The pros and cons of animal testing

Did you know that rats, mice and rabbits are burned, crippled, poisoned and abused every year for cosmetic research. Scientists use at least 26 million animals per year. Also no experiment is illegal, no matter how cruel or painful it is for the animal and worst of all they don’t have a say about what happens to them. I’m not only going to talk about cosmetic testing on animals I am also going to talk about the pros and cons of all animal testing because their is a whole lot more than cosmetic research. Much to people's dismay, animal based research has helped with many medical advances within our daily lives.

Not all animal research is bad as I said before. In fact a lot of people that are against cosmetic testing on animals are for animal research for cures and vaccines for diseases. Cures and treatments for disease and disabilities have come from animal testing. For example, a major pro with animal testing is that aid researchers are finding drugs and treatments to help prevent and cure the HIV virus. Many vaccines and medical treatments have become possible through animal testing, including treatments for Cancer, Aids, insulin and antibiotics. Another important aspect to note is that animal testing helps insure the safety of drugs. Because we can't just use any random drug without knowing the effects. With animal testing scientists can really dig deep down and find the true effects of the drug prior to human trial. We can even use animals to grow human body parts to replace damaged or missing human parts. This is called xenotransplantation. These all seem great and all but there are also the cons.

Now for the cons, most of the animals that scientists use for these experiments are either killed right after their use, others are injured and will still live the remainder of their lives in captivity. Some of these animals used will also die in vain because some tests will never see approval or public consumption. Another con about animal testing is that it is very costly. Animal testing generally costs a lot of money, as you have to feed, house, care for the animal and treat it with drugs or any other experimental substance. You also have to buy the animal but there are companies that breed animals specifically for testing and can be bought through them. There is also an argument that animal testing isn't always reliable as humans and animals aren't exactly the same. Most drugs that are tested on animals will have quite a different reaction with humans. The main criticism is that the tests can be unreliable because the animals are in an unnatural environment and will become stressed therefore they won't react to the drugs in the same way.

While there are many pros and cons to animal testing, the most ethical choice in my opinion is both. It is difficult for me to give a good answer to which side I'm on. Animal testing has helped mankind through so much, however some of the testing practices could be classified as torture. While not going as far to outlaw animal testing more research and thought should go into how it is carried out.     

             

Growing up in front of a screen.

As a child I had fond memories such as flying through the paddocks on the back of a quad bike, of helping my dad fell trees, of hunting for lizards in the long grass. Memories like these are not what I hear from the words of young children today. Instead, they talk about the new PlayStation game they got for their birthday or the cool new app their Dad has on his phone. They don’t go outside. Why do that when you can get a game that does the exact same thing but without even having to get up and put in the effort.

The children of this generation do not enjoy or know the outdoors as I did when I was young. I used to bike for huge distances to go and say hello to my friends whereas many young children today are so lazy as to text people living in the same household as them. 90% of children from 13-17 years old now have some form of social media in their lives, 70% percent of them having their own profile on a social networking site.  These children do not need to bother with exercise, they have everything they need handed to them on a silver platter.

The content these children are exposed to through household media could be anything from the most peaceful games to the bloodiest and goriest of them all with only 50% of homes surveying rules about videogames and only 30% of parents say they monitor their child’s Facebook activity. When I go onto Facebook I see children I know, some younger than ten liking posts of topless woman, racist jokes and other explicit content. Many parents I know have let their children play R18 games such as Grand Theft Auto since they were in their early years in primary school.

The implications of these “numbers” may cause more concern when people start to realise that not only do young people’s interactions with media have the potential to harm them emotionally and mentally, but physically as well. Many people complain, for example, about these new Ultra Bright LED screens that companies such as Apple are employing. They have been well known to cause pain in the eyes, nausea, dizziness and many other types of discomfort. If that is not proof that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from these machines is not bad for you, then I honestly do not know what is. Children at a young age are proven to be highly influenced by what they see and hear around them yet they are left in front of television screens with images of smoking, violence and even in some instances pornographic themes.

Even though the next generation will always be frowned upon by its predecessors I think that the children of today do not fully realise the importance of making the most of the time they have they should focus on things like their education, their childhood, the types of things that they cannot do again, things they only have one opportunity to do right. These children will look back and regret the time they have wasted and wish that they had taken the time in their lives to look away from the screen and instead look to the world around and their future.

