Modern or Post Modern?

Time flies and people and their ideas change. The period in which our parents grew up was a very different world compared to our post-modern ( or late-modern) times. People who grew up in the modern times had different perspectives and ideologies compared to those who grow up in the post-modern (or late-modern) times. In short they had and have a different life style than those of post-modern (or late-modern) times. Life in the modern times did not offer our parents with what post-modern (or late-modern) times have offered us. Development in law, education, technology, globalisation and etc, has offered us, post-modern (or late-modern) humans a so called better life style.

To begin with, these post-modern (or late-modern) times have offered us a brand new world. It is definitely a time in which we do not have to endure hardships, like our parents. It is certainly a

time which has offered us a brand new life. We do not need to worry if we will make it through to the next day, nor do we need to worry about our future. Unlike our parents we do not need to worry if we will starve, neither do we need to fear if our homes or our countries will be invaded by strangers. We do not need to worry about what life will offer for our kids and fear for them. Unlike our parents we do not suffer the outcomes of war. Modern times were times people still suffered from the results of Communism, Fascism, Nazism and so many other dictatorships.  Some had to empty their ho

mes overnight and migrate to foreign lands leaving everything they owned behind and some lost their loved ones. Whereas, people who live in post-modern (or late modern) times don’t have such worries. We were born into a world that does not require such hardship. We have our lives set for us.

Although, we weren't born into a world full of hardship, we are born into a world in which children are growing up with hi-tech gadgets not being able to live their childhood unlike those before us. A very controversial topic

Migration

Living in Turkey, I have heard many migration stories. Turkey has been the home for many people from different nationalities from all over the world. Although, the majority of the population is Turkish with an Islamic background there are many others from different religious and cultural backgrounds. I find it amazing that there are so many different cultures living in one country, breathing the same air, drinking the same water and attending the same schools. Unfortunately, sometimes, our differences become barriers between us. Instead of understanding one another we tend to discriminate those who are not similar to us, not knowing why they’ve chosen this country to live in. For some it is survival, for others it is a better life style for others there is no other choice.

Migration, immigration, two words which can be defined differently by many. For some it can be defined as a beginning to a better life, for others it may be a reminder of their past sorrows, and for some it may mean a temporary stay in another country with the hope to return home. However in a dictionary, the word migration is defined as the movement of one place to another. But is it as simple as the dictionary says it is? They say transition from primary to secondary school is a very major transition in one’s life; new environment, new teachers, new friends, new social, emotional and intellectual world. So if transition from primary to high school is a major transition, how stressful and hard would the transition from one country to another be?  For many years people have migrated for many different reasons, some to escape war, some for political reasons, and some for economic reasons. There are two types of migration, voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary migration can range from highly voluntary to reluctant or persuaded migrations. Among the many challenges that confront some newly arrived immigrants, as well as those who have lived in the receiving society for some time, is the possibility of experiencing discrimination because of where they came from and who they are, as seen by others through the lens of group labels – ethnicity, race, religion, language. So, next time we judge someone for their difference, we should stop and think twice.

Alessandro Del Piero

Alessandro Del Piero is a famous italian striker who was born in Conegliano on November 9, 1974. He is the captain of my all time favourite soccer team, Juventus. He has been the captain for Juventus since 1993. Del Piero is my favourite soccer player till this day. He is my childhood hero. Not only is he my favourite soccer player, but he also plays for the team i support. Until this day, he is considered to be one of the best Italian soccer players.

There is so much i can say about him, but i want to keep it short and write a brief summary about his career. At the age of 5 he would play soccer with his friends in his backyard. Alessandros older brother was also a soccer fan, who played proffesional soccer for a short period because of his injuries. Like his brother Alessandro also started playing proffesional soccer at a very early age, early as 7 years old. . His mother was afraid that he would get injured just like his brother, so he played goalkeeper for the local club AC San Vendemiano. But Alessandro was too good to be playing goalkeeper, he was an amazing striker. With th ehelp of his brother, the two boys had convinced their mother into allowing him to play the position he still plays to this day. In 1988, Alessandro was spotted and left his home when he was 13 to join Padova’s youth centre. In 1991, he played his first professional game in Serie B, and scored his first goal in 1992. In 1993, his dreams came true. He was transferred to Juventus, and has been playing for them since then. He has won many awards, titles and victories. He is considered to be one of the top soccer plyers in the world.

