GAP YEAR IN ATHENS

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REVIEW: "GAP YEAR"

Last Wednesday we watch the first episode of the series Gap Year in class. This is an English TV series which its premier was on February of this year. It is characterised by being a comedy and dramatic series.

In the first episode, Dylan and Sean travel to China. Sean thought the travel was about escaping life back in the UK, with a purpose to live adventures However, as soon as they arrived, Dylan revealed that he booked the whole thing just to get back with his ex-girlfriend, Lauren. After, the two friends met a in a public toilet a group of American people who are also traveling: Ashley, Greg and May. Unluckily, Dylan left his money in there which, after, Greg found. Later on, the two groups met again. Dylan got back his money and then, they went to a festival next to the Great Wall of China. There, on one hand, Sean got into a fight, accidentally. He run out of the scene which is why he got lost. On the other hand, Dylan met Lauren. That meeting didn’t end well considering that Dylan was worried about Sean. Finally, the episode ends by Sean getting in a car, thinking that the driver might take him to the festival. Unfortunately, the driver was friend of the person Sean fight with before. He got kidnapped by them considering that he could get out of the car.

As I said before, this TV series is about Gap years. The episode starts with a good talk between the two friends, Dylan and Sean, with a woman about what they had in mind to do in China. She immediately denied those things. The two friends might have had elevated expectations about the trip and the woman knew that. Everyone thinks that traveling is fun, but in real life, it all depends on where you are going to. It is not the same going to China than to Thailand.

Another thing that I found it relevant is the tiny details in some of the characters’ behaviour. The first one was Sean’s impression about a natural park in China. Dylan kept saying how traditional and important it was but once they were there, it looked insignificant. Also, when May wanted to see the sunset from the Great Wall, they looked at it as if it was something they had to do because everyone does it.

Finally, when Dylan took a photo from the two strangers who were camping in the Great Wall, the couple pose like if it was the best time of their life, but, however, it wasn’t like that.

In my opinion, this TV series shows how Gap year works and tries to break the cliché in one way. The series represent how Gap years are not about having always a good time and living life freely because it’s very important to be responsible.

This episode was very funny, mainly because of Sean. I quite liked it but I don’t see myself watching the rest of it. I don’t really like the topic.

DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON

In this post I will describe my sister. My sister is older than me; she is nineteen years old. There is just three years of difference between our ages, that explains why we are so close and we comprehend each other without any difficulties.

From the psychologist point of view, my sister can be described from a lot of different ways. She is an open-minded person and this helps a lot when it becomes to talk about something. Apart from that, I must say that she knows everything about everything. She can talk perfectly about politics and economy situation, science novelty, music, films, etc. That is why I always tell her that she is a very cultured person. She perfectly knows how to argument her thought.

When it becomes to her personality, I must stand out her sense of humour. She is very cheerful and such a joker. She is always laughing, even in the most serious moments. She knows how to cheer up a person who is having a bad day and knows when and how to help people when they don’t even ask her.

What she can’t put up with two-faced people and those who only act for their interests. She is a hard-working and a strong person. No matter what she goes through she never gives up. That’s one of the best things about her and one of the things I look up to. She fights for her dreams and demonstrates day after day the reason why she is where she is now. She is very organised, but even though she sometimes gets stressed considering that the career she is studying at this moment is hard and it requires a lot of work.

Physically, she is not that tall but neither short. She has dark wavy medium-sized hair and dark eyes too. I can’t describe her style because she doesn’t follow any. She just wears what she likes without having to discuss if it is trendy or not.

She loves to read books. If she had her own library, she would go out of there. She also likes to go to the cinema and watch series. I have to say that she has a good taste for it.

Finally, I would like to say that being her sister is such a pleasure but it has also its negative part, I will always be compared to her and that’s bad because I can never be as perfect as she is. I am happy to have someone like her in my life. It is so good to have a best friend forever.

SCIENCE LIMITS ON GLOBAL ISSUES

As we all know, science has changed our lifes mainly for good. However, science has its own limits, for example, when it becomes to the global issues. In this post, I will talk about a global issue which is the violation of human right and the intervention of science on it.

Human rights are the basic rights and “freedoms” that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life. They can never be taken away, although they can sometimes be restricted. These basic rights are based on values like dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence.