By Ryan Wilkinson

Statistics according to:http://preventtogether.org/Resources/Documents/Impact%20of%20Media%20and%20Technology%20on%20Youth%202013.pdf

Are actors and professional athletes overpaid?

To most, you could say that actors and professional athletes are not overpaid. They deserve every cent they make because they work hard and like everyone else have to work their way up from the bottom.  I understand that but I disagree with the amount of money that actors and athletes are paid. In my opinion, actors and professional athletes are highly overpaid for what they do. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be getting good money because they do deserve it, but not to the extent where they are getting more than they really need.

We have people working so hard risking their lives for what? A low end, bad paying job just to put a roof over their families head and to put a meal on the table day after day. Some families do even get that. Then you see all these actors and athletes that get everything handed to them like its nothing. When you compare someone like Floyd Mayweather, who is earning $105 million a year for boxing, to your normal day to day firefighter that gets an average pay of $52.61 thousand a year to risk his/her life for other people, Do you think this is fair? Most of you reading this would much prefer the easy way out and higher earning job. Who wouldn’t? There are people out there that need and/or deserve the money more.

The things actors and professional athletes get away with because of wealth and fame makes me cringe. For example, Ray Rice a professional american  football running back was arrested in 2014 for assaulting his then-fiancee (now wife) where he knocked her unconscious. Ray Rice went to court, won his case and is still eligible to play NFL.  I think it’s highly unfair that he gets out of it because of fame and money when you have your ordinary person who could go to jail for a minor offence.

I cannot argue my point enough but in the end it’s your decision as to what you agree with. Just remember  there are people getting the low end, bad paying jobs for doing hard labour and there are the high end, good paying jobs for these actors and professional athletes that don’t work as hard.

What do you think? Are actors and professional athletes overpaid?

Feminism - Georgia Whitefield

Feminism  

Most people in the world would consider that we are all equal human beings and all have the same rights. Wrong. The female population are still struggling for rights that men have already been granted, equal pay, the right to wear whatever we want without being shamed into stereotypes like being a slut or the common one ‘ she’s asking for it’.

The words feminism and feminist are commonly misused and misinterpreted. The correct definition of feminism is: a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal and social rights for women (wikipedia). It’s not a word to describe somebody who hates men  and it certainly not is not a word that people should be afraid of identifying themselves as.

In the USA ( 2015) women are approximately half of the workforce and still only payed 77% of what the average white male would earn for the same workload. Research from the U.S Census Bureau has proven that African American women will earn 65 cents and Latina women will earn 56 cents to every dollar a white male will earn in the US, not only does this prove that sexism is still happening racism also.

In New Zealand women are lucky we all have rights that are fair, but in some countries women don't have those privileges. In some countries women are treated like dirt and animals, they are second class citizens who deserve what they get in those countries point of view. In example Saudi Arabian women are forbidden to drive a car, leave her home without a male companion, and the one I find appalling is women who are raped by a male will be charged in court and put in jail for the crime that was committed against them.

Girls and women this day and age are still struggling to not be looked at as sexual beings and objects. This perception of the female population is caused by media, celebrities, songs and social media. One of the recent examples of this is in the Song ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. There has been a massive saga about the song and its music video. Thicke and Williams have been ordered to pay Marvin Gaye 7.3 million US dollars because of plagiarism, also the song has been banned in 20 countries due to its sexism, discriminating lyrics and exploiting young women due to them being forced to be naked in the video.

Society and politics are the real reason for sexism and the reason why we aren't all equal in the world. There are solutions that could change the world for the with such a simple thing like giving women the right to drive a car or leave her house without having a man with her. Gender equality is possible with people supporting the cause and believing that a change can be made. 

Beyonce once said that “ We need to stop buying into the myth of gender equality. It’s not a reality…….Yet Today women are 50% of Americas work force but yet the only earn 77% of what an average working man earns for the same job. But unless men and women both say it’s unacceptable nothing will ever change.

Are Our Lessons at School Worthwhile?

The bell rings, it’s eight-forty am, where are you? Or where are you meant to be? Young people are at school for six hours each day for five days in a week. To most students, ‘going to school’ is referred to being a time filler for our lives. But are our lessons at school worthwhile? Is Maths used later in life other than school? Yes it is important for students to understand what we learn in class at school is worthwhile for our future.

