THE POWER OF A BROADER PERSPECTIVE

                                              

                The power of perspective has brought significant changes to human life throughout history. It is obvious that having a broader perspective is indispensable for people and numerous developments or inventions happened/ took place thanks to the power of a broader perspective. There is one proverb about this issue: ‘’ what we see depends on what we look for’’. It is an undeniable fact that the viewpoints of people shape their thoughts, decisions, actions, and ultimately their feeling of success. There are a lot of advantages of having a broader perspective.

                In the first place, a broader perspective increases tolerance and understanding. It is clear that people who have a broader perspective refrain from making ignorant assumptions that can be destructive, so the perspective contributes to increasing tolerance. Similarly, one of the greatest benefits of travel is broadening of people’s perspective. Spending time in another culture gives a chance to find an alternative way of living to live well, that is to say, the perspective increases understanding. 

Likewise, when it comes to business relations and relationships, a broader perspective strengthen business relations and relationships. In order to have a successful business, sellers need to know what customers need and what they are looking for. Therefore, sellers have to think and see life from their customer’s perspective. A broader perspective strengthens business relations by providing with seeing from the customer’s perspective. In addition, people who have a broader perspective refrain from entering into a potentially contentious situation and find a middle ground, so having a broader perspective helps people to strengthen relationships.

                In the second place, people having a broader perspective are  the best candidates to hire and the better problem-solvers because they  are not subject to  unnecessary stress and stereotypes. Increasingly in the global economy, being aware of many different cultures has become important, in other words, to put it differently, having a broader perspective has become important. So, a person who has a broader perspective becomes the best candidate to hire. At the same time, a broader perspective provides a person with a skill to solve myriad problems or conundrums by analytical thinking, that is, people become  better problem-solvers. Besides, people may become a bit stressed because of uncontrollable events, a broader perspective can ease this angst, similarly, stereotypes are incorrect, oversimplified and fixed. Each of us, as individuals, is always evolving, growing and changing. Having a broader perspective contributes to the elimination of stereotypes of this kind.

                All that has been said  raises the issue of whether having a broader perspective is favorable or unfavorable. It is obvious that there are lots of advantages of having a broader perspective. Increasing tolerance and understanding, strengthening business relations and relationships, becoming the best candidate to hire and a better problem-solver by eliminating unnecessary stress and stereotypes can be listed as the advantages of having a broader perspective. It should not be forgotten that having a broader perspective is indispensable for people who have global aims and targets.

THE PROS AND CONS OF DRIVERLESS CARS

Increasing advances in technology with each coming year have affected humanity in many ways. Driverless cars are also one of the major breakthroughs in science. On the other hand, they aren’t a recent invention. The concept was first introduced in the Futurama exhibit at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. General Motors offered an automated highway system which would guide driverless vehicles to their destination. Then, there were many remarkable developments regarding such cars. Some people are enthusiastic about these advances while some others refuse to use driverless cars owing to a variety of reasons. Thus, both advantages and disadvantages must be evaluated before taking further action.

Driverless cars have various undeniable downsides. To begin with, the human factor cannot be completely eliminated through existing technology. People must know how to operate the vehicle in emergency situations. Drivers should also know how to maintain such cars properly. Moreover, since computers reach a final decision, ethical issues are also thorny problems. There is no clear consensus as to what will happen if a driverless car going at full speed encounters an individual crossing the street. Should it run into this person or decide to take the vehicle off-road even if passengers will be injured? As for such cars’ operating system, we encounter another weighty matter. The operating systems are susceptible to hacking, and hence, security is a knotty problem. That means terrorists can access specific control mechanisms and thus program computers to carry out violent actions such as a vehicle attack. There is also a subtle point concerning this matter. As self-driving cars could collect so much personal information, marketers may use this information to create individualized advertising. How can that occur? When humans use a self-driving car, it’s computer stores information about the trip. Namely, all your private information such as the stores you prefer to visit, and the restaurants you like will be collected. This data would be a treasure trove of input for marketers if automobile manufacturers sold it to them. Similar to artificial intelligence, driverless cars may cause the loss of jobs. In other words, this technology would make people driving taxis or delivering food virtually obsolete. Since people who cannot drive a car would start to own a self-driving car, traffic jams would also increase sharply. Apart from the above mentioned points, there are numerous insurmountable problems: What will happen in the event of a collision? Who will be at fault and who will pay for the repairs? The car manufacturers or the drivers?

