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From the editors
Index
Dear readers, We are very excited to be back with the first issue of the 2014-2015 school year, but the seventh in total. We welcome our new members, who started the English preparatory program this year, onto the Bee Writer team. We want to respectfully dedicate this issue to the memory of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Turkish Republic.
A Closer Look at One Department, 4 Chemistry
A Landmark, 6 Ataturk Arboretum
Warming Story in 30 seconds, 10
In this seventh issue, Çağrı Özsan introduces the Chemistry Department at ITU by interviewing a member of the department. Ahmet Sualp Say, Gizem Sırmalı and Kardelen Tanışan explore one of Istanbul's hidden gems the Ataturk Arboretum and wrote their impressions. It is such a peaceful place that you will want to visit the museum when you read the article and see the photos. There are two scientific articles; one is on Global Warming written by Veysel Abdullah Tekin and the other is on 3D printers written by Yağmur İşeri. Besides, we have culture pieces about the creation of Hangul, the Korean characters, presented by İrem Karaoğlu and a look into an English nation holiday— Halloween by Ece Soylu and Seraynaz Öz, 10 coolest jobs in the world by Handan Çevik and an interview with a collector of Harry Potter items by Samet Çalış.
time to change
3D Printers, 12 technology & human Hangul, 14 the Korean Alphabet
The Greatest Harry Potter Collection in Turkey, 16 geeks & nerds
Halloween, 19 trick or treat
As always, thank you for clicking to us. 10 Coolest Jobs, 21
Sincerely,
the cover photo by Gizem Sırmalı
İlknur Karaman
www.writing.itu.edu.tr
Meridith Paterson
writing@itu.edu.tr
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jhg
“To see me does not necessarily mean to see my face. To understand my thoughts is to have seen me.�
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A Closer Look at One Department
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want to introduce you to the Chemistry Department at Istanbul Technical University for this issue. I interviewed Ayfer Kalkan Burat to learn the details about the department.
First, I want to thank you for accepting to do the interview with us and sparing your time. Could you please talk about yourself? I thank you, too. I’m. I have been working as an Asst. Prof. in the ITU department of chemistry for six years. My area of expertise is Inorganic chemistry. I graduated from ITU in 1999 and I completed my master and doctorate at ITU.
We should divide the undergraduate education into two; the first year and the remainder as a chemistry student takes lessons of essential science in the first year. There are physics, maths and general chemistry. In the following years, students take lessons about the majors of chemistry. These lessons are largely about lab studies. A chemistry student sometimes studies six hours a day in the lab. In the last year, students must prepare a graduation project.
What kind of job opportunities can be found after students graduate from Chemistry undergraduate education? They may work for private companies in the sectors of food, medicine, textile and so on or they may continue to an academic career or if they pass the KPSS exam set by the state with high grades, they can work in government agencies as a chemist.
What is Chemistry? Chemistry is a branch of physical science that studies the composition, structure, properties and changes of matter. In fact, chemistry is in everything from A to Z that we are living around in our daily life. There are four majors in Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry.
What lessons does a chemistry student take during their undergraduate education?
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Do you think it is advantageous to obtain a chemistry education at ITU? Certainly, it is. First, successful universities like ITU have strong connections with universities in the EU and the USA. Teachers at ITU are very experienced in their area. In ITU, the lab facilities are really developed. That opportunity is beneficial for a student’s career development.
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What should a university student do for his/her career and social development? Students had better not think that their only goal is to pass all the exams with AA because students should improve their social skills and circles. I can say ITU’s social clubs are very effective for this improvement. However, in some cases some students neglect their lessons, which is a mistake, so students had better balance their lessons and social life. Actually, my most significant advice is to improve their English proficiency because English is necessary to find a job. When a graduate looks for a job, every employer expects employees to have an advanced level of English. Nowadays, many companies require employees to know a second foreign language as well as English, so students had better study hard on English during the English preparatory program. If they learn a second foreign language beginning from the first year, it’ll help them very much while they are trying to find a job.
lab there. Chemistry has advanced in the USA, especially. These days, chemistry is starting to improve in the Far East, so students should not think of going to only the EU or the USA, but they should take advantage of going to the Far East because there are many successful and experienced lecturers there, as well.
