BONDED LABOUR

Slavery was abolished in the mid-19^th century all over the world, but now it has gotten a new name, modern slavery. One sort is bonded labo(u)r which is most widespread in South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan, but it can even appear in Britain. Any country can encounter this serious threat any time whether one is the west or not. It flourishes year by year due to the world’s poverty and discrimination in society. Especially limited access to education, justice and jobs for discriminated groups makes it difficult to get out of poverty. The need for cash for their survival forces people to work more in exchange for a loan.

Laws against bonded labor are not implemented properly, specifically in the poor countries. Indeed, there are several significant gaps in the protection of domestic workers. For instance, when people who are in debt want to leave the system, landlords or employers use /resort to  some coercion, violence or intimidation. Domestic workers are not safe  from this mistreatment.  In addition, it is also necessary to make a new rule  in order to  eradicate the new modern slavery. Since a person is forced to work to pay off a debt and a man who is the owner of the company deceives the person to work for little or no pay, with no control over their debt. New laws should enable them not to be  dependent on the owner and instead of  the government. Also, a controllable repayment system is necessary  for such people. By doing this, several problems would be solved easily.

Women and children are most vulnerable parts of the society. If the government encouraged children to enroll, regularly attend and remain at  school, they would learn about their social rights and achieve their own economic stability earlier. Thus, they could even work on their own to repay their debt and so wouldn’t have to be under the control of another person. Education is most important, if the government convinced women to know and use their legal employment rights, that would help break the cycle of bonded labor.

All in all, people are still facing this sort of slavery, bonded labor. To eradicate this problem, the government should undertake responsibility for  ruling and implementing new labo(u)r laws. In addition, people who suffer from this problem should learn about labo(u)r rights and educate themselves well to protect themselves from being controlled by anyone.

                                                                                  Raziye Yağız                                                                                                      

                                                             

PROTECTING AGAINST CYBERCRIME

With the rapid growth of technology, mankind has made various inventions and individuals' lives have become  easier. Technology has great advantages as well as some disadvantages, and the drawbacks may affect people's lives negatively. One of the threats is cybercrime. Even though digital connectivity is making our lives easier, the risk of cyber attacks is increasing as well, and governments and companies have to deal with the attacks. Personal and institutional information may be stolen and privacy may be violated. However,if the proper solutions are known and applied well, overcoming the problem will become easier.

First of all, there are many effective solutions and one of the most obvious ones is that people should be informed about cybercrimes via news, social media or seminars. In most cyber attacks, hackers capture the innocent's computer through malicious e-mails, various specific software like keylogger and ddos attacks. If people have the knowledge about cyber attacks, they are able to protect their private information and computers with the help of antivirus software. Moreover, if people use their technological devices  consciously, they won't connect to web sites which can be harmful ,and individuals will be careful when they are installing something on their computers. As a result, the possibility of coming face to face with cyber attacks will decrease.

In addition, another significant solution contributing to preventing cyber attacks is that institutions should think about backup. Most corporations may be hit by hackers for ransomware but if a backup system is there, they don't have to pay any money to hackers. Institutions have to have the necessary data about business to work properly and hackers want to keep companies under pressure to realize their desires. A backup system means copied data in at least 2 different places and institutions don't have to worry about the problem thanks to it.

Consequently, with the development of technology, cybercrime is becoming a widespread issue in the world, and it threatens many lives in terms of privacy violations and financial losses. Although, cyber attacks seem  unstoppable, if people are more conscious and informed well, and if  companies have backup systems, they won't have to struggle with cyber attacks.

MUHAMMET TOKATLIOĞLU

EMOTIONAL COURAGE

    There are several forms of courage. The most powerful one is emotional courage. It briefly means to be open to both positive and negative emotional experiences. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is to challenge the fear. The only emotion in life is not fear. There are core emotions such as anger, shame, sadness, happiness, enjoyment. Emotional courage appears when we face these emotions. Showing emotional courage is not always easy. However, there are some ways to practice it.

First of all, we should not suppress negative emotions such as sadness, grief, fear to develop emotional courage. It is not possible to always be happy every moment of our lives. What makes life meaningful is our emotions, both positive and negative. For instance, courage does not mean fearlessness. A brave man is not someone who is afraid of nothing; he is someone who conquers that fear.

Secondly, we should act on our emotions even if we are afraid of the outcomes. For example, let's assume that you will go to a job interview. Even if you know that you may be rejected, you should go to that interview. Developing emotional courage starts with taking risks. This is also valid in interpersonal relationships. We should not always think about negative things. We need to be able to think that we will feel good afterwards.

Lastly, we should be able to be open to vulnerability. We cannot always be strong or resistant against all situations. We can be down, we can be disappointed or we can make mistakes. However, what is important is to be aware of faults and not blame others for failures. We should learn from our mistakes without punishing ourselves or avoiding them. We should be honest with ourselves about what we can do or not do.

In a nutshell, emotional courage is not to escape our emotions. It is to know that all emotions are worth living. Therefore, to improve emotional courage, we should not suppress either negative or positive emotions, we should act without fear no matter what results are and we should be vulnerable, truthful and honest with ourselves.

