT TALK AND REPORT TALK

In her article "Rapport Talk and Report Talk", Deborah Tannen states that men and women differ in way of talking. She says that men speak in report talk; in that, men mostly give information and state some facts while they are speaking. However, women talk in rapport talk. They speak more about feelings and emotions. Women talk in this way because they want to improve a relationship between their hearers and themselves. This way of speaking is an innate thing for women. Nevertheless, men don't care about emotions much. They want to give and receive only necessary information. I think Deborah Tannen is right about this subject. Although many people believe that women talk much more than men, this is not true. In fact, men talk as much as women. The only difference is that women talk more detailed than men, which leads to a common belief that women talk more. Deborah Tannen points out this fact explicitly and in detail in her article. She clearly states the difference between the way of speaking of men and women. Also, she supported her ideas with examples such as cartoons. To sum up, the article is very informative and straightforward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG0i4u1wD4U

In this video, there is an interview in the streets. A woman asks people whether women talk more than men. All men in the video agree that women talk more than men. However, women definitely refuse that idea because they know themselves. They don't think that they talk more than men. Firstly, while the anchorman  is saying the common idea, the woman near him immediately refuses this idea. Secondly, the first man in the video says that women talk more. Then, the other man and woman disagree with each other. I agree with the next woman because she says women have to say something three times so that men could understand it. In my opinion, she is rigth because men don't do what women say in the first utterance. In the video, it is stated that this idea stems from a protein which is more in the brains of women. I totally agree with the women in this video. I think this video is appropriate for my reflection and the original article. 

   

JOURNAL ENTRY 3 - MULTIMEDIA ENTRY

THE INSOMNIA TEST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tfy2AKznI

Here is a video about insomnia. In this video, 11 signs of sleep deprivation are shown. The results of insomnia are shown with examples. I think the video is very informative and clear. That's why I chose tihs video to reflect on insomnia.

In the video, 11 signs of insomnia are shown and each of them is represented by different people. I think interpretations are very successful and clear. As I mentioned in the previous journal, the results of insomnia can be really serious and dangerous for people. It can also become a chronic disorder and the results shown in the video may be permanent in the bodies of insomniacs. I think the most enjoyable sign is the one saying that "you are spontaneously cry. Generally, people who watch funny cat videos burst into loud laughter but insomniacs may really cry while watching these videos. Also, another sign which is about snakes that don't really exist is presented in a very funny and exact way. I really love these examples. Actually, all of  the examples are very successfully shown but the ones that I mentioned are very amusing.

To sum up, I think this video is appropriate for the subject I explained. The video is not only informative but hilarious as well. Thanks for watching! :)

JOURNAL ENTRY 3

SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP

    At some nights, we stare at ceiling constantly and cannot fall asleep. Maybe it's because we have something in our minds or have had four cup of coffee during the day. This situation doesn't last long for us but there are some people who cannot sleep well for days. These people are suffering from a sleep disorder: insomnia.

      Insomnia, or sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which there is an inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep as long as desired. Patients generally complain about not closing their eyes for more than a couple of minutes when trying to fall asleep. If sleeplessness lasts for more than several nights, it could become a chronic disorder. This chronic disorder could also be very dangerous because sleeping is very important for one's health of body and mind. Insomnia disconcerts the natural balance of sleep and recovery of this situation could be troublesome.

    The reasons for suffering from insomnia vary from people to people. Some patients generally have rest in the  afternoon or towards evening. That's why they have trouble in going to sleep at nights. Also some people push the limits of their bodies and this makes them lack of sleeping. Consuming so much caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee is another reason for insomnia. Also people who are on medication could undergo this disorder because medications also unbalances sleeping. In addition, a stres-filled life mostly comes with insomnia. There are other several factors that stimulate insomnia but these are the most common ones. 

       Insomnia is a very common disorder among adults. Most adults have experienced insomnia at one time or another in their lives. An estimated 30%-50% of the general population are affected by insomnia, and 10% of them have chronic insomnia. This symptom comes up also for children. According to a research, two out of three children under 10 years old suffer from a sleep disorder at one time. We can conclude that insomnia is very widespread.

Insomnia may seem to be a nightmare but there is nothing to fear from it. It could be easily cured. It is possible for insomniacs to sleep like a log and have sweet dreams during nights.