At the age of sixteen and seventeen we suddenly realise that we are being ruled by people; people who we need in our daily lives. Doctors, lawyers, dentists, engineers, teachers and many more are the significant people who rule us. You must obey to what they tell you to do. Without them living would be much harder and more of a disaster because obeying doctors may save your life, obeying lawyers may get you out of serious cases, obeying dentists may make your painful tooth pain free, obeying to engineers may save your expensive car or house/building and obeying teachers will lead you to having a higher quality, successful job. People with such professions have all excelled in school to become successful and helpful to our society, our world. This shows that school is worthwhile because if you try hard, taking each lesson seriously, then you are capable and most likely to become someone who could help others with their lives.

Most students wonder why studying Algebra at school is worthwhile and will help you with your future. I surveyed twenty students asking the question, “Do you think Algebra is important for your life later on in the future?” Six out of twenty said Algebra is important and fourteen said Algebra isn’t. But do you know when you will use Algebra? You will use Algebra for decision making in your life, prerequisite for advanced training, science, data entry, interest rates and most relevant in school and writing of assignments. Your day can be made a lot easier with planning when you are making financial problems/decisions Algebra can help you save a large amount of finances and get you the best available price. Using the knowledge and algebraic skills you learn from school will benefit your own life.

Inventors, new inventions, Albert Einstein did well in school, Thomas Edison put effort into his education and what did they achieve? They achieved great things by inventing brilliant inventions that we need in our daily lives. Both inventors excelled in school and set their own personal goals at a young age. But imagine if they didn’t attend school. Where would we put our milk or cheese if Albert Einstein didn’t learn at school to invent the refrigerator? Would we have had light bulbs as early as the nineteenth century? School was very important for Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, many more inventors and nowadays school is important for us. You never know, out of the unexpected you can come out of school to become a famous inventor and invent very useful things that can help make people’s lives easier.

Are our lessons at school worthwhile? Yes they are worthwhile because you could become someone who is very successful with the knowledge from school. Maths is used later in our lives for better and bigger things, our life is a math game after school. It is time for us to realise what is worthwhile and what is not.  

Sources:

survey

http:/www.mathworksheetscenter.com/mathtips/algebra.html

www.inventor.stratigies.com/albert-einstein-invention-html

http:/classroom.synonym.com/important-thomas-edison-invention-light-bulb-b305.html

Written by Cathy Chen 

Are Eating Disorders Well Known?

For the majority, passing school, getting a decent job and pursuing a successful career is what will gain them a happy, fulfilled life. Sadly for hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders, according to Eating Disorders Association of New Zealand (EDANZ), recovering from their eating disorder is more important than anything else. Imagine a person with long dark hair, freckles on their face, big brown eyes, and in the opinion of many, has a nice slim body. This person has an unhealthy, underweight BMI but they are applauded by society for maintaining an ‘attractive’ body image. Or imagine someone with short blonde hair, blue eyes, who is overweight and gets taunted constantly by people purely because of their size. Both of these people have an eating disorder, but in society, one of these eating disorders is more well-known than the other. I believe that there isn’t enough information about eating disorders for people to understand what it is and what effects it has.

Stereotypically, majority of teenagers associate eating disorders as bulimia or anorexia. According to http://www.anad.org/ (ANAD), Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) joined the ranks with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN) as an “official” eating disorder back in 1997. It has been a near on 18 years since BED became an official eating disorder, yet not many people know about it. Why is it that eating disorders are perceived as losing large amounts of weight rather than gaining it? My opinion on this is that it is more socially acceptable to taunt an overweight person rather than a scrawny person and I think it is utterly disgusting that it is even acceptable to torment others based on their physical size. The truth is that anorexia, bulimia and binge eating are all the same types of eating disorders, only they’re on different ends of the spectrum.

On the other hand, I don’t blame teenagers for thinking anorexia and bulimia are the only two eating disorders. I blame the media. ANAD states that 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures. A further 69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape. What exactly is a perfect shape? Is it the tumblr boys and girls you see on your device? The Victoria’s Secret models that you see on billboards? I think that the media is at the heart and soul of promoting eating disorders and I despise people who have the audacity to claim a certain shape is the ‘perfect’ body size.  

