A: What’s on today’s newspaper?

B: As usual, politicians arrested on corruption scandals

A: I’m not surprised at all, to be honest. Since day 1 our country has been ruled by rotten people.

B: You’re right, but our country has been better in fighting the corruption. Those rotten people have been
exposed one by one since the KPK was established.

A: Yeah, kudos to the KPK. I admit that their works are excellent. Anyway, what cause do you think that
makes the corrupt people commit the misdeed? B: Because of the money, of course

A: Aren’t their salaries are higher than most of people in this country? I think they are even overpaid.

B: Yes, their salaries are high, but we can’t dismiss the lack of professional ethics on them. We also can’t
exclude their greediness.

A: Oh, I see. Humans are never satisfied with what they have, after all. But the greediness can be resisted
if they don’t lack of morality

B: Yup. That’s what I was trying to say. Besides of the greediness, is there any cause of corruption in your
opinion?

A: I think corruption can be caused by impractical and unclear regulations. People are willing to bribe to
quicken the bureaucratic procedures. The corrupt officials see this as an opportunity for their personal
interest

B: Yeah, thus corruption happens. Do these corrupt people realize that their malicious conduct give bad
impact to the country and its people?

A: Of course not. They are selfish. They don’t care that their crime affects the state budget. They don’t
care that the money they steal doesn’t reach those whom intended to get it.

B: That’s right. Corruption can also decrease foreign investment. You know, the foreign investment plays
a role in state’s growth. So, if our country is less attractive for the investors, we the people will also get
the bad effect.

A: Yup. When we think about it, corruption also generates bad quality in services. You know, if the
officials do their best quality of work when they are bribed only, there is no way we will get the best
quality in services without bribing them

B: I hate those corrupt officials! They make the good ones look also like criminals

A: That’s true! Because of the corrupt politicians, we also tend to lose faith and trust in government.

B: Yeah, corruption does nothing except harm for people in general

A: That’s why I want corruptors to get death penalty, so that others will not follow them.

B: Death penalty is too extreme, I think. It’s better to punish them through public shaming. You know,
like making them standing in the public for hours each day while wearing a vest with “I am a Corruptor”
written on it.
A: That’s also a good punishment for them. Whatever it is, I just want them to get severely punished

B: Agree!
Students are not allowed to chew gum in my class. While some students think that I am just being mean,
there are many good reasons for this rule. First, some irresponsible students make messes with their
gum. They may leave it on the bottoms of desks, drop it on the floor, or put it on other people’s property.
Another reason why I don’t allow students to chew gum is because it is a distraction. When they are
allowed to chew gum, students are more worried about having it, popping it, chewing it, and snapping it
then they are in listening, writing, reading, and learning. This is why I don’t allow students to chew gum
in my class.

Sometimes humans change an ecosystem without meaning to.

It’s that way in my town, Oakville. Recently, many new homes were built in a wooded area of
the city. People moved onto the land where deer and other wild animals lived. As a result, the
only place the deer could roam was in the city. Early in the morning, it’s not unusual to see deer
walking down the middle of the main street. They wander in people’s yards looking for plants to
eat. It can be dangerous for drivers because the deer can run in front of cars.

That’s one reason our class has adopted the deer as a project. We’re writing to ask city council to
leave some wooded areas for the deer.

Causes of Child Obesity

"Many of today's kids are engaged in sedentary pursuits made possible by a level of technology
unthinkable as recently as 25 to 30 years ago. Computer, video, and other virtual games, the ready
availability of feature films and games on DVD, plus high-tech advancements in music-listening
technology have come down into the range of affordability for parents and even for the kids themselves.
These passive pursuits have produced a downside of reduced physical activity for the kids, often with
the explicit or implicit consent of the parents. . . .
"Other fairly recent developments have also contributed to the alarming rise in child obesity rates. Fast
food outlets offering consumables that are both low in price and low in nutritional content have
exploded all over the American landscape since the 1960s, especially in suburban areas close to major
highway interchanges. Kids on their lunch breaks or after school often congregate in these fast food
outlets, consuming food and soft drinks that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. Many parents,
themselves, frequently take their children to these fast food places, thus setting an example the kids can
find justification to emulate."