What do you think about ITUKIM’S work? I cannot follow them because I’m too busy. As far as I know, their activities such as sector days, workshops and internship and job resources are very beneficial for students. Çağrı Özsan
http://graduate.carleton.ca/wp-content/uploads/chemistry.jpg
In addition to your statements, what should a chemistry student do? Of course, my advice is valid for them. According to me, a chemistry student should go abroad and do experiments in a beewriter ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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Atatürk Arboretum Hidden Paradise of Istanbul Ataturk’s Arboretum is a living plant museum on 296 hectares of forest area in the southeast area of Belgrade Woods, attracting the attention of many local and international botanists. It was created for scientific research and observation of trees mainly and other woody plants which are cultivated and displayed in Sarıyer. The founder of the Arboretum is Professor Dr. Hayrettin Kayacık from the Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry. He started the first plantings upon the approval of the General Directorate of Forestry in 1949. You have probably heard about Belgrade Woods in some way or another even if you have never been to Istanbul. However, Ataturk’s Arboretum is a hidden paradise known by just a few people. If you want to spend some quality time with nature far from picnic areas and crowded beaches, this Eighth Wonder of Istanbul is the right place for you.
We were welcomed by a cute dog, apparently our escort, and started our trip after paying a small amount of money at the entrance. We walked down the path until the crossroads and turned left. There was a pond with ducks quacking, probably saying welcome, and they were really into posing for photo shoots. We saw all sorts of trees including quite rare ones tolerant to Istanbul’s climate. This huge variety was beyond comprehension.
Take the subway to Hacıosman, and then transfer to the 42HM bus to Kemerburgaz Road. The people using this bus line are the nicest for some reason, and it is quite difficult to explain what an arboretum is to the bus drivers. It takes just a five to ten minute walk to get to the Arboretum. We felt like rejoicing about our escape from the depressive atmosphere of Istanbul just by walking on the pathway to the museum.
Dog walking, picnicking and making fires are strictly forbidden; therefore, there is no place selling food or beverages. Visitors better bring their own snacks and water. Otherwise, they will starve by the end of their trip. There is an emergency water fountain though.
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We took a lot of pictures of the autumn leaves on the pathway leading to another pond covered with water lilies.
We rested a little bit, and then took a walk in the forest and watched people feeding ducks only to make us feel more hungry.
The amphitheater, however, was nothing like the one in the brochure. It was rather small and useless. The only thing you can do there is to sit and watch the pond.
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Some mushrooms attracted our attention, so we followed them and came across a lady gathering a few to eat later. She was happy to take pictures with us. There is a tree we want to introduce. It is named chamaecyparis iawsoniana. This tree is one of the cutest species from the Cubressaceae family. It is located at the entrance of the big pond, and displays the main characteristics of its family. Its branches are like open arms to embrace visitors.
We thought we had come to the end of our trip; however, ornamental plants were just waiting to be discovered. Blossoming seasons are different. If visitors want to see specific flowers, we advise them to check the blossoming plants chart at the entrance. beewriter ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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Right before the end of our trip we saw a dead oak tree with a sign saying, “With the death of a tree, a new life, even hundreds of lives, start from it.” Here we paused and thought for a while. This was a dead tree and teaching us a lot.
Reference: Arboretum Leaflet
To sum up, this is such a peaceful place that visitors can spend an entire day wandering among thousands of trees, resting by the lake and reading books. PS 1: Don’t forget to stop by a pastry shop in Sariyer to taste their delicious “borek”. PS 2: The arboretum may cause tiredness.
Ahmet Sualp Say Gizem Sirmali Kardelen Tanişan
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Warming Story in 30 seconds
Recently the terms “global warming” and “greenhouse” have become quite popular. All of us must have heard them in the news several times. I think most people know about global warming. Also, we know it affects us. What is global warming? How does global warming affect our old planet? How does global warming affect humanity, animals, plants and nature? How and in which ways did global warming proceed? How does NASA follow these changes?
entire world are under threat. NASA is researching, analyzing, and making predictions about global warming. The use of carbon-based fuels has increased since the Industrial Revolution; therefore, the current greenhouse effect has increased. However, why are carbonbased fuels harmful? Carbon based fuel’s residue is carbondioxide, and these residues don't allow light to pass. Hence, CO2 prevents sunlight from escaping the earth's atmosphere resulting in this warming of the world. If global warming continues like this, what will happen in the future? This is the basic question. What is awaiting humanity and other living beings? NASA is asking these questions. While NASA was trying to answer these questions, they learned a lot. How did NASA do this?
We are talking about these questions and we know more or less what global warming is. Shall we start talking about it? What is global warming? To put it shortly, it is the 5 to 6C increase in the average temperatures of our planet due to the increased effect of greenhouse gases caused by the use of carbon-based fuels. A couple of centigrades might seem small, but we know from past experiences that a cooling of 5 to 6 degrees pushed our Earth into the Ice Age. In other words, this cooling might be disastrous. Meanwhile, NASA is getting involved in global warming studies because both the U.S. and the beewriter ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
They used meteorological satellites, analyzed glaciers, and observed the atmosphere. The results are not promising. The warming trend has not ended, Lake Aral has dried up, and rainforests are declining rapidly. In other words, humanity is entering into a deadlock and we don’t
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have much time to take precautions because CO2 levels have reached threatening levels, glaciers are melting, forests are burning, and the climate is changing.
