My Comments on Wiki Projects

1- http://bayraktarayla.blogspot.com/2013/06/world-cuisine-food-literally-means-that_7.html?showComment=1371068435168#c2172925555900200195

2- http://serifbaltaci.blogspot.com/2013/06/wiki-project-sports.html#comment-form

Revised Journal 2

Reflection to “Show Me the Way to Go Home”

This article is about the statistic of young adults who leave their home. I did not know these statistics before I read this article. I find this article very informative due to the fact that I learned some interesting information from it. For example, I did not know that the number of leaving home is not so high even in the US.

There are many factors that affect these statistics and rates. The writer says some reasons for this rate and he gives some examples. Of course, leaving alone or with your friends has some advantages. You are free and you can make whatever you like, but I think that living with your parents has more advantages than living alone or without your parents. As the writer says, I believe that living at home with your family give you security and moral support. Your parents give you both financially and morally support. You can hardly trust any other people except for your family. For example, you can share your secrets with your parents and sister without doubt. They will understand you and they will find a solution for your troubles. I think our home is the most comfortable place in the world because we do not need to wash our clothes, make meal and clean. The writer says that many people who are at their 30s come back their houses. He or she gives some examples of it. I believe that those people come back their home because of the fact that the safest and the most comfortable place is their home.

Lastly, I believe that our home is safer and more comfortable house than any other house in most aspects. It is more advantages to live with your parents. I totally agree with the writer and I like this article and the examples in it very much.

Revised Journal 1

                               Reflection to Game of Thrones

  I recently started watching a TV series called Game of Thrones and I want to talk about it. It is an Americanc epic fantasy  television series created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels. The series, set on the fictional continents of Wasteros and Essos at the end of a decade-long summer, interweaves several plot lines. I think that it is very fascinating, popular and successful and absorbing. The series explores issues of social hierarchy, religion, civil war, sexuality, crime and punishment. According to sayings, it is the most recent big-budget work to have contributed to the popularity of the fantasy genre in mainstream media. When you watch film, you will see this. It received widespread acclaim by critics, despite the fact that its use of nudity has been criticized. I think that these critics are right. I also believed that the serial is very successful, popular, magnificent and big-budget work but there are too much nude scenes in it. It has exceptionally broad and active fans all over the world. Additionally, I want to talk about how many awards they received—two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series – Drama, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form, and a Peabody Award. Peter Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Tyrion Lannister. The settings, characters and plot elements of the novels and the TV series are derived from European history. A principal inspiration for the novels was the English War of Roses (1455–85) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin's houses of Lannister and Stark. I started to watch this film because of the fact that it’s a historical one. I liked it very much and I advise you to watch it. 

This video is beginning part of the serial. I really liked the music which is in this video. I wanted to share it with you.

Third Article Reflection Spring Semester

‘’Friends, Good Friends and Such Good Friends’’

This article, friends, good friend and such good friends, is about friendships and eight kinds of friendships. The writer classified friendships to eight kinds. I did not think this kind of classification about this subject, so I really liked this article very much. In addition, I liked the writer’s ideas about the subject because he or she mentioned clearly his or her feelings about the subject. Moreover, he or she organized his or her article in a very good and successful way. It is very fluent and interesting. 

All of us have friends and I thought about this subject previously like many people. What is friendship? What are the kinds of it? I believe that most people should think about this subject in their life. Many people should think about exact meaning of friendship. I read a lot of writing about this subject before I read this article, but I believe that the writer approached the subject from a different angle. The writer gives many examples for different kinds of friendships. This makes article much more convincing. While I was reading this article, I realized that the writer and I have common belief about the subject. As soon as I begin to read this writing, I finished it in a very short time. Friends are very big part of our life especially when we are in the dormitory.  I agree with the writer in that none of our friends are equal to another. I believe that the language which used by the writer is very good and understandable. 