                                                                                                                                       Seher Çakmar

                                                                                                    

REWIRING YOUR BRAIN FOR HAPPINESS

Until recently, scientists believed that the brain would not change after puberty. However, with the use of new technologies in medicine, recent findings indicate that this is not true.It also shows that the brain  can change and evolve throughout  life.Acording to experts,the human brain can stretch and has just as much flexibility and adaptability as  plastic. This quality is named neuroplasticity by scientists.When a new habit, a new emotion, a new skill or a new thought is used, a new connection in the brain is formed.When they differ, a different connection is established in the brain. Thanks to neuroplasticity , reorganization of the brain takes place. However, can people use this for happiness?

To begin with,deciding to approach an issue more carefully is known to be  the primary way to rewire a person's brain for happiness.People generally forget how wonderful their lives really are.Many people are unaware that they have the freedom to choose whether they  want to focus on negative or positive experiences in their lives. Besides, many of them tend to have short-lived experiences of pleasure and extended experiences of pain. In order to be  happy , people can make conscious  decisions and they should transform the selection into a habit; this/, which/and this/ requires effort and repetition . Additionally, they must be aware that they can overcome every problem because they are the product of negativity bias and are changeable. Moreover, they can keep a gratitude journal. It is a powerful way to help balance their negativity bias, and write  their selection and what they do to feel happier. In short, they must constantly remind themselves of the positive experiences of happiness.

Furthermore, one of the best ways to avoid negativity is to prepare a list of important positive experiences. People should resort to this list the moment they feel negative thoughts starting to cloud their minds. To exemplify, people can focus on the love and the compassion of their peers. Another point is that , the brain is powerful and creative .The effect of  negativity bias  may be decreased by using visualization. For instance, each time people experience something negative   , they might visualize  drinking a hot a cup of tea on  Everest for example. Briefly, only making a conscious decision and applying it is enough to achieve happiness.

 To sum up, with  firm focus and enough repetition, the imagined behavior, way of thinking and skill  can be achieved by reorganizing the brain. As a result, the choice is in your brain. Use it or lose it.

BURAK ÖZÇİFÇİ

HOW TO GET STUDENTS TO MAKE PRESENTATIONS

People are social creatures who thrive in each other’s company. The only way to establish close bonds with people in our immediate social circle and in the wider community is to engage with them through speech. It is through the direct exchange of ideas and through conversation that we form close relationships with people. This is true of friends, family members and professionals of all stripes. Sometimes, the ideas to be conveyed to others in a business or other public setting may require a person to take the floor and address his audience for a certain length of time. This form of public speaking comes easily to some people who by definition like the sound of their own voices or who engage in public speaking as a part of their jobs such as politicians, lawyers, priests and teachers. For others, it is an acquired skill and for yet others, it is something to be avoided at all costs. Universities try to encourage students to learn to speak in public about issues close to their hearts but sometimes it is an uphill struggle. There are, however, various reasons why some students may be averse to the idea of public speaking and presentations and there is also quite a lot teachers can do to change the situation.

There are various underlying factors that need to be taken into account before discussing ways to persuade people to address a crowd. One reason some people may be averse to the idea of public speaking in general and making presentations in particular is sometimes cultural. In some countries such as Japan, it is considered bad manners to stand out and put yourself forward. People who have grown up in such a culture may find it hard to get used to the idea of making presentations. A second reason may be the education system. A classroom environment which is very authoritarian, where teachers aim to deliver the knowledge to the students who are expected to ingest it, no questions asked is not conducive to public speaking to say the least. In fact, students are expected to be seen and not heard as passive recipients of all the teacher passes on to them. Come the age of 18, these students are suddenly plunged into the more liberal atmosphere of modern universities like Boğaziçi where they are expected to carry on like their counterparts in the US for example. Naturally, this does not come easily and takes a little getting used to.

A second reason why students in some countries may have more trouble than others is the way they have been treated in class throughout their primary and secondary education. The difference between the classroom atmosphere in various countries can be easily seen when a primary school classroom in countries like Finland is compared with one in countries like Korea or Japan. The former is colorful, attractive and child friendly, an inviting place for kids in other words; the latter has desks facing a board. In the former, students are encouraged and expected to actively participate in the lesson; in the latter they are expected to sit quietly and learn. In the former, they receive the message that their opinions matter; in the latter, they receive the message that they have no opinions worth considering. Students who have been through the former system will readily make presentations taking to the whole exercise like ducks to water; students who have been through the latter system however, need time to recover from the shock and brave the stage. In short, persuading some students to make presentations may take time.

A third reason why students may feel disinclined to make presentations is the methods which have been used to motivate them to study throughout their primary and secondary education. As can be easily surmised, students going through a system such as the one in Finland are accustomed to addressing their friends in class because their personal interests, their opinions and their take on things have always been valued. Conversely, in a more authoritarian country, this is not the case. The students are required to regurgitate what they have been fed by their teachers. Their reward is a good grade whereas the reward in the former system is the pleasure the student making the presentation derives from the whole experience and the interest of his friends. Grades play a negligible part in the whole process. In short, students who see only grades as their reward for doing what they are required to do will then, naturally, go on to do the math and decide whether to put themselves through the ordeal or not.