There are multiple cause and effects that eating disorders have. Eating disorders are very complex conditions that start from the long-established behavioral factors. The psychological, interpersonal, social and biological aspects of eating disorders are all behavioral factors that will damage a person’s physical and emotional health. According to ANAD, almost 50% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression, and only 1 in 10 men and women with eating disorders receive treatment. Information about eating disorders isn’t something that our society likes to talk about in public and because of that, many people feel ashamed and have to hide their illness. Eating disorders are illnesses that can’t be resolved straight away and I don’t think many people understand that. You can’t exactly tell someone with an eating disorder to ‘eat more’ or ‘eat less’. It’s like telling someone with asthma that they should ‘get over it’ because there’s so much air in the world.

As you can see, eating disorders don’t always associate with losing large amounts of weight. Also, the media has an affect on those who want to have the ‘perfect’ body and the effects of eating disorders can’t be resolved instantly. Information about eating disorders should be more well-known so that our society don’t feel the need to hide and be ashamed of their eating disorder. It is time for us to band together and help those who are struggling with this illness.

Why aren’t people taking racism seriously?

Imagine a world full of peace, a war-free world and people accepting each other for who they are. Unfortunately, nobody’s perfect and the worst thing going on right now in this world is racism.People aren’t taking racism seriously and no one is stepping up and having the courage to make it stop. Why is that?

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, racism is defined as the ‘belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race. It is especially distinguished as inferior or superior to another race or races’ and the expression of such prejudice. The word racism was first noted around the 1900’s and has been used negatively through prejudice and stereotype.

Racism can be formed through stereotyping which can be seen based on peoples’ judgements to other cultural races. They think that they are better because of their colour, where they are from and what language they speak. Stereotype is one of the main problems for people receiving racial abuse. Being a teenager, I have experienced and witnessed racism being used in school and out in public. My experience involved being brave to talk about what happened and asking for help. This made me think about other times where people would not ask for help or did not have the support to speak up like I did. I then decided to write about why racism is still alive and why I felt that stereotype has played a big part in this.

Through talking to people and reading comments online, I have found some of the main reasons why people are not standing up against racial violence. They can include: the fear of getting bullied, trying to blend in, or receiving racial abuse themselves. This can lead to being emotionally depressed, losing friends and being ashamed of your identity.

My recommendations for eliminating racism would be better support for people to speak up against racism making sure it is not being misused in humor. Also, more education is needed in schools and communities to raise awareness around what it is about including ‘The Human Rights Law’ where people have the right to be free from racial discrimination. Just because you have not experienced racism does not mean you can’t step in to help because everyone should take responsibility for stopping racial abuse.   

Ana-Maria Maugaotega   

Are Teenagers Expected to do too Much?

Teenagers are expected to do and be so many things. Society has formed this image of a ‘perfect young adult’. This idea has been informed by many things, including parents, teachers, friends, role models, celebrities, the media and many more. These expectations are ridiculously high, whether its for what we should act to impress people or how we are expected to live our lives. Teenagers are supposed to look flawless. We should have perfect skin and be skinny, otherwise we get bullied. We are supposed to be able to balance how we spend our time, with friends and family, school, work, and hobbies.

The media has photoshopped all of the people on magazines and people have started to believe that this is what we are expected to look like. The media has made it so the way you look is more important than your personality. There are high expectations for us to look perfect all of the time. For girls, we are supposed to have flawless skin, that we could not possibly have without a tonne of makeup. We have been told by the media that we should have a thin but curvy body otherwise we wont look attractive. For guys, because of the media, society has concocted this theory that they have to have a beach body to look attractive. They have to have a toned chest and stomach along with muscular arms and legs. Girls are expected to wear short or revealing clothes to impress others. None of these things are necessary to look attractive but because of the media, our society now says that they are.

How do we keep our lives balanced? Teenagers are expected, by our teachers and parents, to go to school, get a decent education and then finish all the extra work we get from school at home. People in the top classes are expected to get excellence in their assessments. In some classes the teachers only show us examples of excellences because that's what we have been told that we should get. However we are told by our friends and family, that we are supposed to be around them as often as we can. We are also told that we should be in a sports team and have a job when we can. Its extremely difficult to balance out these things. Sometimes it’s not possible.