Even though it is frustrating to think about the drawbacks, we have to consider the advantages also. Because drivers display undesirable behaviour while travelling by car, self-driving cars will reduce the number of accidents. Many lives will be saved thanks to this. Some research ascertained that over 80% of automobile crashes spring from human error.  For this reason, insurance costs associated with damage will also markedly decrease. As computers are in more control, there may be fewer road rage incidents. Another upside  of driverless cars is that individuals with disabilities will have less dependence on the public transportation systems offering unpredictable schedules. These people won’t ask for the aid of others, which also means the handicapped will have greater mobility. Self-driving cars could work with higher speed limits since computers can calculate all the probabilities related to the safety of driving, a multitude of measures like speed limits on the  roads will be unnecessary. This also means that people might adress their other needs while the vehicle transports them to their destination. Driverless cars would reduce the amount of fuel as well. This is because such cars can avoid high traffic areas and places where there are severe weather conditions thanks to communicating with each other. Commute times will also be reduced because these cars will know where they can maximize speed to ensure the quickest possible commute. Moreover, the probability of missing an exit will be eliminated since this stems from human error. Lastly, self-driving cars could reduce the number of automobile thefts because biometric technologies can recognize fingerprints and faces; these are  used as our passwords for our devices and could also apply to self-driving cars. This means if someone else tries to use our car, it will refuse to start or immediately shut itself down.

In conclusion, driverless cars have positive and negative aspects. However, in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. It is a well known fact that 1.3 million people are killed worldwide every year owing to traffic accidents. Although the fact remains that we cannot know what the future holds, I am of the firm opinion that autonomous vehicles will eradicate all fatalities. Moreover, the handicapped will have a chance to be more active in social life.

                                                                                          CEM KOCA

LABOR UNIONS

                                                              

                Industrialization and globalization have brought significant changes to our lives since the industrial revolution. Yet there remains some disagreement as to whether these are favorable or unfavorable especially in terms of employees. Employees have suffered for lots of reasons throughout history and they needed to protect their rights and working conditions. Due to these reasons, they established labor unions in the four corners of the world. Labor unions are defined as a group of people that get together to get better salaries and conditions from their employers. Although labor unions are seen as appealing to many people, there are advantages as well as disadvantages.

                In the first place, one of the advantages of labor unions is that labor unions protect the interests  of employees. It is clear that working conditions have detrimental effects on employees and labor unions are responsible for reducing these negative effects. Employees are the basic dynamic of industry and they should be protected from the negative effects of industrialization such as discrimination and inequality. Thanks to labor unions, employees can (gain) access (to) better conditions such as better wages, job security, reduced work hours, and safe workplaces. In addition, labour unions proved to employees that there is strength in numbers because unionized workers have more power as a cohesive group than by acting individually. This power is important especially during collective bargaining. Therefore, due to these reasons, labor unions have numerous advantages.

                When it comes to the disadvantages of labor unions, one of the disadvantages of labor unions is loss of autonomy. It is obvious that employees may disagree with the union’s decision but they have to obey, that is to say, employees are directed by labor unions (certain policies are dictated to employees by labor..). Besides, labor unions can be costly not only to the employers but also employees because there are union dues and initiation fees. Members generally complain about these issues. Due to these reasons, labor unions have some disadvantages as well.

                All that has been said raises the issue of whether labor unions are favorable or unfavorable. It is obvious that there are both advantages and disadvantages of labor unions, as a coin has two sides. Protecting the interests of employees, reducing the negative effects of workplaces, protecting employees from discrimination and inequality, and job security can be listed as the advantages of labor union.  Losing autonomy, union dues and initiation fees are the main disadvantages of labor unions. It is vitally important to shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of an issue before making a sagacious decision.

                                                                                                                                KUBİLAY ESER

GUN OWNERSHIP

Criminal events are increasing in the whole World. One of the most important reasons for criminal events is gun ownership. Gun ownership is restricted by laws in some countries contrary to other countries where governments let people use guns/allow people to use guns. The latest incident in the US leads to debates regarding gun control. A person carried out an attack with guns in a school. Therefore, the government has enforced/passed a law according to which teachers can be trained in the use of guns. However, gun ownership involves a lot of/ both advantages and disadvantages.

First of all, gun ownership has a number of benefits for people. Criminals will always find a way to obtain guns; therefore, banning gun ownership prevents innocent people from getting killed or hurt. Gun ownership is very easy now. Many people can obtain guns  in illegal ways. For example, in the latest violent attack in Australia, an attacker had a number of guns which are used by military forces and armies. It is seen that it is impossible to prevent people from having guns. On the other hand, women and weaker individuals may have no means of self defense from rape or other crimes. Gun ownership provides innocent people with protection from attacks. Consequently, there are a number of advantages of gun ownership.

Secondly, gun ownership leads to a number of drawbacks for the society.  Many crimes are committed with guns. Thus, restricting gun ownership will likely reduce the number of such crimes; that is, gun ownership is the main source of criminal events. Only the security forces must have guns. Trained people such as armies and the police have to have guns. At the same time, suicides and crimes of passion are higher with gun availability. If people have guns, they can easily commit these crimes. For example, people can feel deep depression; in this case, people can kill themselves with guns. Consequently, gun ownership has a number of disadvantages.

To sum up, criminal events are on the agenda. Especially, one reason for the increase of criminal events is gun ownership. The right of defense is valid for all people. However, gun ownership is not the solution to the problem of criminal events. Governments  all over the World have not an effective programme to control gun ownership. Checking all people who have  guns is not possible. Therefore, no matter what happens gun ownership should  not be allowed  by law.

