Y09205

Smoking should be banned in New Zealand

09205

Did you know that smoking take’s over 5000 lives’ a year and numbers have increased by 63% in the last few years and they are still increasing. The fact is that it is too easy to get into smoking; most kids have at least tried a smoke and a decent amount smoke. Also one out of ten people get addicted to it. The reason why people get addicted to it is because it is a drug. And that drug is called nicotine. I personally think it should be banned because it’s a very deadly drug witch when it is inhaled anough into your system you will end up with lung cancer and that’s pretty hard to get rid of. Because you will find it hard to breath and lack of oxygen gets into your system.

If New Zealand wants to be smoke free they have to increase the price of smokes by 75% well that’s my thought anyway. It might be harsh but it will decrease the amount of smokers. About one in five (19.9 per cent) adult’s smoke in New Zealand but the worrying thing is that 12.8 per cent of youths aged between 14-15 are regular smokers. On Wednesday first of June 2011 was world smoke free day. While none of the smokers listen Invercargill own smoke free grouped took it to the streets and protested it was good to here that they are trying to get rid of this horrible addiction that takes lives every years. According to the world health organisation smoking is a risk factor for six of the eight leading causes of death globally they reckon that this includes cardiovascular disease cancer and respiratory illnesses. This guy mar Calhoun bereaves more than one smoke free day a year should be held because of the benefits it brings to smokers. It draws attention to the fact that quitting is possible to many smokers he said. He also thinks that most smokers do want to quit many wish they never started. So this smoke free day provides help and acts as a reminder that helps is at hand. The tip for smokers trying to quit is not to get discouraged after the first attempt. It can take up to 14 prober times before you actually quit. Another incentive Mr. Calhoun recommends is to consider the purse strings. A average pack of smokes cost around 15 dollars witch means a pack a day smoker spends over 5000 dollars a year on cigarettes. Well my opinion is that it is a waste of money.

Q07038

              Reasons why New Zealanders should be more energy efficient.

Energy usage in New Zealand has dramatically risen since the late nineties it’s now costing the New Zealand consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year on energy consumption. Due to uneducated New Zealanders on energy efficiency the benefits of becoming energy efficient and why so much energy is used every year. All these points can help save you money, the government money and set you up for a bigger brighter future.

In New Zealand new ways to control energy usage are constantly being introduced into the homes of New Zealand. It’s estimated that seven hundred and fifty thousand

New Zealand homes are victims of cold and draughty conditions, due to insulation that hasn’t been correctly installed such as insufficient ceiling or underfloor insulation. The biggest problem with insufficient insulation is heat loss. If your home has insufficient insulation it becomes almost impossible to retain heat costing you more in the pocket. becoming energy efficient doesn’t just apply to insulation there are many smaller money saving ideas which cost less but make a big difference. It’s estimated that seventy-eight percent of you power bill is mainly household appliances such as televisions, computers and other electronic devices. Leaving these devices left switched on at the wall during the day and at night soon adds up on your power bill. If a few minutes of your time were used to switch off these devices when not in use and before you go to bed you could remove about three hundred dollars from your power bill each year.

By conserving energy we could save ourselves one hundred to three hundred dollars every year. Why is conserving energy so important? it’s important because we should

treat energy as a life source as we do with food or water. Without energy the world couldn’t function up to a standard it would need to. Without energy even the simplest of jobs could be turn into a nightmare. Such examples conclude house hold electronic devices, mechanical equipment in a factory where items are manufactured,        construction sites, air traffic communication and global communication all these      examples require some form of energy which allows persons such as ourselves

to work and earn an income. In my opinion taking action on this problem will change

the way we use and treat energy in New Zealand. Eliminating this problem of energy now can benefit us when moving into the future.

Why is so much energy used in New Zealand? so much energy is used due to the uneducated New Zealanders who don’t know why conserving energy is important. They don’t realise that it’s costing the government hundreds of millions of dollars every year on energy consumption. Because the governments money is used towards energy consumption this limits the ideas the government have to better the New- Zealand economy. This excludes the important ideas that are necessary in everyday life for example schools and hospitals these examples are needed in everyday life. These establishments allow children to have an education and others to obtain jobs and earn an income to pay for their families’ lifestyle. These ideas can’t exists without money from the government and because all the money is used towards energy bills the government can’t fund enough money to build these establishments let alone enough money to keep them open or run them leaving people with out an occupation or an education.

In my opinion a lot could be done to save our country money aswell as New   Zealanders. This energy crisis will only be solved when New Zealanders step up and take action on this problem today. Only then can we save ourselves more money and better New Zealand. All these three points could help you become more energy efficient saving you money by changing the simplest of things like changing your light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs or checking that your insulation has been correctly installed. Whether you do decide to become energy efficient Kiwis remember that you can better the future of your family and your country. 