Media has the biggest impact on us. The models they use in magazines have an incredible amount of photoshopping done on them. This is because people feel like they are expected to look like this due to clothes designers using skinny models. Designers want skinny models to show off their clothes. But the people in magazines are not natural. If you saw one of these models walking down the street, you would not recognize them. But because these magazines say that the models are natural, it causes the quest for perfection to increase. When media shows celebrities looking flawless whenever they leave the house, it affects us. It makes it seem like that if we want to be famous, or even beautiful, we have to look like that too.

Teenagers often spend way too much time trying to make themselves ‘perfect’. The majority of girls wear makeup to cover up any acne they may have. Guys do tonnes of exercises, hoping that they’ll get fitter. We spend all of our time trying to impress people. Its a waste. You don’t have to do any of these things to be successful or to be in a relationship. Many teenagers get extremely stressed trying to balance out school and social life. We should stop trying to change ourselves to meet these expectations. Instead of spending all of our time trying to fix what quirks or flaws we have, we should spend it on making ourselves happy.

Why is child poverty still an on­going issue in New Zealand, who is to blame?

No warm clothes, living in cold and damp overcrowded houses, shoes worn out, no

medical assistance. You’re left hungry for days, but you’re not old enough to take

matters in your own hands. You wonder why all your clothes have someone else’s

name on them, or why your sleeves are too small and your top rides up. You’re a girl

but your school uniform is different to everyone else’s, you have to wear pants

because all your siblings are boys and your parents can’t afford to buy more uniform.

Teachers get angry at you for not doing your homework that was set on the

computer. You’re too ashamed to say you don’t have a computer because everyone

will laugh. You miss out on school trips all the time. You hate mufti days because

you’re embarrassed of what you’re wearing. You can’t afford stationary. You’re stuck

wondering why teachers get angry at you for not having books or not being focused,

you missed breakfast only because you have no food. One in six European children live in poverty with Maori and Pasifika twice as likely to be affected, according to www.nzherald.co.nz  . Child poverty is now a reality in New Zealand.

It’s never the child’s fault that they live in poverty; in saying this it’s not always

the parents fault either. Parents need to cover costs of housing, power and water,

stationary, uniform, doctor’s visits for when children fall ill, food, sports and other extracurricular  hobbies. A lot of the time, parents cover costs like these for more than one  child and sometimes even doing it by themselves as solo parents. It would be hard for low income jobs to cover these costs.

Many children slip in and out of poverty because of family circumstances like job

loss, redundancy, illness, costly medical treatments and separation of relationships.

Some of these can cause temporary poverty. Long term poverty is a lot more serious

as it can affect a child’s emotional, physical and social development skills. It may

also affect children later in life in the workforce. In 1982 the level of child poverty in

New Zealand was fourteen percent, it has increased dramatically since then. One in four children live in poverty, and  260,000 kiwi kids live in poverty. Also ten percent of these kids live in severe poverty, three out of five of the children living in poverty will continue to live this way for years and years to come, according to www.childpoverty.co.nz.

Many people  find it strange and difficult to understand that there is child poverty in

New Zealand, and are amazed to learn we have one of the higher levels in the

developed world. Personally, I think there are more ways the government could help children and families in need. Firstly, I think the government needs to prioritise

poverty above all other issues. Children simply cannot learn effectively if they are hungry  the government needs to provide fruit, bread, milk and water at every school in

New Zealand. I think doctors’ visits and prescriptions should be free for people 21

years and younger. I think that parents who are spending money on things like

drugs and alcohol instead of their kids need to prioritise as well. Another suggestion could be to issue a card similar to a eftpos card for families on low incomes this can only be used for groceries, power bills and doctor’s visits.

In conclusion I think more needs to be done about child poverty; this doesn’t mean

the government foots the bills. But I do think they play a big part. Because as I have

said it’s never a childs fault they live in poverty, nor should a child in New Zealand not

live without the basic necessities.      

Kiana Rerekura

Is the rebuild an excuse to demolish Christchurch's historic buildings?

Is the rebuild an excuse to demolish   

Christchurch's historic buildings?

