Issue 51 letters
Here are some more letters from our readers that we could not fit into issue 51.
The Berlin Wall
Dear Editor
I would like to share the experiences of my family when the Berlin Wall was up. In 1989 my Mum was seventeen and my granny was thirty eight, living in Socialist Poland.
Granny said that in the 50’s and 60’s life was not so colourful, but somehow easier. For example, when she went to the shop she did not have to make difficult choices what to buy, because there were not many things on the shelves. Once, my great-granny bought her a pair of green tights. Her little brother ripped them apart and she knew that she could not get another pair. She was so upset she got a very high temperature. She also told me that their letters were often ‘damaged in travel’ but they were always checked by the Secret Services.
My Mum told me a story of how happy she was when she broke her foot. Because she was walking on crutches she did not have to stand in a three hour queue to get ten rolls of toilet paper.
Some things were funny but these times were also very sad. They could not travel where they wanted. The only foreign language allowed in school was Russian. They could not go to church, and only children of the working class had access to higher education. People could even end up in jail just for having their own opinion.
I am happy that I live now, not then.
Saymon Piotrowski – Castle
Eye Pets
Dear Editor
I read in the last issue of the paper that there is a new PS3 game called Eye Pets. I was very fascinated by it.
I think that Eye Pets is a very good idea, because it gives people the chance to look after a monkey, and learn how to take responsibility. It is also great because children who are not allowed pets will have the chance to look after, care for, play with and enjoy their new furry friend.
It is also a great idea because some people with allergies to animals, cats, dogs and fur, can experience the fun of having a pet. I think lots of children over the world should be able to enjoy this fabulous game.
Claudia Nixson Engel – Castle
Heading for the freezer
Dear Editor
I am writing to respond to the article ‘Heading for the Freezer’. I think it is awful that the coral reefs are disappearing because of global warming. It they disappear, lots of fish will lose their homes and their safety from other fish.
Scientists say that we should start freezing samples of them. I agree with this because we shouldn’t let the reefs disappear and so if we keep them in captivity we can stop them from disappearing.
William Hanson – Wellow
The Simpsons
Dear Editor
am writing in response to your article about the Simpsons celebrating 20 years. If I got the chance to create a new character for the show, the type of character I would create is a disobedient character like Bart, but also a very brainy character like Lisa. This character would make the family a bit more exciting. I would name the character Derek because Derek is a nice smart name and the name is both a bad boy’s name and a good boy’s name. The name will also put another interesting name in the family. My character would wear a blue top and orange bottoms, he would also wear a pair of black Nike trainers.
I loved this article so much because I am a big fan of the Simpsons.
Rebecca Dorey – Amy Johnson
Has childhood obesity really improved?
Dear Editor
I am writing to you to give me opinion on ‘Has childhood obesity really improved?’ and my answer is no, because places like Macdonald are making it worse but I agree exercise could be the solution. If schools give children most of the exercise that they’re meant to have in a day it would not be hard to play in the garden and run around, even play with family or pets.
Putting hair straighteners in a girls’ changing room might make it better but most girls do things like trampoling and gymnastics and some girls might do netball or hockey. Also knowing that 1.5 million children in England are overweight or obese makes a lot more people get their children to exercise and if everyone does that then it will stop the number rising.
Overall I think it is an interesting article and I have loved reading it and it has made me think a lot about obese children. Also, I will try a lot harder to exercise at home or play with my puppy abit more.
Chloe McLaughlan – St Mary’s
Swearing at the school gate
Dear Editor
The headmaster is quite right about the swearing! It is not a good example to swear around schoolchildren, as this will encourage copying from them. Swearing is also addictive and does not put the person who swears in a good light. There is also such trouble on TV because the editors do not censor the bad language on programmes before nine o’clock, such as The Simpsons. As shown in the article quoted, parents have also been influencing swearing at home. At school as well (not mine especially though), children swear a lot and sometimes teachers do not notice or ignore the language. In my opinion, people should not use profanity such a lot. If this continues, it will increase as time goes on, with the next generation swearing in the future.
William Klintworth – Lanesborough
Branding wild ponies cause big argument on Exmoor Farms
Dear Editor
I am writing to respond to the article ‘Branding wild poinies causes big argument on Exmoor farms’. When I read it my mind was bursting with many different opinions. I am an animal lover and wish to grow up to be a vet, this article immediately caught my eye.
One of the statements I disagree with is by Paul King who claims branding is very painful and barbaric. I disagree with him because although branding may be painful, this pain is only for a few seconds. Therefore branding is only like a human placing his hand in boiling water.
Another opinion of mine is there are not many different things we can do to mark who owns the wild ponies. If we use paint this will simply wash off in the rain.
Finally I think microchips are a good idea but say if a microchipped pony was hit by a car, the chances of the person who hit the pony having a device to read the microchip is very low. Also microchipping will cost considerably more money. Therefore as we are in recession this is not very economical.
William Goodall – Wellow
Dear Editor
I am writing about the branding of the ponies on Exmoor. I think it is very cruel to burn the ponies. Burning the ponies must cause them some distress.
I understand the owner’s point of putting numbers on them in case there is an accident of some sort. You would want to know if it was your pony or not.
I think that it would be a good idea to spray or dye the numbers on to them like they do with sheep. This would not cause distress to the animal.
Charlotte Payne – Castle
Dear Editor
I think that branding wild ponies is cruel. These ponies are still living things. I have two precious ponies but they are microchipped. Branding is very painful for the ponies and a microchip only causes a tiny bit of pain then it goes away.
When I read your article I felt extremely disappointed. It is better for a microchip because if someone finds a pony, they would take the pony to the vets, scan the pony and on a screen all the details will come up for the animal, including their owner’s address, their phone number or their postcode. It might stop people arguing in Exmoor if you had a microchip on these ponies. I think branding wild ponies is very cruel. You should have a microchip instead.
Leah Turner – Amy Johnson