There is a magic solution to deal with students dragging their feet come the time for presentations. To be able to get the ball rolling teachers should be disabused of the idea that cracking the whip will do the trick because it won’t work unless the students’ lives depend on the presentation. The silver bullet is to adopt the approach that should have been adopted from the beginning. The students should be encouraged to think that they are doing this for themselves not for grades; they should be made to understand that it is a worthwhile activity which will benefit them and they should be told that their views matter. The lead up to the presentations needs to be carefully planned: the teacher or, better still, another colleague, should make a short presentation to show them how it works; the ways to make a good presentation should be explained and a blog should be set up. Students should be told that their presentations will be recorded and posted on the teacher’s blog so that they can look back and watch them and so that future students can refer to them and view them. Exams like the TOEFL and IELTS have a speaking component and recording presentations will help students improve their speaking skills. Another way to motivate students is to get students from other classes to come and make presentations. Telling a student that his presentation is so interesting that everyone should hear it is a very effective technique. The students in the class which is visited could then return the favor. In short, grades should be incidental not the reward.

To conclude, there are many reasons which make it difficult to get students accustomed to public speaking but the issue can be dealt with provided the teacher is enthusiastic and willing to get out of his comfort zone. A little effort on his part will help students blossom and become the kind of people who are really useful to society.           

HOW TO PREVENT PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is basically taking information provided by others and presenting it as one’s own, and as such, is a form of theft. It is strongly criticized in academic circles leading students to fail and experts to be named and shamed. This being the case, one of the most important issues discussed with students who are being taught the correct ways of writing a research paper is how to avoid lifting chunks out of a text written by a second party and pasting it into their essay. Considering the strong negative attitude towards plagiarism and the number of programs devised to uncover it, it still takes place for various reasons. These reasons can be broadly categorized as ‘unintentional’ or ‘accidental’ plagiarism and ill-intentioned plagiarism.

Some plagiarism is carried out inadvertently and may seem innocuous but the reasons need to be understood in order to eliminate it. Students who have been through a more authoritarian education system where the focus is memorization and parroting have had no practice with using outside sources to do homework. Any paper they write in high school includes information copied from various sources and cobbled together. What is more, these so called papers are given top marks and the blatant plagiarism is completely ignored. In fact, the concept of plagiarism is never mentioned. Needless to say, these students have never mastered the skill of making notes from a reading text either. On entering university and asked to write a paper, they resort to the same tactics that worked for them up to that point with devastating consequences. The students may protest when their teacher, armed with a red pen, has scratched out most of the paper and peppered it with exclamation marks, that they could not have expressed the concept better themselves. It would be unfair to lay all the blame on the student in this case. What should be done is to first, teach them how to make notes from a reading text and second how to paraphrase. These two activities should not be just introduced and then forgotten about; they should be included in every reading lesson throughout the prep year at universities such as Boğaziçi.  Good writing habits and the accepted way of writing research papers should also be taught in a course open to all students at university in their freshman year. These measures should go hand in hand with a firm stand against plagiarism by the academic staff. In short, universities such as our own should not be too quick to criticize.

Not all plagiarism is carried out unwittingly though; some is completely ill-intentioned. Writing a research paper is a time consuming and cognitively challenging task, which is why some may wish to take the easy way out. There are plenty of websites cropping up on the internet which offer to write research papers for a price but it is far easier and cheaper to just mix and match information from previously written material and present it to the teacher. Just like the sites for writing papers, there are also programs that pinpoint plagiarism, which the teachers have access to so most papers of the latter kind are weeded out pretty quickly. There is no excuse for this kind of plagiarism, and it should be criticized in the harshest terms. A concerted effort to come down hard on all plagiarism of this kind will eventually put an end to the problem.

In conclusion, it goes without saying that stealing whole chunks of another person’s work and claiming it as one’s own is wrong and should not be tolerated. However, allowance should be made for students who, for no fault of their own, have not been given the opportunity to learn not to plagiarize. They should be brought up to speed as quickly as possible. That all plagiarism, no matter what the reason, should be severely punished goes without saying however.

HOW TO DEAL WITH BULLYING (This is a 70/ 75)

            Bullying can be defined as  despising, harming and annoying a person. These acts can be physical, verbal, emotional or sexual. Unfortunately, bullying in schools is a growing concern all over the world. Moreover, bullying has negative impacts both on victims and bullies. It is a serious problem with long lasting effects that can be the root cause of criminal behavior, academic failure and lack of self-esteem later in life. Therefore, it might be a good idea to produce useful solutions to alleviate the negative consequences of bullying in schools.

         To begin with, teachers and administrators can play an effective role in overcoming bullying in schools. They can set up programs to educate students about bullying. Due to the fact that there is a power imbalance between bullies and victims, teachers should encourage "bystanders" to become "upstanders". Furthermore, teachers or administrators should get students to be involved in organizing anti-bullying forums where they resolve problems. Thanks to the awareness of the results of bullying, fewer incidents might occur in schools.