Words are not enough to describe his talent. He is an idol to many. I have uploaded a video to prove what I, in words, cannot !

Music Videos

Sexuality is now constructed through various media such as magazines, advertisements, movies, TV series, songs and video clips, in general television. Our understanding of sexuality is distorted by the media. Females are portrayed as objects and the males as subjects. Based on this depiction of sexuality, we define masculinity and femininity. Recently, music videos have become a very popular means of illustrating sexuality. Many music videos expose the male at the forefront of the video and the female performing sexual acts in the background. Despite many music videos there are some that do not buy into the current discourses surrounding beauty and sexuality, such as Pink’s music video ‘Stupid Girls’ , The Pussycat Dolls ‘ I don’t Need a Man’ and Beyonce 'Run The World (Girls)'.

The construction of masculinity and femininity in these videos are quite different to what is usually presented in most of the video clips presented to viewers. Research has also shown that music videos often differ in their portrayals of men and women. In general, males are portrayed in a more positive light than females. Research shows, specifically women, are often depicted in positions of submission to men. Additionally, men are more likely to perpetuate violence, while women are more likely to be portrayed as victims. According to the principles of the ruling ideology and the physical structures that back it up, the male figure cannot bear the burden of sexual objectification.

Music videos are one type of media that commodifies sexuality. Viewers passively take in what they are fed. Studies show that portrayal of sexuality has become more explicit in the recent years emphasising physical aspects of sexuality and less emphasis on emotional aspects Many music videos will have a heterosexual, masculine male at the forefront and a highly sexual female, who is usually blonde, skinny, tall and half naked or barely wearing any clothing, performing exotic dances either behind or around the male.  Research shows that the female figure is styled according to the male gaze. Studies also show that women, in their traditional exhibitionist role are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. Unfortunately video clips have lost their meanings. And it is even more upsetting to know that there are many young people out there who take these music videos as examples. It is a pity that famous singers promote such behaviour when they should be better examples.

Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

The other day a friend and I were arguing about a past event, and it was funny how we both had different views on what had actually happened. After our argument I thought it would be interesting to do some reading on human memory and recall. I found some very interesting information on eyewitness reports and thought I should share it on my blog.

Eyewitness reports are believed to provide strong evidence, because it is believed that the way a person remembers an event must be the way it actually happened. Human memory is thought of as simply playing a video or a DVD, events are recorded, stored then replayed exactly how they were recorded. However, many psychologist would argue that human memory is not as simple as playing a video or DVD, rather it is much complicated.

Scientific research has focused on the role of memory in legal eyewitness testimony. Research shows that errors in memory are systematic and are more likely to occur in events that are reported in courtroom testimony: reports of strangers performing brief, violent or unexpected acts that are frightening to the observer/witness. Elizabeth Loftus  found that when an event is recalled, it is not accurately re-created. Instead, it is a reconstruction of the actual event. She argues that reconstructed memory is caused by the use of new and existing information to fill in the gaps in our recall of an experience. Although, most would argue that memories are stable, Loftus argued that memories are malleable and changeable over time. After conducting several experiments, Loftus proposed that integration of new information into memory of original experiences, recall of an event may be altered.

So, how hard is it to tell the truth? It’s hard to recall what exactly happened during an event, when there are so many factors affecting recall and subsequent testimonies. According to research, in order to identify the physical reality of the event, witnesses must have a sufficient opportunity to view the event from a certain position. Studies found that accuracy of witness decisions was significantly influenced by the distance between the witness and the target at the time of exposure; the greater the distance the less information was encoded and remembered. In addition to distance, lighting conditions, especially back lighting, reflections, and shadows impact the ability to see define details.

