life is much better today than in the past essay

Life Is Better Today than in the Past Essay

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Introduction

How life in modern times different from that of the past, society then and now.

Although most individuals may argue that the world is at the verge of destruction, because of the increased civil wars, environmental problems such as global warming, and the ever-increasing gap between the rich and the poor, the quality of life in the contemporary society is far much better than it was fifty years ago.

It is very hard to imagine how life was fifty years ago when most products of technology were not present. As compared to historical communities, present societies are more developed, democratic, diverse, and all-inclusive. In addition, people’s health has improved; individuals can interact freely; the transportation system is better, and communication is easy and fast.

Therefore, although every innovation and development cannot lack some form of negative effects, the world is a better place than it was fifty years ago; hence, the need for every individual to appreciate and always struggle to make the world a better place for both present and future generations.

One primary fact that every individual should attest to is that, as compared to fifty ago, nowadays the quality of healthcare is better and more responsive to the ever-changing health condition of the world.

Unlike in the past when diseases such as small pox, measles, pneumonia, and even HIV and AIDS were a threat to the human existence, presently, majority f these diseases can be cured, and for those that cannot be cured there are numerous control measures or vaccines to control their spreading.

This like scenario has been made possible by the increasing research endeavours in the medicine world aimed at making the world a healthy place. As a result of the improved health condition, nowadays individuals can afford to live long and productive life spans with little fears of the likelihoods of a disease arising that will lack a cure.

Although some individuals may argue that some diseases are incurable; hence, to some extent the world is stagnant somewhere in terms of health, it will be so illogical to compare the health status of the world fifty years with the present situation, where even life supporting machines exist.

In addition to an improved quality of health, because of the numerous products of technology such as the computer, numerous aspects of life have improved greatly.

With the internet nowadays individuals can send or receive information from any part of the world within short time spans. Moreover, with numerous products of technology such as the television, presently individuals are always updated with any occurrences and information from any part of the world.

This cannot be compared to fifty years ago when the few radio and cable television sets that were available could only transmit their news within short distances. On the other hand, in the present world there exist numerous modern conveniences that have made life easy.

For example, with the presence of microwaves, fridges, gas burners, washing machines, printers, fax machines, video decoders, and many other office and home electronic gadgets, individuals can perform all the office and home chores easily, faster, and more efficiently.

Another aspect of life that is far much better than it was some fifty years ago is the quality of education. With the internet and other forms of “sophisticated” modes of learning for example, distance education, e-learning, and virtual classrooms, nowadays individuals are able to learn from any geographical positions.

In addition, nowadays societies appreciate the importance of education to the wellbeing of the society, because of the numerous research endeavours aimed at improving the quality of life that are included in most present scientific studies.

As compared to some fifty years ago, the literacy level in most present societies is very high, as most present governments offer free basic education to its citizenry. As a result of this, the level of self-conscious and self-esteem is better in present societies, because more individuals are able to provide for their families using the practical concepts learnt in both formal and informal educational settings.

On the other hand, life in present societies is better, because of the increased respect of every individual’s fundamental civil rights. Most present day governments are democratic and respect the right of its citizenry, something that was rare in most past societies, because of the nature of power that was enjoyed by the ruling class.

Closely related with increased respect of civil rights, is the ever reducing racism and segregation on racial, social class or background basis. Nowadays societies have learnt to appreciate and live in harmony with one another; hence, the nature of peace that is enjoyed by the world and the freedom of movement from a society or country to another.

In conclusion, considering the present condition of the world economically, technologically, socially, and politically, the world of today is a better place to live in as compared to fifty years ago.

This is because modern conveniences and technological innovations have revolutionized how human do everything is done, without which life could be very hard to live. Although people were comfortable with their lifestyles fifty years ago, possibly it is because they had no knowhow any of the modern developments could have made their work better.

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IvyPanda. (2018, May 27). Life Is Better Today than in the Past Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life-today-is-better-than-fifty-years-ago/

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Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Life Is Better Today than in the Past Essay." May 27, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life-today-is-better-than-fifty-years-ago/.

Life is better today than it was 100 years ago. Do you agree?

Enjoyment of life nowadays and in the past.

Fifty years ago, the world was a very different place. The United States and its allies were locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, personal computers and mobile phones were the stuff of science fiction, and much of the world’s population had yet to experience substantial improvements in life expectancy and material well-being .

Numerous countries found themselves at important crossroads – whether it was military conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors, civil rights and war protests in the U.S., or Soviet tanks crushing Czechoslovakia’s Prague Spring.

How far do people around the globe think they and others like them have come, compared with 50 years ago? Pew Research Center put that question to nearly 43,000 people in 38 countries around the globe this past spring.

At a country level, some of the most positive assessments of progress over the past 50 years are found in Vietnam (88% say life is better today), India (69%) and South Korea (68%) – all societies that have seen dramatic economic transformations since the late 1960s, not to mention the end of armed conflict in the case of Vietnam. A majority in Turkey (65% better) also share a sense of progress over the past five decades. In some of the more developed countries, publics also report that life is better today, including 65% in Japan and Germany, and 64% in the Netherlands and Sweden.

But not everyone is convinced that life today is an improvement over the past. Americans are split on this issue : 41% say life is worse while 37% say better. Meanwhile, half or more in countries ranging from Italy (50%) and Greece (53%) to Nigeria (54%) and Kenya (53%) to Venezuela (72%) and Mexico (68%) say life is worse today.

Events unique to the history of individual countries cannot be ignored when considering why publics are more positive or negative about how the present compares with 50 years ago. However, our analysis also indicates that views of the current economy are a strong indicator of whether people say life for people like them is better today than it was 50 years ago, even when controlling for the demographic factors of income, education, gender and age. Indeed, across the countries analyzed, people with positive views of the current economy are 30 percentage points more likely than those with negative views to say life has improved for people like them. 1

In general, countries that are more upbeat about their national economy are more likely to say life today is better compared with the past. For example, in Vietnam, where 91% say economic conditions are good, a corresponding 88% say life is better for people like them compared with 50 years ago. And in Venezuela, where only 20% say conditions are good, 10% say life is better for people like them. Overall, the correlation between economic assessments and views of the past is quite strong (+0.68).