Did you know that the owners of the Public Trust building have applied to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) for a section 38 notice that would allow them to demolish the building? And CERA is considering a request for a section 38 notice on the historic Bishopscourt building and chapel within the Bishopspark Retirement Village in Park Tce? These are only a few examples of historic buildings having applications for demolition in the central city. What i want to know is - are the owners of Christchurch historic buildings using the re-build as an excuse to demolish these buildings?

It is important to keep most of our historic buildings because they are important to people. You may not care that a complete stranger has sentimental connection to a rundown brick building in the city center, but I do!. Imagine if the house your family lived in for generations was demolished and replaced by something like a dairy. How would you feel? I think that more people need to know about the history of buildings like the Woods Mill or the Addington Prison. These buildings have been in Christchurch since the early 1900s, and are an important piece of Christchurch’s history.

Rebuilding Christchurch should be done by those who truly acknowledge the identity and memory of the city in a complete, honest and tangible way. The Public Trust building is a group-3 protected heritage site in the Christchurch City Plan. It is owned by businessman Ben Gough’s company, Tailorspace Investments Ltd. Engineers engaged by CERA found the building to be repairable. Rebuilding Christchurch doesn't need to be done by demolishing every building and starting again, you can repair and re-develop. Look at the loft developments in New York or the Waterfront developments in San Francisco and Sydney. People are drawn to places like that. They are fabulous assets to enjoy.

Is a new “City of the Future” going to become a reality for Christchurch? Shops, restaurants, bars and cafes are expected to line the picturesque Avon’s edge, as well as sports stadiums in a push to make the revitalized city “very much like Melbourne”, according to Prime Minister John Key.

Therefore this is why I think it is not reasonable to completely demolish Christchurch and its Historic buildings. Demolition not only leaves an empty site, it jeopardizes the memory the public has of these landmarks.   

The life of a Prisoner In New Zealand

New Zealand Prisons are more like a luxurious getaway. From grocery lists to entertainment, New Zealand prisons aren't strict enough. With improved rations, a broader range of education and extra health care up for grabs do we really consider it prison now or just another place to gain qualifications? Why aren't New Zealand prisons as tough as overseas prisons? I also want to argue the point that we need harsher penalties so the crime fits the time.

Special diets, grocery items, food brought in with written permission; New Zealand’s department of corrections needs to stop treating prison like a resort. Prisoners in New Zealand can receive family prepared meals, as the department of correction states prisoners in New Zealand can have ‘individually purchased grocery items with money that they've earned from working and with a written request they are given the option of having special dietary meals planned for them’. This is special treatment. American prisons serve two meals a day, either half an egg and a slice of bread or a mixture of beans, one meat patty and a slice of bread. No milk was provided and a weak tea is served with their meals. Sean Kerrig, writer for Zerohedge.com stated ‘American prisoners refer to their food as ‘shit on a shingle’ while in New Zealand prisoners get multiple options.

In my opinion I also believe the crime should fit the time. Does the judge/jury giving the sentence know what they’re doing? Have they taken into mind the actions the offender has done? Our crime penalties should change to benefit the victims who suffer. Imposing sentences is one of the most difficult tasks undertaken by a judge. Death penalty in New Zealand was abolished in 1898. As it states on www.infoplease.com countries such as USA, Malaysia, Afghanistan and many more still permit death row for disgusting crimes such as murder, so why don't New Zealand?

Parole in New Zealand is used as a way to get the offenders to better themselves. Why is it that here in New Zealand, offenders such as drug dealers/sex offenders get parole?The department of correction says ‘offenders have home detention which is monitored and with exceptional circumstances they can travel overseas. They have allocated places to live and their parole officer chooses who they can and cannot see. If any of these rules are breached the parole will be cancelled and they’ll go back to prison.

This shows us that New Zealand’s Department of Corrections should treat prison more like a prison and less like a resort.  They need to take action and stop treating the prisoners like royalty, giving them special benefits because then what’s really going to stop criminals from acting again? It is time to reform our New Zealand prisons; it’s time to take a stand.

Shannon Iafeta

Women's sport should get more recognition

A.S.

Are you familiar with the names Kerri Walsh, Tina Charles, Misty May-Treanor, Ally Raisman, Candace Parker or Natalie Coughlin? Well you should be! they are in the top 50 female athletes in the world.What about LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Brett Farve, Michael Phelps or Barry Onds? Chances are you know these male athletes  much better than the female athletes. This is because women’s sport doesn't get as much recognition. This should change there should be equal coverage and NO  favouritism to men’s sports should be given.