The problem comes when these rights or “freedoms” are not respected. There are a lot of facts which infringe them. For example, the West Bank barrier or the current settlements in Palestine, the immigration and refugees banning and the utility of chemical weapons on civilians.

If we look at the science role in these violations, we can say that science helps a lot to carry through these actions. All the chemical weapons created, the machinery and equipment used between other many devices are designed from science. With this idea, we could say that science has its own limits which create a lot of problems in real life.

Some of the science limits which influences some of the human rights violation are obvious but some of them are not. On one hand, science does not make moral judgments about anything. On the other hand, science doesn’t guide us when it becomes to know how to use the scientific knowledge.

As a conclusion, I must say that science limits influence a lot some of the human rights violations and, at the same time, these science limits are an important weapon for industrialised countries to take advantage from poor countries which doesn’t have power to own scientific knowledge.

COOL HUNTERS: THE LEGAL STALKERS OF YOUTH CULTURE

After I read this fragment from the third chapter of Naomi's book, 'No logo', I have to say that in only four paragraphs the author explains how the fashion insdustry and marketing work. In general, I agree with what she comments, for example, when she says that the cool consultancies advise their clients to use 'viral communications'. I think the best way to carry the brands buisness on is using slogans and ads which you can easily influence people with, mostly the youth. When it becomes to the strategies and politics of these industries, the cool hunters do such a good job.

I hate the idea of being influenced (or even 'infected' by 'the plagues' the brands marketing create) by the politics the brands use. But at the same time, I think that the buisness world consists of getting benefits; we can not stop these types of politics, making as an excuse their successful work.

In my opinion, nowadays it is easy to drag people into the consuming world because, even if we do not realise it, we are exposed to multiple influencers.

If we get shocked with the idea of superbrands tagging the graffiti writers, the skaters or even the londoners roadmen, who initially were people who reclaim against these types of politics, think about the youtubers you watch who get sponsored and who do not stop talking about products which they even like or the number of companies' logos a football field has 'to wear'. As Naomi says: 'no space has been left unbranded.'

PROTEST SONG

After I had listened some of the protests songs suggested by our English teacher, I chose the Tracy's Chapman song, called 'Talkin' 'bout revolution'. The song was released on 1988 and its part of her debut album, Tracy Chapman. 

This is the lyrics of the song:

Don't you know

They're talkin' bout a revolution

It sounds like a whisper

Don't you konw

They're talkin' bout a revolution

It sounds like a whisper

While they're standing in the welfare lines

Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation

Wasting time in the unemplotment lines

Sitting around waitinf for a promotion

Don't you know

They're talkin' bout a revolution

It sounds like a whisper

Don't you konw

They're talkin' bout a revolution

It sounds like a whisper

Poor people gonna rise up 

And get their share

Poor people gonna rise up 

And take what's theirs

Don't you know

You better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run

Oh I said you better run, run

Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run

It's finally the tables are starting to turn

Talkin' bout a revolution

It's finally the tables are starting to turn

Talkin' bout a revolution oh no

Talkin' bout a revolution oh

While they're standing in the welfare lines

Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation

Wasting time in the unemplotment lines

Sitting around waitinf for a promotion

Don't you know

They're talkin' bout a revolution

It sounds like a whisper

Anf finally the tables are starting to turn

Talkin' bout a revolution

It's finally the tables are starting to turn

Talkin' bout a revolution oh no

Talkin' bout a revolution oh no

Talkin' bout a revolution oh no

Going in depth with the song, in the first paragraph, I think that the singer-songwriter when she says 'Don't you know, They're talkin' 'bout a revolution', she is refering to what the people wants and talk about. 

In the second paragraph, the author talks about what people do when they are in a bad living situation. She says that they wasting their time waiting for government assistance, welfares, and better jobs or even job, considering that she says: 'Wasting time in the unemployment lines, sitting around waiting for a promotion.'

Finally, Tracy Chapman says that the poor people will rise up and that is why the goverment better run. And then, she sings 'finally the tables are starting to turn' refering to the beginning of a revolution. 

In my opinion, even if this song is a little bit short and it is formed practically by three paragraphs (taking into consideration the paragraphs replay that she does), the song defends clearly the idea of revolution against the corrupt governments and the economical system. I can say that the song brought or could had brought a lot of polemic considering that by the lyrics of the song, she led us to believe that she had (or has) some Marxism feeling because of the indirectly criticism she does about the economic sistem that controls the majoritary of the states.