These are among the major findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 40,448 respondents in 37 countries from Feb. 16 to May 8, 2017. A separate survey in the U.S. was conducted June 27-July 9, 2017, among 2,505 respondents.

Regional variations in assessments of present vs. past

Latin Americans stand out for their widespread negative assessment of progress over the past half-century. Venezuelans and Mexicans (72% and 68% life is worse) are the most downbeat, but nowhere in the region do more than half say life has improved for people like themselves.

Across the Middle East and North Africa, views of life today compared with 50 years ago vary substantially by country. Turkey reports the most progress in the region, with 65% saying life is better, followed by Israel, where 52% say the same about their country. Tunisians, Jordanians and Lebanese tend to say life has gotten worse for people like them, with Tunisians expressing the most widespread negativity (60%).

In sub-Saharan Africa, comparative assessments of present and past are more evenly divided. A median of 46% say life today is worse than five decades ago, compared with 42% who think life is better. Positive ratings of progress range from 47% “better” in South Africa to 36% in Ghana.

Nigeria and Kenya are the only countries surveyed in the region where more than half say life is worse (54% and 53%, respectively).

Europeans tend to see the past half-century as a period of progress. A regional median of 53% describes life as better today, compared with 30% who take the opposite view. Upbeat assessments are most common in Germany (65% better), the Netherlands (64%), Sweden (64%), Poland (62%) and Spain (60%). Greeks (53% worse) and Italians (50%) are the least convinced that life is better than 50 years ago.

The Asia-Pacific region is home to some of the most favorable assessments of progress. Vietnam (88% better) stands out, but views of life today vs. the past are also quite rosy in India (69%), South Korea (68%) and Japan (65%). Filipinos are the least sanguine about progress, with fewer than half (43%) saying life is better.

In North America, Canadians widely report progress over the past five decades (55%) while fewer Americans (37%) say the same about life in their country. In the U.S., Republicans are more likely to say life is better today , compared with Democrats – an attitudinal shift in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president in November 2016.

The more educated are more likely to say life is better

In more than half the countries polled, people with more education say that, for people like them, life is better than it was a half-century ago. The educational divide on whether life is better is greatest in Poland and Peru (both 19 percentage points). But it is also apparent in many European and Asian nations, as well as the U.S. 2

The reverse pattern, with less educated more optimistic about life today, is seen in just two countries: Nigeria (by 23 points) and Turkey (9 points).

While age is not as large a dividing line on whether life is better today, there are some interesting patterns by age across a select group of countries. For example, in the United Kingdom, 66% of those ages 18 to 29 say life is better today, compared with 41% who say this among Brits 50 and older (some of whom might remember what life was actually like back then).

Age differences also appear in Australia, Sweden, the U.S. and Germany among advanced economies, and in South Africa, Ghana and Peru among emerging economies.

There is a reverse pattern on age in South Korea, where 73% among those 50 and older say life is better now compared with 59% who say this among 18- to 29-year-olds. This pattern is also found in Senegal and Venezuela.

Divisions within countries point to perceived gains and loses

In some countries polled, views about who has gained and lost over the past half-century divide sharply along religious or ethnic lines.

In Turkey, 79% of Muslims who observe the five daily prayers ( salah ) that are required under Islam say life is better for people like them compared with 50 years ago. In contrast, only about half (49%) of Turkish Muslims who pray seldom or never at all see the same progress. These divergent views may in part reflect differences in opinion about President Recep Erdogan and his religiously conservative AKP party.

In Nigeria – home to both Muslims and Christians, but now governed by an elected Muslim leader – Muslims are much more enthusiastic about their country’s progress. Nearly three times as many Nigerian Muslims as Christians (62% vs. 22%) say life is better today compared with 50 years ago.

In Israel, 50 years after the Jewish State was victorious in the Six-Day War against a coalition of Arab nations, Israeli Jews are far more convinced than Israeli Arabs that life today is better for people like them. Nearly six-in-ten Jews in Israel say life has improved, compared with only a third of Israeli Arabs who see similar progress.

And in South Africa, there is a sharp racial divide on social progress: Blacks in the country, who a half-century ago were oppressed via the apartheid system, are much more likely to say life is better today for people like them (52%), compared with mixed-race (or “coloured”) and white South Africans (37% and 27%, respectively).

Political divides on life today in Europe

Populism is often associated with nostalgia for an idealized past. In the case of Europe, at least, our survey findings confirm that populists tend to be more enamored of the past than people who look askance at some of the continent’s right-wing populist parties.

For example, Germans who support the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) are 28 percentage points more likely to say that life is worse off for people like them than those who have an unfavorable view of the anti-immigrant party. This pattern also holds in Sweden among supporters of the Swedish Democrats, in France among those with a favorable view of National Front, in the Netherlands among PVV supporters and in the UK among fans of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

• Ghana and Italy excluded due to insufficient sample size on reported income. U.S. excluded because questions were administered on separate Pew Research Center surveys. ↩
• For the purpose of comparing education groups across countries, we standardize education levels based on the United Nations’ International Standard Classification of Education. The lower education category is below secondary education and the higher category is secondary or above in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Venezuela and Vietnam. The lower education category is secondary education or below and the higher category is postsecondary or above in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, UK and U.S. ↩

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Is Life Better Now Than 50 Years Ago? The Answer May Depend On The Economy

Ashley Westerman

People eat at a noodle stall at the Han Market in the central Vietnamese city of Danang in November. Vietnamese respondents to the Pew Research Center survey overwhelmingly said life is better than it was 50 years ago. Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People eat at a noodle stall at the Han Market in the central Vietnamese city of Danang in November. Vietnamese respondents to the Pew Research Center survey overwhelmingly said life is better than it was 50 years ago.

The way people perceive their country's economic conditions plays a big role in whether they view their lives more positively now compared with the past, according to a study released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

Of the nearly 43,000 people surveyed in 38 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North and South America, Vietnam had the most positive self-assessment: Eighty-eight percent of respondents said life is better today in their country than it was a half-century ago.

Other Asian countries round out the top five, including India (69 percent), South Korea (68 percent) and Japan (65 percent).

At the opposite end of the survey, with the least positive assessment of their lives today, 72 percent of respondents in Venezuela said they are worse off. Bleak assessments were also reported by Mexico (68 percent) and Argentina (51 percent).