Helin Akin

1929744

Comments

1- To Esra Ataman:
http://atamanes.blogspot.com/2013/04/second-term-third-article-reflection.html#comment-form

2- To Buse Çalışkan:
http://buse-caliskan.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-great-gatsby.html#comment-form

3- To Tuğrul Çakır:
http://07tugrul.blogspot.com/2013/05/entry-7-second-term.html#comment-form

4- To Ayla Bayraktar:
http://bayraktarayla.blogspot.com/2013/05/celtic-music-in-my-journal-i-would-like.html#comment-form

Second Article Reflection Spring Semester

‘’ At Home with Mamma’’

 

This article, at home with mamma, is about many Italian men’s staying with their family at home. It shows us advantages of staying home with family and Italians’ feelings about the subject. The writer gives many examples and statistics. This makes the writing much more reliable. According to writing, they believe that living at home with their parent is more advantageous than living alone. For example, in the article, a man says that ‘’ I have fewer expenses and my mother still brings me coffee in bed each morning. ‘’ This shows us that the reason of staying at home with family is both financial and sentimental.

 Many boys in Italy also think that living at home is much easier than living alone. This phenomenon has psychological and cultural roots according to writer. I believe that men tend to live with their family because they usually are not capable of doing household chores. The writer a mentions that the sincere relationship between Italian young men and their mother has an important influence on their choice of staying at home .He or she also says that many women in Italy also prefer to stay home with their family instead of living alone until they get married. According to Italian culture leaving one’s parents at an early age - before marriage – gives rise to suspicions that something in the family is not working. This also causes many boys to prefer living at home with their family.

To sum up, there are a lot of reasons and advantages to live home with family. I also think that living at home with family is much easier and more advantageous in terms of financial and sentimental. 

Journal Entry 4 Spring Semester

Would It Be Better To Work Straight After Graduation Than To Study Further?

 

It is a controversial subject and I think that doing further studies at university is better than working straight right after graduation. There are two main reasons why I choose to do further studies at university than start work after graduation. The first reason of it is getting better status in social life as well as academic life. If you prefer to do further studies at university, people will respect you much more than those who do not, because you can develop yourself in academic life. Moreover, doing further studies enables you to become self-confident and satisfied in your field. In other words, you will be professional in your field, so this will make you respectable in your social life. The second reason is the difficulties of work life. Unlike people who continue academic career and start to work after graduation can face some problems of their work life, because of the fact that they are younger, inexperienced and not good enough in their field. Due to these misfortunes, they can have difficulties in solving problems about their fields. In other words, as they are not professional in their fields, they are insufficient to cope with the problems. In addition, while people who do further studies at university can find a wide variety of jobs, they have limited work areas. For example, it is too hard for them to work abroad or in famous private companies. In conclusion, because of advantages that I mentioned above, I believe that doing further studies at university is better than starting work after graduation.

I could not find a related video for this subject, so I added this video. The girl in this video talks about her feelings. She is foreign and talks a lovely way. I liked it and wanted to share with you. I hope you will like it.

Helin AKİN

1929744

Journal Entry 3 Spring Semester

Boob Tube

Technology has an important place in our lives. It makes our life easier, but it also steals most of our time in vain. Especially television is a good example for it. We aimlessly spend lots of our time in front of TV, but at the same time we learn many things from it. However, considering its negative effects, we can clearly say that watching television cannot be beneficial to us.

The first and the most dangerous effect of excessive watching of TV is its negative physical effects on our health. Firstly, it pushes us to consume much more food than we need via the advertisements. While we are watching TV, we want to snack excessively or to drink so much because we see always these kinds of things in TV. In other words, these kinds of things push us to eat more via the advertisements which mostly include consumption.  Moreover, it significantly decreases our physical activity; as a result our society is becoming overweight and obese. Secondly, it gives off radioactive rays which are very harmful to our brain and eyes. It affects our eyes and causes many eye disorders such as cataracts. As a result, excessive watching of TV damages our physical health.

