Saturday, January 28, 2006

My Name

What is in a name? Does my name serve any importance in representing me? Five letters and two syllables make up my name. Which part of me does that represent? I believe that a person’s name does contribute in their identity or character. Ozgur is the first name given to me by my parents. It means a lot to me. Because of the repetition of its use over time, it always belongs to me. It is only time and reappearance that creates familiarity with in me.

After I came to U.S. I had big time problems with my name. People were looking at me questions on their face after I told them my name. For this reason, if I did changed my name to something similar Oscar. It did not cause a lot of difficulty with those around me because they are already familiar with the name Ozgur and they accepted easily my new name Oscar. Whenever my new friends call me old friends did not surprised. Now I have a problem explaining my new names spelling because I still use the old spelling.

The meanings of people’s names though, are related to their self and personality. One of the main reasons why I think that a name does represent a person is because the parents choose a name at the time of a baby’s birth. We do not even select our own names but still our names connected to us and I believe it represents our characteristics. My name meaning in English is freedom. I always the rebel in our family and care about my own freedom more then any body in our friend hood.
I think our names can change with every shift of our beliefs. Your name is who you are; it takes very big part in your identity.

Ozgur Coskun
DenizOzgur.com




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Climate

Every year thousands of people visit or migrate to the United States. Some for their business, some for their education, some want to live more comfortably. As people have said before it is the land of hopes. I thought about my decision one and a half year and I decided to come U.S. Yeah! I was hoping nice weather shining sun nice house by the ocean.
I choose U.S. to establish a new life because it is difficult to start a new life in a different country than U.S. I visited U.S. in the past and I really liked the people I met. They were friendly and welcome.
When I came to U.S. my first shock was climate. When I arrived to Indianapolis, I couldn’t get use to climate. In Turkey we have four seasons. In fall weather is not so cold. Sometime it rains and most of the time sun shines. We can go outside just with a raincoat or jacket. There are just three months we have winter, from December to March. During the winter it only two three times we can see snowstorms or not at all. In spring and summer the weather is wonderful in Turkey. The sun is always shining.
The weather in Indianapolis is very cold compared to Istanbul. I was really surprised when I saw frozen lakes everywhere and see people on them trying to catch fishes. The other thing I noticed was some collage people wearing shorts and sandals while I was wearing coats and gloves. I’m used to ware gloves and tick socks when it is snowing.
I have forgotten what was the color of the ocean. I can see only snow when I look outside. I had to run my car fifteen minutes to worm it up before I leave the house. I have to watch weather news everyday. I have to be rally careful where I walk, I might fell down and hurt myself on the ice.
I think I’m learning how to fight with cold in winter times in Indianapolis. I should learn how to enjoy it and be happy with it.



Note: I love to live in Indy and I’m not homesick. I’m not missing my country at all. I’m really happy to be here.

Ozgur Coskun

DenizOzgur.com



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Libraries

I love to go to libraries. Public libraries in the United State offer many services such as, books, videos, CDs and cassettes that anyone can borrow for free. Also many of them offer special programs such as literacy services (for adults who need to learn how to read). Libraries also offer meeting rooms for community use, and Internet access. Self-service features on the Internet allows you to search for books, view your library account, to check for holds and over due book fees. Library is a key element in providing for an informed public.

The librarians are there to help you, and one of their tasks is to issue library cards. The process is simple and involves filling out a form and signing at the bottom. You will need to show a picture ID and proof of residency such as a driver license and utility bill. The card allows you to hold and borrow books, tapes and videos.

The process of finding specific material is simple if you fallow the process. Step one is to enter the information desk and ask an attendant for assistance. Attendant looks up the specific material on the computer and he writes the materials location code on a piece of paper. If you familiar with the system, it is easy to locate the material. You can start at the proper shelf and fallowed the numeric sequence until you reach your desired book or material. After find your book you can go to check out desk to check out your books. Librarian enters all the checked out book information in to library computer and enters return date information in to the books, materials. Successfully completing mission should take about less then ten minutes if you know what books you want.

