• Fri
  • Jul 11, 2014
  • Updated: 11:58pm


PUBLISHED : Monday, 01 September, 2008, 12:00am
UPDATED : Monday, 01 September, 2008, 12:00am

Enforce the law and stop teens smoking

Although it is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under 18, teenagers can easily buy them, especially in smaller stores.

The number of teen smokers is on the rise.

I think shops should realise selling cigarettes to under-18s damages the health of Hong Kong's young people.

I suggest the government enforces the law more seriously and check stores more regularly.

The best way to stop teenagers smoking is by teaching them. Schools should teach students the dangers of smoking.

Tracy Wong, SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School

Give opportunities to disabled people

Taking orders, delivering dishes or setting a dining table may seem like easy tasks.

However, small things we take for granted could be significant achievements for a disabled person.

Physically or mentally challenged people will have a sense of belonging in the community if they are given job opportunities.

The government should put more effort into encouraging employers to offer jobs to the disabled.

This will help them contribute financially not only to their families but also to society.

Once they start working, they will know they haven't been forgotten by society.

Ingrid Wong

Don't be addicted to your mobile phone

I'm concerned we're all becoming addicted to our mobile phones.

Out on the streets and on the trains and buses, everywhere you go, everyone's on their phones, talking, sending text messages, playing games, listening to MP3s and so on. We're addicted.

There's no denying mobile phones are useful, and not just for staying in touch with friends: they can be used as cameras, music players, calculators and more.

However, this doesn't mean, we need to be using them all the time.

In some situations - such as driving a car - we shouldn't use them at all.

In conclusion, as useful as they are, mobile phones should be used sensibly. Doris

Success is not what other people think

People are always trying to appraise others' achievements, much like the coach who will praise some players and deem others a failure.

Too often, our judges do not think about the efforts that went into what we have done, and what our expectations were.

For example, a good friend of mine wanted to achieve a height of 190cm in the high jump at our school athletics meet, and when she failed, she cried.

Another friend just wanted to achieve a standard result. She did it and felt she had succeeded.

This shows achievement is just a state of mind, and has nothing to do with what other people think.

Sandy Chan Wai-san

Follow your heart so you'll have no regret

How would you feel if you were told tomorrow would be the end of the world?

Most of us, I think, would feel nervous and afraid, but we would also have a lot of regrets because of all the things we had not yet done.

None of us can foresee what the future holds, so we should grab the opportunities that come along and do whatever it is we really want.

Don't hesitate, or doubt your abilities. Even if you try and fail, don't let it get you down. At least you tried.

Even if someone laughs at your failure, what really matters is you had the bravery to try.

None of us know how long we will live. An accident might take us away any moment.

What we have to do is follow our hearts.

That way we can leave the world peacefully without any regret.

Mandy She Lai-man

The dangers of a life in front of a screen

Hong Kong's teenagers spend too much time in front of computers.

Some spend all day on the computer playing games, leaving them with no time to study, learn other skills or even make friends.

Obviously computers get in the way of study, but it is also bad for personal skills.

Chatting on ICQ and playing games leave teenagers detached from the outside world, and they start to neglect everything in their lives.

When they sit at their computer until past midnight, they are sleepy the next day and cannot follow what the teacher is saying.

We all need computer skills in today's world, but let's not forget what our younger years should also be about - studying, learning skills, making friends and enjoying life.

Lau Wai-sun

Stop unnecessary killing of animals

I wish it was possible to stop endangered species of animals being killed to produce luxury products. Elephants are being killed for their tusks for ivory products.

I don't think endangered animals should be killed for any reason, and even non-endangered species such as crocodiles should not be killed for their skins, just as sharks should not be killed for their fins.

Perhaps there are animal parts that have useful medical applications - just as the Chinese believe deer horns do - and I think use of such animal parts can be justified so long as it does not involve abusing and killing the animals.

Kitty Wong


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