Effects of Automobiles
"I worry about the private automobile. It is a dirty, noisy, wasteful, and lonely means of travel. It pollutes
the air, ruins the safety and sociability of the street, and exercises upon the individual a discipline which
takes away far more freedom than it gives him. It causes an enormous amount of land to be
unnecessarily abstracted from nature and from plant life and to become devoid of any natural function.
It explodes cities, grievously impairs the whole institution of neighborliness, fragmentizes and destroys
communities. It has already spelled the end of our cities as real cultural and social communities, and has
made impossible the construction of any others in their place. Together with the airplane, it has
crowded out other, more civilized and more convenient means of transport, leaving older people, infirm
people, poor people and children in a worse situation than they were a hundred years ago."
(George F. Kennan, Democracy and the Student Left, 1968)

The Positive Effects of Daycare

Since my daughter has been in daycare she has become better at a few different things. To start
off, her vocabulary is much larger and more developed. Before she started daycare, my daughter
had a few select words that she would say like; momma, dada, Cocoa (one of the puppies), and
some other simple words. Now she tries to repeat everything that is said. Another result of her
being in daycare is that she has the ability to interact with other children better. In the past, she
was only around one child. Now she is around about six to eight kids, and she has learned to
share her toys and to play in a group with the other children. Her learning to share has carried
over at home when she tells her daddy or me that it’s his turn or mommy’s turn when putting her
socks on. A third outcome of her being in daycare is the fact that she is becoming more self-
reliant. Before daycare, she wouldn’t try very hard to help me with getting dressed, but now she
wants to try to do it all on her own. She puts her pull ups on and tries to pull on her shirts and
pants herself. Socks still go on upside down, but at least her shoes go on the correct feet I am
really glad that I decided to put her in a daycare, for the benefits have been great.

~© Jessi Johnson 2005~

Effects of Alcohol

Letting alcohol take control over your life has many negative effects on a person and the people
around them. One important effect is the damage you can do to your body. Drinking can lead to
severe illness and even eventual death; some health consequences to consider might be liver
disease, kidney failure and, for pregnant women, the loss of their unborn child. Another
detriment is that an addiction could lead to drinking and driving; possibly causing a fatal car
accident for either yourself and/or an innocent by stander. Another concern to consider is the
relationships alcohol can destroy. Alcohol abuse can have very serious affect on a person’s
temperament, which can lead to spousal and even child abuse. Alcohol often is the number one
cause in divorce and spending time in jail. It can also affect relationships outside of the family;
many people have lost life long friends whether it is due to foolish arguments and behavior or
possibly death. Lastly, drinking has negative effects on self-esteem and rational thinking. People
become more self-centered, develop low self-esteem, doing things or behaving in ways that they
would not normally. They have little or no regard to the outcomes of what is said or done when
they grow reliant on getting that alcohol high. The negative effects of alcohol abuse are
overwhelming when considering the many consequences that drinkers and the people around
them have to deal with.
~© Racheal Guza 2005~

Courage At A Cost

Many people believe that the act of courage lies within each individual, and these acts of courage
can be brought out by three possible causes. The first cause, and the most obvious, is
provocation. Often times this is seen in movies where the villain kidnaps and threatens to kill the
hero's family. More often that not, the hero finds it within himself to put aside his fears and
overcome near impossible odds to save the day. The majority of the time it is direct threats such
as this one that provoke human nature to acts of courage. The second cause is a purpose. In 2001,
the Twin Towers fell to terrorist attacks. Military enlistments reached all time highs as many
men and women joined the armed forces. For many of these people, the prospect of serving their
country, and gaining revenge for the cowardice acts of the terrorists were the only reasons
necessary for their courage. The third cause is a belief in a higher power. The presence of God
gives many people the courage to do things they would not be able to do otherwise. His words
play clearly in their minds," Be strong and of good courage", because: "the lord thy god is with
thee whithersoever thou goest"(bible reference). According to God and his followers, his
presence is enough cause for courage. For these people, their courage knows no boundaries.
Whatever your inspiration for courage may be, you can just about bet it was brought on by one
of these three underlying circumstances.

~© Kyle Shearin 2005~

Does Every Child deserve their Real Parents?