JOURNAL ENTRY 2

BENEFITS OF BILINGUALISM

Today, thanks to technology and other opportunities, more of the world's population is bilingual or multilingual than monolingual. At least, most of the people from foreign countries know the universal language -English- and the number of those people is a great part of bilingualism. In addition to facilitating cross-cultural communication, being bilingual also positively affects cognitive abilities. 

Researchers have shown that when a bilingual person uses one language, the other is active at the same time. For example, a Russian-English bilingual person asked to "pick up a marker" from a set of objects would look more at a stamp than someone who doesn't know Russian. It's because the Russian word for "stamp" (marka in Russian) sounds like the English word he or she heard "marker". In cases like this, language co-activation occurs because what the listener hears could map onto words in either language. Because both of a bilingual person's language sytems are always active and competing, that person uses these control mechanisms every time she or he speaks or listens. This constant practice strengthens the control mechanisms and changes the associated brain regions. 

Furthermore, bilingual people often perform better on tasks that require conflict management. To illustrate, we all know the classic Stroop test, in which the word itself (i.e red) and its font color (i.e blue) conflict. In this test, people see a word and are asked to name the color of the word's font. Bilingual people who can ignore one language when using the other one are better at practicing this test than monolingual people. This is because this test requires ignoring the word itself and concentrating on the font color.

Bilingual people are also better than monolingual people at switching between two tasks. For instance, when bilinguals have to switch from categorizing objects by color (red or green) to categorizing them by shape (circle or triangle), they do so more quickly than monolingual people, reflecting better cognitive control when changing strategies.

Moreover, being bilingual can have tangible practical benefits. The improvements in cognitive and sensory processing driven by bilingual experience may help a bilingual person to better process information in the environment, leading to a clearer signal for learning. This kind of improved attention to detail shows that bilingual adults learn a third language better than monolingual adults learn a second language. 

These are some main benefits of being bilingual. I chose this topic because we all are learning English and also other languages and I want to show you how lucky we are. I believe everyone should know at least one foreign language. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHMRCXx9NpY

           There is a funny video about the benefits of bilingualism. In this video, there is a fish in a glass bell and a cat which is about to eat the fish. The cat is licking its lips and stalking to the fish. The fish sees the cat and is afraid but it has a plan. When the cat comes and makes a move to eat the fish, the fish barks. The cat is scared and runs away. Thus, the fish can survive thanks to its second language. We can conclude from this video that knowing more than one language is very important. There is a Turkish proverb saying that knowing one language makes you one man but knowing two makes you two men. When we know more than one language, it means we can improve ourselves. I mean we know not only a language, but the culture of that language and the way of living of people speaking that language as their mother tongue as well. Hence, it helps us broaden our viewpoint to life. Also, we can easily make friends from different countries when we know the languages of those people. For example, the fish in the video can easily communicate with a dog because the fish knows the language of the dogs. :) To sum up, being bilingual has many advantages. We can say based on the video that bilingualism can even save life. :)

JOURNAL ENTRY 1

LIVING WALLS

In our day, one of the fastest advancing social process is urbanization. As a result of this urbanization, the nature is being more and more destroyed. However, landscape architects have a very simple and esthetic solution to this problem: vertical gardening. 

The vegetation for a green façade is always attached on outside walls; with living walls this is also usually the case. Also, some living walls can also be green walls for interior use. For living walls there are many methods including attaching to the air return of the building to help with air filtration. They are also referred to biowalls.

There are two main categories of green walls: green façades and living walls. Green façades are made up of climbing plants either growing directly on a wall or, more recently, specially designed supporting structures. The plant shoot system grows up the side of the building while being rooted in the ground. With a living wall the modular panels are often made of stainless steel containers, geotextiles, irrigation systems, a growing medium and vegetation. There are three types of growth media used in living walls: loose media, mat media and structural media. 

Loose Media: Loose medium walls tend to be "soil-on-a-shelf" or "soil-in-a-bag" type systems. Loose medium systems have their soil packed into a shelf or bag and then are installled onto the wall. These systems require their media to be replaced at least once a year on exteriors and approximately every two years on interiors. 

Mat Media: Mat type systems tend to be either coir fibre or felt mats. Mat media are quite thin, even in multiple layers, and as such cannot support vibrant root systems of mature plants for more than three to five years before the roots overtake the mat and water is not able to adequately wick through the mats. 

Structural Media: Structural media are growth medium blocks that are not loose, nor mats, but incorporate the best features of both into a block that can be manufactured into various sizes, shapes and thicknesses. These media have the advantage that they do not break down for 10 to 15 years. They are also easily handled for maintenance and replacements. 