              What is more, parents can also help children avoid bullying. First of all, they should have a clear understanding of the reasons and consequences of bullying. Actually, bullies come from homes where physical punishment is used and those children have been taught that corporal punishment is the way to handle problems. Therefore, parents ought to give their children a chance to express themselves. Moreover, enjoyable activities and discussions with children are some of the noteworthy solutions. These activities can provide children with self-esteem. Therefore, in any case, parents are the role models of their children and thus couples should be more careful when they educate their children about bullying.

          To sum up, bullying in schools is not a problem that should be ignored because it can have many negative effects on students. To handle bullying, parents and teachers should be aware of this problem and work together; otherwise, not only victims but also bullies might be affected negatively throughout their lives.

PRESERVING WHAT IS LEFT OF NATURE

This is a problem solution essay with argumentative elements and I have dubbed it an argumentative problem solution essay. After all, one can perfectly easily have strong feelings about the solutions one presents. My second reason for using this style is to put the message out there that the so called templates that you have been tought are not set in stone.

Once upon a time, the world was a beautiful place: there were lush forests, emerald valleys, magnificent trees, beautiful flowers and crystal clear rivers, lakes and seas. Then man entered the scene and nothing has been the same since. Mankind has taken the phrase “like a bull in a china shop” to a whole new level. Nature is being devastated at an alarming pace to the extent that environmentalists are setting up so called nature museums, The Eden Project, to encapsulate slivers of nature in specially designed bubbles all around the world. If we don’t want The Eden Project to be the only place left to see nature in its full glory, we need to protect what is left of places of natural beauty. This can only be done by keeping man and the trappings of civilization out.

One important aspect of man’s life is heavy industry and it should never be allowed to enter places of natural beauty no matter what the reason. Heavy industry means bulldozers, building materials, toxic fumes, industrial runoff and large areas bereft of any sign of life. The fumes belched out by industrial complexes will cause acid rain, which in turn will destroy anything left standing after the bulldozers and cement mixers have left. The dense woodland in many parts of the UK for example is now finally going to be replaced thanks to a new project funded by the government. Another example is the protected zones and national parks on land and sea in various countries. If he doesn’t want to be left with a world akin to a lunar landscape, mankind should put nature first and preserve what little is left. Keeping industry out is not the only answer to the problem; there is more that can be done.

A second issue that needs to be considered if we are to preserve places of natural beauty is not allowing infrastructure projects anywhere near such places no matter how cost effective and practical. Roads that need to be built should circle such places despite the higher cost; pipelines, cables and the like should be laid elsewhere and in short, all the trappings of so called civilization should be kept out. The damage and destruction caused by such projects is monumental and there is no going back. This is why so many people were appalled when they heard about the third airport in Istanbul: the building of the access roads to the said airport has already wrecked havoc on the dense forests in the area laying them bare in readiness for the cement mixers. A second example is the infamous pipe line in the US which is going to pass through Indian Territory that has been preserved from destruction thus far thanks to Obama, but has now lost its protector. In short, a little more planning and forward thinking, and what is left of nature can be saved.

The last issue that needs to be addressed is man himself. In our modern world, travelling has become easier. People can wiz round the planet in a matter of hours and enjoy every luxury that modern travel can provide. Cities are the same everywhere: stone, bricks and concrete. Nature however, is a different story: there is still a lot to explore, to trample all over, dump remains of picnics in, and capture on video so others can come and continue the good work. Man has brought nothing but trouble to nature raging destruction where ever he went. This being the case, the ideal scenario would be to leave nature to its own resources for our own good. After all, nature doesn’t need us, we need nature.

In conclusion, if mankind is to preserve what little is left of places of natural beauty he should keep his grubby mitts off them. He should not try to improve on nature; he should restrict his activities to areas where the damage has already been done. The remaining places of natural beauty are the last bastions of a world which once existed; they should be allowed to remain so.

THE PROBLEM WITH TUITION

Everyone needs to receive an education in order to get ahead in the world. People cannot get a good job without a good education. This means they will be unable to maintain a certain standard of living or quality of life. It also means their country cannot benefit from their skills and what they can give back to society. For all these reasons, it should be possible for everyone who wants to do so to get a good education. However, there is a problem: education, especially higher education, is expensive. Some people cannot afford to pay for their education and need help. This help can be provided in two ways: postponing the payment of tuition and scholarships.

First of all, students can go ahead and attend university if the government ‘lends’ them the money. The government can pay their tuition and when the students, graduate having gained the qualifications they need, they can repay the government. This way, everyone wins: the country gains a highly trained member of society who has broader horizons, and the individual has the potential to lead a comfortable life. As a result, it makes sense on both a financial and a practical level to allow students to repay the government at a later date. It is only thanks to a far sighted approach of this kind that the country can get ahead.

Second of all, the government or private individuals and organizations can grant full scholarships, which means there is no pay back, and the tuition is paid by third parties. Most organizations will demand a return on their investment and will therefore insist on a good average, not just passing grades. If the student’s success rate drops or if he fails, he is liable to lose his scholarship. Companies like to invest in outstanding students who they consider special and may then provide employment as well. Again with such a system there are no losers: both the individual and society benefit. The company also benefits by gaining a highly talented member of staff.

In conclusion, the young generation is important for society as they will take over from their elders and carry the country forward. It is everyone’s interest to see that they are able to do so. For this reason no stone should be left unturned in the effort to help them.  