Another important group of effects of too much watching of TV is its bad social effects on us. Firstly, as I mentioned above, we aimlessly spend most of our time in front of TV. Instead of spending time with our family or with our friends, we prefer to watch TV. It prevents us from studying, making our responsibilities, resting, traveling, talking with our friends, and going to cinemas or theaters etc. Although television does not share our feelings or relieves us, we choose it. Because of this communication gap in our life, deep problems appear in our social life. Secondly, TV serials, programs or advertisements usually include violence, pornography or racism. Such contents are unacceptable and unethical according to every human being and they cause moral deterioration in the society. Especially children are affected from this. Consequently, television has many negative effects on our social life.

Those who think that Television is a beneficial device may be right to some extent because we can learn many things via the TV. Firstly, proponents of TV assert that documentaries, quiz shows or newscast inform us. However, this does not mean that TV always teaches us useful things because we do not see always these kinds of programs in TV. In additionally, we can attain them other ways. For example, we can buy a dvd to watch a film or documentary. Moreover, media is biased because they work for money and do not demonstrate news objectively, so we cannot trust them. Secondly, they claim that TV relieves us after an exhausting day, but in fact it does not relieve us, but in fact it causes insomnia, restlessness and sadness. For example, colors in the TV and addiction of it lead to fatigue and insomnia rather than relieve us. Furthermore, bad news make us sadder because they repeat them one after another. Luxurious lives in TV and unattainable body images for men and women also affect adversely the psychology of the people and make them sadder. As a result, TV negatively affects our psychology rather than relieving or informing us.

In conclusion, people who want to justify that television is a beneficial technological device are wrong since it is apparent that it is very harmful for us. Firstly, it has damaging effects on our health due to radioactive rays which are emitted by this device.  Secondly, it destroys our social life and the society. Finally, it is very harmful for our psychological life. These are only some of its dangerous effects. There are much more than these. Germans called this machine as ‘’boob tube’’, so let us protect our health, children, family and society from this ‘’boob tube’’.

I find this video very informative. The man talking in video relates the effects of watching too much television. I liked it very much and wanted to share it with you. I hope you will like it. 

The First Article Reflection Spring Semester

Reflection to “Show Me the Way to Go Home”

This article is about the statistic of young adults who leave their home. I did not know these statistics before I read this article. I find this article very informative due to the fact that I learned some interesting information from it. For example, I did not know that the number of leaving home is not so high even in the US.

There are many factors that affect these statistics and rates. The writer says some reasons for this rate and he gives some examples. Of course, leaving alone or with your friends has some advantages. You are free and you can make whatever you like, but I think that living with your parents has more advantages than living alone or without your parents. As the writer says, I believe that living at home with your family give you security and moral support. Your parents give you both financially and morally support. You can hardly trust any other people except for your family. For example, you can share your secrets with your parents and sister without doubt. They will understand you and they will find a solution for your troubles. I think our home is the most comfortable place in the world because we do not need to wash our clothes, make meal and clean. The writer says that many people who are at their 30s come back their houses. He or she gives some examples of it. I believe that those people come back their home because of the fact that the safest and the most comfortable place is their home.

Lastly, I believe that our home is safer and more comfortable house than any other house in most aspects. It is more advantages to live with your parents. I totally agree with the writer and I like this article and the examples in it very much.

Journal Entry 2 Spring Semester

Reflection to Game of Thrones

          I recently started watching a TV series called Game of Thrones and I want to talk about it. It is an Americanc epic fantasy  television series created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels. The series, set on the fictional continents of Wasteros and Essos at the end of a decade-long summer, interweaves several plot lines. I think that it is very fascinating, popular and successful and absorbing. The series explores issues of social hierarchy, religion, civil war, sexuality, crime and punishment. According to sayings, it is the most recent big-budget work to have contributed to the popularity of the fantasy genre in mainstream media. When you watch film, you will see this. It received widespread acclaim by critics, despite the fact that its use of nudity has been criticized. I think that these critics are right. I also believed that the serial is very successful, popular, magnificent and big-budget work but there are too much nude scenes in it. It has exceptionally broad and active fans all over the world. Additionally, I want to talk about how many awards they received—two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Television Series – Drama, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form, and a Peabody Award. Peter Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Tyrion Lannister. The settings, characters and plot elements of the novels and the TV series are derived from European history. A principal inspiration for the novels was the English War of Roses (1455–85) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin's houses of Lannister and Stark. I started to watch this film because of the fact that it’s a historical one. I liked it very much and I advise you to watch it. 