Many children are placed into foster care because their situation at home is not satisfactory
according to The Department of Family Services. A lot of the situations deal with emotional,
physical, and verbal abuse. A young girl named Tiffany was placed into foster care at the age of
8. The lack of a father role model in her life had life changing effects on Tiffany. As an already
confused child, she was adopted by a foster home for females. It was run by females only. As a
foster child at the time, when Tiffany would go out into public with either her “big sister” or
foster parent, she would begin to understand that she wasn’t like most children because all the
regular children had their mother and father. She began to develop insecurities about herself and
feel like she just didn’t fit in with most children. An even more traumatic effect on Tiffany’s
confusion was she was constantly wondering why she had to go through all this. Over the last
two years Tiffany has been placed back into her home with her biological mother, but she
constantly wonders when she will ever get to meet her real father. Her mother currently has a
long term boyfriend. Tiffany is now starting to accept him as her father role model, but deep
down Tiffany wonders every day if she will ever get to meet her real father. Tiffany not having
her biological father in her life has affected her because she feels like she doesn’t have that
normal family that everybody else seems to have. Inside she feels like she is missing something.
Overall it hasn’t ruined her life. Tiffany excels in school, sports, and in the social life, but she
cannot get rid of the empty feeling of not having her real father in her life. When she gets older
she will start to understand what is really going on and maybe that feeling of loneliness will be
gone.

~© 2005 Amy Neill~

The Hard Life of Farmers

The lack of rain and snow has horrible effects on farmers. with no rain their land dries up, and it
is very difficult to grow anything. When the crops fail, the farmers haven't anay choice but to get
a second job in order to make the money they need. Farmong is a full time job and with a second
job, farmers are overworked, stressed and even depressed. Many farmers end up selling their
land. Some farmers have accepted the government program the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP), which is the land is left idle to let the grass grow and must be left idle a certian number of
years. while the land is in the CRP program, some farmers have taken outside jobs. That is why
when it doesn't rain, you notice that most of the farmers are very crabby. As a farmer's daughter,
I have experienced some good times and some bad times. I have gained a great respect for
farmers everywhere. ~(c)2005 Laura White~

The Effects of Underage Drinking

Underage drinking has many costly consequences adolescents don’t consider before
making the decision to drink. One costly affect is a criminal record that never goes away,
unless you happen to be under the age of eighteen. With a criminal record job application
may be hindered or employers may see that the other candidate has a clear record;
therefore the employer may choose the other applicant. Other results are the penalties they
receive during court appearances. Depending on the severity of the crime punishment
could include, expensive fines, drivers license revocation, community service, and if you
happen to be a repeat offender, jail time. Jail time, community service, and driver’s license
revocation can interfere with your day-to-day activities putting a damper in your life at
that time. Fines are just payments that could have been avoided; I see them as wasting
hard earned money for a night of fun. A third outcome of underage drinking could result
in expulsion from a schools’ athletic team. If the student is in college the result could be loss
of a scholarship. Another very devastating effect is the loss of respect among peers, parents,
and other people associated with the offender. Even if it is just beer others could assume
that you would break the law in other areas. Although the consequences are always
prevalent, some adolescents still choose to risk it to have what they believe is a good time.

~(c)Ashley Neill 2005

Dropping Out

For many teenagers, there are numerous negative factors that can lead them to give up on
their education and drop out of school. The first cause is that many teenagers lack positive
role models in their lives. The lack of an encouraging adult in their lives can cause them to
think negatively about themselves and it does not allow them to live up to their full
potential. Also, the lack of a positive role model can cause them to get involved with the
wrong kind of people and activities. When students get involved in these types of negative
situations, they usually don't focus on school. This can lead many impressionable young
children to give up on their education. Another factor that cause a student to give up on
school is a lack of determination. If they're not determined to graduate, it can be very
difficult for them to stay in school. Many students find it difficult to stay focused on school
when they when they feel that getting an education is useless. Some students only attend
school because they are forced to and they are not there to further their education. The
third and final factor is peer pressure. Many students give into pure pressure very easily. If
the pure pressure is negative, this can lead them into drugs and alcohol. The drugs and
alcohol can cause them to drop out very easily because that is the only thing that they are
focused on and it can easily ruin a child's life.
 Air Pollution Poignant Matters
Air pollution refers to a chemical, physical or biological alteration to the atmospheric air. It results
whenever harmful gasses, smoke, or dust enters the atmosphere and in turn, hinders the survival
of animals and plants as the air contains toxic substances.