"Latin Americans stand out for their widespread negative assessment of progress over the past half-century," the report says.

The findings reported in "Worldwide, People Divided on Whether Life Today Is Better Than in the Past" are part of Pew's annual global attitudes survey. But this is the first time the organization has asked whether life in a person's country is generally better, worse or the same as it was five decades ago, says senior researcher Jacob Poushter.

"We're interested in how people see sort of the changing nature of the world and how that affects their lives," he says.

Thirty-eight countries were included in the Pew Research Center survey. Pew Research Center hide caption

Thirty-eight countries were included in the Pew Research Center survey.

While the results are subjective and depend on the historical events and politics of each country, Poushter says the biggest takeaway from this survey is that economic outlook is an important factor.

"Exceptions aside about where actual countries were 50 years ago and what the history has been, it generally finds that economic satisfaction ... tends to be one of the strongest in terms of pushing people to say life is better or worse," says Poushter.

For example, in Vietnam, 91 percent of respondents said economic conditions are good. According to the World Bank, Vietnam has become among the world's fastest-growing economies and is projected to continue that upward swing.

The Two-Way

Venezuela will create new 'petro' cryptocurrency, president maduro says.

In Venezuela, with the highest percentage of people saying life is worse, only 20 percent of respondents said the economy was good. A collapse of international oil prices has greatly affected Venezuela's economy, which is almost solely reliant on fossil fuels. Things have become so dire that the Venezuelan government announced this month it would create a cryptocurrency to combat high inflation and replace its virtually worthless currency, the bolivar.

While the correlation between economic outlook and positive responses about life today was strong for most countries surveyed, it was not true in all cases — including the United States.

"There are countries which, if you look at objectively, are doing well economically but [respondents] still said that life was worse today than it was 50 years ago," says Poushter. "Oftentimes, you see ... more issues with politics, issues with relatively more recent history, in terms of people more upset about where they are compared to 50 years ago."

Among U.S. respondents, 37 percent said their lives are better and 41 percent said they are worse.

Anti-government looters attacked a supermarket in Venezuela's Carabobo state in May. Seventy-two percent of Venezuelans told the Pew Research Center they were worse off than 50 years ago. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Anti-government looters attacked a supermarket in Venezuela's Carabobo state in May. Seventy-two percent of Venezuelans told the Pew Research Center they were worse off than 50 years ago.

A lot of that comes down to political divisions, says Poushter.

"It's just that in the last year, Republicans have become more likely to say life is better off, and Democrats have become less likely to say their lives are better off," he says.

Political divides also were apparent in Europe, where those supporting populist parties such as the Alternative for Germany or France's National Front were more likely to say "life is worse off for people like them," the report says.

The report finds education level is also a factor affecting whether people see their lives as better now than five decades ago.

In more than half the countries polled, respondents with a higher level of education said that for people like themselves, life was better.

The greatest educational divide can be seen in Poland, where 76 percent of more educated people said life was better than in the past. Fifty-seven percent of the less educated felt that way. The only two countries where the less educated saw their lives as better today were Nigeria and Turkey.

Further, in some countries surveyed, the perceived gains and losses by certain religious and ethnic groups over the last 50 years played a factor in respondents' answers. For example, the survey found that black respondents in South Africa are "much more likely" to say life is better (52 percent) than it was 50 years ago, when the country was living under an apartheid system. Just 27 percent of white South Africans said the same.

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Intellectual Roundtable

Asking — and answering — life's interesting questions

Is Life Today Better Than In The Past?

If you were able to accurately evaluate life today against life one hundred years ago, one thousand years ago, or even 10 thousand years ago, would we be able to determine which is better?

Humans have a tendency to overvalue what they know. We find it easy to believe that our country is the best. Or that our mother’s cooking can’t be beat. The neighborhood we grew up in was better than any other.

Similarly, we may believe that life today is better than the way people lived in centuries past. But is that actually true?

It is certainly true that our mastery of travel makes just about every corner of the globe is accessible. I can pack a bag, catch a flight, and be halfway around the world within 24 hours. (Assuming, of course, no travel restrictions.)

A trip to an average grocery store yields a remarkable variety of produce, and an almost dizzying array of processed food. The internet makes access to information nearly ubiquitous, and allows us to communicate with people without thought to geographical limitations. Lifespans are longer, literacy rates are higher, some previously deadly diseases have been all but eliminated.

However, each of these things have downsides. Easy travel is at the expense of burning fossil fuels, which is contributing to climate change. The same can be said about produce that travels thousands of miles to those well-stocked grocery stores. And all that processed food has brought about a crisis in obesity.

While communication is easier with the internet, social media apps are making us more polarized and as such we hear each other less. What good is a longer lifespan if we use those extra hours sitting in traffic jams and overall leading more stressed lifestyles?

Are the negatives worth the positives? Is life today better than in the past?

Related questions: How have we changed? Past, present, or future? Is it fair to judge the past with morals of today? Are we too busy?

Spread the word about Intellectual Roundtable:

4 thoughts on “is life today better than in the past”.

In many aspects — technological gains, the slow progress of recognizing human rights, worldwide abject poverty steadily decreasing — things are getting better. I cannot dispute this, nor would I want to.

But today, I’m deciding to focus on the moral life of America when asking, “Is life today better than in the past?”

Our addiction to independence seems focused on rights without accepting responsibilities. And we dare not challenge this addiction without a gaggle of politicians and rabble-rousers derisively shouting, “Socialism!” to inflame their base.

Let’s face it. America, when considering virtue, is sorely deficient. As a society, we don’t ask, “How much is enough?” We too often think of strangers as enemies, especially if they come from other countries. And, humility is not one of our strong suits.

A few points to make this clearer: – While we are only 4.25% of the world’s population, we consume 24% of the energy. – We don’t change our consumptive behaviors, even though California is burning and hurricanes are hammering the Gulf Coast, saying nothing of the droughts we are forcing upon, say, South Africa or the island nations we are slowing making disappear. – A good portion of Americans can’t be bothered to wear a mask, even though it may mean we are saving a loved one’s life.

Recall that once we joined the allies in WWII, households brought in their metal to be melted and repurposed for war efforts, many people grew a significant portion of their foods in “Victory Gardens” to assist in nationwide rationing, and our workforce was transformed as men went to war, women took to the factories.