This video is beginning part of the serial. I liked the music which is in this video. I wanted to share it with you.

Journal Entry 1 spring semester

K-Pax

My reflection to K-Pax

     The science-fiction film adapted from the book of the same name ‘’K-Pax’’ starring Kevin spacey and Jeff Bridges, is a mysterious, open ended thriller about a man who tries to convince people that he is from K-Pax, a planet 1000 light years away from the Earth.  This film is a very impressive movie that can be viewed from a lot of different ways. It both amazed me and made me think. The first reason for that is its cliff-hanger. In other words, whether Prot is a patient and has traits that display him both as an alien and a normal person. For example, Prot was able to see radiant lights, understand dogs and draw K-Pax’s orbit. However, Mark Powell, his doctor, found that Prot was a man whose wife and childs were murdered. Despite everything, I think he was a normal person and K-Pax is an imaginary place that exists only in Prot’s mind. Like me many people think that he was a human being, who has an extremely high level of spiritual features. The second reason is its message. I believe that its message is hope, symbolized by the blue bird. The blue bird gave hope to all the patients. Moreover, Prot is always smiling and helps cure the patients in the hospital. All the patients believe unquestioningly that he is from K-Pax. He says ‘’ I can take one person with me.’’ This becomes the light of hope for them. The third reason for my amazement is that Prot became paralyzed at the end of the film, so this was very impressive end. This film is different from other films in respect to this impressive end. Ultimately, the movie puzzles me more than entertain. In conclusion, K-Pax is the very successful film because of the extraordinary performances of Kevin Spaces and Jeff Bridge, its unguessable end and its difference features from other films.

     I prefer this trailer video since it indicates the plot of the movie clearly. Watching this trailer video will allow you to figure out why this movie is different from the other these kinds of films. I strongly recommend you to watch this interesting film and I hope that you like it very much. 

multimedia and reflection to it

My Favorite Novel

This is my favorite novel. I believe that this novel is very fascinating and beneficial. There is also a connection between the writer and the main character of the novel. He tells his life in this novel. At the beginning of the novel, the young man, Martin Eden rescues the life of Ruth’s brother; he comes their home and falls in love with Ruth. The girl’s family is very reach and noble whereas Eden is a very poor seaman. It may seem a common love, but if you read it, you will understand that it is not a common love. Martin loves her so much that he begins to make many things to make her love him. The girl teaches him a lot of things; he goes school and graduates with a very high degree. He begins to write lots of things. He thinks that his writing career and subsequent strong financial position are the trump cards that can help him win the good attitude of the young lady. It took him much effort to become well-known and prosperous writer. Unfortunately, Ruth Morse is tired and does not want to spend all her youth waiting. She tells this to Martin, and her words break the young man’s heart. His effort for her love is very impressive and the attitudes of Ruth to him are very disappointing. Martin Eden commits a suicide. I affect from the end of this novel very much because I do not think that it will end with this way.

I chose this video because I believe that this video is very illustrative for Jack London. We can learn his biography from it. It simply shows what you need to know about Jack London. In his novel Martin Eden, London relates his life. After I learn that Martin Eden represents his life with this video, I affected this novel much more. It was very fascinating life and I liked it very much because it relates his life which is very fascinating. Thanks for this illustrative video. 

multimedia and reflection to it

One More Night -  Madilyn Bailey

REFLECTION TO ONE MORE NIGHT

I chose this song because I heard it recently and liked it very much. This is an acoustic performance of this song. Many people, like me, think that she did it better than maroon 5. I believe that her voice is amazing and fascinating. Her voice is so beautiful that I could not make anything without listen it. I also think that the acoustic version of it is very suitable for this song. The lyrics of it are also very understandable with this acoustic version. The lyrics are very meaningful, so I liked it very much. Because lyrics and rhythms are in accordance, people like this video very much. Finally, I liked it, so I want to share it with you. I hope that you will also like it.