P07116

Raising the drinking age is not fair. Imagine this You turn 18 and you live a very social life You want to go out with your mates to the bars and clubs but the age to do so has just been put up to 20 years of age. At 18 you don’t want to still be going to parties with people 4 years your junior. The drinking age should not be raised to 20.

Raising the drinking age will not stop the drinking. Teenagers are always able to find people to buy them alcohol or can illegally buy it. Fake identification cards are a way minors are able to purchase alcohol. This can lead to fraud charges. Pubs are supervised locations for people to consume alcohol. This should not be taken away from the under 20 year olds for a minority taking advantage of this law.

On the other hand, 18 New Zealanders have died because of binge drinking since July 2007, This is a small number of deaths considering all the teenagers that drink. “It’s not the fact that we drink that is the problem the problem is how we drink, that is the excessive amounts being drunk”. The drinking age is not the problem there is going to be problems whether the age is 20 18 or 51.

Only a few people are abusing the drinking age. Why change it when we are talking about a minority. Sir Geffory from the palmer from the law commission has said most New Zealanders drink in a low risk manor.

Why put the drinking age above all the other ages to do things. “If Im old enough to go to war I should be old enough to drink.” The drinking age is fine as it is but some things could be changed like raising the age of purchasing alcohol in off licence premises. Teenagers should be shown the effects of binge drinking not putting up the age to purchase alcohol.

Y - BA

Books VS Cell phones and Computers

            

There are pros and cons to Books vs Cell phones and Computers.

Cell phones and computers are better in some ways because, they are easier to carry than books. They are better for people with busy life styles because you can find more information in the same time as searching one book. You can use cell phones and computers to message people. They take up less space than books. You can use them in the dark because of the lighted screen and keys.

Cell phones and computers have down sides because, you have to pay hundreds for them before you can access information on them, on top of that cost you have to pay for internet (computers) and internet/texts/calls (cell phones) then you can search for information or message people. The computers and cell phones have to have a charged battery or be plugged into a power cable/charger to be able to use them. If you get a flat battery or power outage you can not use them. If you get them wet they will short out and you will have to pay more money to get a new one.

Books are better in some ways because, you do not have to pay hundreds for something before you can read anything out of it. You do not have to rely on it working it always will. Books give people a more in-depth feeling than cell phones and computers. They are easier to access at school. They are better for your mind.

Books downsides are if they get wet the pages will go soggy and the ink will run, pages will stick together and the book will be ruined. They are bulky and heavy to carry around. A book you have to search harder to find the equivalent or less information than you could get at one website from a computer. You can not message/ring people like you can on cell phones.

My honest opinion on the subject books vs. cell phones and computers is that if you are doing something like an assignment for example, most people would use a computer rather than a book because its faster and easier but if you wanted to read something, go for a book because they are easier to read than computer screens and better for your eyes. I recommend using both things equally, because if you rely on computers and cell phones to much one day they will crash and we will have to go back to the basics while they are being repaired.

By Brendan Allan

Y - ER

Cellphones should be aloud to be used at anytime in class.
Cellphones are a major part of our modern society, a lot would say that they cannot live without there cell phone and when they are not aloud to use them in class it may make them angry. I have found out a lot of information about the use of cellphones in class and I hope hat I may change some of your minds.
I use my cell phone quite frequently during the day and also during class time in school. Teachers say that you cannot do work because you get distracted by your cell phone where I complete my work while using my cell phone during class.
I surveyed three teachers at South Land Boys High School and they all said that cellphones should not be aloud to be used in class as they are a distraction to the students and there learning environment. I have taken some quotes from the teachers "Cellphones are as of no use in class and students do not need to use them"
"I don’t use my cell phone so I have no idea why the students need to"
I also surveyed twenty students from Southland Boys High School and twelve from Southland Girls High School and from my surveys I have found that all students would like to be able to use there cellphones during class time.
Also I have found that Girls use there cellphones a lot more then boys do as a question in my survey was, how many hours a day do you use your cell phone. Girls averagely use there cellphones from six to seven hours and boys three to five.
Twenty-Eight of the students that I surveyed said that cellphones do not distract them in their learning environment and the other four said that cellphones sometimes distract them in class.
This information is from

When there are cellphones in class its comes with pros and cons and here are a few of them:
Pros
You can be in touch with your children, and know their whereabouts.
Your kids can reach you in the event of an emergency, and vice versa.
If in danger, your children can reach the authorities or a medical provider.
Cons
Students often forget to turn off their phones in class, and ringing noises or text-message alerts disrupt learning.
Even if set to silent, cell phones can still cause distraction, since text messaging has become a high-tech method of passing notes in school.
Phones can be used as cheating devices during exams.
I have found a poll on the internet and views the results of pool saying "Should schools allow cellphones?"
　
Should schools allow cell phones?
16%
Absolutely not.
84%
Yes, but schools should control their use and impose limitations during class time.
9705 Total votes cast.
This poll shows that over 7000 people think that cellphones should be allowed at school and just limited use.
I agree with the poll and with the students I surveyed I think that cellphones should be aloud to be used during class but limited to their use. As I use my phone to text during class and listen to music but I always have my work completed. I hope that if any teacher sees this that they may carry it on as of the results during this research.
Emmanuel Roderiquehttp://life.familyeducation.com/cellular-telephones/school/51264.html and this is not my information.