We remade society to address the crisis.

Are we transforming America and coming together to deal with climate change or the pandemic? Far from it! Instead, we are experiencing a tremendous and dangerous divide.

What will it take to make for an engaged and responsible citizenry? When will we accept that our actions impact those around us and those living in other countries?

America, wake up!

Well stated, Michael. I think it would be beneficial to discover why our sense of community responsibility has so declined. I know we don’t absolutely need to know the cause to ignite a solution, but I think that it helps. My parents and their friends did so much in the community I grew up in. Some of that involvement still exists, but it seems as if people are too busy these days, or they invest their time in frivolous activities that merely entertain or relax them. It’s time for some inspiration from local people as well as state and national people to chip in and make life better for communities and the nation as a whole. Had the national government been able to muster such inspiration, the Covid-19 crisis could have been such a time for Americans to come together. I don’t know that Biden/Harris and their teams are going to be able to change the nay-sayers attitudes and behaviors, but I am hopeful that they can achieve somethings in this area.

I guess it all depends on what your definition of “better” happens to be.

I think we know more, and knowing more is always better (even if we don’t always use that knowledge as we should).

I believe that life is better for most of us in convenience and possibilities than ever before. As for becoming perfectly moral in our behaviors, I don’t think we ever will be because we are still animals and therefore will probably forever retain a bit of wildness. Otherwise we must become robots. We can continue to be kinder, but I think that must include understanding and forgiving ourselves and others for our bit of wildness.

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Yes, Life Today Is Better Than It Was 100 Years Ago

But that’s a pathetically low bar for modern americans.

Shawn Forno

The Bigger Picture

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed the rise of a strange new kind of article. Instead of focusing on the problems facing the U.S., these thought pieces compare life today with the horrors of the past. The point being, of course, that “when you look at the big picture, things aren’t really that bad.”

The topics vary, but once you notice it, you’ll see these kinds of articles everywhere:

• “ Think Coronavirus Is Bad? The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 Killed 50 Million People .”
• “ Inflation Is Good for You: Don’t panic over milk prices. Inflation is bad for the 1 percent but helps out almost everyone else .”
• “ No, The Coming Recession Won’t Be As Bad As The Depression .”

According to these articles, (usually written by people over 40) the problem isn’t the pandemic, runaway inflation, or impending economic collapse. No, the real problem today is that we lack perspective .

We don’t know how good we have it. Because if we just had a little more historical context we’d realize that life was awful 100 years ago.

To which I say…yeah? Of course, life was worse in 1922 than it is today. That’s not some…

Written by Shawn Forno

A very left-handed writer | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DaysWeSpend | Lonely Planet, Matt D’Avella, The Startup, MindCafe, Writer’s Cooperative

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Why Today Is Better Than the Past

People who live past 100 say today is better than yesterday. Here are 10 reasons why.

I can’t stand it when I hear people my age — namely me — reminisce about “the good old days,” when life was simpler, people were nicer, and gosh darn nobody had to lock their front doors. So whenever I catch myself getting my passport stamped for a trip down Nostalgia Lane — to the 1950s, '60s and early '70s of my youth — I try to make an immediate change of travel plans. I do that by remembering something I was told by one of the “youngest” people I’ve ever known.

Her name was Katharine O’Malley. Age 104.

I met O’Malley in 1999, when I was writing an article about the ongoing New England Centenarian Study program , based at Boston University’s School of Medicine. NECS’s goal is to find out why some people never get sick, remain mentally sharp and outlive everyone else. Is it biological? Mental? Environmental? All three?

When I called O’Malley to ask if could come to interview her, she told me “OK, but you’d better hurry. I’m not going to be here for long.” The next day I drove (quickly) to her apartment in Marshfield, Mass., where she lived alone. Upon entering her living room, I got a bit of a surprise. O’Malley's suitcase was open on the couch. She was in the middle of packing.

“I’m leaving in the morning for San Francisco,” she explained. “Every year I fly out there and take my nephew and his wife for drinks at the Top of the Mark. That’s why I told you to hurry.”

Energy and Enthusiasm

Over the next few hours, O’Malley kept me fully engaged with her energy and enthusiasm for life. She sang and played the piano, showed me quilts she was sewing for the homeless (“Everybody’s doing it — get with the times!”) then proceeded to play the castanets (“I saw them on QVC and had to buy them”).

I asked O’Malley, who had spent her working years as a nurse, and who had outlived her husband and daughter, if she thought that the past was better than the present. I expected her to say "of course." After all, a lot had changed in the past 100 years, and not all of it for the better. Her hometown, where she still lived, was no longer a quaint beach resort. Its main highway was jammed with fast food joints, strip malls and a steady stream of honking cars.

Again, I was in for a surprise. “Today is better,” O’Malley said cheerfully and emphatically. 

As the NECS’s studies show, a positive attitude like O’Malley's is the rule and not the exception among the very old. Most active centenarians don’t like to spend their days revisiting the past, and they certainly don’t sugarcoat it. For O’Malley, modern urban sprawl was probably nothing compared with the “good old days” of not having clean drinking water, antibiotics or a thermostat to turn up the heat. As a nurse, she told me, she'd had to walk miles uphill to work.

Here I Go Again

The other day, without even being conscious of it, I found myself starting to head down Memory Lane again. When a friend asked me if I had made any summer vacation plans, I replied: “I’d like to, but I can’t stand to fly anymore."

“Remember,” I said, “when there were no security lines, you got a hot meal, and planes were never full? The middle seat was always empty.”

Just as I was about to add, “Those were the days,” I experienced a nostalgia intervention. It happens whenever I become too cynical about the present. O’Malley’s words suddenly replay in my head: “It’s better now.”

Her words always force me to put the past in perspective. Unlike O’Malley, I never knew a time without tap water, penicillin (I remember my first polio shot) or forced air heating. Still, a lot was missing when I was growing up, like civil rights, concern for the environment, animal awareness, automobile safety and organic produce (now available at Costco, no less), to name just a few of the things that make "now" better.