 NİLÜFER ÇAVUŞ

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

                                                             

                Human intelligence consists of several interwoven competencies or distinct types of intelligence such as Abstract, Practical, Emotional, Aesthetic, Kinesthetic, and Social intelligence. One of the most important is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is generally defined as the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in effective and positive ways. Emotional Intelligence is seen as appealing to many people and it is clear that there are several advantages.

                In the first place, one of the advantages is that emotional intelligence affects the quality of our life due to the fact that it influences our behaviors and relationships. In other words, to put it differently, EQ is known as synonymous to self-awareness because it has an effect on people’s intentions, purpose, and autonomy. A high EQ helps individuals to improve relationships, communicate better with other people, and empathize with others. Therefore, emotional intelligence has an impact on the quality of our lives on the grounds that it affects our behaviors, relationships, and communication.

                When it comes to the second point, another advantage of emotional intelligence is that it can greatly affect people’s success because motivation and self-management are fundamental components of emotional intelligence. It is important to emphasize that success is correlated with personal motivation and self-management. All these things considered, success is an indispensable consequence for people who have emotional intelligence. Besides, EQ can affect people’s choices by creating options people cannot imagine. Therefore, EQ is an important (factor) to succeed.

                By way of conclusion, it is obvious that there are a lot of advantages of emotional intelligence. EQ is an important factor for people to identify, use, understand and manage emotions in an effective and positive way. EQ is fundamental to our life experience and can influence how successful we are in our relationships, and careers. The effects on daily and business life can be listed as the advantages of emotional intelligence. Inaddition, EQ is often more about the present so it is clear that it is an indispensable factor to maintain current relations.

                                                                                        KUBİLAY ESER

               

SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE

                                                                

                Human intelligence consists of several interwoven competencies or distinct types of intelligence such as Abstract, Practical, Emotional, Aesthetic, Kinesthetic, and Social. One of the most important is social intelligence. Social Intelligence can be described as a combination of two abilities; understanding and interacting. Social Intelligence is seen as appealing to many people and it is clear that there are several advantages.

                To begin with, one of the advantages of social intelligence is clarity. Clarity provides a chance for people to express themselves clearly, explain concepts clearly, and use their language effectively. It is obvious that abilities of this kind  are vitally important for people’s daily and business life because people’s daily and business life are already complicated and people need persons who can solve problems, make life easier, and express themselves clearly. It is an undeniable fact that people who have social intelligence are generally successful in the business sector and they are seen as idols in society. Therefore, their social intelligence helps them to catch a golden opportunity. Some comedians such as Cem Yılmaz can be shown as the best example of this due to the fact that he is successful in his field and he is well-liked by people.

                When it comes to the second point, another advantage of social intelligence is awareness.Awareness can be defined as understanding the social contexts which influence observed human behaviors and  choosing the behavioral strategies most likely to be successful. In other words, to put it differently, it can be described as ‘’reading situations’’. Therefore, it can be said that people who have social intelligence can make better decisions and determine better strategies by using their social intelligence. 

By way of conclusion, it is obvious that there are lots of advantages of social intelligence. Social intelligence is an important factor for people to express themselves clearly, explain concepts clearly, use their language effectively, understand the social context, and choose the best strategies. The effects on daily and business life can be listed as the advantages of social intelligence. In addition, social intelligence is often more about the future so it is clear that it is an indispensable factor to survive and succeed .

                                                                                                               KUBİLAY ESER

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URBAN TRANSFORMATION IN ISTANBUL (This is a 60)

Today, the most important matter in hand for Istanbul is urban transformation. Some say that it is necessary to develop \improve  our city in terms of housing, transportation, and facilities; in return, others say that it will bring us noise pollution and deforestation. There are both negative and positive aspects of urban transformation.

            First of all, there are many advantages of transformation like providing better housing. The increasing population obliges us to have new settlements. After urban transformation, we will be able to use the land efficiently. Therefore, housing  will no longer  be a problem. Another advantage is better facilities. Using the city’ lands efficiently can  give us the ability to adjust factories’ locations. Citizens in Istanbul complain about factories (which are)  located in the city. By means of urban transformation, the problem can  be solved. The last advantage of urban transformation that should be mentioned is reducing  traffic (the reduction of traffic congestion) congestion. Traffic congestion is a problem for all metropolis but for Istanbul, it is a nightmare, also. The solution is simple. After urban transformation, not only housing or facilities but also traffic jams will be fixed (will have been dealt with )  .

            However, there are also some disadvantages. First of all, all legislation to transform the city has to be applied sparingly. Otherwise, many sources such as money, time, and labor will be wasted. We can  mention noise pollution as a disadvantage of urban transformation because Istanbul is a big and complex city. It will  take at least 10 years to modernize  the whole  city. However, all this will cause noise pollution. Another example of the disadvantages is deforestation. All these developments in the  city will create job opportunities. So, people will  want to move there. This circumstance will  cause a catastrophe because, people will  use forests to expand the city, which means  deforestation.

            As we see, there are many advantages and disadvantages of urban transformation in a city like Istanbul. The advantages outweigh the drawbacks. So, we need to transform the city, while protecting nature.