GOOD HEALTH

Everyone in the world wants to lead a long and happy life. They want to enjoy plenty of time with their families and friends. They want to do a job they like. They also want to deal with their hobbies and interests. In order to be able to do all this, they need to be physically healthy and strong. Good health is not something which is beyond control; it depends on the individual. In other words, there are various daily habits and various lifestyle factors that help maintain good health.

The kind of daily routine people have goes a long way towards guaranteeing good health. Firstly, everybody needs a good night’s sleep in order to start the day feeling rested and refreshed. The ideal is sleeping seven to eight hours a night. Anything less than this affects the mood, cognitive powers, physical health and social relations. Secondly, the fuel the body needs during the day to maintain vital body functions also needs to be considered. People should have a balanced diet including food from all the major food categories: people should eat fruit and vegetables, protein, dairy products and carbohydrates. Eating and sleeping is not the whole story; plenty of exercise is necessary as well. As a result, people should not sit around all day; they should walk, run, cycle, swim or go to the gym. It is obvious that all this depends solely on the individual. In other words, remaining healthy is to some extent within the individual’s control.

Taking care of the physical needs of the body is not enough on its own. There are various life style factors that have an important role in keeping people healthy. The first is the physical environment. A polluted city like New Delhi or Beijing can cause all manner of health problems. Working with toxic substances like people in the garment industry, in mines and in the leather industry do can also shorten the life span. Selecting the city where one lives and the job one does isn’t always in one’s control. However, it is important to be aware of these factors and try and improve the circumstances if one can. The second issue is access to modern facilities and amenities. In developing and third world countries, a lot of people don’t have access to clean water, electricity, basic healthcare and education. Ignorance is widespread and this contributes to ill health too. In short, there are quite a few factors that are beyond one’s control and it is not always possible to be as healthy as one would like.

To sum up, leading a healthy life is not as easy as it seems. There is a lot that can be done on an individual basis but there is also a lot that may be beyond control. People need to make the best of the circumstances they find themselves in in order to lead a relatively healthy life.

HOW TO PREVENT TERROR ATTACKS

Terror attacks have become the plague of many nations like the UK, the USA, France and many others. Not a day goes by when a bomb doesn’t explode in a public place or suicide bomber doesn’t blow himself up in a market place. The tragic loss of life is on an industrial scale. Countries are on tender hooks waiting for the next attack and wondering where it will take place. That the problem needs to be tackled is obvious but both short term and long term measures are required to make a serious impact.

The immediate measures that should be taken mainly involve the security services; especially, Interpol and similar organizations. The latest technology should be used by all security services and no expense should be spared to upgrade the existing technology. The world is a global village and terrorism is an international problem so the sharing of information is paramount. The likelihood of preventing an attack is much higher if the whole world is watching. Countries that are suspected of aiding and abetting terrorists should also be held to account. Naming and shaming can be an effective way of addressing the problem. If that doesn’t work, economic sanctions may be considered. In short, there is a lot that can be done in the short term but it isn’t enough.

There are safeguards that should be put in place to prevent the proliferation of terrorists as well. Firstly, internet providers should instal better checks and measures to eliminate harmful content from the internet. Propaganda videos are a case in point. These videos are the major way terrorist organizations recruit disenfranchised youth. Talking of the young generation, better attention should be paid to the problems of the youth to prevent them from turning to terror organizations. They should be provided with an education, trained for a job and provided with the means to support themselves. Economic problems lie at the root of a lot of problems and the social problems resulting from them should be addressed. Happy and satisfied people get on with their lives as useful members of society.

In conclusion, the police force, the government, educators, parents and the extended family all need to work together to keep youth on the straight and narrow. Young people are not pot plants that can be placed in the sun and watered regularly. They have psychological and social needs as well. Dealing with the whole person rather than one aspect of his life will help address the problem.

WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (This is a 60)

Sustainable Development basically means meeting the human needs without harming the environment. The world has tended to produce new sustainable things since people became aware of unplanned urbanization and global warming. These days, people are debating a question that is how to save the world? However, there are various measures that should be taken to create a new world.

The first solution to save the world is saving the water. Humans need water like all living things but we are consuming it wastefully. For example, in agricultural irrigation farmers can use distilling water technology to avoid wasting water. Another example is to generate harvesting rain water systems for homes and buildings. In this way, people can gather the rain water and disinfect it before allowing it to mix in the soil.

The second is creating more bright green cities. One way to achieve this aim is to make zero energy buildings which are using smart green technology. For example, solar panels, smart light switches which can control themselves according to sunlight and smart heating and cooling systems to minimize energy use. Another way is growth management. When cities are growing, nature should not be changed and population must be controlled against the rapid growth.

The last solution is changing the political perspectives. Obviously, The Kyoto Protocol does not work completely and effectively. Governments have to strive to prevent global warming and uncontrolled urbanization. Governments' approaches are very important to run a green policy. For example they can strengthen the law against factory waste, inappropriate structures, illegal hunting and they can improve renewable energy systems.

Finally, there are several measure to create a sustainable world. Living in a new world is not impossible if we save the water, protect nature, practice energy saving policies and change the political approaches. These solutions are very important to provide sustainability.