Plus, if I miss an episode of Mad Men, I can On Demand it later. So even if I can’t always get an aisle seat when I book a flight — even if I have to print my own tickets, arrive at the airport two hours ahead of time, shed half my clothes to get through security and, when I'm finally on the plane, do gladiator-style battle with my fellow passengers for space in an overhead compartment — life is still better now. 

I hope I’m still saying that when I’m 104.

Say "No" to Nostalgia: 10 Reasons Why Today Is Better

Here, in no particular order, are my personal reasons for not wanting to climb into a time machine and return to the 1950s, '60s or '70s. What’s on your list?

• Before Starbucks came along, you couldn’t get a decent cup of coffee outside of a major U.S. city. When I traveled, I always took along my own beans, a drip coffee pot and paper filters. Better now .
• Before the health club movement exploded, I exercised in the dingy basement of my local Y, which consisted of some free weights, a chin-up bar and a clientele of aging Korean War vets with anger issues. Just this morning I worked out at my health spa with Nate, my personal trainer, then had a cold stone massage.  Better now .
• Before apparel stores like the Gap and Banana Republic came along in the 1980s, only the wealthy could afford stylish casual clothes. Today, in my khaki pants and Polo shirts, I look as sporty as Thurston Howell III. Better now .
• At age 14, I developed migraines, which I am still subject to. Nowadays, when I feel one coming on, I pop a prescription pill and the headache is derailed. There are even migraine-strength over-the-counter pills that provide great relief. No more pain. Little expense.  Better now.
• When I was teenager, olive oil was considered exotic. Over the last few decades, the food revolution has vastly expanded our gastronomic frontiers. Today, supermarkets sell everything from herb-scented sea salts to green baby coconuts. Of course you can still buy Spam — it even comes in a healthful "oven-roasted turkey" version.  Better now.
• When I was growing up, I saw films like Ben Hur and Some Like It Hot  at my local movie theater, where a thick, swirling cloud of cigarette smoke hung over the audience like something out of a Stephen King novel. People smoked on buses, in work places and in doctor’s offices. Why not? The doctor smoked too. Better now .
• Not that long ago, gay people had to conceal their sexual orientation from their friends, family and colleagues. When I went to an office Christmas party, I had to bring my “girlfriend.” Today, I could bring my husband, or Santa. Better now.
• In 1960, my parents bought a ranch-style house outside San Francisco. Even though this wasn’t the segregated Deep South, the purchase agreement contained a clause that said the subdivision was “restricted,” meaning minorities couldn’t buy or live there. The local zoning commission made sure that my high school was 100 percent white as well. (I won’t even get into my school’s annual “Slave Day” auction.)  Better now.
• Not far from my house was an active whaling station. Growing up, I didn’t know blubber from flubber. Today, instead of turning whales into lamp oil, we turn them into movie stars. Better now.
• Used to be, you rarely telephoned people outside your area code because long-distance was too expensive. You prayed they called you.  (And who of my generation doesn’t need a defibrillator when they recall these scary words: “Collect call. Will you accept the charges?”) Now I can keep in constant contact with all my friends around the country. Just another thing that makes my life richer. Better now.

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IELTS essay WRITE AN ESSAY TO THE TOPIC: LIFE IS MICH BETTER TODAY THAN IN THE PAST

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Give Me a Break: American Life Wasn’t Better 50 Years Ago

By James Pethokoukis

Faster, Please!

May 05, 2023

Quote of the Issue

“In every age everybody knows that up to his own time progressive improvement has been taking place; nobody seems to reckon on any improvement in the next generation. We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who say society has reached a turning point — that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us and with just as much apparent reason.” – Thomas Babington Macaulay

↩ Give me a break: American life wasn’t better 50 years ago

Call it the Great Stagnation, Long Stagnation, or maybe even the Progress Pause. I frequently refer to the past half-century downshift in productivity and economic growth. Indeed, the purpose of this newsletter is to argue for a 21st Century Great Acceleration.

That said, I don’t want to give the wrong idea. While the past five decades have been a disappointment in many, many ways compared to the super-optimism of the 1950s and 1960s, America hasn’t been stuck in amber, economically speaking. The stagnation has been  relative  to expectations and potential, not in absolute terms. Some people believe the latter, of course. Too many, as a recent Pew Research survey  suggests :

Around six-in-ten (58%) say that life in America is worse today than it was 50 years ago for people like them.  Only about a quarter (23%) say life today is better, while 19% say it is about the same. The share of Americans who say life today is worse than in the past is up 15 percentage points since the summer of 2021. The share who say life is better has decreased by a similar margin.  Republicans and Democrats alike are now more likely than in 2021 to say that life is worse for people like them, though this view continues to be more prevalent among Republicans than Democrats.  Roughly seven-in-ten Republicans (72%) say that life is worse today, up from 59% who said this in 2021. Among Democrats, 43% now say this, up from 30% two years ago.  While both older adults and younger adults are much more likely to say that life today is worse for people like them than to say life is better, there is a sizable age gap on this question.  Adults 50 and older are 46 points more likely to say that life is worse today for people like them than they are to say that life is better (65% vs. 19%). Adults ages 18 to 49, by comparison, are 24 points more likely to say life today is worse (51% vs. 27%).

These numbers are hardly surprising I guess. When you’re constantly told that civilization is on the precipice of collapse, it makes some sense to look back fondly to a time when that precipice was a bit further away. Many of us would rather live without the internet than, say, exist in a climate-shattered world that’s under the new management of our AI overlords. And to focus more on economics, why should we expect higher living standards in the future when everybody knows wages haven’t budged since the age of Watergate and Vietnam? Past performance is likely indicative of future results, yes?

A few gloom-dispelling facts that should be deeply considered by backward-looking pessimists:

• A terrible period for real wages in the 1970s and 1980 was followed by an upturn. Since the 1990 business cycle peak,  there’s conservatively been a 32 percent increase in average worker wages  and about the same for the bottom fifth of workers. Transporting yourself back to 1973 would really be an own goal.
• If productivity growth over the past 50 years had been stronger,  wage growth overall would have been stronger . If productivity growth had been as fast since 1973 as it was in the postwar years before 1973, median and mean compensation would be nearly 50 percent higher.
• Absolute upward mobility remains strong: The American Dream Is Not Dead by  Michael R. Strain
• And for some folks, the chances of upward mobility have gotten a lot better:
• We live in a more pro-progress environment, literally.  Leaded gas made millions of Americans dumber . Lead exposure lowered IQ by 2.6 points on average until it was banned. People born in the 1960s and the 1970s lost up to 7 points from breathing in toxic fumes from cars.