PROTECTING AREAS OF NATURAL BEAUTY (This is a 70)

The population has been increasing in the world day by day,causing nature to suffer.In other words, this exponential increase of/in population damages the environment.However,  it must not be forgotten that natural beauty has a vital role to play in living a healthy and happy life.Therefore, people should protect nature.There are a variety of benefits of protecting places of natural beauty, two of which are environmental and ecnomic benefits.

First of all, one of the most widely recognized favorable influences of natural beauty is environmental benefits. For example, people try to protect natural beauty, which  can  make it easy for people to live comfortably because the better protected the places of natural beauty, the greater the number of healthier people. In addition, the number of places of natural beauty should be increased because when this is the case, harmful gases produced by factories or people may be decreased and the air may become cleaner.Overall,people should protect nature because the fact that  natural beauty can reduce most types of pollution can be regarded as one of the most important environmental benefits.

Secondly, another positive impact of protecting places of natural beauty is economic benefits.For instance, if a country protects its natural beauty, both its own citizens and people living in other countries can visit it. People come to see it, which provides economic power for the country. In other words, the protection of natural beauty can be one of the most important sources of revenue for countries.In short, the fact that a country protects  the places of natural beauty might make a great contribution to the increase in its economic power.

To conclude, it must not be forgottten that natural beauty should be protected, which can/will provide both people and countries with a lot of opportunities. Environmental and economic benefits can be given as examples.It is a well-known fact that the more the increase in the number of places of natural beauty, the more the decrease in environmental and economic problems. (338 words)

DRIVERLESS CARS (This essay would get a 70 or 75)

Technology has been developing faster and faster and it will continue to do so. With the rising importance of technology, there has been a rise in devices which use artificial intelligence. Self driving cars can be given as an example. However, driverless cars have caused many debates in the world. Some people think that they will be beneficial while others believe that they will be dangerous. Therefore it is fair to assume that driverless cars have both advantages and disadvantages.

Driverless cars provide considerable advantages in terms of controlling speed limits, decreasing driver errors and removing the need for driving licenses. First of all, autonomous devices are able to perceive objects in the immediate vicinity by using technologies and techniques such as radar, lidar, GPS and computer vision. This makes it easy for people to control speed limits. Secondly, thanks to the control of speed limits, driver errors can be decreased and the number of traffic accidents can be reduced. Finally, currently, disabled and older people are not able to get driving licenses, which reduces their mobility and impacts their quality of life. Thanks to driverless cars, driving licenses will not be necessary for these people and they will live without the help of other people. In short, driverless cars should not just be written off as an impossible idea but this is not the whole picture.

Although there are plenty of advantages of driverless cars, there are a lot of disadvantages. Firstly, if people buy driverless cars, unemployment will increase because drivers such as taxi and truck drivers will lose their jobs. Another disadvantage is that there may be a computer malfunction or an attempt at hacking into the onboard system in the driverless cars. When this is the case, people will not be able to control their cars and this may have serious implications .In other words, it can cause accidents involving injuries and even death. Finally, the infrastructure and roads are not best suited for driverless cars in most countries, especially in Turkey .Lack of modern roads and street lights can be regarded as an example. Therefore, these may have negative impacts on the use of driverless cars.

As a result, there are people who think that driverless cars have disadvantages in terms of unemployment, hacking, computer malfunction while others think they have advantages in terms of controlling speed limits, decreasing driver errors and removing the need for driving licenses. It is my contention that driverless cars will be a useful invention for the world but measures should be taken against the possible pitfalls outlined above.

URBANISATION

The major cities of the world have come a long way since the process of urbanization gathered momentum in the 20^th century. They are forever expanding outwards, upwards and very soon downwards as ever higher buildings replace rambling baronial residences and Victorian terraces. Mega cities like Istanbul are like small countries. In fact the population of the latter is currently equal to the total population of Greece. Although urbanization has some definite advantages, the giant metropolises of the world have created certain disadvantages as well.

Urbanization  has various undeniable benefits. The different areas in a city are linked by a network of roads, subways, railways, and buses, bullet trains, private vehicles, lorries and the like travel these roads 24/7. Superb connections link people and services like never before. People can access their workplaces, schools, hospitals, public buildings and malls in minutes. The sick get treated, business is transacted, young people are educated and everybody is entertained. Every type of good imaginable from mangos to melons and sweet potatoes is available in supermarkets irrespective of season, all major fashion stores compete to dress urban dwellers and even daily newspapers from all over the world are available in every large metropolis. The practicalities of living in this type of an environment are obvious. There is practically no demand that cannot be met in big cities, which continue to attract more and more people from the countryside each passing day. Yet this is not the full picture: this unnatural way of living has done a lot of damage too.

The negative impacts of urbanization cannot be denied. The first is on the environment. The spread of cities has meant the destruction of forests, woods, copses, fields, valleys and the like, which has had a knock on effect on all the wildlife we share the planet with. The habitats of many species have been shrinking rapidly over the years leading some animals to the brink of extinction. The growing concern over what we are doing to our countries has prompted some countries such as the UK to start planting new forests. The second environmental issue which is a natural consequence of urbanization is pollution. The transport vehicles and factories belch out toxic fumes; the same factories dump unsavory chemicals in the rivers and lakes; residents produce mountains of trash, which has to be dealt with; the noise in the cities is deafening and the excessive light is deeply disturbing. In short cities are not the heavens they are made out to be. This is not all though; there are other problems as well.