When compared to usual gardening, there are many benefits of  vertical gardening. One of them is that you can have various plants in much less space. Also, living walls have improved air circulation and less risk of plant diseases and pests. It is easier to tend and harvest. Thanks to transpiration process, plants on the walls can cool their environments. Above all, these plants provide oxygen. It is very important because air pollution is one of the essential problems in metropolises. Moreover, it requires less soil preparation and digging from the first day. Besides all these, looking at the green walls is very restful and soothing. These walls make you feel as if you were in an everlasting verdant forest. 

I believe you all like this idea and wish that we had these living walls on our departments or dormitories. I wish, too. :)

MY COMMENTS

http://iremoyku.blogspot.com/2012/11/journal-entry-6.html#comment-form

http://ozlemdogann.blogspot.com/2012/12/journal-set-2-multi-media-entry.html

http://bushess05.blogspot.com/2013/01/journal-set-3-entry-1.html

http://inci010911.blogspot.com/2012/12/journal-set-1-reflection-entry_23.html#comment-form

REWRITTEN JOURNAL 2

BEING A METU STUDENT

This year is not my first year at METU because I studied at the Department of Basic English last year. I am not going through an adaptation process this year but last year was not easy for me. Although I stayed in the dormitory in high school for four years, it was still challenging for me to be far away from my family and old friends. However, I didn't feel alone because I had some of my friends from high school in METU. They helped me a lot during my adaptation process. Moreover, my roommates were friendly, cheerful and positive people. I had so much fun with my friends last year. However, the immoderate climate of Ankara was a big challenge for me. The daytimes were very hot and the nights were so cold at the beginnings. Although it was difficult for me, I got used to the climate in time.

This year, I do not have problems about adjusting to METU at all. But as for courses, they are more difficult and intensive when compared to high school but they are very useful for us to develop ourselves in terms of writing, listening and speaking skills. Furthermore, we are learning second language beside English. I am learning German and it is very enjoyable for me.

As for the campus, I think that METU has one of the best campuses in Turkey. All of its departments, dormitories, cafes and even markets are the same campus and I think it is a big advantage for us in terms of transportation. The campus is very huge but the transportation inside the campus is provided by ring services and minibuses easily.

There are a lot of student clubs and communities and also social services such as sport centers, tennis courts and swimming pool. We can develop ourselves socially thanks to these opportunities. To sum up, METU fulfilled my expectations and I am glad and proud of being a METU student. :)

REWRITTEN JOURNAL 1

MY IDEAL UNIVERSITY

I think a university must have several features to be an ideal university for me. Firstly, the academic staff must be qualified and well-equipped. Also, the curriculum is very significant.In an ideal university's curriculum, there must be technical and practical courses, foreign language courses and opportunities to interact with foreigners because, in order to increase its students' chances to have good jobs, being active and known worldwide is very important for an ideal university. In addition, libraries and laboratories must be adequate and easy to access. Similarly, the internet connection must be satisfactory and accesible.

Secondly, there must be social clubs and entertainment opportunities. Students cannot always study, right? They need to relax and have fun when necessary. That's why the recreation atmosphere is also essential. Students should do physical activities, swim, play several games such as football, basketball, volleyball, tenis or badminton at university. Moreover, several student clubs must be active. Students can express their feelings and thoughts freely by means of these clubs. 

Thirdly, the structure of university must be well-organized and aesthetic. It is better to gather all departments, dormitories and social services in the same campus. Also the campus should be surrounded by nature; for example forests, groves, lakes or rivers.

When it comes to question that whether METU satisfies the criteria of my ideal university, my answer is certainly "yes, it does". Although it is a little bit expensive to live in here, METU has all of the features that I demand for an ideal university.

JOURNAL SET 3

THE KITE RUNNER TRAILER

Here is the trailer of the film, The Kite Runner. I chose this video because it clearly shows the important plots of the film. It is an explanatory paragraph. 

The video starts withthe scene of the soldiers because at that time, Taliban has the control of the city, Kabul. That's why the Taliban soldiers stop the cars and check the people who come to city or leave the city. After that, the coming scenes show the intimacy between Amir and Hassan. Later, the scene of the traditional kite fighting scenes come. There are only two kites are left and the contestant who cuts the other kite will win the racing. Most of the citizens including Amir's father, Baba are watching the competition. And with the help of Hassan, Amir is able to cut the other kite and wins the competition. Then, the scene of the intimacy of Amir and Hassan is shown again. In December 1979, Soviet Russians invade Afghanistan. Because of the invasion, Baba and Amir have to leave the city. Later, the past scene of the first encounter of Hassan and Assef appears. And then, because of what Amir sees about Hassan, Amir causes Hassan and his father to leave the home. Several years later, Amir becomes an adult and figths with adult Assef in order to save the orphan boy of Hassan. Finally, the unfortunate scene of Hassan is shown. He is beaten and raped by Assef and his friends. 