I could go on and on, here with charts and statistics. But to go back to the beginning, I think for many folks, especially younger ones, all this nostalgia is deeply linked to fear of the future rather than thoughts about the economic circumstances of 1970s and 1980s workers or something. But such fear is unwarranted. We can discover, create, and innovate the better world we want.

For example: We’ve reduced global poverty by a lot and we can reduce it by a lot more. And although we’ve made our energy cleaner, we can make it cleaner still. Thomas Babington Macaulay put it well, “On what principle is it that with nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?”

💡  5+ Quick Questions for … infrastructure economist Rick Geddes on hyperloops

The concept of a hyperloop is pretty straightforward: shooting magnetic-levitation pods through low-pressure tubes to rush passengers or cargo from A to B at nearly the speed of sound. Elon Musk once explained the idea as a “cross between a Concorde and railgun and an air hockey table.” And for a brief moment, the tests conducted by Virgin Hyperloop made the next-generation maglevs seem like they were just around the corner. But then the company slashed its staff and shifted its attention to cargo and away from passengers. Still, it’s an exciting idea.

Rick Geddes , director of the Cornell Program on Infrastructure Policy and nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, offers his thoughts below.

1/ Even after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, our infrastructure funding is still hundreds of billions too low. Should we even be talking about hyperloop fantasies?

There has not been a totally new mode of transportation since the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk in December 1903. The intervening 120 years has seen enormous expansion of existing modes, with more roads, highways, transit lines, runways, and airports installed. That is uncreative. Exploring new modes of transport for both people and goods, the potential of which is unknown, is well worth the investment in research and development. That is true despite traditional modes requiring billions of added dollars in operation and maintenance just to keep pace with natural depreciation.

2/ Where would the first hyperloops be constructed?

A successful hyperloop requires long, straight shots with slight change in grade. It requires large swaths of right-of-way as well as sources of renewable energy if it is to be a “green” form of transport. The latter is important since hyperloop networks will be fully electrified. Although research is taking place around the world, the Middle East is a good bet on the location of the first operating hyperloop.

3/ Should we think of hyperloops as replacing existing rail, only faster? Replacing air travel, but greener? Something entirely new?

Hyperloop should be thought of as added a new transport mode into a system that is already mature regarding the use of other modes. It therefore must compete successfully with those other modes unlike the intercontinental railroad for example. The first successful uses of the hyperloop are likely to be moving time-sensitive freight quickly and reliably despite any type of weather. In that sense, it may compete most closely with air freight.

4/ What are the key technological or engineering hurdles that hyperloops need to overcome?

There are several engineering hurdles. Given that the central concept for hyperloop effectiveness is reducing drag as much as possible, one key problem is maintaining a near-vacuum within the tube. Exceedingly strong pumps are required to pump air out and maintain a near-vacuum despite passengers and freight entering and exiting the system.

A second engineering challenge is dissipating heat buildup within the tube. The energy required to propel a hyperloop pod within the tube will generate heat, but the near vacuum within the tube means that air cannot dissipate that heat as usual.

A final challenge is maintaining speed as grade changes, particularly going up a steep uphill grade.

5/ Will hyperloops be economical as a private venture, or will they necessarily begin as publicly owned and operated?

Given severe public-sector budget constraints, ongoing operational subsidies for a hyperloop network are unlikely. For a hyperloop to operate over the long term, it must be commercially self-sustaining. It is unclear what ownership model will emerge, but one in which the right-of-way remains public, but several private operators are allowed to provide competing service on the same system is a plausible option.

6/ If the engineering challenges all fall into place, what kind of regulatory obstacles will hyperloops face?

The main regulatory obstacles are likely to be environmentally related. That is, the installation of a hyperloop network in the United States would require compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA). NEPA approvals require the filing of an environmental Impact Statement, which requires compliance with a wide range of environmental laws and regulations before installation of a network can begin.

Moreover, it is likely that a hyperloop would require “green” sources of power such as wind, solar, or geothermal. Given the enormous amounts of power required, that may also present regulatory hurdles.

7/ What should the federal and state governments be doing now to prepare for our infrastructure needs 10 or 20 years from now?

The federal government owns little civil infrastructure outside of military bases and the like. Most civil and social infrastructure is owned by a state, municipal, or county government. Those public owners should be undertaking new types of contracts that ensure our infrastructure will be properly operated and maintained in the coming decades, so that we do not get into the current trillion dollar “hole” of deferred maintenance again.

The best way to do that is to enter binding contracts that require public infrastructure owners to maintain their assets at the required engineering standard over time. Such contracts can also require the private partners that operate the infrastructure to utilize the latest technologies, which are contractual clauses called “future proofing.”

8/ We can’t seem to extend a subway at a reasonable cost in the US. How could we ever build a hyperloop?

Given the regulatory and other hurdles (such as skilled labor) it is far from clear that the United States is capable at constructing a hyperloop network at a reasonable cost. 

9/ How optimistic are you that hyperloops will become a real-world mode of transportation?

I am optimistic that a commercially viable, operating hyperloop for either freight or passengers will become a reality at some point. It is unclear how long it will take. There is a great need for a new mode of transport that is safe, fast, dependable, and fully electrified. The hyperloop may be that new mode.

Micro Reads

▶  Chernobyl Revisited  – Lea Booth, Quillette |

▶  OpenAI’s regulatory troubles are only just beginning  – Jesse Weatherbed, The Verge |

▶  We Desperately Need a New Power Grid. Here’s How to Make It Happen.  – Editorial Board, NYT |

▶  NASA aims to end a 50-year old ban on supersonic civilian aircraft in the US  – Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering |

▶  A New Cloned Horse Offers Hope for the World’s Endangered Species  – Emily Mullin, Wired |

▶  Westinghouse Unveils the AP300—A Miniaturized AP1000 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor  – Sona Patel, Power |

▶  Where to Find the Energy to Save the World  – Maria Streshinsky, Wired |

▶  AI-driven lab search for new materials 24/7  – Warp News |

▶  Writers vs AI bots is more than a Hollywood drama  – John Gapper, FT Opinion |

▶  AI Is Putting Tech Companies in the Hiring Mood Again  – Conor Sen, Bloomberg Opinion |

▶  SpaceX Faces Reckoning after Starship’s Messy First Flight  – Meghan Bartels, Scientific American |

Learn more: The FTC's Lina Khan vs. GenAI | The Oppenheimer Fallacy: Don't Treat AI like the A-Bomb | Friday Flashback: My Conversation with Ryan Britt on the Cultural Importance of 'Star Trek' | Will the US Be Weaker in 2050 than Today?