Veysel Abdullah Tekin
References: http://www.cnnturk.com/guncel.konular/nasa/294/
Climate scientists are not hopeful about the future, and in order to explain global warming they devised a disaster chart which everyone can understand easily. According to the disaster chart:
http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzul_%C3%87a%C4%9F%C 4%B1
1) If the Earth warms 1 more degree, there will be no wheat left in the global grain reservoirs.
http://goo.gl/Uvxmw7
http://t24.com.tr/haber/nasa-kuresel-isinmanin-son132-yilini-26-saniyede-anlatti,213179 Photos were taken from the following links:
http://goo.gl/1DCZZT
2) If the Earth warms 2 more degrees, all coral reefs will die. 3) If the Earth warms 3 more degrees, there will be sandstorms in Paris. 4) If the Earth warms 4 more degrees, the world will be teeming with climate refugees. 5) If the Earth warms 5 more degrees, New York will be swallowed up by waters. 6) If the Earth warms 6 more degrees, the Earth will return to its condition during the Mesozoic Age. Key here is that there is no way back after 2C of warming. If warming continues like this, great disasters are awaiting the Earth. Some of these are famines, floods, and uncontrollable forest fires. However, we refuse to change. In fact, everybody knows his or her duty. There is no need to talk about these responsibilities. What we need is to change the way we see nature. Let’s change things!
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3D PRINTERS
organs; and vanilla, chocolate, or various other flavorings for food production are used.
3D printers are tools which are used to print any 3D drawing that is designed in a computing environment into solid form. The first 3D printer was produced by Chuck Hull of the 3D Systems Company in 1984. Today, 3D printers which were used only in large laboratories in the past, have entered homes because of the advancement of technology and reduction of production costs.
sweets which were made by 3D Systems Company.
In the future, 3D printers will have a far more effective role for the production of any necessary pieces of aircraft, land and sea vehicles to prevent any breakdown, and the production of necessary organs for patients. For now, the rocket that was made by the technology site named ‘The Register’
an automatic gun that makes paper airplanes� which was made at home by a German person using a 3D printer.
Besides, the raw materials of 3D printers, which makes many areas of life easier, are generally ceramic, rigid plastics, or metal; stem cells for the production of artificial beewriter ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
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various organs which were made of cells and similar bio-materials such as ear, nose, and face by Hangzhou Electronic Sciences and Technology University
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing http://www.3dyazici.com/p/3d-yazc-nedir.html http://www.gercekbilim.com/doku-yazici/ http://www.fizikist.com http://www.3ders.org/articles/20131121-cel-introducesrobox-3d-printer-a-robot-in-a-box.html http://www.evrimagaci.org/
the production of skin for burns by students at Toronto University
are significant studies that were made by 3D printers. According to scientists, 3D printers, which are generally used for the production of small pieces in today’s technology, will be used to build complete houses in the future. Yağmur İşeri
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Hangul The spoken language of our country is different from that of China and does not suit the Chinese characters. Therefore, amongst uneducated people there have been many who, having something that they wish to put into words, have been unable to express their feelings in writing. I am greatly distressed because of this, and so I have made twenty eight new letters. Let everyone practice them at their ease, and adapt them to their daily use. King Sejong’s Preface to Hunmin Chongum
The Korean alphabet, which is named 'Hangul,' is different from other writing systems in the world. Hangul was created by Sejong the Great, who was the 4th King of the Joseon Dynasty. He sponsored the alphabet, and helped in the creation of the alphabet.
Until the 15th century, Korea used the Chinese alphabet. It was hard to learn and write for the public. King Sejong saw this difficulty and tried to think of a solution. Moreover, he wanted to improve the sciences in Korea in this way. beewriter ITU Writing Center Student Magazine
The period of composing the new characters proceeded from 1443 to 1444. Hangul is composed of ten simple vowels and 14 consonants. King Sejong and a group of scholars developed this systematic rendition from spoken sounds. The five main consonants show us the intelligence of the structure. ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅅ, ㅁ, ㅇ characters imitate the lips and tongue shape when making these (k, n, s, m, ng) sounds. The vowel symbols were formed after the three fundamental symbols of Eastern philosophy. The round ᆞ represents Heaven, the flat ᅳ represents Earth, and the upright ᅵ represents Man. Because of using the Chinese system before, the scholars were inspired by the Chinese alphabet, and they created the syllables as square blocks.