CYBER CRIME

What do we recollect when we think about "crime"?Certainly,nobody had any idea of a"cyber crime" until 1990s. In the first years of 1990s, a hacker group which developed the website that provided the opportunity was named Carders to become industrialized for cyber crime.They used people's credit card data and stole a huge amount of money.So "cyber security systems" became a neccesity and new points were added to cyber crime in laws.However, these measures were not able to prevent hacking.Hackers continue to hack because of their demands.

    We should divide hackers into 2 categories.The first group steals money,data etc. and uses it.Then, the second group hacks websites for political reasons.Both groups are criminals according to the laws.However,i think we must understand the differences of these groups.This is shown by the following example.The guy in Carders ( his nickname is RedBridge) stole 150.000 euro once a week but another hacker group(Anononymous) have never used data or stolen money.They have done this for political purposes such as anti imperialism, anti war, protecting the environment,anti capitalism.The second group does not harm people physically,materially or psychologically. They want what's good, peace, and happiness for all of us i.e they only want governments change their wrong policies because these policies endanger the future of the world also our future.

    Next, most hackers have some similar personalities although they are divided into 2 categories.The first is asociality. According to research,most of hackers were asocial when they were children.The second is the age at which they started on the Internet.Most of them start using the Internet in their childhood and it develops. In their adolescence,it is the most important activity.So perception of crime can not improve for these people.In the other words, they are open to persuation about crime.According to research most of the hackers were deceived into stealing.

   Having explained some points about hackers,we must ask a question.What is the solution? The governments and big companies use special cyber security systems and they paid approximately 2 million euro for nothing because these systems could not stop hacking.Secondly, they convict hackers.These criminals are in jail for a long time.Then, most hackers begin to work for governments because of their abilities about cyber systems and the governments exploit them for "their secret crimes".Do you think this is a solution? It does not seem like a good solution because hacking is increasing rapidly and these criminals are not reintroduced to society.In addition,some hackers (the second group) are staying in a prison although they are innocent.

    Now,for the most suitable solution.Firstly, the governments must listen to the second group's demands.If they do not listen,these hackers will keep hacking forever.Secondly,the first group is not only criminal.They are also human. Punishment is neccesary but the governments must provide opportunity to these hackers to improve their abilities also the governments and big companies must hire the hackers.You can say how we believe in criminals.According to research most of the first group says "Please give us a chance to work in a legimate industry.We just never knew how to get there,what we were doing.We want to work with you."

    To sum up,hacking is increasing rapidly but the governments and big companies are following wrong policies.They must give up stigmatizing hackers.In addition, we should be aware of this issue.

          http://www.ted.com/talks/misha_glenny_hire_the_hackers.html

THE PROBLEM OF SCHOOL SHOOTING

Crime can be described as one of the biggest problems of all times. Unfortunately, violent crimes and especially school shootings have been on the increase in the last few decades. This issue should be addressed urgently in order to solve the problem of school shooting. However, to do this, first we need to analyse the character of perpetrators and the factors contributing to this horrific crime.

     To begin with, analysing and understanding the characteristic features of the perpetrators is of primary importance to solve the problem. It is an undeniable fact that children who are predisposed to become school shooters are usually introverted. As we see in the characters of children who did school shootings, perpetrators are quiet and unsociable. They do not prefer to talk to their peers  do not even respond to the greetings of others. Violent offenders are also pessimistic and have low self-esteem. Therefore, these children do not have any ambition and good plans about their future so they are highly disposed to kill someone and even to kill themselves.

     To continue, factors contributing to school shootings are worth mentioning in an attempt to decrease the number of these horrific crimes. The most fundamental factor is the media. Unfortunately, the media has a huge effect in encouraging children to attempt such crimes. For example, when someone commits a crime s/he takes place on the covers of magazines and the front pages of newspapers for weeks. As a natural result of this, children who tend to commit such a crime idolize the previous perpetrators since they have already passed in children’s minds. Another important factor is the Internet. There are some fan pages of perpetrators who have committed a crime and some of them are compared to a God. What is more, some of the internet games which include violence are very effective on people who are very susceptible to intense brutal fantasies.

         In conclusion, violent crime and especially school shooting is something which we have been talking about the most recently. Even though the characteristic features of perpetrators play some important roles in committing crimes, factors such as the media and the Internet play the biggest role in this horrific crime. It is my contention; some measures should be taken in order to eliminate the problem of school shooting. Such measures can be listed as: the media should focus more on the consequences of the crime, and parents or teachers should be more careful about children who have tendency to crime.

US GUN LAWS

Being able to get gun use under control must be a difficult situation for the US, in other words, the biggest gun dealer in the World. A person who has watched “Lord of War” can remember Yuri Orlov’s first speech easily: “There are 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That’s one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?”. Think about such a global world in which every government and many groups, even individuals, have joined in the arms race and then governments want to prevent individual armament by legislations. This perception is nothing more than an error. For this reason, serious steps must be taken by the US in order to solve this problem, of course, if they really want to deal with it.