Another negative impact of urbanization involves the changing relationships between people. Living in closer proximity does not mean people are closer together; quite the reverse. People in cities hardly speak to their neighbours or even know their names. Everybody is trapped in their own little worlds and pass others like ships in the night. Anonymity is what characterizes human relations in cities. The resulting alienation can lead to serious psychological problems. Depression, anxiety disorder and also more serious problems and their unwanted consequences are more common in cities. Those who cannot cope in the urban jungle we have created for ourselves may turn to drugs, alcohol or even opt out by committing suicide. Loneliness is rife and so is a nagging feeling that there should be more to life than the rat race. People feel dissatisfied without realizing the source of their problem. They feel they are missing something without knowing what. In short, cities may be tough places to live.

In conclusion, one thing that needs to be realized is that urbanization is not all it is cracked up to be.  There are undeniable up sides to city life but the picture isn’t as rosy as one would like to think. Cities change human nature and can cause an undercurrent of despair while addressing many practical issues. There are a lot of lessons concerning city living both municipalities and city dwellers need to be reminded of.   

TOYS

Bringing up the young as successfully as possible, preparing them for life and all that they will face is a problem that plagues modern parents. Couple this with their need to work full time and a very disturbing picture emerges. People cannot be in two places at once hence what are they to do with their precious children? The latter’s cognitive skills need to be developed, their intellectual capacity needs to be increased, their creative skills need to be fostered alongside their hobbies and interests. The only way out of the dilemma is to devise a way to do all this and remain at work during the day is to find the right medium to impart all these skills. Enter toys. The abundance of toys the modern child is showered with has to be seen to be believed. It cannot be denied that a certain number of toys are beneficial and provide various advantages but the modern playroom does provide some disadvantages too.

Play has long been the way mammals acquire various life skills and humans are no exception. Play helps develop all manner of cognitive and physical skills. The function of toys is to promote play and guide thinking thus providing kids with a means to self enhancement. Toys that are bought for kids can be classified into two groups as those which  support cognitive development and those that introduce life skills. In this respect, legos, jigsaws, building blocks and the like can be listed as educational toys. The former two are so popular that parents enjoy them as much as their kids. Board games on the other hand bring people together round a table, promote socialization and the learning of social skills. They encourage bonding in a family or among a group of friends. Dolls and doll’s houses introduce social roles and prepare girls for life. In short there is no denying that toys have their place in child development and serve a useful function but moderation is not something doting parents subscribe to.

Too much of most things is bad for one and that includes toys. The feeling of guilt experienced by absentee parents cannot be gotten rid of by buying kids every new doll that hits the shelves or every new corgi that emerges in a shop window. Retailers are very good at guilt tripping parents but the truth is that too many toys are bad for the kid. First of all, kids don’t learn to appreciate what they have. The average kid doesn’t need a dozen Barbie dolls for instance one or two will do. A cuddly toy to take to bed is useful but does the kid need a whole menagerie? There will usually be one favorite which will be adored anyway. Second of all, kids don’t learn the value of money or appreciate the sacrifices parents make to buy certain toys. The toy industry is big business and toys are expensive. Is it really wise to turn children into the victims of capitalism and the free market economy so early in life? Wouldn’t it be wiser to teach them values such as sharing, compassion, empathy and the like? Buying too many toys just to appease a guilty conscience might land parents with a spoilt brat with no concern for anyone but himself who makes continuous demands on parents. Once parents have started down that path, there is no going back.

To cut a long story short, toys certainly have an important place in people’s lives but the whole business of buying toys can be carried too far. Parents should focus on what is really good for the child and not on their feelings of guilt. They should remember the function toys are supposed to serve and spend accordingly. They would do better spending quality time with their children and making it count than buying another doll or truck.

EUGENICS (This is a 70)

Although eugenics stands out as one of the most important genetic sciences, the majority of people do not pay attention to this science because they do not know the meaning of the term eugenics. Eugenics can be defined as a practice which aims to improve or impair the racial qualities of humans either physically or mentally. Therefore, this issue can be considered from different angles. There are positive aspects of eugenics while there are negative aspects as well.

First of all, eugenics provides considerable advantages in terms of genetic diseases and for procreation. Firstly, eugenics may prevent genetic diseases such as Down syndrome, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis and the like. For example, prenatal diagnosis, which provides people with a lot of information about their unborn child, is one of the applications of eugenics. Secondly, women who are infertile or do not have a partner can have children thanks to eugenics because this science enables a single woman to become pregnant.

