QUESTION-04: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement ? People in today's world have become too dependent or automobiles. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

 Over the last few decades, as automobiles have become affordable for more and more people, cars have become a very controversial topic of discussion. I am of the opinion that people in the modern world have become far too reliant on automobiles. I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the following essay. 

To begin with, many people have become disinterested in the amount of pollution that their vehicles create. It is a well-known fact that automobiles are one of the biggest sources of deadly greenhouse gases, which are the main cause of global warming. However, it seems that many individuals simply do not care about how much damage they do by driving their cars. For example, my uncle drives an extremely large sport utility vehicle to work every day, even though he commutes alone. This vehicle is not 

energy efficient, and I think that he ought to take a carpool to his office instead of using it. When I asked him why he continues to drive such a harmful vehicle he responded that even though he is aware of how much fuel it uses, he does not care because of how happy it makes him feel to drive an expensive car. This example demonstrates how neglectful many members of modern society have become as a consequence of their love of automobiles.  

      Secondly, out current obsession with automobiles has caused public transportation systems to be neglected by government officials. Because people are obsessed with their personal vehicles, governments have felt justified in failing to develop bus and rail networks. My city, Toronto, is a compelling example of this. Despite being the largest city in Canada it has only two subway lines and just a handful of underdeveloped bus routes. While this frustrates me quite a lot, most people simply do not care and, regretfully, the issue is never considered of even studied by out municipal government. If more people were to demand better public transportation, of course the government would snap into action and improve the local system. The fact that this has not happened makes it evident to me that out current dependence on automobiles has resulted in a lower quality of living for many people in Toronto. 

         In conclusion, I strongly believe that people today are too dependent on automobiles. This is because out love of driving has contributed to global warming, and because it has resulted in shoddy public transportation systems in major cities. (412 words ) 

    

Tartan: The misunderstood icon of 'Scottishness'

 By Norman Millar

26th May 2021

Tartan is updating its image in the 21st Century, with new patterns exploring issues around climate change, homelessness - and World War Two dive bombers, writes Norman Millar

More resonances cling to tartan than perhaps any other fabric. It's a stirring visual expression of both history and geography, as well as innovative design and self-expression. "There are many ways in which you can make a tartan distinctive and imbue it with personal or collective meaning, "says Rosie Waine, William Grant Foundation research fellow at National Museums Scotland. "Throughout its history, tartan has been used to express political viewpoints, as well as familial, regional and national identities; It has been viewed as tame and conservative by some; bold, brilliant and radical by others." 

Far from being a dyed-in-the-wool slice of historic Caledonian kitsch, tartan design is very much alive and well in the 21st Century - as evidenced by the stream of new examples recorded each year at the Scottish Register of Tartans. And the range of inspirations is as diverse as the designs.

Take the 2021 design entitled COP26 - A New Dawn, a dazzling creation providing a textile take on the hugely important global climate change summit due to be staged in Glasgow this November. Designed by Brian Wilton - former director of the Scottish Tartans Authority, and a leading light in contemporary tartan design - it is typical of the new wave of tartans drawing inspiration from social and historical issues. 

"I always try to base some of the geometry of a new tartan on an historical tartan so that, somehow it's rooted in the past , and has a little bit of history clinging to it. It isn't just an johnny-come-lately produced for fulfilling a transient need," says Wilton.