The survival of human beings and animals greatly depend on the combination of gasses in the
atmosphere; slight disruption of this composition can cause devastating effects on their existence.
An imbalance in these atmospheric gasses is known to result in global warming, a great threat to
the contemporary world. We cannot underestimate the effects air pollution has on the ozone layer
which largely contributes to the existence of organisms on the planet.

Causes of Air Pollution

For the causes of air pollution to be well articulated, it is important to delve into the types of air
pollutants. Air pollutants can be caused by secondary and primary sources. If a process directly
results to pollution, then this forms the primary source. For instance, factories emit sulfur dioxide
which is a primary source of air pollution. Reactions and interactions between primary
sources form the secondary pollutant. For instance, the intermingling of primary pollutants forms
smog which is a secondary pollutant.

Burning of fossil fuels

The main cause of air pollution is burning of coal, gasoline, petroleum, and other fossil fuels.
These fuels are the main cause of acid rain, smog, greenhouse gas emissions, and presence of
heavy metals in the air.

Fossil fuels form an important part of the society; they are used in transportation, heating,
manufacturing, and even in electricity generation. This makes them an important part of the society
making it difficult (but not uncontrollable) to curtail. In modern society, the use of fossil fuels can
be made so that its burning becomes efficient, but this comes with a monetary cost. It is important
to note that unless alternative cleaner option is found, we will have the future facing the same
problems of pollution.

Increased use of motor vehicles, and emission of nitrogen

Vehicles use fuel which sometimes is not completely burnt in the engine; therefore, they release
VOCs (Volatile Organic Chemicals) into the air. VOCs and nitrogen are a common source of air
pollution.

Decomposition of garbage and solid wastes

Disposal sites containing biodegradable substances are known to emit methane gas into the
atmosphere. Methane gas is known to be a harmful gas, it is highly flammable and a potential
disaster to the ozone layer. Garbage and other household products release VOCs to the air.
Natural causes

Air pollution can come from natural sources such as dust, wildfires, and volcanic activity. Wildfire
is known to emit VOCs and particulates into the atmosphere. Volcanic eruptions spew sulfur
dioxide and volcanic ash into the atmosphere. Volcanic ash is usually dumped in the upper
atmosphere, and as a result, global temperatures are lowered. However, pollution resulting from
natural causes remains in the atmosphere for a short period and does not result in a permanent
change as it might be the case with human activity-based pollution.

Effects of Air Pollution

1. Respiratory infections

Air pollution is the leading cause of respiratory diseases. Exposure to air pollutants can cause lung
cancer and even asthma. Asthma can lead to death if not well treated, as it might cause difficulty
in breathing. A prolonged exposure of pollutants can cause lung cancer.

2. Global warming

The rise in sea level, rising temperature in the world, and the melting of ice glaciers are the
evidence for the global warming. Global warming is a direct effect of air pollution in the world.
The only way to curb this increasingly destructive menace is to reduce air pollution.

3. Depletion of ozone layer

With the greenhouse effect which is the major contributor of the release of chlorofluorocarbon into
the atmosphere has led to the depletion of ozone layer. This layer is important in shielding the
earth from the destructive ultraviolet (UV) radiations.

4. Formation of acid rain

Emission of harmful gasses such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen into the atmosphere lead to the
formation of acid rain. It is quite common for rain water to have sulfuric acid due to rampant cases
of air pollution in the modern society. Acid rain is a major threat to the aquatic life as well as
human beings.

There are carcinogenic substances in the acid rain, and it has devastating effects to even metal
which can be observed by the extent of corrosion that often results.

5. Eutrophication

Air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide speed up the growth of algae on the water surface. This
growth competes with aquatic life for oxygen, therefore, posing a major threat to fishing. The only
way to reduce the devastating effects of air pollution will be to come up with effective ways of
reducing air pollution.
Earth’s atmosphere has a self-regulating mechanism that ensures sequestration of carbon among
other pollutants. The mechanism works to ensure that the ecosystem is not affected by the changes
occurring in the atmosphere. However, if people continue to add more pollutants than the earth is
able to remove, then the response will be increased smog, acid rain, global warming and a number
of health problems.