            One way to combat this problem would be to restrict the production of guns, because if the US does not restrict gun production, the number of gun owners in the USA, as well as the world, will carry on increasing.  Depressingly, it is almost impossible to get gun use under control. On the other hand, it seems that serious legal sanctions might prevent individual armament, but people always have some problems about obeying the rules. It means that where there is a weapon, there is violation. Maybe the US can decrease individual armament to some degree, but the US cannot prevent it completely.

            Another way to deal with this problem would be to close down gun shops and to seize illegal or unrecorded guns and then all of them should be annihilated. I have never made sense of why the government sells guns to its own citizens. I wonder if citizens can protect themselves from each other. If so, the existence of the state must be doubted, because the government is obligated to protect citizens from troubles.

            As it is known, in the capitalist system, demand is a crucial factor. Firstly, give people reasons like fear, unfair competition and injustice in order to fight with each other and then make selling guns legal. It is important to realize that while anyone is shooting, not only gun dealers but also governments are getting rich. For the US (the biggest dealer of the world), the first and most important rule is never to get shot with their own guns. To sum up, this problem cannot be solved for some countries especially the US, Russia, and China as long as gun production is not stopped by governments.

WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW

 Today's digital world demands that people have skills that are beyond what the international schools teach. Some of these skills are the ability to work collaboratively, effective communication and creativity.  The past's memory based educational system is not convenient for this century. Yet, there is little shift in curriculums and educational systems.   On the other hand, technology and the proliferation of knowledge make this system invalid because in this century, it is impossible to memorize all the information needed and thanks to technology, it is very easy to access knowledge.  For college campuses to stay as the source for the generation of new ideas, the current educational system needs to be reformed urgently.

            Various changes need to be implemented in the educational system taking this fact into consideration: learning how to process and use information is far more important than memorizing it. Collaborative study must be promoted. Producing innovative ideas necessitates more specialized knowledge than one branch of science can provide. For example, recently released documents concerning economics were written by more than one writer. Moreover, two scientists contributed to the development of evolutionary psychology. One of them originally studied biology and the other one is an anthropologist. These examples illustrate the fact that memorizing information is completely useless. Classrooms, homework and other environments where people study must involve collaborative study.

            The education system can be improved with the aid of technology. Technology can change learning materials markedly. Video lectures and electronic readers must be seriously considered in order to find new approaches contributing to the learning process. Electronic readers can be updated constantly and easily. Also, they enable students to carry pages of information in a small and very light device. Students can access sources enriched with audio and visual effects. Enriched sources help them learn fast and effectively so that more time it can be left for discussion. Another significant aid of technology is that it connects people all over the world. Imagine a student studying on a topic regarding social sciences, he/she can find students from a foreign country who can share their perspective with him/her. Collages must encourage international cooperation to enhance learning and this can be achieved via technology.

            All things considered, serious reforms must be implemented to educational systems. The aid of technology cannot be ignored while helping  students acquire skills of this century. To create a more innovative and effective learning process, all of the teachers and students should be open to the changes.

TALKING RUBBISH

Points extracted from the text of the same name out of “The Economist”; economist.com.

Rubbish is an accumulation of wastes that are thrown away after use. Wherever people have been, they have left waste behind. They believed their rubbish had disappeared. The problem is that debris, flotsam, litter and other stuff are difficult to dispose of or recycle and they cause all types of pollution. Litter lines the world’s roads; dumps dot the landscape. Nobody knows how much rubbish the world generates or what it does with it. Ignorance spawns scares. However, it isn’t impossible to deal with this problem. There are various solutions that can be managed by the government and the private sector.

The government is responsible for environmental as well as the administration of the country. As rubbish is a threat to nature but there are things which can be done by the government. First of all, they should make people understand what waste is and what can still be used. They should oblige people to clean up after themselves. They should make laws concerning the cost of disposing of products. If people understand which items are hardest to get rid of, then they can choose goods that create less waste. Recycling is a good solution; however, when there is nowhere to collect stuff, it is useless to try and salvage things. Governments can encourage the marketing of the goods they want collected. As a result, there can be opportunities for the private sector.

Because of their capital and resources, the private sector is more independent and efficient than the government. When the latter organize appropriate conditions, companies can make investments in the disposal and recycling of rubbish. They can do research in to new methods of recycling. Or they can find other ways to use waste. There are ways of using rubbish to produce energy. Recently, scientists have started trying to use rubbish as fuel for cars and houses for instance. In addition, new technologies to turn rubbish into fertilizer are being developed all the time.

In conclusion, rubbish is a big problem of our time but it is being better managed than it was. The new technologies are becoming more affective and the pollution is being decreased thanks to the precautions. Awareness has emerged very late; however, there is still a chance to save the environment.

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ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

 Online reputation management is one of the important connections between customers and brands. Companies should preserve their brands and dignity because negative perceptions and comments can damage their reputations in no time. Online reputation management is a solution for such problems and the way of reaching the customers. Therefore, online reputation management has been gaining more importance in the world. There are various measures both companies and individuals can take to improve a negative reputation.