Two other factors that affect recall and subsequent testimonies is, allocation of attention and bias in attentional focus. Your thoughts, feelings and emotions at the time of an event play a vital role in encoding and remembering information. A strong sense of stimulation will enhance recall of a certain event. Studies have found that focusing your attention greatly improves the amount and quality of information you pick up from the specific stimulation on which your attention is focused; but that focus reduces the amount you pick up from the rest of the scene. Evidence shows that eyewitness memory for persons encountered during events that are personally relevant, highly stressful, and realistic in nature may be subject to substantial error. Studies have found that the presence of a weapon will narrow attention. People focus their attention on the weapon so much that almost everything else that is happening goes unnoticed and therefore unremembered.

So, note to self, next time i argue about an event, I shall remember all of the above!

     By this short video, I would like to provide for you some brief information about my motherland, Albania, which is one of the most important countries in the history of Southern Europe in the peninsula of Balkan. Today's Republic of Albania takes place in between two of the most ancient civilizations among Europe, Roman and Greek one's territories. As you can see from the video, there many evidences in different parts of Albania which show the antiquity in those lands and the authenticity of Albanians. The ancestors of Albanians, known as Illyrians, were an authentic race lying among the whole Adriatic sea. They have been fighting against Roman Empire for their freedom, as their name implies, Illyrian=i lire meaning "free one" in modern albanian language. Those wars are known in history as roman-illyrian wars and they ended by Romans capturing Illyria's latest king, Gentus. The war for independence and freedom of whole Albanian nation has never stopped. The next invaders like Byzantine, Ottomans and neo-roman fascist Italians have considered Albania as an important strategic land and have wanted to make it theirs. Albanians call themselves "Shqipetar" which means people from the land of the eagles because the eagle symbolizes the freedom in Albanian culture. Even the flag of Albania consists of a double-headed eagle. I say the war of Albanians for freedom has never stopped because we have an actual example nowadays: Kosovo, the newest state in Europe. Known as Dardania in the Illyrian era, it was one of the Illyrian tribes, and for centuries till the latest 20th one, Kosovo has been known as part of Albanian nation, as the people living there speak the same language and share the same culture with the ones in actual Albanian Republic. Yet, Serbian invaders, pretending that Kosovo is their territory just because 10% of the people living there are Serbians, have wanted to make Kosovo their part. They could not achieve their goal thanks to the resistance of UCK(National Protecting Army of Kosovo) and nowadays most of the countries have accepted the newest state of Europe, the second Albanian state, Kosovo. It could not be else, as the ancestors of Kosovo people were lovers of freedom(Illyrians). Yet, there are many ethnic problems with today's Albania. It is a fact that the actual Republic of Albania is the only state in the world which is surrounded by people who speak the same language and share the same traditions. Our neighbors, Greeks, Macedonians and Serbs have been given from the times of the ending period of Ottoman empire some lands of Albania, by the European council of Versaille, after the 1st World War. Hoping that in the future Albanian ethnic issue will be solved and hoping that this task has somehow illuminated you  about Albania, here I end my writing.

EXERCISE

1-Our beagles loves hunting. If someone opens the back door for her,she barrels down porch steps into yard.she runs back and forth across the lawn in ecstasy.her nose cruises the wet grass for smells of cats,rabbit,and other presences too subtle for human detection.While she is sniffing,she spins her tail .n quick circles.It spins clockwise first,then it spins counterclockwise.Sniffing and spinning always occur together.They seem to propel her along.

2-Although The Goverment Printing Office in Washibgton D.C.,isa source of much useful information,few people know about it.GPO publishes pamphlets and books whose subjects range from the dangers of X-rays from home TV sets to the identification of mushrooms.About 27,000 publications are offered through the Superintendent of Documents.Many of them are in expensive and for some of them,there is no charge at all.

3-John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant,reaped America's first fortune.He made his inital money trading Indian furs.He was lowborn,uneducation and never learnt to speak English properly.He carried on his business to the end in an accent that was redolent of the Hamburg gutters.