Although there are plenty of advantages of eugenics, there are negative sides as well. Eugenics has been used to abuse humans’ fundamental rights and to remove certain ethnic groups .For instances, the fact that Hitler tried to remove the Jewish communities by means of eugenics can be regarded as one of the most important negative influences of eugenics. Another major drawback of eugenics is that it decreases the genetic diversity of the species .People cannot create unwanted traits. Therefore, eugenics has a negative impact on genetic diversity .Finally,  eugenics causes people to develop the wrong kinds of beliefs. To illustrate, people think that it is very easy to create things which are not absent in the world thanks to eugenics. This causes people to try to be a God.

As a result, there are people who think that eugenics has disadvantages in terms of the abuse of humans’ basic rights, the decrease in genetic diversity and the emergence/ development of the wrong sorts of beliefs in contrast to people who believe that it is beneficial with regards to the prevention of genetic diseases and women wishing to become pregnant. It is my contention that, the disadvantages of eugenics outweigh the advantages of it.

THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF KINDERGARTEN (This a good 60)

 In today's world, the number of working women is increasing rapidly, and generally these women cannot spend their time at home. Therefore, they cannot take care of  their children. However, children cannot meet their individual needs. Parents send their children to kindergarten in order to meet children's  needs. Kindergartens have some advantages and disadvantages in terms of the development of children.

 The first advantage of kindergartens is that they have many instructive toys. These toys provide children with a chance to play and learn. In addition,  another advantage of kindergartens is that children can be with children of their own age. This means that children come face to toface with other children, and spend time together with them. Thus, children can develop their communication skills and learn about empathy. For instance, they have to spend  time in the same  environment, and have good relationships with their peers and teachers; consequently, they improve their communication skills and develop feelings of empathy.

 Secondly, kindergartens have not only advantages, but also two disadvantages. The  major disadvantage  is that children get into a routine and suffer stress at an early age. This situation affects children's psychological development, and causes many disturbances such as stress. The second disadvantage of kindergarten is that children who are sent to kindergarten cannot see their parents adequately; as a result, they miss  their parents.

 In conclusion, there are both advantages and disadvantages of kindergartens for children. However I believe that kindergartens are vital for society despite (in spite of) their disadvantages, because they provide many opportunities to children.

URBAN TRANSFORMATION

People have lived together in settlements since ancient times. These settlements used to be rural communities. Now they are big cities and are called urban environments. Urbanization became a growing trend after the industrial revolution and now there are big megacities. It is predicted that by 2050 most people will be living in cities. This urban transformation has some important advantages and disadvantages.

Urbanization is good for communities in terms facilities and amenities as well as services. Firstly, the facilities and amenities provided by municipalities are much better in big cities. Every district gets running water and electricity. Districts are linked by an efficient transport system. Rubbish is collected and access to goods is easy and quick. Amenities like parks, playing fields, swimming pools and various cultural activities are provided in cities. People can go to the cinema, theatre or to concerts. They can lead a good life and enjoy themselves. Secondly the services provided in cities are much better. There are schools in every district and children don’t have to travel miles to get there. The quality of teaching is good. Children are prepared well for the future. Another service is healthcare. If people get ill, they can access hospitals, doctors and chemists. This is a big advantage. In short, there are many upsides to living in cities.

Urbanization is bad for communities in some respects too. Firstly, all these people living together means that there is a lot of pollution. The air is polluted by traffic, factories and homes. The water is polluted by waste from factories and homes. Noise and light pollution are chronic problems. In short, cities are dirty places. The reason that they are dirty is overcrowding and this is the second problem. Living on top of each other means people live in apartments. They don’t know each other and they don’t support and help each other. Everybody leaves for work at the same time. This means there is a lot of traffic and public transport is full. Schools are crowded; parks and gardens are full of people and there is a lot of noise everywhere. This goes on 24/7. The city never sleeps. In short, living in the city is not all it is cracked up to be.

In conclusion, many factors determine where people live. These are family connections, job opportunities and the like. Every place has its downsides and upsides. People should learn to deal with them. Cities are no different. The choice of whether or not to live in cities is a personal one 

SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY

The world’s population has been increasing since the beginning of time . Along with this, a lot of technological developments have occurred. Although the technological revolution has contributed enormously to social life, it also prevents privacy. For example, there are a lot of cameras which monitor people’s daily lives. Thus, a new social concept has emerged : The surveillance society. It is a much debated topic as there are some advantages and disadvantages that surveillance brings.

To begin with, there are many advantages to monitoring a society. Criminal tendencies  become less widespread in such a society because people know that if they commit a crime in a public area, they will  be identified, caught and punished easily. Cameras have become  the  eyes of the public conscience and they are everywhere even if there are no people around . Thus, there isn’t any crime without a penalty Besides these, the pursuit of public work and intervention is  easier in these societies. For example, traffic cameras observe the roads and check the cars to see if they  obey the rules or there can be a speedy response to a traffic accident thanks to city surveillance cameras. Moreover, families can observe their children at home when they work. In terms of security, cameras are necessary and they facilitate  daily life.

