Suggest ways of reducing the crime rate in Malaysia.

Surveys show that crime rate in the country is ______________ . There are now more
burglaries, robberies, rapes and murders. White collars crimes are also increasing. Many people
blamed the escalating crime rate on the ________________. Although this may be true, the
rate of increase, however, is greater than the rate of population growth.
What are the steps that we can take to reduce crime rate? The most obvious, answer is to
make the punishment for crimes more severe. However, this will only solve part of the
problem. One example is burglaries and robberies. If people steal or rob out of greed, then
heavier sentences may be a deterrent. They will make greedy people think two or three
times before they steal or rob. If the root cause is poverty and not greed, even the severest
form punishment will not deter people from stealing or robbing. We must find out the cause
of the poverty before we can solve the problem. We must ask ourselves whether there are
enough job opportunities for the people. If people are working and have a steady income,
they are less likely to steal or rob. So, we must create jobs for the people by building
factories or carrying out various projects. If the reason for people not working is that they
are not qualified for the jobs available, then we should train them. This will reduce the
number of burglaries and robberies committed because of poverty.
Imposing the death penalty can help reduce the increasing number of homicides People
commit murder for a number of reasons. Robbers may kill a victim because he is slow in
revealing where he has stashed away his money, or it may be to get rid of witnesses. Rapists
may also kill their victims to prevent them from reporting to the police. People may have
others killed out of revenge or to settle a score.
Whatever the reason for the killing, capital punishment is the most appropriate sentence for
murderers.
As for white-collar crimes, certain members of the police should be specially trained to
deal with them. Such crimes are committed by people with a high level of education.
Therefore, to be able to handle such crimes, policemen must be equipped with the same
level of knowledge found in the criminals. Only in this way, can the police understand and
deal with such crimes.
If all the above measures are carried out, I am sure the crime rate will drop.
Advertisements are useless and often misleading. How far do you agree with this
statement?

Advertisements are intended to draw the attention of the public and to inform them
regarding a particular product. This may be called the psychology of persuasion where
advertisements play a role in converting people's way of thinking. For example, a new drink
that arrives in the market. It is not enough for the manufacturer to know that the product is
good. The public must be informed of its existence to make sure the product sells well. So the
manufacturer adopts suitable ways of advertising which must be appealing to our visual and
aural senses. Since advertisement has become very successful in boosting the sales of
products, it has been professionalised and it becomes a trade today. In fact, advertising
agencies have good business. Since they employ specialists like artists and scriptwriters, the
advertisers can have their expertise sold at reasonable price.
There are hundreds of ways of advertising. Generally, they may have visual or audio or
audiovisual appeal. Leaflets and brochures are produced colourfully to describe a product.
Free samples are randomly given. Even for established products such as milk and yoghurt, the
promoters continue to distribute free samples every now and then so that they can attract new
customers. Calendars are quite common and they range from very plain ones to pictorial type.
Some of these calendars are so well made that there are people who hunt after these
calendars.
Perhaps one of the most popular mediums for advertisements is the newspaper. Since
newspaper reaches a wider target of people, advertisements in the paper are common feature.
That is why we can see that in the newspaper, some products are being adverticed throughout
the year. These advertisements are the major source if income for the newspaper. Here, the
pictures and the script of an advertisement play a very important part. Nowadays, even small
gifts like key chains, purses and so on are also used to advertise various products.
All in all, advertisements are always useful and successful to persuade people to obtain a
service or to buy a product. After an advertisement has achieved its purpose, the public may
think it is useless. When an advertiser uses a lot of paper for printing his advertisement, the
common man may question the wisdom behind it. Well, the answer is simple. If you throw
some mud on the wall, some is sure to stick although others may fall back to earth. The same
goes for advertisements. The advertisement acts as a middleman, bringing the prospective buyer
and the product nearer in a trade. With the complexity of the market and with dozens of product
competing, advertisement is one of the ways of winning the market.
 Of course, there are advertisements which are really misleading. Some medicine that are
advertised claim to be the panacea for all bodily ills. But very few could claim that honour.
Some of the consumer products are not of that high quality as claimed by the
advertisement. Take the toothpaste for example. They claim to give all protection to the teeth
but they prove the other way around. In America, this subtle way of persuading the public has
been questioned when a number of products advertised could not stand the test of proof.
We can conclude in spite of its limitations, advertisement is an institution that comes to
stay.

Are computers a blessing or a curse'?

The later half of the 20th century may be, to a large extend termed the electronic age. In a
modern world marked by hustle and bustle and ceaseless activities, the physical efforts of man
have gone to the background and he has become more and more dependent on machines for
his everyday activities. From the housewife in the kitchen to the executive in the industry,
everyone looks upon a machine as an able assistant. One of these is the computer.
The computer is definitely a blessing. It is one of the dearest children of modern technology. It
is a man-made brain that is found in almost every industry, in every office and every educational
institution. Gone are the days when the children in schools and grown-up students in colleges
were required to remember tables and complex mathematical formulae. These are now given to
such students by the calculator. The art of writing has been replaced by the typewriting
machine. Such are the uses to which modern inventions have been put. The latest addition to
the Gallery of Inventions is the computer, the mechanical brain.
When the computer is fed, it sorts out, stores and gives information on a variety of
subjects. Many problems of a complicated nature are solved and it is even
used to drive machines. It has been found so useful that the banking profession is introducing
the computer in every aspect of its activity. It is felt that maximum customer satisfaction can
only be gained through the use of computer. Railways, factories, industrial houses, hospitals
and other institutions also use it as much.
The greatest advantage in the use of computer is that it saves a lot of time and energy of
man. Much time that could be spent in research work over a long period is saved through
using the computer. It is also beneficial in development projects.
Computer science has become a popular branch of science. It has opened out new avenues
for young men and women to such an extent that there is a view that the fundamentals
should be taught even to school-going children. However, it is not as if the computer cannot
make mistakes. Since it is a mechanical device, it is also fallible. The efficiency of this
device will also depend upon the correct programming. If the programming is incorrect, the
accuracy of the results cannot be guaranteed.
The computer has become such an integral part of our lives today that it has created a lot
of job opportunities to the youth community especially who have a craze for computers. Its
usage in many industries has increased the productivity and efficiency of machines which
contribute much on industrial growth.
Computerisation is yet another addiction. The question arises whether the computer would
be a master or slave of man. It is a ticklish question, for it depends upon the manner in which
it is used. In all probabilities, it may go the way of all the machines invented so far. True
enough, it is a blessing to all humans.