I love this film because it clearly shows the intimacy and its disappearing. Also, the film is very good at telling the love, sacrifice and lies between fathers and sons. I think it is very affecting film. In my opinion, everyone should watch it. :)

JOURNAL SET 3

THE KITE RUNNER

The Kite Runner is a novel by Khaled Hosseini. It tells the story of Amir, a young boy from Kabul, and his closest friend Hassan, Amir's father's servant boy.

In the 70's in Afghanistan, the Pushtun boy Amir and the Hazara boy Hassan are raised together in Amir's father's house, plaiyng and kitting on the streets of a peaceful Kabul. They are best friends and compete as a team in kite fighting competitions. Hassan will do whatever for the respect of Amir and brings the cut kites to Amir in kite fighting competitions. One day in the competition, Amir and Hassan cut the last kite and win a victory. Also, Amir receives the respect from his father, Baba, for the first time. When Hassan runs to bring the cut kite to Amir, he is beaten and raped by the brutal Assef in an empty street. The coward Amir witness the assault but does not help the loyal Hassan because he is afraid of not receiving the respect from Baba when he returns to home without the cut kite. This incident will change their lives. Due to the disloyalty of himself to Hassan, Amir causes Hassan and his father to leave from the home. In 1979, the Russians invade Afghanistan and therefore, Baba and Amir escape to Pakistan and then America. Baba and Amir start their new lives with getting through several difficulties. Amir becomes a novelist and gets married with his countrywoman Soraya there. In 2000, after Baba has passed away, Amir receives a telephone call from Rahim Khan, who encourages Amir to write and is respected very much by Amir. Rahim asks Amir to return to Afghanistan in order to rescue the orphaned son of Hassan from Taliban. When Amir learns that Hassan actually his own brother, Amir does what he can to honor the memory of his old friend Hassan. 

I love this novel very much because its story is about the price of friendship, betrayal and loyalty. Also it is very successful at telling the relationship, love, sacrifice and lies between fathers and sons. I think you should watch the film as soon as possible. :)

JOURNAL SET 2

CINEMAGRAPH : MORNING

In this video, there is a collection of cinemagraphs taken to show a daily morning of a man. I chose this video because it clearly shows us the definite examples of cinemagraphs.

The video starts with the movements of the minute hand of the wall clock. Then the man tries to wake up and massages his eye. Then he makes a  preparation for a shower and controlls the heat of the water. Later he moves his eyes and blinks. He again makes a preparation to brush his teeth. Also he buttons up his shirt and wears his perfume. And then the coffee pours into the cup and eggs are fried. Finally a propeller fan is moving. These are just photographs but we can understand what is being done thanks to the invention of cinemagraph technology. 

These cinemagraphs clearly show that only one part of the cinemagraphs is moving. For example, while the man is checking the heat of the water for shower, only running water and fingers of the man are moving. Also when he sprays on perfume, we only see the perfume spray; the finger of the man is not moving.  

I think this technique is very interesting. I really enjoyed when I was writing it. I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. :)

JOURNAL SET 2

CINEMAGRAPH

The term "cinemagraph" was coined by U.S. photographers Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck, who used the technique to animate their fashion and new photographs. It is the combination of "cinema" and "photograph".

Cinemagraphs are still photographs in which a minor and repeated movement occurs. Cinemagraphs can give the illusion that the viewer is watching a video.

The process of producing a cinemagraph is not so hard. It has some basic steps. First of all, a series of photographs is taken or a video is recorded. Then by using image editing software, the photographs or the video frames are composed into a seamless loop of sequential frames. During this process, the animated GIF file format is often used. This format is used in such a manner that motion in part of the subject between exposures is perceived as a repeating or continued motion, in contrast with the stillness of the rest of the image.

As you can see in the photograph, only taxis on one road and some of the people are moving. The rest of the cars and people are still as in other non-cinamagraph photographs.

In my opinion, these cinemagraphs are very funny and stunning. I would like to display some more cinemagraphs so that you can enjoy much more. :)