School Uniform?

Lots of pupils who attend school in UK wear some kind of school uniform. Other pupils go to school wearing what they feel like. Typical school uniform for boys consists of a blazer, trousers , white shirt and tie and for girls it is a skirt, white blouse and perhaps tie too. Casual clothes like jeans are banned in such schools.

In some schools in Europe Muslim children are allowed to wear traditional Muslim clothes such as the veil whilst in other schools, in France for example, it has been banned. How pupils dress and the fashions they follow have become a subject for public debate all over Europe. Some people are now saying that there should be some kind of dress code in schools - clear rules about what may or may not be worn.
What do you think? Do you feel there should be some kind of dress code or do you think it is up to the individual to decide? Can you see any advantages in having a uniform? Should pupils coming to school looking like Britney Spears be sent home to change into more suitable clothes?

Are you obese?

Obese people are not just a bit fat or overweight. They are so overweight that they run the risk of getting diabetes or serious heart problems. Between 5-25 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are obese and this varies according to ethnic group.

It is estimated that 5-7 percent of white and black children are obese, while 12 percent of Hispanic boys and 19 percent of Hispanic girls are obese. These children cannot expect to live as long as their parents. Obesity is not just an American problem - it is a growing concern all over the world.

What do you think people should do about this ? How can people avoid becoming much too fat? What advice can you give them?

Death Penalty

A man, who murdered his parents in a savage attack, has been jailed for life. Michael Clarke stabbed to death his 70-year-old father Milroy and mother Joan,56, at their home in December 2004.




The day after he travelled together with some friends to watch a rock concert. He returned home in the early hours of December 7th. Clarke then pretended he found his parents' bodies lying in blood. He denied murdering his parents and said that he had had a perfect relation with them.



He was found guilty of both murders at Bristol Crown Court last week and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Crimes like this are horrifying. In some countries in the world the death penalty has been abolished. However, in countries like USA and a few others it is still carried out and has a lot of public support.

What is your opinion concerning the death penalty? Do you think it is ever right to execute people who commit terrible, horrific crimes like the one above?

Animal Rights

Many people in the UK are concerned about animal testing. A group called Animal Liberation Front has declared war on all those who use animals in any kind of research. They use what they call DIRECT ACTION to achieve their aims. They harass and threaten the owners of research centres, the employees who work at them and anybody connected with them.

Last Tuesday, one such business involved in animal testing finally gave in. After seven years of non-stop protests, the owners of Darley Oaks Farm in Staffordshire, who had bred guinea pigs for 30 years for laboratory use, decided they could no longer do so. People in the local village had been terrorized and their property vandalized, the local golf course had been ripped up and electricity pylons damaged.

But the owners finally decided they had had enough when ALF desecrated the grave of Gladys Hammond, mother-in-law of Darley Oaks´s owners, and stole her body.
How do you feel about this issue? Should animal experiments continue or do you, like ALF, believe the lives of all animals are sacred?

Smoking

Smoking has recently been banned in the UK and countries all over the world have introduced laws against it. What do you feel about this? What are the laws about smoking where you live? Shouldn't individual pubs and restaurants be allowed to decide this question themselves and let people choose where they want to go to eat and have a drink?

Doesn't the individual have the right to decide if he/she wants to smoke or not? How far are you in favour of banning smoking - should there be any places where people can smoke if they wish?
Is banning smoking such a great idea?