Beside the advantages, there are many disadvantages of constant surveillance. It is not always right for there to be a lot of cameras everywhere which observe daily life. It kills (eliminates)  privacy. In addition, observation can lead to anxiety in some people if they are aware of it. For example, a person who knows he is being observed at work by her/his boss can grow anxious (behave anxiously) ; therefore, her/his performance can decrease. Furthermore, surveillance includes the use of  some communication channels such as social media channels. Although people use these channels for fun or to communicate with their friends, they don’t know that other malicious people might also hack into their private life easily. For example, shared photos or information can be used by others for bad purposes. Another example, when a person applies for  a job, bosses gain a misleading impression before they know the applicant because of social media accounts belonging to her/him.

In conclusion, almost every society has begun to become a surveillance society now  with the entry of technology into their lives. Although monitoring  life creates a bad image in people’s mind, there are both advantages and disadvantages of  surveillance. However, surveillance is here at stay. In the modern world, people should know that they can be observed any time by others in their daily lives and act accordingly.

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REFERENDA

Most countries in the modern world are governed by democracy, which is defined as the rule of the people. In democracy, the public selects representatives to govern in their name but in some countries, the public continues to take an active part in decision making through referendums where they are asked yes/no questions. Yet is this really a good idea and should the public be asked to make policy decisions in this way? Referendums and whether or not they are good idea is a very controversial topic; there are both advantages and disadvantages.

        There are several advantages of referendums but the most significant one is that they educate the public about political issues. When there is a referendum which is approaching people start to look for information about the  issue in question because they need to have enough knowledge before they make a decision about it; therefore, they read  about it and they become aware of what is going on.  Besides this, referendums can solve conflicts and secure consensus in the government because when the government itself is divided, it may  not be able to make the right decision about a critical issue.

        On the other hand, direct democracy, which referendums provide, has many disadvantages too. The most important problem is that the issues are usually too complex for a normal person who has no education about politics. Although people read  about an issue, most of them can’t understand it properly. Complicated issues cannot be dealt with by means of a simple yes/no question. Moreover, referendums are also likely to cause unsatisfactory conclusions if there is a very close referendum vote. If the result is very close, the referendum may lack legitimacy. Similarly, if voter turnout is low, the results could be questionable. In short, referenda are not as useful as they seem at first glance.   

         In conclusion, referendums  have both advantages and disadvantages. While they make many things easier in democracies, they can also cause conflict because of their unsatisfactory results. Although they provide an opportunity to educate the public, it is not certain that they will be turn out to be useful.

ECOTHERAPY (This a more complex version)

Throughout history, nature has provided a home for human beings. Humans have been connected with nature and lived in nature in peace. However, the development of technology and industry has had a huge impact on peoples’ life styles. Accordingly, people started to construct cities to live in better conditions but they didn’t notice that they had built a wall between themselves and nature. In the modern world, people spend a majority of their time  in front of a computer or at work, which leads to stress and tension. Today, people prefer cities more than ever and this separates them from nature. Nevertheless, no one can reject the fact that humans are a part of nature. The latest research proves that nature has a significant effect on humans .Investigators demonstrate that harmonizing with nature has a therapeutic influence on patients. The observation of researchers shows that  nature can help patients while they are trying to recover . This process of connecting with nature is called ecotherapy or green therapy. Ecotherapy can be described as a technique which includes a wide range of activities that aim to promote mental and physical well-being.

There are a few techniques that enable people to connect with nature in order to enhance their well-being. One is nature meditation: This meditation provides people with a place where they can communicate with nature and other people who take part in meditation . Individuals can see what other patients are struggling with and feeling, consequently, people may learn from others' experiences and can use them  to cope with their own problems. In addition, this process can be an opportunity for people who suffer from loneliness because they can make friends from their therapy groups. This far from all though.

Another technique  to help people to struggle with problems with  the help of nature is the use of plants and garden-related activities. Garden related activities include digging the soil and planting seeds. In brief, these activities connect  individuals with soil and plants. This technique gives individuals an opportunity to feel more valuable. Moreover research shows that digging the soil reduces stress and makes people feel calm. There is, in other words, a lot to say for the rural lifestyle.

A third technique is animal assisted therapy:  Animals have a significant effect on people even though there is no evidence to prove that. However, recent research points out that playing with or petting an animal decreases the heart rate and reduces stress. Furthermore, patients can ignore their illness thanks to the animals. Nowadays there are specially trained dogs or cats that are brought into hospitals to help calm patients.

One important point one needs to be aware of is that nature therapy doesn’t mean walking in a natural place or doing an activity in a natural place. Merely a glimpse of nature such as a photograph of the coast or a garden that can be seen from a window reduces stress and helps patients to boost their mood. Attaining happiness and relaxing may be as simple as hanging the right pictures or posters on the wall or having large windows opening on to parks or well kept terrace gardens. There is a lot one can do even in big metropolises.

There are a large number of benefits of ecotherapy. Ecotherapy provides individuals with an opportunity to explore their relationships with the environment and other people, thanks to the activities that they can practice with a social group or even alone. For instance, an old person may notice the importance of old trees while he is walking in a forest, ultimately, he can cope with his feelings of worthlessness. A lonely person may benefit from working in an allotment and chatting to others who own plots.

