http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chbjc-XDKLw&feature=related


Personally, I feel that this anti-gambling ad is effective in conveying its message. Although, it's short and simple, the technique used efficiently brings about the aim, which is to persuade the audience that gambling affects the families more than the gamblers themselves. Firstly, a dark and silent setting is used together with a small frame, which brings the focus onto the man(gambler). Oculesics is observed as we tend to look at his eyes, which depict his emotions. His tone is varied, with frequent pauses and staggering to show his anxiety and uncertainty about his problem. Pathos is also used through a small girl(daughter), whose face demonstrates fear. As usual, fear in children often melts our heart and we tend to give in to this emotion. Therefore, the audience will most likely empathize with the little child, especially those who have kids themselves, and change their mentality about gambling.

Many people have preconceived ideas and stereotypes which are probably erroneous, and built walls between cultures. Stereotypes are generalised beliefs by which we make sense of the world around us, REGARDLESS of context or accuracy. Now, the word is regardless. Whoever we are, whatever we do, our own thoughts just HAVE to be right. We do not need evidence whatsoever, to prove our points. If we encounter one behaviour from a particular culture, the whole culture is definitely bound to be like that. Even when we see something contradictory, we ignore it and the old idea still surfaces. Admit it. You are like that, I'm like that, and everyone is. But why? Why can't we grow up and see things from a different perspective? Well i guess, its the way we grow up and communicate in our societies. We learn many things about how we are supposed to live, act and be. These stereotypes have been fed to us since birth, and cause a great deal of confusion and frustration to people who don't quite fit those rules. But hey, that does not mean you should say " See! It's not my fault that i think this way. " Well i'm pretty sure it is. The very fact that you have not come to realise the importance in changing that mindset as you grow older, and learnt to adapt to different cultures, boils down to your own ignorance. I think that in order to change the negative impacts that stereotyping has on society, we should change the way we see selected groups. See each person as an individual and not a label. The video by Russell is extremely hilarious. But at the same time allows us to think again, how did those different stereotypes form in the first place?

I'm rather astonished as to how the Handphone has gradually incorporated itself into the lifes of human beings these days. People just can't seem to live without their phones, often feeling "naked" and incomplete without them. I was watching Ugly Betty the other day(for the few who don't know what that is, it's a comedy series about a girl who the society considers ugly, and how she adapts to her high fashioned career as a personal assistant in a fashion magazine, which entirely contradicts her geeky look and outdated sense of fashion). They had this scene where Betty was supposed to go out for an expensive dinner with her boyfriend(another geeky but HOTT guy)on her birthday and was looking forward to it the whole time. Unfortunately, at the last minute her boyfriend could not make it and left a voice message on her mobile phone telling her "NOT to go to the restaurant". However, there was a problem in the network or reception and the message was cut, only leaving the part "go to the restaurant". Thus, she delightfully went there, ended up waiting for hrs and had dinner by herself. Poor Betty. So do you see how the Handphone can have such an impact on us? We go through so much of distress, anxiety and even shed tears if we receive an unexpected message which for all you know might not be the intended one. All this due to this little communication device. Although it is interactive and tries to mimick face to face communication, transactional communication is still the best way to convey messages. Although there is noise present, feedback is quick and misinterpretaions can be solved immediately unlike interactive devices where the process is sequential and the time lapse can cause deep emotional scars. People might also find it more difficult to organise their thoughts into words during interactive communication than face to face(where nonverbal expressions can also be used). Therefore, they might not be conveying their message correctly. Thus, I think we should not give a huge amount of importance to our mobile phones and should be confident in doing the job ourselves.

A Special World

A special world for you and me
A special bond one cannot see
It wraps us up in its cocoon
And holds us fiercely in its womb.

Its fingers spread like fine spun gold
Gently nestling us to the fold
Like silken thread it holds us fast
Bonds like this are meant to last.

And though at times a thread may break
A new one forms in its wake
To bind us closer and keep us strong
In a special world, where we belong.

- Sheelagh Lennon -



This is a poem i came across while browsing through a few sites to console my sudden outbreak of melancholy. It talks about love. True love. The first few thoughts that came to my mind after reading the poem are, engagement and maintanence in a relationship. The first 2 stanzas talk about how the couple are committed and bonded together, with happiness and excitement in their relationship. " A special bond one cannot see" gives us the idea that perhaps the couple has just got together and are freshly in love (integration). The love that they acquire is intense at the start and perceived as out-of-the-world, one that noone else can understand.

" Like silken thread it holds us fast " depicts that their relationship is still at the stage where everything is smooth sailing and their bond sustains without any form of hinderance. They have a different perception of everlasting bond in the second stanza, as they deduce it as one which is full of happiness and peace. Unlike this, the third stanza shows a different view of bonding. It tells us that the strength of a bond depends on the various perplexities that arise during the course of the relationship. Overcoming and resolving conflicts lead to the increased level of commitment and love between both parties (maintanence). Through this, the relationship is put to the test. When the obstacles are overcome, true love is a definite.

As we can all see, the picture speaks a thousand words. Being an advertisement for AIDS, the message is very clear- AIDS can destroy fertility and womanhood. Having no form of words such as slogans or tag lines whatsoever, the main aim is directed at the picture. Non verbal communication is used and we're able to perceive the image and its related message. The gun also symbolizes the impact of the virus, being painful and even fatal. The reason why we intepret this easily is due to past experiences and knowledge about AIDS that we've acquired along the way. We select the relevant info, organise, and inteprete them in the respective form. Also, a womanly figure is used to cater to women as the main target.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa_tJvto1Jo

African-Americans have had a history full of dismal and pain, whereby they were discriminated against and characterized based on their colour. Fortunately, generations have past and civilisations have improved, such that this very group of people who were once considered the lower class, hold many of the elite positions in the world. However some people still believe that some form of discrimination still prevails, in this case, by calling an african-american "Black".

Timaya's persuasive view on how african-americans shouldn't be called "Blacks" is rather powerful due to the way he brings his messsge across. Firstly, he has a convincing tone with different variations throughout the whole video, which engrosses the audience and increases their curiosity. Secondly, he uses Logos(logical content) to support his stand. He provides us with the obvious fact that African-americans are infact a shade of brown instead of black and that "Black" is another word for Negro, which in turn is a forbidden name to call an African-american. These proof add confidence and reliability in the attempt to convince the viewer.