Q07094

New Zealand Flag – It’s Time For A Change

The people of New Zealand are different in lots of ways to people of other countries in our culture and togetherness. The New Zealand flag is too much like Australia’s, doesn’t have a cultural side to it and is not very original. The benefits of all of these points would bring New Zealand Kiwi feel to the flag.

The current New Zealand Flag is too much alike the Australian flag in most aspects. The Union Jack is the same also the colours; the only difference is a star. When you see the two flags hanging from flag poles it is hard to tell the difference between the two, until you see that one extra star on the Australian flag. My opinion is that we need to change the flag up a bit because at the moment it doesn’t represent the Kiwi culture at all.

We need an original Kiwi and cultural flag which would involve the Maori and Pakeha culture. There is more than just one culture in New Zealand and we don’t show this enough in our flag. The flag could include some Maori design on it. The Maori culture in New Zealand has died down a bit and is now starting to get recognised more in schools and there are courses at SIT where you can go and learn about the Maori language and culture which my mum is currently undertaking. My opinion is that the flag should include Maori designs and be more distinctive and recognisable as being “Kiwi”.

There are many benefits in having an original flag. If we started to introduce some Maori design to the flag, we would make the Maori side of our culture more recognised to the world through the cultural designs. There also could be a Kiwi or another iconic New Zealand thing. My opinion is that, as New Zealand, we should show our culture and icons through the flag and having some cultural aspects would be good for acknowledging Maori and their culture.

So as you can see, the New Zealand flag does not show any Maori culture and is not as original as it could be. The New Zealand Flag should be changed to include the culture and feel of New Zealand.

Q07037

Is Hunting Wrong?

Imagine you are a stag standing in a clearing, munching on some delicious grass and gazing longingly at some hinds.  You spot a strange looking animal aver by the tree line pointing something at you then all of a sudden you fall asleep. Or, imagine you are crammed on a truck and travelling to a factory smelling of blood and death watching you Friends die and then die yourself. So is hunting really that bad?  Hunting is humane (especially more so than some commercial meat methods).  It is a way of life and is a great social event full of good times and great memories.

Hunting is humane, especially more so than commercial meat methods such as the Freezing Works.  For the sake of this argument you have to put yourself in the animal’s shoes.  Would you rather fall asleep unexpectedly (without waking up) while having fun with your friends, or would you rather be in an overloaded truck full of friends sent to a factory to watch them die, then get an electric shock then a compression powered bolt through your head?  When animals such as deer go to the freezing works they smell blood and a pheromones (which are released from the tarsal gland and acts as a warning sign) they panic. The last moments of there life is terrifying.  With hunting, the animal dies unexpectedly, relaxed and painlessly (93% of the time, the other 7% are bad placed shots).  All the people who despise hunting and want it banned because its “cruel and inhumane” are the biggest hypocrites.  The meat they eat from the supermarket, certain butchers and fast-food restaurants, will have come from an animal that would of hade a cruel death.  They are so wound up that hunting is bad and hunters are “big mean people who like to hurt animals” that they do not realise there are worst ways for animals to die.

Ever since primates evolved to man they have hunted for food.  Hunting has been a part of every culture for thousands of years so why is it all of a sudden wrong?  Certain families cannot afford to buy food at the supermarket so they have to hunt for food.  Would we let these people starve is we banned hunting? For families such as mine, hunting provides meat and halves the cost of our supermarket bill.  For $1.20 (the price of a bullet) you can get approximately $750 worth of meat.  So what is wrong with feeding your family for several weeks for $1.20?  Is it not what others dream of?

Sport hunting is a great social event full of good time and great memories.  To most anti-hunting fanatics sport hunting is “hanging heads on a wall to show how tough and strong we are…” where this is not the case.  Hunting is not about the kill, its tramping over mountains and through valleys, stalking the animal through the forest and consuming alcoholic beverages at the end of the day. From experience I have found that the fun of hunting is being outdoors with the fresh clean air blowing over my face and the felling of freedom. Killing is not what I enjoy but the great memories will never be forgotten.  So is it wrong to have fun and enjoy life?

To some, hunters are barbarians who love to kill animals, to others hunting is a way of life and for many, hunting is what they love. So is hunting wrong?  Is a lion hunting a gazelle not what it has to do to survive. How are we any different from them?  Hunting happens and is what always will happen and no one can change it.