Libraries vary in size and shape but all appeal to mainly sight, sound and touch in the same way. One sees books, desks, chairs, and computers, meeting rooms, periodicals and many visitors. Each produces unique sounds such as the flipping of pages, clicking of keys, shuffling of chairs, hushed conversations and the scratching of pencils. Equally unique are the multitude of textures. In a short visit a patron may encounter the sleek pages of a newspaper, the smooth surface of a table, the softness of a comfy chair and the cold stone of a library.

The cards and the assistants are free of charge but very valuable. Many of the services are free and help opens many doors to a lifetime of learning.


Ozgur Coskun
DenizOzgur.com


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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Internet And Kids

I’m very sensitive about kids using Internet without any control. Nowadays computers everywhere and everything is accessible very little thing left inaccessible.
There is not much people left in our culture have not meet computers. We accepted them easily. They entered our lives so fast by computing necessities and saving time. We start to see them in the Universities, colleges, high schools and now primary schools. It kept its freedom but sometimes let others use our freedom.
When kids are growing up they are meeting the computers as a toy, after that they are having fathers old computer. It is really nice to see kids going to nickelodeon.com and play personality improving games. My main concern is kids around 12 years old going Internet without provisioning. Especially when they are on the Internet very long hours. Today computers brought lots of good things as well as bad things. Every day we are reading articles about people who are taking advantage of teenagers. We should be careful about young people who are starting to meet the outer world. We should not let them stay in front of the computer several hours. We should monitor pages they are going and give them advices about the pages they are going.

In my opinion we should introduce them the other type of activities like sports, traveling, art, socializing, etc as well as the useful web sites… What do you think?

Ozgur Coskun


Laughs By Bora Coskun
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Comparing education systems between Turkey and U.S.

Comparing Education,
I would like to compare education systems between Turkey and U.S. The education system in Turkey, which is my home country, is different than from here. If we start with elementary school, every resident was supposed to go to elementary school for five years according to constitution. 1998 they rose to eight years and combined elementary school with middle school.
In addition, we have three years high school education and we have different types of high schools such as vocational, art, science, private high schools etc. When we go to vocational high school, we will be trained for specific areas like electrical mechanical computer. Right after vocational high school, we can easily start to work as a technician.
If we chose to go to regular high school, we can go further and go to college, which is easier to go to college if you graduate from regular high school. I said easier because if somebody wants to go to college has to pass the three our two-step test that we usually prepared in regular high school. This is not meaning vocational high school graduate cannot go to college, for example if someone graduates from mechanical vocational high school, he or she can be easier to become mechanical engineer.
College education differs in many ways, such as attendance, exams and tools. Attendance in Turkey is not important as much as here. In U.S. if you want to pass a class you have to attend fully and pass the exams. In Turkey, class sizes are bigger, that makes less attention and less tools to students.
Exams we are having only mid term and final and you have to pass both of them to be able to pass the class. In U.S., we have to take more class to graduate, in Turkey less classes but we are getting more information and learning more in the class. In U.S. there is more tools like computers, visual equipments etc. that creates more creative students.
I can say education system in U.S. more organized and graduating more creative people. In Turkey, we are graduating with more knowledge but less creativity. I think it is easier to study in U.S. is you are ready to think.
Bottom line, Schools in Turkey graduating with more knowledge, but U.S. schools graduating more people that are more creative.