I chose this video also because it will give you a chance to compare these two versions of this song. I believe that the girl's voice is much more suitable for this song and the acoustic version of it is much more understandable. I also think that the second video is very good and suitable for the lyrics of the song. Both of them are very successful, but I liked the first one more than second. Thanks for both of them. 

second draft for journal entry 4

An Ideal University

When people are studying at university, they need not only academic information but also social life. They need relax after exhausting lessons and exams. A university should provide to relaxing atmosphere its students, teachers and other workers. Students, teachers and workers should be respectful to each other’s ideas. A university should also catch up with new technologies such as new computers, new communication devices. It should investigate new things for its students. METU provides everything which you think for a university in your dreams with facilities, flexible learning environment, and dynamic social life. It provides a wonderful living area with its big stadium, gorgeous lake, a lot of gym centers and swimming pools etc. METU also has a lot of socials clubs which help you to meet new friends because social clubs organize meetings.

multimedia and reflection to it

http://www.americanliterature.com/author/shirley-jackson/short-story/the-lottery

REFLECTION TO THE LOTTERY

This story is about following traditions without questioning. I find the subject of the story very interesting and striking. I read it immediately after I began to read it, so I think that it is written with a fluently way. The society in this story blindly follows the tradition of the lottery. I believe that if you blindly follow traditions, you may violate human dignity. For my opinion, traditions are safe because you do not need to use your mind in the process of traditions. I also think that if a tradition violates the right to live as happened in the story, it is dangerous. In the story, Tessie protests the process of the lottery (not the tradition) by saying that they did not give enough time Bill to draw, she says this is not fair and she wants to include his daughter into the lottery. However, Eva belongs to her husband’s family. We understand from it that although she was edge of death, she did not realize the wrongfulness of the tradition. The society in this story thinks that if they sacrifice somebody every year, their corn will be heavy. They regard their tradition as reasonable by thinking that way. I believe that this story is beneficial because it gives us a chance to think and criticize our traditions. The society in this story is patriarchal because they give importance men more than women. They are also agricultural society because they think their crops more than human life. Therefore, I believe this story is beneficial and informative for me. 

This video is based on the classic short story, a community of people in a small American town follows an annual ritual known as "the Lottery". The tradition is believed to ensure a good harvest, but it evokes dread in the entire town's people. This is a short film about this short story. In this video actors play very well and I really affect from it. I believe that the story is very good, but this short film is also very good because it shows the story very successfully. I liked it very much and I advice you to watch it. Thanks for this nice and informative short film. 

Comments

My Comments on my Friend Journals

1-Tuğçe Aslan

2-Esra Ataman

3-Hasan Şerif Baltacı

4-Arzu Akkaya

second draft for journal entry 3

Being a Student At METU

          BEING A PART OF METU

Being a student at METU means that you can live there without any necessity of going out anywhere because it provides you to develop your social skills and to become acedemically qualified.

When you go into its campus,it welcomes you with its spectacular sight.Social life in Campus is wonderful.There are a lot of clubs which serve you lots of activities.In its social life, it provides you concerts,trips,theaters,festivals etc.

In my early times I had a lot of problems about transportation and meal.I got lost a couple of times.Later,I learnt very nice and cheap places for eating with the help of my friends.I cooked some meals which are not as delicious as my mother's meals.Now I know the timelines of the ring and buses.And I also know the short roads.

Being a part of METU is a bonus for me because it is one of the most famuous university in the world according some researchs and its education is wonderful. Especially, it is famous for its English training. Before I came here, I had heard lots of good comments for METU. Now I think these good comments are too little for METU. Finally I am very happy to be here.