Hangul is also superior to other alphabets in the age of information. On a computer keyboard, the consonants are arranged on the left and the vowels on the right. Words are formed by typing consonants and vowels one after another. It offsets the possibility of tiredness in the fingers in this way. 14
References: Hwa-hyong, Y. (2004). Humanism: The power of Korean culture. Seoul, South Korea: Kookhak., pp. 18-19 Diamond Sutra Recitation Group. (2006). King Sejong the Great: The everlasting light of Korea. New York: Diamond Sutra Recitation Group. Korea Travel Guide by Korean Tourism Organization, p 4.
The Korean language, like Japanese, Finnish, Mongolian and Turkish, is classified into the Ural-Altaic language group. Therefore, Hangul is easy-to-learn for speakers of these languages. If you work for one or two hours intensively, it is possible to read it clearly. Also, its grammar is very close to Turkish which makes Korean one of easiest languages to learn for Turkish people.
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul
In spite of being created in the 15th century, the alphabet did not come into widespread use until the 20th century because of the aristocracy's preference for Hanja (the Chinese alphabet).They said that the new alphabet was easily understood, but that they feared people would fall into laziness and never make any effort to learn. Despite those tough times, Hangul has replaced Chinese characters in all Korean newspapers and books. After five centuries, King Sejong's invention has finally achieved his goal. In fact the only national celebration for an alphabet in the world takes place on the 9th of every October in Korea to praise the creation of Hangul. Ä°rem KaraoÄ&#x;lu
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geeks & nerds: Turkey’s greatest Harry Potter collection is in Bee Writer!
When did you first meet Harry Potter, and how? I met Harry Potter about 13 years ago when the first movie of Harry Potter came out. My father later bought me the book Harry Potter. With that book, the doors of Hogwarts were opened to never be closed again.
In this collection, which was put together by Taha Şahin, there are many rare pieces. I am honored to present to you the interview which we conducted with Taha Şahin, a.k.a. Mösyö Taha (on Twitter), about the collection. When did you start the collection? First of all, who is this “Mösyö Taha”? My name is Taha Şahin. I am 20 years old and a student in the Marmara University Department of Law. I am interested in cinema and I live, eat, and breathe Harry Potter.
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It wasn’t until 2007 that my collection became a collection, but with the first book my dad bought, my collection of Harry Potter started.
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What is the content of the collection? The pieces keep increasing every year, on the 31st of July (the birthday of JKR and Harry Potter) I share a picture of the updated collection. In this year’s picture, I have almost 150 Harry Potter collectibles. It is such a long list to say. Generally, besides DVDs and books, the collectibles include letters, limited edition products, wands, maps, invitations, glasses, game cards, candy boxes, potion bottles and so on.
How did you manage to get those collectibles? I usually buy them via my friends abroad. I also shop online and there are gifts, too.
What are the products you want in your collection? I want to have a horcrux in my collection as soon as possible. Besides, what I want most is a Nimbus 2000.
How much did you spend on this collection? What is the most valuable collectible in your collection? The most important collectible is, of course, my very first Harry Potter book. It has stickers on its cover, and it is worn out, but it is still valuable for me. Apart from that, it is really hard to find hardcovered Harry Potter books which were printed in limited numbers in 2002.
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This is the most frequently asked question, but it is a long process, so it is very difficult for me to say an exact cost.
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Are there collectors abroad you take as an example? Of course, I met two collectors; one of them is Steve Patrick who is in the 2013 Guinness Record Book for World Greatest’s Harry Potter collection. He has an apartment for Harry Potter which is a Harry Potter House in a way. He had Rowling sign on his arm, and tattooed it. He is really amazing. I also met someone who is collecting HP books. He has a copy in every language and in every version. He also has Ozan Beedle’s Stories which is in codex. I am really jealous. Of course, when compared to them, my collection is so little, but I have big dreams which mean a lot when it is Harry Potter.
@PozitifAyrimci
Samet Çalış
Thank you for your time. Of course, I thank you.
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Halloween Every year on the 31st of October, people celebrate Halloween. The word Halloween comes from the phrase "All Hallow's Eve". This special day comes from Pagan culture, but these days the whole world seems to embrace it. People throw parties every year all over the world.
And we asked some of our friends to send us their Halloween pictures. Here are some of them.