Women’s sports doesn’t get anywhere near as much media coverage or even an article in the local papers, but it deserves so much more. This is mainly because advertisers are convinced no one would watch them. So what if they aren’t quite to the standard of the top male sport stars?  With more interest and funding they very easily could be. A survey was done by an English charity  a couple of years ago and they called for more media coverage, more programmes aimed at girls in school, more female leadership in sports organisations and more opportunities for women and girls to get involved in sport. The results were 48% wanted more coverage, 22% didn’t support more coverage and 31% were unsure.

Many argue that women’s sports are just as interesting and exciting to watch as males sports but the media don’t see it like that. They think that males sports are better to watch but how is a game of men’s soccer/football so interesting to watch. All they like to do is attempt to force yellow and red cards on opposing players.It would be so nice to see women on TV playing their game, they train just as hard as men do and are just as skilful so they should be recognised for this. What I mean by that is equal coverage on the TV and in papers. If young girls saw female athletes on TV then that would encourage them to get up and pay sports. Gender should not matter in sports.

One day I would like to turn on the TV and hear names like Kerri Walsh, Tina Charles, Misty May-Treanor and many more female athletes instead of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Tiger Woods. It would be so nice to see women’s sport all in the papers and on the media and people seeing that women are capable of playing sports and achieving to a high standard just like men.

Aleesha King

1080, A Death Trap?

1080, A Death Trap?

A beautiful forest: green trees, birds chirping, the sound of insects jumping around in the fallen leaves. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have more of this in our native New Zealand forests? However, DoC (Department Of Conservation) holds a dark truth about why we don't see much of this in our forests. That truth is 1080 and it should be banned.

                                                               

Sodium monofluoroacetate, better known as 1080, is used to kill pests that were introduced to New Zealand, such as stoats, rats and possums, from native parks and forests. It is also developed as an insecticide so obviously, insects will be affected. Our native icon, kiwi, eats insects therefore are exposed to secondhand poisoning. Do you want them extinct?. The poison 1080 is often non-biodegradable it can last up to six months in the environment allowing it more time to poison more and more animals. It will kill anything, from small insects to bigger mammals including deer and cows.  

Also stoats are not always killed by 1080 poison as some of them have an immunity to the poison. This data was collected in 2010. The rat population boomed after DoC attempted to get rid of the numbers of rats. ‘’Rats had gathered around homes of people beside the state highway between Hokitika and Whataroa, after a 1080 drop in 2010.’’ Laurie Collins, said in his fourteen  years working for the forest service mainly in pest control, there had never been the pest control problem DoC now claimed existed ‘’ (NZ Herald Debate Flares Over 1080 Drop) .

1080 does not only kill pests that we don't want; it kills anything in its power. Our wildlife is in danger because of this horrific poison. Studies have shown evidence of considerable harm to native species. Ban1080.co.nz says nineteen different native bird species corpses were tested positive for 1080 poisoning. Significant numbers of native bird species never had the poisoning risk indicated. They may never recover from such a loss of number. This is a very high price for pest control. A 1080 operation in Arthurs pass last year killed five among thirty nine monitored birds. Information was not available for how many died out of the monitored group. 1080 is also deadly to farmers’ livestock, dogs, deer even humans. Not only is it leading to natives deaths, it is also an excruciating painful death. For a bird it takes 12-24 hours to die, larger animals can take 2 - 4 days. ‘’To make a statement that no bird are being killed by 1080 is just ridiculous’’ Mary Molloy said.

Instead of making our native wildlife suffer from excruciating death which is preventable. Why don’t we use another method that is humane to kill pests and doesn't kill our native wildlife? Trapping, although more expensive, is a better option than 1080. If a native decides to crawl into a trap it’s not going to die, but if it eats 1080 it is a certain death. If a stoat crawls into a trap DoC will take it away and kill it humanely where as if it ate 1080 it would die anywhere and another carnivorous animal would eat it then that animal would die too. Cyanide is also an option a pest crawls into a trap DoC takes it away and gases it, which is better than 1080 and would also mean less expense on our precious native wildlife.