Secondly, outdoor activities have significant effects on the brain. For example, being in nature promotes creativity and concentration. Our minds process less information when we are digging the  soil or even looking at a photograph of nature. Accordingly, nature clarifies our minds and makes it easy to concentrate.Moreover, natural environments stimulate curiosity which can promote learning abilities and creativity.As you know many  artists  are inspired by nature.

In conclusion, nature is our home and being connected with nature improves peoples’ physical and mental health. If we want to boost our overall mood, outdoor activities can provide us with opportunities which can reduce stress and depression. Despite these benefits of nature, people are becoming more isolated  from nature day by day because of the popularity of the urban life style but nature is not only our home  but also our children’s so we should learn from nature and protect it.

THE ADVANTAGES OF ECOTHERAPY (Simpler version)

In recent years, humans have become aware of a powerful new form of therapy, which is just as effective as normal medical therapies. The amazing thing is that you do not pay for this therapy. This revolutionary form of therapy, called ecotherapy, is completely free and easy to access  at anytime. It has a couple of advantages which maintain and increase wellbeing and health.

Firstly, ecotherapy can help you manage an existing health problem such as depression and anxiety. Researchers have shown it can be a successful form of treatment for severe to moderate depression., Ecotherapy offers a chance to do more physical activities, which is known to have numerous benefits for mental health. Furthermore, if people allocate time to nature, their mood and sense of wellbeing will gradually increase. Thus, the effects of depression will be decreased without using any antidepressants.

Secondly, ecotherapy builds your confidence. Imagine that, when you join a horticultural group, naturally you will meet some challenges such as digging soil, lifting heavy stuff etc. However, if you do not give up, you will finally overcome these challenges. Thanks to this, you will feel successful and this feeling will  boost your motivation. Moreover, you will want to allocate more of your time to natural activities. Therefore, you will gain more qualifications.

To sum up, when everything is taken into account, people can benefit from nature either for their health problems or the strength of their character Nature is always generous to anyone who wants a remedy. Thus, we should spend more time in nature.

THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING BILINGUAL

More than half of the people around the world speak at least two languages. This rate indicates that one out of every two people on the earth is  bilingual. Speaking one or more than one language, in other words, being bilingual or multilingual has some physical, social, psychological and life style advantages.

The first advantage of being bilingual is becoming healthier. Maybe, the most exciting benefit occurs in ageing. Being bilingual can delay the onset of dementia and also Alzheimer’s.  This is because, the bilingual brain works harder than that of a person who is monolingual, which means monolinguals should do more cognitive exercises to maintain their mental health compared to bilinguals.  Moreover, research has found that bilingualism can also offer protection after  brain surgery. This is another advantage of bilingualism. In short bilinguals are fortunate health wise.

The second advantage of being bilingualism is having social, psychological and life style advantages. Acquiring a second language makes people’s life more social. It’s due to the fact that the more languages people speak, the more communication people have with others. This communication can be for trade, travel and so on. In addition,bilingualism brings people more job opportunities. Most of the time, employers prefer employees who speak two languages compared to monolinguals. Because a lot of people speak at least two languages, some employers now want  workers who are  multilingual. Furthermore, psychologically, people who are bilingual say that upon speaking other languages, they feel like different persons/ feel different. This is because cultural differences are associated with each language.  According to some research, this feeling makes people  more self-confident. Bilingualism, in other words, makes living a richer experience.

In conclusion, there are countless advantages of being a bilingual.  Acquiring more than one language creates more opportunities in our lives; it helps us to become more fulfilled and as a result happier. We have the potential to learn languages, so, why don’t we use our capacity? 

ONLINE RECRUITMENT

Technology has affected our life so greatly that individuals have started to plan their life according to that. That is why the efficiency of a host of people and organizations depend on the internet. One of the ways to use the internet in business life is to hire workers with regard to online interviews. This implementation is loosely called online recruiting. Online recruiting has a number of both advantages and disadvantages.

      To begin with, one of the advantages of using the online recruiting system is that it enables companies which are looking for candidates whose qualifications match with the requirements of the job to find whatever they want. To be more precise, the applications of the candidates are stored in the database of the websites. If a company calls for a worker and wants to hire him/her, they will eliminate those whose qualifications are incompatible with the company’s demands through doing researches in the database. Then they want people who are selected after the process of the elimination to send job application essays which they are expected to cover some topics clearly such as why they want this job and what their contributions to the company will be. It goes without saying that via the internet this process takes place quickly. Therefore, companies examine and hire people in a short period.

        Secondly, apart from positive effects to using online recruiting, it also has some drawbacks. One of them is that sometimes it is hard to get noticed by companies since they can easily ignore some applications without reasons. To be more precise, due to the ease of applying to jobs by using internet, hundreds of people want to apply to the same job with the hope of being hired in spite of the fact that their qualifications do not overlap with that of the companies. Because of the high number of the applications forms, companies have to use some key words and other criteria which are not useful to determine whether someone’s qualifications are compatible with the requirement of the job or not.

   To sum up, using internet with the purpose of examining and hiring candidates makes companies complete the process fast. However, to not cause problems, companies should be aware of the backdraws  of these implementations and find different ways to analyze the high number of applications instead of ignoring.