Ozgur Coskun
DenizOzgur.com


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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Life is Beautiful

Life is beautiful. I always complained about pain in my right tight. It started right after high school, about eighteen years ago. It was not big pain to make me feel to go to doctor but it was enough to make me complain occasionally. It was coming in and out, sometimes my pain was not therefore six month, and some times, it was bothering me weeks after weeks.
After high school, I start to work on the cargo ships. I sailed eight full years on the ocean liners. I was living on the water most of the time. My pain in my right tight was always there and it was bothering some times more. However, I was young and did not care.
When our ship goes to other countries instead of going to the doctor, I was spending my time, doing enjoyable things, such as shopping and visiting places. I always forget about it when there was better thing to do.
Once when we were in the middle of Atlantic Ocean I could not go to sleep because of the pain. When I touch my tight, I felt a little bump in the middle of it. Exactly it was between my knee and hip. It was not a big or a high bump but it was hard. I start to feel better; it was as big as a walnut. I got up and wanted to feel it better but it was not there. Next morning I decided to talk to one of the officer on the ship, which is responsible from health problems. I explained him what happened, I tried to show him the bump but no luck it was not there anymore.
After I stop working on the ships, I decided to come to US. It was a big change in my life. I got married and settle-down in Indianapolis. My tight was not bothering me as often as before but I know it was there. I was able to walk, run, bike even play soccer with no problem.
Winter of 1999 I started to have little pain and felt the little bump again. Little bumps still as big as a walnut and still it was some times there, sometimes not. That time I decided to go to a doctor.
At doctors office I tried to do everything to show him the little bump but it was gone. He told me there is nothing between knee and hip straight bone and muscles. He told me it might be a fat cell that he can remove it with a little surgery. I did not convince that was a fat cell. I left the doctors office until following year, it start to bother again. This time I went to another doctor to get second opinion. I was more curious than caring about the pain. I explained everything him over. He said He does not have any clue but he knows someone does. He sent me to a specialist.
Started over again, new doctor, new questions. He checks my tight and immediately he told me I have something wrong in my tight. Even I was not able to feel the bump at that moment, he was able to tell me something is wrong. I was happy to see somebody that can see my problem.
After I got my MRI result, I went to the same doctor. He was showing me four different spots on the MRI pictures. He was not sure what are they, but I had a chance to be a cancer. He wanted to send me another specialist.
It did not hit me hard at that time. I never thought about to be a cancer, or die, or any another bad things it might happen to me. I always felt secure and sure I was going to live and see my sixties… at least.
Here I am in my bed looking to ceiling and thinking what will happens if I die. What my parent will do? What about my brother and sister? What about my wife? My friends? What about my thought about my future, our future? Who will be doing it? Do I have enough time for my dreams? I never thought I could cry if I knew I would die sooner than I thought, but her I am looking to ceiling and could not stop the tears coming from my eyes.
Finally, I met the second specialist. He was hurry like all the other doctors. He briefly explained to me what is wrong; “It was a birth defect on my blood vessels. It will not affect anything. It might give me little pain when it is cold. Nothing worries about my leg or pain.” I said, “I wasn’t worried but curious until the first specialist now I’m happier than ever.”
An experience I learned an important lesson from my little pain. Now I know I should live every moment of my life with happily and consciously. Life is beautiful and we should fill with joy every moment of it.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Getting ready for the big boom.

Well, I think Revver.com will start to make their first payments or already start to make their payments. Company launch around November. I'm expecting my first payment from them February 12th. Since I reach to my first $20 on December 12th I and they are saying they will make the payment two months after that day.
Around these days it must be exciting for them as well as others. Because when people start to get paid from Revver.com they will start to do more advertisement for their movies. I think they will be flooded by new movies and downloads.
Good luck to Revver.com and members. Here is one of my movie at Revver.com:

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Bora Coskun

I'm setting up a automated blog posting from any computer to my blogs. This emails also posting pictures to my website and my blogs.
So far I'm happy with my results on my web site http://www.denizozgur.com You can see my email picture (last 5 pictures) posts at the top banner. Also you can see last 10 bigger pictures on the following link. http://www.denizozgur.com/photo/flickr/index.htm
Here is the latest pictures at Flickr and http://www.flickr.com/photos/coskun/ and here is my blogs http://ozgurcoskun.blogspot.com/