Therefore these are my reasons why I think 1080 should be banned for good. It is used to kill pests but as you know it will kill anything in its power, there are other ways to kill pests that doesn't affect our native wildlife.

Written By Ellie McVicar

Media. Helpful or Disastrous?

Media, is it helping or causing all our world problems? Social media is the basis for countless of the world’s problems and solutions. It can be used to increase awareness for important causes but can also be used to develop hate, especially with teenagers. The media is in charge of many teens’ lifes. But is that how it should be? Media also changes our aspects of everyday life. For example what we should be wearing what we look should like to be able to feel accepted in today’s society.

Firstly media encourages false images of how a perfect world should look like impacts like this causes insecurities to a lot of girls and boys. We see Miley Cyrus singing in lingerie’s, we hear about celebrities getting arrested for doing drugs and we watch fake violent shows. Seeing people we idolise fall and hit rock bottom, we see celebrities in photos with no fat, perfect skin and we are told that, that is beauty. The photos we are seeing in magazines and on television are almost all photo-shopped. But our brains are telling us we need to look like them. These misleading pictures of how bodies, relationships, houses etc. leads to very low self-esteem and can lead to depression. We need to lose weight no matter what; we need to have the perfect toned skin. Headlines in magazines about anorexia and bulimic gives teenager’s ideas. Is this what the media leads to?

Second social networking like Facebook allows you to connect with anyone, a neighbour, co-worker, or the girl you met last Tuesday. Using these sites can make you feel better and feel connected. But with having that power to search up anyone can have its downsides. No one is really safe using social networking, you give out your details and personal information about yourself where any random can find, there putting yourself in danger. Cyber-bullying had a massive effect on media. The immediacy of social media is available to not only your friends and family but to predators as well. Once you upload your details to a network it is there for anyone to come across putting yourself in harm’s way.

The media is everywhere, from music to sports and the internet and beyond it clearly shows that media plays an important role in our lives. We are not aware of how much interaction we have with the media. Therefore media has impacted us to feel and think that way do. With the hassles of keeping up with everyone else, competing with the world.  

Caitlin Woolley

Does Money Equal Perfection?

To many, a clear face and perfect body is most definitely a dream come true nowadays nobody appreciates their appearance. Everyone has resorted to putting chemicals in their hair, reconstructing their face, enduring such pain for hours to create a permanent portrait on ones skin, these are some of the countless things people go through because based on their opinion “will improve appearance and gain more self confidence”. Thousands of dollars are spent based on their self belief.

Plastic surgery is the most unnecessary, risky yet expensive procedure. With few procedures being under $7000 a lot have not been financially able to support this procedure, therefore more and more people have been taking thousands of dollars out of saving accounts or going into debt. Over 15 million people in 2011 underwent plastic surgery the numbers are rising every year along with how much these procedures cost. The most sickening thing is all this money is being wasted on something that is so unnecessary. Since plastic surgery is so popular the demand for it is increasing every year. All in all, plastic surgery is wasting time and money that is being taken out of our pockets for no real reason and highly unnecessary.

What can you say about your hair? Too curly, don't like colour, or length? Bringing up the subject about cutting a girls hair will make her cringe. We are too attached and obsessed with something that could be gone within a matter of seconds. (Even worse,a girl spends $15000 on average, on her hair.) This is money that could be spent on bills, clothes, your kids future. Instead of hair curlers, straighteners, dye, the list goes on. We need to learn from others and spend less money on something we want but spend more time to work with what we've got. It seems parents are now focusing more on their appearance, and less on family members.

Celebrities, your cousin, even your teacher all have a 95% chance of wearing makeup. Literally spending money to smudge a liquid on your face for 6 hours then wipe off, what a waste. Applying such substances to our face can make us into sometime we strive to look like, natural beauty is much more affectionate than caked on make up. I would would much rather look like myself then spend $50 on a powder to cover a zit. Makeup damages and ruins your skin, as well as not applied correctly to others standards it can lead to bullying. Too much money misspent on something so unwanted and spent on something that does not make a positive impact on our lives, so why buy it?    

Millions upon millions of dollars gone to waste. Products and procedures that everyone thinks of on payday. You could make differences in your life by not buying needless things and focusing on more important things, like family, work. There are much more priorities that need to be taken care of.