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Essay On Life Today Is Better Than Fifty Years Ago

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Human Rights , Life , Health , Education , Society , Human , Technology , Medicine

Words: 1250

Published: 12/07/2019

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Life today is better than fifty years ago

Life is not always about the quantity—years one lives before death—but rather the quality. Quality is the value, effectiveness, and satisfaction one enjoys from life. Since the origin of humanity, life keeps changing and the issues that are dealt now would be forgotten or solved in the future. Society changes are in aspects such as technology, health care, human rights, economic, quality of life, environmental, and education quality. However, in analyzing how changes advance the quality of life, it is important to understand that some changes are relative to each individual; some negative changes might be positive to others and vice versa. Therefore, my main aim in writing this essay is to persuade my family that from an objective point of view, life today is belter compared to fifty years. This is in considering life quality, education, human rights, technology, and health system. The proposal that life is better today than fifty years ago is anchored by the idea that fifty years ago, the society was in a revolution in major aspects of life. There was an industrial revolution where theoretical researches and knowledge were practically being implemented and so brought hope for the future. For, an instance technology such as Nuclear power was being tested for future production of clean and uninterrupted energy in the fifties based on the theories of Albert Einstein (Ashbee, 2002). On the other hand in the millennia of the year 2000, the advances of past researches were integrated into lives of people in the society and bettered the quality of life. The luxurious part of life is also a very crucial advancement as it is a consideration, which distinguishes life in the two eras. Technological advances can be analyzed in supporting the argument. In the fifties, there were no computers, no internet technology, and transportation utilized primitive modules. If there was air transport, it was very expensive and rare in some societies. Communication, which is essential in business and quick notification of daily events in the society, was also very primitive fifty years ago. With the introduction of the internet in 1994, information is rapidly relayed, businesses have easily entered into new markets, and forums for discussion of life challenges have been made possible through blogs (Jacobson, 2009). Transportation also goes hand-in-hand with communication, where faster means of transportation nowadays saves on time and energy to complete most duties daily. For instance, fifty years ago people traveling in locomotives or slower vehicles had to get up earlier to get to work and return very late. This is not the case today as vehicles are faster and so more efficient completion of tasks. When it comes to the health care system, it is evident that nowadays more diseases can be diagnosed and treated in hospitals. Fifty years ago, diseases such as Polio, small pox, and even certain bacteria cut short lives of many people. At that time in the fifties research was very new on vaccinations, invention of diagnostic machines, and research on new diseases. This made it hard to control diseases, diagnose diseases, and cure diseases. The life expectancy at that time was very low compared to today. For instance, the life expectancy in the sixties in America was 68 and now in 2008 it is estimated to be 79 (Jacobson, 2009). The higher life expectancy today is attributed to better health care systems and policies. Legislations are also geared towards improvement of human health like the ‘2008 health reform bill’ proposed by president Obama. Therefore, compared to fifty years ago, there are many cures for diseases and the few incurable ones like HIV and Cancer have better management procedures. Even in categories of disabilities, nowadays there are gadgets that make life for disabled people easier. For instance, there are hearing aids for the deaf, sensor sticks for the blind and advanced wheel chairs for the crippled. These advances have contributed to improved life styles, higher life expectancies, and a healthy society. The education system is also an area that has positively changed since fifty years ago. In the fifties and sixties, there were few disciplines to research on and the few taught in schools were limited in knowledge since technology to research was not available. The technology for researches at that time was very expensive and reserved only for advanced learners. An example is that back then an atom in chemistry was believed to consist of fixed electrons blended with positive solids. Nowadays the knowledge is advanced to the extent that the notion that it is in a planetary motion has been very instrumental in coming up with radiology equipment and nuclear energy systems. Education today is also more practical and relevant in making life better. This is the reason why the enrolment rate to education institutions is higher today than fifty years ago. In addition, there is also better legislation and policies that preserve and advance human rights today compared to fifty years ago. Women and ethnic minorities in the society were looked down upon in the fifties and sixties and this made life difficult for them. However, over the years activist and revolutions such as the 1960 suffrage and Martin Luther equality revolutions have made it possible for ethnic minorities and women to get higher positions in the society (Ashbee, 2002). An example is Barack Obama who became the first mixed race president in USA. The counter-thesis of the argument can however be drawn from the negative influence of technology, human rights freedom, and refined food products. In the case of technology, there have been results recorded that the internet and violent movies can be a source where teenagers and children learn habits such as crime, adultery, and disobedience. This would make life fifty years ago easier for parents. However, this can be argued on the notion that parents always have a chance to control what their children view combined with other legislative restrictions. The same can be said with refined food products which have contributed to ailments such as cancer and obesity. However, there are healthy choices that have been clearly identified for humans to take to prevent such diseases. In the case of freedom, people argue that too much freedom has made it possible for legalization of practices considered illegal such abortion and homosexuality. This can be countered by the proof that the society has put in place regulations in legislations controlling such practices. In conclusion, it is evident that life today is far much better than fifty years ago. Aspects in the society like technological advancement, better health care systems, better education, and more human rights have improved the life style of people. This can be attested by the higher life expectancy and lower death rate in the society. Life today is also easier and efficient with technological advances which have made it possible for different societies in the world become united through globalization. Even though the argument can be challenged on the case of negative media influences, health hazards of refined foods, and legalization of immoral practices, it can be countered on the idea that they can be regulated through legislations and parental guidance.