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Let's take a look at the story behind Halloween. Why do people wear masks on this day? There was a common belief that dead people came back from the other side and searched for new vessels. To prevent possessions, people started to wear masks. Over time, these spirits evolved into goblins, fairies, demons and witches, and wearing masks became a tradition. Another Halloween tradition is carving a pumpkin. A carved pumpkin, called a Jack-o-Lantern, is the symbol of this day. Also on Halloween, little children with costumes travel around their neighborhood and knock on the doors with this question: "Trick or treat?"
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Halloween has also become a really popular topic for movies and some TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural and American Horror Story. Furthermore, some authors like to write about this interesting subject. One of the best examples is Edgar Allan Poe. His poem The Raven is a Halloween classic for most people. Some people choose to read horror novels during this time of the year like those by Stephen King or Dean Koontz. There are some songs that people like to listen to especially on this holiday, too. It is obvious that Michael Jackson's Thriller is one of them. Also, we can add Pet Cemetery by the Ramones to the list.
http://greyzombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/halloween-pumpk in-carving-1.jpg
Although a conservative part of society rejects these traditions and doesn’t celebrate Halloween, it is one of the most important holidays in Mexico. The celebrations last 3 days with the name "Holiday of The Dead." Halloween is becoming popular in Turkey, as well. Almost every night club or cafe throws themed parties at the end of October.
Ece Soylu Seraynaz Ă–z
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10 Coolest Jobs in the World Do you know what the ten coolest jobs in the world are? I guess you will be surprised. Island Caretaker: Thousands of people from all over the world will apply to become the caretaker of an Australian tropical island. The successful candidate will be paid $150,000 to live rent-free in a three bedroom home on Hamilton Island for six months. Candidate’s duties will include walking white sandy beaches, sitting under palm trees and swimming with turtles. In addition, the chosen person has to prepare a blog and photo diary of their activities such as snorkeling, diving, and sailing to attract tourists to the area.
Luxury Bed Tester: One college student has obtained her dream job. Sleeping on the job and laying out will no longer be a problem for a girl who has been selected to test out luxury beds for a month and get paid for it. She is earning $1,600 to sleep in designer beds, and then she will blog about her experiences.
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Resort Water Slide Tester: Tommy Lynch is one of the very few water slide testers who visit dozens of water parks throughout the year. His duties include testing holiday resort water slides and checking the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flames, as well as all safety aspects.
Bike Rider-Photographer for Google Maps: Google has hired two lucky young men to ride around France and take photos of historical sites that are inaccessible by car. This three-wheeler is a sight with its long pole holding nine cameras, a GPS, a computer and a generator. The riders wear Google tee-
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shirts and white helmets. They are visiting well-known sites in France and sending photos and videos to Google.
Selling an Entire Life: I do not mean dying. I mean dividing up your life and selling all the shares to shareholders. The investors control your work life completely as in companies. You will work depending on your abilities and decisions. Your life will be in their power.
Leasing a Gnome: It is popular to hire a gnome in the USA and UK. It is reported that gnomes are hired by using the slogan “Their competencies are not short�. For example, think of the first scenes in the Wolf of Wall Street. There is a dwarf who is tossed like a dart toward a target board.
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White Hat Hackers: When you hear hacker, you may think of bad guys who want to hack into your network and steel your data; however, these guys are not what you know. They are professional hackers who "test-hack" a company's software to make sure it is secure. These ethical hackers are paid to break into a network and notify the owners about weak points to prevent the network from real hackers.
Secret Shopper: Who does not like shopping, especially if you are getting paid for it? If you would like it, being a secret shopper is your dream job. Just go around, visit different shops, check out their customer service, and report your experience to companies. However, this job is a short contract job if you are not a confident reporter.
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All jobs have negative and positive sides. Whatever work you do, you will think you are overworked but underpaid, so choose carefully.
Handan Çevik
References:
Professional Cuddle Service: You haven’t heard me wrong. I mean a real hug and embrace between strangers. This is well known job in Los Angeles, Japan and the UK. You can get a professional hugger by paying $360. The target is to relieve the stress by hugging.
http://tr.askmen.com/guc-vepara/1098816/topten/dunyanin-en-ilginc-10-parakazanma-yontemi?p=10 http://www.careeroverview.com/blog/2010/20incredible-dream-jobs-that-really-do-exist/ http://jobsearch.about.com/od/cooljobs/ss/top-15unique-jobs_3.htm http://www.successstories.co.in/10-coolest-jobs-in-theworld/ http://www.traveller.com.au/island-caretaker-job-offerget-paid-150000-to-swim-snorkel-7ews
Chocolate Tester: Another one of the world’s cool jobs has gone to schoolboy Hanry Willsher. He is 12-years-old. Hanry is a chief tester in a sweet factory. His job is to test top secret recipes. I do not know if it is the best job, but it is definitely the sweetest.
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