            Companies can resort to many solutions in order to improve their standing. The first thing they need to make sure of is that the holding owns the assets on the first page since most people do not look beyond the first page as a rule. A business or brand should be looking to own the assets that are on the first page. For instance, Coca cola’s main site, partner sites and customer sites dominate this. Besides, the positive reviews that companies own on their sites start to show in the search engine results. When positive search results are found on a company’s prospects on Google, customers can trust it to perform their services.

            Individuals can also do a lot to help themselves by improving their online reputations. Firstly, joining big networking sites is an easy way to start building their reputations by sharing their good work and commenting on posts. Mainly, social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and so on can enable individuals to connect with both their peers and future customers. Moreover, individuals can ask customers for feedback; as a result, they can improve their standing with the assistance of customers’ views. They can start the monitoring process by searching on Google; thus, they can find information about them that they didn’t know existed.

           In conclusion, a company or an individual can amend his reputation by providing himself with new opportunities. Companies can develop their standing by owning the assets on the first page in the case of a search on Google and instigating positive information by searching for positive links. Besides, individuals can maintain their online reputations by joining big networking sites such as Twitter and asking customers for feedback.    

                                                                                                                                                  

BEING MENTALLY STRONG

Today's society has evolved out of primitive societies. In primitive societies, an individual's survival depended on physical strength. However, as human societies evolved, they became more complex. Nowadays, the importance of being mentally strong far outweighs being physically strong for people in an ever-evolving society. What the mentally strong people do or how a person becomes mentally strong is important for success in today's society.

            Mentally strong individuals have features in common and due this, they do many similar things and act the same way in many conditions. Firstly, like everybody, these people experience bad conditions which stem from their mistakes or others mistreating them or their circumstances. However, they don't dwell on bad things, because they know that life is not fair. On the contrary, they focus on things which they can control and change. They don't allow repeat mistakes either by being open to change. Secondly, they take calculated risks. Although they have concerns regarding these risks, they remain cool to a certain extent. They don't expect immediate results from these risks, because they inch along and take sound steps. Even though other people succeed before them, they don't feel jealous. In contrast, they feel excitement about others' success. They don't resent others' success; they prefer sound steps to shortcuts and they proceed firmly and surely. Lastly, they don't especially want to be pleasers. They just try to be kind and fair. They want to determine the way they respond for themselves and they have this ability, so they want this for others too and they actually encourage others to be strong in this way.

            Nobody is completely mentally weak and people can strengthen their mental abilities. There are some ways to achieve this and people should make these ways their regular habits. First of all, people must recognize their core beliefs and consider and modify the negative sides of their core beliefs. Secondly, people should replace negative thoughts with productive thoughts. If they waste their energy on negative thoughts or things which they can't control, their optimism will disappear. Therefore, they must focus on their productive thoughts. Thirdly, people should be concerned about their choices or acts. It is important that people allow themselves to practice tolerating discomfort to enjoy new opportunities. Therefore, people should challenge themselves to try new things. Lastly, people must allocate some time to think about their environment. Thus, people can detect their weaknesses.

            To sum up, today's busy world requires people to be mentally strong, because basic physical needs are naturally dealt with thanks to breakthroughs in medicine. Physical needs are seen as basic things because of this in today's society. Mentally strong individuals have certain approaches to some conditions and these approaches stem from not only heredity but also their personal choices and efforts, so getting mentally strong is possible by practicing some methods.

UNREQUITED LOVE

Needless to say, falling in love is a great feeling which contains a wide array of emotions. When someone feels them, he may have dreams, hopes, passion and a powerful sense of intimacy. However, not all stories necessarily end happily, so when you declare your love, it might be rejected, causing a variety of feelings which are hard to bear. If so, knowing how to deal with unrequited love can be helpful to normalise faster.

 One main problem with being rejected is that it deals a direct blow to the ego which is of great importance for our psychological well-being. Thus, it may cause such negative emotions as feelings of worthlessness, despair, despondency and the like. The main mistake made in the case of unreciprocated love is taking the rejection personally. With a rational analysis, it can be noticed that being rejected doesn't mean you are worthless or not deserving .Social relationships are too complex and it is not always possible for a person to understand and reciprocate your feelings. So, realizing that the problem doesn’t originate in your mistakes or shortcomings is a necessary step to be taken.

  Another false but also common approach is associating happiness completely with that special person. At the first sight, it may seem like you have to be with her to be happy but a variety of psychological research and common sense show that happiness comes from inside. To clarify, when you make your happiness depend on external factors, it will be just temporary and control won't in your own hands. However, when you feel the happiness inside of you, it is a much more long lasting and satisfying happiness. Hence, thinking you won't find happiness or love without a certain person is just a fallacy and noticing this fact will make you feel liberated.

  The last aspect of tackling rejection in love is to perceive it as a valuable experience, because very few experiences in life can teach you about your own self and life as perfectly as experiencing unrequited love. So, this is a great opportunity to become aware of your inner world,  explore your strengths and weaknesses and work on them, thereby bringing about a better you and enabling you to stand stronger against life. Thus, such an attitude will make it possible to turn a bitter experience into an opportunity.

  To sum up, unreciprocated love has an extremely bitter taste. However, it will be easier to deal with    it by remembering that it is a unique opportunity to explore your inner world and find the origin of true happiness, thereby avoiding depression and constant negative feelings.