Ashbee, E. (2002). American Society Today. New York: Manchester University Press. Pp. 3+ Jacobson, J.R. (2009). Hope for tomorrow’s families/ A model that values variety. New York: AEG Publishing. Pp. 91-186

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Lifestyle – Then and Now

Lifestyle is the way a person lives. The human body and mind have adequately adapted to their changing lifestyle. Many factors have affected the lifestyle of a person - technology, health, environment, culture, society, etc. One of the biggest changes that affected mankind has been the discovery of fire and the wheel. Many years and discoveries later, it was the invention of electricity. Due to electricity, technology developed. Technology has changed all the fields such as - warfare, agriculture, transportation - air, sea and land travel, , manufacturing, medicine, communication, information, etc.

With the advancement of the human race, many new inventions and discoveries were added to the ever growing list. But along with the advantages, it brought some disadvantages as well. Earlier people had more interaction with each other. There was no TV or computer to distract them. They were able to spend time with each other and they were more relaxed. The TV and the computer have become a kind of addiction for most of the people now and they find it hard to stop using it. Now most of the time both the parents would be working long hours and there is no time for them to be with their family.

They are stressed out most of the time and are too tired to talk even when they get some free time. In earlier days not many people had a car. There might be one car in the whole neighbourhood. It was something that only the rich could afford. Most people used the public transport or walked if they wanted to go somewhere. Walking was a part of life and not considered to be a great task. Many people lived as joint families in large houses with many children, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.

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There was always someone to talk to, someone to share the household chores with, etc. With the advancement of technology, nuclear families have emerged. It has brought with it more independence for the individual but more loneliness as well. All in all, lifestyle has changed significantly from the days of the early caveman to the present day technology savvy man. There have been both positive and negative changes that have happened. In the years ahead, many more changes will still take place. The human race will continue to adapt and evolve to embrace these changes.

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Ielts essay # 1340 - life was better in the past when we had less modern technology, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, some people feel that life was better in the past when we had less modern technology because things were simpler and less complicated., to what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion.

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Sample toefl agree/disagree essay – better life than our parents, the question.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  In my country, young people have better lives than their parents had when they were young.  Use reasons and examples to support your answer. Note :  This essay uses our TOEFL essay templates .

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The Sample Essay

           The world has changed in many since my parents were young.  In my opinion, my lifestyle is superior to the one they enjoyed at that time. I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.

          First of all, my generation enjoys a lot more leisure time, which makes our lives more fulfilling and enables us to follow our passions.  People today take longer vacations and have more paid time off from their jobs than either of my parents did while they were still employed.  Similarly, we have much shorter working days than they did. For example, nowadays I receive five weeks off from my job each year. I can schedule these holidays as I wish, and even use all of my vacation days at the same time.  As a result, I have been able pursue my love of travel. Unlike earlier generations, I have been able to maintain steady professional employment for my whole life so far, and have also been able to visit every continent on earth.  My parents, in contrast, were only able to travel following their retirement. At that time, however, their age and physical conditions limited their range of experiences.

         Secondly, society provides many more opportunities for women and minorities these days.  In the past, disadvantaged groups had a tough time achieving personal and professional success.  While this is still something of a concern, it is now much easier for members of such groups to follow their dreams.  My own experience, is a compelling example of this. When I was a young woman I was encouraged to attend university and later enter the workforce. On the other hand, my mother was expected to raise children and be a homemaker.  She dreamed of being a business executive and making a lot of money, but her parents and teachers discouraged her from doing that. Unlike me, she was pressured to give up all of her professional aspirations. Her example demonstrates why my life is preferable to the life which she lived when she was young.

            In conclusion, I strongly believe that I have an easier and better life than my parents had just a few decades ago.  This is because I enjoy much more leisure time than they did, and because women today have many more opportunities than they did in the past. (392 words)

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Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025

The former president and his backers aim to strengthen the power of the White House and limit the independence of federal agencies.

Donald J. Trump intends to bring independent regulatory agencies under direct presidential control. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times

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By Jonathan Swan Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman

• Published July 17, 2023 Updated July 18, 2023

Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands.

Their plans to centralize more power in the Oval Office stretch far beyond the former president’s recent remarks that he would order a criminal investigation into his political rival, President Biden, signaling his intent to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.

Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.

Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control.

He wants to revive the practice of “impounding” funds, refusing to spend money Congress has appropriated for programs a president doesn’t like — a tactic that lawmakers banned under President Richard Nixon.

He intends to strip employment protections from tens of thousands of career civil servants, making it easier to replace them if they are deemed obstacles to his agenda. And he plans to scour the intelligence agencies, the State Department and the defense bureaucracies to remove officials he has vilified as “the sick political class that hates our country.”

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Life nowadays is generally much more stressful than in the past. Give some reasons why people suffer more from stress nowadays, and say what they can do to reduce it.

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Include an introduction and conclusion

A conclusion is essential for IELTS writing task 2. It is more important than most people realise. You will be penalised for missing a conclusion in your IELTS essay.

The easiest paragraph to write in an essay is the conclusion paragraph. This is because the paragraph mostly contains information that has already been presented in the essay – it is just the repetition of some information written in the introduction paragraph and supporting paragraphs.

The conclusion paragraph only has 3 sentences:

• Restatement of thesis
• Prediction or recommendation

To summarize, a robotic teacher does not have the necessary disciple to properly give instructions to students and actually works to retard the ability of a student to comprehend new lessons. Therefore, it is clear that the idea of running a classroom completely by a machine cannot be supported. After thorough analysis on this subject, it is predicted that the adverse effects of the debate over technology-driven teaching will always be greater than the positive effects, and because of this, classroom teachers will never be substituted for technology.

Start your conclusion with a linking phrase. Here are some examples:

• In conclusion
• To conclude
• To summarize
• In a nutshell

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Learning at university would be more effective if men and women were educated separetely. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

We have three important part of education; reading, writing, and maths.some people think every child will benefit from a fourth skill added to the list. do you agree or disagree, 3. you and some friends ate a meal at a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, and you were very pleased with the food and services. write a letter to the restaurant manager. in your letter • give details of your visit to the restaurant • explain the reason for the celebration • say what was good about the food and the seafood, some people believe that manufacturers should be responsible for reducing the large amounts of packaging they use. others say consumers should avoid buying heavily packaged items. discuss both views and state your opinion. give reasons for your answer and include examples from your experience., in many countries, people decide to have children at a later age than in the past. why do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience..